I Had a Dream: From Vietnam to Gaza

Click on the image for a video slideshow I created set to Samuel Barber's Adagio for Strings. And now a word from my conscience and a clarion call from my moral compass... My latest for CounterPunch. Here's how I kick off this 3000+-word essay. Israel has reached an unimaginable peak of evil. And indeed many … Continue reading I Had a Dream: From Vietnam to Gaza

Rhetorical Checkmate

Source: Wikipedia LinkedIn is becoming like Facebook except I reserve non-business posts and comments for truly serious and literally existential issues like the ongoing Israeli genocide in Gaza. You can start with my comment followed by Johanna's indignant response, and my response to her response. Crickets after the latter. Like many, you'll notice she trots … Continue reading Rhetorical Checkmate

I Had a Dream: From Vietnam to Gaza

A boy carries a humanitarian aid package provided by the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees: UNRWA) in central Gaza City [Omar Al-Qattaa/AFP] “There is a price to pay for speaking the truth. There is a bigger price for living a lie.” – Cornel West I recently … Continue reading I Had a Dream: From Vietnam to Gaza

Bystanders No More.

Helping people speak up about human rights in Palestine. Screenshot Once there is seeing, there must be acting. Otherwise, what’s the use of seeing? -Thích Nhất Hạnh (1926-2022) To be a Jew means always being with the oppressed, never with the oppressors. -Marek Edelman (1919/1922-2009) – last surviving leader, Warsaw ghetto uprising I love this … Continue reading Bystanders No More.

I Stand With…

the exploited, weak, oppressed, and victims of state-sponsored violence, including genocide, NOT the oppressors, exploiters, and murderers. It's really that simple. That black and white. There are no gray areas. There is no moral equivalence here. What Hamas did last October was barbaric but the 2.1 million people living in Gaza are not Hamas. The … Continue reading I Stand With…

Guest Post: “Erasing Palestine” 

This is a guest post by Mike Hastie, a veteran of the US war in Vietnam whose tagline is "I was born in America, but my heart is Vietnamese." Erasing Human Rights Erasing Human Beings Erasing Hospitals Erasing Medical Supplies Erasing Oxygen Erasing Doctors and Nurses Erasing Ambulances Erasing Food and Water Erasing Electricity Erasing … Continue reading Guest Post: “Erasing Palestine” 

IF I MUST DIE, The Last Poem by Refaat Alareer (1979-2023)

Source: Instagram post on 26.11.23. Refaat Alareer was killed in an airstrike by the Israeli military on December 6, along with his brother, his brother’s son, his sister, and her three children. If I must die,  you must live  to tell my story  to sell my things  to buy a piece of cloth  and some strings,  (make it white with a long tail)  … Continue reading IF I MUST DIE, The Last Poem by Refaat Alareer (1979-2023)

The Red, White, & Blue Sun Around Which The World Revolves?

In case you're wondering, that imposing orange-yellow object on the left is the United States of America. (Don't forget it! 🇺🇸) Recently, I had an unpleasant exchange in a Facebook group of "Independent Educational Consultants." Below are screenshots of the "conversation," which consisted of a bunch of angry colleagues questioning my integrity. It started with … Continue reading The Red, White, & Blue Sun Around Which The World Revolves?

The People of Palestine or Gaza?

A couple of weeks ago, I did something I don't do very often; I looked at my Instagram feed. (Full disclosure: It's one of the most boring Instagram accounts in the world because I only use it to follow my company, Capstone Education, and a few other accounts of interest.) Lo and behold, I found … Continue reading The People of Palestine or Gaza?