veteranstoday--2020-06-19--The ADL’s Task Force on Middle East Minorities (except Jews): A Con Job

Hardly anyone — Jewish or otherwise — believes that the Anti-Defamation League ( ADL ) genuinely cares about the welfare of Christian , Muslim , and other non-Jewish minorities in the Middle East .
After all , contrary to its claim to be a civil/human rights champion and “ secure … fair treatment for all , ” the ADL is essentially a political organization .
So when it launched its so-called “ Task Force on Middle East Minorities ” ( TFOMEM ) in late 2018 , I suspected a political con job .
TFOMEM says it will spotlight “ human @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Middle East.
” That sounds bizarre given that the ADL has itself committed human rights offenses against minorities and others right here in America .
In 1992-3 , police raided ADL offices in San Francisco and Los Angeles .
The ADL had a “ private spy operation that authorities alleged crossed the line into illegal territory , ” reported the L.A. Times .
ADL operatives were surveilling hundreds of minority , civil rights , labor , and media organizations and associated individuals .
Among the targeted minority groups : NAACP , Asian @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Arab-American Anti-Discrimination Committee , Filipino Organization Committee , and Young Koreans United .
ADL spy Tom Gerard was a rogue San Francisco police officer linked to Latin American death squads .
His undercover ADL sidekick , Roy Bullock , called themselves “ the kings of garbage ” for scouring people ’ s trash for private material .
ADL agents spied on American opponents of Apartheid in South Africa and passed information to its government — hardly the conduct of a civil/human rights organization .
Narrowly escaping indictment by the San Francisco D.A @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pressure — the ADL still had to pay $ 50,000 to the city .
The ADL also settled civil rights lawsuits brought by victims of its snooping .
In friendlier days , Israel and Turkey recruited the ADL and organizations such as the American Jewish Committee to deny/diminish the Armenian Genocide committed by Turkey from 1915-23 .
These Jewish organizations and Israel also colluded with Turkey to defeat Armenian Genocide resolutions in the U.S. Congress .
Disgusted by the ADL ’ s genocide/Holocaust hypocrisy , in 2007-8 a dozen Massachusetts cities and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s sanctimoniously-named No Place for Hate program .
This made national and international headlines .
The ADL has never apologized to Armenians .
ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt ’ s 2016 acknowledgment of the Armenian Genocide came in a mere blog post and only after decades of deceit .
The ADL , promised Greenblatt , “ would support ” ( not will support ) an Armenian Genocide resolution in Congress .
That alleged “ support ” apparently came only in a belated letter three years later , one day before the resolution was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ No Place for Hate is a fig leaf for the ADL ’ s domestic political agenda , TFOMEM appears to be a smokescreen for the ADL and Israel ’ s Middle East political agenda .
That agenda : Weaken Israeli adversaries such as Iran , Syria , Shiite Muslims , and Turkish President Erdogan by any means possible .
TFOMEM will help by telling Americans that Israel ’ s adversaries , among their other wrongdoings , mistreat minorities .
TFOMEM ’ s three press releases since its launch are revealing .
Two welcomed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in war-ravaged Syria and Iraq .
That aligns with Israeli policy .
Tel Aviv seeks to topple Syrian President Assad who is aligned with Iran and Hezbollah , the anti-Israeli Shiite militant organization .
Majority-Shiite Iraq is an Israeli target too .
TFOMEM ’ s third press release tried to bewitch American Christians by condemning Iran ’ s “ arrest of over 100 Christians.
” Fewer Christians will be fooled , however , after the ADL ’ s attack on Christian Armenians .
Tel Aviv seeks , of course , to destabilize Iran @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Arabs , Azeris , Bahais , Kurds , and others .
I attended a TFOMEM panel presentation at Tufts University , “ Restoring Armenian Heritage in Turkey : Displaced Stakeholders of Sacred Heritage Sites , ” on September 25 of last year .
It focused on three renovated Armenian churches in eastern Turkey — Armenians call it Western Armenia — and a Greek monastery .
Tufts was probably chosen because of its longtime relationship with Greater Boston ’ s Armenian American community and Armenia .
Also discussed was the 2007 assassination by a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ethnic Armenian journalist and Turkish citizen .
The presentation contained little new for the Armenian Americans who comprised half of the some thirty attendees .
The panelists were Tugba Tanyeri Erdemir , PhD , an archeologist/historian and TFOMEM ’ s Coordinator ; Cly Wallace Aramian , MA , a communications/public affairs specialist and Tufts graduate ; and Elizabeth H. Prodromou , PhD , a Greek American political scientist at Tufts and human rights advocate .
Despite her last name , Aramian is not even a token Armenian .
Her former husband is Armenian @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Turkish citizen , like her husband and fellow TFOMEM member Aykan Erdemir , PhD .
A noted author on Turkey ’ s mistreatment of minorities and indigenous non-Turks , he ’ s a senior director at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies , a pro-Israel think tank .
He served in Turkey ’ s parliament from 2011-15 as a member of the opposition Republican People ’ s Party ( CHP ) founded by Kemal Ataturk , who continued the Armenian Genocide after 1918 .
Israel and CHP despise President Erdogan and want to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Party ( AKP ) .
Israel hopes a post-Erdogan/AKP Turkey would restore the countries ’ warm relations .
Might hostility to Erdogan/AKP , rather than human rights considerations , partly explain why the ADL invited the Erdemirs into TFOMEM ?
TFOMEM members change but include two Iranian Jews , undoubtedly because Iran is an Israeli target .
One is Sharon Nazarian , PhD , Senior ADL VP for International Relations .
She reportedly opposes “ racial hatred.
” Perhaps she ’ ll look into the ADL ’ s record on Armenians .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , wife of Jonathan Greenblatt who authored the ADL ’ s half-baked blog post referenced above .
Other members include a Christian Egyptian Copt and several Muslims .
But no Armenians , Assyrians , Kurds , or Palestinians .
The other Christian is Rev .
Johnnie Moore , a public relations guru , Trump campaign manager , and member of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom .
When the latter recommended the State Dept .
put autocratic Azerbaijan on its “ Special Watch List ” for religious repression , Moore was Azerbaijan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ visited Azerbaijan , an Israeli ally , twice .
Israel sells the latter billions in advanced weapons while Azerbaijan sells oil to Israel .
Might these facts , rather than human rights considerations , partly explain why the ADL invited Rev .
Johnnie into TFOMEM ?
TFOMEM members are surely aware of the ADL ’ s appalling record on minorities .
TFOMEM ’ s non-Jews probably hope , nonetheless , that the ADL ’ s money and muscle can somehow help their ethno-religious compatriots .
Exposing a country ’ s mistreatment of its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will ultimately be of little or no benefit to minorities anywhere as long as it ’ s a tool of the duplicitous ADL .
Much of the author ’ s work can be found at www.Armeniapedia.org/wiki/David_Boyajian .

By David Boyajian
Hardly anyone — Jewish or otherwise — believes that the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) genuinely cares about the welfare of Christian, Muslim, and other non-Jewish minorities in the Middle East.
After all, contrary to its claim to be a civil/human rights champion and “secure … fair treatment for all,” the ADL is essentially a political organization.
So when it launched its so-called “Task Force on Middle East Minorities” (TFOMEM) in late 2018, I suspected a political con job.
TFOMEM says it will spotlight “human rights offenses committed against minority communities in the Middle East.”
That sounds bizarre given that the ADL has itself committed human rights offenses against minorities and others right here in America.
Spying on Minorities
In 1992-3, police raided ADL offices in San Francisco and Los Angeles.
The ADL had a “private spy operation that authorities alleged crossed the line into illegal territory,” reported the L.A. Times.
ADL operatives were surveilling hundreds of minority, civil rights, labor, and media organizations and associated individuals. Among the targeted minority groups: NAACP, Asian Law Caucus, Latin American Support Committee, Arab-American Anti-Discrimination Committee, Filipino Organization Committee, and Young Koreans United.
ADL spy Tom Gerard was a rogue San Francisco police officer linked to Latin American death squads. His undercover ADL sidekick, Roy Bullock, called themselves “the kings of garbage” for scouring people’s trash for private material.
ADL agents spied on American opponents of Apartheid in South Africa and passed information to its government — hardly the conduct of a civil/human rights organization.
Narrowly escaping indictment by the San Francisco D.A. — who was reportedly under political pressure — the ADL still had to pay $50,000 to the city.
The ADL also settled civil rights lawsuits brought by victims of its snooping.
ADL Genocide Hypocrisy
In friendlier days, Israel and Turkey recruited the ADL and organizations such as the American Jewish Committee to deny/diminish the Armenian Genocide committed by Turkey from 1915-23.
These Jewish organizations and Israel also colluded with Turkey to defeat Armenian Genocide resolutions in the U.S. Congress.
Disgusted by the ADL’s genocide/Holocaust hypocrisy, in 2007-8 a dozen Massachusetts cities and the umbrella Massachusetts Municipal Association expelled the ADL’s sanctimoniously-named No Place for Hate program. This made national and international headlines.
The ADL has never apologized to Armenians. ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt’s 2016 acknowledgment of the Armenian Genocide came in a mere blog post and only after decades of deceit.
The ADL, promised Greenblatt, “would support” (not will support) an Armenian Genocide resolution in Congress. That alleged “support” apparently came only in a belated letter three years later, one day before the resolution was already assured of passage.
Just as No Place for Hate is a fig leaf for the ADL’s domestic political agenda, TFOMEM appears to be a smokescreen for the ADL and Israel’s Middle East political agenda.
That agenda: Weaken Israeli adversaries such as Iran, Syria, Shiite Muslims, and Turkish President Erdogan by any means possible.
TFOMEM will help by telling Americans that Israel’s adversaries, among their other wrongdoings, mistreat minorities.
Revealing Press Releases
TFOMEM’s three press releases since its launch are revealing.
Two welcomed Congressional resolutions on the plight of minorities in war-ravaged Syria and Iraq. That aligns with Israeli policy. Tel Aviv seeks to topple Syrian President Assad who is aligned with Iran and Hezbollah, the anti-Israeli Shiite militant organization. Majority-Shiite Iraq is an Israeli target too.
TFOMEM’s third press release tried to bewitch American Christians by condemning Iran’s “arrest of over 100 Christians.” Fewer Christians will be fooled, however, after the ADL’s attack on Christian Armenians.
Tel Aviv seeks, of course, to destabilize Iran by stirring its minorities, which include Arabs, Azeris, Bahais, Kurds, and others.
An Awkward Event
I attended a TFOMEM panel presentation at Tufts University, “Restoring Armenian Heritage in Turkey: Displaced Stakeholders of Sacred Heritage Sites,” on September 25 of last year. It focused on three renovated Armenian churches in eastern Turkey — Armenians call it Western Armenia — and a Greek monastery.
Tufts was probably chosen because of its longtime relationship with Greater Boston’s Armenian American community and Armenia.
Also discussed was the 2007 assassination by a Turkish extremist of Hrant Dink, an ethnic Armenian journalist and Turkish citizen.
The presentation contained little new for the Armenian Americans who comprised half of the some thirty attendees.
The panelists were Tugba Tanyeri Erdemir, PhD, an archeologist/historian and TFOMEM’s Coordinator; Cly Wallace Aramian, MA, a communications/public affairs specialist and Tufts graduate; and Elizabeth H. Prodromou, PhD, a Greek American political scientist at Tufts and human rights advocate.
Despite her last name, Aramian is not even a token Armenian. Her former husband is Armenian.
Erdemir is an ethnic Turk and Turkish citizen, like her husband and fellow TFOMEM member Aykan Erdemir, PhD. A noted author on Turkey’s mistreatment of minorities and indigenous non-Turks, he’s a senior director at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a pro-Israel think tank.
He served in Turkey’s parliament from 2011-15 as a member of the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) founded by Kemal Ataturk, who continued the Armenian Genocide after 1918.
Israel and CHP despise President Erdogan and want to topple him and his Justice and Development Party (AKP). Israel hopes a post-Erdogan/AKP Turkey would restore the countries’ warm relations.
Might hostility to Erdogan/AKP, rather than human rights considerations, partly explain why the ADL invited the Erdemirs into TFOMEM?
Other Members
TFOMEM members change but include two Iranian Jews, undoubtedly because Iran is an Israeli target.
One is Sharon Nazarian, PhD, Senior ADL VP for International Relations. She reportedly opposes “racial hatred.” Perhaps she’ll look into the ADL’s record on Armenians.
The other is Marjan Keypour Greenblatt, MA, wife of Jonathan Greenblatt who authored the ADL’s half-baked blog post referenced above.
Other members include a Christian Egyptian Copt and several Muslims. But no Armenians, Assyrians, Kurds, or Palestinians.
The other Christian is Rev. Johnnie Moore, a public relations guru, Trump campaign manager, and member of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom. When the latter recommended the State Dept. put autocratic Azerbaijan on its “Special Watch List” for religious repression, Moore was Azerbaijan’s lone defender. He has visited Azerbaijan, an Israeli ally, twice.
Israel sells the latter billions in advanced weapons while Azerbaijan sells oil to Israel.
Might these facts, rather than human rights considerations, partly explain why the ADL invited Rev. Johnnie into TFOMEM?
Fatally Flawed
TFOMEM members are surely aware of the ADL’s appalling record on minorities.
TFOMEM’s non-Jews probably hope, nonetheless, that the ADL’s money and muscle can somehow help their ethno-religious compatriots.
Exposing a country’s mistreatment of its minorities is certainly noble.
But TFOMEM will ultimately be of little or no benefit to minorities anywhere as long as it’s a tool of the duplicitous ADL.


veteranstoday--2020-06-19--The Debate – Saudis & Child-Killer Blacklist

Just as the UN took Saudi Arabia off the child killer list , the Saudi-led coalition struck Yemen , which led to the deaths of children .
Why does the UN , which is supposed to watch out for the well-being of children , take Saudi Arabia off a list in which it knows it is guilty if those crimes ?
In this edition of the debate , we will ask this exact question from our guests , and look at why this illegal war is still being waged one of the poorest countries in the world… ATTENTION READERS Due @ @ @ @ @ @ @ VT can not guarantee content validity .
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Expressed opinions are NOT necessarily the views of VT , other authors , affiliates , advertisers , sponsors , partners or technicians .
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All images within are full responsibility of author and NOT VT. About @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Comment Policy Due to the nature of independent content , VT can not guarantee content validity.We ask you toso a clear comprehension of VT 's independent non-censored media is understood and given its proper place in the world of news , opinion and media.All content is owned by author exclusively .
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Dr. Kevin Barrett, a Ph.D. Arabist-Islamologist is one of America’s best-known critics of the War on Terror.
He is the host of TRUTH JIHAD RADIO; a hard-driving weekly radio show funded by listener subscriptions at Substack and the weekly news roundup FALSE FLAG WEEKLY NEWS (FFWN).
He also has appeared many times on Fox, CNN, PBS, and other broadcast outlets, and has inspired feature stories and op-eds in the New York Times, the Christian Science Monitor, the Chicago Tribune, and other leading publications.
Dr. Barrett has taught at colleges and universities in San Francisco, Paris, and Wisconsin; where he ran for Congress in 2008. He currently works as a nonprofit organizer, author, and talk radio host.
Archived Articles (2004-2016)


veteranstoday--2020-06-19--Supreme Court Blocks Trump’s Attempt to Dismantle DACA Program

Washington — The Supreme Court on Thursday delivered a blow to President Trump ’ s immigration agenda , ruling the administration ’ s attempt to dismantle an Obama-era program that protects young undocumented immigrants from deportation was unlawful .
Chief Justice John Roberts , who joined the four liberals justices on the bench , delivered the opinion for the court , writing that the Trump administration ’ s decision to unwind the program was “ arbitrary and capricious ” under the Administrative Procedure Act .
Roberts wrote the court does “ not decide whether DACA or its rescission are sound @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Homeland Security should revisit the issue .
“ We address only whether the agency complied with the procedural requirement that it provide a reasoned explanation for its action .
Here the agency failed to consider the conspicuous issues of whether to retain forbearance and what if anything to do about the hardship to DACA recipients , ” he wrote for the majority .
“ That dual failure raises doubts about whether the agency appreciated the scope of …read more : ATTENTION READERS Due to the nature of independent content , VT can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you to Read Our Content Policy so a clear comprehension of VT 's independent non-censored media is understood and given its proper place in the world of news , opinion and media .
All content is owned by author exclusively .
Expressed opinions are NOT necessarily the views of VT , other authors , affiliates , advertisers , sponsors , partners or technicians .
Some content may be satirical in nature .
All images within are full responsibility of author and NOT VT. About VT - Read Full Policy Notice - Comment Policy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , VT can not guarantee content validity.We ask you toso a clear comprehension of VT 's independent non-censored media is understood and given its proper place in the world of news , opinion and media.All content is owned by author exclusively .
Expressed opinions are NOT necessarily the views of VT , other authors , affiliates , advertisers , sponsors , partners or technicians .
Some content may be satirical in nature .
All images within are full responsibility of author and NOT VT .

Supreme Court blocks Trump effort to wind down DACA program
by Melissa Quinn/CBS News
Washington — The Supreme Court on Thursday delivered a blow to President Trump’s immigration agenda, ruling the administration’s attempt to dismantle an Obama-era program that protects young undocumented immigrants from deportation was unlawful.
With its 5-4 ruling , the high court provided a lifeline to nearly 700,000 immigrants whose future in the United States hung in the balance while a yearslong legal battle over the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program moved through the courts.
Chief Justice John Roberts, who joined the four liberals justices on the bench, delivered the opinion for the court, writing that the Trump administration’s decision to unwind the program was “arbitrary and capricious” under the Administrative Procedure Act.
Roberts wrote the court does “not decide whether DACA or its rescission are sound policies,” but said the Department of Homeland Security should revisit the issue.
“We address only whether the agency complied with the procedural requirement that it provide a reasoned explanation for its action. Here the agency failed to consider the conspicuous issues of whether to retain forbearance and what if anything to do about the hardship to DACA recipients,” he wrote for the majority. “That dual failure raises doubts about whether the agency appreciated the scope of …read more:


veteranstoday--2020-06-19--Israeli Activist Miko Peled Compares Racist Israel with Racist America

Miko Peled ( born 1961 ) is an Israeli-American activist , author , and karate instructor .
He is author of the books The General ’ s Son : The Journey of an Israeli in Palestine and Injustice and Injustice : The Story of the Holy Land Foundation Five .
He is also an international speaker .
Born in Jerusalem in 1961 , Peled grew up in Motza Illit to a prominent Zionist family ; his grandfather , Avraham Katsnelson , signed Israel ’ s Declaration of Independence .
His father , Mattityahu Peled , fought in 1947–1949 Palestine war @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Six-Day War of 1967 ; later , after the Israeli cabinet ignored his investigation of a 1967 alleged Israeli war crime , he became an advocate for an Israeli dialogue with the Palestine Liberation Organization ( PLO ) .
He condemned the Israeli military for seizing the West Bank , Gaza , Sinai and the Golan Heights , calling the war a “ cynical campaign of territorial expansion ” .
Palestinian activist Susan Abulhawa has described Peled ’ s father , who died in 1995 , as “ a man that many @ @ @ @ @ @ @ whether to love or hate ” and whom “ many notable Palestinians ” nicknamed “ Abu Salam ” ( Father of Peace ) .
His brother is the political scientist Yoav Peled .
Miko Peled followed his father ’ s footsteps at first , joining Israel ’ s Special Forces after high school and earning the red beret , but he soon grew to regret his decision .
He surrendered his status as soon as he earned it , becoming a medic , and finally , disgusted by the 1982 Lebanon invasion , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dirt .
One evening in 1983 , however , he skipped a Peace Now demonstration in Jerusalem to attend karate class , and on that evening a grenade attack by a right-wing extremist killed one of the demonstrators .
“ Peled took this as a sign , ” according to one interview , and consequently “ followed the path of karate – a practice of non-violence…that teaches one to ‘ overcome insurmountable obstacles.
’ ” This path “ that took him to Japan and eventually to San Diego , where he settled with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ then distanced himself from activism until 1997 , becoming a sixth-degree black belt in karate and moving first to Japan , then to San Diego , California , United States .
In 1997 , Peled ’ s 13-year-old niece Smadar , daughter of his sister Nurit Peled-Elhanan , was killed in a suicide attack in Jerusalem .
At her funeral , according to an article summarizing Peled ’ s book , Ehud Barak , who had just been elected to lead the opposition , explained that “ in order to win votes he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ‘ peacemaker.
” In reply , Peled said , “ Why not tell the truth … That this and similar tragedies are taking place because we are occupying another nation and that in order to save lives the right thing to do is to end the occupation and negotiate a just peace with our Palestinian partners ?
” The murder of Smadar , and his sister Nurit ’ s insistence that it was caused by the occupation , “ jolted him back into Middle Eastern reality , ” an interviewer has written .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ I ’ d been suppressing , ” Peled has said , “ suddenly burst out .
It became stronger than anything.
” He joined a Palestinian/Jewish-American dialogue group in San Diego , where he “ found that the Jewish Americans he met – with their ‘ New York humor and deli food ’ – were more foreign than the hummus , tabouleh and warm hospitality offered by his new Palestinian friends .
He was shocked by random anti-Arab venom spewed casually by Jewish Americans he met who assumed he shared their views , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ He also befriended Nader Elbanna , “ a Palestinian from Nazareth who accompanied him on a dual lecture series at rotary clubs.
” Thus began a process whereby , in the words of Abulhawa , Peled “ dismantled a lifetime of racist assumptions and replaced them with something more human and tender.
” Returning to activism , Peled decided that the two-state solution his father had promoted would no longer suffice , and began to support for the creation of a single democratic state with equal rights for Israelis and Palestinians .
He @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that must go and that a single-state solution is closer than many people think because of the changing mindsets of many Israelis , American Jews , and Holocaust survivors .
The Israeli government , he has written , is “ a radical Zionist regime , ” and Israel is a country where “ half of the population lives in what it thinks is a Western democracy while keeping the other half imprisoned by a ruthless defense apparatus that is becoming more violent by the day.
” He told that “ The State of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ A Free Democratic Palestine from the River to the Sea Sooner than Most People Think ” .
Peled has traveled in Palestine , teaching karate to children in refugee camps and engaging in nonviolent activism .
In his blog , MikoPeled.com , he calls for the removal of Israel ’ s separation wall , and the institution of equal rights for Israelis and Palestinians .
“ As an Israeli , that was raised on the Zionist ideal of a Jewish state ” , he writes in the blog , “ I know how @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Palestinians to let go of the dream of having a state that is exclusive ‘ our own.
’ The articles , the stories and the pictures in this blog are meant to make a single point : For the good of both nations , the Separation Wall must come down , the Israeli control over the lives of Palestinians must be defied so that a secular democracy where all Israelis and Palestinian live as equals be established in our shared homeland ” .
Peled is a regular contributor to online publications like the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Peled spoke at a fringe gathering at the British Labour Party conference in Brighton in September 2017 .
At the event , Peled is reported to have said : “ This is about free speech , the freedom to criticize and to discuss every issue , whether it ’ s the Holocaust : yes or no , Palestine , the liberation , the whole spectrum .
There should be no limits on the discussion ” .
He further went on to compare Zionists to Nazis and “ apartheid South Africa racists ” .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ conference organizing committee would investigate how Peled was given a platform at the event .
At a meeting at University College London the following November , Peled complained about the “ witch-hunt against antisemites and Holocaust deniers ” over the past two years and complimented the “ clear leadership ” of Labour ’ s Jeremy Corbyn commenting that Corbyn had “ put away this nonsense about Holocaust denial and this nonsense about antisemitism .
You focus on what ’ s important ” .
“ Israel has been on a mission to destroy the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Peled has said .
“ Why would anyone not give solidarity to the Palestinian people ?
” He believes that Israel ’ s actions in the Six-Day War of 1967 were not a response to a real threat but acts of bald aggression .
And he has said that “ every single Israeli city is a settlement ” and that “ expressing solidarity with Palestinians is the most important thing people can do.
” On his Twitter feed , Peled has written that “ IDF lusts for blood , ” has called @ @ @ @ @ @ @ apartheid & colonization , ” and has accused Israeli officials of “ ethnic cleansing.
” In his blog posts , he repeatedly refers to the IDF as an “ Israeli terrorist organization ” that is part of a “ well-oiled ethnic cleansing machine.
” He has also written that Israel ’ s educational system is designed to turn Israeli children into racists who view Palestinians “ as culturally inferior , violent and bent on the annihilation of the Jews , and…void of a true national identity , ” and “ as a problem @ @ @ @ @ @ @ threat that must be eliminated.
” He has decried “ absurd comparisons like that of Yasser Arafat to Hitler , the Palestinians to Nazis , and the Palestinian resistance to Al Qaeda.
” Peled supports the movement for boycotts , divestment , and sanctions ( BDS ) against Israel .
Giving a talk in Queensland , Australia , he supported a BDS campaign against the Israeli-owned Max Brenner chain of chocolate shops , part of the Strauss group of companies , which , he said , “ supports a terrorist organization , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , was a “ totally legitimate ” means of “ trying to stop this Israeli armed juggernaut.
” Peled wrote in a June 2012 op-ed for the Los Angeles Times that , “ Israel is faced with two options : Continue to exist as a Jewish state while controlling the Palestinians through military force and racist laws , or undertake a deep transformation into a real democracy where Israelis and Palestinians live as equals in a shared state , their shared homeland .
For Israelis and Palestinians alike , the latter path promises @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his book , The General ’ s Son : Journey of an Israeli in Palestine ( 2012 ) , as an account of how he , “ the son of an Israeli General and a staunch Zionist , came to realize that “ the story upon which I was raised … was a lie.
” The book , he has said , is based largely on long conversations with his mother , on a thorough reading of “ everything my dad had ever written , ” and on material about his father ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The book , which has been characterized as “ part confessional , part cinematic epic and part emotional appeal for ‘ different answers ’ to the Israeli-Palestinian conundrum , ” [ 7 ] contains a foreword by Alice Walker , author of The Color Purple .
In Peled ’ s book , Injustice : The Story of the Holy Land Foundation Five ( 2018 ) , the catalogs the trial of the criminalization and dismantling of the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development , leading to the arrest and jailing of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ghassan Elashi , Mohammad el-Mezain , Mufid Abdulqader , and Abdulrahman Odeh .
Peled is , with Nader Elbanna , co-founder of the Elbanna-Peled Foundation .
Established in 2010 and based in Coronado , California , it describes itself as being “ committed to peace , justice and equality by operating exclusively for charitable and educational purposes , including , but not limited to the following : Humanitarian aid to civilians who were injured as a result of the Israeli Palestinian conflict .
Support existing educational efforts that promote Israeli Palestinian reconciliation .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( Israelis and Palestinians ) toward a non-violent resolution of the conflict.
” The foundation describes itself as working closely with Rotary International .
According to its website , “ Peled and Elbanna sent 1000 wheelchairs for Palestinians and Israeli children , and have been part of numerous projects to help the people of their shared homeland.
” The foundation , however , was established under the National Taxonomy of Exempt Entities ( NTEE ) categories “ Foreign Affairs ” and “ National Security.
” Its exempt status , moreover , was automatically @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to file a Form 990 ( “ Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax ” ) for three consecutive years .
Since 28 May 1989 , Peled , a sixth-degree black belt , owned , operated , and taught at Martial Arts America , a school in Coronado , California , which “ is dedicated to teaching leadership skills and non-violent conflict resolution through martial arts.
” In October 2012 , he sold the business to his top student of over twenty years , David Michael Adams , in order to focus on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Son .

Miko Peled (born 1961) is an Israeli-American activist, author, and karate instructor. He is author of the books The General’s Son: The Journey of an Israeli in Palestine and Injustice and Injustice: The Story of the Holy Land Foundation Five. He is also an international speaker.
Born in Jerusalem in 1961, Peled grew up in Motza Illit to a prominent Zionist family; his grandfather, Avraham Katsnelson, signed Israel’s Declaration of Independence.
His father, Mattityahu Peled, fought in 1947–1949 Palestine war, and served as a general in the Six-Day War of 1967; later, after the Israeli cabinet ignored his investigation of a 1967 alleged Israeli war crime, he became an advocate for an Israeli dialogue with the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).
He condemned the Israeli military for seizing the West Bank, Gaza, Sinai and the Golan Heights, calling the war a “cynical campaign of territorial expansion”.
Palestinian activist Susan Abulhawa has described Peled’s father, who died in 1995, as “a man that many of us Palestinians could not figure out whether to love or hate” and whom “many notable Palestinians” nicknamed “Abu Salam” (Father of Peace). His brother is the political scientist Yoav Peled.
Miko Peled followed his father’s footsteps at first, joining Israel’s Special Forces after high school and earning the red beret, but he soon grew to regret his decision. He surrendered his status as soon as he earned it, becoming a medic, and finally, disgusted by the 1982 Lebanon invasion, he buried his service pin in the dirt.
One evening in 1983, however, he skipped a Peace Now demonstration in Jerusalem to attend karate class, and on that evening a grenade attack by a right-wing extremist killed one of the demonstrators. “Peled took this as a sign,” according to one interview, and consequently “followed the path of karate – a practice of non-violence…that teaches one to ‘overcome insurmountable obstacles.’” This path “that took him to Japan and eventually to San Diego, where he settled with his wife and family”.
He then distanced himself from activism until 1997, becoming a sixth-degree black belt in karate and moving first to Japan, then to San Diego, California, United States.
Activism
In 1997, Peled’s 13-year-old niece Smadar, daughter of his sister Nurit Peled-Elhanan, was killed in a suicide attack in Jerusalem. At her funeral, according to an article summarizing Peled’s book, Ehud Barak, who had just been elected to lead the opposition, explained that “in order to win votes he must disguise his real intentions as a ‘peacemaker.” In reply, Peled said, “Why not tell the truth …
That this and similar tragedies are taking place because we are occupying another nation and that in order to save lives the right thing to do is to end the occupation and negotiate a just peace with our Palestinian partners?”
The murder of Smadar, and his sister Nurit’s insistence that it was caused by the occupation, “jolted him back into Middle Eastern reality,” an interviewer has written. “The activist side of me that I’d been suppressing,” Peled has said, “suddenly burst out. It became stronger than anything.”
He joined a Palestinian/Jewish-American dialogue group in San Diego, where he “found that the Jewish Americans he met – with their ‘New York humor and deli food’ – were more foreign than the hummus, tabouleh and warm hospitality offered by his new Palestinian friends. He was shocked by random anti-Arab venom spewed casually by Jewish Americans he met who assumed he shared their views, in an atmosphere of growing Islamophobia.” He also befriended Nader Elbanna, “a Palestinian from Nazareth who accompanied him on a dual lecture series at rotary clubs.”
Thus began a process whereby, in the words of Abulhawa, Peled “dismantled a lifetime of racist assumptions and replaced them with something more human and tender.”
Returning to activism, Peled decided that the two-state solution his father had promoted would no longer suffice, and began to support for the creation of a single democratic state with equal rights for Israelis and Palestinians.
He claims that Israel is an apartheid state that must go and that a single-state solution is closer than many people think because of the changing mindsets of many Israelis, American Jews, and Holocaust survivors.
The Israeli government, he has written, is “a radical Zionist regime,” and Israel is a country where “half of the population lives in what it thinks is a Western democracy while keeping the other half imprisoned by a ruthless defense apparatus that is becoming more violent by the day.”
He told that “The State of Israel Will Crumble and We Will See A Free Democratic Palestine from the River to the Sea Sooner than Most People Think”.
Peled has traveled in Palestine, teaching karate to children in refugee camps and engaging in nonviolent activism.
In his blog, MikoPeled.com, he calls for the removal of Israel’s separation wall, and the institution of equal rights for Israelis and Palestinians.
“As an Israeli, that was raised on the Zionist ideal of a Jewish state”, he writes in the blog, “I know how hard it is for many Jews and Palestinians to let go of the dream of having a state that is exclusive ‘our own.’
The articles, the stories and the pictures in this blog are meant to make a single point: For the good of both nations, the Separation Wall must come down, the Israeli control over the lives of Palestinians must be defied so that a secular democracy where all Israelis and Palestinian live as equals be established in our shared homeland”.
Peled is a regular contributor to online publications like the Electronic Intifada and the Palestine Chronicle.
Peled spoke at a fringe gathering at the British Labour Party conference in Brighton in September 2017.
At the event, Peled is reported to have said: “This is about free speech, the freedom to criticize and to discuss every issue, whether it’s the Holocaust: yes or no, Palestine, the liberation, the whole spectrum. There should be no limits on the discussion”. He further went on to compare Zionists to Nazis and “apartheid South Africa racists”.
Deputy Labour leader Tom Watson said the conference organizing committee would investigate how Peled was given a platform at the event.
At a meeting at University College London the following November, Peled complained about the “witch-hunt against antisemites and Holocaust deniers” over the past two years and complimented the “clear leadership” of Labour’s Jeremy Corbyn commenting that Corbyn had “put away this nonsense about Holocaust denial and this nonsense about antisemitism. You focus on what’s important”.
Views
“Israel has been on a mission to destroy the Palestinian people for over six decades,” Peled has said. “Why would anyone not give solidarity to the Palestinian people?” He believes that Israel’s actions in the Six-Day War of 1967 were not a response to a real threat but acts of bald aggression.
And he has said that “every single Israeli city is a settlement” and that “expressing solidarity with Palestinians is the most important thing people can do.”
On his Twitter feed, Peled has written that “IDF lusts for blood,” has called the peace process “a process of apartheid & colonization,” and has accused Israeli officials of “ethnic cleansing.”
In his blog posts, he repeatedly refers to the IDF as an “Israeli terrorist organization” that is part of a “well-oiled ethnic cleansing machine.” He has also written that Israel’s educational system is designed to turn Israeli children into racists who view Palestinians “as culturally inferior, violent and bent on the annihilation of the Jews, and…void of a true national identity,” and “as a problem that must be solved and as a threat that must be eliminated.” He has decried “absurd comparisons like that of Yasser Arafat to Hitler, the Palestinians to Nazis, and the Palestinian resistance to Al Qaeda.”
Peled supports the movement for boycotts, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) against Israel. Giving a talk in Queensland, Australia, he supported a BDS campaign against the Israeli-owned Max Brenner chain of chocolate shops, part of the Strauss group of companies, which, he said, “supports a terrorist organization, the Golani Brigade.” BDS, he argued, was a “totally legitimate” means of “trying to stop this Israeli armed juggernaut.”
Peled wrote in a June 2012 op-ed for the Los Angeles Times that,
“Israel is faced with two options: Continue to exist as a Jewish state while controlling the Palestinians through military force and racist laws, or undertake a deep transformation into a real democracy where Israelis and Palestinians live as equals in a shared state, their shared homeland. For Israelis and Palestinians alike, the latter path promises a bright future.
Books
Peled has described his book, The General’s Son: Journey of an Israeli in Palestine (2012), as an account of how he, “the son of an Israeli General and a staunch Zionist, came to realize that “the story upon which I was raised … was a lie.”
The book, he has said, is based largely on long conversations with his mother, on a thorough reading of “everything my dad had ever written,” and on material about his father’s career in the Israeli army archives.
The book, which has been characterized as “part confessional, part cinematic epic and part emotional appeal for ‘different answers’ to the Israeli-Palestinian conundrum,”[7] contains a foreword by Alice Walker, author of The Color Purple.
In Peled’s book, Injustice: The Story of the Holy Land Foundation Five(2018), the catalogs the trial of the criminalization and dismantling of the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development, leading to the arrest and jailing of Foundation President Shukri Abu Baker, Chairman Ghassan Elashi, Mohammad el-Mezain, Mufid Abdulqader, and Abdulrahman Odeh.
Elbanna-Peled Foundation
Peled is, with Nader Elbanna, co-founder of the Elbanna-Peled Foundation. Established in 2010 and based in Coronado, California, it describes itself as being “committed to peace, justice and equality by operating exclusively for charitable and educational purposes, including, but not limited to the following:
Humanitarian aid to civilians who were injured as a result of the Israeli Palestinian conflict.
Support existing educational efforts that promote Israeli Palestinian reconciliation.
Support local grassroots organizations that work together (Israelis and Palestinians) toward a non-violent resolution of the conflict.”
The foundation describes itself as working closely with Rotary International. According to its website, “Peled and Elbanna sent 1000 wheelchairs for Palestinians and Israeli children, and have been part of numerous projects to help the people of their shared homeland.”
The foundation, however, was established under the National Taxonomy of Exempt Entities (NTEE) categories “Foreign Affairs” and “National Security.”Its exempt status, moreover, was automatically revoked by the IRS because it failed to file a Form 990 (“Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax”) for three consecutive years.
Martial Arts America
Since 28 May 1989, Peled, a sixth-degree black belt, owned, operated, and taught at Martial Arts America, a school in Coronado, California, which “is dedicated to teaching leadership skills and non-violent conflict resolution through martial arts.” In October 2012, he sold the business to his top student of over twenty years, David Michael Adams, in order to focus on promoting his book The General’s Son.
Web Site: MikoPeled.com


veteranstoday--2020-06-19--Fauci: ‘Football May Not Happen This Year’

Anthony Fauci : ‘ Football may not happen this year ’ The NFL is planning to begin its season on time , but Dr. Anthony Fauci pulled the reins on that optimistic view Wednesday .
“ Unless players are essentially in a bubble – insulated from the community and they are tested nearly every day – it would be very hard to see how football is able to be played this fall , ” the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases said on CNN .
“ If there is a second wave , which is certainly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by the predictable flu season , football may not happen this year.
” The NBA and MLS are planning to resume their seasons in July with players in a bubble .
So far , the NFL hasn ’ t publicly discussed that option .
A bubble also seems particularly untenable for college football teams on school campuses .
“ Dr .
Fauci has identified the important health and safety issues we and the NFL Players Association , together with our joint medical advisors , are addressing to mitigate the health risk to players @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” the NFL ’ s chief medical offers Dr. Allen Sills told ESPN on Thursday .
“ We are developing a comprehensive and rapid-result testing program and rigorous protocols that call for a ….read more : ATTENTION READERS Due to the nature of independent content , VT can not guarantee content validity .
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All images within are full responsibility of author and NOT VT .

Anthony Fauci: ‘Football may not happen this year’
by Matt Young/Houston Chronicle
The NFL is planning to begin its season on time, but Dr. Anthony Fauci pulled the reins on that optimistic view Wednesday.
“Unless players are essentially in a bubble – insulated from the community and they are tested nearly every day – it would be very hard to see how football is able to be played this fall,” the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases said on CNN. “If there is a second wave, which is certainly a possibility and which would be complicated by the predictable flu season, football may not happen this year.”
The NBA and MLS are planning to resume their seasons in July with players in a bubble. So far, the NFL hasn’t publicly discussed that option. A bubble also seems particularly untenable for college football teams on school campuses.
“Dr. Fauci has identified the important health and safety issues we and the NFL Players Association, together with our joint medical advisors, are addressing to mitigate the health risk to players, coaches, and other essential personnel,” the NFL’s chief medical offers Dr. Allen Sills told ESPN on Thursday. “We are developing a comprehensive and rapid-result testing program and rigorous protocols that call for a ….read more:


veteranstoday--2020-06-19--Wuhan Study: 10 Percent of Coronavirus Patients Lose Antibodies Within Weeks

Health Editor ’ s Note : What scientist are finding is that just because someone has had coronavirus and develops antibodies to coronavirus , those antibodies may not be permanent .
It seems the more symptomatic the patient , the higher the antibody levels and the longer the antibodies can be found in the patient ’ s blood .
There is a distinct possibility that to have COVID-19 and recover , does not make it certain that you can not get COVID-19 again .
This is a nasty business as coronavirus has defeated the common antigen/antibody mechanism .
Chinese scientists @ @ @ @ @ @ @ long-lasting immunity to the coronavirus in two studies released this week , prompting them to question the use of immunity certificates .
The authors of the first study submitted to the pre-print website medRxiv concluded that people are unlikely to have protective antibodies against the coronavirus for long periods of time .
As the findings are a pre-print , they have not been through the rigorous peer review process required to publish in scientific journals .
Scientists partly release papers this way to prompt debate on a topic .
For the study , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the coronavirus in the blood samples of 1,470 COVID-19 patients in three hospitals in Wuhan , China—the original epicentre of the pandemic .
Previous research cited by the authors suggests that antibodies which make up the first line of defense against the coronavirus are detectable around 7 days after a person is infected , while virus-specific antibodies can take around two weeks .
Dr. Xinghuan Wang of the urology department at Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University and colleagues also assessed the blood of 3,832 healthcare providers who didn ’ t test positive for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hospitals , as well as 19,555 members of …read more :

Health Editor’s Note: What scientist are finding is that just because someone has had coronavirus and develops antibodies to coronavirus, those antibodies may not be permanent. It seems the more symptomatic the patient, the higher the antibody levels and the longer the antibodies can be found in the patient’s blood.
There is a distinct possibility that to have COVID-19 and recover, does not make it certain that you cannot get COVID-19 again. This is a nasty business as coronavirus has defeated the common antigen/antibody mechanism.
10 Percent of Wuhan Study Patients Lose Coronavirus Antibodies Within Weeks
by Kashmira Gander/Newsweek Health
Chinese scientists have cast doubt over whether we have long-lasting immunity to the coronavirus in two studies released this week, prompting them to question the use of immunity certificates. The authors of the first study submitted to the pre-print website medRxiv concluded that people are unlikely to have protective antibodies against the coronavirus for long periods of time. As the findings are a pre-print, they have not been through the rigorous peer review process required to publish in scientific journals. Scientists partly release papers this way to prompt debate on a topic. For the study, the scientists looked for antibodies specific to the coronavirus in the blood samples of 1,470 COVID-19 patients in three hospitals in Wuhan, China—the original epicentre of the pandemic. Previous research cited by the authors suggests that antibodies which make up the first line of defense against the coronavirus are detectable around 7 days after a person is infected, while virus-specific antibodies can take around two weeks. Dr. Xinghuan Wang of the urology department at Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University and colleagues also assessed the blood of 3,832 healthcare providers who didn’t test positive for the coronavirus from one of the three hospitals, as well as 19,555 members of …read more:
Carol graduated from Riverside White Cross School of Nursing in Columbus, Ohio and received her diploma as a registered nurse. She attended Bowling Green State University where she received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in History and Literature. She attended the University of Toledo, College of Nursing, and received a Master’s of Nursing Science Degree as an Educator. She has traveled extensively, is a photographer, and writes on medical issues. Carol has three children RJ, Katherine, and Stephen – one daughter-in-law; Katie – two granddaughters; Isabella Marianna and Zoe Olivia – and one grandson, Alexander Paul. She also shares her life with her husband Gordon Duff, many cats, and two rescues. Carol’s Archives 2009-2013


The Helpless Soldier

Folks have gathered in a large room , in a village , far away from the city .
Most of whom , are young women & children .
After spending many days together , they have became familiar with one another .
Further , the cold winds of autumn have begun .
There is plenty of wood & they have started a fire .
They are sitting in circle viewing the flames .
Yet , there is also another fire , visible in a nearby mountain .
It appears some people survived the epidemic in order to stay alive .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , what they are missing is food .
These days , there are cars , but no fuel .
Cellphones , but no electricity & signal .
The water begins to run out , though there are electric poles , none are powered .
None graze the bazaar due to fear .
The children shed tears & adults are weakened .
Their clothes are dirty & they are trying to find food for survival .
Finally , two people are ready to visit the bazaar One of whom is a retired soldier .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ stench of a human corpses .
Both begin to worry as there is no other way to survive .
They know if chosen otherwise , they will starve to death .
They must do this until they & the others gathered in the room are saved .
As soon as they reach the bazaar , they begin searching for food shops .
However , most of them were ransacked by the insurgents .
The men continue , trying hard until they finally find some expired chocolate .
Yet , they eat them for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
As the men began to eat , their hunger diminishes .
They ponder & ask , what shall we take for the rest ?
Eventually , they find some food in the kitchen of a hotel which was littered among scattered brains .
It was thought that the chef had fled in fear of the plague & all left behind was due to the turmoil .
They take the food & on their way back , they meet a young man , barely alive .
He was coughing , & he gestured @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the men ran away , they assumed the young man was infected with the plague , as he appeared weak .
After a look of dismay appeared on both men ’ s faces , they continue their journey to the village .
The high rises of the city are empty & birds have made their nests in them .
Shops are open , yet their locks broken .
The insurgents have looted the food & left everything else on the floor .
Luxury cars are parked on the roads , some have their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fear that anyone will take them .
All the inhabitants of the city have been killed by the epidemic & those remaining , are searching for food to survive .
The young men are on their way back to their village .
The weather is cold , yet birds are flying & other animals running around the city .
Cats & dogs are running wild , as the men feel that animals are stronger than they are that day .
These are care free creatures .
In time , the sun & the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ leaves fall & lay in piles .
The face of the city is changing , the plastic bags & papers are blown by the winds , scattered .
There are none to be seen anywhere .
There is fear that wild animals have come from the forests to the cities .
The situation is very bad .
The corpses of the doctors are lying in white clothes near the hospital .
Now the color of the clothes turn black & yellow .
No one can stand in front of the hospital because of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ where the medicine will come from ?
How will the treatments be done ?
The city is a picture of horror & fear .
The barking of dogs & the noise of birds , show that humans have been eaten & animals have taken over the city .
There are no doctors in the hospital , no children at school , no soldiers patrolling streets of the city , no shopkeepers in shops , no occupants in buildings & no motorists in cars .
One of the two , the soldier , reflects @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when his military invaded , bombing weddings with drones & killing innocent folk .
Those who came to aid the dead , were themselves targeted .
The thoughts and visions occupied his mind .
He reflects , the Asian land has now become his land .
Same silence & horror where hospitals are bombed , where the wounded were being treated .
He remembers where they dropped heavy bombs on that hospital & the doctors were lay dead .
Their uniforms were not black & yellow , but red with blood .
A @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by the occupying forces .
They targeted students in that school , not caring that the students may have been poor .
Their torn slippers & shoes were piled up after their deaths .
Their clothes & shoes are now left on the streets by villagers , who died due to the epidemic .
He remembered the civilian car which they targeted when people were returning to a village from a picnic .
The car was full of people , as well as , livestock .
All , the bodies laid there dead @ @ @ @ @ @ @ epidemic .
There is no one to bury them & none left to cry for those killed by the epidemic .
Suddenly , the soldier awakens from his thoughts , his companion tells him to come quickly !
The dogs of the city are no longer afraid of humans as they are used to eating their flesh & now , they are targeted .
The retired soldier returns to his thoughts & continues to reflect on the lack of wailing for the dead .
He realizes , there is no one to cry @ @ @ @ @ @ @ villagers who hid their wounded & when the drones left , villagers would take the injured to the hospital .
Here , the epidemic even infects people left behind closed doors , in their homes , left to die .
In that land , the families would bury their dead .
Here the beasts of the city ate the bones of men .
The soldier speeds up , but finds it difficult to breathe .
He couldn ’ t tell his friend about his conditions out of fear that he will be left @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coughed a little , which hardened his breathing & finally he fell .
He begins to fall onto the ground as his friend gazes from the corner of his eyes .
After falling , his friend snatches the food from him & runs away .
He doesn ’ t wish the burden & risk of carrying him & being infected with the epidemic .
The soldier is lying helpless on the side of the main road , unable to walk .
He doesn ’ t have backup , like he did , during @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can ’ t call for help , there are no jets & helicopters coming to rescue him .
In a distance , he hears the barking of dogs coming towards him .
He wonders , will he be eaten alive or dead ?
Of death , he is certain .
The dogs approach preying on him , but , he can not do anything .
He smiles , leaving himself to the mercy of circumstances & approaching death .
He reflects now as he lays there helpless , like the people who were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The villagers used to wait for the drones , to see if they would strike again .
Despite some villagers getting injured , they couldn ’ t move out of fear & no one would come near .
Indeed , the villagers were frozen , laying helplessly .
Now , the soldier realizes the pain of those villagers , as he is in the same helpless situation .
The dogs approach & the barking became louder .
He now looks at himself helplessly & closes his eyes with his hands .
Once upon @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with his country ’ s strength .
They would say “ we are a superpower ” to themselves , and yet , now everything is gone .
Nature is the superpower now .
The epidemic was revenge taken by nature & is now the new superpower .

By Naseeb Zadran for VT
Folks have gathered in a large room, in a village, far away from the city. Most of whom, are young women & children. After spending many days together, they have became familiar with one another. Further, the cold winds of autumn have begun.
There is plenty of wood & they have started a fire. They are sitting in circle viewing the flames. Yet, there is also another fire, visible in a nearby mountain. It appears some people survived the epidemic in order to stay alive. They have wood for fire, but, what they are missing is food.
These days, there are cars, but no fuel. Cellphones, but no electricity & signal. The water begins to run out, though there are electric poles, none are powered.
None graze the bazaar due to fear. The children shed tears & adults are weakened. Their clothes are dirty & they are trying to find food for survival. Finally, two people are ready to visit the bazaar
One of whom is a retired soldier.
On their way, there is the stench of a human corpses. Both begin to worry as there is no other way to survive. They know if chosen otherwise, they will starve to death. They must do this until they & the others gathered in the room are saved.
As soon as they reach the bazaar, they begin searching for food shops. However, most of them were ransacked by the insurgents. The men continue, trying hard until they finally find some expired chocolate. Yet, they eat them for their appetite & to reduce their hunger.
As the men began to eat, their hunger diminishes. They ponder & ask, what shall we take for the rest?
Eventually, they find some food in the kitchen of a hotel which was littered among scattered brains. It was thought that the chef had fled in fear of the plague & all left behind was due to the turmoil.
They take the food & on their way back, they meet a young man, barely alive. He was coughing, & he gestured for water or food. Yet, the men ran away, they assumed the young man was infected with the plague, as he appeared weak. After a look of dismay appeared on both men’s faces, they continue their journey to the village.
The high rises of the city are empty & birds have made their nests in them. Shops are open , yet their locks broken. The insurgents have looted the food & left everything else on the floor. Luxury cars are parked on the roads, some have their doors left open as there is no fear that anyone will take them.
All the inhabitants of the city have been killed by the epidemic & those remaining, are searching for food to survive.
The young men are on their way back to their village. The weather is cold, yet birds are flying & other animals running around the city. Cats & dogs are running wild, as the men feel that animals are stronger than they are that day.
These are care free creatures. In time, the sun & the clouds begin to play as the yellow leaves fall & lay in piles. The face of the city is changing, the plastic bags & papers are blown by the winds, scattered. There are none to be seen anywhere.
There is fear that wild animals have come from the forests to the cities. The situation is very bad.
The corpses of the doctors are lying in white clothes near the hospital. Now the color of the clothes turn black & yellow. No one can stand in front of the hospital because of the stench. So they reflect on where the medicine will come from? How will the treatments be done?
The city is a picture of horror & fear. The barking of dogs & the noise of birds, show that humans have been eaten & animals have taken over the city.
There are no doctors in the hospital, no children at school, no soldiers patrolling streets of the city, no shopkeepers in shops, no occupants in buildings & no motorists in cars.
One of the two, the soldier, reflects on his time in an Asian land when his military invaded, bombing weddings with drones & killing innocent folk. Those who came to aid the dead, were themselves targeted. The thoughts and visions occupied his mind.
He reflects, the Asian land has now become his land.
Same silence & horror where hospitals are bombed, where the wounded were being treated. He remembers where they dropped heavy bombs on that hospital & the doctors were lay dead. Their uniforms were not black & yellow, but red with blood.
A school where children were taught was bombed by the occupying forces.
They targeted students in that school, not caring that the students may have been poor. Their torn slippers & shoes were piled up after their deaths. Their clothes & shoes are now left on the streets by villagers, who died due to the epidemic.
He remembered the civilian car which they targeted when people were returning to a village from a picnic.
The car was full of people, as well as, livestock. All, the bodies laid there dead, similar to the bodies after the epidemic. There is no one to bury them & none left to cry for those killed by the epidemic.
Suddenly, the soldier awakens from his thoughts, his companion tells him to come quickly! The dogs of the city are no longer afraid of humans as they are used to eating their flesh & now, they are targeted.
The retired soldier returns to his thoughts & continues to reflect on the lack of wailing for the dead.
He realizes, there is no one to cry over him as well. There were villagers who hid their wounded & when the drones left, villagers would take the injured to the hospital.
Here, the epidemic even infects people left behind closed doors, in their homes, left to die. In that land, the families would bury their dead. Here the beasts of the city ate the bones of men.
The soldier speeds up, but finds it difficult to breathe. He couldn’t tell his friend about his conditions out of fear that he will be left behind. He spat a little, coughed a little, which hardened his breathing & finally he fell. He begins to fall onto the ground as his friend gazes from the corner of his eyes.
After falling, his friend snatches the food from him & runs away. He doesn’t wish the burden & risk of carrying him & being infected with the epidemic.
The soldier is lying helpless on the side of the main road, unable to walk. He doesn’t have backup, like he did, during his previous tours. Now, he can’t call for help, there are no jets & helicopters coming to rescue him.
In a distance, he hears the barking of dogs coming towards him. He wonders, will he be eaten alive or dead? Of death, he is certain . The dogs approach preying on him, but, he cannot do anything. He smiles, leaving himself to the mercy of circumstances & approaching death.
He reflects now as he lays there helpless, like the people who were helpless & injured by the drones. The villagers used to wait for the drones, to see if they would strike again. Despite some villagers getting injured, they couldn’t move out of fear & no one would come near.
Indeed, the villagers were frozen, laying helplessly. Now, the soldier realizes the pain of those villagers, as he is in the same helpless situation.
The dogs approach & the barking became louder. He now looks at himself helplessly & closes his eyes with his hands.
Once upon a time, he felt strong along with his country’s strength. They would say “we are a superpower” to themselves, and yet, now everything is gone.
Nature is the superpower now. The epidemic was revenge taken by nature & is now the new superpower.