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Palestine Freedom Movement Should Mock Pro-Israel Bullies

Thu, 05/02/2024 - 08:46

            There are more Democrats than Republicans, more liberals than conservatives, more progressives than MAGAs. But you’d never know that from looking at our politics. From abortion to the minimum wage to war, the Right wins the important arguments.

            How do they do it? Verbal abuse. Right-wing bullies name-call, they hector, they doxx, they blacklist, they lie. Most of all, they yell. No one’s louder than a conservative barking a talking point. They’re REALLY loud when said talking point makes no sense.

            The current discussion about the student protests at American college and university campuses over the U.S.-Israel war against Gaza is a perfect illustration of their tactics.

            They also showcase how the Left can expose right-wing bullies as intellectually dishonest, ridiculous and unworthy of serious consideration about important issues. I know, because I deal with these clowns every day.

            The first thing to notice is, supporters of Israel have given up trying to justify the Netanyahu government’s brutal blockade and assault of Gaza, which has killed tens of thousands of innocent Palestinians since October 7th, flattened the territory and left hundreds of thousands more starving to death. They can’t.

            So they deflect.

            Supporters of Israel’s war against the people of Gaza characterize protesting college students as privileged brats wasting their parents’ money, never mind that two-thirds of them pay their own way, a third borrow student loans, many earn scholarships, hold jobs, and/or don’t have parents willing and able to pay.

            Critics of Israel should call their rhetorical bluff. OK, let’s assume the protesters are all a bunch of spoiled snot-nosed punks who wouldn’t know suffering if it bit them on the you-know-what. So what? That doesn’t make it OK to drop 2,000-pound bombs on a civilian apartment buildings.

            Pro-Zionists portray demonstrators at the encampments as dupes of “outside agitators“ funded, in some cases, by billionaire Democrat George Soros. (So ironic that the Right’s obsession with Soros originated as an expression of classic antisemitic tropes about this rich Jew and his supposed web of intrigue and conspiracy.) Some protest organizers, the pro-genocide brigade brays, even get paid a salary!

            Again, the proper response is: so what? Who the protesters are, where they came from and who pays them—which, of course, is absurd since 99.999% of them get paid not one bit—none of these distractions address the question of whether the U.S. should ignore the homeless people sleeping on its own streets in order to send billions of dollars of bombs and missiles to Netanyahu in order to murder more innocent people.

            One might also mention the racist origins of the phrase “outside agitator,” used to great effect by racists during the civil rights struggle. The three white Freedom Riders murdered by the KKK were northerners, outsiders, agitators, two of them Jews—and their cause was right. If a 28- or 48-year-old marches with young adults for peace in Gaza, they’re older—but no less right.

            The fascists ask: Why won’t they show their faces? If they’re proud of themselves, why don’t the students who cover their faces with keffiyehs and/or Covid masks expose themselves?

            Uh, because they don’t want to be doxxed or face expulsion? Where is it written that protesters are required to make things easier for those who seek to oppress them? While we’re at it, should supporters of Gaza strip naked and submit DNA samples? Do yard work for Zionists? Perform sexual favors?

            Then there’s the rightist complaint that some of those in the encampment are too comfortable, sacking out in donated tents and noshing on donated pizza. Again—so friggin’ what? CPAC attendees don’t seem to miss many meals. Fox News hosts sleep comfortably enough. Please show us, o ye noble haters of Palestine and lovers of ethnic cleansing, where it says in the Rules of Protest that being comfortable is cheating? Why exactly is it impure to accept tasty foodstuffs as you’re awaiting arrest? What does this have to do with the big food-related issue—that Israel is intentionally starving Gazans to death?

            Don’t forget the asshole gambit. Any group of people has its resident asshole; the Right finds him and implies that he represents the whole movement. This time, it’s the Columbia student who posted that “Zionists don’t deserve to live.” Look! say the Zionists. They really are all antisemites! Except—this asshole isn’t antisemitic, he’s anti-Zionist. The Left should refuse to be embarrassed. They should defend him. Right-wingers stand by their own and so should we.

            More seriously but no less stupid is the accusation, delivered with ferocious illogic, that student demonstrators in favor of Gaza are antisemitic. Not actually antisemitic, but antisemitic by inference. Amid the zillions of words in news stories and congressional testimony and apologetic statements issued by craven college officials you will find many references to antisemitism as a concept, but no actual antisemitic statements like, say, “kill the Jews.” What you will find is, delivered at high volume and through a curtain of crocodile tears, are syllogisms such as the one that states that the phrase “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” is antisemitic just because.

            Hold my hand as I walk you through it.

            “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” they argue loudly, means the eradication of the State of Israel, which in turn means the murder and/or expulsion of all Israelis, which is thus genocidal and antisemitic.

This is a series of insane assumptions. First, that freedom for Palestinians requires an end to Israel as a nation-state. I can certainly imagine a democratic State of Israel without apartheid or occupied territories or racist policies against Palestinians; the problem might be that too many Israelis cannot.

            Next comes the assumption that the demise of the State of Israel, the governmental entity, would necessarily mean genocide against its resident Jews. (Let’s assume the Israeli Arabs would be OK.) It is certainly possible to imagine the eradication of the Israeli ethnostate without Holocaust 2.0 or Naqba for Jews the Revenge. It would look like South Africa after apartheid. White South Africans were terrified that vengeful Blacks would get even with them; today they live side by side as citizens, as a minority.

            Israelis, one suspects, are suffering from psychological projection based on guilt—they know they live and love on land stolen from people they continue to brutalize. Odds are, however, that freed Palestinians will be far more interested in living their own lives than killing Jews.

            Israelis and their supporters are entitled to their paranoias, but not to have us share them.

            Whether it’s about Gaza or another issue, it’s time for the Left to engage the howling bullies of the Right with the forthright ridicule they deserve.

(Ted Rall (Twitter: @tedrall), the political cartoonist, columnist and graphic novelist, co-hosts the left-vs-right DMZ America podcast with fellow cartoonist Scott Stantis. You can support Ted’s hard-hitting political cartoons and columns and see his work first by sponsoring his work on Patreon.)

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Last Supper

Wed, 05/01/2024 - 23:38

At the same time the Biden Administration sends another $60 billion to Israel to help it kill Palestinian civilians in Gaza, the US Air Force drops food aid into the beleaguered occupied territory. If you must die, don’t die hungry.

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The Final Countdown – 4/30/24 – Trump’s Hush Money Trial Heats up as He Receives Fines for Violating Gag Order

Tue, 04/30/2024 - 09:26

On this episode of The Final Countdown, hosts Angie Wong and Ted Rall discuss a wide array of topics, including Trump’s hush money trial. 

Mitch Roschelle – Media Commentator Ajay Pallegar – Criminal Attorney Jeremy Kuzmarov – Managing Editor of Covert Action Magazine Esteban Carrillo – Ecuadorean journalist   The show begins with media commentator Mitch Roschelle providing an analysis of the anticipated presidential debate between Donald Trump and Joe Biden.    Then, criminal attorney Ajay Pallegar delves into the complexities of the Trump hush money trial and the related Supreme Court case over Trump’s claims of immunity.   The second hour starts with the managing editor of Covert Action Magazine Jeremy Kuzmarov discussing the growing student movement in solidarity with Palestine.   The show wraps up with Ecuadorean journalist Esteban Carrillo analyzing the latest out of Gaza, including Israel’s military decisions.    The post The Final Countdown – 4/30/24 – Trump’s Hush Money Trial Heats up as He Receives Fines for Violating Gag Order first appeared on Ted Rall's Rallblog.

The First Step Is Admitting You Are a Problem

Mon, 04/29/2024 - 23:37

The Israeli war cabinet of Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu has been on something of a bender lately, with seemingly no limit on how many fronts they are willing to open up militarily.

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The Final Countdown – 4/29/24 – College Protests Ignite Deep Divide Over Free Speech

Mon, 04/29/2024 - 10:11

On this episode of The Final Countdown, hosts Angie Wong and Ted Rall discuss a wide array of topics including the debate over free speech amid the widespread campus protests against the war in Gaza. 

Autry Pruitt – Chairman of New Journey PAC Dan Kovalik – Human Rights Lawyer Scott Stantis – Cartoonist Jamie Finch – Former Transportation Safety Official   The show begins with Autry Pruitt, Chairman of New Journey PAC, discussing the implications of Trump’s immunity claim and the recent developments in the hush money testimony.   Then, human rights lawyer Dan Kovalik examines the recent wave of arrests during U.S. protests for Palestine across major universities.   The second hour starts with cartoonist Scott Stantis weighing in on the debate over  the definitions between anti-Zionism versus anti-Semitism and the long-term impacts on careers for student protestors.   The show closes with Former Transportation Safety Official Jamie Finch addressing the ongoing financial crisis at Southwest Airlines, attributing significant challenges to issues with Boeing aircraft.    The post The Final Countdown – 4/29/24 – College Protests Ignite Deep Divide Over Free Speech first appeared on Ted Rall's Rallblog.

DMZ America Podcast #145: Mass Graves in Gaza, Imperial Presidency, Menthol Madness

Sun, 04/28/2024 - 11:26

Political cartoonists Ted Rall (from the Left) and Scott Stantis (from the Right) debate the week in news and culture as friendly adversaries to bring you spirited debate and smart insight.

First up: The Israel-Hamas War seems to be entering some sort of tipping point in terms of international public opinion. As the International Criminal Court weighs issuing an arrest warrant against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over his government’s policy of blockade and mass starvation in Gaza and student protests over America’s support of Israel spread from Columbia University to college and university campuses around the nation, the disturbing discovery of a pair of mass graves containing the bodies of hospital patients and personnel apparently summarily executed in areas under IDF control prompt Scott to say that, if this is confirmed to be an Israeli war crime, he would be done with Israel after supporting the Jewish state for many years.

Second: The US Supreme Court hears oral arguments in a case with ramifications both for Donald Trump’s January 6th insurrection case and the separation of powers under the US Constitution. The court is asked to answer the question of whether a president enjoys absolute immunity for acts committed while in office, whether immunity might be partial, and whether it’s possible to separate those acts committed as an individual from those performed as an officeholder. At stake: the nature of the nation’s top political job.

Finally: In an act that appears to reek of cynicism, the Biden Administration has paused a long-planned ban on menthol-flavored tobacco products, which are popular among Black Americans, because of concerns that Black voters might be annoyed at the President when they go to the polls this November. Vote for us before you die, please.


Watch the Video Version: here.

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DMZ America Podcast #144: USC Censors Its Valedictorian for Being Palestinian, Trump on Trial, Biden’s Weird Steel Tariffs

Sun, 04/28/2024 - 08:52

Cartoonists Ted Rall (from the Left) and Scott Stantis (from the Right) are back at their respective abodes in New York and Alabama. As always, Ted and Scott put friendship first in their spirited but civilized debates and discussions about the issues at hand.

First up: The University of Southern California denies this year’s valedictorian Asna Tabassum

her right to deliver the commencement address because she is Palestinian and might have had the audacity to call for Palestinians to stop being slaughtered en masse by Israel in Gaza. If ever there was cause for people of all ideological stripes to be appalled albeit for different reasons, here it is.

Next: Donald Trump becomes the first former president to face a criminal trial. Scott and Ted dissect the nature of the charges, related to the payment of hush money to Stormy Daniels, and explore the disturbing trend of prosecutors letting members of the public that they’re so out to get them that they’re willing to campaign on it.

Finally: Joe Biden imposes brutal tariffs to protect America’s steel industry, which is now owned by Japan, from China.

Watch the Video Version: here.

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From the Whiners to the Twee, Right-Wingers Will Be Free

Sat, 04/27/2024 - 23:27

Pro-Israel students at colleges and universities like Columbia claim that they feel endangered when they see pro-Palestine antiwar protests on campus and hear phrases like “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.” Everyone is entitled to their own baseless feelings, but let’s not forget who has REAL cause to fear for their lives–those in Gaza who are being slaughtered by Israel.

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Hi From the Columbia University Pro-Palestine Encampment

Fri, 04/26/2024 - 12:52

The only danger to Jewish students, or anyone else, is sunburn on a beautiful sunny day. Media reports that suggest the presence of anti-Semites at the Free Gaza encampment are either brazen lies or useful idiots playing into Israel’s hands.

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This Is a Golden Age of Censorship

Fri, 04/26/2024 - 04:38

            It’s too bad we can’t monetize censorship, because we truly live in a golden age of speech suppression. In this deeply polarized society, the one thing we can all agree upon is that people we disagree with need to shut up.

            Officially, freedom of speech is a key commandment in our national civic religion. We love free speech—in the abstract. Nine out of ten Americans told a 2022 Knight Foundation/Ipsos study that “protecting free speech is an important part of American democracy” and that “people should be allowed to express unpopular opinions.” Yay, America!

            When people express specific unpopular opinions, not so yay. 70% of respondents to the same study said that, for example, COVID-19 misinformation ought to be banned. Some even called for those who spread it (even though some of it may turn out to be true) to be jailed.

            Young people often call for those they disagree with to shut their yaps. A College Pulse/Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression poll found that 71% of today’s college students would ban someone from speaking on campus if that person viewed transgender people as being mentally ill or they thought Black Lives Matter was a hate group. 57% said that anti-abortion activists should never be allowed to speak in public.

            And if objectionable speech manages to slip through? 63% think it’s OK to shout you down if you’re saying something they don’t like.
            Nowadays, though, young people are big targets of censorship too.

At my alma mater, Columbia, administrators have been coming down like a ton of bricks against peaceful student demonstrators calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and for the university to divest its financial investments in Israel-affiliated companies. Back in November, long before American college and university campuses saw the current spread of encampments and other protests, Columbia suspended two student groups, Students for Justice in Palestine and Jewish Voice for Peace.

Why? No reason was given. “The university did not elaborate on how exactly the groups did that except to say they had held ‘unauthorized’ events that included unspecified ‘threatening rhetoric and intimidation,’” The New York Times reported. As an alumnus and veteran of protests there, I can attest that Columbia’s rules do not require demonstrators to obtain authorization from campus authorities.

No pro-Palestinian protester at Columbia had carried out any actual violence or violent threats. They still haven’t.

After wealthy pro-Israel alums withdrew their donations, cash-grubbing Columbia president Nemat “Minouche” Shafik went full-spectrum fascist in voluntary testimony on  Capitol Hill. Calling the slogan “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” anti-Semitic (it isn’t), she cravenly groveled before a cabal of far-right Congressional goons, agreed that anti-Semitism is rampant on the Columbia campus (a lie), claimed that she had launched investigations of pro-Palestine instructors (if so, it was news to them) and when Republican lawmakers demanded that she fire a tenured professor of Middle Eastern, South Asian and African studies for allegedly saying the October 7th attack by Hamas was “awesome” (he didn’t), she agreed to get rid of and other educators him (she can’t).

To drive the point home, Shafik suspended pro-Palestinian student demonstrators (pro-Israel marchers get a free pass) and asked heavily-armed NYPD riot cops to violently arrest them and steal their personal possessions. Campus security guards shut down WKCR, the campus radio station, so student journalists could no longer report the news.

            Fascist administrators ordered similar police crackdowns at protests at such institutions as Princeton, USC, UT Austin, Emerson, Cal State Poly Humboldt and Emory, where Atlanta cops tased and maced students as they held them down. Brutal tactics only serve to further inflame passions, a fact reconfirmed when the encampment at Columbia was immediately reassembled the next day. USC valedictorian Asna Tabassum, denied her right to deliver her commencement address because she is Muslim and supports the people of Gaza, has received infinitely more attention to her message because she was censored.

            Not wanting to miss out on this latest McCarthyite moment, however, employers who support Israel’s slaughter of Gazans are firing journalists, teachers, athletes, editors and tech workers who disagree. Far-right Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson has demanded that federal workers who oppose the bloodshed be fired while a group of pro-genocide corporate CEOs is organizing a blacklist of pro-Palestine college students to distribute to major companies so these young people won’t be able to find a job after graduation. (Student activists have taken to wearing masks and scarves to avoid being doxxed by reactionary supporters of Israel’s war.)

            Those who resort to censorship do so because they don’t have a credible message of their own. When the overwhelming majority of the American public, Democrats and Republicans alike, disapproves of Israel—a longstanding ally of the U.S.—it’s clear that the usual lame “if you oppose Israel you’re anti-Semitic” trope is no longer effective. We are no longer scared.

Like the political parties who work harder to suppress the vote for the other party than to motivate and excite their own supporters, those who have nothing affirmative to say for their own position strive to make sure that those on the other side, who have a strong argument, cannot express themselves.

            Censorship is a tool used by those who know they are wrong.

            Censoring antiwar voices is nothing new. Columbia suspended and expelled opponents of the Vietnam War in 1968. And when the Russo-Ukrainian war broke out in 2022, the U.S. government and its media mouthpieces censored Russian media outlets, boycotted Russian culture and even attacked Russian cats. But the truth about Ukraine—its corrupt president, its official romance with neo-Nazism, its anti-democratic regime and its low chance of success—is coming out.

            Yet optimism is the wrong response to this attempt to crush voices of conscience. Every spasm of mass censorship leaves a trail of cynicism, stifled voices, stunted careers and an ever-shrinking spectrum of expression. Remember Al Jazeera America? Phil Donahue’s show on MSNBC?

            They were casualties of the War on Terror’s Bush-era censors; we could use them now.

            Again, we are losing good people with important voices.

(Ted Rall (Twitter: @tedrall), the political cartoonist, columnist and graphic novelist, co-hosts the left-vs-right DMZ America podcast with fellow cartoonist Scott Stantis. You can support Ted’s hard-hitting political cartoons and columns and see his work first by sponsoring his work on Patreon.)

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No Assholes, No Cops

Thu, 04/25/2024 - 23:11

Police departments are having trouble recruiting new cops. There may be an explanation.

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The Final Countdown – 4/25/24 – Gaza War Protests Spread Across Country, Texas Cracks Down on Students

Thu, 04/25/2024 - 08:44

On this episode of The Final Countdown, hosts Angie Wong and Ted Rall discuss hot topics from around the globe and nationwide, including the growing protest movement against the Gaza war on campuses across the country. 

Dan Lazare  Independent journalist  Andrii Telizhenko – Ukrainian Whistleblower and Former Diplomat Anna Ge – Host and Reporter at CGTN Radio Professor Francis Boyle – Human Rights Lawyer and Professor of International Law   The show begins with Independent journalist Dan Lazare discussing the ongoing Trump hush money trial and the upcoming Supreme Court hearing regarding Trump’s claim to absolute immunity. He examines the implications of these legal battles.   Then, Ukrainian whistleblower Andrii Telizhenko joins to discuss the details of the secretive dispatch of ATACMs (Army Tactical Missile Systems) to Ukraine by the United States.    The second hour begins with CGTN host and reporter Anna Ge covering Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s visit to China, amid impending U.S. sanctions.   The show closes with Professor Francis Boyle joining the show to discuss the ongoing student protests at Columbia University and growing protests on campuses nationwide.    The post The Final Countdown – 4/25/24 – Gaza War Protests Spread Across Country, Texas Cracks Down on Students first appeared on Ted Rall's Rallblog.

Silent Spring Has Arrived

Tue, 04/23/2024 - 23:08

Numerous studies are now documenting how natural soundscapes are changing, being disrupted and falling silent. A 2021 study in the journal Nature of 200,000 sites across North America and Europe found “pervasive loss of acoustic diversity and intensity of soundscapes across both continents over the past 25 years, driven by changes in species richness and abundance.” There’s an app for that.

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The Final Countdown – 4/23/24 – Flames of Dissent: Campus Unrest Amid Gaza War

Tue, 04/23/2024 - 09:21

On this episode of The Final Countdown, hosts Angie Wong and Ted Rall discuss a wide array of hot topics around the globe and nationally, including the campus-wide pro-Palestine protests around the country as the Gaza War rages on. 

Steve Gill – Attorney

George Szamuely – Senior Research Fellow at the Global Policy Institute Peter Coffin – Journalist and YouTuber

Jamie Finch – Former Director at the National Transportation Safety Board   Attorney Steve Gill starts the show to discuss the Trump hush money trial and provides insights on the gag order contempt hearing that took place this morning.   Later, Senior Research Fellow George Szamuely analyzes the Congressional aid package, which proposes $95 billion in assistance to Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan, and analyzes what weaponry the packages could include.   The second hour begins with journalist and YouTuber Peter Coffin weighing in on the widespread campus protests related to Palestine, including faculty walkouts at Columbia, and the arrest of students at Columbia and Yale amid explosive debates happening in the media.   The show closes with former National Transportation Safety Board official Jamie Finch talking about the FAA’s decision to open an investigation into a near miss at JFK airport.    The post The Final Countdown – 4/23/24 – Flames of Dissent: Campus Unrest Amid Gaza War first appeared on Ted Rall's Rallblog.

Pro-Rape From A to Z

Sun, 04/21/2024 - 23:48

The Arizona Supreme Court affirmed an 1864 law that bans abortion without exceptions for rape or incest. State legislators then blocked a Democratic attend to repeal the statute. Can Arizona put a positive spin on this mess?

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The Final Countdown – 4/18/24 – Critical Vote for Ukraine, Israel Funding Approaches as Congress Remains at Odds

Sat, 04/20/2024 - 13:40

On this episode of The Final Countdown hosts Angie Wong and Ted Rall discuss a variety of topics around the globe, including Congress divided over aid funding to Israel and Ukraine. 

Nebojsa Malic – RT Journalist 

Mitch Roschelle – Media Commentator

Scott Stantis – Political Cartoonist 

Aviv Bushinsky – Former Chief of Staff for Israeli PM Netanyahu

RT journalist Nebojsa Malic joins The Final Countdown in the first hour to discuss Congress remaining at odds over a critical vote for Israel and Ukraine funding.

Then, media commentator Mitch Roschelle joins the show to discuss the latest out of the Trump hush money trial. 

Political cartoonist Scott Stantis weighs in on the NYPD arresting over 100 pro-Palestine protesters at Columbia University.

The show wraps up with Aviv Bushinsky, who shares his perspective on reports of Israeli strikes inside Iran. 

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What’s Left 10: Police Who Help People

Fri, 04/19/2024 - 07:43

           It may come as a surprise, especially to conservatives, that the Left believes in law and order. Of course we do. Without it, you can’t have much else.

            In November 2001, I went to Afghanistan as a reporter. It felt like the 14th century if the late middle ages took place in an Islamist dystopia and everyone carried an AK-47. To call it a failed state would have been too kind; there were no governmental functions of any sort. There were no paved roads, no operational schools, no reliable form of currency in circulation, not even names for the streets, which was just as well since there weren’t any signs either. When I returned to the United States, interviewers asked me what the people of Afghanistan needed and wanted most. Westerners offered suggestions: elections, a free press, democracy. Afghans actually wanted roads and electricity; they could do the rest. I suggested: law and order. There’s no point building a road if bandits rob travelers. You can’t hold elections if candidates can easily be assassinated.

            Leftists object to bourgeois and capitalist systems of policing because they use violence to prop up a system we seek to tear down. Under a leftist government, however, counterrevolutionary, reactionary and corporatist forces will try to undermine our efforts to create a more just and equal world every way they can, including call trying to terrorize citizens and new institutions by creating an atmosphere of lawlessness. Socialists don’t want their banks robbed or their stores fleeced by shoplifters. The leftist approach to law and order must, however, not merely recreate capitalism’s inherent brutality but must reflect the values of dignity and respect that characterize our struggle. Similarly and even more importantly, the criminal and civil justice systems must serve as both a counterexample to the Right and a reinforcement of our belief that all humans can be redeemed and that society has a moral obligation to do everything that he can to help them do so.

            It almost seems ridiculous to put it into words, but it must be said because it’s rarely followed: the purpose of policing is to keep people as safe as possible. Reactive policing is the apex of this mission. When you call 911, a man or woman in uniform should come quickly, thoughtfully assess the situation and act with the bare minimum of physical force necessary, if any, to resolve it.  In other words, the opposite of what happened on July 15, 2017, when a 31-year-old Australian-American woman, Justine Damond, called Minneapolis police to report her fear that a woman was being assaulted behind her home. When the cops arrived, she went to talk to them. They were startled, so they shot her.

            This kind of thing doesn’t happen in the United Kingdom because the police are trained to guard citizens, not hunt lawbreakers, and also they don’t carry guns, and also they’re not jumpy and scared. Police should not carry guns. In a situation where firearms might be required, such as a hostage situation involving armed gunmen, a specially trained tactical team can be dispatched to the scene.

            Then there’s the matter of deterrent law enforcement, in which police officers are placed in visible locations to deter criminals and to serve as a point of contact for law-abiding people who need directions or other forms of assistance.

            What cops should never be doing is what they mainly do now, roaming neighborhoods with lots of poverty and ethnic minorities while stopping on occasion to harass the locals or worse, and writing tickets for parking and moving violations. The police need to be trained to understand that disadvantaged populations need their help more than anyone else and that, no matter how sketchy an area looks, 99% of the people who live there are just like them, trying to survive without hurting anyone else.

            If government is interested in public safety, it will abolish regressive monetary fines for parking in the wrong place at the wrong time, driving too fast, making an illegal turn, forgetting to renew an automobile registration, even for driving drunk. Society has a vested interest in maintaining orderly parking patterns, encouraging motorists to drive below the speed limit, obey regulations, make sure their car is in working order and obviously for ensuring that no one gets behind the wheel of a car under the influence of alcohol. But enforcement measures based on revenue enhancement inevitably are abused; the police write tickets to people who are innocent, they exaggerate the gravity of offenses, and they can easily escalate into violent confrontations because poor people can’t afford exorbitant fines. A broken headlight isn’t cause to shake someone down for money; the driver probably doesn’t even know it’s broken. Pull the driver over and let them know they need to get it fixed. If you are trying to get people to stop speeding, issue them tickets with a point system; if they get too many, they lose their driving privileges. There’s really no reason whatsoever to renew automobile registration other than to sit down  tax drivers, so just stop requiring it.

            In major cities, take cops out of their squad cars and turn them into pedestrians so that they interact organically with members of the community. Stop recruiting from the ranks of traumatized former military veterans trained to adopt a “warrior” mentality rather than the “guardian” viewpoint—a good cop is far more worried about whether you get home safe at night than whether he gets home safe at night.

            Bourgeois police officers are deeply imbued in a “gotcha” approach. They receive praise and promotions for catching people doing bad things and nailing them for it. Instead, we must train the police to prevent bad things from happening. Coming out of a bar late at night in a small Ohio town not long ago, I was immediately pulled over by a cop who obviously had been lurking outside the tavern and hoped to catch patrons driving home drunk. I had only had one beer and everything about my driver’s license and my car was kosher, so he let me go with a distinct air of disappointment. Wouldn’t it have been better for that town, and my opinion of the police, if instead he hung out in front of the bar and offered to drive someone who had had one too many drinks back to their house?

            Next time, what the Left should do about crime and punishment.

(Ted Rall (Twitter: @tedrall), the political cartoonist, columnist and graphic novelist, co-hosts the left-vs-right DMZ America podcast with fellow cartoonist Scott Stantis. You can support Ted’s hard-hitting political cartoons and columns and see his work first by sponsoring his work on Patreon.)

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Goldilocks Meets Civilian Death Toll

Thu, 04/18/2024 - 23:59

What causes a tipping point? At what point did Israel go too far in its wildly brutal bombing campaign against the civilian population of Gaza? Somewhere during the past month, but it’s hard to see why then.

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The Final Countdown – 4/17/24 – Massie Backs Ousting House Speaker Mike Johnson as Congress Clashes Over Ukraine and Israel Funding

Wed, 04/17/2024 - 08:49

On this episode of The Final Countdown, hosts Angie Wong and Ted Rall discuss the latest political developments domestically and abroad, including U.S. Congress clashing over aid funding.

Robert Hornack – Political Consultant Laith Marouf – Award-winning Journalist Jamie Finch – Former Director at the National Transportation Safety Board    The show begins with Robert Hornack weighing in on the upcoming SCOTUS decision on Trump and the January 6 defendants.    Then, award-winning journalist Laith Marouf delves into the escalating tensions between Iran and Israel, discussing statements from Foreign Minister David Cameron about an imminent Israeli response inside Iran, Iran’s stark warnings against such actions, and the anticipated widespread protests that could ensue.   The show wraps up with Former NTSB Director Jamie Finch addressing the recent surge in safety concerns reported by the American Airlines union, analyzing potential causes, implications for passenger safety, and necessary actions to mitigate these risks in the aviation industry.    The post The Final Countdown – 4/17/24 – Massie Backs Ousting House Speaker Mike Johnson as Congress Clashes Over Ukraine and Israel Funding first appeared on Ted Rall's Rallblog.

Your Right To Choose What We Tell You

Tue, 04/16/2024 - 23:57

Democracy, they say, is on the ballot this year and it’s really important to go to vote against Donald Trump. But the election itself has already proven itself to be anything but democratic. Third parties aren’t allowed on the ballot or to vote and the parties decided the choices in the primaries.

The post Your Right To Choose What We Tell You first appeared on Ted Rall's Rallblog.