Blocking traffic to talk to me
and a passerby calls genocide correctly
I picked a new venue for demonstrating today, hoping to reach people that have not seen me before. The intersection is on the border between Evanston and Chicago. I picked the Evanston side since the Evanston police know me and the Chicago police don’t, should there be an altercation.
The reaction was at very positive. One guy, seen in this video, thought it worthwhile to block traffic to let me know I am ignorant. I wasn’t aware of the presence of a third party who, as you will hear in the video, helpfully offered “genocide” at the perfect moment.
I give credit to the guy in the car for not one word of profanity. I added the clip of a woman driver honking and yelling “free Palestine”, something I hear all the time. Several pedestrians offered thanks and fist bumps and handshakes. A guy came out from the IHOP behind me with a huge cup of cold water. I’m going back.
There is no doubt in my mind that we the people, the 99%, are against what is being done by Israel with US backing, but the 1% is solidly with Israel and the only way people can beat money is through voting. Watch what happens with Mamdani in NYC as billionaires are giving freely to stop him. I think they will fail as this is a big news item that will get people out to vote. The Republicans can’t redistrict NYC.
your persistence, patience, humility, diplomacy, and unflappable persona , clif, have made an ineffable and irrevocable difference, clif. w/out blokes and blokesses like you, these approbatory demonstrations, plaudits, and physical signs of solidarity, which far out-number the condemnatory and nescient ones, would never have been forthcoming. we are in your debt, clif.
East Coast Update (8-12-25) Two items:
1) I attended a virtual hearing of the aforementioned Special Commission on Combatting (sic) Antisemitism last Friday, and then a debriefing with a group spearheading the opposition. This is getting more unsettling as I become further involved. This has all the classic signs (fingerprints?) of being a highly sophisticated operation to dupe, exploit, deceive a level of American government to suit Israeli/Zionist ends. Nothing is sacred in their zeal to do so. It has become all too obvious to me that we - those in opposition - are dealing with a very stacked deck against us. In the debriefing session, though the challenges were laid out, some member happily reported that in the 24 hours after the hearing took place, 600 people signed on to the coalition to stop the commission.
2) Can't recall if I had related this earlier, but I've subscribed to The Forward, a Jewish publication for its coverage and commentary particularly on the Middle East, free speech, and antisemitism. Along with signing up comes e-mail notices from supporting organizations, more about cultural and social things of interest to Jews, which I am not. Today came notice that the Israeli Philharmonic will be performing at Carnegie Hall. Tickets can be arranged by clicking a link.
If there's any semblance of justice in this world, no one will be in the audience.