#Ilhan omar usa

[tieflingkisser]

Inside the “Zionists for Don Samuels” WhatsApp Group Raising Big Money to Oust Ilhan Omar

In AIPAC’s absence, a Samuels campaign staffer and pro-Israel super PAC donors strategize to oust another Squad member.

The members of the group — which included a consultant who at the time was working for the Samuels campaign as well as far-flung political donors — discussed raising six-figure sums for a political action committee, strategies for campaign phone banks, and an effort to marshal Republican voters to boost Samuels in Tuesday’s open primary. “Hi Everybody, My Name is Alexander Minn, I work for the campaign,” Alex Minn, the campaign consultant, wrote to the group on July 24. “WE ALL HAVE THE POWER TO HELP GET RID OF ~the squad~ AND PUBLIC ENEMY #1 TO JEWS, ISRAEL, AND AMERICA- ~ilhan omar~” (Samuels campaign manager Joe Radinovich said on Saturday that Minn no longer works for the campaign. An August 4 episode of a YouTube show featuring Samuels included Minn as a campaign staffer.) While national pro-Israel groups like the American Israel Public Affairs Committee have not come out swinging in the Samuels–Omar race, a far-flung, group of disparate activists are using the WhatsApp group, called “Zionists for Don Samuels Against Ilhan Omar,” to fill the gap.

[...]

Whereas pro-Israel groups in Bush and Bowman’s races ran ads about issues other than Israel itself, the Samuels campaign has focused on Omar’s calls for a ceasefire, her denouncing the war in Gaza as a genocide, and allegations of antisemitism against the incumbent for her stances on Israel.

[...]

Members of the “Zionists for Don Samuels” group hail from various locations, with some from Minneapolis and others based in New York and Puerto Rico. Some have supported former President Donald Trump and other Republicans. Others are regular Democratic donors who have expressed disillusionment with the party over Israel. One participant in the WhatsApp group, Michael Sinensky — a wealthy entrepreneur who on the chat justifies support for “alt right Christian Neo Nazis” — said he has worked with Make a Difference MN to raise over $120,000 for Samuels since July 31, according to messages he sent to the group chat. Make a Difference MN, a super PAC, was used by AIPAC in 2022 to route $350,000 into Samuels’s race.

[...]

In an example of the eclectic and vociferously pro-Israel politics of the “Zionists for Don Samuels” chat group, it was formed in October 2023, according to the chat history, by vehemently anti-Democratic public relations impresario Ronn Torossian.  The group was founded under the name “Jews for Ritchie Torres” — the Democratic representative from New York known for his over-the-top support of Israel. (In a statement, Torres said, “The Intercept, as usual, is reporting fiction.”) During the summer, however, the group name changed to “Jews Against the Squad” and then later “Zionists for Don Samuels Against Ilhan Omar.” Along with Torossian, other participants in the “Zionists for Don Samuels” chat have supported Trump in the past. In the chat group, Sinensky, who has given donations to many Democrats in the past, justified his support for the far right on the national level.  “The bottom line is and it’s a sad one, we need to be supportive ON PRESIDENTIAL LEVEL of the alt right Christian Neo Nazis at the moment (like Ukraine) to fight off the socialist, Marxist, anarchists who are supporting radical Islam,” he said. “Nazis are better than Islamic terrorists at this moment in time FOR PRESIDENT. On state and city level it’s different as proof with us supporting Ritchie and fetterman,” a reference to Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman. 

[claraameliapond]

Ilhan Omar on the ridiculous hypocrisy and double standard of a failure to condemn the atrocities committed by Israel every day and night: "Israel has dropped more bombs in the last 30 days than we (America) dropped in Afghanistan in a year. Where is your humanity? Where is your outrage?! "

[vyorei]

Ilhan Omar warns of disastrous consequences of the impending ground invasion of Gaza

[b3aches]

The whole thing is worth watching. But this link goes right to Ilhan Omar's speech.

[head-post]

Ilhan Omar wins Democratic nomination, solidifies US House liberals’ position

US Representative Ilhan Omar secured the Democratic Party’s nomination after losses in party primaries by two fellow members of a group nicknamed “The Squad,” according to Reuters.

Omar defeated former Minneapolis City council member Don Samuels in the Democratic Party primary in Minnesota’s 5th District. She beat Samuels by a 56.2%-42.9% margin, according to the Minnesota Secretary of State’s tally.

According to federal campaign disclosures, she raised $6.8 million after the 2022 election, more than double the re-election fundraising of a typical House member and significantly more than Samuels’ $1.4 million. Ryan Dawkins, a political science professor at Minnesota’s Carleton College, noted:

Because Omar had a tough primary last cycle [the 2022 election], she was prepared this time around with a strong ground game and excellent fundraising numbers that far outpaced Samuels.

The Minnesota lawmaker, one of four progressive women whose 2018 election created The Squad, is expected to win the November 5 election. Control of Congress will be at stake as Vice President Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump seek the presidency.

Fellow Squad members Representatives Jamaal Bowman of New York and Cori Bush of Missouri have lost their party primaries over the past few months. They faced opponents who received significant support from the pro-Israel fundraising group AIPAC.

Democrats’ position

Bowman, Bush, and Omar opposed President Joe Biden’s support for Israel in its war against Hamas in Gaza.

They also reflect that the Democratic Party has abandoned some of its most left-leaning ideas, such as calling for government-backed health care for all Americans or talking about ending police funding. The absence of a significant 2024 Democratic primary before Biden withdrew his candidacy last month, handing the torch to Harris, meant that more left-leaning candidates, such as independent Senator Bernie Sanders, did not participate in the debates.

Ilhan Omar and some other team members voted against several of Biden’s priorities, including a $1 trillion infrastructure bill taking effect in 2021. They objected mainly because it was not aligned with the bill to expand social programmes, including child care, as promised.

Omar, who came to the United States as a refugee from Somalia, describes her politics as ” visionary, bold and loud”. She stated that she had allocated millions of dollars in federal funds for community development in her district.

She faced criticism for anti-Semitic remarks, and in 2023, House Republicans voted to remove her from the Foreign Affairs Committee over a 2019 social media post. It said supporters of Israel were motivated by money, not principles. Omar subsequently apologised for the post.

Read more HERE

[kira-akira]

"On Friday, Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) will introduce a potentially groundbreaking piece of federal legislation in the House of Representatives—one allocating $10 billion in funding to fight Long Covid, the increasingly widespread, chronic condition that follows many Covid infections. The Long Covid Research Moonshot Act is a companion bill to one that Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) introduced in the Senate in August."

"The Long Covid Research Moonshot Act would establish a new research program within the National Institutes of Health to better understand the condition (and others, like ME/CFS and POTS) with its own database, advisory board, and a new grant process to accelerate clinical trials. It would fund public health education and comprehensive care clinics dedicated to Long Covid, especially in underserved, disproportionately affected communities—and would require any new treatments developed through the act to be reasonably priced and accessible to more patients."

source

Bernie Sanders Introduces Long COVID Moonshot Legislation

This legislation "provides $1 billion in mandatory funding per year for 10 years to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to support Long COVID research, the urgent pursuit of treatments, and the expansion of care for patients across the country." Announcement on Sander's twitter and the Long COVID Moonshot website.

This announcement references the number 22 million for adults affected by Long COVID in the US but that number is certainly much higher; in 2022 the CDC reported that 7.5% of US adults have Long COVID and that number can only have increased.

Here is an article published today on PBS if you need a primer or a refresher on what Long COVID is and why everyone needs to care about it. From the article:

"Long COVID is a complex chronic condition that can result in more than 200 health effects across multiple body systems. These include:

Heart disease

Neurologic problems such as cognitive impairment, strokes and dysautonomia. This is a category of disorders that affect the body’s autonomic nervous system – nerves that regulate most of the body’s vital mechanisms such as blood pressure, heart rate and temperature.

Post-exertional malaise, a state of severe exhaustion that may happen after even minor activity — often leaving the patient unable to function for hours, days or weeks

Gastrointestinal disorders

Kidney disease

Metabolic disorders such as diabetes and hyperlipidemia, or a rise in bad cholesterol

Immune dysfunction"

I know it's easy to give into despair but THERE IS HOPE for the future! For decreasing transmission of COVID-19, for developing preventatives against Long COVID, and for treating Long COVID. To highlight just a few of the possible pathways to prevention and treatment being currently researched:

The possibility of using antivirals to treat not just Long COVID but any autoimmune disease

The development of N95 masks that can sense SARS-CoV-2 in exhaled breath using a printed immunosensor

A nasal vaccine that halts transmission of SARS-CoV-2 (though does not stop the user from developing COVID-19)

A Japanese research team is looking to treat COVID-19 by using embryonic stem cells to target the virus

The possibility of using already-developed arthritis drugs to treat Long COVID respiratory symptoms

Researchers just identified a possible protein to target in treating Long COVID fatigue

This is an incredibly small collection of studies researching potential treatments but they themselves and the decades of research they are built on had to be funded. In fact, since the pandemic began, more than 24,000 scientific publications about COVID-19 have been published, making it the most researched health condition in any four years of recorded human history.

So there is hope! But all this research needs money. Money that Long COVID Moonshot will provide. And while we wait for research to bear fruit, that $1 billion per year will also be crucial in caring for those suffering from Long COVID in the meantime.

So What Can You Do?

Keep masking - We've just hit 900,000 new COVID cases per day in the US and this wave is not even at its peak yet (For reference, Fauci stated back in 2021 that getting under 10,000 cases per day would allow for mask mandates and safety measures to relax...)

Go on the Long COVID Moonshot website and write to your legislators in support (You can use their script, it only takes 1 minute!)

Keep yourselves and others informed - On the Moonshot website they also offer handy graphics and facts sheets that you can post wherever you can. Spread the word!

And if you or someone you know has Long COVID, you can write in to the Long COVID Moonshot website about your experience

And remember, no one is safe from Long COVID; your chances of developing Long COVID increase with every reinfection. Until research like what Long COVID Moonshot will fund discovers viable preventatives and treatments, the only way to not get Long COVID is to not get COVID-19 in the first place.

Stay safe, stay hopeful, support Long COVID Moonshot, and mask up!

[libraford]

A local organization here has released a list of books that they feel are imperative to have in the time ahead. The list was not easily shareable, so I copy-pasted it here.

There is no need to read all of these, but one thing you can do that takes little effort is call your library and see if they have them in stock.

If you are moneyed, you can buy some copies and put them in little free libraries.

EDUCATING FOR ADVOCACY BOOK LIST

All books are written by authors from that culture

BOOKS FOR ADULTS

(2024) Be a Revolution: How Everyday People are Fighting Oppression and Changing the World - and How You Can, Too by Ijeoma Oluo

Each chapter discusses how someone is advocating for oppressed populations

and has examples of how others can do the same or similar.

(2024) The Message by Ta-Nehisi Coates

The author travels to Senegal, South Carolina and Palestine and grapples with deep questions and emotions.

(2023) Better Living Through Birding: Notes From a Black Man in the Natural World by Christian Cooper

A memoir of a Black man learning to claim space for himself and others like him.

(2022) Myth America: Historians Take On the Biggest Legends and Lies about Our Past Edited by Kevin M. Kruse and Julian E. Zelizer

The title explains it so well.

(2022) South to America: A Journey Below the Mason Dixon to Understand the Soul of a Nation by Imani Perry

History, rituals, and landscapes of the American South and why they must be understand it in order to understand America.

(2022) Memphis by Tara M. Stringfellow

Tells the story of 3 generations of a Southern Black family in Memphis.

(2021) How the Word is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America by Clint Smith

An exploration of important monuments and landmarks in the USA that show

how slavery has been foundational in the development and history of our country.

(2021) The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together by Heather McGhee

The title explains it.

(2021) The Seed Keeper by Diane Wilson

Historical fiction telling the story of several generations of a Dakota family

(2020) The Good Immigrant: 26 Writers Reflect on America edited by Nikesh Shukla and Chimene Suleyman

26 authors share their stories of living in the USA.

(2020) Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson

Examines the unspoken caste system that has shaped America and shows how we continue to be defined in this way..

(2020) This Is What America Looks Like: My Journey from Refugee to Congresswoman

by Ilhan Omar

This title explains it.

(2019) The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story by Nikole Hannah Jones (among others)

Reframes our understanding of American history by placing slavery and its continuing legacy at the center of our national narrative.

(2019) Things are Good Now by Djamila Ibrahim

Stories of how migrants sort out their lives in foreign lands.

(2018) So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo

An examination of race in America.

(2018) I’m Still Here by Austin Channing Brown

A memoir telling her journey of learning to love her blackness while navigating America's racial divide.

(2018) If They Come for Us by Fatimah Asghar

Poetry that captures the experience of being a Pakistani Muslim woman in contemporary America, while exploring identity, violence, and healing.

(2016) Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of History of Racist Ideas in America by Ibram X. Kendi

Traces the history of Black America.

(2015) Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates

A memoir, in the form of a letter to his young son, telling his personal experiences with racism and violence in the United States.

(2015) My Seneca Village by Marilyn Nelson

Poetry and information about Seneca Village – a multi-racial, multi-ethnic neighborhood in the center of Manhattan (Central Park ) that thrived in the mid-19th century.

(2014) An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz

Tells the 400+ years of US history, from the perspective of Indigenous peoples

(2013) Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom Scientific Knowledge, and the Teaching of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer

Explores the place of plants and botany in both Indigenous and Western life.

(2010) The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America’s Great Migration by Isabel Wilkerson

Follows the stories of three Black Americans’ migration journeys from Mississippi, Florida and Louisiana.

(2010) The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness

By Michelle Alexander

Explains how we haven’t ended, but have redesigned, the caste system in the U.S.

(1972) Lame Deer, Seeker of Visions by John (Fire) Lame Deer and Richard Erdoes

Told by Lame Deer, a Lakota medicine man, this memoir teaches the history of Indigenous people in the USA.

BOOKS FOR GRADES K-12

GRADES 7 - 12

(2021) Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley

The novel's main character is a young woman with a French mother and an Ojibwe father, who often feels torn between cultures.

(2021) The 1619 Project: Born on the Water by Nikole Hannah-Jones and Renée Watson

Illustrated by Nikkolas Smith

Tells the story and consequences of American slavery in verse.

(2020) Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi

Shorter and appropriate for middle and high schoolers.

(2020) All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson

Series of personal essays about the author’s life growing up as a gay, black man.

(2020) Dictionary for a Better World: Poems, Quotes, and Anecdotes from A to Z by Irene Latham and Charles Waters Illustrated by Mehrdokt Amini

Explained in title.

(2020) Woke: A Young Poet’s Call to Justice by Mahogany L. Browne with Elizabeth Acevedo and Olivia Gatewood Illustrated by Theodore Taylor III

Poetry about fighting for racial justice through joy and passion.

(2020) Be Amazing: A History of Pride by Desmond Is Amazing Illustrated by Dylan Glynn

The history of Pride, with bold illustrations, focusing on the importance of embracing one’s own uniqueness and tuning out the haters.

(2020) Dear Justyce (Dear Martin #2) by Nic Stone

Continues the story of Justyce from Dear Martin in a series of flashbacks and letters.

(2020) Punching the Air by Ibi Zoboi and Yusef Salaam

A novel in verse about a boy who is wrongfully incarcerated.

(2019) Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobab

The author tells the story of life as a nonbinary person in graphic novel form.

(2019) An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States for Young People original book by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz adapted by Debbie Rees and Jean Mendoza

Shorter and appropriate for middle and high schoolers

(2017) Sea Prayer by Khalad Hosseini Illustrated by Dan Williams

Written as a poetic letter, from father to son, this is a story of the journey of refugees.

(2017) Dear Martin (Dear Martin #1) by Nic Stone

A story of the realities of a Black teen living in America.

(2015) All American Boys by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely

From the perspective of two teenage boys, one Black and one White, a story is told with the realization that racism and prejudice are still alive and well.

(2015) Beyond Magenta: Transgender and Nonbinary Teens Speak Out by Susan Kuklin

The author interviewed six transgender for gender-neutral young adults and lets

them tell their story.

(2011) Heart and Soul: The Story of America and African Americans written and illustrated by Kadir Nelson

The title explains it well

GRADES 4 - 6

(2023) An American Story by Kwame Alexander illustrated by Dare Coulter

Tells the story, poetically and honestly, about American slavery

(2023) Step by Step!: How the Lincoln School Marchers Blazed a Trail to Justice

by Debbie Rigaud and Carlotta Penn illustrated by Nysha Pierce

Tells the story of a group of Black mothers and children and their two-year march to integrate an Ohio elementary school.

(2022) Say Their Names by Caroline Brewer illustrated by Adrian Brandon

A young Black girl leads a #BlackLivesMatter protest march.

(2021) Stamped (For Kids): Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi.

Shorter, more kid friendly version of Stamped from the Beginning.

(2021) Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre by Carole Boston Weatherford illustrated by Floyd Cooper

Traces the history of this African-American ‘Wall Street District’ and its destruction by White supremacists.

(2016). I Dissent: Ruth Bader Ginsburg Makes Her Mark by Debbie Levy illustrated by Elizabeth Baddeley

The life and work of RBG told in picture book form.

(2008) Silent Music: A Story of Baghdad written and illustrated by James Rumford

Ancient and recent history of Baghdad from the perspective of a young boy.

(2005) Show Way by Jacqueline Woodson illustrated by Hudson Talbott

Traces the history of the ‘show way’ quilt from slavery through freedom.

(2005) My Name is Bilal by Asma Mobin-Uddin illustrated by Barbara Kiwak

Muslim-American student experiencing religious prejudice.

(2005). Amelia to Zora: Twenty-Six Women Who Changed the World by Cynthia Chin-Lee Ilustrated by Megan Halsey and Sean Addy

An alphabet book that teaches about the extraordinary lives of 26 women.

(1978). The Other Way to Listen by Byrd Baylor and Peter Parnall

Helps children learn about indigenous cultures.

GRADES PRE-K - 3

(2023) These Olive Trees: A Palestinian Family’s Story written and illustrated by Aya Ghanameh

A story of a young girl and her family in Nablus, Palestine, 1967

(2020). Antiracist Baby by Ibram X. Kendi illustrated by Ashley Lukashvsky

Teaches young children how to be an antiracist.

(2016). When We Were Alone by David A. Robertson and Julie Flett

A young, indigenous girl learns about her grandmother’s experience in a

residential school.

(2013). A is for Activist by Innosanto Nagara (board book)

An ABC book that teaches children about being an activist.

[logophile-18]

If you live in the USA.

North Carolina - Alma Adams, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Nydia Velazquez, Valerie Foushee

New York - Jamaal Bowman

Missouri - Cori Bush, Emanuel Cleaver

Indiana- André Carson

Texas - Greg Casar, Joaquin Castro, Veronica Escobar, Al Green, Lloyd Doggett

Florida - Maxwell Alejandro Frost

Illinois - Jesús "Chuy" Garcia, Johnathon Jackson, Delia Ramirez, Jan Schakowsky, Lauren Underwood, Sen. Richard Dubin

Washington - Pramila Jayapal

California - Barbara Lee, Maxine Waters, Mark DeSaulnier, John Garamendi, Robert Garcia, Sara Jacobs, Jared Huffman, Judy Chu, Ro Khanna, Tony Cárdenas

Pennsylvania - Summer Lee, Mary Gay Scanlan

Minnesota - Ilhan Omar, Betty McCollum, Dean Phillips

Massachusetts - Ayanna Pressley, James McGovern, Sen. Elizabeth Warren

Michigan - Rashida Tlaib, Debbie Dingell, Daniel Kildee

New Jersey - Bonnie Watson Coleman, Donald Payne Jr.

Wisconsin - Mark Pocan

Maryland - Kewisi Fume, Jamie Raskin

Virginia - Donald Beyer, Jennifer Weston

Arizona- Raul Grijalva

Georgia- Henry "Hank" Johnson, Nike Williams, Sanford Bishop Jr.

Vermont - Becca Balint, Sen. Peter Welch

New Mexico - Gabe Vasquez

Louisiana - Troy Carter

Mississippi - Bennie Thompson

Alabama - Terri Sewell

Colorado - Diana DeGette

Oregon - Sen. Jeffery Merkley

This is a list of all the senators and represenatives (61 as of December 7th) that have voted against Biden's campaign of giving the Israeli people more weapons to fight innocent Palestinians.

A big old thank you for these sensible people, doing what they can. A ceasefire is the bare minimum.

[eretzyisrael]

Some tried to position the encampments as legitimate student protests and balkedat the mere use of the term “outside agitators.” In reality, pro-terror activist groups like Within Our Lifetime (WOL) urged outsiders to support the encampments even if they were not allowed inside the university gates and played a pivotal role in organizing the protests and in their escalation.

Prominent anti-Israel activists made numerous and vocal appearances at the Columbia encampments. Among those instigating the crowds were WOL leaders Nerdeen Kiswani and Rohaan Gill.

Anti-Israel public figure Cornel West literally jumped a fence in order to spread his message of support. Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) made an appearance with her daughter, who was arrested for trespassing at the Columbia encampment and subsequently suspended from Barnard College (Columbia’s sister school). At the encampment, Omar made the outrageous statement, “People don’t care about the fact that all Jewish kids should be kept safe…we should not have to tolerate antisemitism or bigotry for all Jewish students, whether they are pro-genocide or anti-genocide.”

Other outside activists who participated in the encampments

Lisa Fithian, a professional agitator, was arguably the highest-profile personality directing the protests at Columbia. Fithian was captured on film leading the break-in to Hamilton Hall. Her participation warranted mentions in Politicoand The New York Times. 

Lillian House - According to the Columbia Spectator, House was one of the protest leaders at the university from the start of the encampments. House was arrested several times across the United States. When asked by Fox News about the atrocities of October 7, she backed away from the camera and refused to discuss whether she thought the atrocities were a false narrative.  

Nicquel Holmes, a recruitment assistant for The City University of New York (CUNY), was captured on video by Project Veritas outside the gate of Columbia. Using the name Luna, Holmes described her duties as an encampment “cop watcher” for WOL, which she said meant “[keeping] tabs on what [the police are] doing.” In the video, Holmes also asserts that Zionist Jews are responsible for 9/11. Her social media is filled with antisemitic and anti-Israel content, including a video of Louis Farrakhan talking about “the satanic Jews that control everything” and a song with the lyrics, “Israel’s a bitch.” 

Chris Smalls, a labor organizer and anti-Israel activist, spoke at the encampment connecting the labor movement to the war in Gaza. On October 13, 2023, he posted on X, “The people united will never be defeated so yes it’s Free Palestine because we’re not Free until we’re all Free from the river to the Sea!”

Zaid Jaloudi, an activist from Hatem Bazian’s antisemitic organization American Muslims for Palestine (AMP), was filmed speaking in front of Columbia. His speech included antisemitic and anti-Israel tropes, including accusations of ethnic cleansing, genocide and white supremacy on Israel’s part. 

[catdotjpeg]

College students at more than 100 campuses across the country plan to walk out today to protest for a ceasefire in Gaza and for their universities to sever their close ties to arms manufacturers providing Israel with its weapons, like Lockheed Martin, Boeing, and Raytheon. The national walkout was organized by a broad coalition of groups including the Palestinian Youth Movement; the anti-war youth organization Dissenters; Anakbayan, the national organization for Filipino students and young people; the National Students for Justice in Palestine organization; the Muslim Students Association; and others. [...] “The goal of our walkout and moment of silence is to disrupt the day-to-day complicity on American college campuses across the US” to bring them into the movement calling for a ceasefire, says Zoë DeMercado, a student and Dissenters fellow at Xavier University of Louisiana, one of multiple historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) participating. DeMercado tells Teen Vogue that other students she’s spoken to at HBCUs have felt compelled to participate by Palestinian solidarity with Black American communities during movement uprisings in both 2014 and 2020: “We can't stay silent about this.” [...] Wednesday’s walkout marks the first nationally coordinated student action of this scale since October 7. “The student movement is a historic sector that has mobilized thousands during a variety of anti-war moments in the United States,” Kaleem Hawa, an organizer with Palestinian Youth Movement, tells Teen Vogue, explaining that students have been inspired by past student movements against the Vietnam War and South African apartheid. “It's a painful moment for a lot of Palestinians, Arabs, and Muslims,” says Hawa, citing harassment of those speaking publicly on the conflict, in addition to the dehumanizing rhetoric and hate crimes. “It's scary stuff. So when I see campaigns like this, I feel very proud, because the students are always more courageous than their [institutions].” For DeMercado, her perspective in looking to the Black liberation movement made her choice to participate in the walkout feel obvious. “Black and Palestinian solidarity has gone as far back as the Black Power and Civil Rights Movement,” she says. The US has so far supported Israel’s military campaign against Gaza, with a White House spokesman saying a ceasefire would only benefit Hamas. A number of congresspeople are working on various legislative proposals on US engagement: Within the Democratic party, one letter signed by “every Democratic Jewish member and 128 other Democrats in Congress” backed a continuation of the Biden administration’s support for Israel, as well as humanitarian support for Gaza; a resolution by Reps. Rashida Tlaib, Ilhan Omar, Cori Bush, and others calls for a ceasefire. On October 24, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken defended Israel’s military campaign to the United Nations Security Council, but said "humanitarian pauses must be considered" as Israel prepares for a ground invasion into Gaza. Also on that day, the UN’s secretary general called for a ceasefire, saying the “appalling” Hamas attacks “cannot justify the collective punishment of the Palestinian people.”

-- From "Gaza: College Students Walk Out Calling for Israel Ceasefire" by Lexi McMenamin for Teen Vogue, 25 Oct 2023

You can learn more about the National Week of Action for Palestine, led by Resist US-Led War, National Students for Justice in Palestine, Muslim Students Association National, Palestinian Youth Movement, Anakbayan USA, Dissenters, and the Arab Resource and Organizing Center from 18-25 Oct, by reading the toolkit.

[fierceawakening]

I agree with your take on AIPAC, but I think they might be talking about how people will sometimes act like Teh j00z are holding the USA hostage and duping or pressuring us into supporting Israel. Like, when people act like Israel shapes OUR policy (instead of the other way around), or like "the Israel lobby" Controls Everything And Silences Any Dissent (instead of AIPAC being one of various factions in American politics who support Israel for various reasons).

Ahhh yeah. That makes sense. I just recall when wo was it Ilhan Omar got in trouble for criticizing AIPAC some years back. I was confused, because I pretty much thought it seemed to me like they DO court conservatives who aren't themselves Jewish, who probably DO buy that whole We Only Need Jews Cos End Of The World crapola that's actually really gross to Jews. So I was like "yeah, I'd imagine AIPAC isn't very principled, if they're willing to get in bed with those gross types."

[tieflingkisser]

Rep. Ilhan Omar to Introduce Major Long Covid Bill

The Long Covid Research Moonshot Act would earmark $10 billion to fight the condition.

On Friday, Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) will introduce a potentially groundbreaking piece of federal legislation in the House of Representatives—one allocating $10 billion in funding to fight Long Covid, the increasingly widespread, chronic condition that follows many Covid infections. The Long Covid Research Moonshot Act is a companion bill to one that Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) introduced in the Senate in August.

[...]

The Long Covid Research Moonshot Act would establish a new research program within the National Institutes of Health to better understand the condition (and others, like ME/CFS and POTS) with its own database, advisory board, and a new grant process to accelerate clinical trials. It would fund public health education and comprehensive care clinics dedicated to Long Covid, especially in underserved, disproportionately affected communities—and would require any new treatments developed through the act to be reasonably priced and accessible to more patients. “We know that the only path forward out of this generational crisis is to fund research that builds on our expertise about infection-associated chronic conditions like ME/CFS, and that is accountable to the patient community for delivering results, including clinical trials,” said Laurie Jones, executive director of patient advocacy group #MEAction. “The Long Covid Research Moonshot Act lays out a comprehensive plan for doing just that.”

[magicalmulticoloredrobe]

We can do something about this... 👀 save our democracy and keep it safe and away from people like him! Keep USA safe and free from these kinds of bullies.

[pluralsword]

haven't said this online but said for a while offline, the Dems should pick Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for VP but they won't because the centrists hate working with socialists more than they are willing to fight fascism effectively, or you know they could make it clear policy will change by having Ilhan Omar as the VP but they won't do that because of the way the current admin is handling the Palestinian genocide. Wow! It's so nice to know that the Democratic Party is doing everything sensible it can to stop the Neofascist Republican Party from having their presidential candidate elected and push policy to label all trans people as inherently pornographic and sex offenders (literally part of Project 2025), not to mention that criminalizing eroticism would be a way to make an excuse for that anyway since people think we're inherently erotic, and think that particularly about transfemmes! As a trans person we are totally not concerned for our safety or that of other trans people in the USA and around the world!

Thanks, DNC! If you lose I'll remember to say that you signed our death warrants! Do better! I am hoping that enough people will vote for not fascism and there are signs that people will and that there would be immense opposition to a theocratic dictatorship if the worst happens (i.e. a Republican Congress and Republican Pres) but y'all could do more!

[lizardbytheriver]

Ilhan Omar has been a supporter and been a driving force for initiatives such as Medicare for All, Free School Meals for students, stopping new military bases being built in Somalia, and normalization efforts with Cuba. Ilhan Omar has been smeared for years (by both Democrats and Republicans) for being a bigot and an antisemite. All because she is Muslim and she is critical of Israel. Ilhan Omar has been one of the most consistent and progressive voices in Congress. She invaluable to every progressive movement and potential progressive movement within the USA. She is endorsed by Jewish Voice for Peace and Planned Parenthood Action Fund. Support Ilhan Omar. She is amazing.

[mywitchcultblr]

I mean I'm not denying what happened and how democrat contributing to the suffering of Palestinian people and by I mean decent person is not Joe Biden but at the BAREST OF MINIMUM there's still a wiggle room for a more decent person to gain influence in democrat party than in the republican party that is just full facist. So long USA is locked in this two dominated party system, their people can only choose who less awful than republican

Republican party will give you no room for someone who is not a conservative asshole, the independent won't or rarely EVER win anything so that's only leave you with democrat, not an ideal choice by any means but yeah...

I mean Ilhan Omar is a democrat and pro Palestine (sadly she got attacked even from within her own party) but at the BAREST bottom of the barrel BAREST minimum someone like her still can join democratic party while republican will never let her in or get any influence, never

sorry but i want to hit every american talking about not wanting to vote democrat anymore with hammers. lol