Hamas Isn’t The Target, It’s The Excuse

November 30, 2023

Nov.26th, 2023

Notes From The Edge Of The Narrative Matrix

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

If you’re just tuning in, Israeli intelligence ignored mountains of information that the October 7 attack was coming and left Israelis completely undefended, then the IDF killed significant numbers of Israelis with indiscriminate fire and pinned the blame for 100% of Israeli deaths on Hamas, and all those deaths are now being used as justification to push Gazans off their land to the south and shoot them if they try to return while Israeli officials keep talking about how great it would be to get all Palestinians out of all of Gaza.

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Such a crazy coincidence how every single step of Israel’s military operations against Hamas in Gaza has looked exactly the same as what you’d expect to see if Israel was trying to permanently drive Palestinians off a large stretch of Palestinian land.

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This isn’t a war against Hamas. It’s not a war at all. It’s a military operation to facilitate an ethnic cleansing.

Hamas aren’t the targets, it’s the excuse.

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Israel isn’t bombing Gaza with the intention of wiping out Hamas, Israel is bombing Gaza with the intention of wiping out Gaza.

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A new Guardian article says “Israel’s military estimates it has killed between 1,000 and 2,000 Hamas fighters out of a military force it believes is about 30,000 strong.”

If Hamas was using “human shields” as we’ve been told, killing civilians should also yield a huge Hamas fatality rate, since Hamas would be hiding among civilians. Yet the IDF has managed to kill massive numbers of civilians while barely touching Hamas. Maybe they’re just lying about human shields?

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The whole argument for displacing Gazans from the north to the south was to protect their lives, yet now if they try to return to the north they get shot and killed by Israeli forces. What’s the new argument for this one? Are they killing them to save their lives?

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Saying Gaza isn’t occupied because Israel “withdrew” in 2005 is the same as saying a prisoner is free because the warden isn’t technically inside his jail cell with him.

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Whenever I say Israel is deliberately killing civilians, half the Israel apologists in my comments are like “NO THEY’RE NOT YOU DAMN LIAR” and the other half are “Yes they are and it’s good.”

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Tell an Israel supporter that Israel is a racist apartheid state and they’ll deny it. Point to the tiered social system and the oppression of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank and they’ll tell you it’s because Palestinians are all apelike savages who can’t behave themselves.

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In non-Gaza-related news, the leader of President Zelensky’s party in the Ukrainian parliament has officially confirmed what many of us have been slandered and smeared for saying for months: that there was a peace deal in the works in the early days of the war in Ukraine if Kyiv would just commit to Ukrainian neutrality, but the deal was abandoned under pressure from western powers.

If you’re ever accused of being a Russian propagandist for pointing out obvious evidence of western malfeasance in Ukraine, don’t worry, wait long enough and a Ukrainian official will eventually come out and prove you right by saying exactly what you said.

And now Washington is starting to push Kyiv to negotiate an end to the fighting while Ukraine’s commander-in-chief calls the war a “stalemate”. Ukraine will surely wind up having to relinquish a lot more than it otherwise would have if it had been allowed to take the peace deal offered at the beginning of the conflict.

All that death and destruction, for what? For nothing. It was all pointless. An entire generation of young men thrown into the war machine in pointless bloodshed which could have been easily avoided except for the US empire’s desire to “bleed Russia” and advance its geostrategic objectives in Europe and Asia.

From Ukraine to Gaza, the US imperial war machine makes everything worse.

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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.

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Phoenix Riting! – November 30th, 2023

November 30, 2023

I went to a party recently. Sometimes you go to a party and it’s just so sweet and connected and fun you can’t stop smiling! By the end, my face was sore from constant grinning. Such informal events do as much to weave community, albeit on a smaller scale, as do formal gatherings like dances, festivals and fairs. The flow of connection was palpable; for a while, we lost our personal boundaries in a collective dance of happy fun.

I have identified as an introvert for a long time, as I thrive on time alone, but there is something about gatherings that feeds my heart, soul and body, especially when dancing is involved. Maybe I’m an extraverted introvert? An introverted extravert? It was so nice to be invited!

This was not a seasonal gathering, but it brings me to this upcoming season. There is something about this time of year! It’s bothered me for years and years, this almost magical feeling to the weeks around the winter solstice and ending with the New Year. Outside of religion, I suspect our need to celebrate this season is a holdover from a pagan, tribal past when the turning of the year felt like being saved by the returning of the light from a fate of eternal darkness. That is the feeling, is it not? We feel collectively uplifted, reprieved and blessed.

Not everyone is included in that feeling. Christmas is a time defined by social gatherings and yet many of us are not part of a social group that gathers informally. So many spend Christmas unwillingly alone, pretending it’s just another day, or simply processing past Christmas hurts. Many fall through the cracks, finding themselves alone without an invitation to a party or gathering, lacking a stable home to host in, feeling depressed, bereft and unable to do anything about it. Spirits rise this time of year, but so, sadly, do suicide rates. This year, Joe King Clubhouse is rebranding itself as the island’s ‘living room,’ providing cafe / hangout space available Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from 10-3. It’s open for folk to come share yummy food and treats, volunteer in the kitchen or just hang out by the fire with friends. You can swap chores, like sweeping and dishwashing, for soup credits. It sounds like an idea whose time has come! This should help those in need of a social feed get their needs met in this time of longing and loneliness.

Over the years, I have dropped out of the Christmas spending rat race more and more. I buy books for my grandchildren, and I only exchange gifts with adult family members when I am able to spend Christmas with them. That’s about it. I neither send nor receive Christmas cards. But for some reason, I love this season. Even all alone, I feel the magic. Santa has been good to me every year, even when I have to be my own Santa.

I love Christmas so much, and my feelings about it have been so challenging and strained I had to write a song. One Christmas eve back in the early 2000s, I wrote a song called, “Something About Christmas.” And finally, with the skilled help of the always-amazing Marc Atkinson, I have released it as a single–my very first release! Whee! I’ve been receiving superlative feedback and comments about it. You can hear it for free now on my Bandcamp page, at https://phoenixbee.bandcamp.com/, where, if you are so moved, you can also purchase the audio file. The song is in the queue to be released on major streaming platforms as well. I’ll let you all know when that happens; it will be soon.

The most frequent feedback I’ve received so far has been that this is a Christmas song that, while Christmassy in mood and music, can be enjoyed by those who ‘hate Christmas songs’. I am very proud of this song, which Marc calls ‘epic.’ The grand piano and harmonies make the perfect framing. I feel very blessed. I hope this song can help others make peace with the complicated contradictions of this season.

On that note, may blessings and peace flow in this darkening season, and may the light return on schedule. My wish for you this season is that your hearts, souls and bodies be fed in convivial friendly gatherings.

That’s what I think. What do you think? Email me at phoenixonhornby@gmail.com

CIFTA (not as in flour)

November 30, 2023

When I learned years ago that Canada has had a free trade agreement with Israel since 1997, I didn’t think too much about it. After all, we have trade agreements with many countries. My first inkling that it might be problematic came with the issue of proper labelling of products made in Israel’s illegal settlements in the West Bank, Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT).

These are all labelled as “Made in Israel”. This makes it seem as if the OPT is actually legally part of Israel, which it is not. The European Union (EU) has declared such a practice illegal; settlement products must be properly labelled as such (European Court of Justice, 15 November, 2019). In Canada, this problem has been the subject of several lawsuits and court rulings, with the federal government now appealing a decision that required proper labelling of illegal settlement wines. Settlement products are actually not made in Israel; they are made in Palestinian territory. Why, you might ask, is our government using our tax monies to oppose a requirement of proper labelling?

It turns out this false labelling practice came as an aspect of the Canada-Israel Free Trade Agreement (CIFTA), which includes Palestinian territory in its definition of Israel. For the purposes of “commerce,” right? CIFTA also doesn’t distinguish between Israeli and Palestinian- made products covered under the Agreement; all trade is considered to be with Israel. Does the fact that Israel controls all the airways, and all land & sea routes into the West Bank, East Jerusalem & Gaza, mean that it owns everything produced in Palestinian territory? CIFTA”s terms constitute an erasure of Palestinian trade/commerce. This is why it’s important to notice: de facto annexation of Palestinian territory is happening with the complicity of Canadians.

Needless to say, Palestinians weren’t consulted in a meaningful way and did not consent to be included as part of Israel under CIFTA.

Canadians for Justice & Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) recently published a report on CIFTA, entitled: “Annexing Palestine Through Trade”. (www.cjpme.org) Lead author Michael Bueckert, PhD., makes a thorough case that Canada is in violation of its own laws as well as international law by its adherence to CIFTA.

He argues that through CIFTA, Canada treats the OPT as if it were already annexed by Israel. Further, despite Canadian claims that including Palestinians in CIFTA will provide material benefits for Palestinians (Minister for International Trade Art Eggleton, House of Commons, 9 October, 1996) the report shows that Palestinians don’t benefit economically from CIFTA. While trade with Israel makes up 99.5% of total merchandise trade under CIFTA, Canada-Palestinian trade accounts for .5% of the total. More erasure.

This issue of the annexation of Palestinian territory in duplicitous ways has been made more critical in light of Israeli Prime Minister Netayahu’s June, 2023 appointment of far-right settler Bezalel Smotrich as head of the civil administration in the OPT. Since 1967, Palestinians living in the West Bank, Gaza & East Jerusalem have lived under military rule which basically means they have no civil or legal rights. Let alone a vote. Now it looks like Netanyahu has taken the so-

called legal jurisdiction from the Israeli military and given it to a civil authority. A civil authority run by an extremist, hell-bent on removing Palestinians from their homeland.

Does this mean that the millions of Palestinians in the OPT will now have the vote, given that they are in all respects governed by Israel? No. Will it simplify the bureaucratic matrix of control over every aspect of Palestinian life in the OPT? No, the reverse will happen actually.

Unless. Unless the world stands up to what it sees is clearly going on in Israel-Palestine and refuses to be complicit in maintaining a settler-colonial apartheid regime. That means we have to take note of our part in this. We need to speak up loudly and clearly about what we will NOT tolerate.

The CPJME report on annexing Palestine through trade states that Canada’s rationale for including settlement products in CIFTA is: “CIFTA defines Israel’s territory, for the purposes of this agreement, as the territory where its customs laws are applied, which includes the West Bank and Gaza Strip. That’s the reason.” (Minister of International Trade Diversification Jim Carr, May 1, 2019, Senate of Canada, Proceedings of the Standing Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs & International Trade, Issue # 62.) Palestinians say that they never consented to nor acknowledged the inclusion of Israeli settlements (CJPME Report @ 11) in the customs union they entered into in 1994, as part of the failed Oslo Agreements. (That customs union was intended to expire in 5 years with an independent Palestine. So much for that idea.)

I dwell on these seemingly obscure details to show how insidious settler-colonialism is. Our indigenous peoples can no doubt attest to thousands of such examples of how their land was occupied and stolen, relegating them 2nd class citizens in their own territory. We can’t change the past, but we can learn about it and from it, and dedicate ourselves to justice work going forward. As the longest running occupation in the world and the only apartheid state in the world, Israel is a stark example of wrong action. It’s not just happening “over there”; our own institutions perpetuate the wrongs, and those, we can do something about.

Tax Dollars at Work

November 30, 2023

April 2nd, 2007

Today Crew #2 returned to Rathtrevor Beach for another attempt at chipping up all the blow-down branches we’d collected and piled up from the Park’s campsites on two previous occasions.

Fully invigorated from a weekend’s rest and with a chipper that had now been repaired thrice in the past month, nine of us orange clad corrections workers split up into three groups of three to help out the Park’s staff. Last night’s crazy weather; wind then hail then a smattering of snow, had thankfully abated by dawn leaving nary a trace of its memory. What greeted us upon piling out of the crummy was a beautiful, sunshiny day.

I took a rake in hand and concentrated on grooming what essentially looked to be an impeccably clean park already. In the distance the chipper roared its throaty diesel sound. I must have really gotten into what I was tasked with because it had to have been a good half hour before realizing all I could hear were the spring songs of birds and the scratching of my rake upon the ground. It only then occurred that there must have again been a problem with the chipper.

Sure as shit, not ten minutes into the day the chipper began to act up AGAIN. For some reason it doesn’t want to hold at the prescribed 3500 R.P.M. necessary to turn offensive dead branches into inoffensive sawdust. First it was the seals on the fuel tank. Next it was the fuel and air filters. Now? Who the hell knows? It starts up okay and proves to be an effective stand upon which to prepare and cook lunch but run it for more than 5-10 minutes and the same problem rears its head. This is getting ridiculous now. It’s fast become manifest that a day on Crew #2 isn’t normal unless some piece of equipment breaks down or malfunctions. Chainsaws, brushsaws, crummy or chipper. Take your pick. About the only thing that works out there is us and even that is a contentious claim given our well documented struggle for better crew lunches and utter reliance upon working equipment.

Too bad we couldn’t give the chipper an improved lunch in hopes of coaxing a better effort from it! There’s just two problems with this idea. One; better lunches we have trouble obtaining and two; the chipper probably couldn’t bite through an unbuttered prison sandwich to begin with. At this point it’s a more effective paperweight than anything.

Evolutionary Reconciliation: Part 4

November 30, 2023

istockphoto-172856538-612x612 — "Two groups of people approaching each other over a chasm, ready to shake hands."

“To put your ego in check, to subordinate your ego, you must have incredible confidence. If you find you cannot put your ego in check because you are afraid it might make you look weak, then guess what? You are weak.” Jocko Willink “Leadership Strategy and Tactics”

Conflict sucks but facing conflict is a part of building reconciliation skills. How can I subordinate my primal instinct to flee, fight or freeze during a conflict? I had an eye-opening experience with conflict recently that tested my ability to put my ego at the bottom of my priority list. The skill could be called “ego-death.”

The person I was with suddenly began to criticize me after what I thought was a benign sounding request. Their tone of voice screamed: “I am superior to and better than you in every way,” conceit and condescension hitting me like a blast of sizzling bacon fat. Here was someone who is politically correct, charming, and intelligent. I froze for a minute, then I wanted to scream “FUCK YOU” and then realized that I did not want to fight back. I began to wonder if they were in pain, tired, hungry, lonely and/or oblivious to their use of cruel words. I also realized that I pride myself on being able to get along with people and that the other person should see how sincere and innocent I am. I had had many similar conflicts with this person and each time I concluded that they were a pompous blowhard, lacking self-awareness and not to be trusted. I took some deep breaths, while they babbled on about my faults. I did not interrupt them, which was a challenge. Thier words hung in the air like toxic smoke. Then, tentatively I verbalized some simple empathy, for both of us, but for them first. I did not try to defend myself, because I knew that self-defense would only escalate the conflict. Calm came over them and they apologized. I think what defused the tension is that I disarmed their ego by disarming mine.

You may fear that if you operate out of compassion (and not focusing on your desire to be liked, to win the argument, to deflect and defend), the other person will walk all over you. But in most cases, when the other person’s ego, i.e. their unconscious instinct to fight, flee or freeze, is not triggered by your own defense mechanisms, safety and regulation naturally comes into play. The ultimate form of leadership and compassion is creating neutral space in which the villain and victim realize they want a cease-fire.

This kind of interpersonal de-escalation tactic called “ego-death” takes endless practise. One way to encounter and navigate this skill is in the personal space of inquiry and meditation. If you are being honest and fully present, the unconscious mind will eventually vomit forth all your ego’s unresolved conflicts. There is really no permanent way of escaping unpleasant feelings so why not bite the bullet and explore your other options. In meditation, we ignore the distractions and stop blaming other people or any external circumstances for our suffering. When we feel resourced and safe enough to allow unconscious material to arise; “Meditation is a kind of waiting and postponing of reaction.” Sarah Schulman, from her book Conflict Is Not Abuse. If you feel overwhelmed with anxiety, which I did for the first 5 years of meditating, you need to seek some outside help to heal unresolved issues.

I double dog dare you to sit still, close your eyes, no mantras or special effects required, for 13 minutes every day and see what happens. Conflict will present itself as the grist for your evolution towards inner and interpersonal reconciliation.

Egg Sperm

November 30, 2023

Check our Gair’s new Book of Toons 2.

Available at Abraxas Books AND the Chuckwagon on beautiful Denman Island!

Humpty Dumpty

November 30, 2023

Humpty Dumpty

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall

Humpty Dumpty was having a ball

He stole the folk’s money

And squandered their wealth

In order to hide it

He squandered their health

Green Wizardries: Three Winter Solstice Gifts

November 30, 2023

Before we get into the subject of seasonal gift giving, I want to tell you a story. I recently made a huge pot of curried-squash soup. It had to be huge because the squash was huge. I thought of a friend I felt could use cheering up and took her a quart. We met her today while she was out for a walk and she thanked me for the soup and then told me the sort of day she had been having when the soup arrived.

Her electricity had failed several times that day. The ultra-violet filter for her well water had stopped working and then, to put a cherry on top of her day, the water had also stopped flowing. She had been so delighted to have a bottle of soup she could just set on the wood stove to warm up. My timing was bang on that day!

We are kind of on our own now; the various levels of government, police, medical services, schools and similar all seeming to be having a series of melt-downs. It is up to us to take care of our friends and neighbours. We are the last line of defence. So, ask people how they are doing and be prepared to step in with a kind gesture or a calming word.

Now, on to the giving of seasonal gifts. Giving the gift of a pleasant life is so much better than giving some trinket to clutter the house. For example, I started to read Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations some years ago and have never stopped. Without the very interesting footnotes, it is a short book and was never meant for publication. The Meditations were just things Marcus jotted down in a notebook because as the Emperor of Rome, he couldn’t have frank discussion with any other mortal. When I get to the end, I start again at the beginning.

Marcus Aurelius was more than just Emperor of Rome, he was also a thoughtful, decent man and a lifelong student of Stoic philosophy. I am sure you know the saying, “All power corrupts, but absolute power corrupts absolutely.” Marcus was an angry man and he could have had his enemies pulled apart by teams of horses in the circus but he never did. In fact, he was considered a prodigy of fair and even -handed rule.

The Meditations have gone around my family. I urged my sister in law to read them and when the family was together, we were talking to her eighteen-year-old son about what preparations would be good for him in life. His Mother said, “Meditations,” and we all stopped puzzled for a moment until she said, “Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations.”

Some months later, we were all visiting again and the young man said how astonished he was that he could open the book on any given day and receive excellent advice from a man, long dead, who seemed to know him and care about him. I find the same thing happens to me. I open the book and read a paragraph and find that is just what I needed to hear that day. The Meditations will make a fine gift for any person who does not own a copy.

The next gift on the list is Rosemary Gladstar’s Medicinal Herbs, a Beginner’s Guide. This is the first herbal I ever owned and it remains my favourite one. She gives information on how to grow medicinal plants, harvest them and gives a selection of recipes to make remedies for lots of common health problems.

She also talks about the excellent weeds nature provides us with and where to find them and how to prepare them. Rosemary also talks about common herbs and spices you probably already have in your kitchen and the excellent remedies you can make with them. I am continually amazed at how good the products are that I make with her recipes. Get this book for anyone on your list who doesn’t have it yet.

The last book I will mention is the excellent, “Encyclopedia of Natural Magic,” by John Michael Greer. Greer is a good scholar who has a rich background in ceremonial magic. The Encyclopedia is derived from his study of Medieval and Renaissance magical texts.

Besides being a good encyclopedia of the stones and herbs used in magical techniques, Greer provides information on how to use the book to pursue your own magical projects. He also talks about having good magical ethics as the starting point of a successful magical practice.

This text is fun and has many projects such as making magical soaps, incense, amulets, washes and perfumes. It even includes a section on magical gardening. All the information and projects in this book are suitable for children. Greer’s books are a huge improvement on the Harry Potter books as they deal in real magic which can be a potent resource in making a happy and fulfilling life.

Letter to the Editor – Christine Stewart

November 30, 2023

Letter to the editor re Sally Campbell’s article in the Grapevine of Nov 23:

Most people are aware of the living conditions of Palestinians in Gaza before the present conflict. I do not dispute Ms Campbell’s personal experience. I do wonder why she felt she had to describe it to us in the way she did, in her article in last week’s Grapevine. Especially now when emotions around the Israeli-Hamas war are running high, and the media are reporting a rise in hate crimes in our own country. Surely the article wasn’t a veiled justification for the Oct 7 massacre and hostage-taking, the subtext being: “they had it coming”? It’s a sentiment as old as (recorded) time, and the reason for the existence of Israel today. If this is not what Ms Campbell was saying, her account will be used to validate those who are.

Ms Campbell’s assertion that the conflict we are witnessing is about Israelis “getting all the land”, is simplistic, inaccurate, and inflammatory. Many Israelis support a two state solution – or they did before the conflict – and somehow I think Ms Campbell knows this. The repetition of her phrase in bold and italics doesn’t strengthen her argument. On the contrary. And it is not up to Ms Campbell to declare so confidently “what Israel-Palestine needs now”.

I read this article during the fraught fragile pause in the hostilities when the media were talking about “a glimmer of hope”. Too bad I couldn’t see any good intent in what Ms Campbell wrote, or anything at all that was informative or beneficial. Her specious attempt to distinguish “Judaism from Zionism” doesn’t cut it. Speaking out against injustice and inhumanity is one thing. Doing it in a sensational, demagogical way that is harmful to another party, is another thing entirely.

Christine Stewart