“If feminism means standing for all women, then the silence surrounding Iranian women today demands an answer. Not all women are free — and not all feminists are willing to say so. Members of Iran’s women’s national soccer team recently sought asylum in Australia after refusing to sing the Islamic Republic’s national anthem. For that act alone, an act of conscience, they were treated as enemies of the state. Some were ultimately forced to return to Iran after being warned that their families’ lives were at risk. That is what courage looks like in Iran: choosing between your own freedom and the safety of the people you love most.” (03/23/26)
“The Philippines has become the world’s first country to declare a state of national energy emergency in response to the conflict in the Middle East. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said he had signed an executive order to safeguard energy security, citing the ‘imminent danger posed upon the availability and stability’ of the country’s energy supply. The US-Israel war with Iran and the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz — a key shipping route — have sent shock waves through global energy markets, causing shortages and price rises. The Philippines imports 98% of its oil from the Gulf, and the price of diesel and petrol has more than doubled in the country since the war broke out on 28 February. On Tuesday, Marcos said the move would give the government the legal authority to impose measures to ensure energy stability and protect the broader economy.” (03/24/26)
“A California man has been sentenced to over a decade in prison for attempting to use a drone to deliver balloons stuffed with methamphetamine to people in a state penitentiary, officials announced last week. According to a March 20 news release from the Eastern District of California U.S. Attorney’s Office, 28-year-old Jorge Narvaez admitted to using an Autel EVO II Pro V3 drone to attempt to deliver drugs to North Kern State Prison in June 2024. That year, Narvaez packed two balloons with meth and dropped them over a prison yard, the release said. When two prison officers recovered the contraband balloons and sent their contents to a laboratory, they discovered that they contained 21.4 grams of methamphetamine. Officers also discovered that this wouldn’t be Narvaez’s only delivery attempt. That same day, Narvaez launched the drone a second time, equipping it with three ‘similarly packaged balloons’ of meth, the news releases said.” (03/24/26)
“Rabbi Jessica Rosenberg, like hundreds of other residents and organizers in the Twin Cities, now keeps a strict schedule — at least every other day — of long volunteer patrols for vehicles driven by federal immigration agents occupying the region. In about two and a half months, thousands of agents unleashed wanton violence across the country as they abduct an average of more than 60 residents per day; shooting, killing and firing chemical weapons at nonviolent protesters, and extrajudicially arrest preschoolers and send them across the country. Things have been hard, but neighborhoods have also become more united and communication has become systematized and effective. … We talked just days before the massive January 23 economic shutdown, where there was a stunning amount of participation and support across the state, and somewhere between 50,000 to 100,000 people poured out of work, school and their homes to fill the streets.” (03/23/26)
“Many people in this country feel attacks on our civil liberties have gone too far. I agree. Heavily armed ICE and CBP agents, who are paid with our tax dollars, hide their identities as they storm into our homes without warrants, suppress free speech, and even murder U.S. citizens who engage in peaceful protest. Many people feel it is time to stop this cruelty and violence. Yet what can we do? One answer is to flood the streets. Indeed, in places like Chicago and Minneapolis, we’ve seen tens of thousands show up to demand an end to the militarized occupation of their cities. And millions nationwide have turned out to No Kings rallies, and will do so again this March 28th. Mass moments like this are important; they show us we are not alone. Yet on their own, they are not enough …” (03/22/26)
“After protests across Iran turned deadly in January, President Donald Trump promised Iranians that ‘help is on the way’. On February 28th, the U.S. and Israel launched what immediately became a devastating war on Iran. American and Israeli warplanes began dropping bombs on a country of some 93 million people. Trump soon put out a video address, telling Iranians that ‘the hour of your freedom is at hand’. Around the time that video appeared, Iranians in the city of Minab were sorting through the corpses of more than 165 people killed in an airstrike on an elementary school for girls. That same day, an airstrike killed Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, an 86-year-old who was supposedly already in poor health. Throughout the ensuing days, American and Israeli attacks struck hospitals, historic sites, and more schools.” (03/22/26)
“As we enter the fourth week of the Iran war (or ‘excursion’), here are two great ideas about how to deal with some of the consequences — both from outside the Beltway. In fact, right in New York. One idea, unusually, is from longtime President Trump critic and former swamp creature Richard Haass, now back in his hometown. The other is from Wall Street guru Larry Kudlow, Trump’s great friend and former economic adviser. Both ideas are elegantly unconventional. In his Substack last week, Haass took a moment from trashing the president to suggest an alternative to boots on the ground for the prickly problem of opening the Strait of Hormuz, where tankers carrying one-fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas are being throttled by Iran. Don’t send the Marines in to seize Kharg Island, Iran’s principal export terminal — just close the Strait.” (03/22/26)
Source: Caitlin Johnstone, Rogue Journalist
by Caitlin Johnstone
“Israel’s Foreign Ministry has posted a statement on Twitter which reads, ‘The Iranian regime devastated Arad and Dimona by deliberately striking civilians with missiles. Over 100 people were injured, including children. A blatant war crime. Pure terrorism.’ I don’t want to be one of those people who wastes their time criticizing ‘hypocrisy’ in foreign policy, but holy fucking shit, dude. Jesus Christ. My God. I will never, ever express sympathy for Israelis. Ever. Under any circumstances. To do so would be irresponsible, because Israel always weaponizes sympathy and then uses that weapon to commit mass atrocities. If the world gives Israel sympathy for civilians injured by an Iranian airstrike over the weekend in a war Israel started, by Friday they’ll be using that sympathy to justify nuking Tehran. I don’t enjoy holding this position.” [editor’s note: Then perhaps you should start distinguishing Israeli non-combatants from the Israeli regime, Ms. Johnstone; then you’d have a shot at getting it right – TLK] (03/22/26)
“When singer Joseph E. Foreman took the stand recently in Ohio, his message, like his lyrics, was hardly subtle. Indeed, counsel may have been unsure whether to examine or to hoist him. The rapper, known as ‘Afroman,’ appeared in a suit modeled after an American flag with matching flag-patterned sunglasses. He lashed out at the seven police officers who raided his home and then sued him for publicly mocking them. He insisted that he was the virtual embodiment of the First Amendment in all of its glory. The jury agreed, at least insofar as finding him protected in his parody and public portrayal of the officers. Almost three years ago, I wrote about the case and expressed deep skepticism about the legal viability of the case in light of free speech protections for filming and criticizing public officials.” (03/23/26)
“Federal immigration officers have arrived at U.S. airports, fulfilling President Donald Trump’s pledge to deploy them to help the Transportation Security Administration during a partial government shutdown. The shutdown has caused long lines at security checkpoints across the country. This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.” (03/23/26)
