Dull, stupid sleep

Germans have always been criticized for knowing that the Holocaust was going on and doing nothing to stop it. In truth, during the actual genocide, speaking out against a wartime Nazi regime meant almost certain death. Even passing out leaflets at the University of Munich got a small group called the "White Rose" arrested, tried and beheaded.

Their second of six leaflets had denounced the persecution and mass murder of the Jews: "The German people slumber on in dull, stupid sleep and encourage the fascist criminals. Each wants to be exonerated of guilt, each one continues on his way with the most placid, calm conscience. But he cannot be exonerated; he is guilty, guilty, guilty!"

Today we are free to criticize our government's arming and protecting Israel as it exterminates the Palestinian people. Using the latest US weaponry and drones, Israel is making the home of over 2 million people into a world of rubble. The IDF, self proclaimed as the most moral military force in the world, has slaughtered over 10,000 children and cut the rest of the population off from food, water and shelter. What bombs can't accomplish, starvation and disease surely will.  

This is a genocide, aided and protected by the murderers who run our government. Their pockets are lined with millions from the Israel Lobby (see OpenSecrets.org), like Pat Ryan with $37,650 a year and Kirsten Gillibrand who pulled in $174,104.

So why aren't you speaking out? Still slumbering in dull, stupid sleep?

Fred Nagel

What I learned in my years of CISPES

January 11

 

GUEST: Alexis Stoumbelis, long time activist and Executive Director of the Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador (CISPES), talks about the long history of US corporate interests that have frustrated the will of the people for democracy.

CISPES

I remember that time in the 1980s when many of us joined CISPES. A lot of our time was spent learning how the US trained and armed the Salvadoran death squads, and how they murdered famous people like Archbishop Oscar Romano. We let the history in by telling ourselves that El Salvador was a temporary mistake our country was making. When our leaders finally woke up to their war crimes, why things would change. 

We read about the bodies by the side of the road that were picked up in the mornings. We saw pictures of them, freakish looking in their twisted shapes and sizes. 

We opened our homes to Salvadoran refugees, many on speaking tours across the US. I remember two brothers telling us about the murder of their other two brothers. We called a meeting at a local church, so that more people could hear what they had been through. As they drove away, I wondered how long our government would put up with this carnage. 

But Central America is a mirror that reflects US imperialism. There is hardly a country that has escaped US assassinations and invasions. Alexis Stoumbelis is a capable guide, having worked in El Salvador for decades. There is still a CISPES, and there are still murders of environmentalist and union leaders. And like most bloodbaths in the world, the US is in it up to its neck. 

That's what I learned in my years of CISPES. 

Perhaps our time to suffer has come

January 4

 

GUEST: Walden Bello, Internationally known scholar and activist, Professor Emeritus at the University of the Philippines, and winner of the Right Livelihood Award takes a close look at how some societies transition from democracy to fascism.

Fascism 101

Suddenly, fascism is in. We read about it and worry that our Democratic presidential candidate, Joe Biden, just isn't up to it. We then polish off that old conundrum: vote for the lesser of two evils. And since Trump is in fact a fascist, almost anything would be better. 

But Biden has a few tricks up his sleeve. He and his secretary of state, Blinken, are really warmongers, eager to take risks to advance our military empire. We see it in Ukraine, Taiwan, and now the Middle East. Our weapons makers just can't keep up with the tremendous demand for killing instruments. 

With this Cold War mentality comes a willingness to murder entire populations. The genocide in Gaza is part of the expansion of the American empire. The thousands of children starving to death is just the price we must pay to rule the world. During the Bush administration, the Democratic Party joined the peace marches. But they were always just lying.

So do we chose Genocide Joe or Trump the fascist? Are we willing to live with the starvation of children, or acquiesce to a right wing white nationalists takeover? Do we want syphilis or gonorrhea for the next four years?  

Walden Bello walks us through the histories of recent fascist governments, almost all supported by the American Empire. Perhaps our time to suffer has come. 

We get a little shot of Law and Disorder this week

December 28

 

GUEST: Michael Smith, author, attorney, former board member of the Center for Constitutional Rights, and cohost of the radio show Law and Disorder, talks about Zionism, antisemitism, and the genocide in Gaza.

Genocide is not a Jewish value

Genocide and antisemitism are on the rise. Israel commits genocide in Gaza, and the Israel Lobby tries to cover up all those dead children with claims that the Jewish people are the true victims. The Lobby has no morals, of course. But what they do have is power. The Israel Lobby plans to spend at least 100 million dollars in the next elections trying to defeat any member of Congress who questions US aid to the apartheid state. Zionism knows how to play our thoroughly corrupted system.

In trying to defeat progressive representatives, the Israel Lobby has married the far right, Christian fundamentalists. And the stench of their marriage bed can be smelled around the world. Israel is a pariah nation, and its murderous ways have been condemned by a huge number of UN members. Just two days ago, South Africa charged Israel with the war crime of genocide in the International Court Of Justice. It is a charge that may stick, and if it does the US stands to be publicly shamed. If Israel is convicted, the US is sure to be named a co-conspirator. 

Friends ask me about voting for Biden, to avoid the fascist nightmare of a Trump presidency. But I simply can't vote for a person who commits genocide. I don't know what will happen to our country, but voting for a war criminal would make me part of the Palestinian genocide. I know millions will hold their noses and vote for Biden. But at what personal cost? So they can go on living a comfortable, middle class life? So they can join the ranks of the "good Germans" who could smell the gas chambers but tried not to think about it.