Bill Ayers

We are off to what will be a massive outpouring of people  demonstrating for PEACE and JUSTICE—for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza, for halting the invasion, for an end to violence in the West Bank, for the safe release of hostages. And demanding the US government cease supporting and fanning the flames of war and genocide. 

In 1948 the United Nations Genocide Convention defined genocide as any of five “acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group:” killing members of the group, causing them serious bodily or mental harm, imposing living conditions intended to destroy the group, preventing births, and forcibly transferring children out of the group. Victims of genocide are not targeted randomly; rather, they are targeted because they are members of  a specific targeted group.

We’re witnessing—and our government is wholly committed to and complicit with—a pre-announced genocide against the Palestinian people. The world has been told by high officials in the Israeli government that Palestinians living in Gaza were “human animals” who, already living in a massive open-air prison, would now be denied medicines, fuel, food, and water. Immediately the president of the US said that his government stood unequivocally with Israel. Israeli Major General Giora Eiland said publicly that “Creating a severe humanitarian crisis in Gaza is a necessary means to achieve the goal. Gaza will become a place where no human being can exist.” Major General Ghassan Alian, Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories, said “Human animals must be treated as such. There will be no electricity and no water [in Gaza], there will only be destruction. You wanted hell, you will get hell.”

It could not be clearer—this is the crime of genocide.

The US is no stranger to this evil—it was founded, after all, on centuries of genocide committed against Indigenous peoples and lineages. 

CEASE-FIRE NOW

STOP the GENOCIDE

PLEEZE JOIN US

Thursday, November 2, 2023 at 7:00 PM

@ Film Row Cinema  @ Columbia College—1104 S. Wabash Ave, Chicago, IL 

For the premier of:

“BEYOND BARS:” 

It’s a Movement, not a Moment

A documentary film by Robert Greenwald focused on ending radicalized mass incarceration, and featuring Chesa Boudin, former SF District Attorney, and founding director of the Criminal Law and Justice Center at the University of California at Berkeley Law School.

The film showing will be followed by a panel discussion with Chesa and others.

Let me know if you can make it.

THXX

Bill Ayers

billayers123@gmail.com

Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/chicago-premiere-of-beyond-bars-film-tickets-708056023627

Trailer: https://vimeo.com/847425095/6654fa48cd?share=copy

Weekend Quotables

Global protests demand ceasefire and let the aid trucks into Gaza.

MICHAEL KLONSKY

OCT 23

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant explained Israel had to back down and allow even a few truckloads of food and water across the border from Egypt and into Gaza.

“The Americans insisted and we are not in a place where we can refuse them. We rely on them for planes and military equipment. What are we supposed to do? Tell them no?”

Gallant’s unsolicited admission shows that the US is calling most of the shots in Israel’s war on Gaza. So the obvious question for Biden/Blinken is, why only a trickle of aid when Palestinian children and civilian families are dying from thirst, hunger, and lack of medicine?

Meanwhile…

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.S. vetoed a U.N. resolution Wednesday to condemn all violence against civilians in the Israel-Hamas war and to urge humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza, saying it was too early to craft an appropriate Security Council response to the crisis.

✻

CAIRO, Oct 23 (Reuters) – A third convoy of aid trucks entered the Rafah crossing from Egypt on Monday bound for the besieged Gaza Strip, an aid worker and two security sources said. Humanitarian deliveries through Rafah began on Saturday after wrangling over procedures for inspecting the aid and bombardments on the Gaza side of the border had left relief materials stranded in Egypt.

Rafah is the main crossing in and out of Gaza that does not border Israel. Since Israel has imposed a “total siege” of the enclave in retaliation for an attack by Hamas militants on Oct. 7, Rafah has become the focus of efforts to deliver aid.

Weekend Quotables

Elie Mystal

I know a lot of people don’t want to hear this, but Biden’s “hug Bibi” strategy is hurting him with young voters of color, and that could cost him the American election. — @thenation:

Sec. of State Antony Blinken on Face the Nation

MARGARET BRENNAN: Turning the page to what has happened during the following two weeks, UNICEF says 1,524 children have been killed in the Gaza Strip during these bombings. Why isn’t the US calling for at least a temporary ceasefire?

SECRETARY BLINKEN: First, Margaret, when I hear the stories, when I see the pictures of young children, who have lost their lives in this conflict of Hamas’ making- whoever they are, wherever they are, whether they’re Palestinians, whether they’re Israelis, whether they’re- they’re Jews or Muslims. It hits me, and I know it hits virtually everyone right in the heart.

MARGARET BRENNAN: So why not ask for at least a temporary pause in the bombing as was proposed at the UN this week?

SECRETARY BLINKEN: We’ve seen first of all that, in order to get assistance. We’ve had, we’ve had that happen. And you saw the first 20 trucks go in yesterday, I expect more will follow today and the day after that. We want to make sure that we have sustained delivery of food, medicine, water, and the things that people need. At the same time, I said something a minute ago that- that we have to- we have to remember. Israel has to do everything it can to make sure this doesn’t happen again. Freezing things in place where they are now would allow Hamas to remain where it is and to repeat what it’s done some time in the future. — Video

Recently arrived, unnamed Palestinian woman speaking at Saturday’s Chicago protest march.

“Resistance is allowed when persons are occupied.” — CBS News Chicago

Rudy Giuliani

Rudy ‘splains it. Says Biden is an Iranian spy: “He’s on Iran’s side and he’s on Hamas’s side. He is not on our side. He’s got a bunch of spies in his Admin. This guy is working for Iran. Why? Maybe because they’ve infiltrated his Admin the way the communists infiltrated FDR’s Admin.” — Newsmax

Medea Benjamin @medeabenjamin

If 66 % of Americans say they want a ceasefire in Gaza, why are only 3 % of members of Congress calling for a ceasefire??? Represent us, the people, not your donors! Ceasefire now! — X

OCTOBER 9, 7 PM

Pilsen Community Books

1102 West 18th St

MNEESHA GELMAN on Indigenous Language Politics in the Classroom

This is an important piece by the great young organizer Asha Ransby-Sporn”

https://inthesetimes.com/article/movements-got-brandon-johnson-elected-how-do-we-organize-from-here