One year mark since attack that started Gaza War

We've been protesting at Senator Fetterman's office for a year now (4 October 2024), as he took a very hard-line stance against Palestinians in Gaza. We have felt that simply committing acts of violence against citizens of Gaza is insufficient to reach any sort of long-term settlement. 

One important factor to consider: Is Israel's military offensive just against Gaza or is it broadly anti-Palestinian? Mondoweiss documents a strike on the West Bank. Israelis claimed to have targeted "Zahi Oufi, described as a local 'Hamas commander' who was killed in the strike." Israelis have done this frequently throughout the war in Gaza, hit civilian buildings and alleged "safe areas" in order to eliminate militarily important Hamas personnel. 

Which means that while this statement by Lew sounds great, the above story makes it clear that it's meaningless. 

Ambassador Jack Lew urged Washington to give thousands more bombs to the Israelis because they have a “decades-long proven track record” of avoiding killing civilians.

Israel very clearly has zero qualms about killing civilians if it means taking out important enemy personnel.   

Gathering beforehand.

Whew! Finally!  After years of soft-pedaling and BothSidesing Trump's obvious unfitness for office, the NY Times, as a worst most cynical case scenario, is apparently covering its bets and putting out a journalistically sound piece concerning Trump's mental fitness at his advanced age.

President of Finland presents excellent peace plan for Ukraine. Basic idea is that Russia will re-start the war unless Ukraine regains all of the territory that it's lost since 1991, that Western powers should grant security guarantees to Ukraine and Russia should take serious measures of reparations. 

Video of presentation.

First Hurricane Helene hit,

Helene blew ashore in Florida’s Big Bend region as a Category 4 hurricane late Thursday and then quickly moved through Georgia, the Carolinas and Tennessee, uprooting trees, splintering homes and sending creeks and rivers over their banks and straining dams.

The areas that were hit don't normally suffer hurricane damage, then Hurricane Milton is threatening Florida, starting with Tampa. Conspiracy theories abound!  It's not of any particular interest that NOAA makes plane flights around the Gulf of Mexico. They do so to gather data about storms that may be forming during, y'know, storm season. But right-wingers are trying to make these flights sound sinister and mysterious to boost the idea that the NOAA is creating these storms!

This is causing all manner of extra work and time and effort on the part of federal agencies to swat down misinformation. North Carolina's Department of Public Safety has had to open up a web page "Hurricane Helene: Fact vs. Rumor" The story on USA Today:

Falsehoods and conspiracy theories about the Federal Emergency Management Agency have spread widely online, continuing to circulate even as Hurricane Milton now bears down on Florida. Deanne Criswell, the agency’s administrator, said misinformation has harmed people affected by the storm and volunteers on the ground to help rebuild.

Of course, the reason for the misinformation is rather obvious, the former President Trump is using it to boost his reelection campaign. 

RLGardner.net