32 000 Palestinians slaughtered by Israel

And how are the terrorist actions by the state to be justified? Simply call its unspeakable actions that violate basic humanitarian principles, rights and laws ‘counter-terrorism’. Other words and phrases can now be used to further cover up their culpabilities as is, for example, widely being done in the mainstream India media for Israel. So Israel’s murderous actions in Gaza (and in the West Bank) should be described as ‘retaliation’, as ‘reprisals’.

Insofar as there are those who describe Hamas as motivated not so much by the desire to liberate Palestinians but by an ideologically driven jihadi ‘terroristic’ fervour, how many among them or others would be prepared to declare that the Israeli state’s behaviour is motivated by a Zionist ‘terroristic’ fervour! Islam or Judaism, like any religion, can be selectively interpreted to justify politically racist and exclusivist purposes but no religion is inherently so. Zionism is not a religion but a political ideology which is inherently exclusivist.

Like all colonised people, those willing to carry out armed struggle against the colonial oppressor must do so in an underground fashion. Moreover, there is no possibility of there being a geographically ’remote’ area separated from the mass of civilians in what is the world’s most densely populated zone. Israel knows this and doesn’t care. The definition of terrorist behaviour applies universally. There are never any excuses for intentionally or knowingly or indiscriminately killing civilians. Israel has no right to attack Gaza with or without evacuation warnings which, when occasionally given, are for the purposes of pretending to the global public that it will be justified in carrying out its subsequent brutalities.

Going after a military base and attacking enemy soldiers is justified but never an assault on innocent unarmed civilians. In spite of the absence of any universally accepted definition of terrorism, there is enough of a global consensus to recognise this as a terrorist act that must be condemned no matter which side does it. But then how is it that Israel is able to get away, both before and after the Hamas assault, with its assaults on civilians not being widely recognised at home and abroad as terrorism?

Israel’s War on Palestinians: Language in the Service of the Unspeakable 

Achin Vanaik Achin Vanaik 19/Oct/202 in The Wire 

US President Joe Biden’s administration is weighing whether to go ahead with an $18bn arms transfer package to Israel that would include dozens of F-15 aircraft, according to the Reuters news agency. 

The sale of 25 F-15s has been under review since the US received the formal request in January 2023, Reuters reported, citing one of five sources familiar with the plans, long before Israel’s six-month-old military campaign in Gaza. This sale would boost that number to as many as 50 F-15s.

Biden considers $18bn arms transfer to Israel, including F-15 jets: Report

Biden faces pressure from foreign partners, rights groups and some fellow Democrats in Congress to impose conditions on arms transfers to Israel.

Biden considers $18bn arms transfer to Israel, including F-15 jets: Report in Al Jazeera 

If you’re a civilian living in the United States, please, have compassion for military members. Understand that many of us joined before we knew all the evil committed by the military. Do what you can to support organizations helping military members separate as conscientious objectors before the end of their contracts, such as the Center on Conscience & War.

Aaron Bushnell was my friend. May he never be forgotten in The Guardian

But it’s not just the U.S. that has steadfastly backed the scorched-earth war; it’s virtually the entire Western establishment, with a few notable exceptions. Canada, they’re all-in. Britain, all-in. France, all-in. Germany, enthusiastically all-in. It is this coalition of the killing, and what motivates these nations to support Israel’s war of annihilation, that we are going to focus on on today’s program.

The U.S. is not some outside observer. It is complicit in all of this. It’s an active partner in the carnage, the bombings, the attacks against defenseless civilians. And it’s leading the international charge to defund the most important aid organization operating in Gaza. And yet, we are told that Biden — who apparently spends his mornings watching Morning Joe on MSNBC — is losing patience with Netanyahu.

JOE BIDEN LEADS A WESTERN “COALITION OF THE KILLING” IN BACKING ISRAEL’S GAZA WAR 

Examining the colonialist roots of U.S. and European support for Israel’s scorched-earth siege in The Intercept

Genocide Care

Re : relentless bombing of Gaza by the West and "crumbling healthcare." Health care is an inept terminology. Health care isn't designed to withstand bombings , not only of a population but itself too. It's more like "Death care" , "Genocide Care." And continues live streaming of a Genocide funded designed supported by the West.

Liberia

I'm sitting in a country where the Western peacebuilding and democratic project is transparent. Post war Liberia has been opened up to international capital and resource extraction through a Western style hollow corrupt liberal Democracy. Meanwhile civil society is also funded by the West and no independent robust anti capitalist anti imperial organising exists. We don't have any International solidarity here. Not a peep against any injustice in Africa or anywhere else. No NGO in Liberia has said anything in support of the people of the Sahel who stood up against the French or for Palestinians being slaughtered by the Israelis. What is the point of NGOs and UN who organise workshops on Democracy and Human Rights and Feminism? We are being NGO-ised. We are suffering the insularity of state centric global world order which we have to resist.

We are seeing in real time how Europeans stole land of North America

 

Jaane do isse .. is waqt yeh khudgarzi ke ghode pe savaar

 “ jaane do isse .. is waqt yeh khudgarzi ke ghode pe savaar, barbaadi ke toofan mein udtaa hua chalaa jaa raha hai .. aur aise savaar ko waqt ke thappad aur zamaane ki thokar ke sivaa koi nahin rok sakta hai “

- Kader Khan

Development of infrastructure is non existent or at a pace which has no imagined future.

I wrote this line thinking about how snail paced or non existent development is in Liberia. With upcoming elections, Liberia is again going through some comical and absurd motion of electing the most low caliber politicians to power to keep up the most idiotic pretence of Democracy. The UN, NGOs, colonisers or as you say , donors,  and observers will applaud Democracy and Peace. Journalists will descend and same tired narrative will be regurgitated. Even the critical pieces are tired tropes: land rights, corruption, war crimes and lack of justice, and that Africa's first female President has such a rotten legacy in terms of protecting women. I have always felt I'm witness to a circus and 20 years later, it's still entertaining me.  

Canadians and Nazis

Canada is everywhere. 

Trudeau's plane can’t take off from Delhi. 

They accuse India of assassinating a Sikh separatist. Not that India or any state is not capable of political assassination. But the irony that a colonial state like Canada is putting on airs of defending brown people. 

Many members of my Pakistani Ahamdi family have migrated to Canada  and, can't stop gushing about 'socialist' social services, the humanity, order, opportunities for class mobility, and freedoms. 

One of my responses to the elation is my hope that as a minimum , I hope they are all secularists and have taken off their nationalism and hatred of Hindus. And, they have taken shelter on a land stolen so many times. 

And now, we have Canadians saluting a Nazi in their Parliament: Canadian Parliament gives WWII Nazi standing ovation. 

I feel we have to constantly unveil the face of the West and show them the mirror in a grotesque charade. They want their real faces hidden behind the facade of liberal democracy. We have to keep unveiling them. 

Ironically, in this absurd theatre, they keep unveiling and disrobing Muslim women and all people. 

See the reactions : 

Vijay Prashad 

Pawel Wargan: 

LEC and infrastructure and Neo liberal peace and democracy in Liberia

You know I've written so much about our experiences with electricity in Liberia. Service improves in the rainy season because the hydro dams are full. But "load shedding" is the norm in the dry season. Overall things have improved but power theft, mismanagement rule the day. Here are my recent observations in the midst of our burnt transformer and having no light since Sunday 7 PM which I shared on Facebook : 

19 September:

The transformer got burnt on Sunday and we don't have LEC power since then. Questions: how often are  maintenance and routine checks conducted? What is the quality of hardware/infrastructure  that LEC has? Why does it regularly catch fire? 

My friend's Facebook comment:

Call 4500 and tell them what is ongoing. The team is different than the usual. LEC is in trusted hands now...

21 September:

I called this # and someone answered on the hotline. They said issues are resolved in 5 working days. We still had to double check with management. A bigger transformer was installed yesterday but has to be " energised. " Waiting for that. Not bad!

22 September:  

So the transformer was replaced but still not on and they can't get the "materials" from the warehouse. No clue when. The 4500 line is good but they connect one with engineers when you ask when is light going to come back on. Chasing engineers should not be handled by customers. I spoke to a manager who said these transformers should last for 25 years but last only for a few months!!! Too much load! The snail pace of infrastructure/social services delivery after 20 years of Neo liberal democratic peace!

My friend's Facebook comment:

I believe the problem within your community is power theft. Because when many people stealing current it is difficult to regulate the current to the required users and thus making the transformer to last less longer. You will have to endure it. As long as they have replaced the transformer it will come on. Don't know when but you should be patient. In most communities that power theft is high transformers usually don't last long. We had that situation in our community and luckily we were part of the EU Power Project area and subsequently got connect entirely (even shacks were given current). Due to that we barely face problem with such issue unless LEC is having a major problem. It can be resolved if LEC provides all consumers within your community with meters and require them to pay bills for usage. Ours was paid for by EU all we have to do is to pay for our usage.

Me:

The same bribery issue. The hotline connects us to other persons in the LEC who demand bribes. Theft by public is an outcome of little to no improvement. LEC has never been managed well. It's part of post war system of no accountability of highest public officials insidious corruption small "budgetary support" from colonisers small empty development projects meant for money channeled back out to private firms International expert salaries etc big Neo liberal resource extraction without Development and change. I am glad you are seeing some positive service but the pace is snail slow.

PS. We are without LEC for almost a week. We have purchased at least $ 150 of fuel for back up generator in a week while we spend about US $ 100 or  US $ 120 in a month in the rainy season for about 400+ units. 

"Can't we just drone this guy?"

 

How the ocean looks like after 3 days of non stop rain

The imperialists will spend billions to destroy a nation

 

The bond between rain and chai and pakoray

It's been raining non stop since Friday. 

Haresh made chakor "Sindhi" parathas. 

Kavita says he cheated by using a square plate to make them chakor. 

This sentence could not have existed 100 or 200 years ago.

The Sindhi parathas were full of fried onions. They could  have been fluffier. 

The "UN blue" aesthetic that still "adorns" Mamba Point

Why are lights on in the middle of the day?

 Why are lights on in the middle of the day? Is electricity free?