360 Blowback!

Walking through much of San Francisco, I feel as if a ghost- surrounded by memories of happier times when it felt like I actually had... a life. I've avoided the block where I used to live for seventeen years while married in San Francisco since the end of 2019. Just couldn't bring myself to walk past- too many remembrances, too much pain. This week I did, not for the reasons one might think, but because I wanted to reconnect with the guy at the neighborhood bodega called O'Looney's (hilariously named since it's been owned by a Palestinian Muslim named Mohamed for longer than I've known). I got to know two of Mohamed's sons when I lived there, and we would get to talking about life in America and Israel/Palestine- the latter of which I obviously knew nothing about. I learned for instance how the wall that Israel constructed separated Palestinian farmers from their olive trees, which would then wither and die- and would then allow Israelis to comment on how typical of Palestinians to squander and neglect whatever assets they supposedly owned.

This time I learned something truly shocking and enlightening- that Israel had directly contributed to the creation and empowerment of Hamas! Huh- Wai... Wha!?! I almost told him to stop, to reconsider what he had just said- ya know, the self serving, delusional, propaganda part. Fortunately, the wiser part of me told me, "Shut up and learn, dumb ass!"  Long story short- in times past Israel thought it a smart move to aid and abet those directly opposed to Arafat's power base. Divide and conquer- Win-Win! Done and done. What could go wrong?

Something most worthy of American exceptionalism and hubris! America could have made Afghanistan terrorist proof had they simply invested a mere coupla million for schools, doctors and basic infrastructure after chasing Russia out with Stingers; but it was voted down- way too expensive. We rather wait and spend Billions later on down the road while we kill several thousand! But I digress... Later that evening I saw Final Account:

Weep, Oh, Israel!

It's proven that some children who are molested go on to become molesters themselves, counterintuitive perhaps, but true (frighteningly so) nevertheless. Lately, I've been thinking how that same example could be applied on an even larger scale- could an abused people/country go on to become mass abusers themselves? That certainly might very well help explain how one 'genocided' population could go on to commit similar atrocities against another... 

Once again, the world stands by merely watching as one group of people are bombed and shot relentlessly out of house and home, bombed and shot relentlessly into evacuation and refugee encampments, bombed and shot relentlessly straight into starvation...

When does self defense devolve into endless, vicious retribution? In this case, Israel crossed that line quite some time ago; the victim has become victimizer, defying their own code of ethics, and breaking their own set of morals and conduct that they themselves helped define for and propagate to the entire world!

How long can one continue to persecute and target a population you made homeless and starving- and still claim to be the victim? Israel, you could once, at least, argue the moral high ground- any claim to the latter has been long extinguished by the trail of thousands of dead and broken children's bodies left in your pernicious wake of unrelenting vengeance...

It's Hardly Prophetic...

to state that the opportunities for even greater massacres, war crimes and atrocities are about to be launched in Gaza as the whole world simply... awaits the inevitable. And that's just the point- it's all pretty obvious: "smart bombs" that somehow miss their mark, misidentified targets, and the general chaos and confusion of war that result in the most tragic of needless deaths. Sympathy for Israel over the inexcusably heinous, terrorist acts committed by Hamas this past weekend is both understandable, and justified. But the hundreds (probably thousands) of avoidable civilian deaths that will now inevitably follow is beyond folly or justifiable righteous indignation. An intensive military action staged in one of the most crowded places on earth (without recourse to evacuation) guarantees untold collateral damage- and most that will die will not be Hamas terrorists, they will be innocent civilians, many if not most... women, elderly and children. 

No food, no water, no medicine- that alone is enough to overcome, that alone will cause substantial suffering, and death. Israel is describing this upcoming retaliation as something different, something much more all encompassing, but it is in fact, just the latest tit for tat, eye for eye retribution writ large; one that will only induce yet another Palestinian retaliatory round of mass murder and mayhem. Israel is smart enough to realize that they have to offer a carrot to their forced diet of constant sticks, land grabs and military actions. Both sides should realize by now that each is every bit as stubborn and committed as the other! Both sides need to ditch the scorecards, grow the fuck up and learn to share since neither is going away. Yeah, easier said than done... but easier than cursing the future of their own children.

Pray For Israel...

Please- Pray That Israel Regains Their Conscience!

They have bombed Palestinian civilians in their apartments, schools and hospitals. They have shot them in the streets as they chase them from so called safe zone to 'safe zone.' They shoot them with drones, with tanks and in predesignated target areas where they tempt them with morsels of food. They've grown so utterly bored with shooting so many Palestinian men, women and children... that they now make a game of it! 

And as if shooting and blowing them up is not enough, they are now literally starving them! Pictures are now disseminating, documenting skeletal infants reminiscent of those from Biafra and Bangladesh at the peak of their famines. There is a word for this, for this carefully planned, duly implemented and progressively expanding slaughter on every front imaginable; a word that should not be used lightly or prematurely, but when made blatantly clear and obvious- Shouted and condemned the world over! Israel, once the victim, and now perpetrator of... GENOCIDE!

Got Ya Last!

I remember listening to my mother's radio getting ready for school- listening to news reports of the Jews and Palestinians playing the nastiest game of 'Got Ya Last' imaginable. Even as a kid I thought it weird hearing adults behave like a bunch of bratty kids- over and over and over again, seemed like every other week. There they go... the kids are at it again! Even now I'm tempted to dismiss this ongoing schoolyard insanity of death and destruction with a flippant... didn't Jared, our most skilled diplomat, solve all this?

Except, here we are some fifty plus years later, same game, just a whole lot nastier. The slaughter of civilians by Hamas was absolutely despicable, and what Israel continues to do to the Palestinian people is every bit as sick: the illegal occupation and settlement of Palestinian territory, the tyrannical oversight of Palestinian homelands, the indiscriminate demolition of Palestinian homes (which will increase exponentially in the immediate days to come)... 

Make no doubt, both sides have acted and will continue to act with absolute savagery. The thing that pisses me off is that (at least in this country)- only one side gets bad mouthed, only one side reaps the bad publicity, only one side gets to publicly be called "savages." When Hamas shoots innocent families in their cars, they're "horrendous animals." When Israel obliterates innocent families in their homes with high tech, push button weaponry- hey, that's the breaks folks! No surprise whose lives score higher both in the halls of Congress and the studios of our press...  

Israel has been humiliated by their security lapse, that will make the body count of their retribution historically vindictive in an attempt to save face. They've already sworn as much, they're finally going to teach the other side a lesson they won't soon forget... by doing exactly what they've always been doing for decades! The Jewish people are renowned for their smarts worldwide- and yet they continue to blindly repeat the popular definition of insanity. 

For rational, insightful coverage... Democracy Now!

Irony, Hypocrisy & Ceaseless Slaughter...

A "classic" I well remember going back to Viet Nam...

It's pretty ironic(?) in a sick sorta way, that something so horrific that is happening literally halfway across the world would provide me with the opportunity to partake in what I most... enjoy- photography. That is, the horrendous deaths of thousands of innocent civilians in Israel and Gaza has stirred worldwide condemnation and protests for either side, some of those protests occurring right here in San Francisco, long known for its endless procession of protests. 

All photos: © Stan Banos

And while I must again stress that I cannot in good conscience proactively support either side (because of the heinous atrocities committed by each), that doesn't mean that one cannot at least try and make objectively worthwhile observations... 

Such as:

1)  The slaughter of innocent civilians (particularly children) is never 'a good look' for either side. Hamas slaughtered 1,400 civilians on Oct. 7; as of today over 4,000 innocent children alone have been slaughtered in Gaza in retaliation. Some will argue that the Israeli children were killed intentionally, while the deaths of Palestinian children are "collateral damage," the "consequences of war." I would argue that dead children are dead children, both sides very much aware of the direct consequences of their actions- whether by bullets at point blank range during a concert, or at distance by push button munitions deliberately aimed at the most crowded place on earth.

2) Hundreds, indubitably thousands, more children (not to mention women and elderly) will be slaughtered in Gaza before Israel succeeds in "wiping out every last member of Hamas," an objectively impossible 'objective.'

3) I'm going to stop, I'm going to stop- restraint must be exercised if others are expected to follow, or the usual tit for tat, back and forth ensues ad infinitum... Each side arguing and fighting as only those with God on their side can. And I am bloody well sick of the hypocrisy, the madness, the ceaseless slaughter...

Both sides now.

No, not a phone- a booklet on... Palestine.

"Like A Brain Operation"

AMEN!        Photo: © Stan Banos

Really? Seriously? Four Israelis rescued; 274 Palestinians dead, of them- 64 children, 57 women, and that certainly doesn't mean that the remainder were all "terrorists," not to mention 700 wounded! Sounds more like wanton slaughter than delicately finessed surgery! 

At this point, are we still required to preface anything we say with, "Yes, I condemn the Oct 7 massacre?" Are we still required to state that Israel has the right to defend itself? Will we ever be asked if Palestinians have the right to defend themselves? Will anyone ever ask if we also condemn these ongoing, repeated massacres of Palestinian refugees? I keep hearing that all Hamas needs to do is to simply agree to the ceasefire... and yet, and yet, I actually had to do considerable digging to discover that as of 6/10- Israel has not agreed to it either!?! 

As I've said since 10/08, I ain't siding with anyone in this senseless, ceaseless seesaw towards oblivion- but I am tired of the one sided reportage, least in this country, as if the nation with the most weapons, wealth and resources have the only victims that count!

Addendum: Apparently 3 additional hostages were killed in the Israeli bombing resulting from raid... Madness!

Israel's Dangerous Game

Apparently, Israel, while still playing the role of eternal victim continues the ever so dangerous game of continual escalation, daring, infuriating and attacking nearly everyone around them with whom they have both legitimate and perceived grudges. They continue to rile as many hornets, tease as many wolves, slap, punch and bully as many opponents as they possibly can- and when the fury that's finally unleashed comes calling... Big Brother USA will get the call to save the day! The final sucker in this sucker's game.

How Much More Israel?

Really? Seriously... How many more children have to be blown up, butchered and turned into body parts by your "precision guided munitions?" Yes, you were wronged on 10/07/2023- no one can say otherwise- that doesn't give you license to commit like atrocities ad infinitum... This is long past "setting the record even," at this point, one can't even call it... revenge- it's just prolonged, premeditated slaughter. You've systematically created a situation in Gaza where you're literally shooting fish in a barrel claiming you only want to kill a select few at the bottom, knowing full well you have to kill all the innocents on top first!

You claim you want peace but you kill the very people you must negotiate with to achieve that peace! You claim they are terrorists, while willfully forgetting your own. Israel, you have learned all too well from the killers who have sinned against you...

Liar, Liar...

Israel has long denied targeting journalists, particularly Palestinian journalists, the most famous being Shireen Abu Akleh. Of course, Israel's prior claims of innocence seem even more hypocritical in light of one of their prized sniper's bragging rights claiming just how many Palestinian protestors he's maimed.

Truth Is Stranger Than...

Photo: © Stan Banos

I'm hardly the expert on anything Judaic, period. But having grown up in NY, I knew enough about the belief system (at least as it pertains to particular sects of Hasidism), that would make such a scene (as pictured above) possible. Still, the seeming incongruity of it all remained a bit of a shock back on an early summer day in 2019 as I stumbled upon it by sheer circumstance. These days, that shock factor increases... exponentially! I don't exactly know how or to what extent that particular belief (that a Jewish state cannot officially exist until the coming of the Messiah*) has shifted under present circumstances (if at all), but I did see a report that for the first time, a certain percentage of Hasidic males have, in fact, volunteered for military duty in Israel (the latter being exempt from mandatory military service).

*Again, the person above does not support a free Palestine because of some enlightened humane or humanistic world view, his belief is completely based on strict religious dogma independent of any belief(s) based on the personal dignity of freedom loving people. Just as evangelical Christians that fervently support Israel do so not to further Judeo-Christian brotherhood and cooperation, but to bring about the culmination of their ultra conservative belief system concerning Christ's second coming which has them raptured into paradise while everyone else (incl Jews) meet their dastardly, well deserved demise...

1945

 

Two Jews come into town with two crates that allows them to decimate an entire village! The latest in Uzi tech with unlimited ammo from Netanyahu's Israel? Not quite...as the title suggests, it's 1945 and these two Jews brandish crates full of perfume and cosmetics- or so they say. The destruction comes from the townspeople themselves- and the guilt and shame they've each justified and buried like a badge of deep rooted honor. 

Two closing thoughts: a) I couldn't help think how the whole scenario played out like a typical sitcom sketch straight outta Mayberry (except with decidedly more serious subject matter), and b) the timing and setting with present day Hungary couldn't be more apropos...

A Future Darkly

Photo: © Stan Banos

One can make the argument that Dems and Repubs are two sides of the same coin- I've often made it myself. But truth is, had Gore won, there would have been no Iraq War- that was a complete, pure and unmitigated W/Cheney concoction of lies, lies and more lies that cost hundreds of thousands of innocent lives (not to mention a few of our own)... a trillion dollar plus debacle that is curiously never mentioned when it comes to the financial collapse of the aughts. 

I voted my heart in exactly one presidential election- yeah, I voted Nader in 2000; ya see where this is going. CA went for Gore so I can be 'absolved,' but then there was... Florida, where Gore lost to W by 537 votes, a state that cast almost 100,000 votes for Nader. And this year a Kennedy is running, no one I can get excited about, but together with unenthusiastic Joe's refusal to do the right thing and officially put the brakes on Israel's best imitation of genocide- he's voluntarily giving away the very votes in Michigan that got him in!

All this in a time when we have an outright wannabe Fascist, psycho manchild on the verge of all out dementia gearing up to put an end to our already paper thin semblance of a democracy. And even if good ol' tottering Joe manages to pull one out of a hat, no one is even talking about what to do when The Don calls in his chips and unleashes his minions for his last hurrah...

A Little Of This, A Whole Lotta That...

Been an interesting week, we started with one lying SOB deluxe- one to the point of complete laughability. And as dark as that humor may be, it was a good buffer to what was to follow... the usual genocide that always follows an apartheid regime and policy. Don't know how many times I've heard that "Israel has the right to defend itself" (Absolutely!)- but I have yet to hear the very same declaration expressed on behalf of Palestinians... So far, over 200 Palestinians dead, less than 20 Israelis killed- so who exactly needs to defend themselves from whom!? 

And last and certainly not least- what I think finally, finally, FINALLY marks the official beginning of THE END of... Donald J. Trump. Thank you, Letitia and Cyrus!

Content, Context, Etc...

Photo: © Stan Banos

Now, I was previously aware that Hasidim did not believe in the establishment of an official Jewish homeland (ie- Israel) before the coming of the Messiah. Granted. But I never in my life thought that any of them would actually go out of their way to actively support the Palestinian cause. And yet here they were, not many to be sure, but present all the same, sporting pro-Palestinian signs and giving pro-Palestinian speeches- one while holding his infant son aloft! It kinda made one think that anything was possible...

Of course, the further irony in all this is that these Hasidim were not backing their Palestinian brothers because of some deep and fervent belief in the brotherhood of all men- but simply because of a Fundamentalist interpretation of a Biblical (Torahnic) declaration. Had the "prophesy" concluded that the Messiah would not come until the formation of a Jewish homeland- these same Hasidim would be just as rabidly anti-Palestinian (if not more so) as the Jewish counter protesters located just across the street...

Photo: © Stan Banos

Now, neither of these are particularly outstanding photos, but they do carry (especially the latter) their full measure of context. I came upon this scene as you see it- tense, but under control. I do not know what led to the eventual placement of handcuffs on this individual, but I'm guessing it got pretty crazed... considering the number of cops for one person, and the fact that a passerby warned me not to get too close (which of course, only encouraged me to do just that). 

But one can't help but look upon that scenario and reflect: 

1) How eerily reminiscent it is of a slave auction block. Flesh bared, head bowed and surrounded to the authority of an inexorable fate...

2) How about a literary interpretation via Hugo's Quasimodo- the "other" on public exhibit not as slave, but as a freak of nature?

3) These police were going out of their way to seem well composed, restrained, even respectful (least while I was there). Was this because this was happening in the heart of Times Square surrounded by hundreds thousands of tourist eyes? Would they have acted the same had this been Staten Island away from the public eye where Eric Garner was needlessly killed- over a couple of cigarettes by a legally outlawed police choke hold (the only person incarcerated, the person who filmed the murder)? 

Like they say, a photograph seldom answers anything...

On Truth... And Suffering

Well, I wanted to change gears from my last two posts and get upfull and bright for the upcoming weekend- 'fraid that's gonna have to wait... 

First, I just briefly wanna state that before the truth came out about MK-Ultra in Congressional hearings, I would get the same humiliatingly dismissive attitude I received from the person I recently consulted (on the legitimacy of a peer reviewed study on traces of nanotech in the Covid vaccines) who claimed to have actually vetted peer reviews. That's not to say that since the prior atrocity proved true, then so too is the latter. No, it most definitely isn't that simple- exactly why it deserves serious scientific investigation to finally be put to bed (or not)... but it will neither be funded, nor published. Just like everyone knows that UAP's are complete figments of the crazed imaginations of hallucinatory individuals!

AP Photo: Fatima Shbair

But today I'm here to ask you to not only consider the plight of those who have yet to join the 40,000+ already killed, as they continue to be Whac-A-Moled about from corner to corner of their non existent country so that they can both 'escape' and be targeted all the same by Israel's "precision guided munitions," but to also remember the other ongoing tragedy of unprecedented humanitarian proportions currently metastasizing in Sudan...  

'Expert' Advice

Last week on Bill Maher's show, one of his (expert?) guests volunteered that if the Palestinians had just one person the likes of an MLK, all their problems would be solved, all injustices settled, and peace and love would reign throughout the land! Or something to that effect...

That guest was very much correct- just not exactly the way his mighty intellect envisioned. An MLK like figure would unite Israel/Palestine... in an unprecedented effort to share intel and resources in a race to cap his ass ASAP! The last thing any of the major players in any faction on either side would tolerate was some idealist with a following threatening to end their particular piece of the pie. File this insight of the century in the same cabinet under other 'Bright Ideas' (that would never be allowed) such as free energy and a cure for cancer. Didn't think it possible but he actually made Jared Kushner (our previously appointed Middle East Saviour) look kinda smart- at least he had sense enuf to stay the hell out of it to the tune of a cool... $2 B-B-B-Billion!

Netanyahu- Mass Murderer, Serial Child Killer, War Criminal...

Obviously, this latest, unprovoked slaughter of four hundred people (130 of them, children!) is not about winning a war, it's not even about punishment, and it most definitely is not about freeing remaining hostages- it's about extermination, elimination of a people from their land so that Bibi Netanyahu can annex it!* Oh, Israel- you have learned all too well...

*All with our President's blessing!

One Way, Or The Other...

Photo: © Stan Banos

I'm not a violence first kinda guy, cause it usually just begets more of same, and uhhh... it's pretty nasty stuff! But something like the above gets me in the type of head space that asks: If you had a chance to shoot Hitler in the head- would ya do it? Hopefully, the answer would be "yes." Then, what about all the other bad guys who kill lots of people, would ya kill all of them too had you the means and opportunity? Afterall, the net good to society would be one of innocent lives saved- that's a good thing... No? But that kill list would grow pretty long... pretty quick! And who anointed you judge and executioner? Hhmmm... 

Is Netanyahu as bad as Hitler? He hasn't killed anywhere near millions- only thousands! Estimates are around 1,200 Israelis killed as a result of 10/07 Hamas attacks. Over 50,000 Palestinians have been killed as a result of those attacks- 18,000 of them children. I'd say that's way, waaaay more than sufficient payback- not to mention the almost complete and utter devastation of Gaza resulting in massive wholescale homelessness and the complete annihilation of infrastructure: schools, hospitals, electricity, clean water and food availability. Palestinians have been bombed out of home, 'safe zones,' and refugee survivor camps- and are now being methodically starved to death. Israeli soldiers are so bored of shooting so many Palestinians, they are literally making games of what body part to aim at on any given day. 

And the man who allows, promotes and prolongs this evil is none other than Bibi Netanyahu. He both covets their land, while seeking to delay the serious criminal charges awaiting him (for previous crimes) that would most likely see him imprisoned, if ever vigorously prosecuted... So is he a bad guy- yes; a killer, yes; a man who deserves to be killed, so that others may live? He's certainly not even hinted at ceasing any of the slaughter any time soon! I'd much rather see him arrested, tried and sentenced for crimes against humanity. And bringing up The Holocaust, as some kind of excuse or license is itself about the worst slander possible of that darkest of moments!

Israel has extracted it retribution tenfold and then some- this repeated Wack-a-Mole bombing, maiming of children, and purposeful starvation complete with 'food distribution' kill zones is clearly genocide by any other name. There are no visible targets left in the dust and rubble that is now Gaza, yet Bibi remains dedicated to targeting whatever remains of life and limb. He needs to face the music (of his own making)- one way or another...

Giving It All Away...

Is there anything, anything right... anywhere?     Photo: © Stan B.

The children of Israel, abused, terrorized, genocided for generations- now the abusers and killers of children en masse.

A madman ghost from the world of czars now amassing troops on bordering countries, and openly attacking and indiscriminately killing the populace of another- while thoughtlessly threatening nuclear Armagedón.

Global climate catastrophe threatens our very existence well into our children's children's future, while we idly stand by no longer even daring mention of its existence, let alone attempting the prevention of its inevitable cataclysmic and generational consequences.

And a gayly painted clown, the most powerful man in our earthly realm, recklessly stumbles about ridding anyone of what he doesn't understand, claiming whatever left for himself while endangering everyone, everywhere with his deceit, treachery and ever metastasizing avarice unbound. Wrapped in a flag, cloaked in the laws of his own choosing, he will not yield to reason, fairness or the morals of god or mankind. 

Gone are the leaders and voices of hope and transcendence; language no longer soothes nor inspires, pictures no longer verify- everything seemingly threatens and confuses, before finally deadening us all to the dangers we can no longer accept, confront, or even understand.