Israel Is a State Like Any Other, and Commits Atrocities Like Any Other Would

Source: Liberal Currents
by Nathan Goldwag

“Israel acts like any other apartheid state, but receives a level of deference from the American government and press and public quite unlike any other.” (05/27/26)

https://www.liberalcurrents.com/israel-is-a-state-like-any-other-and-commits-atrocities-like-any-other-would/

Germany: After decades on the run, former member of militant group jailed for armed robberies

Source: BBC News [UK State Media]

“A former member of the German militant group Red Army Faction (RAF) has been jailed for 13 years for carrying out a string of armed robberies between 1999 and 2016. Daniela Klette, 67, was finally caught in a flat in Berlin in 2024 after more than 30 years on the run. She went on trial last year. Her defence had called for her acquittal but the court in Verden in Lower Saxony found her guilty on Wednesday of aggravated robbery, violating weapons laws and other offences over a 17-year period. The RAF, a violent anti-capitalist group also known as the Baader-Meinhof gang, was eventually disbanded after a campaign of murder, kidnapping and bombing from the early 1970s to the early 1990s. ” (05/27/26)

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx21dr3lekpo

Electile Dysfunction: Why Can’t the Dems Get Their Polls Up?

Source: Common Dreams
by Marv Waterstone

“‘The Republicans go for the jugular; the Democrats go for the capillaries’ — Kevin Phillips … With the recent release of the long-withheld, but little anticipated Democratic National Committee ‘autopsy’ of the 2024 presidential electoral loss, we’re back to the perennial questions of which issues should receive priority; how should messaging and narrative around those issues be crafted; which wing(s) of the party should be amputated before their rot infects the entire organism, suburban soccer moms or inner city youth; and on and on. All good questions, but ultimately, in present circumstances, unanswerable except in the most platitudinous, hand-waving ways. The most fundamental dilemma resides in the Faustian bargain the party entered beginning in the 1970s, and the result of that bargain is neatly captured in Sheldon Wolin’s 2010 coinage ‘the inauthentic opposition.'” (05/27/26)

https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/why-can-t-dems-win

Hungary: Parliament Approves Law to Maintain Membership in International Criminal Court

Source: US News & World Report

“Hungary’s parliament ⁠on ⁠Wednesday approved legislation ⁠to maintain the country’s membership in ​the International Criminal Court, reversing a 2025 decision ‌made by the government ‌of Viktor Orban. Orban’s government decided to ⁠withdraw from ⁠the ICC, saying the court had become ‘political.’ Current ​Prime Minister Peter Magyar, who ousted Orban in parliamentary elections last month, pledged to halt the ​withdrawal process and keep Hungary in the ICC. The International ⁠Criminal ⁠Court was set up ⁠more ​than two decades ago to prosecute those accused ​of war crimes, ⁠crimes against humanity and genocide. Orban’s government announced the withdrawal in April 2025, shortly after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived in Hungary ⁠for a state visit in a rare trip abroad ⁠in defiance of an ICC arrest warrant.” (05/27/26)

https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2026-05-27/parliament-approves-law-to-keep-hungarys-membership-of-the-international-criminal-court

Safetyism has made society terrified of disagreement

Source: spiked
by Stefano Gujon

“As ‘safe spaces’ on Western university campuses continue to multiply, it has become clear that institutions designed to defend free thought are now breeding grounds for illiberal conformism. Higher education no longer trains students to grapple with dissent. It teaches them to avoid intellectual conflict at all costs. This conformism has not been limited to the lecture hall. It has spread outwards into companies, the media space and public life.” (05/27/26)

https://archive.is/uJjlZ

American History as Fandom Lore

Source: Aaron Ross Powell’s Blog
by Aaron Ross Powell

“For most Americans—and particularly for the culturally reactionary ones who form Trump’s MAGA base—American history isn’t really history. It’s not a series of actual events to be studied objectively and probed thoughtfully. It is instead American lore. Like learning everything there is to know about Star Wars or about Warhammer 40,000 or about the endless variety of heroes who make up the Avengers, American lore is a comprehensive story any new event can fit into. And that you, if you’re American, can fit yourself into, too.” (05/26/26)

https://www.aaronrosspowell.com/3mmru6rbyis2p

Saudi Arabia: Muslim pilgrims perform Hajj rituals under intense heat as Eid al-Adha celebrations start

Source: SFGate

“Masses of pilgrims in Saudi Arabia threw pebbles at a large pillar in a symbolic ritual on Wednesday, one of the final days of the Hajj as Muslims around the world started celebrating the Islamic holiday of Eid al-Adha. Pilgrims in Mina, Saudi Arabia, chanted ‘Allahu akbar’ (God is great) while throwing pebbles in a ritual seen as a symbolic stoning of the devil. The act is also seen as a symbol of rejecting evil and a commemoration of the Prophet Ibrahim’s rejection of temptation when the devil tried to dissuade him from submitting to God’s will. Large crowds of pilgrims moved through the sprawling Jamarat complex after arriving from Muzdalifah, where they collected pebbles overnight following a day of worship and prayer at Arafat on Tuesday.” (05/27/26)

https://www.sfgate.com/news/world/article/muslim-pilgrims-perform-hajj-rituals-under-22278357.php