Content Warning: This Post has references to extreme violence, anti-Semitism, sexual violence and the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine.
That sub-headline is a reference to a game by one of my favorite US board game designers, Eric M. Lang. It is long out of print and based on the Warhammer universe, which I have intentionally avoided most of my life. It’s more of a money sink than Magic the Gathering and I tend to get bored with playing the same thing over and over again.
That said, if you come across it for cheap and it ended up on my doorstep, I wouldn’t complain.
Last week did not have a post and I apologize for that. A rescheduled trip to my parents house coupled with a litany of hurdles meant I took a week off my job. Might be an odd word choice for some, but I do feel an obligation to keep writing. I made a commitment at the start of the year and I’m intending to keep it up. November notwithstanding, of course. Very excited to spend some time globe trotting.
Maybe I’ll do a travel essay at the end to sum up, or keep notes throughout so I can recap more effectively. This is a relatively benign introduction for some things that won’t be. Eris (or maybe Tzeentch, to stay on theme) has run wild, both in my personal life and in the world.
Personality Crisis
My father is currently working to bring himself back to fighting shape after an injury in March of this year. It’s a challenge, as Father Time fights dirty. I spent the last week in his corner, mostly cooking and helping with chores around my parents’ house. A lot of people have reached out to them about coming to see him, which is wonderful, but I think it should be publicly understood that they are not hosts right now. Any visit should come with the expectation of helping out. Me and You and Everyone we know.
Adrianne came to pick me up on Thursday night, I made my dad Tikki Masala with home made paneer and naan. I’ve gotten pretty good at cooking in my own kitchen and now I’m learning to replicate in other kitchens. It’s a lot harder than you’d think, or at least harder than I would think. You might have a correct understanding of the degrees of difficulty in replicating a recipe in someone else’s house and this is my ignorance screaming. Ignorance tends to have a voice that rises above the fray.
Coming home was necessary, because we had tickets to see Trevor Noah. A man I am obviously familiar with but only as an idea. The Daily Show was a bit too conservative for me when the political shift happened. Giving John Oliver a platform has been one of my favorite things to come from that show. Noah showed up in clips occasionally and he was always at least humorous if not outright hilarious and Adrianne is a big fan of his autobiography.
We had a good time and he is definitely a talented comic. His show felt a little underdeveloped for a mainstage comic, which makes sense. When he would have been cutting his teeth on the circuit, he was hosting a massively popular TV show. Some of his jokes were incredible, well crafting with excellent timing. Chameleon like impressions. Strong mastery of accents, decent crowd work.
There were some bits that felt like email forwards from a boomer uncle - how cell phones are causing us to devolve stood out in particular - but overall I understand how he got the call in the first place. And his voice is an important one to help open doors for people that might have been shut off to information they need to hear. People were audibly shocked at some rather commonplace truths he shared. Awakenings are always important and you never know who will be your Prince Phillip.
Father Time has worked on me too. I failed to unpack on Friday morning. I had taken chocolate edibles (in a Ricky Safe Container, I struggle to open it) and they were packed at the bottom of a bag. Kahlua, however, is a hound dog. So our return from Trevor Noah was a dog reenacting “Blister in the Sun.” We called Dog Poison Control (an $85 charge, FYI) and then called the emergency vet.
Front Desk Attendant was someone who had worked for me and it didn’t end on the best of terms. Thankfully, we were all adults about it. Around 6 am, Kahlua returned to normalcy and we left the ER of the Vet. She hadn’t been seen yet, but that’s not uncommon. I felt awful that I hadn’t hidden away my medicine but am thankful that she was ultimately okay. Just a little freaked out, understandably.
Lesson learned, always unpack. Our weekend was off kilter for the remainder. I’d like to say that Monday was a return to normalcy, but how could I? Kahlua found a wild animal’s outhouse in our yard and wanted to bake that into her fur. I spent this morning as a doggy spa attendant to a reluctant guest. She does smell better now, Dog Shampoo to the rescue.
While my weekend was in disarray, Israel was greeted with their own form of chaos.
This Post Is Brought To You By A Falling Bomb
Israelis were the victim of a horrific attack on civilians from Hamas soldiers in Gaza. Extreme violence against non-combat civilians. Rape. Dead bodies paraded as trophies. A coordinated Land, Air and Sea attack. You don’t have to do much research to find out about what happened here.
Stories typically paint things black and white, or at least black and gray in the case of newsprint. News cycles are being dominated by sources with varying degrees of objectivity. This isn’t an attempt at objectivity, but an attempt to give a brief overview of what caused this particular domino to fall.
I can’t speak much to the war in Ukraine. Most of that seems more boilerplate war, Russian wants land that they think is theirs and has mobilized to reclaim it, citing shaky reasons at best for their attack. That’s a story that is easier to tell, we are Ukraine’s allies and we support them because they are the wrongfully aggrieved. Most outside of Russians staunchest allies agree. My Ignorance is probably screaming right now.
I know considerably more about this conflict. My studies kicked off in earnest in 2001 while I was taking a class called Modern Middle Eastern studies in college. About a month in, 9/11 happened. We got to study history and see how it was shaped in real time while learning about that factors in depth. I never stopped reading about it. I am by no means an expert, but I do have some insight I think is important to have during this news cycle. I’m going to try to explain the why and give as much evidence as I can.
Israel is also our ally. They are also, in this instance, the aggrieved. This story, however, is far more complicated than most acts of war. Israel is currently engaged in apartheid against the people of Gaza and the West Bank. Since 2000, 96% of fatalities in conflicts between the two peoples have been Palestinians. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been widely criticized as a fascist. Netanyahu rode a far right populist wave to return to power:
Hamas rose to power in Gaza in 2006. They won an election and they have not had an election since. 17 years ago. The average age in Gaza is 18. The West Bank has also not had an election in fear that Hamas would take over there as well. Gaza has about 2 million people and is almost completely surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea and Israel:
Hamas positions themselves as freedom fighters for Palestine. However, their charter has been called a modern day Mein Kampf. They have been in charge of Gaza for 17 years after winning the election with 44% of the vote. The average age in Gaza is 18. According to Amnesty International, here is what life has been like for people in Gaza living under Israel’s Rule:
Apartheid - “Amnesty International released a 280-page report showing how Israel was imposing an institutionalized regime of oppression and domination against the Palestinian people wherever it exercised control over their rights, fragmenting and segregating Palestinian citizens of Israel, residents of the OPT and Palestinian refugees denied the right of return. Through massive seizures of land and property, unlawful killings, infliction of serious injuries, forcible transfers, arbitrary restrictions on freedom of movement, and denial of nationality, among other inhuman or inhumane acts, Israeli officials would be responsible for the crime against humanity of apartheid, which falls under the jurisdiction of the ICC.”
Unlawful Attacks and Killings - “Israel launched an offensive on the Gaza Strip targeting the Palestinian Islamic Jihad and its armed wing, destroying or damaging some 1,700 Palestinian homes and displacing hundreds of civilians.”
Right to Truth, Justice and Reparation - “Israeli authorities continued to refuse to cooperate with the investigation by the ICC Office of the Prosecutor, despite a 2021 decision by the ICC to initiate an investigation into the situation in Palestine. The authorities also failed to adequately investigate violations and crimes under international law.”
Arbitrary detention - “Israeli police arrested more than 400 Palestinians, including children, journalists and worshippers, during a raid on the al-Aqsa mosque compound in the Old City of Jerusalem. According to the Palestinian Red Crescent, at least 152 Palestinians were injured by rubber bullets, live ammunition and stun grenades, and were beaten. Most were released after several hours.”
Other atrocities committed against the people of Palestine (not necessarily Gaza) - Forced Evictions, Torture and Freedom of Association and Expression.
The people of Gaza are more likely to be children, raised under an oppressive occupation and indoctrinated into a Holy War calling on them to sacrifice themselves for the freedom of their people. If only it were that simple.
While a comprehensive history of Israel is important to understand the full ramifications of this story, this article won’t get you there. Again, I’ve been reading for 20+ years and I still learn new things every day. The involvement of other Mediterranean and West Asian nations is important to note, however.
Hamas’ attack was coordinated. They had missile strikes. How does an occupied territory have the resources or intel to make this happen? Things start to get muddy there. Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Iran blame Israel for the attacks. There are Hamas leaders currently living in Qatar. Iran and Syria are believed to be the biggest funders of Hamas.
Israel says they currently have no evidence that Iran funded or planned these attacks. Iran denies involvement. Israel is engaged in war with Gaza currently.
I’ve read a lot of opinions about this conflict. And more news articles than I can remember. The following is my opinion as it stands today.
What I’ve seen is a lot of people trying to lionize leaders and demonize opposition. I see a lot of children indoctrinated into a war, financed by people who aren’t fighting it, because they know nothing else and see no other choice. Israeli propaganda will go into overdrive to justify war crimes against those same children, arguing for national security. The people will support it because of the horrific and barbaric attacks enacted upon them, much like the blind patriotism following 9/11 in the US.
If we’re looking for black and white, this scenario runs far deep into the black all around for me. I am going to keep reading and am definitely open to hearing other perspectives. This is a complicated issue and there are a lot of opinions presented as facts.