#Islamic Republic needs to go

[carmensandiegosbitch]

update on what's happening in Iran:

Based on the news you have heard that they 'abolished' the mortality police.

but today when I woke up and checked the new, 2 of the famous actresses who took their hijab off yesterday, Elnaz Shakerdoost and Shaghaiegh Dehghan have been summoned by the police.

an amusement park was closed permanently (for now) cause one of the female workers wasn't wearing hijab.

they are lying. they just abolished the mortality police to calm the protests, they don't care about women now as they didn't care all these damn 43 years.

DON'T STOP TALKING ABOUT IRAN. OUR ONLY PROBLEM IS NOT THE FORCED HIJAB; THE ISLAMIC REPUBLIC NEEDS TO GO.

[frankenshane]

without touching any other situation in living memory, the people of iraq would like to have a word

[sparkleofstardust]

in light of the recent news that Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has been found dead after a helicopter crash you might be wondering 'who the hell is this guy and why are so many people celebrating his death??' and i'm here to answer that!

to fully understand what's going on we need to look into Iran's history: when the Iranian revolution in 1979 happened the authoritarian king who was ruling at that time was overthrown, but the ensuing power vacuum lead to the islamic regime seizing power and establishing Iran as an islamic republic

the following years were incredibly cruel to the Iranian people; thousands of people (especially minorities) have been protesting against the strict islamic regime leading to many being jailed, tortured and executed.

and this is where Raisi played a big part: in 1988 he was part of a committee that ordered the execution of thousands of political prisoners who were protesting the islamic regime, earning himself the title of "the butcher of tehran"

do not be fooled by what the state media wants you to believe, the Iranian people are celebrating his death. he was a cruel mass murderer who has destroyed the lives of thousands of people, his death should be used as a time to mourn for all the suffering he has caused, and bring new attention to the political prisoners still being held in Iranian prisions today

because sadly the fight is far from over. many of you have probably heard of the murder of Mahsa Jina Amini back in 2022, causing a new wave of nationwide protests and establishing the "woman, life, freedom" movement. the regime has gotten increasingly cruel in their treatment of the Iranian people, especially women, but the people of Iran are not deterred and keep fighting for a free Iran.

if you want to know how you can help, please keep talking about us. the one thing the regime hates is international attention, and in the past it has been proven that international pressure has stopped the regime from executing various political prisoners. people like Toomaj Salehi are under imminent threat of execution and spreading their names could save their lives. so whether you share social media posts or talk to your family and friends about what is happening in Iran, anything helps 🙏🏼

jin, jiyan, azadi ✌🏼

[luminalunii97]

It's never felt more like a 'Fuck western lefties' time for Iranians than now! My people are struggling socially and economically under the rule of a fascist dictator terrorist regime, getting beaten, murdered and silenced by a corrupt government, that is vastly unpopular, day in day out. Now we're at the brink of a costly war on top of everything. And western left wingers are CHEERING ON THE ISLAMIC REPUBLIC! Twitter and Instagram are full of dumb westerners acting like the IR is some kind of hero here. Fuckin hell. Two terrorist regimes are going at each other, the result is going to be more misery and civilian deaths. More destruction and casualties. There's nothing to cheer for here.

I can just hope this won't escalate into another humanitarian crisis. God knows the world doesn't need more war and loss of innocent lives right now.

[zvaigzdelasas]

[Dawn is Pakistani Private Media]

The heinous killing of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh risks tipping the Middle East into “wider conflict”, the chair of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) told a meeting on Wednesday.

The comments from Gambian Foreign Minister Mamadou Tangara came as a senior Iranian official said during the meeting that the Islamic republic would need to defend itself from Israel, which it blames for Haniyeh’s death last week in Tehran.

Iranian and Palestinian officials called for Wed­nesday’s gathering of the 57-member OIC in the Saudi coastal city of Jeddah, saying the body needed to respond to the killing of the Hamas leader.[...]

Haniyeh’s killing “will not quell the Palestinian cause but rather it amplifies it, underscoring the urgency for justice and human rights for the Pales­tinian people”, [Tangara] said. “The sovereignty and territorial integrity of nation states are fundamental principles underpinning the international order.

“Respecting these principles has profound implications and their violation equally carries significant consequences.”[...]

“Currently, in the absence of any appropriate action by the (UN) Security Council against the aggressions and violations of the Israeli regime, the Islamic Republic of Iran has no choice but to use its inherent right to legitimate defence against the aggressions of this regime,” Ali Bagheri, Iran’s acting foreign minister, told the OIC.

[NewStraitsTimes is Malaysian Private Media]

Malaysia has proposed four key measures to support the Palestinian cause, including the establishment of a group of eminent persons tasked with assessing and identifying measures to implement the International Court of Justice's (ICJ) Advisory Opinion.[...]

He said the measures emphasised the need to expand global support for Palestine, leveraging the International Court of Justice's (ICJ) rulings and the unity achieved by Palestinian factions through the Beijing Declaration.

"Such measures should focus on universal jurisdiction and ensure the consistent application of international law," he stated during the meeting in Jeddah, yesterday.

Second, Malaysia called for the reinstatement of the United Nations Special Committee Against Apartheid.

The primary task of this committee would be to halt the illegal occupation of Palestinian Territories (OPT) by Israel and to address the apartheid policies imposed on Palestinians, he added.

Third, Malaysia proposed that the OIC, in collaboration with like-minded countries, request a resumed session of the 10th Emergency Special Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on the Issue of Palestine.

"This suggestion is to discuss the means and ways to implement or "give effect" to the ICJ's Advisory Opinion.

"Finally, we should extend our undivided support and fully assist, in the rebuilding of the Palestinian economy and livelihood post-conflict. This is a key step that would ease their return to normalcy," Mohamad said.

Following the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, who also led Hamas' political bureau, Malaysia called for a concerted effort to counter Israeli propaganda and misinformation.

"Malaysia has always been a strong advocate for peace and stability. As much as we condemn the assassination, we urge all parties to restraint, to avoid escalating the situation into a regional and global crisis.

"The attack in Tehran could well be an attempt to derail the ongoing peace negotiations in the Middle East.

"We should not fall into their trap. Cool heads must prevail. We should support the continuation of the peace process to be resolved at the negotiating table. Diplomacy is the way to go," he noted.[...]

According to [Turkish State Media] Anadolu Agency (AA), the world body also urged the UN Security Council (UNSC) to impose an immediate and comprehensive ceasefire on Israeli aggression and "ensure adequate and sustainable access to humanitarian aid throughout Gaza Strip."

7 Aug 24

[tanadrin]

This is the Palestinian resistance. It��s not beautiful. It’s not inspiring. It’s desperate and futile and sad. Generation after generation of children, throwing themselves into the path of one of the most brutal military machines in human history, smashing their skulls against its steel hull, mangling their limbs in its treads, thousands of them, for seventy-five years, destroying themselves as they try to face down an engine that simply rolls on over the dying and the dead. These kids were brave, much braver than I’ll ever be. They rose to defend their honour. It’s noble. But stupid beyond belief. Later, Hedges talks to Lieutenant Ayman Ghanm, a Palestinian police officer who says he’s given up on trying to save these boys’ lives. ‘When we tell the boys not to go to the dunes,’ he says, ‘they taunt us as collaborators.’ I began by saying that this is a war without opposing sides. Israel is not actually trying to defeat the resistance; it has no political objectives, just violence. But the same goes for the resistance: they are not, in fact, doing anything to meaningfully resist. Think about what actually happens in Hedges’ story. The Israeli soldiers call through their loudspeakers for the Palestinians to come, come and be killed—and the Palestinians obediently show up. Their resistance is indistinguishable from following orders. The Israeli state wants a certain level of violence from the Palestinians, it actively courts it, and the resistance factions keep doing exactly as they’re told. They teach Palestinian children that the best thing they could do with their lives is lose them. This is not a very healthy attitude, but when you start up your bullshit about the glorious resistance you are part of that sickness. What would actual resistance look like? Maybe it would start with not handing over your life to the enemy. Not climbing up the dunes. In saying all this, I’m obviously breaking one of the biggest taboos on the left, which is that you must not presume to tell Palestinians how to go about their resistance. I might have spent time in Palestine, but I’m not Palestinian. I’m not subjected to the daily nightmare of occupation. Who am I to start preaching? My only reply is this: if the armed resistance factions were resisting sanely and effectively, this kind of taboo wouldn’t need to exist. If there were a better argument for their actions than don’t criticise the victims, you’d be making that one instead. But there isn’t, so you can’t. It’s not a coincidence that the exact same rhetoric is deployed by Israel and its apologists: yes, we’re committing hideous atrocities, but how dare you notice? Who are you to say anything to us? Whoever’s saying it, the fact remains that there is no military path to a free Palestine. This fact is inconvenient and unfair and doesn’t leave much room for the optimism of the will, but that doesn’t make it any less true, and if you think there’s an exemption from unfair truths that’s awarded to especially just causes then you are wrong. Israel has nuclear weapons: it will not be overthrown with small arms and explosives. I don’t think I have the right to condemn violent resistance altogether—but I can reject violent resistance that’s doomed to fail, that achieves nothing and produces nothing except violence for its own sake. Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad claim to be fighting for an Islamic republic, in which Jews will be free to live peacefully as long as they don’t dispute the sovereignty of Islam. The PFLP claims to be fighting a revolutionary people’s war for a liberated workers’ state. Their critics say that both are actually fighting for an unlimited genocide, the death of every single Jew in Israel. But what difference does it make? This is all make-believe! None of it matters, because none of it is ever actually going to happen! They’re not fighting for anything at all. They’re just fighting.

This is a good essay in general, but this point draws out something I think is important: the need to believe that, if there is a group of Bad Guys in a conflict, doing Bad Things, there must be an opposing group of Good Guys doing Good Things. But there's no law of the universe that says it must be so; mostly there's just the churn of senseless, sickening violence, to no useful or redemptive end.

[mariacallous]

No one expects him to resign, not only because he lacks the decency and integrity to do so after arguably the worst day in Israel’s history. It's also because of the criminal charges he faces.

Resigning is counterproductive to his personal interests and they, not the State of Israel, are what counts. His trial, not Israel's security, is his priority. He has lost all legitimacy and can't be trusted, certainly at a time of war when such monumental decisions need to be made.

That he's the first prime minister in the history of democracies to wage war on his own country, on its institutions and foundations, is clear. For years, but especially since he launched his antidemocratic constitutional coup in January, he has declared war on Israel’s elites, the judicial system, the checks and balances and by extension the military he views as an elitist cabal undermining his political agenda.

The popular pushback to his attempted regime change now looks like distant history, because Saturday October 7 wasn't only a tragedy on an epic scale, it was a debacle and an inflection point. Netanyahu and his cabinet callously betrayed the sacred trust, the core of Israelis' compact with their government: security.

For this there is no redemption, no contrition, no salvation. He must go and he must go now. No excuses, no political deals, no mitigating circumstances. For all intents and purposes, he's incapacitated and can't discharge the duties of his office.

His government is extremist, messianic, hollow, inept and inherently kakistocratic – government of the worst. It buckled in the first moment of crisis. He and his dysfunctional ministers betrayed Israel, and effectively his government is no longer functional, except maybe for the defense minister.

He isn't Winston Churchill, to whom he likens himself, and he isn't Abraham Lincoln. No one looks up to him at the ultimate moment of tragedy and crisis; only sycophants trust him.

His record is one of incompetence and gung ho delusion – and there is a clear and present danger that all his wartime decisions will be polluted by personal, legal and petty political considerations. He can't be trusted, nor is he credible to manage the war that is only just beginning.

His constitutional coup has categorically harmed national security and taken a high toll on the military's preparedness. He was warned about this by the military's chief of staff and by former prime ministers, defense ministers, chiefs of staff and hundreds of former generals.

In fact, in March he casually fired Defense Minister Yoav Gallant because Gallant was expected to deliver a statement arguing that Netanyahu’s constitutional coup was endangering Israel’s security. He has shown arrogant recklessness, dereliction of duty and responsibility, as well as gross negligence in managing Israel’s national security.

Now look at his foreign policy and geopolitical record. It's nothing short of abysmal. Let’s go through the areas one by one, starting with his bogus claim to fame. How ludicrous does his decade-old bragging look – that only he can save Israel, and indeed Western civilization, from the regime of the messianic mullahs?

Iran. The Islamic Republic has accumulated enough fissile material to produce five nuclear bombs, according to the Pentagon. It has reached unprecedented levels of uranium enrichment. Meanwhile, it has further deepened its hold in Syria, Lebanon and Gaza while tightening relations with Russia and China.

Hezbollah in Lebanon. Thanks to Iranian material support and political mentorship, the Shi'ite organization is as strong as ever. After what has happened with Hamas in Gaza, the arrogant statement that “Hezbollah is deterred” should never be taken seriously again.

The Palestinians. Here the record is just as ominous. Hamas has launched the most lethal attack on Israel ever. Whatever the outcome of the current war, during Netanyahu’s reign Hamas has become as strong as ever, armed as ever, audacious and murderous as ever.

Netanyahu, the man who just a few years ago vainly pledged to “obliterate Hamas,” has done nothing. Absolutely nothing. He has effectively strengthened Hamas, allowed tens of millions of dollars from the Gulf to be funneled to the terror group to implode the Palestinian Authority so he can proceed with annexation.

Under Netanyahu, the PA's weakness and ineptness has brought Israel closer than ever to the unviability of the two-state model. Israel is dangerously close to a binational state where reality is binary: Either Israel ceases to be a Jewish state or becomes an apartheid state. A majority of Israelis want neither.

In the international arena Netanyahu boasted during the 2019 and 2020 election campaigns that he's “in a different league.” Those huge posters showed him with Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump, but in this arena where he pretends to be a world leader, the record is strikingly unimpressive.

The United States. He has not been invited to the White House in the 10 months since his new term began. The Americans' criticism, including by President Joe Biden, of his constitutional coup is unprecedented.

Russia. His friendship and mutual admiration with Putin was so fruitful that Russia is now aligned with Iran, buying drones and other weapons. Even his morally depraved policy of not standing with Ukraine – to be fair, a policy he inherited from the previous government led by Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid – hasn’t won him any points with Putin.

China. Two months ago, Netanyahu ostentatiously declared that he was invited by Xi Jinping to Beijing, while a “senior source” added that the idea was to signal to Biden that “Israel has options.” Not only is China expanding relations with Iran, it has also been condemned by Israel for its “balanced” stance on Hamas’ massacre of civilians.

Is Netanyahu's record so dismal? Of course not. He has forged a great friendship with Viktor Orbán, the towering intellect from Hungary. And he spent 25 minutes with French President Emmanuel Macron earlier this year. Plus he really likes Narendra Modi of India, and while Hamas was planning its attack he flew all the way to California to chat with Elon Musk about artificial intelligence. Stellar.

Netanyahu cannot and should not be trusted to manage Israel at this juncture. The mechanics for removing him are complicated and there is no clear path. But placing any trust in a man who got Israel here is far more irresponsible.

Netanyahu Must Go Now, Not After the Gaza War

[fdelopera]

Harvey Milk understood intersectionality

… and now the Queer community is SPITTING on his legacy by attacking Queer Jews, and coalitioning with far-right religious extremists

Harvey Milk was a gay Jewish civil rights leader in San Francisco. He was the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in California, as a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors.

On November 10, 1978 (10 months after being sworn into office), Harvey Milk was assassinated by a far-right religious extremist named Dan White.

In the months leading up to Harvey Milk's murder at the hands of a religious extremist, Harvey Milk gave his famous "Hope" speech. In his speech, he talks about the intersectional "Us's" who need to work together to overcome bigotry.

Now the Queer Community is SPITTING on Harvey Milk's legacy by coalitioning NOT with other "Us's", but instead with Hamas, the Houthis, and the Islamic Republic of Iran.

These terrorist organizations are all FAR-RIGHT RELIGIOUS EXTREMIST CULTS.

These cults MURDER queer people.

These far-right religious extremist cults are a thousand times WORSE than far-right religious extremist cults like the Westboro Baptist Church that attack queer people across the US.

Hamas is a CULT that MURDERS queer Gazans. Hamas throws queer people off buildings, stones queer people to death, and shoots queer people in the head.

The Houthis are a CULT that just CRUCIFIED several gay men for being gay.

And the Islamic Republic of Iran is a CULT that TORTURES queer people to death and EXECUTES them for being gay. The Islamic Republic also MURDERS women for the "crime" of showing their hair in public, or even wearing their Hijab "wrong."

And these are the FAR-RIGHT RELIGIOUS EXTREMIST CULTS that the Queer Community is getting into bed with.

These are the FAR-RIGHT RELIGIOUS EXTREMIST CULTS that the Queer Community is uplifting.

And in doing so, the Queer Community is SPITTING on Harvey Milk's legacy.

Harvey Milk, a gay Jewish man, did not GIVE HIS LIFE FOR YOUR FREEDOMS so that you could turn around and attack Queer Jews.

You Hamasniks are PERVERTING the Queer Rights Movement.

You are acting as a TROJAN HORSE, allowing people aligned with far-right religious extremist cults into Queer Spaces.

Here is the text of Harvey Milk's "Hope" speech.

THIS is how you do intersectionality, you bigots.

LEARN FROM OUR QUEER ELDERS. AND WAKE THE FUCK UP.

"Somewhere in Des Moines or San Antonio there is a young gay person who all of a sudden realizes that he or she is gay; knows that if their parents find out they will be tossed out of the house, their classmates will taunt the child, and the Anita Bryant's and John Briggs' are doing their part on TV. "And that child has several options: staying in the closet, and suicide. And then one day that child might open the paper that says 'Homosexual elected in San Francisco' and there are two new options: the option is to go to California, or stay in San Antonio and fight. Two days after I was elected I got a phone call and the voice was quite young. It was from Altoona, Pennsylvania. And the person said 'Thanks'. And you've got to elect gay people; so that thousands upon thousands like that child know that there is hope for a better world; there is hope for a better tomorrow. Without hope, not only gays, but those who are blacks, the Asians, the disabled, the seniors, the Us's; without hope the Us's give up. "I know that you can't live on hope alone, but without it, life is not worth living. And you, and you, and you, and you have got to give them hope."

[intriguingpeoplebyangelafloyd]

RANA AHMAD

RANA AHMAD

1985

ACTIVIST & ATHEIST

            Rana Ahmad was born in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia into a strict Islamic family. She and her siblings were taught the Quran from the age of 4 and at school she was educated mostly on the subject of Islam. In her spare time she was permitted to ride her bike to run errands until she turned 10 and her grandfather took it away. Her family forced her to start covering up.

            Aged 19, Ahmad was to be married off, her husband was abusive and they divorced. She attended courses to learn how to speak English and worked in administration in the medical industry. Due to the rules, she had to have a male relative drive her everywhere she needed to go, as she couldn’t travel alone. Ahmad desired freedom.

            Ahmad turned to the internet and discovered philosophy and atheism. She learned online she could educate herself on subjects which was forbidden in her own culture. She found too many contradictions in Islam and started having doubts about her religion.

            She secretly sought help from those online and posed with paper with ‘Atheist Republic’ written on it at Mecca. When the photo was posted online, she planned to escape the country with the help from those behind the website Atheist Republic and Faith to Faithless.

            Ahmad fled Saudi Arabia, her family found out she had escaped to Turkey, so she disguised herself by cutting her hair short and colouring it blonde. She then fled to Greece and then moved to Germany. For the first time she was able to ride a bike again and enjoyed her new freedom.

            Today she is a women’s rights activist and founded the Atheist Refugee Relief.

#ranaahmad #atheism

[eretzyisrael]

The article said:

The Tehran Times doesn’t need to remind the illegitimate regime of Israel of Iran’s defense capabilities. Yet, they need to remember something. Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei responded to all Israeli threats in 2013, saying, “Sometimes the leaders of the Zionist regime even threaten us; they are threatening to strike militarily, but I think they know it, and if they do not know it, they must know that if they make a mistake, the Islamic Republic will destroy Tel Aviv and Haifa.” Keep your hands off!

This was published in 2021.

Iran is really good at threats, and not very good at following through. 

Last November, the same regime-linked newspaper reiterated:

As it was said two years ago: Just one wrong move! Attack on Iran, though circulated in the minds of Israeli officials, would be the termination date of the occupying regime. 

This isn't bravery. It is bravado. 

No one wants to see the war expand, but Iran's constant threats to destroy Israel are intended more to frighten the West than to be actual threats. After all, it has now been eight weeks since Israel assassinated the leader of Hamas in a supposedly secure area of Tehran, and eight weeks since Iran threatened a huge retaliation.  

Was that not a "wrong move"?

There have been similar threats from Hezbollah, with article after article about Hezbollah's huge rocket inventory. Again, not to minimize the threat, but both Hezbollah and Iran have a great deal to lose.

Most media ignores the bigger picture. For decades now, Iran has been building up its "axis of resistance" by creating proxies in Lebanon, Yemen, Iraq and Syria, as well as Gaza and the West Bank, to create a "Shiite crescent" to project its power. 

Its goal has always been to become a world superpower. It intends to be the de facto leader of the Muslim world and then to cow other nations into allying with it as well. 

For years, they have tried to make it appear that this goal was inexorable. Their main obstacles are Israel and the US, while Europe has been so focused on stopping aggression that they end up being on Iran's side whether they intend to or not.

If Hamas is destroyed, it is a major setback to their plan. If Hezbollah is decapitated, it changes the entire trajectory of their master plan. 

Israel is sending a message to Iran: We are not frightened of you or your proxies. We are not going to fight the war the way you want or the way you expect. And we have the means to reach you if and when we decide to.

For a long time, Iran regarded their own threats as a major means to cow Israel and the West.  Israel is calling their bluff. 

The Arab nations who are a critical part of Iran's expansionism plans see this, and see who the real strong horse is  - which side is willing to do what is necessary and which side is hiding behind proxies and empty threats. 

The psychological war that Iran wants is happening now, and they are losing badly.

[carmensandiegosbitch]

hey. how's things in iran?

hi friend thanks for asking I appreciate your worry and care.

unfortunately but not surprisingly enough, things have gotten worse.

yes, the mortality police is gone but the governors keep on coming up with new ways to harass women and girls who won't stand their oppression and don't want to wear hijab.

they keep up dropping cases against female actresses who don't wear hijab, they harass student in universities, telling radical religious people to tell people to "abide the law".

Khamenei who's the 'leader' of the Islamic Republic said avoiding hijab is both religiously haram and 'political' haram. wtf is he even saying anymore? idk either but his minions aka Basijis keep on listening to him and THEY are the ones who harass women on streets, universities and etc.

poverty is getting worse as well. inflation is sky high some people can't even eat 3 meals a day and settle for one meal a day, IF they can afford the food which in some families, the can't.

yet the brave people of my country will still fight against those shitty waste of space government. speaking up against them in social media or in real life might cost them their lives even if they live outside of the country but we're fed up. we keep on disobeying your stupid rules, you keep on locking up every place women appear without hijab, lock up and imprison every person who says YOU'RE IN THE WRONG but until when? we should and we WILL win this fight. we've had enough.

[straynoahide]

males costed dems the election, and that is not their fault

for whoever cares for outsider analysis, what costed Dems this elections was in fact the male vote, and nothing else.

we live in an age of identity politics. yes, people vote bc of economic and foreign policy reasons too, to curb inflation and end foreign wars they perceive to be useless... but ppl exist within peer groups and information spheres and these things are not always determinant. like, you can get a pro-union and anti-fossil fuels candidate elected under inflation. but that didn't happen.

what costed this election to Dems is political masculinism (and i mean this neutrally, as a political defense of men's issues, not as a pejorative or with any anti-feminist connotation), the reactive mirror of "woke politics". the only reason a coalition of minority male voters vote like white men and women is bc they're mobilized more as men to the right than as minorities to the left.

one of the main failures of the left is, in turn, thinking this is at all about reproductive rights. men in general are not mobilized to restrict abortion, that's an opportunistic baggage that conservatives put into the agenda. men are not mobilized to vote "against women", but to what they perceive is the only available vote for themselves, for their own presence and visibility.

males raised as men with male peers (generally cis straight, but not always) have voted right bc the left has become the empty identity politics of feminism and queer identities, and they're not just absolutely disconnected within progressivism, unheard and disenfranchised, but have been bombarded by years of "male=bad" and nothing else within all the social theories lingo of patriarchy, toxic masculinity, etc, most articulated very shallowly by people whose only drive is resentment and power grabs.

what can one expect from slogans like "the future is female", for gen z males to just go "ah ok"? it is not absurd that at least the response of half would be "that's not me! and i was just born two decades ago, so i actually want a future too!".

also, know why i know this? it's bc i'm male and european. most of my close intimate friends are women and queer people, but i do have a few straight male friends, and i talk to them and listen.

all electoral trends in europe pointed in this direction. and... this isn't nearly the end of it. diverse white nationalism, anti-islam homonationalism and feminationalism, have also been at play. most french LGBTIQ people and french jews already vote far-right to right-wing parties. same in the netherlands, etc, as in european politics the socialist parties have become the sole house of antizionist/islamist politics with no pro-jewish counter-balance.

the MAGA movement has a very dangerous pyromaniac in the front, who yes, is illiberal, but even the POTUS is just an office, and the constitution and army still protect the american republic.

i would be worried that Dems are losing all relatability and electoral competitiveness everywhere that isn't a blue city - many people live elsewhere, including people who need reproductive and LGBTIQ rights and protection from the right-of-MAGA America First menace, the actually self-declared antidemocratic and anti-American christian nationalism. doubling down on woke talking points and male-bashing is really going to do nothing, bc even with democracy intact, elections still have to be won by convincing the public, not shaming them or condescending to them or saying they aren't in the future.

[loneranger0369]

DEATH TO THE DICTATOR

DEATH TO THE REGIME

MAFIA CAN S*CK ITS OWN D*CK

let's call it what it is: the Islamic Republic is a Cult run by Mafia

[richincolor]

New Releases - Week of June 4, 2024

It's pretty amazing, but we're watching for ten different books this week. 

London on My Mind by Clara Alves – Nina Perrotta translator Push

Sixteen-year-old Dayana has always dreamed of visiting London — to walk along the Thames, take pictures outside Buckingham Palace, and maybe even get a glimpse of Arthur, Prince of Wales, whose marriage has been all over tabloids. But the trip of her dreams turns into a royal nightmare when her mother passes away. Now, Day must leave Rio de Janeiro to live with her estranged father and his new family in London.

As it turns out, the U.K. isn’t exactly Day’s cup of tea. She struggles to forgive her father for walking out on her and her mom all those years ago; fights with her stepsister constantly; detests her stepmother; and she can’t even see One Direction in concert because they’ve been broken up for ages. All she wants to do is trade the rainy skies of London for the sun and beaches of Rio.

That’s when she runs into the girl of her dreams — literally: The coincidentally named Diana, a witty, funny, redhead who was in the middle of . . . escaping Buckingham Palace? Something isn’t right here, but it makes Diana all the more alluring. As time passes, and the two girls grow closer, Day can’t help but wonder if there is more than a little truth to the rumors surrounding Prince Arthur — and if Diana might be involved somehow. Is it all in her head, or could Day be caught up in a real-life royal scandal?

Malicia by Steven dos Santos Page Street YA

Four friends, three days, two lovers, and one very haunted theme park

On a stormy Halloween weekend, Ray enlists his best friends Joaquin, Sofia, and Isabella to help him make a documentary of Malicia, the abandoned theme park off the coast of the Dominican Republic where his mother and brother died in a mass killing thirteen years ago.

But what should be an easy weekend trip quickly turns into something darker because all four friends have come to Malicia for their own

Ray has come to Malicia to find out the truth of the massacre that destroyed his family. Isabella has come to make art out of Ray’s tragedy for her own personal gain. Sofia has come to support her friends in one last adventure before she goes to med school. Joaquin already knows the truth of the Malicia Massacre and he has come to betray his crush Ray to the evil that made the park possible.

With an impending hurricane and horrors around every corner, they all struggle to face the deadly storm and their own inner demons. But the deadliest evil of all is the ancient malignant presence on the island.

Four Eids and a Funeral by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé & Adiba Jaigirdar Feiwel & Friends

Ex-best friends, Tiwa and Said, must work together to save their Islamic Center from demolition, in this romantic story of rekindling and rebuilding by award-winning authors Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé & Adiba Jaigirdar!

Let’s get one thing straight: this is a love story.

These days, Said Hossain spends most of his time away at boarding school. But when his favorite hometown librarian Ms. Barnes dies, he must return home to New Crosshaven for her funeral and for the summer. Too bad being home makes it a lot harder to avoid facing his ex-best friend, Tiwa Olatunji, or facing the daunting task of telling his Bangladeshi parents that he would rather be an artist than a doctor.

Tiwa doesn’t understand what made Said start ignoring her, but it’s probably that fancy boarding school of his. Though he’s unexpectedly staying through the summer, she’s determined to take a page from him and pretend he doesn’t exist. Besides, she has more than enough going on, between grieving her broken family and helping her mother throw the upcoming Eid celebration at the Islamic Center—a place that means so much to Tiwa.

But when the Islamic Center accidentally catches fire, it turns out the mayor plans to demolish the center entirely. Things are still tense between the ex-friends but Tiwa needs Said’s help if there’s any hope of changing the mayor’s mind, and Said needs a project to submit to art school (unbeknownst to anyone). Will all their efforts be enough to save the Islamic Center, save Eid, and maybe save their relationship?

Louder Than Words by Ashley Woodfolk and Lexi Underwood Scholastic Press

This amazing collaboration brings together two inspirational Black artists, NYT bestselling author Ashley Woodfolk and actress Lexi Underwood, for a story about the transformative power of art as protest and its capacity to change the world.

When Jordyn Jones transfers to Edgewood High, it’s her opportunity to forget everything that happened at her old school. To forget what she and her friends did. To forget who she used to be. That was a different person — this is a fresh start. Now she’s someone new, someone better.

Except it’s the very first day of school, and somehow everyone already seems to know who she is. But Jordyn soon finds a group of friends, and she even starts talking to Izaiah, a soccer star who shares her love of art. Life is good. That’s until an anonymous podcast called Tomcat Tea begins revealing humiliating secrets about Edgewood students, ruining their reputations and in some cases their futures. Jordyn and her friends know they have to do something—and this is Jordyn’s chance to prove to herself that she’s changed.

Jordyn’s plan to take down the podcast throws her into the spotlight, and as the momentum builds, so do the risks—because Jordyn has a secret of her own, one that could ruin everything . . . and that a mysterious harasser online is threatening to expose.

With riveting prose, New York Times bestselling author Ashley Woodfolk and acclaimed actress Lexi Underwood balance an insightful depiction of the power of art as protest with asking some of the biggest questions facing teenagers today—in an era where mistakes can be picked over endlessly online, who is worthy of forgiveness? Can someone ever really change?

Barda by Ngozi Ukazu DC Comics

Darkseid is…and life on Apokolips is tough—but then, it is hell after all. And no one knows this better than Barda, Granny Goodness’s right hand warrior.

But Barda has a secret…she is in love. Or she is drawn to the idea of it anyway, whether it be the beauty of a flower, her affection for her closest friend, Aurelie, or the mysterious and fierce enemy warrior, Orion, who is the only match for Barda’s strength.

But when Granny decides Barda is becoming too soft, she assigns Barda a task that might be more than she can handle—to break the seemingly unbreakable Scott Free. And as Barda questions why Scott has such hope and what he might have done to promote such hatred from Granny, she finds herself drawn to him in a way she never expected.

The only thing is, we do not speak of love on Apokolips…

Don’t Wait: Three Girls Who Fought for Change and Won by Sonali Kohli Beacon Press

Follows the stories of three young women activists of color fighting for some of today’s most pressing movements of defunding the police, environmental justice, and arts education

Girls of color have always been on the front lines of the fight for equal rights—to vote, to learn, to live—even when they are the last to benefit from the outcomes of their work. In Don’t Wait , journalist Sonali Kohli follows three teenager’s’ efforts to make their communities safer, healthier places.

Don’t Wait highlights what propelled the teenagers into their activism to their experiences organizing and incorporates Q&As with important lessons from activists who have led the way.

The three teen activists

· Nalleli has lived across the street from an active oil well in South Los Angeles and at age 7, developed serious health problems. Nalleli and her mother take on an oil company and become environmental justice activists.

· Kahlila, following the murder of George Floyd and looking to help fight back, becomes involved with Black Lives Matter movement in Los Angeles and fights to defund school police in one of the largest school police forces in the nation.

· Sonia, an accomplished singer who was grappling with finding an creative outlet in the pandemic, strove to increase access to arts education in schools across California.

As the young women transitioning from teen to adult activists, Don’t Wait reflects the powerful lessons they’ve learned in their activism while building movements in their communities that will continue to live on as they move forward.

Looking for Smoke by K.A. Cobell Heartdrum

Since moving to the Blackfeet Reservation with her parents, Mara Racette has felt like an outsider, taunted by her tight-knit classmates for growing up far away. So, when a local girl includes Mara in a traditional Blackfeet giveaway to honor her missing sister, Mara thinks she’ll finally make some friends.

Instead, a girl from the giveaway, Samantha White Tail, is found murdered.

Because the members of the giveaway group were the last to see Samantha alive, each becomes a person of interest in the investigation:

New-girl Mara, who hated Samantha for being particularly cruel.

Grief-stricken Loren Arnoux, who was Samantha’s best friend until her sister’s disappearance drove a wedge between them.

Class-clown Brody Clark, whose unreciprocated crush on Samantha is an open secret.

And tough-guy Eli First Kill, who has his own complicated history with Samantha.

Despite deep mistrust, the four must now take matters into their own hands and clear their names. Even though one of them may be the murderer.

In her powerful debut novel, Looking for Smoke, author K. A. Cobell (Blackfeet) weaves loss, betrayal, and complex characters into a mystery that will illuminate, surprise, and engage readers until the final word.

Moonstorm (Lancers #1) by Yoon Ha Lee Delacorte Press

In a society where conformity is valued above all else, a teen girl training to become an Imperial pilot is forced to return to her rebel roots to save her world in this adrenaline-fueled sci-fi adventure—perfect for fans of Iron Widow and Skyward !

Hwa Young was just ten years old when imperial forces destroyed her rebel moon home. Now, six years later, she is a citizen of the very empire that made her an orphan.

Desperate to shake her rebel past, Hwa Young dreams of one day becoming a lancer pilot, an elite group of warriors who fly into battle using the empire’s most advanced tech—giant martial robots. Lancers are powerful, and Hwa Young would do anything to be the strong one for once in her life.

When an attack on their boarding school leaves Hwa Young and her classmates stranded on an imperial space fleet, her dreams quickly become a reality. As it turns out, the fleet is in dire need of pilot candidates, and Hwa Young—along with her brainy best friend Geum, rival Bae, and class clown Seong Su—are quick to volunteer.

But training is nothing like what they expected, and secrets—like the fate of the fleet’s previous lancer squad and hidden truths about the rebellion itself—are stacking up. And when Hwa Young uncovers a conspiracy that puts their entire world at risk, she’s forced to make a choice between her rebel past and an empire she’s no longer sure she can trust.

Storm: Dawn of a Goddess by Tiffany D. Jackson Random House

Before she was the super hero Storm of Marvel’s X-Men, she was Ororo of Cairo—a teenaged thief on the streets of Egypt, until her growing powers catch the eye of a villain who steals people’s souls.

Few can weather the storm.

As a thief on the streets of Cairo, Ororo Munroe is an expert at blending in—keeping her blue eyes low and her white hair beneath a scarf. Stealth is her specialty . . . especially since strange things happen when she loses control.

Lately, Ororo has been losing control more often, setting off sudden rainstorms and mysterious winds . . . and attracting dangerous attention. When she is forced to run from the Shadow King, a villain who steals people’s souls, she has nowhere to turn to but herself. There is something inside her, calling her across Africa, and the hidden truth of her heritage is close enough to taste.

But as Ororo nears the secrets of her past, her powers grow stronger and the Shadow King veers closer and closer. Can she outrun the shadows that chase her? Or can she step into the spotlight and embrace the coming storm?

The Love Interest by Helen Comerford Bloomsbury YA

Seventeen-year-old Jenna Ray has just been saved by the world’s newest superhero, Blaze. And, in the eyes of the public, that means one thing: Jenna Ray has been cast as the Love Interest.

No. Not happening. Not if Jenna has anything to say about it (even if Blaze is actually quite sweet and cute).

But her plans to defy the HPA (the Heroics and Power Authority) and turn down this new role are thwarted when the Villains begin to take an interest in her and offer a life-changing proposition; become Blaze’s Love Interest, while avoiding catching feelings for him, to uncover the HPA’s secret plans and find her missing mum.

To make matters even more complicated, just as Jenna starts to embrace her new-found career, she discovers she might be more on the side of the superheroes than she ever imagined …

[dailyanarchistposts]

The Islamic Republic

The 1979 revolution swept aside the monarchy and the comprador bourgeoisie that benefited from its rule. These were replaced by a new form of capitalist state, the Islamic Republic. The Iranian system is best described as state capitalist, both under the Pahlavis and the Islamic Republic. By that I mean, it is a system where the state is the main motor for capital accumulation. The private sector and modern industry are supported by state revenues, which mainly come from oil. The upper-level managers and bureaucrats constitute a class who, like those who filled this role in the previous regime, enriched themselves through positions within the state bureaucracy. Control of state power allows these “millionaire mullahs” to amass enormous fortunes. Their investments are global, including in Western democracies. This class now comprises not only those clergy, merchants, and state officials, but also their extended families, who make up a large and wealthy bourgeoisie. A central pillar of this state bureaucracy is the Pasdaran, or “Revolutionary Guards.”[20]

The Revolutionary Guards were formed during the revolution as a way to solidify the Khomeinist position. Khomeini and his supporters were distrustful of the army, as it was closely associated with the Shah’s regime. They also needed to counter the armed leftist guerilla groups who had a formidable presence as a result of their role in the insurrection. Consequently, a militia was created of committed Khomeini supporters, drawing from the militias that had evolved out of the neighborhood committees that sprang up during the revolution. The latter were themselves tied to the local mosques, which were in turn controlled by a central “Revolutionary Committee” presided over by Khomeini himself. After the revolution, these armed committees were purged of non-loyalists and formalized into the revolutionary guard. With the war, they became formalized as a military unit and formed the frontline of the battles. The Pasdaran were, and still are today, ideologically and institutionally tied to the seat of the “supreme leader.” At the time of the Guard’s emergence, this position was occupied by Khomeini, but now filled by Ayatollah Khamenei. Originally a middle-ranking cleric, Khamenei was a committed Islamist militant during the Shah’s period, who would go on to become one of Khomeini’s most ardent supporters, later serving as president for a time during the 1980s. However, irrespective of who is in government, the Pasdaran are autonomous and owe their loyalty to the leader.

Today, the Pasdaran are larger and even more institutionalized, having become one of the central anchors of the state, not only militarily and as a repressive force, but also economically. The Pasdaran are not only a massive military force that parallels the regular army. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, state bureaucracy provided a means of advancement for those previously excluded from state and economic power. The Pasdaran consequently became one of the largest corporations owned by the state, second only to the national Iranian oil company. Their books are completely closed, even to the official government. They draw their arms from the private sector, but also the black market, aided by their control of the borders. Iran routinely executes drug traffickers; indeed, these makeup most executions. But if you are an officer in the Pasdaran it can be a lucrative trade. Civil exams were replaced by religious exams, ensuring that those who were the most ideologically loyal and committed to the state could advance through the ranks and be given positions. The Pasdaran is also responsible for regional repression. For example, they organized and coordinated the repression of the Iraqi demonstrations of 2019. Their elite Al-Quds force has also been instrumental in supporting the Syrian state against its opposition.[21]

Ultimately, at the level of political-ideological organization, the Islamic Republic operates similarly to other one-party authoritarian states, with the difference that religious networks replace the party apparatus. In other words, the Islamic social networks play the role that the party apparatus did in the fascist and Stalinist countries: the mosque is the party headquarters, and the Friday prayer leader is the local commissar, spreading the message of the state to the masses weekly. The Friday prayer at the central mosque in every city is the megaphone of the central government, while the cleric plays the role of the commissar doling out state ideology to those in attendance.

[girlactionfigure]

In May of 1964, the #Palestine Liberation Organization (NOTE: it’s the “Palestine” Liberation Organization – meaning “from the River to the Sea” – not the “#Palestinian” Liberation Organization) was created as a new means of fighting #Israel.

Suddenly – three years before the ’67 Six Day War, and for the first time in history – instead of Israel only fighting #Arab regular armies – such as those in #Jordan (which occupied the “#WestBank”) and #Egypt (which occupied “#Gaza”) – Israel also had to fight a #terrorist group calling itself a national liberation movement for “Palestine.”

According to Lt. Gen. Ion Mihai Pacepa (below), who was a Romanian Two-Star General in the Securitate (the secret police of the socialist republic of Romania) and who was the highest-ranking #Soviet defector to the U.S. (he defected in July 1978), the #PLO was entirely the brainchild of the notorious Soviet spy agency – the #KGB.

According to Lt. Gen. Pacepa, the KBG contrived the PLO the same way it did other “national liberation movements,” such as the Bolivian National Liberation Army, to create instability and expand the Soviet sphere of influence.

Lt. Gen. Pacepa also revealed the KGB, not any “Palestinian Arabs,” drafted the original Palestine National Charter and that the KGB then handpicked the 422 Arabs who would be members of the “PLO Council” to “rubber stamp” the KGB’s Charter and adopt it as its mission statement. Similarly, the KGB drafted both the Palestine National Covenant and Palestinian Constitution.

Thereafter, the PLO adopted the KBG-drafted charter, which – at Article 24 – included the organization’s purpose.

Article 24 specifically makes the demand for PLO control over all lands under Israeli control as of 1964, and it specifically excludes those lands already under Arab control – the “West Bank” and Gaza.

If you didn’t catch the importance of that, please go back and re-read that sentence.

Specifically, Article 24 states:

“This Organization does not exercise any territorial sovereignty over the west Bank in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, on the Gaza Strip or in the Himmah Area. Its activities will be on the national popular level in the liberational, organizational, political, and financial fields.”

In other words, Arabs have been saying the “occupation” began in 1948 since, well, 1948; but for some reason (“Westsplaining” – see 

@EinatWilf

 and her book The War of Return), Western governments & media continue to say the Palestinians only want the West Bank and Gaza and that those are the only two areas to which they’ve ever referred when complaining about “occupation.”

Um….......nope.

Just stop re-interpreting and re-wording to make Arab words fit your sensibilities, to put your own spin on it so it sounds the way you want it to sound, and simply LISTEN to what the Palestinians have said repeatedly decade after decade.

Lt. Gen. Pacepa also recalled speaking with the Chairman of the KGB at the time, Yuri Andropov, about the PLO’s formation, and Andropov told him:

“We need[] to instill a #Nazi-style hatred for the #Jews throughout the #Islamic world, and to turn this weapon of the emotions into a terrorist bloodbath against Israel.”

The goal was to use the Islamic world as the KGB’s puppets by instilling this Nazi-style hatred for Jews into the culture to then use the weapon of emotions that would result to turn them into terrorist groups working to destabilize and ultimately doom both Israel and the U.S.

According to Lt. Gen. Pacepa, about seven months later (in December 1964), the KGB hand-picked #YasserArafat to be the “Palestinian Arab” in charge of the KGB’s campaign of #disinformation (#dezinformatsiya in #Russian) in the Islamic world.

The KGB personally trained #Arafat in the #SovietUnion at “its Balashikha special-ops school east of #Moscow” and decided to “groom him as the future PLO leader.”

To make Arafat credible as a leader of the PLO, Lt. Gen. Pacepa revealed that the KGB invented a background story for him that would claim Arafat was born in #Jerusalem – the KGB even created false documents (such as a fake birth certificate for Arafat “proving” he was born in Jerusalem).

In reality, Arafat was both born and raised in Cairo, Egypt – as his real birth certificate was later revealed to show unequivocally.

As part of its training of Arafat, Lt. Gen. Pacepa revealed the “KGB also selected a ‘personal hero’ for him [Arafat] – the Grand Mufti Haj Amin al-Husseini.”

In fact, the PLO, via the KGB, recruited two former #Nazi instructors – Erich Altern, a leader of the #Gestapo’s Jewish affairs section & Willy Berner, an SS officer who worked in the Mauthausen Extermination Camp. Another former Nazi, Johann Schuller, also supplied arms to the related terrorist organization that ultimately merged with the PLO, #Fatah.

After the major humiliation the Soviets felt after Israel’s lightning victory over Soviet-backed & Soviet-armed Arab states in the Six Day War, the KGB turned-up the pressure on the Jewish State via more disinformation campaigns & more guerrilla/terrorist tactics via its KGB-created “Palestinian freedom fighters” instead of relying solely on regular Arab armies to destroy Israel.

So, on Dec 11, 1967, the KBG founded another terror group: the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (#PFLP).

From the very start, the PFLP openly stated it was guided by Marxism and Leninism.

The PFLP’s first leaders were Wadi’ Haddad and George Habash. Habash openly and repeatedly stated he viewed the “liberation of Palestine” as an integral part of the world #Communist Revolution.

The PFLP’s charter laid out its six main ideologies: (1) Communist Revolution is the People’s War; (2) Communist “national liberation movements” must use “guerrilla war” tactics to achieve their goals; (3) Revolutionary Warfare must be based on Communist Revolutionary Theory; (4) Wars of “Liberation” are “Class Wars” that are guided by Communist ideology; (5) the PFLP’s “main field” of Communist Revolution would play out in and for “Palestine”; and (6) this “Palestinian” Communist Revolution included both “West Jordan” (i.e., Israel) and “East Jordan” (i.e., present-day Jordan).

The PFLP, guided by the KGB, also publicly declared its methods to achieve its goals.

The PFLP would: (1) carry-out and advocate for armed #insurrection; (2) perpetrate media-oriented attacks against Israel; (3) use airplane hijackings as a means of achieving international attention for the Communist and Palestinian “cause”; and (4) use any means necessary to bring the “Palestinian cause” to the public’s attention.

Plane hijackings, in fact, quickly became one of the primary means of KGB-backed Palestinian terror after the Six Day War.

In 1969 alone, the PLO hijacked 82 planes. 82!!! In one year (later, after his defection to the United States, when Lt. Gen. Pacepa revealed the KGB was responsible for directing and funding PLO terrorism, including airplane hijackings, both Muammar #Gaddafi and Yasser Arafat offered $1 million each for anyone who assassinated Pacepa).

Lt. Gen. Pacepa also revealed that 1969 was the year in which the KGB “asked Arafat to declare war on American ‘imperial-#Zionism’ … it appealed to him [Arafat] so much, Arafat later claimed to have invented the imperial-#Zionist battle cry. But in fact, ‘imperial-Zionism’ was a Moscow invention, a modern adaptation of the Protocols of the Elders of Zion, and long a favorite tool of #Russian intelligence to foment ethnic hatred … The KGB always regarded #antisemitism plus anti-imperialism as a rich source of anti-Americanism.”

At the same time, the KGB also launched Operation SIG (Sionistskiye Gosudarstva), which was a disinformation campaign designed to sow worldwide disapproval for the US and Israel as #racist, #imperialist, and #colonialist.

Operation SIG eventually included a global clandestine disinformation campaign against Israel that involved a combination of both propaganda and direct military support to any terrorist group that would declare itself the enemy of Israel.

As further revealed by Lt. Gen. Pacepa, part of Operation SIG included the KGB’s recruiting of thousands of doctors, engineers, technicians, professors and even dance instructors, who were all told to portray the U.S. as an arrogant & haughty Jewish fiefdom that was being financed by Jewish money, run by Jewish politicians, and whose goal was to subordinate the Islamic world.

As for his personal role in Operation SIG, Lt. Gen. Pacepa revealed the Romanians were tasked with infiltrating #Libya, #Iran, #Lebanon, and #Syria—all countries where Romania was contributing to infrastructure—with agents who were trained in antisemitic dezinformatsiya and terrorism.

Lt. Gen. Pacepa further explained that the intelligence service to which he belonged, known as the D.I.E., received an Arabic-language translation of the Protocols of the Elders of Zion, along with “documentary” material “proving that the United States was a Zionist country whose aim was to transform the Islamic world into a Jewish fiefdom.”

Lt. Gen. Pacepa also advised that the science of “dezinformatsiya” is a complex, long-term, and patient non-violent attack on a civilization as a whole.

As Lt. Gen. Pacepa put it, “As that very clever master of deception Yuri Andropov once told me, if a good piece of disinformation is repeated over and over, after a while it will take on a life of its own and will—all by itself—generate a horde of unwitting but passionate advocates.”

Operation SIG’s disinformation campaign ran from approximately 1967 to 1988; and it built and weaponized narratives based on made-up or twisted facts. It distorted history. It employed classic propaganda tools such as deception, guilt by association, and repetition to inculcate the key messages. It also shamelessly played on people’s sentiments, and it used both Soviet Jews and #Muslims as instruments of its #propaganda.

Specifically, the disinformation propaganda portion of Operation SIG attempted to (and too-often succeeded in) inflaming and spreading anti-Israeli sentiments by relying on old antisemitic tropes and inventing new ones.

The overall goal of the disinformation campaign of Operation SIG was to reframe the modern miracle of Israel – the first successful #decolonization campaign in history – as actually being the prime example in the world of an oppressive, imperialist state that was built unjustly and at the expense of the “native population.”

In this way, Operation SIG created an alliance that included Pan-Arabists, Pan-Islamists, and Naziism by focusing on what they all had in common: their hatred for Jews, for Israel, and for #democracy.

According to former #CIA Director R. James Woolsey, Lt. Gen. Pacepa helped reveal to the Americans the KGB’s tactics against Israel and the U.S., which included carefully planted false stories about prominent leaders while seeking to convince the public at large that their reported falsehoods were true (both of which, Woolsey noted, the KGB successfully carried out time and time again).

As Lt. Gen. Pacepa later wrote, “By 1972, Andropov’s disinformation machinery was working around the clock to persuade the Islamic world that Israel and the United States intended to transform the rest of the world into a Zionist fiefdom.”

Lt. Gen. Pacepa also wrote that Andropov told him the goal was to “whip up their illiterate, oppressed mobs to a fever pitch. Terrorism and violence against Israel and America would flow naturally from the Muslims’ antisemitic fervor.”

In fact, Lt. Gen. Pacepa remained so concerned by Russian disinformation campaigns that he repeatedly warned they had become “the Bubonic Plague of our contemporary life.”

Finally, as part of his warning to the Western world, Lt. Gen. Pacepa expanded on the dangers of Russian disinformation by writing: 

(1) #Lenin used disinformation to bring communism to life; 

(2) Hitler used disinformation to “rationalize” the Holocaust; 

(3) #Khrushchev used disinformation against the pope to “widen the gap” between #Christians and Jews; and

(4) Andropov used disinformation to “turn the Islamic world against the United States and ignite[] the international terrorism that threat[ens] us today.”

Captain Allen