We gotta ask why Tulsi Gabbard’s strong support for Israel doesn’t concern her Assadist supporters who all claim to be anti-Zionist? Of course her support for Israel is right in line with her support for Assad, Modi, Sisi. She’s a consistent reactionary. And so are her Assadist supporters, including KKK guy David Duke, whose anti-Zionism is really a cloak for hating on Jews. It all comes home to roost in support for Assad in Syria.

Some of the more feeble-minded Assadists are trying to replicate in the Philippines what they pulled off in Syria with all the head-chopping rhetoric. It comes from the same reactionary, debased impulses of supporting authoritarian regimes.

Duterte has been on a death squad war against the poor since he entered office June 30th, 2016 & has gunned down about 1,000 people a month in cold blood. He now claims ISIS has taken over part of the country & imposed martial law in that region with threats to extend it nationally & “decapitate” opponents of his death squads. How believable is a monster like that?

The sarcasm of denouncing head chopping in Syria & supporting Duterte who threatens to decapitate human rights activists goes right over the cement heads of the Hands Off Syria crowd.

The truly regrettable, if not criminal thing, is that understanding the development & counter-revolutionary function of extremist militias in Syria & Iraq is important. But fear-mongering & fabricating atrocities has made that understanding very difficult indeed. If they are turned into super-demons rather than politically analyzed there is no way to understand how to deal with & defeat such reactionary currents.

With the “drive them out” campaign launched by Trump in Saudi Arabia, we are going to be hearing accusations of ISIS appearances all over the globe. This essay by Syrian revolutionist Yassin Al Haj Saleh is a good introduction to our study of extremist, violent militias.

http://www.yassinhs.com/2016/11/18/the-genealogy-of-isis/

It isn’t that western media didn’t cover Thursday’s attack in Egypt on a bus of Coptic Christians. Most major media did. But unlike the Manchester bombing, it has not received nonstop, wall-to-wall coverage with feverish outrage at the crime. Although it received more coverage than most US-European wars.

It was a horrific act of terrorism. Ten to twelve gunmen traveling in 3 SUVs stormed a bus & opened fire on Coptic Christians traveling on a prayer pilgrimage. Twenty-eight people were killed, including children. Only 3 children survived. Many people were injured.
It’s likely it wouldn’t have received any coverage if it couldn’t be blamed on ISIS, if it couldn’t be manipulated to justify the “drive them out” campaign launched by the Islamophobe-in-chief in Saudi Arabia.

Media reports that Muslim leaders “rushed to condemn” the incident & in a non sequitur add “which occurred the day before the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.” There are no reports that Christian leaders other than Pope Francis “rushed to condemn” the attack. Unless we want to hammer on about the Inquisition & Christianity’s role in colonialism, enough with yoking Islam to terrorism. Theology is called on to justify barbarism but the driving force is entirely secular.

This is a monstrous crime which should not be used to war & hate monger. During the Egyptian uprising in 2012, there were attacks on Coptic churches in Cairo. Muslims rushed to their defense, surrounding them as civilian defense guards against arson & assault. That is the Islam of Ramadan.

Our solidarity with Coptic Christians in Egypt against these assaults & our condolences to the families of those who died. May they Rest In Peace.

Je suis Coptic Christian.

(Photo from CNN after the attack)

Jared Kushner is such a snappy dresser. And what an elegant couple he makes with that Ivanka. He’ll have a hard time adjusting to the penitentiary. Smug doesn’t go over that well with more plebeian criminals.

A Kashmiri protester dares police & paramilitary men (not in picture) to shoot him during clashes in Srinagar.

Tough kid. He has better things to do with his life than fight occupation. He has dreams which don’t include being ruled by those who see him as a subject.

End the occupation. Self-determination for Kashmir.

(Photo by Basit Zargar)

Didn’t know they still claimed Palestinians had terrorist cells in the US. Seems so damn quaint. But a cold case crime show said Palestinian terrorists here “are as organized as the mafia but not nearly as lovable.”

The fevered imaginations of Zionists & Islamophobes make it hard to draw the line between tragedy & farce.

The social media ban has been revoked in Kashmir. The revolution will be televised after all. Despite attempts to silence it. Done in by tech-savvy youth.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6M5r2xtDAMw

This is a video I posted May 26, 2011 of the Syrian revolution–the revolution Assadists claim never happened, was an “Islamist” uprising, or has been long-ago defeated. Images like this continue to emerge from Syria for those who have eyes to see & whose head isn’t filled with cement: