CLIMATE BYTES: UNDERSTANDING NET-ZERO

March 7, 2024

CLIMATE BYTES

By Rudy Rogalsky

This is another short note in a series about aspects of the climate crisis.

UNDERSTANDING NET-ZERO

Canada, like many other countries dealing with climate change, has pledged to reduce national emissions of CO₂ to net-zero by mid-century. This pledge is an acknowledgement that the burning of oil and other hydrocarbons is the main source of CO₂in the atmosphere and must be reduced if we are to mitigate the worst effects of global warming. But the term “net-zero” needs some explaining.

First, it must be understood that the term refers, not to the quantity of CO₂ in the atmosphere, but rather to the amount we add to that concentration each year. Right now, humanity emits annually nearly 40 billion tons of CO₂ resulting in current CO₂ concentration of 420 parts per million (It was 270 ppm over 200 years ago). Another consideration is that the 2050 target is not a total elimination of those emissions. For some industrial activities such as aircraft and other transportation, it will still be necessary to burn hydrocarbons and continue to emit some portion of those 40 billion tons. Those emissions will have to be offset by physically withdrawing CO₂from the atmosphere either by expanding our forests, improving our land use practises or by developing technologies that can withdraw and safely store significant amounts of CO_{2 .} Some large emitters of CO₂(companies and countries) seem to be counting on those technologies being developed in the distant future to avoid having to lower emissions in the short term even though they are quite aware that we don’t yet know if current-day experiments with CO₂capture and storage can be scaled up to a size that would be effective and economically feasible as an offset. In other words, they are once again kicking the can down the road.

It is important to note that heat entrapment by CO₂and other greenhouse gases (GHGs) is directly related to the stock of those gases in the atmosphere. Our flow of CO₂ (annual emissions) indirectly affects warming by increasing the stock. Thus, should we actually achieve net-zero, annual emissions until then will have added to the concentration of GHGs and to heat entrapment. In 2023, the IPCC reported that the world has a carbon budget of about 250 billion tons of CO₂that we can add to the atmosphere to have a coin-flip (50%) chance of keeping global warming to no more than 1.5^o C above pre-industrial levels [Johan Rockstrom, 44^th Macaulay Lecture]. Emitting 40 billion tons per year, we will have exhausted that budget in less than a decade.

What would happen should we ever actually achieve net-zero? At that point, we would have mostly stopped emitting CO₂(and abated what we couldn’t) but we will still have to contend with the phenomenon of Earth Energy Imbalance (EEI). Global warming happens, and has been happening because the inflow of energy from the sun is greater than the energy in the earth’s infra-red radiation back into space. In the 11,000 years before the industrial revolution, earth’s temperature remained essentially constant at 14^o C indicating that EEI was more or less steady at zero. So, to reduce warming, we will have to continue withdrawing CO₂ from the atmosphere until our energy-out matches the sun’s energy-in. The prevailing view among climate scientists is that we will be aided in this by our oceans which will continue to absorb 90% of excess energy inflow and 25% of CO₂ emissions. The scientific models supporting this view unfortunately do not include detailed consideration of increasingly probable climate tipping points such as permafrost melting [Zeke Hausfather,”Explainer: Will Global Warming ‘stop’ as Net-zero Emissions are Reached” www.carbonbrief.org]. And it is too soon to know if confidence in the prevailing view will be affected by scientists’ admitted inability to understand the sudden and unprecedented 2023 increase in ocean surface temperatures [New York Times, Feb.27, 2024, Scientists are Freaking Out About Ocean Temperatures].

And finally, in addition to such imponderables, we are faced with an important socio-political reality: after years of talking about emission cuts at international meetings, actual emissions are still growing. There is still a rapidly diminishing window of time to reverse our direction. It’s improbable but still possible to do.

Navigating Anger (Part 3)

March 7, 2024

NAVIGATING ANGER (Part 3) Sally Campbell

Assertiveness in tough situations

Working with anger instead of reacting to it doesn’t mean we become passive “wimps”. Respect for the other and for ourselves is at the core of a collaborative mindset. When angry talk becomes disrespectful or personalized, the listener may need to set some boundaries for acceptable communication. When the going gets intense, the pendulum can swing from avoidance and accommodation at one end to aggressive fighting back at the other. Personally, I find passive-aggressive behaviour the hardest to respond to – when a person speaks in a measured, calm voice while sticking the knife to you. Assertive communication is none of these. Here are a few aspects of assertion:

It is clear and confident.
It sets limits when they are needed.
It models respect for differences.
It says, “my interests are important too”.
Assertive communication names tactics and “dirty tricks” without labelling or blaming.
It invites people to take responsibility for their statements and behaviour.
Most importantly, it is friendly. If you can’t muster a friendly approach, you aren’t ready to use this communication tool. Give yourself some time to assess the situation. Maybe talk with a trusted ally or guide who can shine some light on the conflict dynamics. Don’t dive into trying to use assertion until you feel emotionally grounded.

When you are communicating assertively, you are not pushing or poking a stick at the other side. For instance, taking an assertive approach to a confrontation, you would describe in a neutral way what happened (the harsh or dismissive comment, the confronting action) as you see it, state its effect upon you (such as your desire to walk away), and invite (not demand) the other side to respond (“I’m wondering where you were coming from?”). It is important to give the other side time and space to respond. An assertive response in a tough situation, followed by respectful silence, is powerful communication.

Expression our own anger or frustration using assertion

When the anger/frustration/resistance getting in the way of good communication is our own, we need to find ways to express how we are feeling without creating more resistance.

Here are some tips:

Notice where you are in the “Anger/Arousal Cycle”. If you find you are rapidly climbing up “anger mountain”, (ie: you can feel that you’re no longer on an even keel) and heading to a peak of strong emotion, this is not a good time to try to use reason. As you head toward the summit of angry arousal, your judgment is correspondingly decreasing. You aren’t doing your best thinking. Your judgment is impaired, because you’ve gone into “fight, flight or freeze” mode, and are now relying on your more primitive brain system, your amygdala, rather than your pre-frontal cortex. You need cooling-off time.

2.Trytounderstandthesourceofyourownanger.(Thereisusuallyfear,hurt,disappointment, confusion, sadness, embarrassment, or even shame behind it.) Sometimes it takes some time alone to really listen to yourself and discover how you are feeling. Years of ignoring or pushing down our deeper feelings can mean that this way of listening to what’s going on inside takes some practice! Don’t be hard on yourself, be tender and kind.

Be aware of time and place. How appropriate is this discussion right now? Pay attention to your own bodily state; that is, breathe. As I said last week, if you cannot find calm in your own physical being, this is not the right time for talking through a conflict. You may think you are being assertive and the listener will hear aggression or push.

Be aware of the other, and the very human need to save face. Do you have privacy? Don’t corner the other person; maybe all that you can get now is a commitment to talk when emotions have settled down. (“I’m upset about this and it sounds like you are too. AND I really want us to talk about it. Can we discuss it in a few hours/tomorrow morning/….?”)
State your frustration or feelings in a way the other can hear. Make sure the other is willing to listen. Don’t sacrifice yourself for the sole purpose of making peace. You need a certain amount of confidence to speak assertively, to believe that what you say and feel matters to the other. If this is not the case, assertion is not the best idea.

Describe in a neutral way what led to the frustration, tension, or other feelings. Remove the blame.

Be specific and speak from your own perspective. Stay away from broad generalizations and “you” statements (“you always”, “you never”).
Tell the person the effect your anger is having on you and the relationship, without giving away your power by using such phrases as “You make me feel so…..”. No one makes us feel anything. We are the keepers of how we feel.

Let the person respond without interruption.

Be willing to listen. The object is not to prove yourself right, but to be understood, to show that you understand the other, and to improve your interaction.

Next week: Part 4

Shucking Oysters: ZZZZ

March 7, 2024

Shucking Oysters: ZZZZZ

By Alex Allen

Any snorers out there? If you’re in a relationship, no need to answer. Two thirds of all partnered adults say that their significant others snore. And no surprise, the ratio of snorers is two men to one woman. However ladies, this gap catches up after you reach menopause. Snoring is a fact of life, especially when we all get older.

Unfortunately, for my partner, I’ve been a snorer for years. Her options are limited. Go downstairs and sleep on the couch, continually tell me, “You’re snoring, roll over,” or give me a not-so-gentle nudge. So, why do we snore? It’s not like any of us particularly enjoy it whether we are the receiver or the conveyor. As Madeleine Aggeler wrote, “one of the greatest indignities our gaping maws have inflicted upon us happens not when speaking, but when we’re unconscious.”

Dr. Raj Dasgupta, clinical associate professor of medicine at the University of Southern California, soberly explains that “snoring is the resistance of airflow through the upper airway due to relaxed tissues, and the sound is caused by the vibration of tissues in the back of the throat during sleep.” As with flatulence, it’s about the aperture; the narrower your airway, the more forceful the airflow and the louder the snoring.

It is not an easy feat to stop the snoring. Lifestyle is the first option. Lose weight, stop smoking, avoid alcohol before bedtime and sleep on your side. I’m skinny, I don’t smoke, I usually don’t drink right up to bedtime. But, I’m really good at lying on my back.

What are the other options? It’s complicated. Nasal sprays, nasal strips, nasal cones, nasal dilators, nose clips, nose plugs, magnetic rings, chin straps, mouthpieces, wristbands, masks, tongue stabilizers, and mouth tape. It’s like a shopping list for Christian Grey and other individuals with a penchant for suggestive gadgets. And the names of course, speak for themselves: Snortium, SomniFix, SleepStrips, Snoreguard, Zquiet, Pure Sleep, Silent Slumber.

One nose plug uses a “gentle electric signal generated by a microprocessor, creating micro-nasal pressure that opens the airway, allowing your breathing to go unrestricted and unblocked.”Another electric nose plug has twin turbo fans. What? You get to sleep, but your partner is kept up all night with the sound of the whirring electric nose fans? That doesn’t seem very equitable. One consolation, is that the nose plugs make you look like a cute Care Bear.

These nasal dilators are simply inserted in your nostrils to sort of prop open the nasal passages for better airflow, less snoring and a more peaceful sleep, says sleep medicine expert Dr. Breus. “Internal nasal dilators may feel super weird for the first 30 seconds or so, but then you get used to it and don’t notice they’re there — so they’re definitely comfortable enough for someone to sleep with,” he adds.

What’s jet black, about three inches long, and sticky? Hostage Tape. I kid you not. Go to the website and you’ll be treated to a gallery of mouth taped “hostages” staring back at you, each with a glowing review about how wonderfully well they have been sleeping. Aggeler wrote, “the overall vibe is abduction as spa getaway.”

On Hostage Tape’s website, the brand’s creator, Alex Neist, says that his snoring was so bad that it ruined his marriage. His wife started sleeping in another room, their “intimacy disappeared,” and his kids struggled in school. Eventually the couple separated. Then, Neist discovered mouth tape, and now: “three years after divorce, I’m now back with my wife, our kids are flourishing in school, and we sleep in the same bed again.” If that’s not marketing, I don’t know what is.

Aggeler eloquently wrote, “Its packaging is … more aggressive than you might expect for a product that is meant to help you drift off into the candy colored clouds of Dreamland like a sweet, sleepy little lamb.” Indeed.

As the website attests: “This ain’t your average run-of-the-mill, flaccid pharmacy tape … This stuff adheres to your face like a barnacle to a ship’s hull and stays there — all night long. Even the fiercest of lumberjack beards don’t stand a chance.” I don’t know. It’s kind of creepy.

Other options? Surgery. That’s right. You (or your loved one) could have a procedure, known simply as a uvulopalatopharyngoplasty, which widens the airway by removing tissues in the back of the throat. Just like pharmaceuticals, the possible side effects are not pleasant. The most dangerous, scar tissue making the airway even more narrow, defeating the entire purpose. If you can’t pronounce it, don’t order it.

We all know that snoring is worse on your back. Some suggest to sew a tennis ball in the back of your favourite PJs top and then you’re more likely not to linger. Sleep experts assure us that the tennis ball won’t mess with your sleep (though it might mess with your dog).

And if all else fails, place pillow tightly over partner’s face, hold firmly until snoring stops.

Green Wizardries: Meal Planning

March 7, 2024

Green Wizardries, Meal Planning by Maxine Rogers

I have seen people look all surprised at mealtimes because they seem to have missed out on the fact that meals need to be prepared and served at certain times of the day. This is curious but true. The troops tend to get a bit restive and even caustic when supper rolls around and nothing has been prepared. The process of ensuring meals arrive on time is called, “Meal Planning.”

Now, meal planning can be a simple affair. I tend to prepare meal plans for a month. This means, I can limit my trips to town because I have everything I need to prepare 30 suppers and 30 lunches. We don’t suddenly run out of a critical ingredient and need to go out and buy it.

If you are concerned with pollution, global warming or do not wish to kill little creatures on the road with a huge, brutal vehicle, then you might want to think of planning ahead so you only need to go to town every month or six weeks. Think of the savings on ferry trips! A person could easily go a whole summer without once getting in a ferry line up.

I find shopping for a month of meals easy to do because we have a sheet of paper on the fridge and when one of us uses up a packet, tin or bottle of something, we write it on the list. Then, we go to the pantry and bring out it’s replacement. We always have several replacements and they are stock rotated for freshness. This way, in case of some emergency, we would not need to go to town for months.

If I want some hummus or a bean soup, I go to my gallon jar of Jerusalem broad beans and take out as much as I need to soak overnight to make the dish the next day. The Jerusalems come from last year’s garden so the hummus I eat today was planted in the spring of 2023. That too is meal planning.

Planning a garden is a form of meal planning. Last year, I didn’t plant, harvest and dry enough zucchini to get through this winter. I also didn’t produce enough sweet peppers to get through the winter. I am on my last bag of dried peppers. This year, I aim to overproduce both crops, just to be on the safe side.

I have kale plants standing in the garden and sometime this month, I expect them to be roused from their torpor by the spring sunshine. Once that happens, they will begin to produce tasty flower shoots that are a spring delicacy. I planted them nearly a year ago with this spring’s steamed kale flowers in mind. They taste great raw with a dip or steamed and served smothered in a decadent Hollandaise sauce.

I recently bought Galleon Cauliflower seeds from Salt Spring Seeds. I bought them because I want to have a supply of fresh cauliflowers for April and May of 2025. Yes, the Galleons are an overwintering cauliflower and will give me fresh cauliflowers in the early spring of next year. That is not all.

A couple of my friends grow Galleon Cauliflowers on both our islands and they are perennials. One friend grew them and the first year, she got two or three nice heads. The following spring, the same plant, now a sizeable shrub, produced ten heads in the early spring and two of them were over ten inches across. My friends on Denman have been growing their Galleon for several years now and the plant shows no sign of slowing down. A packet of Galleon seeds costs only five dollars so I think it a terrific investment.

Planting fruit trees and bushes is a form of meal planning, or rather, dessert planning. Why buy slightly suspicious frozen fruit at Costco? I did this once and the frozen mango chunks I purchased tasted of mildew. Never again.

And why would I buy fruit when Denman and Hornby produce so much organic fruit in season. We grow blackberries, blueberries, Marion berries, strawberries, grapes, plums, apples, quince, peaches, and both sweet and sour cherries.

We really are blessed with an abundance of fruit but not every summer sees a successful fruit crop. So meal planning involves harvesting the various fruit crops at the peak of ripeness and freezing, drying or canning the fruit so one has enough for at least two years because not every summer has a successful fruit crop.

Perhaps, you are saying that sounds like a lot of work but it is also a lot of work to earn money to buy stale vegetables and gas-ripened fruit, all of it bathed in pesticides.

PS, I am delighted the Trudeau Liberals have decided to shelve their plan to offer death on easy terms to Canadians suffering from mental illness. They hope to offer MAID after the next election. They may well need a few poisoned pills themselves as they look likely to be thrashed in the next election.

Rubik’s Cube

March 7, 2024

Rubik’s Cube

by Mr. Unknown

I am baffled

I am starstruck

They can be defeated

The thought makes life run amuck

I, like many people

Have fallen victim

To the coloured cube

That requires a good brain stem

Anyone currently reading

This short, worthless poem

Who can solve a rubik’s cube

A cheer you are owed

To yourself for completing

This mind boggling puzzle

That needs great skill

Without, the head goes into a fuzzle

Opposites Attract News pt.7

March 7, 2024

Refusal To Be Silenced

February 29, 2024

Refusal To Be Silenced by Team TIG

As a result of last week’s editorial, the Denman Island Bulletin Board on Facebook (DIBB) has censored The Islands Grapevine (TIG) again. This time, the “moderator” claimed it was because we had “slammed” the author of a letter to TIG that was unsolicited business advice from a contributor to a proposed new publication that has yet to publish an issue. Whatever the critique might be of our editorial, “Unsolicited Business Advice From the ‘Experts’”, it certainly was not a personal attack.

We published that advisory letter alongside our rebuttal to the factually incorrect claims made within it. The letter also suggested that we simply needed to change TIG’s business model as a result of tax funded advertising controlled by a tax funded local employee being withheld from TIG, based on their personal and false claims. They attempted to extort changes to TIG’s policies, and we refused, but we offered to publish their critique of our content and editorial decisions. The DIBB moderator also cited her objections to this honest and factual TIG content as her reason to censor TIG. As a reminder, it was the person making the threat to TIG who took this issue to DIBB and social media, and the moderators did not censor it.

Last week we posted a link that takes you to TIG’s website, theislandsgrapevine.com, and our post did not contain any content that contravened the stated policies of DIBB content moderation, but it was still censored. This follows the uneven pattern of moderation of DIBB that has become its hallmark. And worse, there have been many smears of TIG and its contributors posted on DIBB that have been left unmoderated. There are 2 sets of rules that the DIBB moderators employ, one set for themselves and the siloed social media bullies in their echo-chamber, and another set of rules for a community newspaper that the people who control DIBB are smearing. As if to make our point for us, this is about censorship and content control.

Over on the Hornby Island Word of Mouth Facebook Bulletin Board, the DIBB moderator addressed their issues with the author of the TIG piece she believed was transphobic. She asked the author if it was possible that there was more than one legitimate perspective. The author concurred that it was possible that there could be more than one perspective. As if to make a self declared sign of victory, the DIBB moderator ignored the fact that the principle worked both ways, and that the author’s piece might be a legitimate opinion of a woman revealing her personal trauma of sexual assault. The author has repeatedly stated that they oppose all bigotry, including transphobia. For these radical centrists, any variance from their approved narrative is cause to smear an author and even the publication that dared to publish their work, with no discussion needed and with no sense of an inclusive and diverse community co-existing at all.

The siloed vigilante group on DIBB attacking TIG has expressed that they don’t want TIG to write about these issues anymore, which further makes our point for us. They have set out to silence us, something that we can assure our loyal readers can’t happen until we have a just reckoning of the attempted extortion, and of the lies and smears that continue to be promoted by these people. We have initiated a review of DenmanWorks’ (DW) mistreatment of TIG’s publisher, removing him from the DW Board in a manner that violated its own bylaws, and fired him from his job managing the visitdenmanisland.ca website without cause. We urge all residents to insist that DenmanWorks Economic Enhancement Society, who are responsible for spending your CVRD tax dollars, publish their meeting minutes, something they have not done since their current Chair was elected in 2018, and is now serving beyond his term limit.

We’ve tried to resolve all of this privately and repeatedly, most recently when we accepted a mediated process that the Comox Valley Regional District (DenmanWorks’ funding agency) offered to support, where the other parties involved refused to participate. Now the B.C. Societies Act will investigate, and the bullies will need to answer these questions to the impartial arbitration they offer. In the meantime, keep those cards and letters coming, and thank you to everyone who has supported TIG with donations and petitions and letters to the CVRD. If you believe in principled social justice and a free press, wish us luck.

Conservancy Hornby Island presents HerringFest!

February 29, 2024

Shucking Oysters: Us and Them

February 29, 2024

Shucking Oysters: Us and Them

By Alex Allen

If you have ever suffered from an existential depression about the state of the world, you are probably familiar with the writings of environmental philosopher Derrick Jensen (Endgame, Bright Green Lies, for two). Jensen rejects the notion that the solution to the problems of the world is for us folks to fix, either by reducing our consumption or just walking away. He argues that there are no personal solutions to social problems.

I too have questioned that if I live a simple life all will be well with planet Earth. Jensen wrote, “If aliens came from outer space and were vacuuming up the oceans, heating up the planet, bathing the world in endocrine disrupters – murdering the planet – I’d hope our response would be more than to reduce, re-use and recycle.” Maintaining inner peace as the world crumbles around us, is not the answer either. It’s simply yet another excuse for inaction. It’s using “the tragedy as a resource, in this case a spiritual resource.” We have to do more.

Watch Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth, once again with feeling. For 90 minutes he discusses how dangerous global warming is. And the solutions? Inflate YOUR tires, change YOUR light bulbs. Nothing about questioning corporate power. Nothing about questioning the growth economy. Nothing about power at all.

A 2020 WWF report found that the population sizes of mammals, fish, birds, reptiles and amphibians have declined 68% between 1970 and 2016. This loss is mainly to do with the conversion of wild life habitats into agricultural “systems.” By the year 2030, planet Earth might have only 10% of its forest left. If deforestation isn’t stopped, all the forests could be gone in less than 100 years. A colossal 60% of the world’s agricultural area is used for cattle ranching, although it only makes up 24% of global meat consumption. While arable lands and grazing pastures cover a third of Earth’s land surface, they consume three-quarters of the world’s freshwater resources. This is not sustainable.

Jensen shares that when people ask what they should do to protect the Earth, he always responds by asking them a series of questions. “What do you love? If it’s under assault. Defend it. Everyone loves some place or some creature, just do it.” And the best thing? Everything is so messed up that “no matter where you look there’s good work to be done.”

The next question: “What are your gifts … What are the largest, most pressing problems you can help to solve using the gifts that are unique to you in all the universe?” And finally, he asks: “What do you get off on doing?”

Green washing is not the solution either. “Technology can’t fix it, and shopping – no matter how green – won’t stop it.” Solar needs copper for wiring, silicon for voltaics, metals and plastics for appliances. Let’s not even talk about mining lithium and cobalt. And driving is not the only way a car pollutes. In fact, far more pollution is emitted through the manufacture than through the exhaust pipe. The philosophy that got us into trouble is not the philosophy that is going to get us out of trouble. Flying less, going vegetarian, or some other altruistic gesture, are well and good, but the idea that we can save the world through our individual choices is naive.

Let’s be honest. Things are bad. And they’re going to get worse. And after that they’ll get a whole lot worse. And neither simple living, spiritual enlightenment, discrete actions by themselves, nor vague hopes will stop the insanity. Jensen quotes fellow environmentalist, Lierre Keith who often said, “If there is anyone alive in a hundred years, they’re going to ask what the f*ck was wrong with us that we didn’t fight like hell when the world was going down.”

We are not separate from nature. And as long we humans consider ourselves separate and different from other animals, we will continue to kill, degrade and exploit with no moral qualms whatsoever. We are all in this together, interconnected with a shared destiny.

As someone said, “If the environment is less important than the economy, try holding your breath while you count your money.”

Aaron Bushnell Burned Himself Alive To Make You Turn Your Eyes To Gaza

February 29, 2024

Aaron Bushnell Burned Himself Alive To Make You Turn Your Eyes To Gaza

CAITLIN JOHNSTONE

FEB 26, 2024

Listen to a reading of this article (reading by Tim Foley):

I watched the uncensored video of US airman Aaron Bushnell self-immolating in front of the Israeli embassy in Washington while screaming “Free Palestine”. I hesitated to watch it because I knew once I put it into my mind it’s there for the rest of my life, but I figured I owe him that much.

I feel like I’ve been picked up and shaken, which I suppose was pretty much what Bushnell was going for. Something to shake the world awake to the reality of what’s happening. Something to snap us out of the brainwashed and distracted stupor of western dystopia and turn our gaze to Gaza.

The sounds stay with you more than the sights. The sound of his gentle, youthful, Michael Cera-like voice as he walked toward the embassy. The sound of the round metal container he stored the accelerant in getting louder as it rolls toward the camera. The sound of Bushnell saying “Free Palestine”, then screaming it, then switching to wordless screams when the pain became too overwhelming, then forcing out one more “Free Palestine” before losing his words for good. The sound of the cop screaming at him to get on the ground over and over again. The sound of a first responder telling police to stop pointing guns at Bushnell’s burning body and go get fire extinguishers.

He remained standing for an unbelievable amount of time while he was burning. I don’t know where he got the strength to do it. He remained standing long after he’d stopped vocalizing.

Bushnell was taken to the hospital, where independent reporter Talia Jane reports that he has died. It was about as horrific a death as a human being can experience, and it was designed to be.

Shortly before his final act in this world, Bushnell posted the following message on Facebook:

“Many of us like to ask ourselves, ‘What would I do if I was alive during slavery? Or the Jim Crow South? Or apartheid? What would I do if my country was committing genocide?’

“The answer is, you’re doing it. Right now.”

Aaron Bushnell has provided his own answer to this challenge. We’re all providing our own right now.

I would never do what Bushnell did, and I would never recommend anyone else does either. That said, I also can’t deny that his action is having its intended effect: drawing attention to the horrors that are happening in Gaza.

I know this is true because everywhere I see Aaron Bushnell being discussed online I see a massive deluge of pro-Israel trolls frantically swarming the comments in a mad rush to manipulate the narrative. They all understand how destructive it is to US and Israeli information interests for people to be seeing an international news story about a member of the US Air Force self-immolating on camera while screaming “Free Palestine”, and they are doing everything they can to mitigate that damage.

As I write this, there are with absolute certainty people digging through Bushnell’s history searching for dirt that can be spun as evidence that he was a bad person, that he was mentally ill, that he was steered astray by pro-Palestine activists and dissident media — whatever they can make stick. If they find something, literally anything, the smearmeisters and propagandists will run with it as far as they can.

That’s what they’re choosing to do at this point in history. That’s what they would have done during slavery, or the Jim Crow south, or apartheid. That’s what they’re doing while their country commits genocide right now. People are showing what they would have done with their response to Gaza, and they’re showing what they would have done with their response to the self-immolation of Aaron Bushnell.

I’m not going to link to the video here; watching it is a personal decision on which you should probably do your own legwork to make sure it’s really what you want. Whether you watch it or not, it happened, just like the incineration of Gaza is happening right now. We each own our personal response to that reality. This is who we are.

_____________

My work is entirely reader-supported, so if you enjoyed this piece here are some options where you can toss some money into my tip jar if you want to. Go here to buy paperback editions of my writings from month to month. All my work is free to bootleg and use in any way, shape or form; republish it, translate it, use it on merchandise; whatever you want. The best way to make sure you see the stuff I publish is to subscribe to the mailing list on Substack, which will get you an email notification for everything I publish. All works co-authored with my husband Tim Foley.