[Phnom Penh, 11/19/23] It’s 5:18AM, and I’m in a café noisy with a dozen men. The wooden furniture is overly thick, and there are large, heavy sculptures of fish, deer, rams and horses on most tables. A goldfish with a bulbous forehead wears glasses. Too expensive, these beasts also clutter up space, so make no business sense, but they’re wonderful as proofs of the owner’s individuality, if not eccentricity. Such quirks are still common outside the conformist West.
Thanks, Linh, for all the useful context on Hamas. The thing that utterly floors me is that Israel can keep getting away with the same sham set-ups time after time. I am talking about the 9-11 demolitions which they did very efficiently, with the passive assistance of the US who took all of their response personnel off on vacations (or exercises, as they said), allowing the "art students " to do their dirty work. Thus, again, the Israeli military was nowhere to be found for hours after "Hamas" shot up the music festival and the Kibbutz, only to appear in their bombers to complete the dirty work of killing their own people. People here in the US (and perhaps in Israel too) are so darn stupid as to fall for these fraudulent enterprises -- that is perhaps the most depressing aspect of the whole thing. There have always been very evil people afoot in this world, but populations that are so gullible in this "glorious information age" --- that is the real kicker that convinces me that it is all so so hopeless.
In my Navy days back in the late 70s I saw a number of non-English-speaking (I assume) performers in various Western Pacific ports singing their renditions of American pop music. Many of them do verge on parody, but I’ve heard a few that were very good. One of the best was at a Japanese resort hotel in Guam. (The US military dominates the island, but it was little known that there were five resort hotels on Guam’s western beach, located far away from all that, catering to Japanese tourists. Guam was the poor Japanese salaryman’s Hawaii back then.)
Me and a couple of buddies decided to check out one of these hotels, and found ourselves in the hotel disco, packed with Japanese vacationers; I think we might have been the only English speakers in the room—even our server had very limited English skills. The band, all Japanese guys, was playing an assortment of stuff from all over, including many American hits. My vivid memory is their perfectly accent-free rendition of Climax Blues Band, “Couldn’t Get It Right”, a US hit in the mid-70s. The only thing that was off was that they were nearly a full octave higher than the real thing. It was funny, but still very good.
Even before your piece today, I’ve shared your thought about historical land claims. As you say, no one is ultimately indigenous to anywhere. On the other hand, there is such a thing as theft, imperialism, empire-building, etc. So the big question is: where do you draw the line? When does it move from “theft” to “squatter’s rights?”
I have more or less concluded that any such stuff that happened to people still living can probably be considered “theft.”. Once a few generations have passed, it begins to move into the realm of “squatter’s rights.” But cultures vary around the world, and some have amazingly long memories. In the Balkans, each of maybe half a dozen ethnic groups believes that it is entitled to a restoration of boundaries that existed when its culture was at its greatest extent, back as long as 1000 years! Obviously someone will be coming home empty-handed from that party.
Another thing to consider is whether, after the passage of time, a particular “wrong” can logically be “righted.” Perhaps there is still time to try to make the Palestinians whole again. The Irish, perhaps not. The Native American, almost definitely not. Thinking of the latter, consider that even if we gave back all the land formerly under their sway, there aren’t many around that are waiting to go back to a pre-industrial hunter-gatherer lifestyle. So we’re talking essentially about throwing money at them to right what is seen as a historical injustice?
Didn't Israel help to found Hamas to serve as a moderate counterbalance to the then radical PLO? Lol. Always playing both sides of the table. You gotta admire their, umm, chutzpah...
We have heard so many lies that I am not sure anymore if "Hamas" even exists. It may even be some Mossad/CIA boogyman concoction like "ISIS" or "Al Qaeda". As for victims, I don't trust the numbers on either side, but Israelis observedly lie much more.
"Seeing happy children playing rejuvenates the soul and restores hope."
Even in Gaza you occasionally see happy children smiling. In the modern West, we seem to prefer to train them to constant psychological abuse, from forcing them to wear masks and to have hundreds of vaccines before they are one year old, to make them confused about their own sex, and to make them be raised by "two moms" or "two dads" who usually abuse them. I wrote a bit about childhood abuse in the context of Argentina's new president here, although I thing the issue could be discussed much more, as it seems to be a fixture of our modern (satanic?) world: https://contrarium.substack.com/p/argentinas-turn
It is difficult or impossible to trust someone who claims to have no vices; that is one of the fundamental reasons people do not believe (or believe in) the US propaganda. A mundane example is cigarette smoking. There are many photos from generations past (younger people will find this impossible to believe) of pro athletes smoking, particularly in pro golf and baseball. Even as late as the 1980s, active NFL player Earl Campbell appeared in TV commercials for smokeless tobacco. I am not defending tobacco addiction, but it is at least a human vice. The (for example) robotic PGA Tour players of today could learn a lesson.
Have you heard anything about the homeless being disappeared in the US? Apparently the encampments of fentanyl zombies are suddenly empty in places. It's an outrageous rumor that fits in well with the Lahaina treatment. Pretty sure the powers that be are going full Georgia Guide Stones on the little people.
Thanks, Linh, for all the useful context on Hamas. The thing that utterly floors me is that Israel can keep getting away with the same sham set-ups time after time. I am talking about the 9-11 demolitions which they did very efficiently, with the passive assistance of the US who took all of their response personnel off on vacations (or exercises, as they said), allowing the "art students " to do their dirty work. Thus, again, the Israeli military was nowhere to be found for hours after "Hamas" shot up the music festival and the Kibbutz, only to appear in their bombers to complete the dirty work of killing their own people. People here in the US (and perhaps in Israel too) are so darn stupid as to fall for these fraudulent enterprises -- that is perhaps the most depressing aspect of the whole thing. There have always been very evil people afoot in this world, but populations that are so gullible in this "glorious information age" --- that is the real kicker that convinces me that it is all so so hopeless.
Many people in the U.S. don't even know that it is all going on. Completely oblivious.
I know some of those people. Ignoramuses.
This story about Israeli bombers (aircraft?) is new to me. Do you have a link/source I could read please?
Hi Theo,
Here are some links:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6KHHniSG4_0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ed0-OxNO_bQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vM71i2XIqfU
And Max Igan's videos on Gaza:
https://odysee.com/@thecrowhouse:2/Israel-is-ISIS---ISIS-is-Bolshevik:c
https://odysee.com/@thecrowhouse:2/Genociding-Gaza:b
https://odysee.com/@thecrowhouse:2/The-True-Face-of-Israel:9
https://odysee.com/@thecrowhouse:2/True-Evil:a
https://odysee.com/@thecrowhouse:2/Israels-War-On-Children:6
Linh
Israeli forces shot their own civilians, kibbutz survivor says
https://electronicintifada.net/content/israeli-forces-shot-their-own-civilians-kibbutz-survivor-says/38861
In my Navy days back in the late 70s I saw a number of non-English-speaking (I assume) performers in various Western Pacific ports singing their renditions of American pop music. Many of them do verge on parody, but I’ve heard a few that were very good. One of the best was at a Japanese resort hotel in Guam. (The US military dominates the island, but it was little known that there were five resort hotels on Guam’s western beach, located far away from all that, catering to Japanese tourists. Guam was the poor Japanese salaryman’s Hawaii back then.)
Me and a couple of buddies decided to check out one of these hotels, and found ourselves in the hotel disco, packed with Japanese vacationers; I think we might have been the only English speakers in the room—even our server had very limited English skills. The band, all Japanese guys, was playing an assortment of stuff from all over, including many American hits. My vivid memory is their perfectly accent-free rendition of Climax Blues Band, “Couldn’t Get It Right”, a US hit in the mid-70s. The only thing that was off was that they were nearly a full octave higher than the real thing. It was funny, but still very good.
Even before your piece today, I’ve shared your thought about historical land claims. As you say, no one is ultimately indigenous to anywhere. On the other hand, there is such a thing as theft, imperialism, empire-building, etc. So the big question is: where do you draw the line? When does it move from “theft” to “squatter’s rights?”
I have more or less concluded that any such stuff that happened to people still living can probably be considered “theft.”. Once a few generations have passed, it begins to move into the realm of “squatter’s rights.” But cultures vary around the world, and some have amazingly long memories. In the Balkans, each of maybe half a dozen ethnic groups believes that it is entitled to a restoration of boundaries that existed when its culture was at its greatest extent, back as long as 1000 years! Obviously someone will be coming home empty-handed from that party.
Another thing to consider is whether, after the passage of time, a particular “wrong” can logically be “righted.” Perhaps there is still time to try to make the Palestinians whole again. The Irish, perhaps not. The Native American, almost definitely not. Thinking of the latter, consider that even if we gave back all the land formerly under their sway, there aren’t many around that are waiting to go back to a pre-industrial hunter-gatherer lifestyle. So we’re talking essentially about throwing money at them to right what is seen as a historical injustice?
I love this: "America’s prowess in space is a key part of its aura. No one else has bounced around on a moonscape stage!" 👍🏾🤩
Loved the photo of the beautiful child making a heart with her hands!
Didn't Israel help to found Hamas to serve as a moderate counterbalance to the then radical PLO? Lol. Always playing both sides of the table. You gotta admire their, umm, chutzpah...
We have heard so many lies that I am not sure anymore if "Hamas" even exists. It may even be some Mossad/CIA boogyman concoction like "ISIS" or "Al Qaeda". As for victims, I don't trust the numbers on either side, but Israelis observedly lie much more.
"Seeing happy children playing rejuvenates the soul and restores hope."
Even in Gaza you occasionally see happy children smiling. In the modern West, we seem to prefer to train them to constant psychological abuse, from forcing them to wear masks and to have hundreds of vaccines before they are one year old, to make them confused about their own sex, and to make them be raised by "two moms" or "two dads" who usually abuse them. I wrote a bit about childhood abuse in the context of Argentina's new president here, although I thing the issue could be discussed much more, as it seems to be a fixture of our modern (satanic?) world: https://contrarium.substack.com/p/argentinas-turn
It is difficult or impossible to trust someone who claims to have no vices; that is one of the fundamental reasons people do not believe (or believe in) the US propaganda. A mundane example is cigarette smoking. There are many photos from generations past (younger people will find this impossible to believe) of pro athletes smoking, particularly in pro golf and baseball. Even as late as the 1980s, active NFL player Earl Campbell appeared in TV commercials for smokeless tobacco. I am not defending tobacco addiction, but it is at least a human vice. The (for example) robotic PGA Tour players of today could learn a lesson.
Linh,
Have you heard anything about the homeless being disappeared in the US? Apparently the encampments of fentanyl zombies are suddenly empty in places. It's an outrageous rumor that fits in well with the Lahaina treatment. Pretty sure the powers that be are going full Georgia Guide Stones on the little people.
Hi Frank,
I haven't heard about this. Do you have links to articles or videos?
Linh
There's a YouTube video somewhere about 'hostile architecture' going up in NYC.
https://substack.com/home/post/p-139052607
Love you Linh!