occasional reflections on culture & politics
Whatever is happening in Gaza cannot make anyone happy. The situation is grim. People are suffering, starving, dying. This cannot continue. Saying this is easy, but thinking about how to solve the problem is less easy. The reason it is complicated lies, first of all, in the excessive brutality of Hamas’ attack on October 7,… Continue reading #252: Some Reflections on Israel, Gaza, and Protests
Now Putin has done it. He has finally murdered his main competitor. Last Friday, we received news of Navalny’s death. There is no doubt that Putin is responsible — he has done everything he can to set in motion a murderous machine, which finally achieved its result. Putin is and always has been a killer.… Continue reading #246: Navalny’s Killing Exposes Putin’s Weakness
Intentional or not, Tucker Carlson just did the world a strange favor: He showed how deluded and dangerous Putin really is. Typically, I do not agree with Tucker Carlson’s politics. This is immaterial – different people have different ideas. That’s the beauty of freedom of speech and freedom of expression, and it is what makes… Continue reading #245: Tucker Carlson Reveals Putin’s Fear and Delusion
We cannot afford to wait with supporting Ukraine. Our current hesitancy is not just endangering our friends and allies, but will work against us in the future as well. Aliens attack Earth. They land in the country of Somewhereistan and are starting to establish a stronghold in a part of the country. The country is… Continue reading #244: When Aliens Attack, What Will We Do? Reflections on Western Hesitancy in the Face of Russian Aggression
We are living in a world similar to that of Babylon 5, Season 5. Does this sound weird? You don’t know what Babylon 5 is? What does this have to do with politics and society? Let me explain, and I hope this will make sense. https://youtu.be/uToMlVTY7Jw I. Babylon 5 is a science fiction show that… Continue reading #243: Living in a Time of Frustration: Are We Living in Babylon 5, Season 5?
Something strange is happening. On October 7, organized rape, kidnap and murder squads from Hamas invaded Israeli territory – following their organization’s genocidal charter – and committed the worst antisemitic massacre since the Holocaust. Hamas declared war, with their allies – similarly genocidally minded Hezbollah, directed probably by Iran in happy cooperation with Russia and… Continue reading #241: The War Against Israel
We are hearing the slogan that Israel would be committing Genocide in Gaza. Just because you hear it so frequently doesn’t make it right. At no point has Israel, as a state, ever wanted to eradicate Palestinians or Palestine. Since its inception, and before, it wanted to work with the Arab population. It invited Arabs… Continue reading #237: No, Israel is Not Committing Genocide in Gaza
We are hearing terms like “Colonizer” or “Apartheid State” used to describe Israel. They are used for two reasons: Some are legitimately frustrated with the status of Palestine and Palestinians, especially those living in the West Bank and Gaza. They do not have their own state yet, and their political rights are not protected in… Continue reading #234: Israel is Neither Colonizer Nor Apartheid State
I. Intro Hamas does not speak for or act for all Palestinians. We must not connect the two. Because if we do – what does this say about our perceptions of Palestinians? In the past week, we have seen shocking evidence of horrifying acts committed by Hamas against innocent people in Israel. It has killed,… Continue reading #230: Against Hamas, Against Antisemitism, Against Antizionism
https://youtu.be/AasjWiIFu_g If you see yourself as a believer in justice, as dedicated to the fight against oppression and exploitation, ask yourself: What is the biggest justice? What is the purpose of the fight against oppression and exploitation? The answer can probably only be as follows: The preservation of human life, ideally of all life, in… Continue reading #229: Fighting for Love in Times of War
https://youtu.be/gLMeuYn0IQM Hamas has brutally attacked Israel. They've killed civilians indiscriminately, abducted people, all on a flimsy excuse that this had something to do with Jews on or near the Al-Aqsa Mosque. We know that that's not the reason. Israel had ended the occupation of Gaza in 2005, and as a result, Gaza has been dominated… Continue reading #228: Hamas Attacked Israel
https://youtu.be/t7RFlIlUwqM I. If you see yourself on the political left or a progressive, you should not support Putin. You are against racism? Putin’s Russia promotes Russian chauvinism. Not even Russia First, but Russia Only. As Vladimir Putin himself has said, what is the point of a world without Russia? You are against violence against women?… Continue reading #227: Whatever Your Politics, There is No Reason to Support Putin
We are living at a time where democracy is challenged on a variety of levels, domestically and internationally. There exist several attempts to actively discourage people from seeking democracy, to use internal contradictions within democratic countries in order to legitimatize democracy itself, or to even undermine and destroy democracy where it exists. We cannot be… Continue reading #226: We Must Not Give Up on Global Democracy
Frequently, we can read that Ukraine “demands” something, and some criticize the country and its representatives as not being thankful and diplomatic enough. Some Ukrainian officials have indeed be a bit pushy, a bit forceful in their asks, and their tone has been a bit demanding. But – can you blame them? Ukraine is fighting… Continue reading #223: Should Ukraine Be More Thankful and Less Demanding?
Occasionally, we read news headlines like “Putin offers to negotiate” etc. Is that true? Could it possibly be that he has changed his mind, realized he made a mistake in wanting to either capture or destroy Ukraine? No. Putin may say he wants to “negotiate”, but at the same time, he has always made clear… Continue reading #221: Does Putin Want to Negotiate?
It has become clear by now that Russia cannot win any of the aims of their “Special Military Operation.” They cannot “denazify” Ukraine, simply because Ukraine is not run by Nazis, they cannot “demilitarize” it, because Ukraine is not just supported by its allies but also determined to produce weapons itself. They protect the separatist… Continue reading #220: Russia’s Only Interests Are Terror and Destruction. It Must Be Defeated
Just now, I am listening to Shostakovich’s Seventh Symphony, named after the iconic moment in time that Leningrad survived German aggression. Germany, in its quest to eradicate what was considered “unworthy life” inside and outside its borders, pushing an aggressive nationalist agenda, determined to gain “living space” for its “ethnically cleansed” “purely German” population, set… Continue reading #208: The Perversion of Everything Russian: From Leningrad to Mariupol
I NEED TO BELIEVE Corvallis, October 9th, 2022 – P#786 I need to believethat beneath all this sorrowbeneath all this painand all this senseless senselessnessis waiting a future timemuch better than the current onewaitingto be bornout ofallthis I need to believebecause without this beliefthere would be nothingkeeping mefrom seeking madnessrather than sanityand desperationrather than resilienceand… Continue reading #196: Poem: I Need to Believe
We keep hearing in the news frequently that most Russians support Putin’s war. This is highly misleading, and very probably wrong. There cannot be objective surveys in Russia. All independent journalistic institutions have either been closed or are about to close. Any independent thinking is being actively discouraged, and if discouragement does not work, it… Continue reading #183: What Are Russians Thinking?
What a funny sight: Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov did fly to the G20 meeting, held some talks with country representatives that are less critical of Russia (in order to promote their own self-interest), and departed before being able to meet and listen to any of the critics. This, again, demonstrates that Russia has no… Continue reading #173: Putin and Lavrov Demonstrate the Weakness of Today’s Russia
Erratic Attempts 