Going Rogue With Caitlin Johnstone

If you missed the presidential debate between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris, this was pretty much the tone of it: Trump: She’s a communist. She’s literally a Marxist. Harris: Actually Goldman Sachs loves me. Trump: I saw her eat a cat. It was on the TV. Harris: Dick Cheney loves me too. Trump: She won’t kill any Palestinians at all. Harris: I’ll kill way more Palestinians than he’ll kill. Trump: I will kill the most Palestinians. I’ll kill more Palestinians than anyone. Harris: You couldn’t kill even one Palestinian. You are weak. Trump: I am not weak I am strong. I am the strongest. Harris: You’re a weak little girl and you’ll let China win. Trump: She’s gonna start a nuclear war with Russia. Harris: I will invade Russia myself and I’ll kill Putin with my bare hands. I am the strongest and you are the weakest. Trump: It’s not true. It’s not true. Harris: I will also do the most fracking and drill the most oil. Many Republicans have said I’m the strongest. Trump: No. No. She’s weak on immigrat

Clearly Muslim Americans are seeing something they care deeply about this election season which the rest of the population has decided doesn't matter very much. Reading by Tim Foley.

It doesn’t matter how you vote, and it doesn’t matter how you don’t vote. The US power structure is set up to be completely unaffected by voters. Reading by Tim Foley.

I shouldn't be able to do this for a living. Criticizing the warmongering of a single power structure shouldn't be anyone's full-time job. No government should be murdering people so consistently and reliably that people can plan their whole lives around it. Reading by Tim Foley.

American democracy means getting to choose between genocide wearing a MAGA hat and genocide waving a rainbow flag. Reading by Tim Foley.

Why should you care about Gaza? Because we can’t keep living like this. Our species cannot continue living on this planet as though what happens to other people and other organisms around the world has nothing to do with us. We don’t live in that kind of world anymore. Reading by Tim Foley. Article version: https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/why-should-i-care-about-gaza

One of earth’s most evil living beings, Dick “Darth Vader” Cheney, has officially endorsed Kamala Harris for president. His daughter, Liz Cheney, has also endorsed Harris. Reading by Tim Foley.

An effective solution that we can all begin applying in the here and now is working to foment a revolutionary zeitgeist by spreading awareness of the depravity and deceit of the empire. Reading by Tim Foley.

In a healthy society, those who dedicated themselves to the task of getting as many human beings ripped apart by military explosives as possible would be reviled as monsters and caged for the health of the collective. In our society this is seen as a perfectly legitimate career path, from which someone can earn a very comfortable living. In a healthy society, only those who promote the interests of ordinary human beings and spurn the influence of malign manipulators would ever be elevated to positions of leadership. In our society, it's the best way to make sure you spend your life in perpetual obscurity. Reading by Tim Foley.

I thought I'd go through the questions and comments on my various platforms today and tap out some answers to the ones that jump out at me. Reading by Tim Foley.

It's wild when you realize that nobody can actually articulate a reason why Israel should be supported that is both logically coherent and morally defensible. Reading by Tim Foley.

The message is clear: Israelis dying is a terrible tragedy, while Palestinians dying is just the normal way for things to be. An Israeli dying should matter as much to you as your own family or friends dying, while a Palestinian dying should be regarded as a routine and natural event like a drop of rain falling from the sky. Reading by Tim Foley.

“Stop doing genocide” is the single most reasonable political demand anyone could possibly make. It’s so reasonable it’s insane it even needs to be made. You don’t get to cry if people don’t support your candidate because they didn’t meet that ridiculously reasonable demand. Reading by Tim Foley.

One very important task we can undertake as citizens of the western empire is to help de-normalize the tyranny, murderousness and savagery that the imperial propagandists work to normalize. To help other westerners see the freakishness and depravity of the empire with fresh eyes. Reading by Tim Foley. https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/do-something-every-day-to-help-de

The decay of western civilization is unfolding in real time right in front of our eyes. Israel has ramped up its assault on the West Bank with an incursion the likes of which has not been seen since 2002, at the same time we learn that the Biden administration has been scrambling to increase its weapons shipments to Israel. Haaretz reports that August has been the second-busiest month for weapons shipments from the US to Israel's Nevatim Airbase, second only to October 2023. This is the same Biden administration that Americans have been assured is working "tirelessly" and "around the clock" for a ceasefire in Gaza. They're committing genocide and lying about it while laughing and grinning and celebrating the "joy" of the Kamala Harris campaign. Reading by Tim Foley. Article version: https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/theres-no-good-news-in-the-unfolding

The US knows Israel has nuclear weapons but simply pretends it does not know this. The US knows it's Netanyahu sabotaging a peace deal but simply pretends Hamas is the real obstacle. The US knows Israel is committing genocide but simply pretends that saying this is antisemitic. The US knows Israel is deliberately targeting civilians but simply pretends to believe it is exclusively targeting Hamas. The US knows Israel is committing war crimes in Gaza which make it illegal to send them weapons, but simply pretends it hasn't seen solid evidence of this. The US knows Israel will never agree to a two-state solution but simply pretends to believe a two-state solution is right around the corner. The US knows there can never be peace and stability in the middle east as long as Israel exists in the way that it exists, but simply refuses to acknowledge this self-evident fact. US policy on Israel is to simply refuse to acknowledge self-evident realities which can be immediately observed with the naked eye. It's pretendi

You don't get to vote on whether wars, militarism and imperialism should continue. You don't get to vote on whether your government should engage in nuclear brinkmanship with Russia and China. You don't get to vote on whether your government should keep systems in place which ensure the destruction of our biosphere. You don't get to vote on whether your government should be continuously working to subvert and destroy any nation anywhere on earth who dares to disobey its commands. Reading by Tim Foley.

As Americans become more and more discontented with the abusive nature of their nation's government, a man has shown up who leads both Democrats and Republicans to believe that the best way to stick it to the man is to take a highly emotional position either for him or against him. When really whether he wins or loses couldn't matter less to those with real power. Reading by Tim Foley.

What they are saying is that they believe Israel should murder children, decapitate them, rip their guts out, dismember them, mutilate them, burn them alive, every single day, until its military demands are submitted to. They are also probably saying that they personally would help Israel do these things to children if circumstances permitted. Reading by Tim Foley.

The reason I find myself fighting with both Harris supporters and Trump supporters is because they see the other party as the problem while I see the US empire itself as the problem. They seek to make things better by ensuring that the empire is under the correct management, while I seek the end of the empire. Reading by Tim Foley.