Took Biden 5 days to succeed in preventing a UN call for end to Israeli genocide in Gaza

Took Biden 5 days to succeed in preventing a UN call for end to Israeli genocide in Gaza

The UN Security Council tried again yesterday for the unanimous vote demanding immediate ceasefire in Gaza. UAE had proposed a motion that called for “urgent suspension of hostilities and creation of an inspection system for humanitarian aid entering Gaza run by the UN Secretary-General’s office.” Both were red lines for President Biden to threaten his second veto of a UN Security Council ceasefire resolution this month.

US negotiators wore down the UN side till the US approved a meaningless resolution only calling for “creating the conditions for a sustainable cessation of hostilities.” That gives the US cover to continue providing bombs and other aid to Israel till all the 2.3 million Palestinians in Gaza are either dead or dispersed to the Sinai Desert or other Arab countries.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres slammed US obstruction: “The real problem is that the way Israel is conducting this offensive is creating massive obstacles to the distribution of humanitarian aid inside Gaza. An effective aid operation in Gaza requires security, staff who can work in safety, logistical capacity, and the resumption of commercial activity. These four elements do not exist.”

Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian envoy to the UN, begged the Security Council to back the original ceasefire resolution: “What we are dealing with is an attempt at the destruction of our people, and their displacement forever from their land. This is Israel’s goal, its true objective. No future for Palestinians in Palestine”

How does President Biden sleep during the Christmas holidays…as visions of genocide dance in his head?

Is Biden worst possible Democratic presidential candidate?

 Is Biden worst possible Democratic presidential candidate? 

Gloom is spreading thruout the Party. Democrats nationwide are getting as depressed as President Biden over his falling poll numbers. 

Tho Biden likely could never lose the popular vote and most of his 20 core blue states, he’s falling behind in the 5 swing states that propelled Trump to victory in 2016. If held today, Biden could easily reprise Hillary Clinton’s loss, sending a deranged proto authoritarian under 91 federal and state indictments back into the White House. 

How could this gloomy scenario come to be? Biden has presided over a recovering, indeed booming economy, with relentless job growth, minimal unemployment, even moderating inflation. He’s championed women’s reproductive rights against a cruel Republican obsession with controlling women’s bodies. He reclaimed American electoral democracy from a traitorous outlier determined to destroy it. 

For starters, he should never, ever have run for re-election. Biden did all the above and should have retired to allow a younger, more vigorous progressive continue to build on his 4 year legacy. He’s not just too old at 82 on Election Day. He looks, talks and acts every day of 82, clearly past his governing shelf life. 

What possessed him to believe he was fit enough to function properly for 4 more years? Likely not a single Democratic voter believes that he will. Biden even told donors that had not Trump been the likely Republican candidate, he’d might have retired. So in Biden’s degrading mind, he’s the only Democrat that can beat Trump. That is hubris, more likely delusion, on steroids. 

But there is more than just his failing physical and mental stamina that’s sinking his re-election. He spent his first 2 years largely ignoring the exploding migrant crisis at the border which has expanded to the far north and east. It’s now become the hot button domestic issue riling up voters at the worst possible time. And they’re not riled up against Trump or the Republican Party. 

Even worse is his promoting, supporting, indeed enabling grisly wars in Ukraine and Gaza. They are not only destroying life for millions of Ukrainians and Palestinians, but his and down ballot Democrats’ chances for election as well. Once he earned the horrendous moniker ‘Genocide Joe’ over the destruction of Gaza, he should have thrown in the towel and dropped his reelection bid.

How does Biden and the Democratic Party salvage the 2024 election that may be slipping away? Party leaders need an intervention with Biden to get him to retire gracefully. He could easily cite his failing mental and physical stamina to continue leading the world’s only, though declining, superpower. 

An even more dramatic move might be to cite the above decline in announcing his resignation. That would allow Kamala Harris, his likely successor if he is reelected, to grow into the presidency as she would likely be nominated as the incumbent next August. But it would also allow potential candidates such as Gavin Newsome, JB Pritzker, among others, to toss their hats into the ring as well. 

These are troublesome, disturbing thoughts for Democrats. But they need to be voiced and heeded before Democrats snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.  And to answer the title question….yep.

Pope’s same sex couples blessing sounds a tad like ‘Plessy v. Ferguson

 Pope’s same sex couples blessing sounds a tad like ‘Plessy v. Ferguson

Back in 1896 the US Supreme Court enshrined second class citizenship for blacks by ruling it was cool for the South to practice racial segregation with separate racial facilities. The only requirement was that separate facilities had to be equal, particularly in the crucial institution of education. The White South replied ‘sure will’ to the 7 Supremes who greenlighted the suppression of full citizenship for blacks. They then did just the opposite, spending a pittance on run down black schools while lavishing white schools with the finest. This went on for 58 years till Brown v. Board of Education began the decades long dismantling of legal segregation.


The Plessy ruling popped up upon hearing of Pope Francis’ widely applauded break with Catholic teaching by authorizing priestly blessing of same sex couples. But like Plessy, he sure inserted some onerous caveats.


Gay couples can now sigh with relief they will no longer be subject to “an exhaustive moral analysis” by priests who choose to comply with Pope Francis. But many will still get that ‘exhaustive moral analysis’ by priests worldwide horrified by Francis’ break with enshrined homophobia.


Francis cautioned priests not to confuse blessing gay couples with sanctioning gay marriage, not even civil unions. Blessings must not allow any gestures or clothing pertaining to a marriage. During the blessing, the word ‘marriage’ dare not speak its name.


Blessing couples without bestowing the full benefits of marriage and still considering them disordered and sinful sure is a strange way to practice the inclusiveness and commonality of peoplekind.

Francis’ blessing decree will meet much resistance from conservative clergy tied to archaic religious beliefs still centuries behind modern thinking. But it is a tiny step toward eventual first class citizenship for gay Catholics. Alas, at the glacial pace at which the Catholic Church modernizes, it’s possible none of present day gay couples will be around by the time married gay priests, men and women, can perform their gay marriages. 

Congressman Casten must join worldwide call for ceasefire in Gaza

 Congressman Casten must join worldwide call for ceasefire in Gaza

My congressman Sean Casten’s op-ed in today’s Chicago Tribune ‘A cease-fire between Israel and Hamas has to come with accountability’ is not what billions worldwide are seeking. That would be an immediate, full and permanent ceasefire in Gaza to end the genocidal ethnic cleansing there. 

Casten used 905 words but not a single one described what is going on before our eyes and ears: the complete destruction of Gaza and its 2.3 million Palestinians. Over 20,000 dead, mostly women and children, with likely thousands more buried under the rubble of over 100,000 buildings destroyed with US bombs. Virtually all Palestinians deprived of sufficient food, water, medicine, medical care and habitable dwelling. Starvation is underway.   

 He discussed 4 distinct issues: Benjamin Netanyahu, Hamas, Iran, Abraham Accords without a single action step that will end the mass destruction of Gaza before all 2.3 Palestinians in Gaza are dead or shoved into the Saini Desert.  

Congressman Casten did offer one statement we in the Peace Movement could agree with. “I am not a foreign policy expert.” But regarding Gaza, being an expert is irrelevant to acknowledging the intentional destruction of a sliver of land crammed with 2.3 million souls being killed and removed in plain sight. 

Sean Casten would best serve his district, his country, indeed the world, by joining with the small but growing band of 63 legislators, including 5 Illinois representatives and Illinois Senator Durbin, in calling for immediate ceasefire and salvation of 2.3 million Palestinians in Gaza. 

Biden staffers give the boss a lesson in humanity

Biden staffers give the boss a lesson in humanity

 

Wednesday night, dozens of President Biden’s Employees held a vigil outside the White House. They called for a lasting cease-fire in Gaza to protest their Chief’s near total support, in weapons and words, of Israel’s genocidal ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in Gaza.

 

Protesters wore sunglasses and masks to hide their identities in fear of losing their administration jobs; indeed destroying their government careers.

 

Their protest was the most visible pushback from government workers to Biden’s grotesque involvement enabling the destruction of Gaza and its 2.3 million beleaguered Palestinians.

 

In November, over 700 political appointees sent Biden a letter demanding he support an immediate, permanent cease-fire to stop the killing, and resume humanitarian aid. Earlier this month over 40 White House interns sent Biden a letter condemning Israel's genocidal response to the October 7 attack and imploring Biden to support a permanent cease-fire.

 

Did you read those letters from political appointees and lowly interns, Mr. President? Did you peer thru the White House windows to view people, with more courage and decency than you could imagine, beseeching you to end the madness of your war policies?

 

Along with those hundreds of courageous government workers, the whole world, save for the leaders of America and Israel, are pondering when President Biden will reclaim his humanity.