The Screeching Kettle

04/04/2024

The Israeli army has marked tens of thousands of Gazans as suspects for assassination, using an AI targeting system with little human oversight and a permissive policy for casualties, +972 and Local Call reveal.

30/11/2023

"In a sign of much worse things to come, fighting broke out between Israel and Hamas in May of that year, resulting in 248 dead Gazans, including 66 children. Biden’s staffers — 500 of them — implored him to do more to protect civilians. Instead, he reaffirmed Israel’s “right” to self defense.

According to Al-Jazeera 5/21/21:

“As the Palestinian death toll mounted, and Israel’s bombardment destroyed buildings across the territory – including a tower housing the media offices of Al Jazeera and The Associated Press – calls for action, especially from the Biden administration, grew louder. Thousands of people rallied in cities across the US demanding an end to Israel’s attacks and US legislators spoke out against what they saw as complicit silence from Biden, a longtime Israel defender.”

All of this might sound a little familiar.

Two years later, in October 2023, history repeated itself — a similar story, but with an infinitely more horrifying outcome. Another Hamas attack, but this time Israel responded by killing upwards of 11,000 Palestinians, a large majority children.

Like in 2021, Biden defended Israel’s right to “defend” itself by cutting food, fuel, and water to a population of millions while refusing to call for a ceasefire, effectively allowing Israel to reduce Gaza to a pile of smoldering blood and rubble. Biden also shipped batteries for Israel’s “Iron Dome” defense system, proposed sending billions more in aid, and gave Israel unprecedented access to US weapons reserves. In just one month, Biden sealed his decades-long political legacy as “Genocide Joe”."

In the weeks after October 7th, the Israeli government spent their time — and if you live in the US, your tax dollars — bombing hospitals, mosques, - Jon Reynolds for Antiwar.com

28/11/2023

Both candidates support Israel — no matter what

25/11/2023

22/11/2023

"The so-called “international community” has failed or refused to act in any meaningful way, allowing Israel to bomb hospitals, schools, and butcher upwards of 11,000 Palestinians as of mid-November. Yes, some countries recalled diplomats, and some countries severed ties, but diplomats can just as easily be returned and ties can just as easily be re-established. Not one of these reactions to Israel’s bloodbath have stopped or slowed it from happening. Whereas Russia was immediately slapped with an onslaught of impactful economic sanctions after invading Ukraine, Israel on the other hand has been spared the same fate. No sanctions. No embargoes. Just symbolic gestures which have done nothing to stem the flow of blood spilled in Gaza. The bulk of world leaders around the world have proven themselves to be either too powerless, too cowardly, or too complicit to act, a tragic recipe for the kind of horrific genocide we have spent over a month witnessing."

If the last month has made anything clear, it’s that Israel has a blank check to commit war crimes with total impunity

19/11/2023

If you like my work, be sure to find me over on TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram 🔥

17/11/2023

"CNN must know most people don’t read beyond the headlines, and judging by the article they published earlier this week, they’re apparently banking on it. Marketed as a CNN exclusive, the piece is titled, “Found document suggests Iran sought to help Hamas make its own weapons ahead of attack, sources say”.

Even in the headline itself, CNN shamelessly alludes to the nature of the baseless claims that follow by throwing in “sources say” at the end of the headline, a truly pathetic attempt at backing up what amounts to an explosive allegation."

Just another example of CNN doing what they do best

11/11/2023

Check out my latest article on Common Dreams:

It seems pretty safe to wager that if a Republican wins in 2024, they will be starting up a new conflict with any one of the countries mentioned in the third Republican primary debate Wednesday night.

09/11/2023

"If mentions are any indicator as to which country is next on America’s long imperial hit list, it would be China. According to a debate transcript, China was mentioned by name approximately 61 times. Iran was a close second, coming in at 31. Following these, Russia came in at 21, Mexico at 11, Venezuela at 10, and North Korea at 2."

Iran, Russia, China, North Korea, Mexico, or Venezuela. Decisions, decisions...

07/11/2023

"Unfortunately, between parroting neocon talking points about Iran, praising Israel’s oppressive border policies, regurgitating Cold War propaganda about China and Russia, pledging to launch drone strikes inside Mexico, and praising hawkish presidents such as Trump, Ramaswamy hardly deserves to be called anti-war."

Candidates often tell us who they are. We just need to listen

06/11/2023

Bernie might not be the greatest evil, but there are plenty of reasons why calling him an "anti-war" politician is flat-out wrong.

27/10/2023

"US intervention in the country has less to do with WMDs, ISIS, or defeating terrorism, and everything to do with weapons sales, oil, regime change, and more specifically, regional power games, global hegemony, and grand imperialist designs shat out by neocon think tanks."

Why has every US president from Obama to Trump to Biden launched airstrikes inside the country? Is the US mission in Syria actually about fighting terrorism, or does it go deeper?

22/09/2023

"Choosing a peace candidate within the two major political parties is no longer a question of who is anti-war, but who is the most anti-war. It’s not about who won’t bomb, but instead about who will bomb less.

Would you prefer your candidate to possibly end the war in Ukraine in exchange for bombing Mexico? Would you prefer your candidate to create a “Department of Peace” in exchange for more bombs dropped in Ukraine?

There are no candidates in either major party running on a consistent anti-war platform, effectively making the 2024 presidential election yet again a game of compromise. Sadly, in that compromise, innocent civilians around the world will be the biggest losers."

Dems and Republicans offer supposedly anti-war candidates who have some pretty pro-war positions

04/09/2023

Candidates often tell us who they are. We just need to listen.

26/08/2023

"It’s not every day that we wake up to a US president getting his photo taken at a county jail, but wouldn’t it have been ten times more exciting if he was posing for that mugshot as the first in a long line of US presidents finally being held accountable for decades of post-9/11 imperialism?

Unfortunately, Trump can’t be attacked for his murderous foreign policy because US war crimes are a house of cards. Pull one card and all of the cards go down with it. If the Trump card is pulled, the Biden card, Obama card, and Bush card will follow.

Yes, Trump tried to overthrow the Venezuelan government, but Obama successfully overthrew the Libyan government, and Bush launched a regime change operation against Iraq costing at least one hundred thousand needless deaths.

Yes, Trump spent four years obliterating innocent civilians in places like Yemen and Afghanistan, and he also pledged to steal Syria’s oil, a war crime. But Obama spent eight years bombing seven countries, and Bush spent eight years (mostly) focused on occupying and bombing Afghanistan and Iraq.

Trump could be held accountable for killing civilians, overthrowing governments, and stealing resources, but that means Biden, Obama, and Bush would also have to be held accountable for their respective atrocities. That means our occupations and ongoing wars would be stopped, or at least drastically reduced. That means no more civilians — or US troops — maimed or killed for oil pipelines or weapons contracts.

Too good to be true, right?

While Trump’s hostile foreign policy legacy may be a non-issue in Washington, a tacit admission is nonetheless being made: American presidents have a blank check to occupy, kill, steal, and torture with near total impunity. They’re even allowed to meddle in elections and overturn democracies — just not here in the United States."

Trump always seems wrapped up in a tornado of scandals, none of which ever seem to revolve around his aggressive foreign policy

28/07/2023

"Chelsea Manning revealed US war crimes in Iraq. As such, she was prosecuted. Edward Snowden put a spotlight on US government spying programs aimed at its own citizens, and as a result, had his passport suspended on his way to Ecuador and was charged under the Epsionage Act. Julian Assange, the founder of Wikileaks, humiliated governments across the world by publishing diplomatic cables, and since his arrest, he has been rotting away in a prison cell.

Grusch, on the other hand, says he has evidence of alien life. If proven, this would truly revolutionize the course of human history. And unlike whistleblowers exposing government misdeeds, Grusch would almost certainly have overwhelming support from the public, and even from within the government."

Whistleblowing is about exposing information the public has a right to know, even if it means risking prosecution

24/07/2023

"In the absence of refusing to wholeheartedly condemn the use of nuclear weapons, we are left with moral ambiguity around their use. Sure, these weapons might be terrible, but maybe, sometimes, it’s okay to use them. And if we can be propagandized into believing that using nuclear weapons against cities is sometimes necessary, the limits are truly endless on what else we can be propagandized into supporting.

If we’re not drawing the line at nukes, we’re definitely not drawing the line at wholescale invasions of countries based on false claims, at waterboarding and other forms of torture, and at drone strikes on weddings and funerals. We’re not drawing that line anywhere meaningful if it doesn’t at least start with a refusal to stand behind nuking whole cities, and in a country with a vast biochemical and nuclear arsenal, with military bases on every corner of the planet, and with a long record of brutal coups and interventions, this is truly asking for the absolute bare minimum."

At minimum, Oppenheimer succeeds in starting a conversation, yet ultimately still falls victim to parroting debunked and dangerous narratives

04/02/2023

Reading beyond the headlines is essential for debunking pro-war propaganda

08/03/2022

"In conjunction with misattributed viral footage, the propaganda blitz around the Ukranian government has also been a fascinating spectacle. For example, an image of Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko in camo with a machine gun made the rounds on Instagram, and while the photo is real, it’s actually from March 2021. And then there’s Ukranian president Volodymyr Zelensky, who became an overnight internet hero after allegedly refusing to evacuate Kyiv. “The fight is here; I need ammunition, not a ride” is the quote famously attributed to Zelensky, later carried around the world and picked up by numerous media outlets. And yet, “the only evidence for this line is an unnamed US official,” the Washington Post later reported. “It has not been confirmed by either the US government or Zelensky’s office. Administration officials expressed confusion about the claim to The Fact Checker – they deny Zelensky was asked to leave Kyiv by the US government – and said they do not know what call the Associated Press is citing.”"

"Whereas propaganda used to be based around print, television, and radio, now it also finds its way to devices in our pockets with lightning speed. Videos and stories of varying authenticity hit algorithms, spread like wildfire, and are viewed by millions. How many of the people who saw the video of “Russian paratroopers” also saw the debunking of that video? How many people who think Zelensky is a hero know that he may have never actually said the “ammo not a ride” line, or that his administration was rocked by numerous scandals prior to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine? How many of the people who heard Biden’s speech about Russia’s “unprovoked” entry into Ukraine understand the decades of provocations leading up to it?"

https://screechingkettle.substack.com/p/western-media-wages-unprecedented?s=w

The situation in Ukraine has made it clear that the nature of propaganda is evolving in the 2020s