Charlie Hebdo drops another racist turd

Charlie Hebdo on Aylan Kurdi Jan 13 2016

Last week, media was filled with solemn commemorations of the Charlie Hebdo (CH) massacre in January 2015. The “Je suis Charlie” crap was everywhere & everybody dropped a tear–let’s be frank, mostly & quite suitably in sarcasm. Though even now, every time a criticism gets posted about CH, some rush like Knights Templar to champion free speech, pontificate on the iconoclastic character of satire, & sermonize about blasphemy not deserving massacre.

Let’s do a little pontificating of our own in response to the latest so-called satirical cartoon from CH (in this photo) about Aylan Kurdi, the drowned 3-year-old Syrian boy whose body washed up on a beach in Turkey last September. The caption reads: “What would little Aylan have grown up to be? An ass groper in Germany.” It is of course intended as a satirical response to the sexual assaults in Cologne, Germany on New Year’s Eve which involved some refugees as well as others & are still being investigated.

There’s actually no need for pontificating or excoriating. The debauchery of this cartoon, which does not in any way address the crime of sexually assaulting women, speaks for itself. This rubbish was published now at a time when far-right, nationalist, anti-Muslim vigilante groups like Pegida are going on a rampage across Germany protesting immigration, demanding Germany stop accepting refugees, & assaulting Pakistani, Syrian, & other refugee men. That’s not satire but incitement to criminal violence. How can critical minds be confused?

Allow me to speak personally here. My posts about Betty Windsor are intended as sarcastic, caustic take-downs of British moochocracy, which I despise. Some have misunderstood my posts as open field on Betty & posted degrading images of her on my timeline–which I delete. Degrading her is not my schtick. I draw a line even in ridiculing the power elite–though I don’t mind having a go at her consort for flatulence or at Kissinger because he’s such a vile reptile.

Even in satire, some things are sacred. Satire can be vulgar, outrageous, iconoclastic; it can treat things with contempt. But it cannot disregard limits & transgress the boundaries of social hatred; it cannot feed violence & nationalism because then it morphs from satire into propaganda for the status quo. It becomes hate-mongering.

If there is one thing in society that we hold sacred, it is children, & if there is one thing we respect, it is the horror of losing children, especially in a violent way. Little Aylan’s father is still grieving his loss–& so are we. It is absolutely odious & contemptible that CH would think it could mock this little boy. But in mocking him, they only expose their satire as nothing more than sucking up to power, as kissing ass on a grand scale. That makes them worthy subjects of satire. But most of us just want them to go away.

Indian occupying forces attack Kashmiri funeral cortege

Kashmir funeral procession of Sajad Ahmed Bhat (AP Photo:Dar Yasin) Jan 13 2016

Here an Indian policeman near Srinagar, Kashmir is firing a teargas shell at the funeral cortege of thousands of people for Sajad Ahmed Bhat. Media, not known for its investigative or probative skills, claims Bhat was a local militant & rebel commander killed in a gunfight with Indian military forces. One report says he was probably the longest surviving militant active in Kashmir, having “taken up arms” in 2007. Does that mean he was the last guy standing? What exactly did his militant activities involve? Was he any serious threat to the occupying forces? Why couldn’t they just corner him & arrest him & let due process take its course? Why did they have to take him out in a gun battle? After all, there are 700,000 Indian soldiers in Kashmir & he’s one of the last guys standing.

Media reports claim–& photojournalism backs them up–that Indian police, using a massive assault of teargas, tried to stop the funeral cortege from proceeding up a highway to the graveyard. Now why would they try to stop funeral proceedings even if he was an alleged militant? Were they concerned the cortege would tie up traffic? That they’d have to take down some military checkpoints for the cortege to pass? That surveillance & minesweeping patrols on the highway would be disrupted?

In Kashmir, funerals for those who defied tyranny become political protests–which has always been true in democratic uprisings from Chile to Northern Ireland to Palestine & Bahrain. The solemnity of a funeral does not deter the forces of repression from attack because “wherever two or more are gathered” in the name of democracy & popular rebellion, tyranny is threatened.

Media reported that “clashes erupted” & “protesters attacked government forces with stones” after police came at them with teargas canisters. What did they expect would happen? The Indian forces should be grateful most Kashmiri militants have laid down their arms & now rely primarily on the methods of peaceful massive protest. That’s why Kashmir opposition to Indian rule is called the other Intifada.

Our fullest solidarity with the Kashmiri struggle for self-determination. May Sajad Ahmed Bhat RIP.

(Photo by Dar Yasin/)

Israeli drone bombings in Gaza

Grieving Mussa Zeater in Gaza ( Mohammed Salem:Reuters) Jan 13 2016

This photo from the Guardian-UK was captioned: “Relatives of Palestinian militant Mussa Zeater, who was killed in an attack by an Israeli aircraft, mourn during his funeral.” A few other media sources also posted photos from his funeral. But when you try to find out who Zeater was & what happened, there is only one mangled report by TeleSur & not a peep more from the Guardian which thought it worthy of a photo.

The TeleSur report has to be un-mangled for coherence so the best that can be discerned is that Palestinian medics claim Zeater was a civilian while Israeli military officials claim he was part of a “terrorist cell” trying to plant a bomb “at a northern beach” one kilometer (less than a mile) from the apartheid fence with Israel.

The circumstances of his assassination remain incomprehensible (including where that northern beach is) but three other Palestinians were injured in the aerial attack. From shrapnel fire or the same bomb? Were they part of that “terrorist cell”, just passersby, or farmers working their fields? TeleSUR says “Witnesses told Ma’an News that Israeli vehicles & bulldozers arrived before the strike & razed the border area.” So did the bulldozers raze the area while Zeater was allegedly planting the bomb? Or was he still just thinking about doing it while eating lunch but they knew he’d soon be coming along with the bomb & wanted to ready the area to bomb him to death? Or is the whole story a stinking pile of horse manure?

The type of Israeli aircraft used to kill Zeater is not identified but was likely a drone since Israel pioneered the use of drones for assassinations in Gaza & has used them for over a decade. Day & night, it flies thousands of surveillance & attack drones over Gaza–traumatizing the population who cannot tell whether they are just surveilling or seeking a target to bomb.

No one knows for sure how many Palestinians in Gaza have been killed by drone attacks but human rights & health officials estimate victims in the several hundreds, with nearly 80% of the victims children. Fatality statistics do not include the immense human psychological suffering caused by the steady barrage of drones flying overhead at all hours of the day. Military officials are blowing smoke when they claim drone attacks are precision, “targeted killings” without “collateral damage” since there is plenty of testimony to the opposite–especially from Gaza.

Israeli drone practices are blanketed in secrecy–just like the US Pentagon which under Obama uses thousands of drone assaults for assassination & in war. The US use of drones has increased exponentially under Obama. Only Israel, the US & UK have used drones both in combat & in places like Gaza which is not a war front. It should be reported that Israel is the world’s top manufacturer of drones & sells them to over 70 countries.

One question that emerges from all this is why the US Pentagon is sending billions of dollars of military equipment to Israel when it manufactures & sells billions to other countries? Who can keep up with the lies?

The only way to support Palestinians against such treachery is to demand no aid of any kind to Israel & to build the economic, cultural, & academic boycott (BDS) of Israel. Buy nothing with a barcode beginning 729.

Our condolences to the family & friends of Mussa Zeater. May he RIP.

(Photo by Mohammed Salem/Reuters)

Go home Canadians!

Nightly news reports Canadians are crossing the border to buy Powerball tickets for tomorrow’s $1.5 billion drawing. Stay home you damn interlopers. This is our lottery & you’re not going to take home my winning lottery ticket.

Some elders really don’t deserve respect

It’s so compelling to talk about the engagement of Rupert Murdoch & Jerry Hall but who wants to mock true love? Cynics may think it’s all about the money but crepey-skinned octogenarians do have quite an appeal when they’re lathered in Clive Christian No. 1 Imperial Majesty Perfume at $12,722 an ounce. You can’t smell the stinking corruption.

It’s actually much more compelling that nonagenarian Phyllis Schlafly has dragged her bony ass from the mausoleum to endorse Donald Trump, especially for his xenophobic views. Who, you ask? Schlafly was the rightwing loudmouth who became notorious for opposing feminism, the Equal Rights Amendment, & espousing family values in the 1970s. Of course she had to abandon her family for several years to do that but they were glad to see her go.

Shlafly considers immigrants an existential threat to the US, just as she considered feminism in the 1970s. Her family is hoping she gets on the bandwagon again so they can be rid of her for another decade.