Richard Stallman's Political Notes' Journal

Contrast of Journalism on Israel of now to the 1973 war

Journalist Martin Bell reports how, during the 1973 war, Israel's army allowed him and other foreign reporters to go almost everywhere and report almost everything. Nowadays, by contrast, while Israel carries out massacre after massacre, it will not let foreign journalists into Gaza at all.

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Public hostility between the bully and the muskrat

I wonder if the sudden public hostility between the bully and the muskrat is simply distraction theater.

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(satire) IRS payments directly to Elon Musk's Bank Account

(satire) *IRS Allows Taxpayers To Deposit Payments Directly Into Elon Musk's Bank Account.*

Masked deportation thugs grabbed immigrants and fought with protesters

Deportation thugs, disguised with masks, grabbed alleged unauthorized immigrants out of stores in Los Angeles, and fought with large crowds of protesters.

Given the illegal acts persecutor has already ordered, we have no reason to have confidence that those arrested were in fact unauthorized.

The protesters did not engage in violence, but one threw eggs. Nonetheless, the thugs claim that they, notwithstanding their force and arms, were in some sort of danger.

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MIT graduate punished for talking about Gaza

MIT punished the graduating class president for talking about Gaza in a speech. She was barred from the subsequent graduation ceremony — which I don't think can be justified — but did receive her degree.

I disapprove of this censorship, but at least it wasn't followed by a draconian punishment as happened at other universities in the past month.

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US vetoes unconditional Gaza ceasefire

*US vetoes resolution for unconditional Gaza ceasefire at UN security council.*

This makes the persecutor solely responsible for continuing Netanyahu's campaign of killing.

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Shutting China's access to advanced proprietary technology

The bully is shutting China's access to advanced proprietary technology of US companies, but at the same time opening back channels for such technology to reach China, via Qatar and UAE and via the corrupter's Chinese billionaire friends.

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Amazon testing humanoid robots for package delivery

*Amazon "testing humanoid robots to deliver packages."* Their delivering packages near people could be dangerous; if part of one bangs into your body it may not stop moving.

I don't know how those machines will be constructed, but robots built out of metal and motors move with great momentum. If a human gets in the way of any moving part of the robot. it can easily injure per. Simply having a person in the space that the robot can move through is dangerous. If a robot goes through sidewalks and buildings where humans go, the dangers is active.

Maybe these new robots move with little momentum and can easily be stopped by contact with any part of a human body. But the article does not say so.

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Reducing poaching by cutting off rhinos' horns

Cutting off rhinos' horns cuts poaching by 80%.

The killing of rhinos to cut off and sell their horns is profitable due to medical disinformation. It is just one example of the harm that disinformation does.

I wonder what the dehorners do with the horns they cut off. They could undersell the poachers and that might make poaching cease to be profitable.

I wonder why the poachers don't start cutting off horns without killing rhinos. Perhaps they could pay for licenses to do this.

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Israel accused of arming Palestinian gang

*Israel accused of arming Palestinian gang who allegedly looted aid in Gaza.*

Is there anything so vicious and treacherous that Israel won't do it?

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Need for inquiry on British involvement in Israel

Jeremy Corbyn: *How exactly has Britain supported Israel's military assault on Gaza? The public has a right to know.*

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International journalists trying to observe Israeli expulsion

A group of international journalists tried to observe the continuing Israeli expulsion of Palestinians from Masafar Yatta, but Israeli soldiers forcibly stopped them.

The troops said the reason for this was to "keep order", but no legitimate kind of "order" needs to be preserved from journalism. We are entitled to suspect that the real reason is to cover up crimes that the troops and the violent "settlers" are committing.

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Israel to Palestinians in Gaza

Israel to Palestinians in Gaza: if you drive a car to an "aid hub", looking perhaps for some food aid, we will shoot you.

So if you're a Palestinian in Gaza and you are too weak to walk to get food, didn't think of trying to get a lift.

I don't know for certain, but I'd expect this policy is a war crime.

*At least 27 Palestinians killed by Israeli fire at food point, Gaza officials say.*

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Someone in Syria fired artillery or missiles at Israel

Someone in Syria fired artillery or missiles at Israel. Israel responded by attacking the forces of the fairly new Syrian government.

That government does not have full control of the territory of Syria. There are forces loyal to Assad, and others loyal to PISSI. Most likely one of them fired at Israel. Israel's actions and words suggest that it is looking for an excuse for war with the Syrian government, and considers even a morally flimsy excuse to be sufficient.

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Glowing predictions about nuclear power plants

Glowing predictions about how well nuclear power plants will work don't take account of the tendency for workers to bully those who report safety concerns.

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Urgent: Write Brazil's ministers in support of climate defense

Everyone: write to Brazil's ministers in support of climate defense policies.

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Urgent: Call on senators to reject cuts to Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security

US citizens: phone your senators and call on them to reject cuts to Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security. Also SNAP which provides food aid to poor families.

While you're at it, you could speak up for NOAA, FEMA, the EPA and the IRS.

If you phone, please spread the word! Main Switchboard: +1-202-224-3121

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Huge measles outbreak, Ontario, CAN

An outbreak of "vaccine-hesitancy" in Canada has infected thousands of people with measles. Next it could be thousands of people with polio.

I don't think parents should be allowed to deny their children vaccination without presenting a strong justification. Mere vaccine hesitancy should not be sufficient grounds.

(Satire) The Jesus papers, et al.

(satire) *New Pope Declassifies Jesus Crucifixion Documents.*

Veterans Affairs attacked, US govt

The DOPE used software to choose which Veterans Affairs contracts to cancel, under a person with no pertinent experience. The department now refuses to say which contracts it has cancelled.

This is intentional incompetence. If it doesn't cause a disaster, that will be sheer luck, and thus no reason to excuse the stupidity.

dooH nibboR protest, UK

Britons protested demanding that the UK tax the rich more instead of cutting the poor more.

Bukele playbook attacks poor, SLV

dooH elekuB is taking land from poor people in El Salvador, and jailing them when they protest.