Thank you for documenting Aaron’s profound act of solidarity. I wrote about him and his heroism, arguing that he was far more lucid than his detractors suggest:
“Some might argue that Aaron was mentally ill. Others will describe his act of protest as suicide. They all would do well to grapple with the lucidity of his thoughts, and his words as he gave away his life to defend others.
Aaron’s self-immolation was neither an act of despair, nor one driven by confusion. It was an act of moral desperation undertaken by a person whose thoughtful concerns deserve to be heard.
Aaron explained his sense of moral urgency. Before lighting himself on fire, he said:
‘My name is Aaron Bushnell, I am an active-duty member of the United States Air Force and I will no longer be complicit in genocide. I am about to engage in an extreme act of protest, but compared to what people have been experiencing in Palestine at the hands of their colonizers, it's not extreme at all. This is what our ruling class has decided will be normal.’
These are not the words of someone suffering from illness, but rather those of a lucid being responding to the illness of an ignorant and belligerent civilization that refuses to heed either the demands of international rights or the sacrifices of the veterans who secured them.”
The rest of the post addresses military ethics and international law, and how—from one perspective—Aaron pursued the only route available to him as a servicemember to indicate his dissent from bipartisan support for genocide. https://shahidbuttar.substack.com/p/dont-look-away and noted how
Self-immolation is the ultimate way to shine light on evil actions. Unfortunately, the governments of the US and other "developed" countries appear to have reached the stage where no amount of light will awaken them from their dark slumber.
In 1969 I was too afraid to give up my comfy middle class life to go to Canada or to jail to protest the Vietnam war. So I joined up as an Air Force Technician to not be a rifleman in the Infantry. I live with this guilt every day. Now I am75 years old with a good retirement. Air Man Bushnell puts my shame on record.
The decades of betrayal of Palestine are facilitated by the
decades of hypocrisy by one US President after another, favoring & protecting brutal Zionist racism against the ever more pitiful appeals to "International Law."
Veterans from all of our wars and their families have passed through my family therapy practice. When we send our young rural and inner city kids into these one-sided wars where they maim and kill civilians on the ground with guns or with napalm, agent orange, phosphorous bombs and cluster bombs....they return with serious PTSD. They see what we are doing to people. Our callous, cynical old men and women in congress could care less since the money rolls like water into their accounts.
Whole families suffer from the shortage of adequate medical care for all of the wounds, missing limbs and brain injuries these men sustain on one, two, three and four tours!
Fear is the primary instrument of control used by every oppressor. The terrorist state of Israel has employed extreme violence, since before it officially became a state, in an attempt to demoralize and instill craven hopelessness in the indigenous population. It has never succeeded and never will. Nothing short of annihilating every last Palestinian will end their resistance to absolute evil. Israel knows this and acts with determination to make the most of what opportunity has afforded it on 7 October. It will likely pay a fatal price for overplaying it's hand. Isolated and reviled on the world stage, economically hampered and eventually abandoned by it's chief benefactor; when it becomes more of a geopolitical hindrance than useful to the United States. Aaron Bushnell's ultimate act of spiritual and moral resistance embodies Palestinians inherent strength in the face of this radical evil.
There must be a permanent ceasefire in Gaza in order to comply with the ICJ ruling. Not with Palestinians suffering under oppressive conditions, but as a place where all live with peace and equality. It is time for Pope Francis to do more than talk. He must go to Gaza and make a stand for peace and freedom.
Let us also support UNRWA. If our governments won’t act in accordance with humanity, then we will. https://www.unrwausa.org/donate Let us do it to honor Aaron Bushnell, or in memory of Hind Rajab.
These are a few small things we can do. If we can do more, let us do more.
I just watched the protest streamed live by Status Coup on YouTube. One thing I did not notice was any signs calling for a No Fly Zone! I think that needs to be a main call going foward in all protests, starting now. If you are going to a protest, please make a sign with that message.
Aaron Bushnell is a member of the United States Air Force who has allowed himself to fall victim to the woke ideology and the progressive propaganda of a demonic agenda that has long been predicted in the Bible. That prediction is – that God will not stand with those who are against Israel and His people, the Jews.
THIS GLORIFICATION OF BUSHNELLS ACT OF INSANITY IS DEPLORABLE. YOU ARE
ENCOURAGING OTHERS TO DO THE SAME. BLOOD ON YOUR HANDS. THE PALESTINIAN CAUSE HAS DESCENDED INTO A DEATH CULT FEATURING SUICIDE BOMBINGS AND SELF IMMOLATION. SICK STUFF.
Laws are not necessarily good or just.. just enforced. We are ruled, not led. Aaron Bushnell’s self-immolation showed his soul to be a great one of the most extreme and noble order!
Thank you for documenting Aaron’s profound act of solidarity. I wrote about him and his heroism, arguing that he was far more lucid than his detractors suggest:
“Some might argue that Aaron was mentally ill. Others will describe his act of protest as suicide. They all would do well to grapple with the lucidity of his thoughts, and his words as he gave away his life to defend others.
Aaron’s self-immolation was neither an act of despair, nor one driven by confusion. It was an act of moral desperation undertaken by a person whose thoughtful concerns deserve to be heard.
Aaron explained his sense of moral urgency. Before lighting himself on fire, he said:
‘My name is Aaron Bushnell, I am an active-duty member of the United States Air Force and I will no longer be complicit in genocide. I am about to engage in an extreme act of protest, but compared to what people have been experiencing in Palestine at the hands of their colonizers, it's not extreme at all. This is what our ruling class has decided will be normal.’
These are not the words of someone suffering from illness, but rather those of a lucid being responding to the illness of an ignorant and belligerent civilization that refuses to heed either the demands of international rights or the sacrifices of the veterans who secured them.”
The rest of the post addresses military ethics and international law, and how—from one perspective—Aaron pursued the only route available to him as a servicemember to indicate his dissent from bipartisan support for genocide. https://shahidbuttar.substack.com/p/dont-look-away and noted how
Self-immolation is the ultimate way to shine light on evil actions. Unfortunately, the governments of the US and other "developed" countries appear to have reached the stage where no amount of light will awaken them from their dark slumber.
In 1969 I was too afraid to give up my comfy middle class life to go to Canada or to jail to protest the Vietnam war. So I joined up as an Air Force Technician to not be a rifleman in the Infantry. I live with this guilt every day. Now I am75 years old with a good retirement. Air Man Bushnell puts my shame on record.
The decades of betrayal of Palestine are facilitated by the
decades of hypocrisy by one US President after another, favoring & protecting brutal Zionist racism against the ever more pitiful appeals to "International Law."
Veterans from all of our wars and their families have passed through my family therapy practice. When we send our young rural and inner city kids into these one-sided wars where they maim and kill civilians on the ground with guns or with napalm, agent orange, phosphorous bombs and cluster bombs....they return with serious PTSD. They see what we are doing to people. Our callous, cynical old men and women in congress could care less since the money rolls like water into their accounts.
Whole families suffer from the shortage of adequate medical care for all of the wounds, missing limbs and brain injuries these men sustain on one, two, three and four tours!
calling it mental illness is to devoid yourself of thoughtful reflection on his anguish.
Fear is the primary instrument of control used by every oppressor. The terrorist state of Israel has employed extreme violence, since before it officially became a state, in an attempt to demoralize and instill craven hopelessness in the indigenous population. It has never succeeded and never will. Nothing short of annihilating every last Palestinian will end their resistance to absolute evil. Israel knows this and acts with determination to make the most of what opportunity has afforded it on 7 October. It will likely pay a fatal price for overplaying it's hand. Isolated and reviled on the world stage, economically hampered and eventually abandoned by it's chief benefactor; when it becomes more of a geopolitical hindrance than useful to the United States. Aaron Bushnell's ultimate act of spiritual and moral resistance embodies Palestinians inherent strength in the face of this radical evil.
Chris
The world is getting crazier by the minute. When will we turn this around.
There must be a permanent ceasefire in Gaza in order to comply with the ICJ ruling. Not with Palestinians suffering under oppressive conditions, but as a place where all live with peace and equality. It is time for Pope Francis to do more than talk. He must go to Gaza and make a stand for peace and freedom.
Please sign the petition and share widely.
https://chng.it/CRQ7qw4Gzn
Code pink
https://www.codepink.org/cnngaza?utm_campaign=12_15_pali_update_alert_3&utm_medium=email&utm_source=codepink
Let us also support UNRWA. If our governments won’t act in accordance with humanity, then we will. https://www.unrwausa.org/donate Let us do it to honor Aaron Bushnell, or in memory of Hind Rajab.
These are a few small things we can do. If we can do more, let us do more.
I just watched the protest streamed live by Status Coup on YouTube. One thing I did not notice was any signs calling for a No Fly Zone! I think that needs to be a main call going foward in all protests, starting now. If you are going to a protest, please make a sign with that message.
Aaron Bushnell is a member of the United States Air Force who has allowed himself to fall victim to the woke ideology and the progressive propaganda of a demonic agenda that has long been predicted in the Bible. That prediction is – that God will not stand with those who are against Israel and His people, the Jews.
Some people are calling this an act of suicide........you are wrong!
RIP Aaron
I feel an anti tax revolution is coming to America
The second revolutionary war of the 99 percent against the one percent and Washington DC
It will be epic
Get your popcorn
Beautifully interpreted by Eunice Wong. The partnership of Chris Hedges and Eunice Wong weaves a moving tribute to Aaron Bushnell.
THIS GLORIFICATION OF BUSHNELLS ACT OF INSANITY IS DEPLORABLE. YOU ARE
ENCOURAGING OTHERS TO DO THE SAME. BLOOD ON YOUR HANDS. THE PALESTINIAN CAUSE HAS DESCENDED INTO A DEATH CULT FEATURING SUICIDE BOMBINGS AND SELF IMMOLATION. SICK STUFF.
Laws are not necessarily good or just.. just enforced. We are ruled, not led. Aaron Bushnell’s self-immolation showed his soul to be a great one of the most extreme and noble order!