43 Comments

Thank you for your beautiful thoughts. You radiate love and compassion.

Expand full comment

Cindy, I don't know precisely what Aaron Bushnell had in his mind that day, but I feel that I can understand some of the possible motivations. Being in the military, he was certainly inundated and indoctrinated on a daily basis with government "truth" as opposed to reality. As I assume him to have been a person of conscience, he would have had a much more difficult time than a civilian trying to square his government's actions (or inactions) with reality 'on the ground'. The contradictions would have been way more extreme than what the rest of us see or expect to see. Publicly killing himself may have been the only way for him to resolve those contradictions.

It reminds me of my lifetime best friend, Luis. We both, unbeknownst to the other, refused the draft during the era of the war against Vietnam. Our refusals weren't in response to Vietnam; we both would have refused the military at any point in history. He ultimately went to trial in L.A. over it, and during the FBI-chauffeured drive to the federal court building, one of the "Special Agents" (ha, ha, ha...) turned to him and said "do you think you're going to stop the war?" My brilliant friend immediately responded with "Yes, for ME !" And ultimately that is all we have - what works for us. I think that anyone who is the least bit aware realizes that these acts do not and will not likely have a broad effect, but it still comes down to doing what our conscience tells us. The Buddhist monks in Vietnam and Rachel and Aaron, I believe, did what they knew was right for them. We can feel terrible knowing that there likely is no broader effect, but we can also find some solace in the thought that they were at least able to free themselves of that burden. "It is a good day to die" --- Klingon battle quote.

Expand full comment

Thank you for your thoughts, Cindy. I too have my clearest, most refreshing thoughts when walking out in nature.

Expand full comment

Looks beautiful have a great day

Expand full comment

thanks, you, as well!

Expand full comment

Just loved this, thank you!

Expand full comment

Rachel Corrie didn´t commit suicide. She was defying the demolition of a home where her hosts lived. Rachel´s death was more akin to a protester being shot by a sniper or a journalist being assassinated.

Rachel took great precaution to be noticed as a protester. Her death was not planned nor expected.

Expand full comment

I didn't say she committed suicide.

Expand full comment

My point in bringing her up is that even though she died via bulldozer by the rotten Zionists, homes continued to be bulldozed.

Expand full comment

I think your sentiments are spotless.

Expand full comment

Much love!

Expand full comment

You know, I don't believe that young Aaron Bushnell was mentally ill. That's what the msm is selling. His clear and purposeful commentary prior to dousing himself with gas was focused, determined and heartfelt.

S Brian Wilson, a Vietnam veteran and antiwar protestor who attempted to prevent a train carrying weapons for war and lost both of his legs, posted this on Facebook yesterday:

Bushnell left a final message on social media early Sunday morning.

"Many of us like to ask ourselves, 'What would I do if I was alive during slavery? Or the Jim Crow South? Or apartheid? What would I do if my country was committing genocide?'" he wrote in his first Facebook post in nearly six years. "The answer is, you're doing it. Right now."…..

"They will try to spin-doctor it as mental health issues, but he was rational and clear about his political reasoning, which resonates with [the] majority of the world," Syracuse University professor Farhana Sultana said on social media. "May his sacrifice not be in vain. Indeed. it was legitimate moral outrage and courage against the holocaust and barbarity in Palestine with U.S. full participation. May his sacrifice not be in vain, may his last words on this earth ring true. #FreePalestine."

…The late Vietnamese Buddhist monk, peace activist, and author Thích Nhất Hạnh explained in a letter to the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. that the monks and nuns who self-immolated were not committing suicide. Rather, their self-sacrifices were aimed "at moving the hearts of the oppressors, and at calling the attention of the world to the suffering endured."

"It is done," he explained, "to wake us up."

Aaron Bushnell, Presente!

Charging us with loving the crap out of everybody is key! xoxo

Expand full comment

Okay, but I can't accept that he did not have some mental issues.

Most people in this country do, especially after the past four years.

He was young and probably didn't know that the War Monsters want us to die and are happy when we do it to ourselves.

I am not spewing an MSM trope, I am coming with my entire heart over this.

Expand full comment

My intention was not to cast a shadow on your wonderful words; you are almost always sweet and I am angry, pissed off and over 'it'! I sometimes wish I could conjure up the kind of courage or maybe insanity that Aaron Bushnell the Buddhist monks and my friend Susan J. Frey, USNavy, Vietnam veteran had when she killed herself nearly one year ago.

Expand full comment

Watched/listened to the video, which was awesome! Sorry to hear there were so many negative comments in the thread; I left mine about the "burning bonzes" of Vietnam, and hopped off to the next thing. My observation is that some have taken the Gaza genocide as an opportunity to vent their anti-Semitism, or, more specifically, their anti-Jewish prejudice, totally ignorant of the historical context that Jews have been made scapegoats, historically, for the sins of others; while on the other side, the "Blue no matter who" crowd treats all criticisms that are brazenly obvious of Israel to be expressions of anti-Semitism, thereby masking their blatantly anti-Arab prejudice. It's practically impossible to reach people drowning in their own bigotry. That being said, this is a great Spot for a Thot!

Expand full comment

thanks. Todd

Expand full comment

The slaughter of 30,000 innocent, unarmed civilians as 'an opportunity to vent...'? You must be joking! I hope you are.

Expand full comment

Specifically I was referring to people who are anti-Jewish, who blame "the Jews" for everything, and how they have used the ongoing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, and the West Bank, as an excuse for their bigotry against Jewish people. On the flip side, the Zionist crowd has tried to turn all criticism of Israel's manifestly genocidal actions into some form of "Holocaust denialism," which is bad faith rhetoric all day. It would not surprise me to learn that many an "anti-Semitic troll" is in fact in the pay of the Israeli Government in order to discredit the critics of Israel by "presumed" association. I know this probably sounds convoluted, but that's how these propagandists weave their webs of deceit, at least as far as I can tell. So the "Some" I am referring to in the comment refers specifically to anti-Jewish bigots who have seized on the mass murder to promote their own ideology, which I contend is absolutely bogus, or a species of race-hatred.

Expand full comment

Hm. Certainly an interesting observation. Anti-semitism is a malapropism to begin with, Todd. Palestinians are semites so how does this language really work and what does it really mean? Some survivors of the Nazi holocaust have said that casting the mantle of 'anti-semitism' on people is a trick they use to shut down conversation. Maybe, maybe not.

The fine point of hasbara/propaganda is definitely being sharpened but, really, using this mass execution and over-the-top, not-so -slow-motion genocide (ongoing for 75+ years now, btw) as an example of anti-Jewish ness ignores the reality of what is happening and makes it a 'nanny-nanny-boo-boo' one-dimensional excuse for killing innocents, stealing their land, killing their livestock, trapping, capturing and torturing them, starving them and so on. It's enough to make a person 'anti-Israeli'.

Expand full comment

Totally agree. Israel as a "State" is an artificial construction of the West, its pet projection into the Middle East, or Middle Western Asia. It's the "thing never said" in mainstream media that Palestinians are "semites," too, as are all Arabs. The moment a light is shone on the Theory of Race is the moment that theory evaporates. What Israel is doing in Gaza, and the West Bank, is Racism 101, no doubt about it, and the West is using Israel as a pontificated mask, because of the Holocaust, to hide its own craven racism, which I think is the rub. In other words, just to be clear: Israel is the sacrificial lamb that just keeps slaughtering on. I wrote a note not too long ago that Israel is digging its own grave in Gaza while turning Gaza into a graveyard, and I've seen no evidence to the contrary. There is the ICJ, but they've been held up at gun point, so they are in a "hostage" situation, to say the least. The Front Company that is Israel needs to go, but they will not go quietly, as the stockholders scream the "Bloody Murder!" that they are committing. Thank you for your in-depth commentary; pretty awesome that someone else, and there are some others, is thinking these things out. Peace.

Expand full comment

Thank you for the thoughtful, civilized interaction. Shalom. Salaams. Peace.

Expand full comment

Yes, thanks to both of you.

Very enlightening.

Expand full comment

Thank you for commenting back. "Understanding" is a "Work in Progress," to say the least. I'm a wordy creature, and sometimes my words strike people in odd, oblique ways, because I tend to write in, well, odd oblique ways. I was reprimanded as a "Hamas-agent" in a recent E-mail, which was quite a surprise to me, as I've never received a Check in the Mail from Hamas; actually, I would cash that check if it happened: Who wouldn't? I think my latest nonsense, "Russian Nukes in Space?" is not too bad, and covers a few relevant topics. I could be wrong, but chances are that I'm right...

Expand full comment

I agree. I am sorry the post may have been misunderstood by many. Since timing is everything. I think many people are vulnerable to the forced injustices being perpetuated domestically and globally and are responding how they have been conditioned. The key to everything is unity and solidarity.

Expand full comment

Yep, agreed

Expand full comment

Yup. I got a good walk this morning after too much rest lately, and it made a difference. We're meant to move and make, not to sit and talk.

Expand full comment

Talk while moving and making?

Expand full comment

I'm surprised I haven't seen anyone interview Rachel Corrie's parents recently. I wonder if they still do interviews.

Expand full comment

I did but years ago. Not sure

Expand full comment

Both Brian Willson and Rachel Corrie were victims of the same sick minds that were filmed killing the journalists from the Apache helicopter in Baghdad. Whether by train, helicopter, bulldozer, AK-47... a perverse system doesn´t seek intelligent, compassionate people to achieve their quest for domination.

Expand full comment

OK.

Expand full comment

Maybe Joanna and I will join you on one of those walks one, that’s if and when Joanna walks on her own two feet again 👣

Expand full comment

I'd love that!

Expand full comment

Thanks for your thoughts. I respect what you say about stereotyping people based on religion. It really is a cop out that allows someone to refuse to see the complicity of the US in the situation (and the cynical profiteering). Someone who "blames all Jewish people" does so to avoid looking at the state of our own house, so to speak.

I don't know if what Bushnell did or his trauma (at mass murder promoted and funded by so-called leaders in our country) is a result of "mental health issues." It is a form of protest, albeit extreme. Vaclav Havel once referred to someone who committed suicide under communist oppression as one of the people "who cared the most of all" about humanity (I am paraphrasing). I had a friend who committed suicide who was also this sensitive. It is a cultural failing that there is no room in mainstream America to respect people like Aaron Bushnell for who they are and allow their contribution. It seems Bushnell cared much about the USA as well as the people of Gaza. Perhaps if there was a true place for his voice and the strength of his sentiment, a place for what he could have contributed, he might still be here. (If this was a saner, balanced place... but it's not) Perhaps he reached the conclusion there was no other place in the US culture for what he had to offer, his strong conscience and respect for human life. I'm just speculating. Of course I don't know exactly what went through his mind. But maybe this was both his protest against US complicity in Gaza and also a way to try to force the US mainstream to look in the mirror.

Expand full comment

Yes, I recognize it's a form of protest.

Expand full comment