[Preface for my readers: it has been nearly six months since I have posted to this MEEMINGUL Substack. Normally, my posts feature clever, whimsical wordplay with visual puns about what’s going on in the world. With my (alternative) news feeds documenting the daily tragedies and atrocities in occupied Palestine, I became increasingly heartbroken and horrified, too much so to post any puns. There was no clever commentary I could make about that kind of pain. I know pain. A spinal injury has kept me in crippling pain that makes walking, standing, even sitting at a computer for more than a few minutes unbearable, some days impossible. I also understand that my pain is negligible compared to the pain in Palestine.]
Six weeks ago, Caitlin Johnstone posted this article: If You Don't Oppose The Gaza Holocaust, You've Been Wasting Your Life On This Planet to which I made this comment:
Six years ago, a spinal injury made it such that I can't stand for more than a few minutes without searing pain. Our small town has a weekly downtown vigil where the two highways through town intersect, pro-Palestine on one corner, pro-Israel on the opposite corner. For many months, I wanted to stand in solidarity with the five or six pro-Palestine folks, but knew I couldn't. Then I made a resolution: I must stand with Palestine. For a month now, I've attended every Friday, I use trekking poles as crutches to hold me up until my legs go numb and I physically collapse (usually 30-45 minutes). It is brutal, but I think to myself: at least I have legs to stand on, unlike so many children in Gaza, who have limbs amputated without anesthetic. I can make my performative appearance, then go home and eat lunch, unlike the starving population of Gaza. I can sleep in a warm bed at night with a secure roof over my head, unlike the displaced, disposed people of Palestine. I do the best I can to bear witness publicly to the ongoing genocide in Palestine.
I’ve done my online activism, signing petitions and sending letters to my elected officials, one or two a week for many months. It’s about all I can do, I’m old and moderately disabled. It’s been nearly 20 years since I’ve stood on a street corner and held up a sign:
UN World Peace Day Action
“The International Day of Peace, also officially known as World Peace Day, is a United Nations-sanctioned holiday observed annually on 21 September. It is dedicated to world peace, and specifically the absence of war and violence, such as might be occasioned by a temporary ceasefire in a combat zone for humanitarian aid access. The day was first establi…
It’s been nearly 20 years since I’ve publicly protested but for months now, every day I hear stories and see images of unspeakable atrocities and sadistic cruelties (which go unreported in our mainstream media - otherwise every decent, moral US citizen would be out in the streets, outraged at our government funding, arming and enabling this ongoing genocide).
Here’s one such story from a few days ago (of thousands that flood alternative and social media news feeds):
The photos and videos in that article are horrific. Who could not be moved by them? This has been happening every day. What could I do? I challenged myself to answer the question posed by Aaron Bushnell:
Aaron Bushnell - What Would I Do?
On Sunday, February 25th, US Airman Aaron Bushnell set himself on fire in front of the Israeli embassy in Washington, DC.
Airman Bushnell had previously posed this question (to all of us) on his Facebook page:
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.
This is what I’m doing right now:
What would I do if my country was committing genocide?
A Word of Caution Amid the Chaos
In response to Mark Crispin Miller’s recent post about the ongoing tragedy in Gaza, I left a comment that resonated—liked by 12 readers, regardless of where they stand politically. While emotions are understandably high, I shared a personal story meant as a caution: heartfelt pleas for help, especially during times of war and crisis, can sometimes be manipulative or outright fraudulent.
Here’s what I wrote:
Mark, I appreciate your compassion, and no one should turn a blind eye to suffering. But I urge people to be very careful about where they send their money. During COVID, I was conned by someone who spun one heartbreaking tale after another. He was incredibly convincing—photos, stories, urgency. I thought I was helping someone survive lockdowns. I sent money through Western Union. It was only later I realized the whole thing was a scam.
You might think you know the person—but in these situations, especially across borders and conflict zones, you're often trusting a digital shadow. And even if the person is sincere, middlemen often take huge cuts—one of the appeals you shared admits to a 40% loss due to money brokers. That alone should raise red flags.
During Covid I made a music video called In Toba Tek Singh, drawn from my own experience of being deceived during that time:
👉 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88iazIAx7o8
So by all means feel compassion—but don’t let your heart outrun your judgment.
As one of the group of Palestine supporters on that corner, I thank you with all my heart and salute your determination, Ned. It is an honor to know you ✊🏽🇵🇸🙏