There is a gruesome video of a young Kashmiri man named Umer Bhai who was killed & burnt by Indian occupying forces. In the video, his body is being prepared for burial & honored by family & fellow Kashmiris. Under international law, it is forbidden to desecrate the corpses of “enemy combatants” but there is no way for international law to be enforced, even if there was the political will to do so. India also has the Armed Forces Special Powers Acts (AFSPA) giving immunity to its troops for any measure of criminality in Kashmir.
Mehdi Hasan tweeted perhaps one of the best responses to the death of McCain. He began with extending condolences to the McCain family whose loss should be acknowledged regardless of McCain’s political crimes & corruption:
“Condolences to the family of John McCain.
Condolences also to the families of thousands of American soldiers & tens of thousands of innocent Iraqis, Afghans, Yemenis, Syrians, Palestinians & others who might be alive today were it not for the votes & actions of John McCain.”
I would only correct Hasan by saying the hundreds of thousands, nay millions of innocents killed by the votes & actions of McCain.
This will blow your mind: a Muslim woman flying between Boston & DC was forced to show her bloodied menstrual pad during a security check at the airport.
The Burmese ambassador to the UN Security Council slobbered out some crocodile tears at a recent session since the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has recommended the UNSC immediately refer Burma to the International Criminal Court for allegations of crimes against humanity & genocide against the Rohingya people & war crimes against other ethnic groups.
Leading Rohingya activist Ro Nay San Lwin protesting Aung San Suu Kyi’s preeminent role in the Rohingya genocide: reposted here in solidarity because all his posts on Twitter are bombarded by deranged Burmese nationalists who fill his comments with morbid & racist images & comments against “Bengali terrorists.”
Since Israeli occupying forces routinely assault & arrest small Palestinian children, it’s no surprise they would arrest this bride & groom at their wedding for wearing a Palestinian flag. It’s hard to tell if the increased indignation among Zionists to Israel’s policies of escalating genocide is rooted in political opposition that means something or to embarrassment at association with such criminality. But enough with the mealy-mouthed protestations. Either one stands unequivocally with Palestinians against the occupation & genocide, or one stands with the predations of Israel. There is no middle way; there is no playing both sides of the street when it comes to genocide.
The photo of this pellet gun victim in Kashmir isn’t dated but it could be any time till the present from 2010 when the government of Omar Abdullah began using them against what Indian media called ‘violent mobs’ but what we know were unarmed civilian protesters. Abdullah is the guy touring US campuses now speaking on solutions for Kashmir & being confronted by Kashmiri activists for this criminality.
An Indian nationalist who wandered on to my friend’s list through a blunderous misunderstanding just mocked the Kashmiri freedom struggle. He had to go. Even if you don’t understand the Kashmiri struggle against colonialism, occupation, genocide, when you come to my wall you listen to what they say & learn from them about one of the most important freedom struggles of our times. A victory for Kashmiris is of international importance & would change the balance of political forces in the world to the advantage of the oppressed everywhere. You don’t have to get that. But if you dare to mock it, you’re toast. Have a good life. But scram. Because if you can ignore or justify this kind of criminality against unarmed protesters, we won’t be moving through life together. We have nothing in common.
A Facebook friend, seeing I was looking for part-time work, suggested I look into playing an extra in commercials & films because they need all types, all ages, etc. Playing an extra in a casino or geriatric drug ad sure beats scrubbing floors in a fast food joint. After some googling, she found a casting agency here which I phoned today seeking work as a senior woman extra. Within hours, they responded positively & asked for photos. I sent those most flattering of me & believe me, there ain’t no selfies among them since my phone makes me look like a troll. I see gold in them thar hills: from playing the old lady in the background at a casino to playing Lady MacBeth on Broadway, I’m on my way to stardom. Or maybe not. Maybe there is just a McDonald’s kitchen in my future whether I like it or not.
Students displayed ribbons for a thousand of Rohingya victims killed during the genocide in Arakan/Rakhine state, Burma. The ribbons had the names, villages, age & date of victims to honor their lives.
