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"Television brought the brutality of war into the comfort of the living room. Vietnam was lost in the living rooms of America - not on the battlefields of Vietnam."

-- Marshall McLuhan

News and Opinion

Dozens of Elderly Gazans 'Executed' by Israeli Troops

More than 1,000 Palestinian elders have been killed by Israeli bombs and bullets during the 10-week Gaza onslaught, with dozens of men and women over age 60 "executed" by Israel Defense Forces troops, a prominent human rights group said Friday.

"Israel has turned all people in the [Gaza] Strip into targets since the October 7 start of its ongoing genocide against Palestinians there," Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor, a Geneva-based nonprofit, asserted in a statement.

Euro-Med Monitor said that 1,049 elderly men and women have been killed by Israeli forces since they began bombing the densely populated enclave in retaliation for the October 7 Hamas attacks on Israel that left more than 1,100 people dead.

The group said the majority of elderly Gazan victims were crushed to death under the debris of their homes or the shelter where they sought safety amid Israel's near-relentless bombardment. Others were killed while venturing out in search of basic necessities.

"Alarmingly, however, dozens were targeted in killings and field executions," the NGO alleged. "These incidents included soldiers shooting elderly people immediately after ordering them to evacuate their homes, and in some cases, executing them just moments after their release from hours or days of arbitrary detention."

.@EuroMedHR: "1,049 elderly men and women have been killed during the 76-day genocide—about 1% of the estimated 107,000 elderly people who live in the Gaza Strip, and 3.9% of all Palestinian deaths during the aggression" https://t.co/iQwOtA0ZOS

— Maureen Murphy (@maureenclarem) December 22, 2023

Euro-Med Monitor noted:

The elderly Dr. Akram Abu Hasira and his wife were shot and left to bleed to death by Israeli forces on... December 21, after being forcibly evacuated from their home on Yarmouk Street in Gaza City. The soldiers then set fire to their home. Their son, Dr. Mahmoud Abu Hasira, reported that after the Israeli forces withdrew from the area, their family managed to bury the couple's bodies....

[Euro-Med Monitor] also highlighted the execution of Dr. Muhammad Eid Shabir, 77, former president of the Islamic University in
Gaza, along with his wife, Rihab Muhammad Shabir, 74, on November 11... His daughter confirmed to Euro-Med Monitor that Israeli planes bombed
her aunt's house on Abu Hasira Street in Gaza, killing five civilians,
while 15 people survived the attack. The majority of victims were women
and children...

"They came out alive, fleeing into the street, where my mother sent a distress message, and I heard my father's voice calling for one of his grandchildren," the daughter told Euro-Med Monitor... "After the start of the truce on November 25, my parents were found dead in the street on the opposite road to Shifa after they had been shot by an army sniper."

Other Gaza elders reportedly killed by Israeli forces but not highlighted in Euro-Med Monitor's statement include Nahida Khalil Anton, a 70-year-old Palestinian Christian woman who, along with her 50-year-old daughter Samar Kamal Anton, left the sanctuary of the Holy Family Parish in Gaza City to use a bathroom in another building. Both women were shot by an Israeli sniper or snipers; one while trying to carry the other to safety.

Israel denies killing the women. Pope Francis reacted angrily to the killings, accusing Israel of "terrorism."

Elderly Gazans also face a higher risk of starvation and disease, as Israel has cut off the flow of food, medicine, and hygiene staples.

"Tens of thousands of elderly people are at serious risk of death," warned Euro-Med Monitor, given that nearly 70% of them "suffer from chronic diseases, and the majority of them have not received any medical care, as most of the hospitals are out of service."

The group also noted that "distinct suffering experienced by elderly people residing in displacement camps, where there are no services or care options available to them that are appropriate for their age, health issues, inability to withstand cold weather, or frequent need to use the restroom. Notably, 700–1,000 people must use a single bathroom in these camps."

"Israel is waging a campaign of widespread punishment and killing, and oppressing Palestinian society's most vulnerable groups in a way that is seldom seen in the modern history of wars or armed conflicts," the statement concludes. "Israel's genocide of Palestinians in Gaza fully unveils its blatant disregard for international humanitarian law and is a serious transgression of the principles of war."

Euro-Med Monitor's analysis came as the Palestinian death toll from 78 days of near-relentless Israeli attacks topped 20,000, with around 70% of those killed women and children. More than 50,000 others have been injured. Around 1.9 million of Gaza's 2.3 million people have also been forcibly displaced; most of the strip's homes have been damaged or destroyed.

"The need for a permanent cease-fire has become urgent, and... in order to stop the ongoing genocide war, an immediate international investigation must be launched into Israel's horrific crimes," the group said. "Any countries that remain silent are actively encouraging Israeli genocide."

Israeli airstrikes kill more than 100 as assault on Gaza widens

The Gaza Strip is facing some of the deadliest fighting to date in the present war as Israel expands its offensive just days after the UN security council passed a resolution calling for more aid and urgent steps for a sustainable ceasefire.

More than 100 people were killed in Israeli airstrikes late on Sunday in the centre of the besieged Palestinian territory, including at least 70 in bombings that hit a residential block in the Maghazi refugee camp near Deir al-Balah, health officials in Gaza said.

Deir al-Balah was also hit overnight despite previously being identified by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) as an “evacuation zone” for Palestinians fleeing the fighting.

The Palestinian Red Crescent published footage from al-Aqsa Martyrs hospital, in Deir al-Balah, showing dazed and bloodied children covered in rubble dust. There were also dozens of white body bags.

At the scene of the attack on Maghazi, people screamed and shouted in the dark as they tried to dig for survivors from the collapsed buildings.

Palestinian Christian Pastor Slams Western Silence on Genocide in Gaza

Archbishop of Canterbury and pope focus on Gaza in Christmas messages

The archbishop of Canterbury and the pope have used their Christmas addresses to show solidarity with Bethlehem and those caught up in the Israel-Gaza war. Referring to Jesus Christ’s birthplace, which is now in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, Justin Welby said “the skies of Bethlehem are full of fear rather than angels and glory”. He also drew comparisons to the turbulent conditions of Jesus’s birth and the current plight of children in the troubled region.

“Today a crying child is in a manger somewhere in the world, nobody willing or able to help his parents who desperately need shelter,” he said at the service at Canterbury Cathedral. “Or perhaps in an incubator, in a hospital low on electricity, like the Anglican al-Ahli [hospital] in Gaza, surrounded by suffering and death.

“Or maybe the newborn lies in a house that still bears the marks of the horrors of October 7, with family members killed ​​and a mother who counted her life as lost.”

In his Christmas Eve homily, the pope also spoke of the Israel-Gaza war, saying Jesus’s message of peace was being drowned out by conflict in the land where he was born. “Tonight our hearts are in Bethlehem, where the Prince of Peace is once more rejected by the futile logic of war, by the clash of arms that even today prevents him from finding room in the world,” Pope Francis said during the service at St Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican.

Norm Finkelstein UNLEASHED: Bibi, RFK Jr, Bill Maher

Hostages’ families heckle Netanyahu as he warns Israel ‘expanding’ Gaza fight

Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has said the offensive in Gaza “isn’t close to finished”, as he faces heavy domestic pressure to reach a deal to bring home the more than 100 Israeli hostages thought to remain in captivity in Gaza.

“We are expanding the fight in the coming days and this will be a long battle,” Netanyahu said after visiting Gaza on Monday, according to a statement from his Likud party.

As he vowed to continue the war during a speech in parliament, relatives of the hostages interrupted him and called for their immediate return. “Now! Now!” they shouted. ...

The rising death toll of Israeli soldiers from the ground operation has also threatened to undermine public support for the war. The Israeli military announced the deaths of two more soldiers on Monday, bringing the total killed in the war to 156.

The U.S. News thinks that "the war" is depriving Gaza's children of food. Incredible.

Gaza Children Dizzy From Hunger as War Impedes Food Deliveries

The children displaced to south Gaza were craving chicken, but all their mother had left to feed the family for the day was a tin of peas donated by a man who took pity on her when he saw her crying.

Left homeless by Israel's military offensive against Hamas, like most of Gaza's 2.3 million population, Tahany Nasr was in a tent camp in Rafah focused on one thing only: how to find enough food and water to get everyone through another day.

She said her children had lost weight and were getting dizzy spells because they were not eating enough.

"I've been begging to feed my children and don't find anything. I go to Social Affairs, they say go to the mosque. I go to the mosque, they say go to the Affairs," she said, referring to Gaza's welfare ministry which normally organises distributions of basic goods like flour to people in hardship. ...

"We have started to see people coming in emaciated," said Samia Abu Salah, a primary care doctor in Rafah. She said weight loss and anaemia were common and people were so weak and dehydrated they were more susceptible to chest infections and skin conditions. Babies and children were particularly at risk, and their growth would be affected.

Israeli airstrike in Damascus kills high-ranking Iranian general, says Iran

An Israeli airstrike in a Damascus neighbourhood on Monday killed a high-ranking Iranian general, Iranian state media has said.

Iranian officials and allied militant groups in the region vowed revenge for the killing but did not immediately launch any retaliatory strike.

The killing of Sayyed Razi Mousavi, a longtime adviser of the Iranian paramilitary Revolutionary Guards in Syria, comes amid ongoing fears of the Israel-Hamas war sparking a regional spillover. Iran-backed groups in Yemen, Lebanon, Syria and Iraq have launched attacks on Israel and its allies in support of Hamas.

Clashes along Lebanon-Israel border between Hezbollah and Israel have continued to intensify, with daily exchanges of missiles, airstrikes and shelling across the frontier.

Twitter/X censors Susan Sarandon’s support for protest demanding a ceasefire in Gaza

Academy Award-winning actress Susan Sarandon, who has steadfastly spoken out against the Israeli genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, was censored by X (formerly Twitter) on Thursday. A post by the actress in the morning contained a graphic promoting a protest in New York City later that day that stated, “Stop the Bombs! Workers Demand Peace and Justice for Palestine! Ceasefire Now!” The rally at Bryant Park in Manhattan was also endorsed by more than two dozen labor and left-wing organizations.

Subsequently X flagged the post with limited visibility and a warning that stated, “This post may violate X’s rules against Violent Speech.” To view the post, X users must click on the warning label. The restrictions on the post also prevent commenting or sharing it, and attempts to do so include a message that states, “We try to keep X a place for healthy conversation, so we’ve disabled most of the ways to engage with this Post.” ...

According to X’s rules page, the prohibition against violent speech means, “You may not threaten, incite, glorify, or express desire for violence or harm.” Furthermore, among the items X lists as violent speech are violent threats, wish of harm, incitement of violence and glorification of violence. The post by Sarandon does not contain a violation of any of the X platform rules. What it does do, however, is puncture a hole in the pro-Zionist propaganda barrage by the US government, the corporate news media and the Hollywood elite. By tagging Sarandon as a supporter of “violence,” X is justifying the slaughter of Palestinians in Gaza that has now officially killed more than 20,000 people, the majority of whom are women and children.

Meanwhile, there has been an outpouring of public support for the stance taken by Sarandon on X, with many users thanking her for “standing up for humanity against genocide.” Others denounced the platform’s moderators for flagging the post, demanding an explanation of how the demand for a ceasefire and an end to the murder of innocent Palestinians constitutes “violent speech.”

Acting on behalf of the ruling political parties and the military in the US and Israel, Elon Musk’s Twitter/X is attempting to contain the spread of mass opposition to the crime of ethnic cleansing being carried out in Gaza and using social media tools of censorship to do so. The attempt to silence outspoken celebrities such as Susan Sarandon is being mounted out of fear and desperation.

“The U.S. Has To Attack Iran To Keep Trade Flowing”

But there's plenty of money for bombs and tanks.

As billionaire wealth surges, US faces record homelessness

This holiday season, America’s financial oligarchy is celebrating as the Dow Jones Industrial Average breaks record after record. But this winter, more homeless Americans than ever will spend the holidays on the streets, in homeless shelters, in parked cars and RVs, in abandoned buildings and under highway overpasses.

The number of homeless people in the United States has hit a record 653,000, a 12 percent increase over the prior year and an all-time record. This year, the number of homeless people in America was greater than the entire population of Vermont or Wyoming. These figures come from the annual “point-in-time survey” of the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), released earlier this month.

But even these figures are likely an underestimation. A 2017 report from the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty noted that a previous study using “administrative data collected from homeless services” estimated that the annual number of homeless people in the US is “2.5 to 10.2 times greater than can be obtained using a point in time count.”

The simultaneous growth of extreme wealth and extreme poverty is the result of deliberate policies carried out by the ruling class for the benefit of the financial oligarchy—that is, for the benefit of Wall Street, major corporations, financial institutions, billionaires and the politicians who represent their interests. Despite posturing as friends of the working class, President Joe Biden and the Democratic Party have continued many of the same billionaire-friendly social and tax policies that were promoted under the Trump administration.

Wisconsin Supreme Court Rules Against State's GOP-Rigged Legislative Maps

The Wisconsin Supreme Court on Friday ruled that the state's Republican-gerrymandered state legislative maps are unconstitutional and must be redrawn before the 2024 elections.

Justice Jill J. Karofsky wrote for the court's 4-3 majority that the current maps violate a constitutional provision "that Wisconsin's state legislative districts must be composed of physically adjoining territory."

The ruling only applies to Wisconsin's state Assembly and Senate maps, not its congressional map.

"Given the language in the Constitution, the question before us is straightforward," Karofsky wrote. "When legislative districts are composed of separate, detached parts, do they consist of 'contiguous territory'? We conclude that they do not."

Justice Janet Protasiewicz—whose election earlier this year gave the court a liberal majority—voted with the majority. This was expected, as Protasiewicz made gerrymandering a key campaign issue and slammed the GOP-drawn maps as "rigged" and "unfair."

Brought by Campaign Legal Center (CLC), Law Forward, the Election Law Clinic at Harvard Law School, Stafford Rosenbaum LLP, and Arnold & Porter, the lawsuit argued that "Wisconsin's current legislative districts are unconstitutional in multiple ways" that deliberately split Democratic voters in mid-sized cities and towns, giving Republicans an illegal electoral edge.

Friday's ruling states:

At least 50 of 99 Assembly districts and at least 20 of 33 Senate districts include separate, detached territory. A particularly stark example is the Madison-area 47th Assembly District... This district contains more than a dozen separate, detached parts that are home to thousands of people who must cross one or more other districts before reaching another part of the 47th.

Indigenous people are among those intentionally divided by Wisconsin's maps.

"Although my people have been on this land for thousands of years, we continue to fight for fair and equal access to the ballot," Anne Egan-Waukau, an enrolled member of the Menominee Nation, wrote for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "We have faced significant barriers to voter access, from misinformation to restrictive voter identification laws, and most recently, gerrymandering."

"Our current legislative maps are among the most skewed in the country, and have specifically divided tribal communities across districts, depriving our people of fair representation," she added.

Dan Lenz, a lawyer for the petitioners in the case, toldThe New York Times that the ruling is "a victory for a representative democracy in the state of Wisconsin."

"For too long, right-wing interests have rigged the rules without any consequences," he said. "Gerrymandered maps have distorted the political landscape, stifling the voice of the voters."

J6 Footage RELEASED, OBLITERATES Dems’ Narrative, GOP Says; MORE TO COME?

Do electric cars really produce fewer carbon emissions than petrol or diesel vehicles?

There is a spectre haunting electric cars: the question of greenwashing. What if, for all the green hopes attached to zero-emissions cars, the truth is that they fail to achieve their main goal of cutting world-heating carbon emissions? ... Any assessment of carbon emissions associated with a product needs to look at its whole life cycle, from manufacture to scrapping (and, hopefully, recycling). Many claims about electric cars’ supposedly worse environmental toll focus on manufacturing and ignore the actual use of the cars.

The grain of truth in the criticism is that EVs do indeed take significantly more energy to manufacture. Battery production requires large amounts of electricity to heat ovens to bake electrode materials, and to charge and discharge the battery to prepare it for use. While electricity can be produced with zero emissions, most countries still burn carbon-heavy fossil fuels to turn generators. Analysis by the Argonne National Laboratory in Illinois, cited by the US Environmental Protection Agency, suggests that manufacturing battery cars produces about 60% more carbon emissions than their fossil fuel cousins.

That means that electric cars start with a big carbon disadvantage, sometimes described as a “carbon debt”. However, Eoin Devane, a senior analyst for surface transport at the Climate Change Committee, the UK government’s climate science adviser, said: “If you look at the data, that ‘carbon debt’ is paid off within about two years of driving the vehicle.”

The vast majority of fossil fuel cars’ carbon footprint comes in use, when exhaust pipes constantly spew carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Transport & Environment (T&E), a campaign group, calculates that a new petrol car will produce about 27 tonnes if driven for 100,000 kilometres (62,000 miles), and 49 tonnes over 200,000km. Electric cars, by contrast, use less energy and can charge from zero-carbon sources. Just how much greener electric cars can be in operation depends on how much renewable electricity is used in local grids. Transport & Environment has a handy online calculator that allows you to play with the grid, choosing between different countries’ energy mixes and whether the battery was made in carbon-heavy China or greener Sweden. Where the lines cross indicates how many miles are needed for a battery car to win on carbon emissions.

Lucien Mathieu, T&E’s cars director, said that even if you choose a worst-case scenario – vehicles made and driven with electricity largely from coal – the electric car will win out after about 70,000km (about six years of driving). “The more you drive an electric car, the better it gets,” he said.

Also of Interest

Here are some articles of interest, some which defied fair-use abstraction.

Chris Hedges: The Cost of Bearing Witness

At This Point We Have To Always Assume Israel Is Lying Until Proven Otherwise

Evidence Missing in ‘Mass Rape’ Charge Against Hamas

‘Sorrow and silence’ in Bethlehem as Christmas festivities are cancelled

"Christ in the Rubble": Palestinian Pastor Delivers Powerful Christmas Sermon from Bethlehem

Joe Biden Accuser Tara Reade SUING FBI For Harassment!

Failed attempt at Serbia color revolution

A Little Night Music

Bessie Smith & James P. Johnson - Back Water Blues

James P. Johnson - Ain't Misbehavin'

James P. Johnson - Jingles

James P. Johnson - Snowy Morning Blues

Ethel Waters & James P Johnson - My Handy Man

James P. Johnson - Over The Bars

Clarence Williams and His Washboard Band - Christmas Night In Harlem

James P. Johnson - You've Got to Be Modernistic

James P. Johnson - Keep Off the Grass