<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0" xmlns:itunes="http://www.itunes.com/dtds/podcast-1.0.dtd" xmlns:googleplay="http://www.google.com/schemas/play-podcasts/1.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[Break Free Media]]></title><description><![CDATA[As a follower of Jesus, my essays explore the big picture through a personal lens, offering insight into this dystopian era. ]]></description><link>https://khmezek.substack.com</link><image><url>https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!o4Cd!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F30667643-145c-4df7-8f01-0750cc2c5480_528x528.png</url><title>Break Free Media</title><link>https://khmezek.substack.com</link></image><generator>Substack</generator><lastBuildDate>Sun, 16 Aug 2026 20:46:41 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://khmezek.substack.com/feed" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><copyright><![CDATA[Karen Alaine Hunt]]></copyright><language><![CDATA[en]]></language><webMaster><![CDATA[khmezek@gmail.com]]></webMaster><itunes:owner><itunes:email><![CDATA[khmezek@gmail.com]]></itunes:email><itunes:name><![CDATA[Karen Hunt]]></itunes:name></itunes:owner><itunes:author><![CDATA[Karen Hunt]]></itunes:author><googleplay:owner><![CDATA[khmezek@gmail.com]]></googleplay:owner><googleplay:email><![CDATA[khmezek@gmail.com]]></googleplay:email><googleplay:author><![CDATA[Karen Hunt]]></googleplay:author><itunes:block><![CDATA[Yes]]></itunes:block><item><title><![CDATA[From Covid to Oct 7th: Drugging Our Children to Death]]></title><description><![CDATA["The forced drugging of our children can well be described as the modus operandi rape of our children&#8217;s minds and bodies." - Dr. Thomas Szasz]]></description><link>https://khmezek.substack.com/p/from-covid-to-oct-7th-drugging-our</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://khmezek.substack.com/p/from-covid-to-oct-7th-drugging-our</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Karen Hunt]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 14 Aug 2026 22:08:12 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!9Dgr!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0cc5bb34-dcb3-4d67-a286-9c99e8c85116_516x640.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!9Dgr!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0cc5bb34-dcb3-4d67-a286-9c99e8c85116_516x640.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!9Dgr!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0cc5bb34-dcb3-4d67-a286-9c99e8c85116_516x640.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!9Dgr!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0cc5bb34-dcb3-4d67-a286-9c99e8c85116_516x640.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!9Dgr!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0cc5bb34-dcb3-4d67-a286-9c99e8c85116_516x640.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!9Dgr!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0cc5bb34-dcb3-4d67-a286-9c99e8c85116_516x640.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!9Dgr!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0cc5bb34-dcb3-4d67-a286-9c99e8c85116_516x640.jpeg" width="516" height="640" 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https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!9Dgr!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0cc5bb34-dcb3-4d67-a286-9c99e8c85116_516x640.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!9Dgr!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0cc5bb34-dcb3-4d67-a286-9c99e8c85116_516x640.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!9Dgr!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0cc5bb34-dcb3-4d67-a286-9c99e8c85116_516x640.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>You can listen to me read this essay here:</p><div class="native-audio-embed" data-component-name="AudioPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;label&quot;:null,&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;48b0c840-0126-4a94-aca2-7750e8a4f8b1&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:1807.151,&quot;downloadable&quot;:false,&quot;isEditorNode&quot;:true}"></div><p><span>One-time or recurring donations can also be made at </span><a href="https://www.buymeacoffee.com/khmezek8">Ko-Fi</a></p><div><hr></div><p>This is Part II in my series <strong>From Covid to Oct 7th.</strong> </p><p>I wrote many essays during Covid and with Dr. Fauci back in the news at the moment, I thought it would be a good idea to revisit some of them. This was one of my very first essays that I wrote when I started Break Free Media back in 2021. I recognize drugs can be lifesaving, I&#8217;m not saying they can&#8217;t. Thankfully, I&#8217;m not on any medications, however, someday I realize I might need to be. But generally, <strong>I hate drugs and the companies that push them</strong>, as you will see if you read any of my essays on this topic. </p><p>When reading these essays, remember how during Covid we became addicted to our cell phones and were put into algorithmic prisons where we were separated from one another based on whether we were &#8220;vaxxed&#8221; or &#8220;unvaxxed.&#8221; We stopped interacting and began to hate one another. Firmly entrenched in our dogmas and attached to the influencers that fed us information, this led to hatred of &#8220;the other&#8221; after Oct 7th. </p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://khmezek.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Break Free Media is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><p><span>You can also support my work with a one-time or recurring contribution at </span><strong><a href="https://www.buymeacoffee.com/khmezek8">Ko-Fi</a></strong></p><h3><span>Back during Covid, I watched a </span><strong>disturbing video</strong><span> of a star student athlete collapsing at the finish line of a running race. She had to wear a face mask while competing. (The video is no longer available.)</span></h3><p><span>How she described it: </span><em>I felt like I just wasn&#8217;t being able to get a full breath. Multiple times of that happening, not being able to get enough air -- I just felt super-dizzy, and then eventually passed out. In the past, this has never happened. Then this race that I was wearing a mask, it did happen, which I don&#8217;t think is a coincidence.</em></p><p>When I posted this story on social media and suggested doing this to our children amounted to child abuse, I was accused of being &#8220;irresponsible and stupid.&#8221;</p><p>About three times a week I ran from where I lived to Whole Foods, got myself an iced chai and walked back. It was a long way and took me about three hours. Having trained for more years than I care to mention in martial arts, Eskrima, boxing and kickboxing, exercise is an important part of my life. I have a firm belief in the healing attributes of exercise. I did not wear a mask. I cannot imagine covering my mouth and nose and impeding my ability to breathe.</p><p>As I went on this running journey, I passed two schools, usually when the children were on the playground. All of them were wearing masks. This was in Phoenix, Arizona and schools were open at that time.  </p><p>The grandmother of a twelve-year-old granddaughter told me how her granddaughter refused to take her mask off when picked up from school. Even when she left the school grounds and no one was around, she was so fearful, she would not remove it. Girls at this age are already beginning to have issues with body image and want to hide away, become silent and unseen. Putting masks on their faces didn&#8217;t help.</p><p>Not only that, but face masks are not good for children. </p><p><span>&#8220;</span><a href="https://thehill.com/opinion/education/514742-masks-for-all-children-arent-needed-or-ethical">Pediatric mask-wearing</a><span> has been found to have </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21843089/">discernible effects</a><span> on fear, anxiety, and language development. In</span><a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/dth.13567"> </a><strong><a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/dth.13567">one survey of Polish </a></strong><span>young adults wearing masks due to COVID-19, 97 percent perceived inconvenience or adverse effects; 35 percent of those reported difficulty breathing. Mask-wearing at longer durations can impact thermoregulation</span><a href="https://academic.oup.com/annweh/article/56/1/102/166254"> </a><strong><a href="https://academic.oup.com/annweh/article/56/1/102/166254">and thermal stress</a></strong><span>. A German study found masks to have a &#8220;</span><strong><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32632523/">negative impact on cardiopulmonary capacity...and quality of life&#8221;</a></strong></p><p>Facemasks worn by children have been <strong><a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0147651323013623">shown to have chemicals </a></strong>like hydrocarbons, <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/pharmacology-toxicology-and-pharmaceutical-science/phthalic-acid">phthalates</a>, <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/pharmacology-toxicology-and-pharmaceutical-science/organophosphate">organo phosphate</a> ester compounds, <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/pharmacology-toxicology-and-pharmaceutical-science/carboxamide">amides</a>, paraffins, <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/pharmacology-toxicology-and-pharmaceutical-science/alkene">olefins</a>, <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/pharmacology-toxicology-and-pharmaceutical-science/polyethylene-terephthalate">polyethylene terephthalate</a> <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/pharmacology-toxicology-and-pharmaceutical-science/oligomer">oligomers</a> and microplastics. So, it was better for children to breathe these chemicals than fresh air? </p><p>Ironically, m<span>icroplastics and microfibers released from face masks can contribute to the dispersion of pathogens (</span><a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0147651323013623#bib168"><span>Patr&#237;cio Silva et al., 2021</span></a><span>) and </span><a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/pharmacology-toxicology-and-pharmaceutical-science/antibiotics"><span>antibiotic</span></a><span> resistance genes (ARG) in the environment. The architecture of face masks (microscopic meshing) can provide a preferable </span><a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/pharmacology-toxicology-and-pharmaceutical-science/base"><span>base</span></a><span> substrate for microbial communities, including antibiotic-resistant pathogens (</span><a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0147651323013623#bib259"><span>Zhou et al., 2022</span></a><span>). So, facemasks create more illnesses. Remember children coming home with dirty facemasks? </span></p><p>Our children were breathing bad air for eight hours a day, even when exerting themselves on the playground or when competing in sports. The irony of this is inescapable. We were being told that society must make drastic changes to clean our environment, yet we were forcing our children to breathe toxic air.</p><h3><span>One insidious step at a time, we went beyond masks. We experimented with COVID vaccines on children and on babies. </span></h3><p><span>It boggles my mind that parents proudly showed how they offered up their children for these COVID vaccine </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5HQvHVLOgk">experiments</a><span>. Watch this video of the brave little warriors. Maybe some of you think it&#8217;s okay, but I don&#8217;t. </span></p><div id="youtube2-P5HQvHVLOgk" class="youtube-wrap" data-attrs="{&quot;videoId&quot;:&quot;P5HQvHVLOgk&quot;,&quot;startTime&quot;:null,&quot;endTime&quot;:null}" data-component-name="Youtube2ToDOM"><div class="youtube-inner"><iframe src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/P5HQvHVLOgk?rel=0&amp;autoplay=0&amp;showinfo=0&amp;enablejsapi=0" frameborder="0" loading="lazy" gesture="media" allow="autoplay; fullscreen" allowautoplay="true" allowfullscreen="true" width="728" height="409"></iframe></div></div><h3>It all started with a Faustian bargain between Big Pharma, Advertising and Government.</h3><p><span>In the first episode of that brilliant TV show, </span><strong><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mad_Men">Mad Men</a></strong><span>, Don Draper lays it out clearly:</span></p><p>&#8220;Advertising is based on one thing: happiness. You, feeling something, that&#8217;s what sells.&#8221;</p><p><span>&#8220;</span>Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.<span>&#8221;</span></p><p><span>This mantra is as American as apple pie. It is our </span><em>right</em><span> to be happy. If we aren&#8217;t, we are somehow failing.</span></p><p><a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/1-in-6-americans-takes-a-psychiatric-drug/">1 in 6 Americans Takes a Psychiatric Drug</a><span>. The percentage of Americans taking more than five prescription medications has nearly tripled in the past 20 years, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2017. Half of us take some form of prescription medication. In the United States, </span><strong><a href="https://www.cdc.gov/medication-safety/data-research/facts-stats/index.html">more than 1.5&#8239;million people visit emergency departments </a></strong><span>each year for adverse drug events.</span><strong><a href="https://practicalneurology.com/news/new-analysis-suggest-adverse-drug-events-are-the-3rd-leading-cause-of-death-in-the-usa/2473820/"> 250,000 to 300,000 people die each year from adverse drug events</a></strong><span> (ADEs), making them the third leading cause of death in the country.</span></p><p><span>We are slaves to the pharmaceutical companies, and they like it that way. Billions of dollars are at stake. The pandemic gave mega companies, both tech and health, in collusion with the government, a pathway to increased control over every aspect of our lives. We </span><em>know</em><span> that drugs are a plague in and of themselves. Yet, just like tobacco use, just like drinking that poison called Coca Cola, we keep on &#8220;chasing the dragon.&#8221; Instead of accepting that unhappiness is a part of life, like people do in less affluent parts of the world, we keep on believing that we can fix our unhappiness with just one more drug cocktail.</span></p><p>As a single mother who has raised three kids on the violent streets of Los Angeles suburbia, and as a writer who co-founded a creative writing program for incarcerated youth, I&#8217;ve heard countless drug-related horror stories told by children, both inside juvenile detention facilities and rehab centers, and outside in my own neighborhood and from my own kids. </p><p>I want to share a couple of those stories here. They go back about ten years. But it&#8217;s important to look at the history of how this acceptance of drugging our children arose. I&#8217;m not saying there aren&#8217;t extreme cases where it&#8217;s necessary to medicate children, but that&#8217;s not what I&#8217;m talking about here.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!nWZn!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2a2ce3f6-f9fc-4a8d-8c99-5434d3d4d268_612x341.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!nWZn!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2a2ce3f6-f9fc-4a8d-8c99-5434d3d4d268_612x341.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!nWZn!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2a2ce3f6-f9fc-4a8d-8c99-5434d3d4d268_612x341.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!nWZn!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2a2ce3f6-f9fc-4a8d-8c99-5434d3d4d268_612x341.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!nWZn!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2a2ce3f6-f9fc-4a8d-8c99-5434d3d4d268_612x341.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img 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srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!nWZn!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2a2ce3f6-f9fc-4a8d-8c99-5434d3d4d268_612x341.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!nWZn!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2a2ce3f6-f9fc-4a8d-8c99-5434d3d4d268_612x341.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!nWZn!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2a2ce3f6-f9fc-4a8d-8c99-5434d3d4d268_612x341.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!nWZn!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2a2ce3f6-f9fc-4a8d-8c99-5434d3d4d268_612x341.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><h3>Jimmy </h3><p>Jimmy was an ordinary 16-year-old kid living in the exclusive Los Angeles suburb of Calabasas. He was 12 years old when he was prescribed Ritalin for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, or ADHD.</p><p>&#8220;It was creepy,&#8221; he said. &#8220;I could totally just sit in my chair and stare at the teacher for hours and I could hear every single word, like in slow motion. That&#8217;s how it is&#8212;you can concentrate on stupid tasks but you&#8217;re not really there inside yourself. It&#8217;s as if something else is controlling you. It was horrible. I started pretending to take my pills but wouldn&#8217;t.&#8221;</p><p>Jimmy had reason to be distracted and depressed. His older sister committed suicide in the mansion his family inhabited. Jimmy couldn&#8217;t bear to be in that haunted house, no matter how deceptively beautiful it appeared on the outside. He ended up camping on the sofa of our apartment for the next two years. He just never wanted to go home. It was too painful.</p><p>&#8220;So, what happens with all the drugs kids are supposed to be taking?&#8221; I asked him.</p><p>He eyed me like I was dense. &#8220;Didn&#8217;t those doctors think about what would happen when they dumped a ton of fucking drugs on us? Eight-year-olds, six-year-olds&#8212;they trade pills then start selling them. Little drug dealers growing up to be corporate monsters.&#8221;</p><h4>The manufacture and dissemination of drugs to the general population is an accepted industry, generating billions of dollars to pharmaceutical companies without any concern for the long-term consequences on the human guinea pigs: our children. </h4><p>Academics determine through research funded by drug companies that the public is suffering from myriad mental diseases. Psychiatrists, in turn, prescribe the medications developed by the drug companies. A tidy circle of profit ensues.</p><p><strong><a href="https://bioethics.hms.harvard.edu/faculty-staff/marcia-angell">Marcia Angell</a></strong><span>, a senior lecturer at the division of medical ethics at Harvard School of Medicine and former editor-in-chief of </span><em>The New England Journal of Medicine</em><span>, states that &#8220;there is fairly good evidence that the research has been tainted because of the financial relationships between academic researchers and drug companies.&#8221;</span></p><h3><span>We all know this now. We know it! And yet, we still hopped on board as </span><strong><a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/science/science-news/pfizer-launches-pediatric-trial-test-covid-vaccine-children-rcna500">Pfizer launched pediatric trials to test mRNA Covid vaccines in children</a></strong></h3><p>How did we become this complacent, dare I say this brainwashed? Fine, take the vaccine for yourself, it&#8217;s your right, but don&#8217;t force it on others. And why would anyone give it to their children. </p><p>Because almost everyone already takes drugs, even children, so what&#8217;s one more?</p><p><span>For decades the United States is one of only two countries in the world that allows direct to consumers ads for drugs. On May 19, 1983, Boots aired the first broadcast television commercial in the United States for a prescription drug, the pain reliever Rufen. </span><strong><a href="https://www.statnews.com/2015/12/11/untold-story-tvs-first-prescription-drug-ad/#:~:text=On%20May%2019%2C%201983%2C%20Boots%20aired%20the%20first,government%20told%20the%20company%20to%20take%20it%20down.">The untold story of TV&#8217;s first prescription drug ad (statnews.com)</a></strong></p><p><span>Powerful, highly addictive drugs are marketed directly to families through </span><em>Stepford Wives</em><span>-like TV and magazine ads, showing smiling, sedated children and their equally smiling and sedated parents, happily ingesting their medication. Just watch any Women&#8217;s TV show, where every other ad is pushing a mood-altering medication, complete with a bizarre, creepy little creature following the woman around like something out of the Twilight Zone.</span></p><p>Once, I heard a teenage girl telling another girl, &#8220;I don&#8217;t wanna be an &#8216;ad kid.&#8217;&#8221;</p><p>I asked what she meant.</p><p>&#8220;Oh, you know, those kids who go around school saying, &#8216;I&#8217;m on Zoloft, I&#8217;m so happy&#8230;I&#8217;m on Zoloft, I&#8217;m so happy.&#8217; I don&#8217;t wanna be an ad for a drug company.&#8221;</p><p>Her friend responded, &#8220;Oh yeah, I tried Zoloft. It turned everything gray. The world went gray. I was sick for two days, puking.&#8221;</p><h3>Jennifer and Andrea</h3><p>One morning I was sitting with two girls, 18-year-old Jennifer and 15-year-old Andrea. The topic turned to drugs, as it often does with youth. I asked them what they thought was the biggest difference between the drug situation on the opposite ends of the San Fernando Valley, or the SFV: Calabasas and Pacoima. Just to clarify, Calabasas is where all the rich kids live, made famous by the Kardashians infamous reality show, and Pacoima is where all the gangbangers live&#8212;that&#8217;s the stereotype in a nutshell. Which had a bigger drug problem?</p><p>They shrugged. &#8220;You can get drugs anywhere. There&#8217;s no difference.&#8221;</p><p>Jennifer laughed. &#8220;Actually, I&#8217;d say Calabasas is worse.&#8221;</p><p><span>Urban Dictionary has some colorful descriptions of Calabasas. </span><a href="https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Calabasas">Check it out</a><span>, here&#8217;s a couple of examples:</span></p><ul><li><p><span>&#8220;Not only do their porches shine, but their generally fake lifestyles spawn "perfect" druggy children.&#8221;</span></p></li><li><p>&#8220;Dante&#8217;s forgotten 10th circle of hell.&#8221;</p></li></ul><p>Jennifer continued, &#8220;You can get anything there. Everybody&#8217;s dad or mom is a doctor or a lawyer or a psychiatrist. Prescription drugs, being mentally sick, going to therapy, it&#8217;s just, like, that&#8217;s what you do. So, everybody&#8217;s either taking pills, selling or both. We&#8217;re all drug experts, we know how to access info better than our parents. We know which drugs are used for which effect and what the active ingredients are.&#8221;</p><p>She took a drag off her legal drug of choice&#8212;a cigarette. She pointed her cig at me sagely. &#8220;The &#8216;just say no&#8217; campaign turned into &#8216;just say yes.&#8217; If a psychiatrist says you need to be on meds, you fucking better say yes or you&#8217;re in trouble.&#8221;</p><p>She smirked at a sudden thought. &#8220;Or else, you play the system. Like, this is what you do. You go to your therapist and fake something. Like this guy, Brandon. He got grounded for two months and he wanted to get out of it, so he starts faking panic attacks. His parents send him to a psychiatrist. He tells the doc, I got something against the number 3, it just freaks me out. The doc says, what do you mean? He says, &#8216;well, see that open filing cabinet? I&#8217;ve been looking at it for the past 20 minutes and it has three folders in it. It&#8217;s making me nervous.&#8217; I mean, Brandon just made that up, he didn&#8217;t have anything against the number 3. End result? He gets put on medication and he&#8217;s been selling it ever since.&#8221;</p><p>Andrea had been quiet all this time, but now she spoke up. &#8220;I don&#8217;t fake my problems. I take Wellbutrin for depression and Trazodone for anxiety and anger. I&#8217;ve been hospitalized twice, once because I tried to commit suicide. I saved up and took 23 pills at once. They said when they got to me, I was two minutes away from being dead.&#8221;</p><p>If you look up Wellbutrin, it warns that it is approved only for adults 18 years and over. No trials have been conducted in younger children. Andrea, as I said, was 15. Think about it. How is this possible? And then, remember what I said above about these Covid vaccines.</p><p>&#8220;So, what do you think of the meds?&#8221; I asked her.</p><p>&#8220;I hate it. I feel like a rat in a cage, an experiment. They put me on something and then, if it doesn&#8217;t work, they put me on something else. They don&#8217;t know what they&#8217;re doing. My adoptive mom had her leg amputated last year and my dad has hepatitis C, so I know I have issues. You can see I&#8217;m overweight&#8212;hello! I get made fun of. Kids throw food at me; I can&#8217;t describe how bad every day of my life is at school. I got anger issues. But nobody helps me deal with it. They just put me on meds.&#8221;</p><p>And now, what happens? <span>Researchers found </span><strong><a href="https://www.nimh.nih.gov/news/science-updates/2023/youth-suicide-rates-increased-during-the-covid-19-pandemic">5,568 youth died by suicide in the first 10 months of the pandemic</a></strong><span>, more than the number expected based on the five years before COVID&#8209;19. </span>The fact that suicides went up due to lockdowns, nobody cares. Yet, incredibly, it&#8217;s as if suddenly with this pandemic, no other illness or mental health problems existed. Everything was COVID. Everything was about &#8220;solving this problem&#8221; through vaccines.</p><p><span>Just take your meds. If you obey, you can get back to normal. You can be </span><em>happy.</em></p><p><span>In </span><strong><a href="https://www.statnews.com/2015/12/11/untold-story-tvs-first-prescription-drug-ad/">The untold story of TV&#8217;s first prescription drug ad</a></strong><span>, when the first ad came out FDA aid Lou Morris, who helped oversee the agency&#8217;s drug promotion office, said, &#8220;We were really concerned about what would these ads look like. Would it trivialize people&#8217;s view of what a prescription drug is? How much would they play on emotion as opposed to rational positive benefits?&#8221;</span></p><h3>For years our emotions have been played upon by drug companies, knowing this is the way to hook people into dependency. </h3><p>This has made it incredibly easy for the government to use these same tactics to sell the fear of the pandemic and make us believe we could solve the problem by happily rolling up the sleeves, not just of ourselves but of our children. </p><p>How did all of these medications become so much a part of our everyday lives that we don&#8217;t give it a second thought? It was thanks to psychiatry. </p><p><span>The American Psychiatric Association has the unchecked power to convene and create new mental illnesses, which millions of people are then diagnosed with and given medication for. The </span><em><strong><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3777342/">Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders</a></strong></em><span> is over 500 pages long, and lists mental conditions such as &#8220;Apathy Disorder,&#8221; &#8220;Parental Alienation Syndrome,&#8221; &#8220;Compulsive Buying Disorder,&#8221; &#8220;Selective Mutism,&#8221; &#8220;Relational Disorder&#8221; and &#8220;Dissociative Fugue&#8221; which is when a person suddenly travels away from home, often with no memory of how they got there, and may assume a new identity. Where is the end of this?</span></p><p>ADHD is the most widely diagnosed mental disorder amongst children. Here is a perfect description of an ADHD child, one that is likely to send an overwrought parent running to the psychiatrist for medication:</p><p><span>&#8220;</span><em>He entered the church, now, with a swarm of clean and noisy boys and girls, proceeded to his seat and started a quarrel with the first boy that came handy. The teacher, a grave, elderly man, interfered; then turned his back a moment and [he] pulled a boy&#8217;s hair in the next bench, and was absorbed in his book when the boy turned around; stuck a pin in another boy, presently, in order to hear him say &#8220;Ouch!&#8221; and got a new reprimand from his teacher. [His] whole class [was] of a pattern &#8212; restless, noisy, and troublesome. When they came to recite their lessons, the latter third of the speech was marred by the resumption of fights and other recreations among certain of the bad boys, and by fidgetings and whisperings that extended far and wide. Not one of them knew his verses perfectly but had to be prompted all along.&#8221;</em></p><p>Who is this frightening example of ADHD?</p><p>Tom Sawyer, the most beloved and idealized example of precocious boyhood behavior in American literature. Nowadays you can be sure that Tom and his sidekick, Huck Finn, would be put into Special Education, with a psychiatrist forcing them to take powerful meds. They would probably end up in juvenile hall. All that naturally impulsive inquisitiveness that made Aunt Polly throw up her hands in despair would be destroyed.</p><p>Imagine Tom Sawyer wearing a mask. Obsessively sanitizing all that wonderful dirt off his hands. I have a good imagination but that&#8217;s impossible.</p><p>Label a child with a mental disorder such as ADHD and &#8220;solve the problem&#8221; by prescribing pills having the effect of chemically straight-jacketing them.</p><h3>Straitjackets.</h3><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!6kHZ!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F79657136-a5bd-407b-89c2-0770a7dcb29c_700x700.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!6kHZ!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F79657136-a5bd-407b-89c2-0770a7dcb29c_700x700.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!6kHZ!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F79657136-a5bd-407b-89c2-0770a7dcb29c_700x700.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!6kHZ!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F79657136-a5bd-407b-89c2-0770a7dcb29c_700x700.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!6kHZ!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F79657136-a5bd-407b-89c2-0770a7dcb29c_700x700.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!6kHZ!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F79657136-a5bd-407b-89c2-0770a7dcb29c_700x700.jpeg" width="426" height="426" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://bucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/79657136-a5bd-407b-89c2-0770a7dcb29c_700x700.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:700,&quot;width&quot;:700,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:426,&quot;bytes&quot;:114390,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" title="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!6kHZ!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F79657136-a5bd-407b-89c2-0770a7dcb29c_700x700.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!6kHZ!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F79657136-a5bd-407b-89c2-0770a7dcb29c_700x700.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!6kHZ!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F79657136-a5bd-407b-89c2-0770a7dcb29c_700x700.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!6kHZ!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F79657136-a5bd-407b-89c2-0770a7dcb29c_700x700.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>Our children being forced to wear masks is a form of straitjackets. No longer were they able to remember a time when they played freely in the fresh air. Little by little, we had been worn down over the years to accept doing the unthinkable. Next step, jabbing our children with an mRNA experimental vaccine as if they were little heroic warriors in the first line of defense. But children should not be used as a first line of defense to protect adults from an illness which children get. I always thought it was adults who protected the children. </p><p>Straitjackets were first introduced at the turn of the century, along with electric shock, hosing down, shackles, lobotomy and holes being drilled into brains to relieve &#8220;brain pressure.&#8221; German physicians gave birth to the idea of mental diseases of the brain, lending credence to the idea of treating it in the same way one might treat a physical disease. Psychiatry and the German State worked together to institutionalize those with &#8220;damaged minds,&#8221; which is really a form of the elite engineering eugenics on an unsuspecting public.</p><p><span>Dr. Thomas Szasz, author of</span><strong> </strong><em>The Myth of Mental Illness</em><span>, says, &#8220;The evil genius of psychiatry &#8230; continues to lie in its ability to convince itself, the legal system, and the public that &#8230; there is no conflict between the legitimate interests of the individual and the legitimate interests of the political class in charge of the state.&#8221;</span></p><p>Carl Wernicke (1848-1905), a prominent 19th-century German neuropsychiatrist observed, &#8220;The medical treatment of [mental] patients began with the infringement of their personal freedom.&#8221;</p><p>This started with the abuses described above, as well as other &#8220;benevolent tortures&#8221;&#8212;such as frightening patients by throwing them into snake pits, the origin of the term &#8220;snake pit&#8221; for insane asylum. These horrific restraints were precursors to the current drugs.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-nN9!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe43a4fec-6063-432f-8652-15356b8672f4_1200x850.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-nN9!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe43a4fec-6063-432f-8652-15356b8672f4_1200x850.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-nN9!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe43a4fec-6063-432f-8652-15356b8672f4_1200x850.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-nN9!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe43a4fec-6063-432f-8652-15356b8672f4_1200x850.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-nN9!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe43a4fec-6063-432f-8652-15356b8672f4_1200x850.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-nN9!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe43a4fec-6063-432f-8652-15356b8672f4_1200x850.jpeg" width="560" height="396.6666666666667" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://bucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/e43a4fec-6063-432f-8652-15356b8672f4_1200x850.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:850,&quot;width&quot;:1200,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:560,&quot;bytes&quot;:234813,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" title="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-nN9!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe43a4fec-6063-432f-8652-15356b8672f4_1200x850.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-nN9!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe43a4fec-6063-432f-8652-15356b8672f4_1200x850.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-nN9!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe43a4fec-6063-432f-8652-15356b8672f4_1200x850.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-nN9!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe43a4fec-6063-432f-8652-15356b8672f4_1200x850.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>The methods of restraint are now so much more humane than in the past: little pills. And because they are little pills and we have been convinced we need to take them; people willingly give in to being constrained by them.</p><p>Certainly, when medicated, the child appears quieter and sits still in a chair for hours on end, something that our school system demands. But the child isn&#8217;t being more attentive. The child is zoned out, robbed of their innate energy. Because, after all, what child in his or her right mind should want to, or be forced to, sit for hours every day in a chair doing rote paperwork and being given countless standardized tests to evaluate success or failure? What child should want to daily enter an institution surrounded by gates and high walls, policed by drug dogs and security guards?</p><p>It was in 1973 that the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare&#8212;which includes the National Institute of Mental Health&#8212;created the Special Education Program for children with &#8220;learning disabilities.&#8221; </p><p>This gave birth to a whole new army of experts who had to be trained and employed and, as such, had to justify their employment by identifying a certain number of Special Needs students in each school. Because for every Special Needs child, the government provides extra funding. In 1991, teachers were mandated to &#8220;actively seek to identify ADHD children.&#8221;</p><p>We can look to the rise of prescription medications to treat ADHD as similar in how we were indoctrinated to accept a COVID vaccine for children.</p><p><span>Neurologists </span><strong><a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/news/neurologists-warn-against-prescribing-adhd-drugs-to-kids-as-study-drugs/">warn against prescribing ADHD drugs</a></strong><span> to enhance a child&#8217;s performance in school. Even when the long-term effects might be detrimental, there is so much pressure to take the pill, put on the mask of perfection, and worry about the consequences later.</span></p><p>Perhaps it might make sense to identify children with this label if there was a stringently objective test to clearly identify the ADHD child. Yet,<a href="https://www.addrc.org/is-there-a-definitive-test-for-adhd/"> there is no blood test, brain scan, or genetic panel that definitively diagnoses ADHD.</a></p><p>Putting children on medication and making them wear masks and vaccinating them against an illness that rarely impacts them, deprives children of living an ordinary, carefree childhood. </p><p>There are already enough fears to face growing up. During Covid, children were even afraid to breathe.</p><p>I have talked to young people in their twenties who were on medication as children and say they felt cheated out of their childhoods. </p><p>One young man in his early twenties told me, &#8220;When I found out that the doctors had basically been giving me cocaine since the age of six, and my parents had allowed it, I felt betrayed, like they&#8217;d been raping my brain, over and over, for years. I realized how it led to my drug addiction. I&#8217;d been putting a pill in my mouth forever. The next step was a needle in my arm.&#8221;</p><p>Drugs have become such an integral part of our lives, we can&#8217;t imagine surviving without them. One way or the other, legally or illegally, the populace is addicted to drugs. </p><p>A few months after speaking with Andrea, I found out she had again attempted suicide and was institutionalized. No doubt the experts mixed yet another cocktail of meds to try and &#8220;make her happy.&#8221;</p><p>The forced drugging of our children can well be described as the modus operandi rape of our children&#8217;s minds and bodies. </p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://khmezek.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://khmezek.substack.com/subscribe?"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://khmezek.substack.com/p/from-covid-to-oct-7th-drugging-our?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://khmezek.substack.com/p/from-covid-to-oct-7th-drugging-our?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://khmezek.substack.com/p/from-covid-to-oct-7th-drugging-our/comments&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Leave a comment&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://khmezek.substack.com/p/from-covid-to-oct-7th-drugging-our/comments"><span>Leave a comment</span></a></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Heroines of Oct 7th]]></title><description><![CDATA[&#8220;The bravest are surely those who have the clearest vision of what is before them, glory and danger alike, and yet notwithstanding, go out to meet it.&#8221; &#8212; Thucydides]]></description><link>https://khmezek.substack.com/p/heroines-of-oct-7th</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://khmezek.substack.com/p/heroines-of-oct-7th</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Karen Hunt]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 12 Aug 2026 12:03:55 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!iS8Z!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2fc37d14-ed4f-4449-861c-396f28869e17_474x663.webp" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>You can listen to me read this account here:</p><div class="native-audio-embed" data-component-name="AudioPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;label&quot;:null,&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;14246a82-1521-4d03-b2fc-d6ce9dbed0b7&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:1322.9453,&quot;downloadable&quot;:false,&quot;isEditorNode&quot;:true}"></div><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://khmezek.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Break Free Media is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><p><span>One-time or recurring donations can also be made at </span><a href="https://www.buymeacoffee.com/khmezek8">Ko-Fi</a></p><div><hr></div><h4>I have written quite a bit about the brave women of Iran who stood up for freedom in the face of torture, imprisonment and death. Now, I am sharing some of the brave women of Israel who fought against terrorist, many to the death, to save the lives of others.</h4><div class="image-gallery-embed" data-attrs="{&quot;gallery&quot;:{&quot;images&quot;:[{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/29ebf130-f223-4237-b3d9-f4667bb29eae_389x489.jpeg&quot;},{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/a4345c8d-c735-42d8-8be9-c342320abcbc_886x848.jpeg&quot;}],&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;Hannah Szenes and Miriam Shachor&quot;,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;staticGalleryImage&quot;:{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/609f09d4-aaa6-47c2-9ce5-f35de7dd2a75_1456x720.png&quot;}},&quot;isEditorNode&quot;:true}"></div><p>The bravery of Jewish women goes back a long way. Among the first women honored by Israel are Yam for Hannah Szenes, a Hungarian-born Jewish paratrooper who was captured and executed by the Nazis in World War II, and Miriam Shachor, a Palmach fighter killed in the 1948 War of Independence.</p><p>In Israel, women fight alongside men. In 2015, Forum Dvorah was created to actively champion women&#8217;s participation in national security and foreign policy decision-making. People think women are asking them to lower the bar [for entry] in combat positions. But they explain that they are not asking for that. They are asking for women to be allowed to apply and try to get in. </p><p>If a woman fights in Israel, it&#8217;s because she deserves to be there. </p><h4><span>Among the female soldiers who battled the invading terrorists on Oct 7, 2023, was an</span><a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/female-idf-tank-crews-ran-down-dozens-of-hamas-terrorists-on-october-7/"> all-female tank unit</a><span> that fought for hours, killing dozens of attackers along the border and in communities overrun by terrorists. </span></h4><p><span>You can watch them in action </span><strong><a href="https://x.com/nivcalderon/status/1728635906087604405?s=20"><span>HERE:</span></a></strong></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!F5Nc!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F15402e75-d9de-49d1-a179-4cafbbb0a810_640x400.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!F5Nc!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F15402e75-d9de-49d1-a179-4cafbbb0a810_640x400.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!F5Nc!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F15402e75-d9de-49d1-a179-4cafbbb0a810_640x400.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!F5Nc!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F15402e75-d9de-49d1-a179-4cafbbb0a810_640x400.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!F5Nc!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F15402e75-d9de-49d1-a179-4cafbbb0a810_640x400.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!F5Nc!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F15402e75-d9de-49d1-a179-4cafbbb0a810_640x400.jpeg" width="640" height="400" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/15402e75-d9de-49d1-a179-4cafbbb0a810_640x400.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:400,&quot;width&quot;:640,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:null,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:null,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!F5Nc!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F15402e75-d9de-49d1-a179-4cafbbb0a810_640x400.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!F5Nc!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F15402e75-d9de-49d1-a179-4cafbbb0a810_640x400.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!F5Nc!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F15402e75-d9de-49d1-a179-4cafbbb0a810_640x400.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!F5Nc!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F15402e75-d9de-49d1-a179-4cafbbb0a810_640x400.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Women in IDF combat positions (Credit: IDF Spokesperson&#8217;s Unit)</figcaption></figure></div><p>According to <a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/fighting-and-dying-alongside-men-for-decades-female-soldiers-finally-get-their-due/#:~:text=According%20to%20Women%20Warriors%2C%2047%20female%20IDF%20soldiers,in%20the%20West%20Bank%20in%20the%20months%20since.">Women Warriors,</a> 47 female IDF soldiers were killed on October 7. Since then, at least 66 Israeli women have been killed in the war.</p><p>I am sharing some of their stories below. There are so many, but at least this will give you an idea of these incredibly brave young women, all of whom are around the age from 19 to mid-20s, with two in their 30s. </p><p>When I hear people decrying &#8220;Zionists&#8221; I think of these young women fighting for their country. Israel is the only country on earth that is told it should not fight for its survival. That is what it means to be a Zionist. To love your country, to believe it has a right to exist and to fight for it. </p><p>Think about that as you read about these women. </p><p>G.K. Chesterton said: &#8220;The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him.&#8221;</p><p>Each one of these young women fought for what was behind them, just as anyone would who has a brave heart. They fought for their home, their family, their friends, their freedom, their country.  </p><p>To find all of their stories, please go <strong><a href="http://You can find all their names and information at Women Warriors, Their Stories.">HERE</a></strong></p><h3>Among the most tragic losses were the unarmed women of the observer post at the Nahal Oz army base.</h3><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!l4xA!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F951df101-8b7d-4a39-80a7-89551015075b_470x473.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!l4xA!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F951df101-8b7d-4a39-80a7-89551015075b_470x473.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!l4xA!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F951df101-8b7d-4a39-80a7-89551015075b_470x473.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!l4xA!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F951df101-8b7d-4a39-80a7-89551015075b_470x473.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!l4xA!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F951df101-8b7d-4a39-80a7-89551015075b_470x473.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!l4xA!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F951df101-8b7d-4a39-80a7-89551015075b_470x473.png" width="470" height="473" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/951df101-8b7d-4a39-80a7-89551015075b_470x473.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:473,&quot;width&quot;:470,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:507783,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!l4xA!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F951df101-8b7d-4a39-80a7-89551015075b_470x473.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!l4xA!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F951df101-8b7d-4a39-80a7-89551015075b_470x473.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!l4xA!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F951df101-8b7d-4a39-80a7-89551015075b_470x473.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!l4xA!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F951df101-8b7d-4a39-80a7-89551015075b_470x473.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption"><strong><span>IDF field observers (</span></strong><em><strong>tatzpitanitot)</strong></em><strong><span> seen in happy times. </span></strong><em><strong>Courtesy of Roni Lifschitz</strong></em></figcaption></figure></div><p><span>During the Hamas attack on </span>October 7<span>, 2023, the observers post at the Nahal Oz army base was stormed by Hamas militants. 15 unarmed </span>female IDF<span> field observers were killed and 7 were kidnapped and taken to Gaza as hostages</span></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!UEU9!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5ad72b5a-6c8f-437b-bfd9-e042fcf1d47e_1024x640.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!UEU9!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5ad72b5a-6c8f-437b-bfd9-e042fcf1d47e_1024x640.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!UEU9!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5ad72b5a-6c8f-437b-bfd9-e042fcf1d47e_1024x640.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!UEU9!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5ad72b5a-6c8f-437b-bfd9-e042fcf1d47e_1024x640.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!UEU9!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5ad72b5a-6c8f-437b-bfd9-e042fcf1d47e_1024x640.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!UEU9!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5ad72b5a-6c8f-437b-bfd9-e042fcf1d47e_1024x640.jpeg" width="1024" height="640" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/5ad72b5a-6c8f-437b-bfd9-e042fcf1d47e_1024x640.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:640,&quot;width&quot;:1024,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:null,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:null,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!UEU9!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5ad72b5a-6c8f-437b-bfd9-e042fcf1d47e_1024x640.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!UEU9!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5ad72b5a-6c8f-437b-bfd9-e042fcf1d47e_1024x640.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!UEU9!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5ad72b5a-6c8f-437b-bfd9-e042fcf1d47e_1024x640.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!UEU9!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5ad72b5a-6c8f-437b-bfd9-e042fcf1d47e_1024x640.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Remnants of the Nahal Oz outpost control center, September 2025 (Tal Schneider/The Times of Israel)</figcaption></figure></div><p>The surprise attack by Hamas led to a record number of women killed in combat &#8212; both on the day of the massacre and in the battles that followed. </p><p>Tragically, the intelligence the young women relayed from this outpost was ignored by senior command, leading to the deadliest disaster in Israel&#8217;s history. Questions remain unanswered. </p><p>Lifschitz, a former observer who worked alongside fallen soldier Roni Eshel, who I write about below, said, &#8220;We were 18- and 19-year-old girls. Even though we know the whole area perfectly and could tell you about it in our sleep, we were not considered high enough ranked, so they did not listen. They liked to belittle us. It did not surprise me.&#8221;</p><p>I hope Israel and the IDF have learned a hard lesson from this. It&#8217;s unconscionable to think these women had no weapons and were not taken seriously. </p><p><span>Below is a memorial to the fallen heroines of the observer&#8217;s post. </span></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!9_-8!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbe01b9c5-c25b-4749-a585-553bc1b38ba9_250x333.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!9_-8!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbe01b9c5-c25b-4749-a585-553bc1b38ba9_250x333.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!9_-8!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbe01b9c5-c25b-4749-a585-553bc1b38ba9_250x333.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!9_-8!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbe01b9c5-c25b-4749-a585-553bc1b38ba9_250x333.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!9_-8!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbe01b9c5-c25b-4749-a585-553bc1b38ba9_250x333.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!9_-8!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbe01b9c5-c25b-4749-a585-553bc1b38ba9_250x333.jpeg" width="250" height="333" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/be01b9c5-c25b-4749-a585-553bc1b38ba9_250x333.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:333,&quot;width&quot;:250,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:null,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:null,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!9_-8!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbe01b9c5-c25b-4749-a585-553bc1b38ba9_250x333.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!9_-8!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbe01b9c5-c25b-4749-a585-553bc1b38ba9_250x333.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!9_-8!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbe01b9c5-c25b-4749-a585-553bc1b38ba9_250x333.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!9_-8!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbe01b9c5-c25b-4749-a585-553bc1b38ba9_250x333.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">The Nahal Oz Observers Memorial Monument</figcaption></figure></div><h4>And now, here are just a few of the many heroines. </h4><h3><strong>Sgt. Roni Eshel</strong></h3><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!rwuG!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc1dbf1ef-624f-4341-8a8e-bb77c0dbca87_640x400.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!rwuG!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc1dbf1ef-624f-4341-8a8e-bb77c0dbca87_640x400.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!rwuG!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc1dbf1ef-624f-4341-8a8e-bb77c0dbca87_640x400.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!rwuG!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc1dbf1ef-624f-4341-8a8e-bb77c0dbca87_640x400.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!rwuG!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc1dbf1ef-624f-4341-8a8e-bb77c0dbca87_640x400.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!rwuG!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc1dbf1ef-624f-4341-8a8e-bb77c0dbca87_640x400.jpeg" width="640" height="400" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/c1dbf1ef-624f-4341-8a8e-bb77c0dbca87_640x400.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:400,&quot;width&quot;:640,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:null,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;Roni Eshel, an IDF soldier who was stationed at a military base near the Gaza border when Hamas attacked on October 7, 2023. She was murdered in the onslaught. (Courtesy of Eyal Eshel via AP)&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:null,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="Roni Eshel, an IDF soldier who was stationed at a military base near the Gaza border when Hamas attacked on October 7, 2023. She was murdered in the onslaught. (Courtesy of Eyal Eshel via AP)" title="Roni Eshel, an IDF soldier who was stationed at a military base near the Gaza border when Hamas attacked on October 7, 2023. She was murdered in the onslaught. (Courtesy of Eyal Eshel via AP)" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!rwuG!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc1dbf1ef-624f-4341-8a8e-bb77c0dbca87_640x400.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!rwuG!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc1dbf1ef-624f-4341-8a8e-bb77c0dbca87_640x400.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!rwuG!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc1dbf1ef-624f-4341-8a8e-bb77c0dbca87_640x400.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!rwuG!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc1dbf1ef-624f-4341-8a8e-bb77c0dbca87_640x400.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>Eshel was a 19-year-old observation soldier in the Border Defense Corps 414th unit. She was killed during the Hamas onslaught on southern Israel on October 7.</p><p>Eshel loved her job. She had been in the army for a year and two months at an army base near Kibbutz Nahal Oz, part of the team of soldiers who watch the feeds from the cameras placed on the high-tech barrier that was breached by Hamas terrorists.</p><p>Eyal Eshel, Roni&#8217;s father, stated in many interviews that Roni had told the family that Hamas was studying the border.</p><p>&#8220;&#8216;Dad, they&#8217;re studying us,&#8217;&#8221; she told Eshel. &#8220;&#8216;They&#8217;re doing their homework. They know almost every corner of the fence itself.&#8217;&#8221;</p><p>On October 7, Eshel&#8217;s mother received a text at 9:27 a.m. from Roni, saying that she was okay and in the command room of the base, meant to be a secure space. It was the last time the family heard from her. She perished. </p><h3>Captain Sahar Saudyan </h3><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Dc1J!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1e4f8eaa-8e20-40a0-8ae5-85f410570e4d_640x400.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Dc1J!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1e4f8eaa-8e20-40a0-8ae5-85f410570e4d_640x400.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Dc1J!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1e4f8eaa-8e20-40a0-8ae5-85f410570e4d_640x400.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Dc1J!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1e4f8eaa-8e20-40a0-8ae5-85f410570e4d_640x400.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Dc1J!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1e4f8eaa-8e20-40a0-8ae5-85f410570e4d_640x400.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Dc1J!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1e4f8eaa-8e20-40a0-8ae5-85f410570e4d_640x400.jpeg" width="640" height="400" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/1e4f8eaa-8e20-40a0-8ae5-85f410570e4d_640x400.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:400,&quot;width&quot;:640,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:null,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;Cpt. Sahar Saudyan who was killed on October 7, 2023. (IDF)&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:null,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="Cpt. Sahar Saudyan who was killed on October 7, 2023. (IDF)" title="Cpt. Sahar Saudyan who was killed on October 7, 2023. (IDF)" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Dc1J!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1e4f8eaa-8e20-40a0-8ae5-85f410570e4d_640x400.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Dc1J!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1e4f8eaa-8e20-40a0-8ae5-85f410570e4d_640x400.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Dc1J!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1e4f8eaa-8e20-40a0-8ae5-85f410570e4d_640x400.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Dc1J!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1e4f8eaa-8e20-40a0-8ae5-85f410570e4d_640x400.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Cpt. Sahar Saudyan who was killed on October 7, 2023. (IDF)</figcaption></figure></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://khmezek.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://khmezek.substack.com/subscribe?"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><p>Sahar, 21, from Rosh Ha&#8217;ayin, was operating an Iron Dome battery in the south. A young soldier identified only as A, who was with her <strong><a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/cpt-sahar-saudyan-21-iron-dome-operator-who-was-a-real-hero/">said</a></strong> that they all had a &#8220;fun and successful and team-building start to the weekend, with an enjoyable dinner that Sahar organized for everyone on Thursday night.&#8221; He said Friday evening, just before the Hamas assault, &#8220;we played the Jungle Speed card game, we laughed and we went to sleep to get ready for our shift at dawn.&#8221;</p><p>But a little more than two hours into their shift, things became anything but routine. The soldier said Saudyan, the senior officer on duty at the Iron Dome battery, was the first to spot the wave of rockets on the screen, as they jumped into action to counter an attack like they&#8217;d never seen before.</p><p>&#8220;It was my first time in a real event of rockets, and Sahar rushed to calm me down, to put a hand on my shoulder, to give me the strength to intercept rocket after rocket in the first minutes,&#8221; recounted A. to Ynet.</p><p>Several hours later, Saudyan and two other IDF soldiers &#8212; Sgt. Nativ Kuzaro, 21, and Sgt. Binyamin Gavriel Yona, 19 &#8212; left to restock the Iron Dome battery with interceptor missiles. The missiles are stored nearby, but not at the battery itself.</p><p>All three were shot dead in their vehicle. Their bodies were recovered and identified several days later. They were the first ever Iron Dome battery operators to be killed in battle.</p><p>&#8220;My happiness, the light in our home, the most precious thing to me in the world, went like a hero to defend the residents of the south,&#8221; wrote her brother. &#8220;If only I could give her my own heart now.&#8221;</p><h3>Platoon Leader Adar Ben Simon </h3><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!iS8Z!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2fc37d14-ed4f-4449-861c-396f28869e17_474x663.webp" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!iS8Z!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2fc37d14-ed4f-4449-861c-396f28869e17_474x663.webp 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!iS8Z!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2fc37d14-ed4f-4449-861c-396f28869e17_474x663.webp 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!iS8Z!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2fc37d14-ed4f-4449-861c-396f28869e17_474x663.webp 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!iS8Z!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2fc37d14-ed4f-4449-861c-396f28869e17_474x663.webp 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!iS8Z!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2fc37d14-ed4f-4449-861c-396f28869e17_474x663.webp" width="474" height="663" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/2fc37d14-ed4f-4449-861c-396f28869e17_474x663.webp&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:663,&quot;width&quot;:474,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:null,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;Don't avert your eyes from evil! Adar ben Simon. May her memory be a blessing. | Jon Rosenoer&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:null,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="Don't avert your eyes from evil! Adar ben Simon. May her memory be a blessing. | Jon Rosenoer" title="Don't avert your eyes from evil! Adar ben Simon. May her memory be a blessing. | Jon Rosenoer" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!iS8Z!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2fc37d14-ed4f-4449-861c-396f28869e17_474x663.webp 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!iS8Z!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2fc37d14-ed4f-4449-861c-396f28869e17_474x663.webp 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!iS8Z!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2fc37d14-ed4f-4449-861c-396f28869e17_474x663.webp 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!iS8Z!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2fc37d14-ed4f-4449-861c-396f28869e17_474x663.webp 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>Adar was a 20-year-old platoon leader in the Israeli Home Front Command platoon. </p><p><span>She and other commanders discovered a large Hamas infiltration. Her immediate priority was to </span>protect the recruits<span>, so she ordered them to seek shelter while she and her team went to the main gate to confront the terrorists. Under heavy rocket barrages, a Hamas squad breached the base. Adar </span>fearlessly engaged in battle<span>, fighting with all her might to eliminate the attackers and defend her soldiers. </span></p><p>She was killed in the 50-minute battle while defending her base. Her mother Ms. Ben Simon remembers her daughter: &#8220;As a platoon commander at the Zikim Base, she chose to take responsibility and leadership for 120 soldiers under attack. In the moment of truth, she acted with courage and dedication to save her soldiers.&#8221;</p><h3>Lt. Col. Yarden Shukrun</h3><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!3cnu!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2db56b02-bc6f-43cc-a94d-a85ef344a581_848x780.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!3cnu!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2db56b02-bc6f-43cc-a94d-a85ef344a581_848x780.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!3cnu!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2db56b02-bc6f-43cc-a94d-a85ef344a581_848x780.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!3cnu!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2db56b02-bc6f-43cc-a94d-a85ef344a581_848x780.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!3cnu!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2db56b02-bc6f-43cc-a94d-a85ef344a581_848x780.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!3cnu!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2db56b02-bc6f-43cc-a94d-a85ef344a581_848x780.jpeg" width="848" height="780" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/2db56b02-bc6f-43cc-a94d-a85ef344a581_848x780.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:780,&quot;width&quot;:848,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:null,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;No photo description available.&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:null,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="No photo description available." title="No photo description available." srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!3cnu!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2db56b02-bc6f-43cc-a94d-a85ef344a581_848x780.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!3cnu!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2db56b02-bc6f-43cc-a94d-a85ef344a581_848x780.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!3cnu!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2db56b02-bc6f-43cc-a94d-a85ef344a581_848x780.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!3cnu!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2db56b02-bc6f-43cc-a94d-a85ef344a581_848x780.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p><span>Yarden, 37, made history as the first female battalion commander fighting in Gaza.</span><br><span>On Saturday, October 7, Yarden was with her family at her home in Ofakim, when Hamas terrorists infiltrated the town. </span></p><p><span>While driving to the Urim base, Yarden reported over the radio: &#8220;Don&#8217;t take Route 232; go around&#8221;, she wisely instructed her soldiers, thus saving them from ambushes by terrorists.</span></p><p><span>When Yarden and her fighters reached the gates of Urim, they were hit by heavy fire. Yarden, whose role in the battalion was to break in and rescue, was trained to find advantages which could make better use of the area. She realized that if she reached a hiding place on the roof, she would be better able to identify where the terrorists were shooting from, and by adding in an observation drone, she would have a significant advantage. She led her soldiers up to the rooftop and working together smoothly, they fired at the terrorists until the base was free of them.</span></p><p><span>Yarden and her fighters then returned to Ofakim to rid the town of terrorists. They went from house to house, killing the terrorists and using their special equipment to rescue residents from homes which had been hit by rockets.</span></p><p><span>When the fighting began in Gaza, Yarden led her soldiers through the city of murderers. Every commando unit knows the brave female battalion commander, and that she will fight alongside them until they achieve &#8216;ippon&#8217; &#8211; a total victory normally won by Judo champions, and which Yarden herself won when she was the Israeli national champion.</span></p><p><span>Yarden survived Oct 7th.</span></p><p><span>If you ask her what gives her the strength to keep fighting, she&#8217;ll tell you that she thinks of her grandparents who were Holocaust survivors, and for whom the establishment of the State of Israel was a miracle.</span></p><h3>Advanced Staff Sergeant Major Mor Shakuri</h3><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!WFhV!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbaf3d39c-32f9-4250-9f12-71d2bb6f695f_300x300.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!WFhV!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbaf3d39c-32f9-4250-9f12-71d2bb6f695f_300x300.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!WFhV!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbaf3d39c-32f9-4250-9f12-71d2bb6f695f_300x300.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!WFhV!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbaf3d39c-32f9-4250-9f12-71d2bb6f695f_300x300.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!WFhV!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbaf3d39c-32f9-4250-9f12-71d2bb6f695f_300x300.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!WFhV!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbaf3d39c-32f9-4250-9f12-71d2bb6f695f_300x300.jpeg" width="300" height="300" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/baf3d39c-32f9-4250-9f12-71d2bb6f695f_300x300.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:300,&quot;width&quot;:300,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:null,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;&#1512;&#1505;\&quot;&#1502; &#1502;&#1493;&#1512; &#1513;&#1511;&#1493;&#1512;&#1497; &#1494;\&quot;&#1500;&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:null,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="&#1512;&#1505;&quot;&#1502; &#1502;&#1493;&#1512; &#1513;&#1511;&#1493;&#1512;&#1497; &#1494;&quot;&#1500;" title="&#1512;&#1505;&quot;&#1502; &#1502;&#1493;&#1512; &#1513;&#1511;&#1493;&#1512;&#1497; &#1494;&quot;&#1500;" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!WFhV!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbaf3d39c-32f9-4250-9f12-71d2bb6f695f_300x300.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!WFhV!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbaf3d39c-32f9-4250-9f12-71d2bb6f695f_300x300.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!WFhV!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbaf3d39c-32f9-4250-9f12-71d2bb6f695f_300x300.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!WFhV!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbaf3d39c-32f9-4250-9f12-71d2bb6f695f_300x300.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p><span>On the "Black Sabbath" on October 7, 2023, the morning of the Simchat Torah holiday, Mor was nearing the end of her night shift. Therefore, she was among the first police forces to encounter terrorists who infiltrated Sderot and attacked the police station in the city, intending to take it over. Mor ran together with five policemen and a civilian, climbing up the station's roof, and from there they fought the terrorists in a fierce battle that lasted about eight hours. The terrorists fired live fire at the police officers besieged on the roof and threw grenades at them, but Mor and her partners managed to neutralize every terrorist who tried to get on the roof.</span></p><p><span>Mor was armed and participated in the fight using only her personal gun. While fighting, she also treated a seriously wounded man and improvised a tourniquet for him from her shirt. In addition, she sent reports about the fighting situation and the condition of the wounded.</span></p><p><span>As the fighting progressed, Mor reported on WhatsApp to her commander, chief inspector Bar Manshuri, that they are running out of ammunition. </span></p><p><span>During the attack, Mor took a few moments to text with her mother on the phone. She managed to say goodbye to her and even asked that her mother take care of her beloved sister. Her last words to her mother were: "Mom, if I don't survive, know that I love you, I love father, and take care of Sapir for me."</span></p><p><span>A sniper terrorist standing on the roof facing Mor open fire at her and she was killed on the spot.</span></p><p><span>Mor and her fellow police officers who fought and fell in the battle of the Sderot police station demonstrated bravery and courage. They protected the people of Sderot with their own bodies.</span></p><h3>Inbar Lieberman</h3><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Qzwi!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa48accaf-3c7f-4fa2-961b-7be116cdecc1_1024x682.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Qzwi!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa48accaf-3c7f-4fa2-961b-7be116cdecc1_1024x682.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Qzwi!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa48accaf-3c7f-4fa2-961b-7be116cdecc1_1024x682.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Qzwi!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa48accaf-3c7f-4fa2-961b-7be116cdecc1_1024x682.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Qzwi!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa48accaf-3c7f-4fa2-961b-7be116cdecc1_1024x682.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Qzwi!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa48accaf-3c7f-4fa2-961b-7be116cdecc1_1024x682.jpeg" width="1024" height="682" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/a48accaf-3c7f-4fa2-961b-7be116cdecc1_1024x682.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:682,&quot;width&quot;:1024,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:null,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:null,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Qzwi!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa48accaf-3c7f-4fa2-961b-7be116cdecc1_1024x682.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Qzwi!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa48accaf-3c7f-4fa2-961b-7be116cdecc1_1024x682.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Qzwi!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa48accaf-3c7f-4fa2-961b-7be116cdecc1_1024x682.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Qzwi!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa48accaf-3c7f-4fa2-961b-7be116cdecc1_1024x682.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>Inbar was the security coordinator of Kibbutz Nir Am. </p><p>Hearing sounds of the attack, she rushed to open the armory, distributed guns to the 12-member security team and coordinated their decisive response amid the unfolding attack.</p><p>She placed her squad of kibbutzniks in strategic positions across the settlement and set up ambushes that caught the gunmen off guard and turned the tables on them during their mission to inflict mass casualties.</p><p>Lieberman killed five terrorists by herself, while the others gunned down 20 more over four hours as they turned Nir Am into an impenetrable fortress &#8212; while nearby kibbutzim suffered heavy losses.</p><p>Lieberman survived Oct 7th. </p><h3>Rachel Edri</h3><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!emj2!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F59a691a5-4460-4290-a635-6983fe3a1a64_1024x576.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!emj2!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F59a691a5-4460-4290-a635-6983fe3a1a64_1024x576.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!emj2!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F59a691a5-4460-4290-a635-6983fe3a1a64_1024x576.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!emj2!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F59a691a5-4460-4290-a635-6983fe3a1a64_1024x576.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!emj2!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F59a691a5-4460-4290-a635-6983fe3a1a64_1024x576.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!emj2!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F59a691a5-4460-4290-a635-6983fe3a1a64_1024x576.jpeg" width="1024" height="576" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/59a691a5-4460-4290-a635-6983fe3a1a64_1024x576.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:576,&quot;width&quot;:1024,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:null,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;'I want to go back': Heroic October 7 survivor Rachel Edri rejects turning her home i&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:null,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="'I want to go back': Heroic October 7 survivor Rachel Edri rejects turning her home i" title="'I want to go back': Heroic October 7 survivor Rachel Edri rejects turning her home i" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!emj2!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F59a691a5-4460-4290-a635-6983fe3a1a64_1024x576.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!emj2!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F59a691a5-4460-4290-a635-6983fe3a1a64_1024x576.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!emj2!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F59a691a5-4460-4290-a635-6983fe3a1a64_1024x576.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!emj2!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F59a691a5-4460-4290-a635-6983fe3a1a64_1024x576.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>Rachel is a grandmother whose cookies and conversation kept five Hamas terrorists who broke into her home placated for 20 hours. What else would a grandma do! Special forces arrived at last to rescue her and her husband, David; forces that included her own son. </p><p>Sadly, David passed away four months later, never recovering from the trauma. Despite everything, <span>Edri plans to return to her southern Israel home; she insists, &#8216;I want to live and die in that house. It&#8217;s my home&#8217;</span></p><h3><span>Lt. Col. Or Ben Yehuda</span></h3><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!M7tF!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fabe4e498-3799-4205-9729-6a92f69c6843_1024x682.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!M7tF!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fabe4e498-3799-4205-9729-6a92f69c6843_1024x682.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!M7tF!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fabe4e498-3799-4205-9729-6a92f69c6843_1024x682.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!M7tF!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fabe4e498-3799-4205-9729-6a92f69c6843_1024x682.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!M7tF!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fabe4e498-3799-4205-9729-6a92f69c6843_1024x682.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!M7tF!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fabe4e498-3799-4205-9729-6a92f69c6843_1024x682.jpeg" width="1024" height="682" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/abe4e498-3799-4205-9729-6a92f69c6843_1024x682.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:682,&quot;width&quot;:1024,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:null,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;&#1505;&#1488;\&quot;&#1500; &#1488;&#1493;&#1512; &#1489;&#1503; &#1497;&#1492;&#1493;&#1491;&#1492;&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:null,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="&#1505;&#1488;&quot;&#1500; &#1488;&#1493;&#1512; &#1489;&#1503; &#1497;&#1492;&#1493;&#1491;&#1492;" title="&#1505;&#1488;&quot;&#1500; &#1488;&#1493;&#1512; &#1489;&#1503; &#1497;&#1492;&#1493;&#1491;&#1492;" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!M7tF!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fabe4e498-3799-4205-9729-6a92f69c6843_1024x682.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!M7tF!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fabe4e498-3799-4205-9729-6a92f69c6843_1024x682.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!M7tF!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fabe4e498-3799-4205-9729-6a92f69c6843_1024x682.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!M7tF!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fabe4e498-3799-4205-9729-6a92f69c6843_1024x682.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p><span>Or was the first woman to command an infantry battalion in the IDF Border Defense Corps. On Oct 7th, she led the </span>Caracal Battalion<span> in one of the most significant female-led combat operations of the day.</span></p><p>After serving her time in the army, she missed it and returned during Operation Pillar of Defense, reporting for reserve duty. Impressed by her performance, the IDF offered her a permanent post as commander of a rifle company.</p><p>&#8220;I didn&#8217;t believe I was capable of doing this role, even though I wanted it badly. So when the door opened for me to return&#8212;I leapt at the chance,&#8221; she said. &#8220;The first time I stood in front of 120 soldiers, I remembered just how much I love leading. It felt natural to be back.&#8221;</p><p>In 2014, Ben Yehuda was moderately wounded while leading an operation to intercept a terrorist infiltration from Sinai. For her leadership under fire, she was awarded a Southern Command Citation and was recognized by the IDF chief of staff. Only two months into her rehabilitation, she returned to duty. In a moving ceremony, the award was presented by her mother, Professor Dina Ben Yehuda&#8212;herself a decorated officer.</p><p>Ben Yehuda survived Oct 7th. </p><p>I could go on, I wish I could name every single one. They are in my heart. </p><p>And I go back to thinking of Zionism and my heart breaks. What should they do? Lay down their arms and allow themselves to be butchered by those so filled with hatred, they want every Jew, every Israeli dead? With the sweat of their brow Israelis built this amazing country and fought every step of the way against constant attacks. No, God brought his people back to Zion and so they shall remain. </p><p>May the memories of those who gave their lives be a blessing. May God be with Israel and with the United States. May God turn our nations back to him!</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://khmezek.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://khmezek.substack.com/subscribe?"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://khmezek.substack.com/p/heroines-of-oct-7th?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://khmezek.substack.com/p/heroines-of-oct-7th?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://khmezek.substack.com/p/heroines-of-oct-7th/comments&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Leave a comment&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://khmezek.substack.com/p/heroines-of-oct-7th/comments"><span>Leave a comment</span></a></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Owning the West]]></title><description><![CDATA[Qatar owns more of London than King Charles. Indians own more homes than the English. Do the Brits have a right to be concerned about this?]]></description><link>https://khmezek.substack.com/p/owning-the-west</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://khmezek.substack.com/p/owning-the-west</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Karen Hunt]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 11 Aug 2026 01:46:30 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!RUfS!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc8a1f620-bd3c-486e-9622-5c88b8bd44d6_900x434.webp" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!RUfS!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc8a1f620-bd3c-486e-9622-5c88b8bd44d6_900x434.webp" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!RUfS!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc8a1f620-bd3c-486e-9622-5c88b8bd44d6_900x434.webp 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!RUfS!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc8a1f620-bd3c-486e-9622-5c88b8bd44d6_900x434.webp 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!RUfS!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc8a1f620-bd3c-486e-9622-5c88b8bd44d6_900x434.webp 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!RUfS!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc8a1f620-bd3c-486e-9622-5c88b8bd44d6_900x434.webp 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img 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srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!RUfS!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc8a1f620-bd3c-486e-9622-5c88b8bd44d6_900x434.webp 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!RUfS!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc8a1f620-bd3c-486e-9622-5c88b8bd44d6_900x434.webp 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!RUfS!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc8a1f620-bd3c-486e-9622-5c88b8bd44d6_900x434.webp 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!RUfS!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc8a1f620-bd3c-486e-9622-5c88b8bd44d6_900x434.webp 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://khmezek.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption"><strong>Welcome to Break Free Mondays. If you value my work, please consider becoming a paid subscriber. Thank you. </strong></p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><p><strong><span>One-time or recurring donations can be made at </span><a href="https://www.buymeacoffee.com/khmezek8">Ko-Fi</a></strong></p><p><strong>You can listen to me read this essay here:</strong></p><div class="native-audio-embed" data-component-name="AudioPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;label&quot;:null,&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;fbdddff8-a516-4f57-9583-91705ca1aaf9&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:1176.8424,&quot;downloadable&quot;:false,&quot;isEditorNode&quot;:true}"></div><p><em>The ship is sinking and everyone keeps dancing and getting drunk. There are a few trying to warn the others to prepare. At least put on a life vest. Maybe get into a lifeboat. But the fools only dance faster and drink harder. </em></p><h3>Back to the 1980s, I was living in London, on a street called Princes Square, between Bayswater and Nottinghill Gate and just a few blocks from Kensington Gardens and &#8220;Embassy Row.&#8221; </h3><p>It was a popular area for Arabs living and working in the area at that time. I should add there were many Indians. I was very thankful for the Indian restaurants that made up for the terrible British food. </p><p>These Arabs weren&#8217;t the illegals of today. They were highly educated and rich, with luxuriant moustaches and impeccable manners. They wore Harley Street suits with crisp white handkerchiefs in their pockets, shiny shoes and manicured fingernails&#8212; with that the one long pinky fingernail. Looking back, I really can&#8217;t remember seeing many women. Those I did see wore niqabs as they walked their children in the park. I didn&#8217;t think much about them. </p><p>I do remember a big story in the news when a Muslim killed a sheep outside his house for some holiday, letting the blood run in the gutter. Back then, everyone insisted that it wasn&#8217;t very British, it was barbaric and unsanitary and shouldn&#8217;t be allowed! </p><p>According to <strong><a href="https://jewishhome.news/saudi-arabia-upon-the-thames-arab-reach-revisited/">Hoag Levins&#8217; 1983 book </a></strong><em><strong><a href="https://jewishhome.news/saudi-arabia-upon-the-thames-arab-reach-revisited/">Arab Reach</a></strong></em><strong><a href="https://jewishhome.news/saudi-arabia-upon-the-thames-arab-reach-revisited/">,</a></strong> London in the early 1980s was becoming a hub for &#8220;recycling petrodollars,&#8221; with Saudi investors acquiring significant London landmarks and establishing financial institutions in the city. These included luxury hotels, prime real estate, and some commercial properties.</p><p>How much London has changed. It started in the 1980s with the wealthy buying up real estate and land, which was allowed because, you know, MONEY. </p>
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   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[FROM COVID TO OCT 7th: The Gain of Function Controversy]]></title><description><![CDATA[&#8220;The Earth is mounting an immune response against the human species. It is beginning to react to the human parasite..." - The Hot Zone, a book about Ebola]]></description><link>https://khmezek.substack.com/p/from-covid-to-oct-7th-the-gain-of</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://khmezek.substack.com/p/from-covid-to-oct-7th-the-gain-of</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Karen Hunt]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 09 Aug 2026 12:02:54 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!1W0i!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F67561ccb-2ff2-42fd-b695-1cfd16a4b52c_520x347.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!1W0i!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F67561ccb-2ff2-42fd-b695-1cfd16a4b52c_520x347.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!1W0i!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F67561ccb-2ff2-42fd-b695-1cfd16a4b52c_520x347.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!1W0i!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F67561ccb-2ff2-42fd-b695-1cfd16a4b52c_520x347.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!1W0i!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F67561ccb-2ff2-42fd-b695-1cfd16a4b52c_520x347.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!1W0i!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F67561ccb-2ff2-42fd-b695-1cfd16a4b52c_520x347.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!1W0i!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F67561ccb-2ff2-42fd-b695-1cfd16a4b52c_520x347.jpeg" width="716" height="477.7923076923077" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/67561ccb-2ff2-42fd-b695-1cfd16a4b52c_520x347.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:347,&quot;width&quot;:520,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:716,&quot;bytes&quot;:null,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;Richard Madden 'thankful' Robb Stark was killed off early on 'Thrones'&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Richard Madden 'thankful' Robb Stark was killed off early on 'Thrones'&quot;,&quot;type&quot;:null,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="Richard Madden 'thankful' Robb Stark was killed off early on 'Thrones'" title="Richard Madden 'thankful' Robb Stark was killed off early on 'Thrones'" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!1W0i!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F67561ccb-2ff2-42fd-b695-1cfd16a4b52c_520x347.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!1W0i!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F67561ccb-2ff2-42fd-b695-1cfd16a4b52c_520x347.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!1W0i!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F67561ccb-2ff2-42fd-b695-1cfd16a4b52c_520x347.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!1W0i!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F67561ccb-2ff2-42fd-b695-1cfd16a4b52c_520x347.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">The Hot Zone miniseries</figcaption></figure></div><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://khmezek.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Break Free Media is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><p><span>One-time or recurring donations can also be made at </span><a href="https://www.buymeacoffee.com/khmezek8">Ko-Fi</a></p><div><hr></div><p>This is the first in a new series.</p><h3>FROM COVID TO OCT 7TH</h3><p><strong>INTRODUCTION:</strong></p><p>I was living in Luxor, Egypt when Covid struck. In fact, Luxor was the epicenter of the pandemic in Egypt. The first person to be diagnosed with Covid was on a cruise ship that docked there. I write about this in my upcoming book, The Seduction of Islam. It was because of Covid that I couldn&#8217;t get out of Egypt, as the situation became increasingly dangerous due to the hostile men that were gathering against my friend and I was not going to abandon her. </p><p>As for everyday life in Luxor, it went on as normal, despite the pandemic. It&#8217;s hard for people who have never lived in villages to understand this. When I say, &#8220;Life went on as normal,&#8221; some people get offended, even angry, as if I&#8217;m somehow being irresponsible to even say such a thing. I explain more about the attitude in villages in my book, but for now, I will just say that the situation gave me a unique, bird&#8217;s eye view of what was happening in the rest of the world. I wasn&#8217;t in the middle of it, as all my friends and family were back home. It felt like I was on the outside, looking at something happening elsewhere, but not to me. </p><p>It was a quite surreal and, in some ways, incredible experience. It was the height of tourist season in Luxor, but all the tourists had fled back home. The west bank fell silent once they were gone. It was like stepping back in time, to the days when I had been there as a child in June of 1967. Back then, tourists had fled, too, but over fear of the upcoming war. My family explored the temples and tombs free of the usual crowds, obnoxious chatter, cameras clicking and other distractions that should have surrounded us. I almost felt as if I belonged there. I was a very imaginative girl of ten. </p><p>During Covid, it was similar. Paradoxically, although I was stuck there in a dangerous situation, it was a time of freedom. I saw the videos of people back home behaving horribly in stores, fighting over toilet paper, screaming at someone if they didn&#8217;t keep their distance or they weren&#8217;t wearing a mask. In Luxor, no one hoarded anything. Everyone had a farm and food was plentiful. Nobody wore masks or social distanced themselves. This is impossible in a village. I rode my bike every day in this silent city cut off from the rest of the world, past the Coleuses of Memnon and up the Valley of the Kings. It was as if the clocks had turned back to the time of the Pharaohs, just as I had felt in my childhood. </p><p>It was during those days that I started to question the mainstream media. I became fascinated with the narratives I saw on the news. They were all the same. If anyone dared to even question those narratives, they were viciously attacked, shut down, forced out of jobs and turned on by family and friends. </p><p>When I finally was able to get out of Egypt and return to Phoenix, Arizona, that is when I decided to write about what I had seen and learned and researched. I discovered Substack and started Break Free Media. </p><p>From there, I expanded my research to AI and transhumanism, the collection of data, and how it was being used to feed AI. I saw how people were being herded into algorithmic prisons based on the &#8220;vaxxed&#8221; and the &#8220;unvaxxed&#8221;.  I firmly believe that this cutting us off from one another, both virtually and in the real world, led us to where we are now with the masses so easily turning on &#8220;the other&#8221;. </p><p>The other, of course, is now the Jews. Oct 7th was the day our world changed forever, even more so than what happened during Covid. But Covid led us there. On Oct 7th all the demons of hell were unleashed, and humans started to go mad. </p><p>Most of the connections I had made in the &#8220;alternative media&#8221; during Covid morphed into rabid antisemites. I prefer to call them Jew-haters because that&#8217;s what they are. As a follower of Jesus, not any manmade religious institution, I made my stand with Israel very clear and that was the end of all those connections&#8212;something I do not regret. But I can say it was shocking to see how quickly everyone flipped. </p><p>You&#8217;d think that any rational, decent human being would have rallied around Israel. Instead, the West rallied around the monsters who not only vowed to kill every Jew but vowed to kill everyone in the West, too. And yet, eagerly, those monsters were invited in. Madness. </p><p>This took me once again back to my childhood on the streets of Cairo, just days before the start of the 6-Day War, hearing Nassar&#8217;s voice on loudspeakers in the streets, &#8220;Death to America and its stooge, Israel&#8221; and hordes of hate-filled men with guns screaming the same.  </p><p>That cry has never changed. Only now, it&#8217;s America that&#8217;s the stooge of Israel. It&#8217;s all lies, whichever way they word it. I know this because I experienced the truth firsthand, as a child and then just a few years ago when I lived in Luxor. </p><p>Anyway, I understand that some might not be interested in reading this series. They might even be offended that I write about it. Nobody wants to go back to those days. But if we don&#8217;t remind ourselves how we got here, we won&#8217;t have the strength to get through the tough times ahead. And tougher times are coming. We must have a firm foundation, or even the strongest among us will become confused and flounder. Oct 7th isn&#8217;t the end; it won&#8217;t get better. I wish I could say something more reassuring, but I can&#8217;t. </p><p>I am here to speak out so that people stay strong. </p><p>I started Break Free Media because writing on Substack was the first time in my life that I could finally speak my mind without being shut down by everyone from the angry mobs to those in power, from the left and the right, even the Christian world in which I grew up. That&#8217;s why I call it &#8220;Break Free&#8221;. </p><p>Many will switch me off because they got stuck in that algorithmic prison during Covid and assume that by even asking questions about it, I&#8217;m proving myself to be some kind of crazy conspiracy theorist. But hopefully those of you who have read enough of my essays since Oct 7th know this isn&#8217;t true. I am not a sensationalist. I rely on research, as you will see with this first essay. </p><p>I genuinely search for the truth, to the best of my ability. You don&#8217;t have to agree with me. Life would be boring if we all agreed on everything. So, I encourage you to give this series a chance. </p><p>And so, without further ado, here is the first in this series:</p><h3>The Gain of Function Controversy</h3><p><span>&#8220;</span><em>They were two human primates carrying another primate. One was the master of the earth, or at least believed himself to be, and the other was a nimble dweller in trees, a cousin of the master of the earth. Both species, the human and the monkey, were in the presence of another life form, which was older and more powerful than either of them, and was a dweller in blood.</em><span>&#8221; ~ Richard Preston, </span><strong><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Hot-Zone-Terrifying-Story-Origins/dp/0385495226/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1ETFZ7BJH8TOG&amp;keywords=the+hot+zone&amp;qid=1706314027&amp;sprefix=the+hot+zone%2Caps%2C162&amp;sr=8-1">The Hot Zone</a></strong></p><p>The Hot Zone tells the true story of what happens when a disease with a 90% mortality rate&#8212;that would be Ebola&#8212;is let loose in Washington DC. The book reads like a thriller, following a team of soldiers and scientists who are tasked with containing the deadly disease.</p><p>Natural diseases are bad enough. But scientists can take those diseases, even mild ones, and turn them into bioweapons that can kill millions or a few or even one specific person. </p><h4>We are told that in order to protect humanity, we must study pathogens in labs and the best way to do that is to alter them to become more dangerous. This is what we call gain of function.</h4><p><span>According to </span><strong><a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-scientists-tweak-lab-viruses-to-make-them-more-contagious1/#:~:text=Scientists%20perform%20these%20manipulations%20for%20many%20reasons%2C%20including,lab%2C%20by%20accident%20or%20design%2C%20is%20a%20possibility.">Scientific American</a></strong><span>: &#8220;Scientists perform these manipulations for many reasons, including </span><strong>wanting to understand how the microbes evade detection by our immune systems</strong><span>. But adding capability to a pathogen carries obvious risks, especially if this &#8216;gain of function&#8217; involves enhanced virulence or infectiousness. Escape from a lab, by accident or design, is a possibility.&#8221;</span></p><p><span>Despite a long history of studying viruses, </span><strong><a href="https://www.britannica.com/story/how-were-viruses-discovered">dating back to the late 1890s</a></strong><span> when it is said they were first discovered, we have never succeeded in eradicating more than one human disease, and that is (maybe) smallpox.</span></p><p>In 1796, British surgeon Edward Jenner invented the smallpox vaccine, the world&#8217;s first vaccine against any disease. The dramatic decrease in smallpox deaths at the turn of the 19th century can be credited to his invention. But how can we be absolutely sure? Perhaps the disease just played itself out. We really know very little, yet we conveniently tell the stories that promote what we want to be true.</p><p><span>Even if smallpox was eradicated thanks to the vaccine, considering all the research we have conducted on so many different illnesses since, </span><strong>that&#8217;s a terrible success rate</strong><span>. Is it really worth making diseases more deadly when we can&#8217;t even cure them as they are?</span></p><h4><strong>Government appointed experts tell us these highly dangerous and secretive experiments are necessary if we want to prepare for another pandemic or an enemy attack.</strong></h4><p><span>For these reasons, Bio Security Level 4 labs have been built all over the world. A </span><strong><a href="https://www.phe.gov/s3/BioriskManagement/biocontainment/Pages/BSL-Requirements.aspx">BSL-4 lab</a></strong><span> is a &#8220;laboratory designed to study infectious agents or toxins that pose a high risk of aerosol-transmitted laboratory infections and life-threatening disease for which no vaccines or therapies are available&#8221;.</span></p><p><span>In 2021, Gregory D. Koblentz, Associate Professor and Director of the Biodefense Graduate Program at George Mason University&#8217;s Schar School of Policy and Government, </span><strong><a href="https://schar.gmu.edu/news/2021-07/new-interactive-map-reveals-where-deadliest-germs-are-studied">reported</a></strong><span> that there were &#8220;&#8230;nearly 60 BSL-4 labs in operation, under construction, or planned in 23 different countries&#8221;.</span></p><p><span>By the start of 2023, </span><a href="https://static1.squarespace.com/static/62fa334a3a6fe8320f5dcf7e/t/6412d3120ee69a4f4efbec1f/1678955285754/KCL0680_BioLabs+Report_Digital.pdf">that number had increased to 69 labs</a><span>.</span></p><p>Mind you, these are the labs that we know about. There is no way for ordinary citizens to know how many top-secret military/government labs there are, or how many private labs there are that even the military/government doesn&#8217;t know about.</p><p>You would think labs conducting such dangerous experiments would have strict safety protocols religiously adhered to. Incredibly, this is not the case.</p><p><span>According to </span><strong><a href="https://theconversation.com/fifty-nine-labs-around-world-handle-the-deadliest-pathogens-only-a-quarter-score-high-on-safety-161777">The Conversation</a></strong><span>:</span></p><blockquote><p>The vast majority of countries with maximum containment labs do not regulate dual-use research, which refers to experiments that are conducted for peaceful purposes but can be adapted to cause harm; or gain-of-function research, which is focused on increasing the ability of a pathogen to cause disease.</p></blockquote><p><span>To make this even more worrisome, </span><strong><a href="https://schar.gmu.edu/news/2021-07/new-interactive-map-reveals-where-deadliest-germs-are-studied">approximately 75 percent of BSL4 labs are located in urbanized areas, exacerbating the impact of any accidental releases.</a></strong></p><p>The Hot Zone describes what happened when Ebola found its way out of the laboratory and into African hospitals where staff were panicked and unable to deal with it:</p><p><span>&#8220;</span><em>One room in the hospital had not been cleaned up. No one, not even the nuns, had had the courage to enter the obstetric ward. When Joel Breman and the team went in, they found basins of foul water standing among discarded, bloodstained syringes. The room had been abandoned in the middle of childbirths, where dying mothers had aborted fetuses infected with Ebola. The team had discovered the red chamber of the virus queen at the end of the earth, where the life-form had amplified through mothers and their unborn children.</em><span>&#8221;</span></p><p>That sounds like a scene from The Walking Dead.</p><p>Despite more biosecurity incidents happening between 1932 to 2022 than we can ever possibly know about, research continues to expand.</p><p><span>Here are just a </span><strong><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_laboratory_biosecurity_incidents">few examples </a></strong><span>of reported incidents:</span></p><ul><li><p><span>The </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1967_Marburg_virus_outbreak_in_West_Germany">1967 Marburg virus outbreak in West Germany</a><span> happened among laboratory workers who were exposed to imported </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African_green_monkeys">African green monkeys</a><span> or their tissues while conducting research. A total of 31 people became sick, seven of whom died.</span></p></li><li><p><span>In 1979 spores of </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthrax">anthrax</a><span> were accidentally released from a </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet">Soviet</a><span> military research facility, resulting in approximately 100 deaths, although the exact number of victims remains unknown. The accident is sometimes referred to as &#8220;biological </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chernobyl_disaster">Chernobyl</a><span>&#8221;.</span></p></li><li><p><span>One week after the </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/September_11_attacks">September 11 terrorist attacks</a><span>, letters containing </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthrax">anthrax</a><span> spores were mailed to several news media offices and two senators, killing five people and infecting 17 others. I wrote about this in </span><strong><a href="https://khmezek.substack.com/p/the-big-picture-how-anthrax-and-the">How Anthrax &amp; the War on Terror Brought Us to the Brink of WWIII</a></strong></p></li><li><p><span>In 2004 a researcher at a </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_Research_Center_of_Virology_and_Biotechnology_VECTOR">Russian biological weapons research facility</a><span> died after accidentally pricking herself with a needle contaminated with the </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ebola_virus">Ebola virus</a><span>.</span></p></li><li><p><span>In 2005 the 1957 pandemic strain of H2N2 </span><em>influenza virus</em><span> was included in routine testing kits sent to over 5,000 laboratories, mostly in the United States.</span></p></li><li><p><span>In 2009 </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malcolm_Casadaban">Malcolm Casadaban</a><span> died following an accidental laboratory exposure to a bacterium that causes the </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plague_(disease)">plague</a><span>.</span></p></li></ul><h4><strong>&#8220;Invisible&#8221; labs</strong></h4><p><span>As for private labs that have no government affiliation, a report by </span><strong><a href="https://www.gryphonscientific.com/practice-areas/biosafety-biosecurity-and-emerging-technologies/">Gryphon Scientific</a></strong><span> </span><strong><a href="https://time.com/6309643/invisible-biolabs/">estimates</a></strong><span> &#8220;about &#188; of human pathogen research activities in the U.S. are performed by labs inside of private organizations, and about &#188; of those private organizations are &#8216;invisible.&#8217;&#8221;</span></p><p>And that&#8217;s just in the United States. There is no way of knowing how many invisible labs exist in other countries.</p><h4><strong>The Creepy Story of One Invisible Lab.</strong></h4><p>In August 2024, Jesalyn Harper, the only full-time code enforcement officer in the small California town of Reedley, discovered one of these invisible labs due to complaints from local residents. The lab was registered to a company called Prestige Biotech that sold a variety of medical testing kits, including for pregnancy and COVID-19.</p><p>When Jesalyn walked inside the lab, she must have felt like she&#8217;d entered a horror movie come to life.</p><p><strong><a href="https://apnews.com/article/chinese-lab-biological-weapons-fears-california-5ca5824b09ad5b8c2c65b639743e8507">Here&#8217;s what she saw:</a></strong></p><blockquote><p>A woman in a lab coat answered her knock, and behind her were two others in plastic gloves and blue surgical masks, packing pregnancy tests for shipping. Harper said they spoke broken English and told her they were from China. Walking through the lab, she found dozens of refrigerators and ultralow-temperature freezers hooked to illegal wiring; vials of blood and jars of urine in shelves and plastic containers; and about 1,000 white lab mice being kept in crowded, soiled containers.</p></blockquote><p>Astonishingly, despite the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) finding more than 800 chemicals and over 20 infectious agents, including Hepatitis B and C, streptococcus pneumonia, chlamydia, rubella, and Herpes 1 and 5, and that the lab had bioengineered and infected the mice with diseases including HIV, E. Coli, malaria, and Covid-19, the CDC concluded that there was &#8220;no sign that the lab was illegally in possession of the materials or had select agents or toxins that could be used as bioweapons.&#8221;</p><p><span>The lab was shut down and all the mice euthanized and that was the end of it. You can find the Fresno County Report </span><strong><a href="https://www.fresnocountyca.gov/files/sharedassets/county/v/1/public-health/administration/reedley-lab-powerpoint-presentation-joe-prado.pdf">Here</a></strong><span>.</span></p><p><span>The </span><strong><a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-edca/pr/arrest-made-central-california-bio-lab-investigation">Eastern District of California</a><span>&#8217;s</span></strong><span> press release mentioned nothing about the dangerous pathogens or the bioengineering of the mice. However, a few months later, Jia Bei Zhu, a Chinese national, was charged with </span><a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/news/illegal-california-lab-run-by-chinese-biotech-firm-contained-mice-engineered-to-spread-covid/">crimes related to the undercover bio-lab</a><span>.</span></p><p>We&#8217;ll probably never know what really went on with this lab&#8212;or what might have been sent out to people in those test kits or released into the environment. Just like we will never know the truth about a lot of things, such as the funding of gain of function research at the Wuhan lab and if Covid escaped from the lab or not.</p><h4><span>The NIH </span><strong><a href="https://www.congress.gov/117/meeting/house/114270/documents/HHRG-117-GO24-20211201-SD004.pdf">denied</a></strong><span> that it funded gain of function research at the Wuhan lab. At the height of the pandemic, any talk of it was deemed &#8220;misinformation&#8221;. </span></h4><p><span>This despite </span><strong><a href="https://theintercept.com/2021/09/09/covid-origins-gain-of-function-research/">The Intercept obtaining</a></strong><span> &#8220;new evidence [in September 2021] that the Wuhan Institute of Virology and the nearby Wuhan University Center for Animal Experiment, along with their collaborator, the U.S.-based nonprofit </span><a href="https://www.ecohealthalliance.org/">EcoHealth Alliance</a><span>, have engaged in what the U.S. government defines as &#8216;gain-of-function research of concern,&#8217; intentionally making viruses more pathogenic or transmissible in order to study them, despite stipulations from a U.S. funding agency that the money not be used for that purpose. Grant money for the controversial experiment came from the National Institutes of Health&#8217;s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, which is headed by Anthony Fauci.&#8221;.</span></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!6QES!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe0af04d5-f3ae-457f-91d6-7e8e61f003cf_2000x1266.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!6QES!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe0af04d5-f3ae-457f-91d6-7e8e61f003cf_2000x1266.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!6QES!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe0af04d5-f3ae-457f-91d6-7e8e61f003cf_2000x1266.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!6QES!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe0af04d5-f3ae-457f-91d6-7e8e61f003cf_2000x1266.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!6QES!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe0af04d5-f3ae-457f-91d6-7e8e61f003cf_2000x1266.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!6QES!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe0af04d5-f3ae-457f-91d6-7e8e61f003cf_2000x1266.jpeg" width="1456" height="922" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/e0af04d5-f3ae-457f-91d6-7e8e61f003cf_2000x1266.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:922,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:null,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;Anthony Fauci director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases on April 13 2021. U.S.nbsp&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Anthony Fauci director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases on April 13 2021. U.S.nbsp&quot;,&quot;type&quot;:null,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="Anthony Fauci director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases on April 13 2021. U.S.nbsp" title="Anthony Fauci director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases on April 13 2021. U.S.nbsp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!6QES!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe0af04d5-f3ae-457f-91d6-7e8e61f003cf_2000x1266.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!6QES!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe0af04d5-f3ae-457f-91d6-7e8e61f003cf_2000x1266.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!6QES!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe0af04d5-f3ae-457f-91d6-7e8e61f003cf_2000x1266.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!6QES!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe0af04d5-f3ae-457f-91d6-7e8e61f003cf_2000x1266.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Dr. Anthony Fauci. Photography by Leigh Vogel,/UPI/Bloomberg/Getty Images</figcaption></figure></div><h4><span>Dr. Anthony Fauci denied any such funding ever occurred. Then, in October 2021 Vanity Fair </span><strong><a href="https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2021/10/nih-admits-funding-risky-virus-research-in-wuhan">reported</a><span>:</span></strong></h4><blockquote><p>A spokesman for Dr. Fauci says he has been &#8220;entirely truthful,&#8221; but a new letter belatedly acknowledging the National Institutes of Health&#8217;s support for virus-enhancing research adds more heat to the ongoing debate over whether a lab leak could have sparked the pandemic.</p></blockquote><p><span>And the </span><a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/intelligence-on-sick-staff-at-wuhan-lab-fuels-debate-on-covid-19-origin-11621796228?mod=djemalertNEWS">Wall Street Journal reported</a><span> that &#8220;three researchers at the lab became so ill in November of 2019 that they sought hospital treatment&#8230;. their hospitalization coincides with the period when most experts believe the virus was spreading through the city of Wuhan&#8221;.</span></p><p><span>Four years ago, Senator Rand Paul famously </span><a href="https://www.analyzingamerica.org/2024/01/740889/">confronted</a><span> Dr. Anthony Fauci, accusing him of changing the definition of gain of function on the NIH website to avoid responsibility.</span></p><p>Understandably, this has resulted in citizens losing confidence in their government and its propaganda arm, the mainstream media, to tell them the truth.</p><p><strong><a href="https://www.newsweek.com/what-gain-function-research-why-it-controversial-1612323">Back in 2014, the Obama administration </a><span>&#8220;</span></strong><span>put a moratorium on funding gain-of-function research after researchers announced they made a deadly bird flu virus, H5N1, more contagious in ferrets. The animals were used as a model for how the virus could spread through humans, sparking concerns about its ability to be released into the world&#8221;.</span></p><p>The moratorium on gain of function research was lifted in 2017, however, during the interim, the United States never stopped conducting this research. As with other questionable experiments, it simply took its contracts elsewhere, as was shown in the case of the Wuhan Lab controversy.</p><h4><span>One of the last &#8220;gain of function&#8221; experiments (or so we&#8217;re told) in the United States, before the 2014 moratorium involved </span><strong><a href="https://theprint.in/science/before-wuhan-row-how-us-china-created-sars-like-virus-in-2015-to-show-its-pandemic-potential/668891/">creating a SARS-like virus to show its pandemic potential</a><span>:</span></strong></h4><blockquote><p>Back in 2015, scientists from the University of North Carolina (UNC) in the US and the Wuhan Institute of Virology had together created a modified coronavirus that was shown to be able to latch on to human cells and replicate in lung cells, efficiently enough to cause a pandemic.</p><p>Interestingly, the spike protein in this study had been supplied to the US lab by Zhengli-Li Shi, the noted Chinese virologist who researches SARS-like coronaviruses of bat origin at the Wuhan Institute of Virology.</p></blockquote><p><span>The UNC lab has been rife with accidents. From Jan. 1, 2015, through June 1, 2020, the university</span><strong><a href="https://www.propublica.org/article/here-are-six-accidents-unc-researchers-had-with-lab-created-coronaviruses"> reported</a></strong><span> 28 lab incidents involving genetically engineered organisms to safety officials at the NIH. In 2020 ProPublica reported on </span><strong><a href="https://www.propublica.org/article/here-are-six-accidents-unc-researchers-had-with-lab-created-coronaviruses">six accidents with Lab-Created Coronaviruses</a><span>, </span></strong><span>where mice escaped from containers, bit staff, and contaminated bedding fell to the floor.</span></p><p><strong>Gain- and loss-of-function research is ongoing, global, and collaborative</strong><span> with U.S.-affiliated researchers contributing to approximately half of identified publications between 2000 and mid-2022. </span><strong>Researchers cannot always predict whether an experiment will cause a pathogen to become more or less virulent.</strong><span> (</span><strong><a href="https://cset.georgetown.edu/publication/understanding-the-global-gain-of-function-research-landscape">CST</a><span>)</span></strong></p><h4><strong>The Potential Martian Plague</strong></h4><p>As if home-grown plagues weren&#8217;t bad enough, we are intent on bringing samples back from other planets that might contain pathogens deadly to humans.</p><div id="youtube2-1XvUreiIUxA" class="youtube-wrap" data-attrs="{&quot;videoId&quot;:&quot;1XvUreiIUxA&quot;,&quot;startTime&quot;:null,&quot;endTime&quot;:null}" data-component-name="Youtube2ToDOM"><div class="youtube-inner"><iframe src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/1XvUreiIUxA?rel=0&amp;autoplay=0&amp;showinfo=0&amp;enablejsapi=0" frameborder="0" loading="lazy" gesture="media" allow="autoplay; fullscreen" allowautoplay="true" allowfullscreen="true" width="728" height="409"></iframe></div></div><p>NASA intends to collect samples from Mars and bring them back to Earth and they aren&#8217;t &#8220;taking any chances&#8221;. They&#8217;re building a state-of-the-art biocontainment lab to ensure the samples are kept secure and the public is safe.</p><p>When asked how confident they were to be able to do this Dr. Andrea Harrington (who is responsible for building the biocontainment lab) says, &#8220;We are on a pretty tight schedule. It&#8217;s just a matter of prioritizing.&#8221;</p><p>Why are they always in such a hurry? They&#8217;ve had years and years to prepare and now they&#8217;re on a tight schedule.</p><p>It&#8217;s okay, Dr. Harrington assures us. &#8220;The risk is really low, but we are still being very careful.&#8221; Why don&#8217;t I feel any better now?</p><p>How do they know the risk is low? How do they know they will be able to contain whatever might be dangerous? How do they even know what &#8220;dangerous&#8221; means? This is like every science fiction movie we&#8217;ve ever watched on the topic, coming to life before us. Think ALIEN.</p><h4>Despite years upon years of studying deadly diseases, scientists admit they still don&#8217;t know much about how they operate. </h4><p>Far from fulfilling their promises to protect us, experts are making it even more likely we will face a major catastrophe, not from a natural disaster, but from pathogens that have escaped from labs or have been unleashed by any number of crazy individuals, power-hungry billionaires, governments, or terrorist organizations. On top of this, the experts have yet to figure out a cure to any of these diseases.</p><p><span>The Hot Zone describes how &#8220;</span><em>Occasionally they came to villages, and at each village they encountered a roadblock of fallen trees. Having had centuries of experience with the smallpox virus, the village elders had instituted their own methods for controlling the virus, according to their received wisdom, which was to cut their villages off from the world, to protect their people from a raging plague</em><span>.&#8221;</span></p><p>The villagers had simple ways to protect themselves that made a lot of sense and didn&#8217;t make the world more dangerous in the process.</p><p>I never believed Covid required locking everyone down. It was a grand experiment of sorts. A way to see how far the masses would go in obeying orders.</p><p>If you doubt what I say, it&#8217;s easy to prove.</p><ul><li><p><span>British Prime Minister Boris Johnson continued holding his &#8220;</span><strong><a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-59952395">wine and cheese parties</a></strong><span>&#8221; while forcing citizens into lockdowns.</span></p></li><li><p><span>The scientist whose advice was key in triggering Britain&#8217;s lockdown continued </span><strong><a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/united-kingdom-epidemiologist-neil-ferguson-girlfriend-lockdown-1.5557364">visiting his girlfriend across town</a><span>.</span></strong></p></li><li><p><span>Obama&#8217;s </span><strong><a href="https://www.the-sun.com/news/3440382/new-york-times-reported-blasted-over-obama-party/">birthday bash, </a></strong><span>where guests were maskless, but the help were not, was deemed safe because the guests were &#8220;</span><strong><a href="https://www.the-sun.com/news/3440382/new-york-times-reported-blasted-over-obama-party/">a sophisticated, vaccinated crowd</a></strong><span>&#8221;. Wow, if that doesn&#8217;t tell you what the elite think of the rest of us, I don&#8217;t know what does.</span></p></li><li><p><span>The elite didn&#8217;t give up travel either. During the height of the pandemic, Town &amp; Country </span><strong><a href="https://www.townandcountrymag.com/leisure/travel-guide/a35181398/how-rich-travel-covid/">reported</a></strong><span> &#8220;all 40 of the sprawling villas at </span><a href="https://www.fourseasons.com/anguilla/accommodations/">The Four Seasons Hotel &amp; Residences in Anguilla</a><span> were sold out. Going for between $15,000 to $20,000 a night. During the Christmas&#8211;New Years period </span><a href="https://www.oetkercollection.com/hotels/jumby-bay-island/?gclid=CjwKCAiAi_D_BRApEiwASslbJ7H-QKM3Y5Py4NRyf3wb-RhgIzGBblf79wnxvmlrczFVq6xqbqf9LBoCfhIQAvD_BwE">Jumby Bay Island </a><span>in Antigua had more guests on the island than the year before. </span><a href="https://flyxo.com/">XO</a><span>, a private aviation company, saw an unprecedented 95 percent increase in deposit memberships over the previous year&#8221;.</span></p></li></ul><p><span>I can tell you, if it had been &#8220;the height of an Ebola pandemic&#8221;, those same elites would have fled in terror to their country estates or underground fortresses, the rest of us be damned. Like the massive $100 billion </span><strong><a href="https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/mark-zuckerberg-s-secret-hawaii-project-a-100-million-compound-with-a-doomsday-bunker-101702622588779.html#:~:text=The%20Meta%20founder%20is%20reportedly%20building%20a%20massive,is%20hiding%20his%20doomsday%20plans%20from%20the%20public.">underground bunker</a></strong><span> Mark Zuckerberg is building, with its own sources of food and energy, and including a &#8220;blast-resistant&#8221; concrete and steel door with an escape hatch.</span></p><p>The scientific experts still can&#8217;t give us a final answer of what Covid was or how to deal with it or what to do next time. And thanks to how badly it was handled in the media, even if the danger is a hundred times worse next time, millions of people will probably not believe them. Nor will there ever be a realistic plan in place to protect billions of people. </p><p>In the meantime, we are told it is necessary for diseases to be made more dangerous if we are to protect ourselves from them. But perhaps the real danger is the elites who fund these experiments. How do we protect ourselves against them?</p><p>Perhaps God&#8217;s world, that he created, and we are supposed to take care of, will find a way. </p><p><span>&#8220;</span><em>The rain forest has its own defenses. The earth&#8217;s immune system, so to speak, has recognized the presence of the human species and is starting to kick in. The earth is attempting to rid itself of an infection by the human parasite&#8230;.</em><span> </span><em>The emergence of AIDS, Ebola, and any number of other rain-forest agents appears to be a natural consequence of the ruin of the tropical biosphere.</em><span>&#8221; ~The Hot Zone</span></p><p><span>&#8220;</span><em>Nature had seemed to be closing in on us for a kill, when she suddenly turned her face away and smiled. It was a Mona Lisa smile, the meaning of which no one could figure out</em><span>.&#8221; ~ The Hot Zone</span></p><p>In the end, it was Nature that saved humanity from Ebola, not the experts with all their grand experiments. Nature knows its course and we had best not upset it.</p><p>With Ebola, Nature (or I would say God) gave us a grave lesson, a momentary reprieve and a chance to mend our ways. But it doesn&#8217;t seem that we have. By making pathogens more dangerous, what are we really accomplishing. </p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://khmezek.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://khmezek.substack.com/subscribe?"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://khmezek.substack.com/p/from-covid-to-oct-7th-the-gain-of/comments&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Leave a comment&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://khmezek.substack.com/p/from-covid-to-oct-7th-the-gain-of/comments"><span>Leave a comment</span></a></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://khmezek.substack.com/p/from-covid-to-oct-7th-the-gain-of?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://khmezek.substack.com/p/from-covid-to-oct-7th-the-gain-of?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Abdul El-Sayed]]></title><description><![CDATA["The encouraging thing is that people are stupid." - El-Sayed campaign advisor.]]></description><link>https://khmezek.substack.com/p/abdul-el-sayed-or-jd-vance</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://khmezek.substack.com/p/abdul-el-sayed-or-jd-vance</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Karen Hunt]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 07 Aug 2026 21:27:34 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/9472fded-6f1b-4114-b0b9-38ad982af3fe_264x356.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<h3>Who would you vote for if the presidential race were between these two?</h3><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!8hel!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe34270de-4544-4f2f-af59-3aad5b1e1415_534x356.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!8hel!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe34270de-4544-4f2f-af59-3aad5b1e1415_534x356.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!8hel!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe34270de-4544-4f2f-af59-3aad5b1e1415_534x356.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!8hel!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe34270de-4544-4f2f-af59-3aad5b1e1415_534x356.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!8hel!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe34270de-4544-4f2f-af59-3aad5b1e1415_534x356.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!8hel!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe34270de-4544-4f2f-af59-3aad5b1e1415_534x356.jpeg" width="534" height="356" 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srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!8hel!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe34270de-4544-4f2f-af59-3aad5b1e1415_534x356.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!8hel!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe34270de-4544-4f2f-af59-3aad5b1e1415_534x356.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!8hel!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe34270de-4544-4f2f-af59-3aad5b1e1415_534x356.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!8hel!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe34270de-4544-4f2f-af59-3aad5b1e1415_534x356.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>You can listen to me read this essay here:</p><div class="native-audio-embed" data-component-name="AudioPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;label&quot;:null,&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;6043d414-a83b-47c1-bedb-f9968dbab703&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:1074.6515,&quot;downloadable&quot;:false,&quot;isEditorNode&quot;:true}"></div><p></p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://khmezek.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Break Free Media is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><p>One-time or recurring donations can also be made at<span> </span><a href="https://www.buymeacoffee.com/khmezek8">Ko-Fi</a></p><p>For Democrats, a winning ticket means a call for the destruction of Israel and therefore the death of every Jew. This is the deal they have made with the Devil. Agreeing with the extremists in their party to scapegoat Jews and Israel, in exchange for unity. Each vote counts. El-Sayed narrowly beat Rep. Haley Stevens in the Michigan democratic senate race, no doubt because of his promises not to fund the &#8220;genocidal apartheid state of Israel&#8221;. </p><p>If El-Sayed wins against the conservative Trump loyalist Republican Rep. Mike Rogers, Republicans will take note. So far, they&#8217;re holding out against the extremists in their own party. But they might realize they, too, must make their deals with the Devil and go all out with the scapegoating of Jews and Israel for the win.</p><p>Let&#8217;s pray Republicans see sense and go with Marco Rubio, not JD Vance. However, all polls indicate it&#8217;s Vance. And Trump seems to be in agreement. For more on JD Vance, please read my essay <strong><a href="https://khmezek.substack.com/p/why-americas-deal-with-iran-is-a?utm_source=publication-search">HERE</a>.</strong></p><h3>President Donald Trump, who won Michigan in 2024, was quick to praise El-Sayed&#8217;s victory over Stevens. Trump argued that El-Sayed would be an easier opponent for Rogers.</h3><p>&#8220;Great news for the Republican Party,&#8221; Trump wrote on Truth Social. &#8220;El-Sayed, a Communist loser who hates Jews and Israel, is the projected winner in his race with the Socialist.&#8221;</p><p>Who will win the senate race? The Jew-hater or the Israel supporter. This race will be closely watched. </p><h3>Abdul El-Sayed has risen to the top like lightening. He&#8217;s the perfect clone of Mamdani, only a hundred times better (or worse). </h3><p>He&#8217;s more charismatic, handsomer and has bigger muscles than Mamdani. Most importantly, he was born in the USA, of Egyptian immigrant parents. He&#8217;s an all-American immigration success story, whereas Mamdani was born in Uganda and only became a citizen in 2018. Thankfully, Mamdani cannot run for president. </p><p>Abdul El-Sayed is really the first Muslim politician that has the perfect all-American image. If one ignores his radical, jihadist views, that is. And with each passing day, more and more people are willing to do that or even embrace them. </p><p><strong><a href="https://x.com/YosephHaddad/status/2085037317513703591?s=20">Arab Israeli Yoseph Haddad gives this warning:</a></strong></p><p><em><span>Abdul El Sayed is a dangerous Muslim Brotherhood supporter the likes of which we are very familiar with here in the Middle East. His success in the Democratic primary in Michigan is indicative of the moral rot in Michigan where far too many people are okay with an individual who resents his own country. <br>Choose wisely Americans&#8230; your very future is on the line.</span></em></p><h3>In the link below, El-Sayed claims he loves the Jews while consistently refusing to even acknowledge that Israel exists. </h3><p>Half the Jews in the world live in Israel and are fighting for their lives against constant threats from all sides, going back to the very day Israel declared its independence in 1948. If they did not have a state and a means of defending themselves, at least 7,000 Jews would be massacred. </p><div class="twitter-embed" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://x.com/MosabHasanYOSEF/status/2085056910999306409?s=20&quot;,&quot;full_text&quot;:&quot;Abdul El-Sayed says he loves Jews while following a belief that claimed to replace Judaism. \n\nPushing Palestine, a name invented to replace Israel. \n\nHe simply does not believe Israel has the right to exist. \n\nThe only Jews he loves are the dead ones. &quot;,&quot;username&quot;:&quot;MosabHasanYOSEF&quot;,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;Mosab Hassan Yousef&quot;,&quot;profile_image_url&quot;:&quot;https://pbs.substack.com/profile_images/1959446300551774208/LwQOXs20_normal.jpg&quot;,&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-08-05T17:34:40.000Z&quot;,&quot;photos&quot;:[{&quot;img_url&quot;:&quot;https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!efTI!,w_1028,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best,fl_progressive:steep/l_play_button_usfui2,w_88,e_colorize:0/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F__ss-rehost__tw-video-preview-13_2085056805193854976.jpg&quot;,&quot;link_url&quot;:&quot;https://t.co/1LwMcyj4Ci&quot;}],&quot;quoted_tweet&quot;:{},&quot;reply_count&quot;:243,&quot;retweet_count&quot;:893,&quot;like_count&quot;:4949,&quot;impression_count&quot;:75564,&quot;expanded_url&quot;:null,&quot;video_url&quot;:&quot;https://video.twimg.com/amplify_video/2085056805193854976/vid/avc1/832x464/1YI_s_udbK6SDAAI.mp4&quot;,&quot;video_preview_media_key&quot;:&quot;13_2085056805193854976&quot;,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true}" data-component-name="Twitter2ToDOM"></div><h3>El-Sayed wants tax dollars to stay in America. He blames Michigan&#8217;s problems on funding for Israel. </h3><p>In a <strong><a href="https://x.com/Acyn/status/2085174399305691437?s=20">CNN interview he said</a></strong>, &#8220;My responsibility as the next senator from Michigan is children in Michigan rather than thinking about what's in the interest of a foreign government.&#8221;</p><p>He says there&#8217;s no difference between offensive and defensive weapons for Israel, therefore, he would not support funding the Iron Dome. </p><p>So, he loves Jews but doesn&#8217;t care if every Jewish child in Israel is killed. </p><p>Kill a Jewish child, save a Michigan child. </p><p>You&#8217;d think the day the US stops helping Israel is the day every economic problem in Michigan will end. There will be no more hungry children. No more crime or drug deaths. In fact, the entire world will know peace and prosperity if the US stops funding Israel and&#8212;all praise to Allah&#8212;Israel ceases to exist. </p><p>This is an outrageous lie that has now become a &#8220;fact&#8221; due to how often it&#8217;s repeated across the internet. People quote it to me all the time. </p><h3><strong><a href="https://www.dsca.mil/Programs/Defense-Trade-and-Arms-Transfers/Foreign-Military-Financing">Here are the actual facts about funding for Israel that you will never hear from El-Sayed</a></strong>:</h3><blockquote><p>Up to 80% of U.S. military aid to Israel is<strong> spent directly inside the United States</strong> on American-made defense goods and services. By 2028, 100% of FMF funding will never leave America&#8217;s shores.</p><p>These funds come from the Foreign Military Financing (FMF) program. It is <strong>not</strong> a general cash grant. Instead, it is used to finance the <strong>purchase </strong>of specified U.S. defense articles, services, and training.</p><p>Because these funds flow back into major U.S. defense corporations (such as Lockheed Martin, Boeing, and RTX Corporation) to manufacture aircraft, munitions, and defense systems, a high percentage&#8212;often cited around 90% or more of traditional FMF-backed government-to-government assistance&#8212;directly cycles into the United States industrial and manufacturing base.</p></blockquote><p>This is the e<strong>xact opposite</strong> of what El-Sayed and Mamdani and all the rest of the liars say, including those on the right, like Tucker Carlson. </p><p>That money provides jobs and income for Americans and our defense industry, not the opposite. Taking it away would damage the US, not help it. </p><p>But they don&#8217;t really care about America. They are obsessed with destroying Israel. They get off on exterminating Jews. That is their agenda. That hatred extends to Jews in America, too.</p><p>But don&#8217;t take my word for it. Take it from El-Sayed, who stood there agreeing with one of his campaigners while Hasan Piker nodded along that voters are &#8220;stupid&#8221; and the best way to win is to hide the truth. </p><p>&#8220;The encouraging thing is that people are stupid.&#8221;</p><div class="native-video-embed" data-component-name="VideoPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;334fecce-c600-4b7a-8138-3743c14318ea&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:null}"></div><p>Why would anyone vote for someone who views the &#8220;working class&#8221; that he loves to say, with such disdain. </p><p>Hasan Piker, who has said his pick for president is Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, is the darling of not only El-Sayed but the rising Democratic Socialists which seems to be taking over the Democratic Party, especially among the young who will some day take over the country. They get their news from TikTok and Twitch from influencers like Hasan Piker.   </p><div class="image-gallery-embed" data-attrs="{&quot;gallery&quot;:{&quot;images&quot;:[{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/37733890-fe0f-40c5-88b6-c6e27f9974d5_1280x720.jpeg&quot;},{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/1e34c13b-7ea9-4150-b850-c1fbcdf8c655_768x957.jpeg&quot;},{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/23341fb7-f15b-4648-8d6d-889c08de1575_900x599.jpeg&quot;},{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/webp&quot;,&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/7fe57899-6bb1-4017-a06e-5a8391485b10_1862x1046.webp&quot;}],&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;Hasan Piker with Bernie Sanders, AOC, Zohran Mamdani, Abdul El-Sayed, and Francesca Hongmore&quot;,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;staticGalleryImage&quot;:{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/33841a0c-9976-42d5-b293-b84f94cd39f5_1456x1456.png&quot;}},&quot;isEditorNode&quot;:true}"></div><p>Besides campaigning alongside Palestinian terror sympathizer and <a href="https://freebeacon.com/democrats/michigans-el-sayed-campaigning-alongside-anti-american-streamer-hasan-piker-suggests-us-lawmakers-only-support-genocidal-iran-war-because-of-aipac/">anti-American streamer Hasan Piker</a>, who has <a href="https://streamable.com/hh2cfz">said</a> &#8220;America deserved 9/11,&#8221; El-Sayed proves his love for jihadism in other ways:</p><ul><li><p><span>One of his former campaign staffers, Dearborn, Mich., native Mariam Odeh, was </span><a href="https://freebeacon.com/campus/former-abdul-el-sayed-campaign-staffer-among-university-of-michigan-graduates-accused-of-violent-conspiracy-to-terrorize-jews/">indicted in June</a><span> for allegedly engaging in a "coordinated campaign" to threaten Jewish officials, businesses, and groups at the University of Michigan.</span></p></li><li><p><span>He has been hesitant to criticize terrorists out of concerns that doing so could alienate left-wing voters&#8212;in March, he </span><a href="https://freebeacon.com/democrats/there-are-a-lot-of-people-in-dearborn-who-are-sad-democratic-senate-hopeful-abdul-el-sayed-said-he-needed-to-stay-silent-on-khamenei-killing-because-many-of-michigans-muslim-voters/">privately told staffers</a><span> that he wanted to avoid discussing slain Iranian leader Ali Khamenei because many of his potential supporters were "sad" about Khamenei's death, the </span><em>Free Beacon</em><span> </span><a href="https://freebeacon.com/democrats/there-are-a-lot-of-people-in-dearborn-who-are-sad-democratic-senate-hopeful-abdul-el-sayed-said-he-needed-to-stay-silent-on-khamenei-killing-because-many-of-michigans-muslim-voters/">reported</a><span>.</span></p></li></ul><p>El-Sayed has no problem <strong><a href="https://jewishinsider.com/2026/04/abdul-el-sayed-says-israeli-government-is-as-evil-as-hamas/">criticizing Israeli PM Netanyahu</a></strong> as a war criminal who has committed genocide. He has accused the Israeli government of being as &#8220;evil as Hamas&#8221;</p><h4>El-Sayed&#8217;s full first name is Abdulrahman.  We are supposed to know how to pronounce it or he tells us to &#8220;keep the name out your damn mouth! I'll be happy to give you lessons!&#8221;</h4><p>Notice how he talks with the same inflections and pauses as Mamdani. Truly a clone, it&#8217;s uncanny. You can <strong><a href="https://x.com/EricLDaugh/status/2085021317107986670?s=20">watch the arrogance below:</a></strong></p><div class="native-video-embed" data-component-name="VideoPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;775abd88-ee6a-4d57-873e-fddfcf72fde1&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:null}"></div><p>His attitude reminds me of Dearborn, Michigan Mayor, Abdullah Hammoud. Remember him? He&#8217;s the twat who exploded at a Christian resident who dared object to naming a street after well-known Hezbollah supporter Osama Siblani.</p><p>&#8220;You do not belong in this city, Islamophobe! Get out, you are not welcome here!&#8221; yelled the mayor. You can watch the exchange <a href="https://x.com/realMaalouf/status/2042396622903001536?s=20">HERE</a></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!wzkr!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4321d171-f916-4d17-aa0f-96a0ea050760_388x289.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!wzkr!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4321d171-f916-4d17-aa0f-96a0ea050760_388x289.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!wzkr!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4321d171-f916-4d17-aa0f-96a0ea050760_388x289.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!wzkr!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4321d171-f916-4d17-aa0f-96a0ea050760_388x289.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!wzkr!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4321d171-f916-4d17-aa0f-96a0ea050760_388x289.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!wzkr!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4321d171-f916-4d17-aa0f-96a0ea050760_388x289.png" width="388" height="289" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/4321d171-f916-4d17-aa0f-96a0ea050760_388x289.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:289,&quot;width&quot;:388,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:114400,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://khmezek.substack.com/i/210090052?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4321d171-f916-4d17-aa0f-96a0ea050760_388x289.png&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!wzkr!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4321d171-f916-4d17-aa0f-96a0ea050760_388x289.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!wzkr!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4321d171-f916-4d17-aa0f-96a0ea050760_388x289.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!wzkr!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4321d171-f916-4d17-aa0f-96a0ea050760_388x289.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!wzkr!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4321d171-f916-4d17-aa0f-96a0ea050760_388x289.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><h3>This is the attitude of those who follow Islam, once they gain a little bit of power. </h3><h3>Imagine what El-Sayed would do as president of the most powerful nation in the world.   </h3><p>But it&#8217;s Israel that&#8217;s &#8220;aggressive and bloodthirsty&#8221;, and it&#8217;s Netanyahu&#8217;s fault. </p><div class="native-video-embed" data-component-name="VideoPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;7df178c9-f51f-4507-b9fb-6081d140bcc8&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:null}"></div><p>Actually, he really means it&#8217;s every Jew&#8217;s fault. It&#8217;s every Jew&#8217;s fault that they are even still alive, and something must be done about it. </p><p>Because Jews wouldn&#8217;t be alive if Netanyahu was gotten rid of and Jews laid down their arms and allowed themselves to be killed. If Netanyahu were replaced by another leader who insisted on defending Israel would El-Sayed like that leader more? Of course not. </p><h3>In <a href="https://x.com/realMaalouf/status/2084769341090766989?s=20">THIS VIDEO</a>, as Hasan Piker nods along in agreement, El-Sayed turns a Hezbollah terrorist ramming into a Jewish synagogue and daycare in Michigan and opening fire into &#8212;yes, you guessed it&#8212; criticism of Jews.</h3><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!i3na!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F77025d54-c331-4371-b3ee-5e2d53b603b5_709x362.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!i3na!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F77025d54-c331-4371-b3ee-5e2d53b603b5_709x362.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!i3na!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F77025d54-c331-4371-b3ee-5e2d53b603b5_709x362.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!i3na!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F77025d54-c331-4371-b3ee-5e2d53b603b5_709x362.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!i3na!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F77025d54-c331-4371-b3ee-5e2d53b603b5_709x362.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!i3na!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F77025d54-c331-4371-b3ee-5e2d53b603b5_709x362.png" width="709" height="362" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/77025d54-c331-4371-b3ee-5e2d53b603b5_709x362.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:362,&quot;width&quot;:709,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:411382,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://khmezek.substack.com/i/210090052?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F77025d54-c331-4371-b3ee-5e2d53b603b5_709x362.png&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!i3na!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F77025d54-c331-4371-b3ee-5e2d53b603b5_709x362.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!i3na!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F77025d54-c331-4371-b3ee-5e2d53b603b5_709x362.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!i3na!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F77025d54-c331-4371-b3ee-5e2d53b603b5_709x362.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!i3na!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F77025d54-c331-4371-b3ee-5e2d53b603b5_709x362.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>He justifies the attack by saying &#8216;<strong>hurt people do hurt people&#8217;</strong>. And everyone claps. Horrific. </p><p>El-Sayed points out that the terrorist&#8217;s brother, also a Hezbollah terrorist, had recently been killed by Israel in Lebanon. So, the poor guy that wanted to massacre Jews in America was suffering because bad Jews in Israel had killed his brother. We should, therefore, have compassion for him because, you know, those Jews in that synagogue kinda deserved i.t </p><h3>El-Sayed&#8217;s run for office gets even more concerning when we look at his <strong><a href="https://x.com/EricLDaugh/status/2085084805335556116?s=20">close connections with terrorist organizations</a> </strong>through his father-in-law. </h3><p>In the video below, counterterrorism expert Kyle Schideler testifies that Abdul El-Sayed&#8217;s candidacy for Senate concerns him: </p><p><em><span>I look at the connections of his father-in-law, Jukaku Tayeb. </span></em></p><p><em><span>This includes being the president at one time of CAIR Michigan. </span></em></p><p><em><span>Also, his presence on the Islamic Society of North America Founders Committee &#8212; which is only for those most exclusively devoted to ISNA [Islamic Society of North America] and provides a significant amount of funding. There are other known brotherhood members on that committee.<br><br>I would also look at El-Sayed's ties to a group called Emgage, which purports to be a Muslim, sort of, get out the vote or a candidate recruitment organization, but it has close ties to CAIR. It was created by a former CAIR member who at one time was on a terror watch list and was also a consultant to convicted terrorist, Sami Al-Arian.</span></em></p><div class="native-video-embed" data-component-name="VideoPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;bc06beb4-9db8-4764-a0ba-897ef93b74cb&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:null}"></div><h3>Here is a further explanation of ISNA, <strong><a href="https://freebeacon.com/democrats/abdul-el-sayeds-father-in-law-a-top-donor-to-an-el-sayed-super-pac-is-among-top-leaders-of-muslim-brotherhood-organization-linked-to-terror-funding/">according to The Free Beacon:</a></strong></h3><blockquote><p><span>Jukaku has served on the 20-member </span><a href="https://isna.net/founders-committee">founding committee</a><span> of ISNA since at least 2007, </span><a href="https://cme.asu.edu/sites/g/files/litvpz1056/files/2025-07/September_October%202007%20.pdf">according to the organization's magazine</a><span>, </span><em>Islamic Horizons</em><span>, and has been a member of the group for a "long time, cannot recall [when I joined]," according to Jukaku's </span><a href="https://isna.net/founders-committee">online bio</a><span>. Federal prosecutors identified the organization as an unindicted co-conspirator in the landmark 2007 terrorist financing case </span><em>USA</em><span> v. </span><em>Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development</em><span>, which culminated in the conviction of the foundation's founders for funneling $12 million to Hamas. They also identified the ISNA as one of eight entities "who are and/or were members of the US Muslim Brotherhood."</span></p></blockquote><h3>As for CAIR, I have <a href="https://khmezek.substack.com/p/home-grown-terrorists-and-the-american?utm_source=publication-search">written numerous essays</a> warning of this terror-tied organization: </h3><p><span>CAIR is America&#8217;s largest Muslim civil liberties organization, with affiliate offices nationwide. Its national headquarters is located on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. As I wrote about in </span><strong><a href="https://khmezek.substack.com/p/the-truth-about-unrwa?utm_source=publication-search">The Truth About UNWRA</a></strong><span>, just like UNWRA, it is given legitimacy by our own government while at the same time inspiring terrorism amongst the Muslim population.</span></p><h3><span>A few words about one of El-Sayed&#8217;s big campaign promises: &#8220;Medicare for All.&#8221;</span></h3><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!7bl6!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc637c7e7-2f60-49ac-9bad-d212a09c71c3_384x216.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!7bl6!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc637c7e7-2f60-49ac-9bad-d212a09c71c3_384x216.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!7bl6!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc637c7e7-2f60-49ac-9bad-d212a09c71c3_384x216.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!7bl6!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc637c7e7-2f60-49ac-9bad-d212a09c71c3_384x216.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!7bl6!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc637c7e7-2f60-49ac-9bad-d212a09c71c3_384x216.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!7bl6!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc637c7e7-2f60-49ac-9bad-d212a09c71c3_384x216.jpeg" width="384" height="216" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/c637c7e7-2f60-49ac-9bad-d212a09c71c3_384x216.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:216,&quot;width&quot;:384,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:null,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;Abdul El-Sayed and his wife, psychiatrist Sarah Jukaku, step out together on the campaign trail.&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:null,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="Abdul El-Sayed and his wife, psychiatrist Sarah Jukaku, step out together on the campaign trail." title="Abdul El-Sayed and his wife, psychiatrist Sarah Jukaku, step out together on the campaign trail." srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!7bl6!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc637c7e7-2f60-49ac-9bad-d212a09c71c3_384x216.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!7bl6!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc637c7e7-2f60-49ac-9bad-d212a09c71c3_384x216.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!7bl6!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc637c7e7-2f60-49ac-9bad-d212a09c71c3_384x216.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!7bl6!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc637c7e7-2f60-49ac-9bad-d212a09c71c3_384x216.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div></div></div></a></figure></div><p><span>He has cited "serious mental illness" and "death by suicide" as reasons to build a system that properly values mental health treatment. On X, he expressed concern that people with "serious mental illness" regularly "fall out of care" because of "transitions in health insurance."</span></p><h4><span>Well, let&#8217;s take a look at his wife, Dr. </span>Sarah Jukaku.</h4><p>She is a psychiatrist who <strong>refuses Medicare patients and all other insurance plans</strong><span>. This means her patients pay out of pocket. Top-rated psychiatrists such as Dr. Jukaku typically charge $250 and $525 per hour. </span></p><p><span>I would like to know which working class people with &#8220;serious mental illness&#8221;, as her husband describes, are currently her patients. I would say none. </span></p><p>While her husband promises relief for ordinary, working-class Michiganians who struggle to pay their bills and even afford food, his wife refuses to treat a single one of them because they cannot afford her services. She lines her pockets with money from the wealthy of Michigan. </p><p><span>When I tried to access her practice&#8217;s website, Mind Work Psychiatry, launched in 2024, this is what I got:</span></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!DKlE!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb32121d0-bba1-4344-9b68-6f4e1e46de2c_699x377.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!DKlE!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb32121d0-bba1-4344-9b68-6f4e1e46de2c_699x377.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!DKlE!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb32121d0-bba1-4344-9b68-6f4e1e46de2c_699x377.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!DKlE!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb32121d0-bba1-4344-9b68-6f4e1e46de2c_699x377.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!DKlE!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb32121d0-bba1-4344-9b68-6f4e1e46de2c_699x377.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!DKlE!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb32121d0-bba1-4344-9b68-6f4e1e46de2c_699x377.png" width="699" height="377" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/b32121d0-bba1-4344-9b68-6f4e1e46de2c_699x377.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:377,&quot;width&quot;:699,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:14099,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://khmezek.substack.com/i/210090052?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb32121d0-bba1-4344-9b68-6f4e1e46de2c_699x377.png&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!DKlE!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb32121d0-bba1-4344-9b68-6f4e1e46de2c_699x377.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!DKlE!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb32121d0-bba1-4344-9b68-6f4e1e46de2c_699x377.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!DKlE!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb32121d0-bba1-4344-9b68-6f4e1e46de2c_699x377.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!DKlE!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb32121d0-bba1-4344-9b68-6f4e1e46de2c_699x377.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>Hmm, could it be &#8220;private&#8221; so that no one can see how much she charges? </p><p>This is always the way with communists. They make big promises to the &#8220;working class&#8221; who vote them in and find themselves worse off than before. Meanwhile, those making the promises remain in the &#8220;upper class&#8221;, far above what is really the &#8220;lower class&#8221;. </p><p>&#8220;Private&#8221; and inaccessible. Just like Abdul El- Sayed&#8217;s wife&#8217;s psychiatric practice. </p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://khmezek.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://khmezek.substack.com/subscribe?"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://khmezek.substack.com/p/abdul-el-sayed-or-jd-vance/comments&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Leave a comment&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://khmezek.substack.com/p/abdul-el-sayed-or-jd-vance/comments"><span>Leave a comment</span></a></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://khmezek.substack.com/p/abdul-el-sayed-or-jd-vance?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://khmezek.substack.com/p/abdul-el-sayed-or-jd-vance?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p><p>To find out more about CAIR, please read <strong><a href="https://khmezek.substack.com/p/home-grown-terrorists-and-the-american?utm_source=publication-search">Home-Grown Terrorists and the American Mosques that Encourage Them</a></strong></p><p>For more on concerns about JD Vance, please read: <strong><a href="https://khmezek.substack.com/p/why-americas-deal-with-iran-is-a?utm_source=publication-search">We Are Now Living in JD Vance's Neo-Nazi Fantasyland</a>: </strong><em>As if he understands anything about history, Islam, Iran or the Middle East. But one thing is for sure, Israel is no longer our number one ally. Qatar is.</em></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Dr. Fauci Pleads the Fifth]]></title><description><![CDATA[The top U.S. government scientist during the coronavirus pandemic could soon be facing criminal charges. Is it a witch hunt or is it justice?]]></description><link>https://khmezek.substack.com/p/dr-fauci-pleads-the-fifth</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://khmezek.substack.com/p/dr-fauci-pleads-the-fifth</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Karen Hunt]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 06 Aug 2026 21:07:17 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!OXTu!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb1e97faf-3820-4a38-8537-44c6e453c87f_534x356.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!OXTu!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb1e97faf-3820-4a38-8537-44c6e453c87f_534x356.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!OXTu!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb1e97faf-3820-4a38-8537-44c6e453c87f_534x356.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!OXTu!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb1e97faf-3820-4a38-8537-44c6e453c87f_534x356.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!OXTu!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb1e97faf-3820-4a38-8537-44c6e453c87f_534x356.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!OXTu!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb1e97faf-3820-4a38-8537-44c6e453c87f_534x356.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!OXTu!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb1e97faf-3820-4a38-8537-44c6e453c87f_534x356.jpeg" width="534" height="356" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/b1e97faf-3820-4a38-8537-44c6e453c87f_534x356.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:356,&quot;width&quot;:534,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:null,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;Why there's so much heat on Anthony Fauci right now&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:null,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="Why there's so much heat on Anthony Fauci right now" title="Why there's so much heat on Anthony Fauci right now" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!OXTu!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb1e97faf-3820-4a38-8537-44c6e453c87f_534x356.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!OXTu!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb1e97faf-3820-4a38-8537-44c6e453c87f_534x356.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!OXTu!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb1e97faf-3820-4a38-8537-44c6e453c87f_534x356.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!OXTu!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb1e97faf-3820-4a38-8537-44c6e453c87f_534x356.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>Welcome to BREAK FREE MONDAYS. A few days late because of traveling, this is a weekly discourse for paid subscribers. Because of Dr. Fauci&#8217;s return to the news, I am returning to the topic of Covid with a series of essays, to be published in conjunction with my regular reports of what&#8217;s happening in the Middle East and how it relates to us in the West.</p><p>Next, look out for my essay: The Gain of Function Controversy</p><p>According to <strong><a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-scientists-tweak-lab-viruses-to-make-them-more-contagious1/#:~:text=Scientists%20perform%20these%20manipulations%20for%20many%20reasons%2C%20including,lab%2C%20by%20accident%20or%20design%2C%20is%20a%20possibility.">Scientific American</a></strong>: &#8220;<em>Scientists perform these manipulations for many reasons, including <strong>wanting to understand how the microbes evade detection by our immune systems</strong>. But adding capability to a pathogen carries obvious risks, especially if this &#8216;gain of function&#8217; involves enhanced virulence or infectiousness. Escape from a lab, by accident or design, is a possibility</em>.&#8221;</p><p>You can listen to me read this essay here:</p><div class="native-audio-embed" data-component-name="AudioPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;label&quot;:null,&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;56b503ce-2973-41ba-8b4e-c649dfeef7fe&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:1602.4294,&quot;downloadable&quot;:false,&quot;isEditorNode&quot;:true}"></div><p></p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://khmezek.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Break Free Media is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><p><strong><span>One-time or recurring donations can also be made at </span><a href="https://www.buymeacoffee.com/khmezek8">Ko-Fi</a><span>.</span></strong></p><h3>This week, Senator Rand Paul got his chance to face his nemesis, Dr. Fauci once again and grill him on the origins of COVID and other questions.</h3><p>All of this seemed to bring up memories from long-gone nightmares that we&#8217;d like to forget. But it&#8217;s important that we don&#8217;t forget. How else will we learn anything. </p><p>Ever since the onslaught of COVID and the intrusion of AI into our lives, we seem to be suffering from increasing levels of amnesia. Lately, people seem to have forgotten that the Holocaust happened or that Hitler was the monster, not Churchill. Hopefully, if we make an effort, we can now look back with a more reasoned approach, rather than the emotionalism we felt then. </p><p>Dr. Fauci was pardoned by President Biden before he left office. In the courtroom last week, Fauci refused to answer questions. At a certain point, his lawyer was thrown out of the room. <strong><a href="https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/sen-paul-very-real-chance-fauci-could-be-prosecuted-after-senate-hearing/ar-AA2901tO?ocid=BingNewsSerp">All major networks reported on the proceedings</a> </strong>raising some of the most controversial elements of the federal government&#8217;s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Those elements included recommendations around mask-wearing and vaccines, social distancing and closures of schools and businesses.</p><p>But the most contentious and puzzling aspect revisited was the origins of the coronavirus. Paul has backed the theory that &#8220;the virus emerged from a laboratory in Wuhan, China, rather than naturally jumping from animals to humans in a wet market in that city, and he has long accused Fauci and other top health officials of downplaying the possibility of a lab leak.&#8221;</p><h4>At the heart of the controversy was the manipulation of the virus through &#8220;gain-of-function&#8221; research, defined as modifying or enhancing viruses to study how they evolve. </h4><blockquote><p>[Paul] has accused Fauci of lying to Congress about whether such research took place in Wuhan with U.S. government-funded grants. Paul argued on CBS News that the coronavirus may have been &#8220;adapted in the lab to be very transmissible.&#8221;</p><p>Fauci has denied that he rejected or downplayed the lab leak theory, insisting that he always kept an open mind about the origins of the coronavirus, though he has asserted at times that the evidence suggests a natural spillover was more likely.</p><p>He has also denied lying about the research in Wuhan, arguing the studies Paul cited did not constitute gain-of-function research under federal definitions.</p><p>Fauci has also said it would be &#8220;molecularly impossible&#8221; for the bat viruses at the center of that research to be linked to the virus that causes COVID-19.</p><p>Some <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/live-updates/anthony-fauci-rand-paul-covid-origins-senate/?ftag=MSF0951a18">entries in Fauci&#8217;s diaries</a> that were released by Paul last weekend reflect scientists&#8217; early efforts to understand how the virus emerged. In January 2020, he wrote that &#8220;we know the market was not the source, it was the amplifier,&#8221; though he added that &#8220;somewhere the virus jumped from animals to humans.&#8221; About a week later, he described a conference call with a dozen infectious disease experts, most of whom felt it was &#8220;possible&#8221; that mutations to the virus were inserted by humans.</p></blockquote><p>I have said more than once that we ordinary citizens will probably never know the true origins of Covid or even what it actually is. Was it manufactured and released (accidently or on purpose) or was it passed naturally from animal to human. There are those who don&#8217;t even believe Covid exists, insisting that it was just a very bad flu. </p><p>There must be people who DO know the answers to these questions. And yet, we have never gotten a definitive answer. This should worry us because if our experts don&#8217;t even know the basic facts about Covid, we must wonder how much they really know about anything. What ends up presented to the public is whatever story works the best for those in power. </p><p>I don&#8217;t know the answer to these questions. I can only use my logic to evaluate the most likely conclusions. </p><p>A few observations:</p><p>1) If Covid did &#8216;escape&#8217; from the Wuhan lab, does anyone think it would be in China&#8217;s or the United States&#8217; or any nation&#8217;s interest for that matter, to let us all know about it? Imagine the panic such an admission would have caused back then and would still cause today. </p><p>2) <strong><a href="https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/covid-19/us-pandemic-death-toll-higher-20-peer-countries">The United States had </a></strong>155,000 to 466,000<span> more deaths than peer nations in the second half of 2021 and early 2022, yet we are supposed to be the most advanced nation on earth, with the best science. If Dr. Fauci was so good at his job, why did the US have the highest death rate. </span></p><p><span>3) We only found out later what </span>has always been true for every illness, unless it&#8217;s something like Ebola, that the overwhelming deaths were among the elderly. <strong><a href="https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db446.htm">According to the CDC</a></strong>, over 81% of COVID-19 deaths in 2020 occurred among those aged 65 and older. Yet children were subjected to wearing masks 8 hours a day in school, breathing in chemicals that were more dangerous to them than the virus. Children were then kept at home where they became addicted to their phones and social media. Once they were let out again, they took that addiction with them.  </p><p><span>4) During the COVID-19 pandemic, </span><strong><a href="https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/covid19/articles/excess-death.htm"><span>U.S. death counts included not only direct COVID-19 deaths but also deaths from other causes</span></a></strong><span> &#8212; including heart attacks, suicides, and other illnesses &#8212; that were </span>misclassified or attributed to other causes<span> on death certificates. So, if a person died of a heart attack but tested positive for Covid, it was counted as a Covid death. </span></p><p>5) Then there were the <strong><a href="https://www.npr.org/2020/11/06/929078678/cdc-report-officials-knew-coronavirus-test-was-flawed-but-released-it-anyway">inaccurate Covid tests</a> </strong>and the underhanded ways our data was used once it was collected. Not to mention <strong><a href="https://apnews.com/article/pandemic-fraud-waste-billions-small-business-labor-fb1d9a9eb24857efbe4611344311ae78">fraudsters stealing</a></strong> more than $280 billion in COVID-19 relief funding; another $123 billion was wasted or misspent.</p><p>6) Don&#8217;t forget who benefited from Covid. While ordinary citizens suffered, lost their businesses and their jobs, were forced into lockdown in their homes, the mega-rich of America got richer. In roughly eight months at the beginning, 650 U.S. billionaires saw their wealth approach a combined $4 trillion as the Dow peaked at the 30,000 mark. Does anyone think they wanted that windfall to end?</p><h3><strong><a href="https://www.valuewalk.com/billionaires-who-profited-most-during-the-pandemic-an-analysis/">Here are just a few examples of the staggering wealth accumulated in 2020 alone:</a></strong></h3>
      <p>
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   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Words Matter! Especially at Oxford. Especially when addressing the most controversial man in Britain, and perhaps the world. ]]></title><description><![CDATA[Aisha's comments have gone viral. I'm writing one more piece about Tommy Robinson's apology because a lot of people missed the point.]]></description><link>https://khmezek.substack.com/p/words-matter-especially-at-oxford</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://khmezek.substack.com/p/words-matter-especially-at-oxford</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Karen Hunt]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 05 Aug 2026 20:21:54 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!CFVA!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F13027ba9-0b93-4c43-ad31-168052bca5e8_391x349.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!CFVA!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F13027ba9-0b93-4c43-ad31-168052bca5e8_391x349.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!CFVA!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F13027ba9-0b93-4c43-ad31-168052bca5e8_391x349.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!CFVA!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F13027ba9-0b93-4c43-ad31-168052bca5e8_391x349.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!CFVA!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F13027ba9-0b93-4c43-ad31-168052bca5e8_391x349.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!CFVA!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F13027ba9-0b93-4c43-ad31-168052bca5e8_391x349.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!CFVA!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F13027ba9-0b93-4c43-ad31-168052bca5e8_391x349.png" width="391" height="349" 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srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!CFVA!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F13027ba9-0b93-4c43-ad31-168052bca5e8_391x349.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!CFVA!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F13027ba9-0b93-4c43-ad31-168052bca5e8_391x349.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!CFVA!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F13027ba9-0b93-4c43-ad31-168052bca5e8_391x349.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!CFVA!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F13027ba9-0b93-4c43-ad31-168052bca5e8_391x349.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Tommy Robinson, from his film &#8220;Silenced&#8221; for which he was sent to prison. </figcaption></figure></div><p><em>I am adding these thoughts to my last piece <strong><a href="https://khmezek.substack.com/p/why-did-tommy-robinson-feel-he-had">asking why Tommy Robinson apologized</a></strong>. Some won&#8217;t get why it matters so much, no doubt others will be annoyed, but c&#8217;est la vie. If at least one person realizes why this is so important, it will have been worth the time and effort. </em></p><p>You can listen to me read this essay here:</p><div class="native-audio-embed" data-component-name="AudioPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;label&quot;:null,&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;cb0a12e9-c595-406a-9c44-bbd1d3dee22c&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:882.23346,&quot;downloadable&quot;:false,&quot;isEditorNode&quot;:true}"></div><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://khmezek.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Break Free Media is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><p><span>One-time or recurring donations can be made at </span><strong><a href="https://www.buymeacoffee.com/khmezek8">Ko-Fi</a></strong></p><div><hr></div><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!AJ13!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb212af5c-0a84-4c19-a5f6-dfd3400d8543_769x445.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!AJ13!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb212af5c-0a84-4c19-a5f6-dfd3400d8543_769x445.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!AJ13!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb212af5c-0a84-4c19-a5f6-dfd3400d8543_769x445.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!AJ13!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb212af5c-0a84-4c19-a5f6-dfd3400d8543_769x445.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!AJ13!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb212af5c-0a84-4c19-a5f6-dfd3400d8543_769x445.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img 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data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/b212af5c-0a84-4c19-a5f6-dfd3400d8543_769x445.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:445,&quot;width&quot;:769,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:328224,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://khmezek.substack.com/i/209960664?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb212af5c-0a84-4c19-a5f6-dfd3400d8543_769x445.png&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!AJ13!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb212af5c-0a84-4c19-a5f6-dfd3400d8543_769x445.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!AJ13!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb212af5c-0a84-4c19-a5f6-dfd3400d8543_769x445.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!AJ13!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb212af5c-0a84-4c19-a5f6-dfd3400d8543_769x445.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!AJ13!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb212af5c-0a84-4c19-a5f6-dfd3400d8543_769x445.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">&#8216;Palestinian&#8217; Muslim student and co&#8209;president of the Oxford Union, Aisha Khan</figcaption></figure></div><p> As a reminder, &#8216;Palestinian&#8217; Muslim student and co&#8209;president of the Oxford Union, Aisha Khan, introduced Tommy Robinson thus:</p><p>&#8220;..known to his HOOLIGANS as Tommy Robinson, Steven, there is a crowd outside (<em>I don&#8217;t understand that word</em>) against you tonight and without the protection and generosity of a Muslim Palestinian president, and a mostly south Asian executive committee, you would be quite LITERALLY cooked.&#8221;</p><p>You can watch it <strong><a href="https://x.com/BasilTheGreat/status/2083293160092893412?s=20">HERE</a></strong> </p><p>Many of you commented that Tommy wanted to deescalate the situation and clear up any misunderstanding. I get that. I get that Aisha reminds him of his daughter as they are around the same age. At that age, his daughter could equally make a silly comment. Tommy and his family live with constant threats to their lives, something Aisha and her family know nothing about, and I am sure Tommy wouldn&#8217;t want her to experience that, all because of a silly comment.</p><p>HOWEVER, he could have easily accomplished his goal without saying &#8220;I APOLOGISE&#8221; in caps at the very start of his statement. This is an apology for what? For not saying something sooner? He said it as soon as he probably could. </p><p>Again, I ask the question, but no one addressed it in comments on my last essay: </p><p>Where is Aisha&#8217;s apology since she is the one who made the statement that, apparently, everyone misinterpreted. Even though if you watch the video, that is not what his reaction or the reactions of his teammates tells us. But upon reflection, and seeing the vile comments about her online, he probably felt he had to defend her. Very chivalrous. </p><p>HOWEVER, as woman, I don&#8217;t need to be chivalrous. </p><p>In <strong><a href="https://khmezek.substack.com/p/why-did-tommy-robinson-feel-he-had">my remarks in my last essay</a></strong> about this apology, I listed the horrific slurs and behavior of previous Oxford Union presidents and how they survived anyone who dared criticize them by turning it around and calling their critics Islamophobic and racist. I also told of the misleading bio of Arwa Hanin Elrayess, calling herself a Palestinian, the hysterical woman who pathetically debated Tommy and his crew. </p><p>As one example, in case you missed this part of my remarks&#8212;and please take the time to read it here&#8212;<span>in a group chat called &#8220;The Empire&#8221; </span>former Oxford Union President, Egyptian Ebrahim Osman-Mowafye, <span>used a vile racial epithet to describe a black friend, then claimed the term was used in a &#8216;friendly&#8217; manner. Other messages contain homophobic language, with one text crudely stating, </span><em>&#8220;I&#8217;m not gay but...&#8221;</em><span> before making a discriminatory remark. </span><strong><a href="https://britbrief.co.uk/politics/scandals/oxford-union-chief-in-racist-chat-scandal.html">(4</a><span>)</span></strong></p><p><span>The fact that </span>news reports couldn&#8217;t even repeat what he said<span> shows how bad it must have been.</span></p><p>He was ousted at that time. But guess what? He was reinstated after he and&#8230;</p><p><span>&#8230; three Oxford Union ex-presidents of color &#8211; Michael Akolade-Ayodeji, Ahmad Nawaz, and Adam Roble &#8211; signed a letter to the Union&#8217;s Senior Officers and Trustees alleging that recent Union procedures to remove candidates from their elected positions have been &#8220;disproportionately targeting individuals from non-traditional backgrounds.&#8221; The letter comes after Osman-Mowafy was disqualified from the role of President-elect in proceedings he alleges were &#8220;steeped in nothing but racism, islamophobia and persistent bias.&#8221;</span><strong><a href="https://cherwell.org/2024/06/03/ex-presidents-accuse-union-of-targeting-diverse-representatives-following-ebrahim-osman-mowafys-disqualification/"> (5)</a></strong></p><p>The audacity of making this claim when the very reason he was ousted was due to his own racist and homophobic statements is unbelievable!</p><p>I&#8217;m sorry, but whether she meant it or not, Aisha carried on that tradition of making an inflammatory statement and then the person it was made about apologized! </p><p>We have to acknowledge that she didn&#8217;t say those words spontaneously. They were written down, she thought about them carefully ahead of time, no doubt asked advice of others before she spoke those words <strong>to the world. </strong></p><p>TO THE WORLD, MIND YOU. </p><p>Aisha is an intelligent academic university student, not a child, admitted into one of the most prestigious universities in the world. There, she rose to the top at the Oxford Union, known historically for the power of words of its long list of debaters. </p><p>To name a few:</p><p>Winston Churchill, Ronald Reagan, Queen Elizabeth II, Albert Einstein, Malcolm X, Desmond Tutu. </p><p>Read my last essay and see how far this institution has fallen. </p><p>So, let&#8217;s look closer at the word she used that caused such a firestorm. </p><p>Here is what &#8220;cooked&#8221; means. </p><blockquote><p>The slang usage of "cooked" has roots in older expressions like "their goose is cooked," which historically meant someone was doomed or finished. Australian slang also influenced its meaning, originally describing someone intoxicated or acting erratically. Over time, internet culture, gaming communities, and platforms like TikTok and Discord popularized the term among Gen Z, giving it broader applications in digital communication.</p><p>In slang, <span>"cooked" is a used to convey exhaustion, defeat, chaos, or absurdity.</span></p></blockquote><p>Please note that she said Tommy is &#8220;<strong>literally</strong>&#8221; cooked, denoting the older term, not the slang. But either way, not a great word to use if you don&#8217;t want to be interpreted as calling on violence. </p><p>Once again, she is not some girl in a community college addressing another kid that no one has ever heard of. She is talking about the most controversial man in Briton, and perhaps in the world. </p><p>Aisha did not get to this position without knowing the meaning of words. Again, she didn&#8217;t say he was cooked, denoting the slang term, she said he was &#8220;<strong>literally</strong>&#8221; cooked. </p><p>Do you get the subtlety of this. I know many don&#8217;t want to think of subtlety, but I do. And certainly, in the context of a place like Oxford, the subtlety of words can be of great importance.  </p><p>Now, this next part might be unpleasant for some, but I am a woman and I can say this. I have NO DOUBT that if Aisha had been a man, not a lovely young woman who reminded him of his daughter, Tommy would NOT have apologized. </p><p>Please take a moment to check out his<strong><a href="https://x.com/TRobinsonNewEra"> posts on X</a>. </strong>You will find post after post of him verbally attacking his detractors. HE DOES NOT HOLD BACK. </p><p>When <strong><a href="https://x.com/RmSalih/status/2084907285944455243?s=20">Roshan M Salih says</a> </strong>in response to Tommy&#8217;s apology:</p><p><em><span>I have never seen Tommy praise Muslims as much as the student leaders of the Oxford Union.<br><br>Anyway, he confirms here what I said - he was not threatened.<br><br>Will his hooligan fans now apologise to me?</span></em></p><p><strong><a href="https://x.com/TRobinsonNewEra/status/2084966345339204092?s=20"><span>Tommy responds:</span></a></strong></p><p><em><span>Shut up you mug.<br><br>Calling all the people who follow me 'hooligans' was part of the problem in the first place.<br><br>You lot literally sit down with goose stepping pricks for a love in on your shit podcasts because you all hate 'da Joooooooos'<br><br>Islamism and Nazi'ism are opposite sides of the same coin.</span></em></p><p>But wait, he didn&#8217;t tell Aisha to &#8220;Shut up, you mug&#8221; when she called the people who follow him <strong>hooligans.</strong> </p><p>Tommy has an ongoing feud with Mohammed Hijab, a truly reprehensible human being. Tommy calls him a &#8220;retard&#8221; and that&#8217;s the nicest term he calls him, claiming he&#8217;s a retard because he&#8217;s an &#8220;<strong><a href="https://x.com/TRobinsonNewEra/status/2085020979827179774?s=20">inbreed&#8221;.</a></strong> </p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!jWnQ!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0cdef365-4f72-44f0-ab89-55d8f451242c_950x534.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!jWnQ!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0cdef365-4f72-44f0-ab89-55d8f451242c_950x534.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!jWnQ!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0cdef365-4f72-44f0-ab89-55d8f451242c_950x534.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!jWnQ!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0cdef365-4f72-44f0-ab89-55d8f451242c_950x534.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!jWnQ!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0cdef365-4f72-44f0-ab89-55d8f451242c_950x534.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!jWnQ!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0cdef365-4f72-44f0-ab89-55d8f451242c_950x534.jpeg" width="950" height="534" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/0cdef365-4f72-44f0-ab89-55d8f451242c_950x534.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:534,&quot;width&quot;:950,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:null,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;Islamist YouTubers take to Leicester's streets - The Post&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:null,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="Islamist YouTubers take to Leicester's streets - The Post" title="Islamist YouTubers take to Leicester's streets - The Post" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!jWnQ!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0cdef365-4f72-44f0-ab89-55d8f451242c_950x534.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!jWnQ!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0cdef365-4f72-44f0-ab89-55d8f451242c_950x534.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!jWnQ!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0cdef365-4f72-44f0-ab89-55d8f451242c_950x534.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!jWnQ!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0cdef365-4f72-44f0-ab89-55d8f451242c_950x534.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Mohammed Hijab</figcaption></figure></div><p><strong><a href="https://x.com/TRobinsonNewEra/status/2085042745119261143?s=20">He calls London Mayor Sadiq Khan a &#8220;wanker&#8221;.</a></strong> I agree! I just don&#8217;t use such colorful language. </p><p>In many cases what Tommy says could be seen as encouraging hatred and violence, but he doesn&#8217;t concern himself with that. He speaks his mind. He&#8217;s honest. He&#8217;s blunt. And in fact, those are refreshing traits that I admire about him. I, too, am brutally honest and blunt&#8212;without the cursing. Most people will not speak up out of fear. It takes enormous courage to confront the mob. </p><p>I&#8217;m adding the heartfelt video that he posted yesterday. Please watch it. He has gone through so much and is constantly maligned and mocked. I suppose that is one reason why I&#8217;m so upset that he apologized in this instance, since he had nothing to apologize for. </p><p> He is accused of abusing drugs. People accost him in the street, at the airport, mocking him for this. They try to get him into fights. </p><p>A good friend of mine says all the time he is a drug addict. She will not be dissuaded. She brings up his past times in prison. This has never bothered me. I have known too many who spent time in prison, because of my work with youth, <strong><a href="https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2002-jul-13-me-jvwrite13-story.html">when I founded InsideOUT Writers, the creative writing program for incarcerated youth,</a></strong> mostly those facing life sentences. I sat with them face to face and heard their horrific stories that made me weep. When I wanted to understand those in the inner city that Joe Biden and Hillary Clinton called monsters, I went into juvenile hall TO FIND OUT FOR MYSELF. And that has not been the end of my experiences helping those who are in prison. I just don&#8217;t write about it, not enough hours in the day and some of it is very personal. </p><p>So, in this video, Tommy explains why he fidgets so much. It&#8217;s heartbreaking, really, when you realize what he&#8217;s been through and yet, he keeps going. Oh, yes and I recognize the veiled woman. She is called <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@themuslimmum">&#8220;The Muslim Mom&#8221;</a> and has a huge following. I have quoted her outrageous videos at various times.</p><div class="native-video-embed" data-component-name="VideoPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;4bd688ab-e6a0-45be-adcb-8b7cbd6616ca&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:null}"></div><p>Again, I have to come back to what initially bothered me about this apology. Where is Aisha&#8217;s apology. Or at least her clarification of what she said. I&#8217;m sorry if I seem brutal about this and perhaps some can&#8217;t understand why it irks me so much, but I lived under Islam and I understand the implications. It is always the infidel who must apologize. </p><p>On the other hand, I see the horrible things being said about Aisha Khan on social media and I am disgusted. I&#8217;m not going to repeat any of it here. I would feel the need to defend her, too. I know Tommy did not want to be accused of being responsible for any of that vitriol. But why should he? Again, he isn&#8217;t the one who made an incendiary remark! </p><p>The apology was a mistake, unless&#8212;and this is the only thing I can think of&#8212;it was meant to be such an outrageously out of character thing for him to say, so completely unexpected, that it proved what he couldn&#8217;t say outright&#8212;that Aisha&#8217;s statement was, in fact, a threat. </p><p>On the other hand, I have no doubt he genuinely wanted to protect Aisha. A noble gesture that would have worked if not for the unfortunate apology. </p><p>I love Tommy for his rough, streetwise smarts, for his imperfect past, for how he has risen above so much adversity, for how he spent two years in prison in isolation and survived and came out stronger. I have written quite a few essays about him. His interviews in Israel were amongst some of the best ever made. </p><p>Here is my essay that includes those Israel interviews, and I encourage you to watch them: </p><p><strong><a href="https://khmezek.substack.com/p/tommy-tells-the-truth?utm_source=publication-search">Tommy Tells the Truth</a>: </strong>A look at what Tommy Robinson actually says, not what the media says he says, and some of the incredible reporting he did in Israel. If this guy is a Nazi, then I am so confused.</p><p>In <strong><a href="https://khmezek.substack.com/p/im-walking?utm_source=publication-search">I&#8217;m Walking</a>, </strong>I write about Tommy shortly after my hip surgery. I include a brilliant clip of Tommy explaining how he went to Israel&#8212;the first time, some years ago, to what is known as the West Bank to find out the truth for himself. I loved what he said, the openness of his heart, his curiosity and bravery. Who takes the time and effort to do such a thing unless they genuinely want to know the truth! It is exactly what I did when I went to Luxor, Egypt. I wanted to find out the truth of Islam for myself&#8212;not what someone else was telling me. </p><p>In that short essay, I also include his film <strong><a href="https://youtu.be/5Wj0KhsBgn0?si=MGqWSxveE53lkhfl">Silenced,</a></strong> for which he went to prison. I encourage everyone to watch it. It&#8217;s excellent. The fact he went to prison for this blows my mind. </p><div id="youtube2-h0z7rVP2glk" class="youtube-wrap" data-attrs="{&quot;videoId&quot;:&quot;h0z7rVP2glk&quot;,&quot;startTime&quot;:null,&quot;endTime&quot;:null}" data-component-name="Youtube2ToDOM"><div class="youtube-inner"><iframe src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/h0z7rVP2glk?rel=0&amp;autoplay=0&amp;showinfo=0&amp;enablejsapi=0" frameborder="0" loading="lazy" gesture="media" allow="autoplay; fullscreen" allowautoplay="true" allowfullscreen="true" width="728" height="409"></iframe></div></div><p>I also encourage everyone to read my analysis and listen to the Oxford debate &#8220;Is the West Right to be Suspicious of Islam<strong>?&#8221;</strong> <a href="https://khmezek.substack.com/p/is-the-west-right-to-be-suspicious">HERE</a>. </p><p>Tommy is on my prayer list. He is someone I pray for every day because I believe he is important in the way he fearlessly speaks the truth. </p><p>I pray that he stays away from partnering with the far right, which is a very big temptation. People like all-out Nazi defrocked Calvin Robinson, who has been known to mock me on X, who almost was in the Oxford debate with Tommy. I&#8217;m so glad they replaced him. But in order to win against the foes, people make alliances. I understand that. I pray Tommy will be wise in the alliances he makes going forward. And more than anything, I pray God keeps him and his family safe.  </p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://khmezek.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://khmezek.substack.com/subscribe?"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://khmezek.substack.com/p/words-matter-especially-at-oxford/comments&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Leave a comment&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://khmezek.substack.com/p/words-matter-especially-at-oxford/comments"><span>Leave a comment</span></a></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://khmezek.substack.com/p/words-matter-especially-at-oxford?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://khmezek.substack.com/p/words-matter-especially-at-oxford?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Why did Tommy Robinson feel he had to apologize for what Aisha said?]]></title><description><![CDATA["Far-right" Tommy Robinson stood up for Aisha Khan after she said if it weren't for her protection, he would be literally 'cooked' by the mob outside. Why isn't she the one apologizing?]]></description><link>https://khmezek.substack.com/p/why-did-tommy-robinson-feel-he-had</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://khmezek.substack.com/p/why-did-tommy-robinson-feel-he-had</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Karen Hunt]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 05 Aug 2026 02:22:35 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/209861319/048a7ae95b802e863ab41627d49ad2f9.mp3" length="0" type="audio/mpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>You can read my remarks here:</p><div class="native-audio-embed" data-component-name="AudioPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;label&quot;:null,&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;78aa9660-a162-4165-816c-0a1a9e78650b&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:707.63104,&quot;downloadable&quot;:false,&quot;isEditorNode&quot;:true}"></div><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://khmezek.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Break Free Media is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><p>After working so hard on my last essay, going through all the speeches of the debate and publishing <strong><a href="https://khmezek.substack.com/p/is-the-west-right-to-be-suspicious">Is the West Right to be Suspicious of Islam?</a> </strong>I was absolutely shocked to see this video by Tommy Robinson. </p><p>Here is what he<strong><a href="https://x.com/TRobinsonNewEra/status/2084725846758027754?s=20"> wrote on X</a></strong> to go with the video, starting with his apology in all caps: </p><p><strong>I WAS NOT THREATENED - I APOLOGISE</strong></p><p><em>Please take a moment to watch this and SHARE it.</em></p><p><em>I have to be honest with all of you as well as myself.</em></p><p><em>Aisha Khan said something very silly, however, it's been taken out of context and mischaracterized.</em></p><p>Listen to how kind he is to her in the clip. But then, he shares what she said and I&#8217;m sorry, but we all know what we see. Look at Tommy&#8217;s own face and the faces of his team members, like Lawrence Fox. Clearly, they did not misinterpret what she said. Nor did the audience, who applauds her raucously. </p><p>None of us watching the video misinterpreted it either. </p><p>As Ana responded to Tommy in the comments: </p><p><em><span>Tommy, you are beyond kind to worry.  People reacted to her immature, smug and gloating sense of power. Her statement provoked a response.</span></em><span><br></span><br><em>Your 'apology' will be used against you. I hope she appreciates your concern and thinks more about what she said. It wasn't a threat, fair enough. It was a gleeful, unkind boast after being rude about you and your supporters. If she was nice in private, we didn't see that.</em></p><p><em>She is in a position of trust at Oxford Union. That should be used wisely, justly and prudently.</em></p><p>Absolutely correct that his apology will be used against him. I know how it works. Kindness is always seen as weakness. </p><p>Jonathan Sacerdoti knows this very well, too. In Dec 2024, he spoke at the union on the topic &#8220;This House Believes Israel is an Apartheid State Responsible for Genocide.&#8221; I wrote about it, just as I have done with this most recent debate. I believe these debates are extremely important, and I want people to be aware of them. </p><p>At that debate, Jonathan and his team members faced appalling attacks from the president and the audience. You will not find a more brilliant team than the one below and I encourage everyone to listen to their speeches in my essay, <strong><a href="https://khmezek.substack.com/p/is-israel-a-genocidal-apartheid-state?utm_source=publication-search">This House Believes Israel is an Apartheid State Responsible for Genocide&#8221;</a></strong></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!HmCJ!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F37254a43-1007-407c-a60d-9c3f54dbadf8_680x428.webp" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!HmCJ!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F37254a43-1007-407c-a60d-9c3f54dbadf8_680x428.webp 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!HmCJ!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F37254a43-1007-407c-a60d-9c3f54dbadf8_680x428.webp 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!HmCJ!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F37254a43-1007-407c-a60d-9c3f54dbadf8_680x428.webp 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!HmCJ!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F37254a43-1007-407c-a60d-9c3f54dbadf8_680x428.webp 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!HmCJ!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F37254a43-1007-407c-a60d-9c3f54dbadf8_680x428.webp" width="680" height="428" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/37254a43-1007-407c-a60d-9c3f54dbadf8_680x428.webp&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:428,&quot;width&quot;:680,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:null,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:null,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!HmCJ!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F37254a43-1007-407c-a60d-9c3f54dbadf8_680x428.webp 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!HmCJ!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F37254a43-1007-407c-a60d-9c3f54dbadf8_680x428.webp 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!HmCJ!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F37254a43-1007-407c-a60d-9c3f54dbadf8_680x428.webp 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!HmCJ!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F37254a43-1007-407c-a60d-9c3f54dbadf8_680x428.webp 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Natasha Hausdorff, Yosef Haddad, Mosab Hassan Yusef, Jonathan Sacerdoti</figcaption></figure></div><p>I spend countless hours researching these topics. I don&#8217;t write about </p><p>In my Dec 2025 essay <strong><a href="https://khmezek.substack.com/p/the-curious-case-of-arwa-elrayess?utm_source=publication-search">Oxford Union picks first Palestinian president amid controversy</a>,</strong> I wrote about the ousting of Oxford Union president &#8216;sociopath&#8217; George Abaraonye over horrific statements he made about Charlie Kirk after his murder, such as <span>"</span>Charlie Kirk<span> got shot. Let's effing go"</span> and <span>"</span>Charlie Kirk<span> got </span>shot<span> LOL," and </span>how the &#8216;first Palestinian&#8217; Arwa Hanin Elrayess was chosen to take his place. She is the hysterical one who spoke at this most recent debate and whose claims of being from &#8216;Palestine&#8217; are iffy. </p><p>Should Abaraonye have been excused because he was silly and didn&#8217;t really mean it the way it was obviously meant to be taken?</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!4s_c!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F45272d15-1815-4e27-9c7c-6a893eeaac3e_767x572.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!4s_c!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F45272d15-1815-4e27-9c7c-6a893eeaac3e_767x572.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!4s_c!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F45272d15-1815-4e27-9c7c-6a893eeaac3e_767x572.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!4s_c!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F45272d15-1815-4e27-9c7c-6a893eeaac3e_767x572.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!4s_c!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F45272d15-1815-4e27-9c7c-6a893eeaac3e_767x572.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!4s_c!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F45272d15-1815-4e27-9c7c-6a893eeaac3e_767x572.png" width="767" height="572" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/45272d15-1815-4e27-9c7c-6a893eeaac3e_767x572.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:572,&quot;width&quot;:767,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:null,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:null,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!4s_c!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F45272d15-1815-4e27-9c7c-6a893eeaac3e_767x572.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!4s_c!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F45272d15-1815-4e27-9c7c-6a893eeaac3e_767x572.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!4s_c!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F45272d15-1815-4e27-9c7c-6a893eeaac3e_767x572.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!4s_c!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F45272d15-1815-4e27-9c7c-6a893eeaac3e_767x572.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>Then, there was the previous 2025 president Moosa Harraj, who made &#8220;history&#8221; as the first president who was of Pakistani origin. There was some controversy surrounding his election but I won&#8217;t go into that here. </p><p><span>The president </span><em>before </em><span>him was Egyptian Ebrahim Osman-Mowafy. He was president in 2024, at the time of the debate, &#8220;</span><strong><a href="https://khmezek.substack.com/p/is-israel-a-genocidal-apartheid-state?utm_source=publication-search"><span>This House Believes Israel is an Apartheid State Responsible for Genocide&#8221;.</span></a><span> </span></strong><span>He was another one who revealed his hatred with great gusto. </span></p><p><span>At that debate, Jonathan said:</span></p><p><span>&#8220;</span><strong><a href="https://youtu.be/Pw736rNEJx4?si=mRWvgfpnJNtINl2U">We are here to confront lies that masquerade as truth.</a></strong><span>&#8221; This the challenge that we are constantly facing, lies that masquerade as truth and it takes enormous courage to expose them, because it would seem people want to believe the lies. </span></p><p><strong>A few months before that debate, Mowafy had been pressured to step down due to screenshots revealing a stream of deeply offensive language, including racist slurs and homophobic abuse directed at fellow students.</strong></p><p><span>The remarks were made in a group chat called &#8220;The Empire.&#8221; In the most damning exchange, Osman-Mowafy used a vile racial epithet to describe a black friend, claiming the term was used in a &#8216;friendly&#8217; manner. Other messages contain homophobic language, with one text crudely stating, </span><em>&#8220;I&#8217;m not gay but...&#8221;</em><span> before making a discriminatory remark. </span><strong><a href="https://britbrief.co.uk/politics/scandals/oxford-union-chief-in-racist-chat-scandal.html">(4</a><span>)</span></strong></p><p><span>The fact that </span><strong>news reports couldn&#8217;t even repeat what he said</strong><span> shows how bad it must have been.</span></p><p>He was ousted at that time. But guess what? He was reinstated after he and&#8230;</p><p><span>&#8230; three Oxford Union ex-presidents of color &#8211; Michael Akolade-Ayodeji, Ahmad Nawaz, and Adam Roble &#8211; signed a letter to the Union&#8217;s Senior Officers and Trustees alleging that recent Union procedures to remove candidates from their elected positions have been &#8220;disproportionately targeting individuals from non-traditional backgrounds.&#8221; The letter comes after Osman-Mowafy was disqualified from the role of President-elect in proceedings he alleges were &#8220;steeped in nothing but racism, islamophobia and persistent bias.&#8221;</span><strong><a href="https://cherwell.org/2024/06/03/ex-presidents-accuse-union-of-targeting-diverse-representatives-following-ebrahim-osman-mowafys-disqualification/"> (5)</a></strong></p><p>The audacity of making this claim when the very reason he was ousted was due to his own racist and homophobic statements is unbelievable!</p><p>This is how it always goes. Lies upon lies. No one ever apologizes for their lies. They don&#8217;t have to because they are always the victims, not the people they are attacking. </p><p>Isn&#8217;t this what Hamas did? Attacked Israel, murdered raped and kidnapped innocent men, women, children and babies, and then cried victim when Israel attacked them back. </p><p><strong>This is why it is especially frustrating that Tommy Robinson feels he is the one who has to apologize now. </strong></p><p>We will never know the behind-the-scenes drama that led to Tommy&#8217;s apology. Okay, fine, stand up for her because she is young and can make a mistake, but even that makes me scratch my head. </p><p>Isn&#8217;t she the one who made the comment? Shouldn&#8217;t she be the one apologizing and setting the record straight. Shouldn&#8217;t she be apologizing to Tommy and his &#8220;hooligans&#8221; as she called them? Notice she didn&#8217;t call the mob outside hooligans; they were merely a &#8220;crowd.&#8221; </p><p>Tommy could have then made a little video saying how brave she was to do that and letting everyone know he didn&#8217;t think she threatened him, she&#8217;s a great kid, just like his daughter, etc.  </p><p>And okay, the mob outside weren&#8217;t Muslims, but Tommy isn&#8217;t telling us anything we don&#8217;t already know. We already know that the majority of these crowds are the ridiculous woke mostly white useful idiots. But who are they useful idiots for? Hamas, the Muslim Brotherhood, dissidents on college campuses like Mahmoud Khalil and then there&#8217;s Tucker Carlson, Hasan Piker, the list goes on and on. All telling lies to incite hatred against Jews, to cause unrest, while praising the jihadist &#8220;freedom fighters.&#8221;  </p><p>I appreciate that Muslims no doubt worry in Britan that hatred is going to turn on them. I&#8217;m sure Tommy doesn&#8217;t want to be the cause of that. I make sure that this is clear in my essays, too. I would defend the girl wearing a hijab as much as I would defend a Jew, wearing a kippa. I have no tolerance for derogatory words used against Muslims in the comment section of my essays. </p><p>But it would seem Aisha was the one encouraging violence, whether she meant it or not. I reiterate that she is the one who should apologize. Especially considering the vile history of previous Muslim presidents spewing hatred and being excused for it. </p><p>This was so odd and unexpected, I just had to share it and am very curious what you all think. </p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://khmezek.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://khmezek.substack.com/subscribe?"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://khmezek.substack.com/p/why-did-tommy-robinson-feel-he-had/comments&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Leave a comment&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://khmezek.substack.com/p/why-did-tommy-robinson-feel-he-had/comments"><span>Leave a comment</span></a></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://khmezek.substack.com/p/why-did-tommy-robinson-feel-he-had?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://khmezek.substack.com/p/why-did-tommy-robinson-feel-he-had?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Is the West Right to be Suspicious of Islam?]]></title><description><![CDATA[Watch now | THESE SPEECHES ARE IMPORTANT! They are the speeches that the Oxford Union didn't want you to hear.]]></description><link>https://khmezek.substack.com/p/is-the-west-right-to-be-suspicious</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://khmezek.substack.com/p/is-the-west-right-to-be-suspicious</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Karen Hunt]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 03 Aug 2026 20:14:30 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/209337741/02a7bfb51fb89e4df1b1740304c9ccbb.mp3" length="0" type="audio/mpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!AurI!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1724cea4-3699-441a-a9f2-00b7f555e632_1291x721.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!AurI!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1724cea4-3699-441a-a9f2-00b7f555e632_1291x721.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!AurI!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1724cea4-3699-441a-a9f2-00b7f555e632_1291x721.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!AurI!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1724cea4-3699-441a-a9f2-00b7f555e632_1291x721.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!AurI!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1724cea4-3699-441a-a9f2-00b7f555e632_1291x721.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!AurI!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1724cea4-3699-441a-a9f2-00b7f555e632_1291x721.png" width="1291" height="721" 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srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!AurI!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1724cea4-3699-441a-a9f2-00b7f555e632_1291x721.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!AurI!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1724cea4-3699-441a-a9f2-00b7f555e632_1291x721.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!AurI!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1724cea4-3699-441a-a9f2-00b7f555e632_1291x721.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!AurI!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1724cea4-3699-441a-a9f2-00b7f555e632_1291x721.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Tommy Robinson facing off against Arwa Elrayess </figcaption></figure></div><h3>I start above with Jonathan Sacerdoti&#8217;s brilliant speech. Please listen to it before getting into this essay. </h3><p>I am not able to record this essay today. </p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://khmezek.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Break Free Media is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><p><span>One-time or recurring donations can be made at </span><strong><a href="https://www.buymeacoffee.com/khmezek8">Ko-Fi</a></strong></p><p>I have been waiting with great anticipation for this Oxford Union debate to become available. Finally, it is here. It took me a few days to get through all of it and present you with what I believe are the most important takeaways. </p><h3>Motion: This House believes the West is right to be suspicious of Islam.</h3><p>For the motion:</p><h4>Tommy Robinson, Laurence Fox, Jonathan Sacerdoti, Leyton Styles, Oliver Jones-Lyons</h4><p>Against:</p><h4>Jacob Rees-Mogg, Abdullah Al-Andalusi, Michael Doward, Arwa Elrayess</h4><h3>Reasons to be suspicious of Islam started to reveal themselves long before the debate EVER occurred. </h3><p>Months before the debate happened, there was backlash that it should not be allowed to take place. The date was not announced ahead of time for fear of reprisal. </p><p>Finally, on the day, as you can see below, a mob amassed, trying to stop ticket holders from entering Oxford University to listen to the debate. Masked and with Antifa logos and slogans, they threw objects and bellowed "refugees are welcome here" while "racist scum&#8221; are not.  </p><p>Can you guess which side they objected to and which debater in particular? I&#8217;m not even going to answer that question. We all know the answer.  </p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!h8ey!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbb467604-a3fd-4d1b-9ba5-d79b7a3da039_993x539.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!h8ey!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbb467604-a3fd-4d1b-9ba5-d79b7a3da039_993x539.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!h8ey!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbb467604-a3fd-4d1b-9ba5-d79b7a3da039_993x539.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!h8ey!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbb467604-a3fd-4d1b-9ba5-d79b7a3da039_993x539.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!h8ey!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbb467604-a3fd-4d1b-9ba5-d79b7a3da039_993x539.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!h8ey!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbb467604-a3fd-4d1b-9ba5-d79b7a3da039_993x539.jpeg" width="993" height="539" 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srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!h8ey!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbb467604-a3fd-4d1b-9ba5-d79b7a3da039_993x539.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!h8ey!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbb467604-a3fd-4d1b-9ba5-d79b7a3da039_993x539.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!h8ey!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbb467604-a3fd-4d1b-9ba5-d79b7a3da039_993x539.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!h8ey!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbb467604-a3fd-4d1b-9ba5-d79b7a3da039_993x539.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>The violent objection to this debate and the security needed to ensure the safety of those in favor of the motion is reason enough for us to be suspicious of Islam. </p><p>We only have to ask the question, if Oxford announced a debate titled &#8220;Is the West Right to be Suspicious of Christianity&#8221; there would be yawns of boredom. Christians don&#8217;t care if you object to their religion. They aren&#8217;t going to call you scum and attack you violently for it. Okay, they might have done so during the Spanish Inquisition, as the opposition team pointed out.</p><p>This always frustrates me because no one ever counters this argument with the most obvious. If only they would have a debate on &#8220;Jesus vs Mohammed&#8221; and invite me, I could dispose of the Inquisition argument forever. While everyone has a right to be suspicious of Catholicism or Evangelicalism or Protestantism there is no reason to be suspicious of Jesus. Every atrocity committed by Christian institutions CANNOT be traced back to the teachings of Jesus. Whereas every atrocity committed by Islamists CAN be traced back to the teachings of Mohammad. </p><p>THIS IS THE HEART OF THE MATTER. But it is seldom if ever mentioned. </p><p>Nor would there be a violent uprising if the debate was titled &#8220;Are Muslims Right to be Suspicious of Christianity&#8221;. In fact, there would be no debate. I doubt you would find a single reasonable Christian to argue that Muslims don&#8217;t have a right to be suspicious of Christianity. </p><p>And thereby lies another reason to be suspicious of Islam. It seems to be the only thing in the world that we are told we absolutely MUST NOT be suspicious of. </p><p>Suspicion is a healthy attitude. Recently, I had hip replacement surgery. Should I have been suspicious of surgeons as I picked my doctor, or should I have closed my eyes and pointed to one on a list? Apparently, we can be suspicious of everything, except when it comes to Islam. </p><h3>Not only should we be suspicious of Islam, but we should be terrified of it. <span>No one proved we should be suspicious of Islam more powerfully than </span>Aisha Khan Aziz.</h3><p>Aisha is the president of the Oxford Union. In her <span>opening remarks welcoming the team for the motion, she warns them that if it weren&#8217;t for her efforts to protect them, they would literally be &#8220;cooked&#8221; by the mob outside. </span></p><p><span>Apparently, at a word from her, the doors the chamber could open, and the mob set lose upon the infidels. As it is, she graciously keeps the doors closed and allows them to live. </span></p><p><span>Quite stupidly, she proves the point that Islam is violent. She glories in her power over the men facing her, who are so obviously superior in intellect, life experience and knowledge of the subject matter, but at her mercy. Watch her face at the end.</span></p><div class="native-video-embed" data-component-name="VideoPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;9e6d6586-1e5a-4d6e-8973-191091b14734&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:null}"></div><p>Just a few words about Aisha before we continue. She calls herself a &#8216;Palestinian&#8217; which is a bit confusing since we are assured that everyone in &#8216;Palestine&#8217; lives in a prison from which they cannot escape. But never mind. </p><p>It should also be noted that Aisha is perhaps the most popular name among Muslim women. After all, she was the child bride of Mohammed. Married at six and raped at nine, we should all be so lucky, right? Our daughters should be so lucky. I have actually heard Muslim women say they would gladly give their daughters to Mohammed at that age. What an honor! </p><p>I knew quite a few Western women in Luxor who took on the name Aisha when they married Muslim men. Taking on a Muslim name is a tradition in Luxor, part of submitting to the cult of Islam, leaving your old identity behind. </p><p>Those who organized the debate tried to lessen the blow of Aisha&#8217;s gaff&#8212;and the lame arguments of the opposition who came after her&#8212;by delaying release of the debates long enough that the Middle East Eye could publish misleading clips and an article, claiming Tommy Robinson was trounced by the opposition. </p><p>As Jonathan Sacerdotti noted:</p><p>&#8220;The Oxford Union has chosen not to publish the debate on Islam which they invited me to be part of. Instead, they appear to have given their footage to Middle East Eye to release a very selectively edited 6 minute clip. This is entirely against the agreement we made with them.&#8221;</p><p>And this: </p><blockquote><p>I have been informed by the Oxford Union that the video of the Islam debate I spoke in has not been published because &#8220;two speaker consent forms were outstanding.&#8221; All the speakers on my side consented &#8211; they forced us to sign before they would allow us into the debate.</p><p>So it seems that two of the speakers on the other side were permitted to speak without signing and are now afraid of the debate being seen.</p></blockquote><p>Here are Jonathan&#8217;s further observations about the delay. </p><blockquote><p>More than six weeks after the Oxford Union promised to publish my June debate speech, the full video is still being withheld &#8212; while extracts of their own footage of the debate have appeared elsewhere, heavily edited.</p><p>I filmed my own speech with the Union&#8217;s knowledge and agreement as an insurance policy and backup. </p></blockquote><p>Indeed, this question is increasingly becoming absurd to even ask. </p><p>Below is the title and a link to the Middle East Eye article, published on June 18th. Here we are, July 3rd, where I am finally able to thoughtfully dissect the speeches and give a reasoned overview for discerning readers.  </p><h3><strong><a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/inside-oxford-union-debate-where-tommy-robinson-lost-palestinian-student-gaza">Inside the Oxford Union debate where Tommy Robinson lost to a Palestinian student from Gaza</a></strong></h3><p>Everyone now knows what they already thought before the debate ever happened. That most despicable lowlife Tommy Robinson lost! </p><p>But as even the article acknowledged: </p><blockquote><p>&#8230; the audience inside the chamber on Wednesday night was extraordinarily small, owing to a crowd of hundreds of protestors who had prevented people - including speakers - from entering and delayed the event by hours.</p></blockquote><p>Why were they so intent on not allowing anyone to hear or see this debate? If everyone was so sure the result would prove Tommy Robinson to be wrong, surely, they would WANT everyone to see and hear it. </p><p>But that&#8217;s not what happened. The speeches were delayed and instead, we were supposed to take the Middle East Eye&#8217;s word for who won. Millions of people did, which was their intent. Those millions of people will never be interested in actually watching what Tommy Robinson, Laurence Fox, Jonathan Sacerdoti, Leyton Styles, Oliver Jones-Lyons had to say. Their opinions were formed long ago, and the algorithms merely fed them what they already wanted to see. </p><h3>Before I share a few of the actual speeches, I have to say a few words about Aisha&#8217;s promise of protection for her opponents. Bravo, Aisha, for illustrating to us classic Islamic treatment of infidels. </h3><p>We cannot really blame Aisha. She was merely obeying Mohammed&#8217;s instructions for &#8220;people of the Book&#8221; as a &#8220;protected class&#8221; that does not have to convert or be killed, as long as they acknowledge Islamic superiority. There could never be a question that Islam would win this debate. That is why those arguing for suspicion were protected. So that they could prove they must submit to Islam in the end. </p><div class="pullquote"><p>As Surah 9:29 commands, <strong>dhimmis</strong> paid for humbled coexistence&#8212;a system that enriched Islamic empires but entrenched prejudice and inequality. </p></div><h4>Isn&#8217;t it odd that Muslims scream accusations of others&#8217; prejudice, inequality, racism, when such traits are foundational to Islam. </h4><p>Historically, central to Jews&#8217; and Christians&#8217; protection was the payment of <em>jizyah</em>, a poll tax symbolizing submission. Dhimmi had to bow their heads and go to the other side of the street when a Muslim passed. They could not testify against a Muslim (imagine for one moment the implications of that). They could not ride horses; they had to ride donkeys. And so forth. You can find out more at the end of this essay. </p><h4>Dhimmi Tommy Robinson also had to publish his speech himself. Here he is saying how everything presented to them, from start to finish, was a lie. But what does that matter. He is a dhimmi and it must be proved so, no matter if that &#8220;proof&#8221; is &#8220;proved&#8221; by lies. </h4><blockquote><p>You have given them the opportunity to selectively cut, edit and publish content they had no right in having or publishing.</p><p>You have literally allowed them to 'curate' a narrative which is totally contrary to the agreement we signed before the debate.</p><p>There are consequences.</p><p>Once things had 'blown up' online about the illegal leaked footage, cut, edited, and published by Middle East Eye  (a media outlet that is supportive of the Muslim Brotherhood) you can watch everything I speak about here clearly.</p><p>After being outed as the 'leakers' Oxford Union quickly uploaded the full debate, they had to, they had no choice.</p><p>People should be aware of the fact that they allowed a media organiation (supportive of the Muslim Brotherhood), curate a narrative using footage Oxford Union hadn't even published themselves at the time. Remember these words - Taqiyya, Tawriya, Kitman and Muruna.</p></blockquote><div class="native-video-embed" data-component-name="VideoPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;e66e4834-d5c4-4ea5-ae7c-983e2ce8032b&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:null}"></div><h3>Now, let&#8217;s look at the cringe of Arwa Hanin Elrayess&#8217; speech</h3><div class="native-video-embed" data-component-name="VideoPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;99ccfb6a-d93f-4291-b285-8c4902ea40f4&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:null}"></div><p>Arwa Elrayess is a &#8216;Palestinian&#8217; student at Oxford. Well, it seems there&#8217;s another &#8216;Palestinian&#8217; that&#8217;s been let out of the prison&#8212;and, I might add, perfectly free to speak. I very much doubt Tommy Robinson would be invited into Palestine to speak. </p><p>I have known so many women like Arwa in my life. It&#8217;s hard to listen to them in their whiny voices. She was on the verge of hysteria. You cannot reason with such a woman. It is clear she has completely committed herself to the cult. She will scream in your face and never have a logical conversation. </p><p>The poor young woman appeared rather confused. She insisted with great gusto that ISIS &amp; al-Qaeda terrorists are not &#8220;real Muslims.&#8221; In fact, no one that does anything she, as the great arbiter of what constitutes true Islam, disagrees with is a Muslim. This would make Hamas and Hezbollah, of whom the former carried out the atrocities on 7th October 2023 not &#8220;real Muslims.&#8221; </p><p>I suppose <strong><a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ahmed-al-Sharaa">jihadist al-Jolani, former leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham </a></strong>was not a real Muslim until he lost the turban, trimmed his scruffy beard and put on a suit and changed his name to al-Sharaa. Then, as President of Syria, he magically transformed into a Muslim. </p><p>But let&#8217;s get a little deeper into who Arwa really is. Not only is her speech full of hysteria, but her bio is also shady, as I exposed in my December 2025 essay, <strong><a href="https://khmezek.substack.com/p/the-curious-case-of-arwa-elrayess?utm_source=publication-search">Oxford Union picks first &#8216;Palestinian&#8217; president amid controversy</a>.</strong></p><h3>Arwa would be hard-pressed to prove she is from &#8216;Palestine&#8217;. <strong>Rather QATAR or the UK would be a better guess.</strong></h3><ul><li><p>Elyraess studied for her A Levels at Doha College School in Qatar (where she was head girl) and prior to that at RGS Guildford in Qatar. Her father is the section head of basic research at Qatar University. <strong><a href="https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/antisemitism/article-876749">(4)</a></strong></p></li><li><p>Her father, <strong><a href="https://www.qu.edu.qa/SiteImages/static_file/qu/research/Biomedical%20Research%20Center/Faculty%20and%20Staff/resumes/Mohamed%20Elrayess_CV_Feb2022_short.pdf">Mohamed Elyraess</a></strong> has lived and worked in Qatar since 2012. Previously, he lived in London from 2002 to 2011.</p></li><li><p>Arwa was born between 2005 and 2007.</p></li></ul><p>That would make Arwa Hanin Elrayess British and/or Qatari but certainly not &#8216;Palestinian&#8217;.</p><p>She should be disqualified right there, for not speaking the truth. But if someone says they are from &#8216;Palestine&#8217; no one dares to dispute it. It&#8217;s like a cloak of invisibility protecting them from the obvious. </p><h3>Here is Tommy&#8217;s speech. The one that everyone objected to and no one wanted to be heard, even though he was invited to speak:</h3><div class="native-video-embed" data-component-name="VideoPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;9d55f2d7-6309-487a-a279-3267af698b4f&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:null}"></div><p>He is absolutely brutal in the facts he presents. Clearly, facts are offensive as is demonstrated by the reaction of the crowd. I will leave it for you to listen. He speaks with passion, but not with the hysteria of Arwa. There is a big difference. </p><h3>Lawrence Fox tells us with finality why we should be suspicious of Islam. </h3><p><span>43% of British Muslims want Sharia law.<br>53% want schools with strong Muslim values.<br>24% sympathize with violence to &#8220;protect&#8221; their religion.<br>78% say no publication should ever show a picture of Muhammad.</span></p><p><span>And then, Fox threatens the unthinkable. He threatens to show a picture of Mohammed. Everyone holds their breath, expecting to be assaulted by a Charlie Hebdo cartoon. </span></p><p><span>Watch as the room turns on Lawrence.<br>Points of order. Interruptions. Fear. He tells the angry audience that his own wife asked him not to show it because of what might happen to their family.</span></p><p>Sir Jacob jumps to his feet, all nervous. He begs the chair to ban the use of props in the debate. He is scared. Who can blame him. </p><p>If you haven&#8217;t seen what happens next, I won&#8217;t give it away.</p><div class="native-video-embed" data-component-name="VideoPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;814952c5-6782-425d-8ee1-1a9c28880f59&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:null}"></div><h3>Sir Jacob&#8217;s relief was palpable when the cartoon turns out to be a mockery of HIM.</h3><p>Well, thank goodness. EVERYONE can be mocked&#8212;except Mohammed. </p><p>And then, negating his objection to props&#8212;except for himself&#8212;he gets out his own prop: a little cross, which he holds aloft as if to ward off a vampire. </p><p>If he really believed that cross would protect us all, why was he so worried about the cartoon?</p><p>I wish Lawrence would have shown the cartoon. But the fact that when he doesn&#8217;t and the room erupts with nervous laughter in relief, tells us everything we need to know. </p><h4>Not only do we need to be suspicious of Islam, we need to be afraid.  </h4><p>Jonathan Sacerdoti gives an excellent recap of Jacob Ress Mobb&#8217;s lame defense of Islam. I know this is long, but it&#8217;s important because these speeches cannot be taken on face value, as people will do who merely listen to them without any background k knowledge. That is what I like so much about Sacerdotti, he is impeccable in his research.</p><blockquote><p><span>In Jacob Rees-Mogg&#8217;s desperation during the Oxford Islam debate, he also came up with this bit of loony argument, praising Ibn Khaldun (1332&#8211;1406) as a great Islamic political theorist we ought to admire in the West today.<br><br>Sir Jacob is a fan of Ibn Khaldun&#8217;s writings on taxation. But what does he think of the rest of political thought? <br><br>Unlike some contemporary scholars who argued Jihad should only be defensive, Ibn Khaldun </span><strong><span>explicitly stated that Islam has a unique divine obligation to aggressively subjugate other nations.</span></strong><span> He wrote: &#8220;In the Islamic community, the </span><strong><span>holy war is a religious duty</span></strong><span>, because of the universalism of the Muslim mission and the</span><strong><span> obligation to convert everybody to Islam either by persuasion or by force.</span></strong><span>&#8221;<br><br>He contrasted Islam with Christianity, arguing that Christians were not commanded to seek global political dominion, whereas Muslims were. </span><strong><span>He fiercely held that Muslims were intrinsically culturally and morally superior to all non-Muslims</span></strong><span> simply by virtue of possessing the Islamic faith and legal code. He also argued that an oppressive, tyrannical, and unjust Muslim ruler was vastly preferable to even a single day of civil unrest or rebellion, and that citizens have an absolute religious duty to unconditionally submit to state authority, </span><strong><span>even if the ruler is actively stealing their property or acting cruelly.</span></strong><span><br><br>In his foundational work, </span><em><span>The Muqaddimah, </span></em><span>he also explains his pseudo-scientific views on sub-Saharan Africans, explicitly writing that</span><strong><span> people living in the extreme hot climates of sub-Saharan Africa were &#8220;closer to dumb animals than to rational beings&#8221;</span></strong><span> and alleged that they lived in caves and engaged in cannibalism.<br><br>He used these prejudices to </span><strong><span>justify the Arab slave trade,</span></strong><span> writing: &#8220;Therefore, the Negro nations are, as a rule, submissive to slavery, because </span><strong><span>Negroes have little that is essentially human and possess attributes that are quite similar to those of dumb animals</span></strong><span>. He also claimed that Black people were characterized by universal &#8220;stupidity, levity, excitability, and great emotionalism,&#8221; attributing this to the &#8220;hot air&#8221; of their geographic zone.<br><br>His views on Islamic political supremacy were uncompromising, and he openly argued that a </span><strong><span>religious theocracy (Khilafah) was the only legitimate form of governance.</span></strong><span> He explicitly stated that purely secular political systems based on human reason are fundamentally corrupt and sinful because they prioritise worldly greed over divine law. He even had zero tolerance for heterodoxy within the Muslim world, railing against Shia Muslims, and aggressively condemned and sought to ban the works of ecstatic or philosophical Sufi mystics (such as Ibn Arabi).<br><br>So, are you embarrassed of this speech yet, Jacob Rees-Mogg. </span></p></blockquote><h3><span>Judge for yourself if Sir Jacob should be embarrassed by listening to his speech below:</span></h3><div class="twitter-embed" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://x.com/jonsac/status/2083633932965142942?s=20&quot;,&quot;full_text&quot;:&quot;In <span class=\&quot;tweet-fake-link\&quot;>@Jacob_Rees_Mogg</span>&#8217;s desperation during the Oxford Islam debate, he also came up with this bit of loony argument, praising Ibn Khaldun (1332&#8211;1406) as a great Islamic political theorist we ought to admire in the West today.\n\nSir Jacob is a fan of Ibn Khaldun&#8217;s writings on &quot;,&quot;username&quot;:&quot;jonsac&quot;,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;Jonathan Sacerdoti&quot;,&quot;profile_image_url&quot;:&quot;https://pbs.substack.com/profile_images/2073726890766901248/8GFlgwxW_normal.jpg&quot;,&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-08-01T19:20:16.000Z&quot;,&quot;photos&quot;:[{&quot;img_url&quot;:&quot;https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!wfIB!,w_1028,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best,fl_progressive:steep/l_play_button_usfui2,w_88,e_colorize:0/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F__ss-rehost__tw-video-preview-13_2083628376338706432.jpg&quot;,&quot;link_url&quot;:&quot;https://t.co/0yxNcYGE75&quot;}],&quot;quoted_tweet&quot;:{},&quot;reply_count&quot;:88,&quot;retweet_count&quot;:326,&quot;like_count&quot;:1860,&quot;impression_count&quot;:83737,&quot;expanded_url&quot;:null,&quot;video_url&quot;:&quot;https://video.twimg.com/amplify_video/2083628376338706432/vid/avc1/1280x720/IxDu_Ys9Dy7gMRTJ.mp4&quot;,&quot;video_preview_media_key&quot;:&quot;13_2083628376338706432&quot;,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true}" data-component-name="Twitter2ToDOM"></div><p>I close with the speech they really didn&#8217;t want you to hear&#8212;they didn&#8217;t want you to hear any of them, but this one is from a Muslim. </p><p><span>Below is Zagham Farhan (Muslim student, incoming Oxford SU undergrad president) floor speech. He is a Muslim who refreshingly says we should be suspicious of Islam:<br><br>&#8220;Suspicion is a very low bar, and that is what this debate has missed so far. I am suspicious of anyone who uses their religion as a political tool. There is a version of our faith that can be lived and practiced in our country, and it is our job to find it. How can I, who lives in a liberal democracy, be anything but suspicious of Islam? Of course we have to be suspicious of religious authority. If you hold these values dear, you have no choice but to be suspicious of Islam.&#8221;</span></p><p><span>The sound isn&#8217;t good, I suppose because nobody was interested in making it better. </span></p><div class="twitter-embed" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://x.com/Nervana_1/status/2083961931811938431?s=20&quot;,&quot;full_text&quot;:&quot;They say where are the Muslims who reject Islamism \n\nHere is Zagham Farhan (Muslim student, incoming Oxford SU undergrad president) floor speech:\n\n&#8220;Suspicion is a very low bar, and that is what this debate has missed so far. I am suspicious of anyone who uses their religion as a&quot;,&quot;username&quot;:&quot;Nervana_1&quot;,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;Nervana Mahmoud&quot;,&quot;profile_image_url&quot;:&quot;https://pbs.substack.com/profile_images/1556281841468035076/iAEBFJHx_normal.jpg&quot;,&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-08-02T17:03:37.000Z&quot;,&quot;photos&quot;:[{&quot;img_url&quot;:&quot;https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ct1o!,w_1028,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best,fl_progressive:steep/l_play_button_usfui2,w_88,e_colorize:0/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F__ss-rehost__tw-video-preview-13_2083448448079028224.jpg&quot;,&quot;link_url&quot;:&quot;https://t.co/8DxRPZzrGK&quot;}],&quot;quoted_tweet&quot;:{},&quot;reply_count&quot;:0,&quot;retweet_count&quot;:0,&quot;like_count&quot;:2,&quot;impression_count&quot;:239,&quot;expanded_url&quot;:null,&quot;video_url&quot;:&quot;https://video.twimg.com/amplify_video/2083448448079028224/vid/avc1/720x968/zeotr58g9anHmPO9.mp4&quot;,&quot;video_preview_media_key&quot;:&quot;13_2083448448079028224&quot;,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true}" data-component-name="Twitter2ToDOM"></div><p>Below is more information about dhimmis. Tell me something, how does everyone feel about being a dhimmi?</p><p>How does everyone feel about being treated like student Aisha treats these men whom she clearly despises and would no doubt given the opportunity watch them humiliated and I won&#8217;t go into details as to what that might entail because I can only speculate. </p><p>How could any rational human being not cringe at the speeches of the opposition, rigged to win, no matter how absurd. The fear on Sir Jacob&#8217;s face, the fearful objections of everyone in the room when they thought an actual image of Mohammed might be presented. </p><p>So many reasons to be suspicious of Islam! </p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://khmezek.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://khmezek.substack.com/subscribe?"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://khmezek.substack.com/?utm_source=substack&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_content=share&amp;action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share Break Free Media&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://khmezek.substack.com/?utm_source=substack&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_content=share&amp;action=share"><span>Share Break Free Media</span></a></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://khmezek.substack.com/p/is-the-west-right-to-be-suspicious/comments&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Leave a comment&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://khmezek.substack.com/p/is-the-west-right-to-be-suspicious/comments"><span>Leave a comment</span></a></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://khmezek.substack.com/p/is-the-west-right-to-be-suspicious?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://khmezek.substack.com/p/is-the-west-right-to-be-suspicious?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p><p><strong>YOU CAN LISTEN TO THE ENTIRE DEBATE</strong><a href="https://x.com/FrncsFlmng/status/2083345720820560160?s=20"> HERE</a></p><h3><strong><a href="https://islam-revealed.com/dhimmis-non-muslims-under-islamic-rule/">Dhimmis &#8211; Non-Muslims Under Islamic Rule</a></strong></h3><h4>Religious and Architectural Limits on Dhimmis</h4><p><strong>Dhimmis</strong> could not erect new churches, monasteries, or synagogues, nor repair existing ones without Muslim approval. This halted visible expansion of non-Islamic worship. Crosses, icons, or scriptures couldn&#8217;t be displayed openly, and church bells&#8212;symbols of Christian authority&#8212;were banned or muffled. Synagogues faced similar curbs, ensuring mosques overshadowed other structures.</p><h4>Distinctive Markings and Social Deference</h4><p>To mark their status, <strong>dhimmis</strong> wore distinctive clothing: yellow badges for Jews, blue or black turbans for Christians, often with zunnar belts. Horses&#8212;reserved for Muslims&#8212;were off-limits; <strong>dhimmis</strong> rode donkeys. They carried no weapons, symbolizing non-threat.</p><p>Socially, <strong>dhimmis</strong> yielded right-of-way to Muslims on streets, rising when a Muslim passed. They avoided eye contact or elevated speech, fostering constant respect. Public cursing of Islam or Muhammad invited death; even private mockery risked exposure.</p><h4>Prohibitions on Authority and Influence</h4><p>No <strong>dhimmi</strong> could hold authority over Muslims&#8212;as judges, governors, or employers. Muslim slaves weren&#8217;t permitted in dhimmi homes. Intermarriages favored Muslims, with dhimmi <a href="https://islam-revealed.com/men-and-women-used-to-circumambulate-the-kaaba-naked-what-a-kaaba/">women eligible to Muslim men</a> but not vice versa.</p><p>These rules, echoed in later Ottoman <em>millet</em> systems, aimed to humiliate subtly while granting security. Enforcement varied: tolerant rulers like the Abbasids relaxed some, while zealots like Almohads revoked protections entirely.</p><h4>Consequences of Violating Dhimmi Conditions</h4><p>Breach meant revoked <em>dhimma</em>. <strong>Dhimmis</strong> lost legal personhood, becoming fair game for violence, enslavement, or property seizure. Historical pogroms, like the 1066 Granada massacre of Jews or 19th-century Damascus blood libels, invoked such violations. Riots often targeted prosperous <strong>dhimmis</strong>, with mobs claiming broken pacts.</p><p>Collective liability amplified fear: one offender&#8217;s sin punished the community. Converts to Islam escaped but risked family ostracism. Up risings, rare due to disunity, led to massacres, as in the 13th-century Mongol contrasts where unprotected Jews fared worse.</p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Boy George says, "We Will Dance Again"]]></title><description><![CDATA[Once you bow to the mob, they will only smell more blood. They will only demand more contrition. They will never be satisfied until you drown in their hatred. Don't give them that satisfaction.]]></description><link>https://khmezek.substack.com/p/boy-george-says-we-will-dance-again</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://khmezek.substack.com/p/boy-george-says-we-will-dance-again</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Karen Hunt]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sat, 01 Aug 2026 20:07:46 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!5C9E!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F50b75b01-829a-40af-9436-3c7978e5184d_855x515.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>You can listen to me read this essay here:</p><div class="native-audio-embed" data-component-name="AudioPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;label&quot;:null,&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;d4ec0312-b8bf-49ed-a0ee-b4ae3553065d&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:781.9494,&quot;downloadable&quot;:true,&quot;isEditorNode&quot;:true}"></div><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!5C9E!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F50b75b01-829a-40af-9436-3c7978e5184d_855x515.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!5C9E!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F50b75b01-829a-40af-9436-3c7978e5184d_855x515.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!5C9E!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F50b75b01-829a-40af-9436-3c7978e5184d_855x515.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!5C9E!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F50b75b01-829a-40af-9436-3c7978e5184d_855x515.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!5C9E!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F50b75b01-829a-40af-9436-3c7978e5184d_855x515.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!5C9E!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F50b75b01-829a-40af-9436-3c7978e5184d_855x515.png" width="855" height="515" 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srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!5C9E!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F50b75b01-829a-40af-9436-3c7978e5184d_855x515.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!5C9E!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F50b75b01-829a-40af-9436-3c7978e5184d_855x515.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!5C9E!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F50b75b01-829a-40af-9436-3c7978e5184d_855x515.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!5C9E!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F50b75b01-829a-40af-9436-3c7978e5184d_855x515.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://khmezek.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Break Free Media is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><p><span>One-time or recurring donations can be made at </span><strong><a href="https://www.buymeacoffee.com/khmezek8">Ko-Fi</a></strong></p><p>Let this be a lesson to all of us. No matter how iconic you are or have been or might be in the future, standing with Jews and making a noise loud enough that people take notice, means you will be attacked by the mob. You will suffer severe consequences. </p><p>Here is the song Boy George released that caused all the problems. </p><div class="native-video-embed" data-component-name="VideoPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;8bb8f9c5-8ec6-4445-ab00-f02728ec2bf9&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:null}"></div><p>If you want to know more about the meaning behind the title, here is a trailer for a film being released about Oct 7th, also titled, &#8220;We Will Dance Again.</p><div id="youtube2-NiEZ24ODaXw" class="youtube-wrap" data-attrs="{&quot;videoId&quot;:&quot;NiEZ24ODaXw&quot;,&quot;startTime&quot;:null,&quot;endTime&quot;:null}" data-component-name="Youtube2ToDOM"><div class="youtube-inner"><iframe src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/NiEZ24ODaXw?rel=0&amp;autoplay=0&amp;showinfo=0&amp;enablejsapi=0" frameborder="0" loading="lazy" gesture="media" allow="autoplay; fullscreen" allowautoplay="true" allowfullscreen="true" width="728" height="409"></iframe></div></div><p>Boy George, 65, was set to play King Herod in the West End production from August&#8239;3&#8211;15, but his manager Paul Kemsley announced on July&#8239;30 that he would no longer appear</p><p>Kemsley said the exit was &#8220;made with the utmost respect for the producers, the creative team and the entire company&#8221; and that he felt it was &#8220;right to step aside, allowing the production to remain the focus&#8221; and that George &#8220;has never been afraid to stand by his personal convictions&#8221; and that the decision was in the &#8220;best interests&#8221; of his artist while showing respect to others.</p><p>But this is how Deadline headlined it:</p><h3><strong><a href="https://www.msn.com/en-us/music/news/boy-george-exits-jesus-christ-superstar-after-anti-palestine-controversy/ar-AA295yIu?ocid=BingNewsSerp">Boy George exits 'Jesus Christ Superstar' after anti-Palestine controversy</a></strong></h3><p>Not <em>pro-Israel</em>, mind you, but <em>anti-Palestine. </em>The fact is that no one is allowed to be pro-Israel. I always must follow that statement with the explanation for those who still don&#8217;t get it that this means NO ONE IS ALLOWED TO BE PRO-JEW. </p><p>Here are the lyrics of We Will Dance Again. Please tell me where it is anti-Palestine:</p><p><em>You say genocide, I say war<br>When you&#8217;re attacked, that&#8217;s what the army&#8217;s for<br>Does it get ugly? You bet it does<br>When I know you wanna kill<br>Every last one of us<br>Every last one of us<br>Every last one of us<br>You never mention October 7<br>Young girls raped against trees<br>Murdered brutally<br>For the crime of dancing<br>You condemn the Jews, with selective memory<br>Musicians holding flags, mouthing like sheep<br>Propaganda fueled by the Internet feels so weak</em></p><p><em>But trust me, we will danc&#1077; again<br>We will dance again<br>We will danc&#1077; again<br>And there will be no war<br>But if you&#8217;re ever confused<br>I stand with the Jews<br>I don&#8217;t feel brave, I just need to behave like a human<br>But trust me, we will dance again<br>We will dance again<br>We will dance again<br>And there will be no war<br>But if you&#8217;re ever confused<br>I stand with the Jews<br>I don&#8217;t feel brave, I just need to behave like a human</em></p><p>The song is pro-Israel and that is now a crime. </p><h3>Standing with Jews means George can&#8217;t play King Herod, the Arab/Roman king who wanted to kill baby Jesus. </h3><p>That's crazy, isn&#8217;t it. It&#8217;s also crazy when we remember how extremely controversial Jesus Christ, Superstar was when it was first released in 1971. Christians called it blasphemous. They still do today. </p><p>But guess what, we have something in the West called FREEDOM. No assassins were sent by fanatical Christian clerics to murder Andrew Lloyd Webber, Norman Jewison and Tim Rice. They didn&#8217;t need security for all these years, the threat never ending. Nothing will happen to them today, nor the new actors and those producing the show. </p><p>Jesus Christ Superstar remains as popular today as it was back in the 1970s. </p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ezQa!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F55ae0bad-07e0-4c89-9365-4a3d013e9e74_474x474.webp" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ezQa!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F55ae0bad-07e0-4c89-9365-4a3d013e9e74_474x474.webp 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ezQa!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F55ae0bad-07e0-4c89-9365-4a3d013e9e74_474x474.webp 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ezQa!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F55ae0bad-07e0-4c89-9365-4a3d013e9e74_474x474.webp 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ezQa!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F55ae0bad-07e0-4c89-9365-4a3d013e9e74_474x474.webp 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ezQa!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F55ae0bad-07e0-4c89-9365-4a3d013e9e74_474x474.webp" width="474" height="474" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/55ae0bad-07e0-4c89-9365-4a3d013e9e74_474x474.webp&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:474,&quot;width&quot;:474,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:null,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;Jesus Christ Superstar (1973)&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:null,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="Jesus Christ Superstar (1973)" title="Jesus Christ Superstar (1973)" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ezQa!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F55ae0bad-07e0-4c89-9365-4a3d013e9e74_474x474.webp 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ezQa!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F55ae0bad-07e0-4c89-9365-4a3d013e9e74_474x474.webp 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ezQa!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F55ae0bad-07e0-4c89-9365-4a3d013e9e74_474x474.webp 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ezQa!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F55ae0bad-07e0-4c89-9365-4a3d013e9e74_474x474.webp 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><h3>What would happen if someone made the musical &#8220;Mohammed, Superstar&#8221;</h3><p>We all know what would happen. Well, actually, the production would never be made in the first place. No one dares to even make a joke about Mohammed, draw a cartoon, let alone an entire stage production. Anyone attempting to do so would be killed. Just as almost happened to Salman Rushdie, when a jihadist rushed at him on stage four years ago and tried to knife him to death, resulting in the loss of his eyesight in one eye. A fatwa was taken out against him by Ayatollah Khomeini in 1989 because he wrote a book that criticized Islam with the controversial title of The Satanic Verses. A fatwa never ends until you are dead. </p><p>Here is a very small selection of comments which George graciously responded to, despite the vitriol. We all experience this; I receive the same sort of comments almost daily. It&#8217;s the private messages that I don&#8217;t share publicly that are the most disturbing. I applaud George&#8217;s reasoned responses. I don&#8217;t believe in cursing. No matter how vile people are to me, I never curse back. I refuse to allow emotion to control my reason, and I refuse to sink to their low level. </p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!jVSL!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F592b1f4e-e170-48ca-baa8-919a1d60b42d_945x2048.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!jVSL!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F592b1f4e-e170-48ca-baa8-919a1d60b42d_945x2048.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!jVSL!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F592b1f4e-e170-48ca-baa8-919a1d60b42d_945x2048.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!jVSL!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F592b1f4e-e170-48ca-baa8-919a1d60b42d_945x2048.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!jVSL!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F592b1f4e-e170-48ca-baa8-919a1d60b42d_945x2048.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!jVSL!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F592b1f4e-e170-48ca-baa8-919a1d60b42d_945x2048.jpeg" width="945" height="2048" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/592b1f4e-e170-48ca-baa8-919a1d60b42d_945x2048.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:2048,&quot;width&quot;:945,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:null,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;Image&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:null,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="Image" title="Image" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!jVSL!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F592b1f4e-e170-48ca-baa8-919a1d60b42d_945x2048.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!jVSL!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F592b1f4e-e170-48ca-baa8-919a1d60b42d_945x2048.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!jVSL!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F592b1f4e-e170-48ca-baa8-919a1d60b42d_945x2048.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!jVSL!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F592b1f4e-e170-48ca-baa8-919a1d60b42d_945x2048.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>But that is only the tip of the iceberg of what Boy George is facing. </p><p>He has now split from the manager of his record label after the manager refused to release his &#8216;<a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/music/news/boy-georges-new-pro-israel-song/">controversial&#8217; pro-Israel song</a>. Yes, &#8216;controversial.&#8217; That is how his song is being described in the media. </p><p>Because it is just so very controversial to stand with Jews. </p><p>On Saturday, the singer confirmed on social media that he had parted ways with Tony Pontius, calling the executive, who had run his record label, BGP, for several years, &#8220;gutless&#8221;.</p><p>Gutless. Bravo, George!</p><p>But here is the sad part. I pray George never backtracks like so many celebrities do. Helen Mirren did it. Below you can watch the video of the Oscar-winning actress walking with her husband, director Taylor Hackford, when a man brands her an &#8220;evil Zionist b****&#8221; all because she supports Israel&#8217;s right to exist. </p><div class="twitter-embed" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://x.com/emilykschrader/status/2059939490995609969?s=20&quot;,&quot;full_text&quot;:&quot;This is disgusting. What has become of London? Tonight Dame Helen Mirren, who is not Jewish, was harassed and called a &#8220;Zionist bitch&#8221; on the street. \n\n This is what happens when Islamist terrorist ideology is emboldened and excused. \n\nENOUGH.  &quot;,&quot;username&quot;:&quot;emilykschrader&quot;,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;Emily Schrader - &#1488;&#1502;&#1497;&#1500;&#1497; &#1513;&#1512;&#1497;&#1497;&#1491;&#1512; &#1575;&#1605;&#1740;&#1604;&#1740; &#1588;&#1585;&#1740;&#1583;&#1585;&quot;,&quot;profile_image_url&quot;:&quot;https://pbs.substack.com/profile_images/2077444998824427520/0XZ4S3LU_normal.jpg&quot;,&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-05-28T10:07:01.000Z&quot;,&quot;photos&quot;:[{&quot;img_url&quot;:&quot;https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!CB-5!,w_1028,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best,fl_progressive:steep/l_play_button_usfui2,w_88,e_colorize:0/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F__ss-rehost__tw-video-preview-13_2059937919721164802.jpg&quot;,&quot;link_url&quot;:&quot;https://t.co/5LhUer2KgZ&quot;}],&quot;quoted_tweet&quot;:{},&quot;reply_count&quot;:1147,&quot;retweet_count&quot;:1480,&quot;like_count&quot;:8188,&quot;impression_count&quot;:614217,&quot;expanded_url&quot;:null,&quot;video_url&quot;:&quot;https://video.twimg.com/amplify_video/2059937919721164802/vid/avc1/1280x720/SiY03_7uKNDRMSZc.mp4&quot;,&quot;video_preview_media_key&quot;:&quot;13_2059937919721164802&quot;,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true}" data-component-name="Twitter2ToDOM"></div><p>As a result, all eyes turned on Helen Mirren, not the person who verbally attacked her, and she was condemned for her positive statements about Israel because it must mean she supports genocide. Mirren caved and said this:</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!vfAA!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5ea0b494-165e-48f6-8117-3e4a05fdf55c_881x205.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!vfAA!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5ea0b494-165e-48f6-8117-3e4a05fdf55c_881x205.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!vfAA!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5ea0b494-165e-48f6-8117-3e4a05fdf55c_881x205.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!vfAA!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5ea0b494-165e-48f6-8117-3e4a05fdf55c_881x205.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!vfAA!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5ea0b494-165e-48f6-8117-3e4a05fdf55c_881x205.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!vfAA!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5ea0b494-165e-48f6-8117-3e4a05fdf55c_881x205.png" width="881" height="205" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/5ea0b494-165e-48f6-8117-3e4a05fdf55c_881x205.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:205,&quot;width&quot;:881,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:34749,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://khmezek.substack.com/i/209400303?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5ea0b494-165e-48f6-8117-3e4a05fdf55c_881x205.png&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!vfAA!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5ea0b494-165e-48f6-8117-3e4a05fdf55c_881x205.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!vfAA!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5ea0b494-165e-48f6-8117-3e4a05fdf55c_881x205.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!vfAA!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5ea0b494-165e-48f6-8117-3e4a05fdf55c_881x205.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!vfAA!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5ea0b494-165e-48f6-8117-3e4a05fdf55c_881x205.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>She accused Israel of genocide to save herself. I was so proud when she stood up bravely. Now I am disgusted. </p><p>We can watch artists hurry to distance themselves from Boy George. </p><p><span>Broadway actor Patrick Clanton, who performed alongside Boy George in </span><em>Moulin Rouge, </em><span>criticized the song, saying George "was a terrible performer and I was embarrassed [sic] to be in the show with him."</span></p><p><span>Boy George answered</span><a href="https://www.threads.com/@boygeorgeofficial/post/Dba-nlNjAiV"> on Threads</a><span> that "I barely remember you, kudos for getting some media attention off my back because any other time you would barely have garnered a sentence."</span></p><h3>Be aware that if you stand up as George did, you will lose colleagues, friends, family members. </h3><p>It could end up costing Boy George his entire career. </p><p>Defiant as ever, George writes:</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!96aT!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe007919a-3b7e-42b0-af7b-4eb3387d367b_843x447.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!96aT!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe007919a-3b7e-42b0-af7b-4eb3387d367b_843x447.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!96aT!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe007919a-3b7e-42b0-af7b-4eb3387d367b_843x447.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!96aT!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe007919a-3b7e-42b0-af7b-4eb3387d367b_843x447.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!96aT!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe007919a-3b7e-42b0-af7b-4eb3387d367b_843x447.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!96aT!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe007919a-3b7e-42b0-af7b-4eb3387d367b_843x447.png" width="843" height="447" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/e007919a-3b7e-42b0-af7b-4eb3387d367b_843x447.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:447,&quot;width&quot;:843,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:76663,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://khmezek.substack.com/i/209400303?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe007919a-3b7e-42b0-af7b-4eb3387d367b_843x447.png&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!96aT!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe007919a-3b7e-42b0-af7b-4eb3387d367b_843x447.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!96aT!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe007919a-3b7e-42b0-af7b-4eb3387d367b_843x447.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!96aT!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe007919a-3b7e-42b0-af7b-4eb3387d367b_843x447.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!96aT!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe007919a-3b7e-42b0-af7b-4eb3387d367b_843x447.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>In reply to one X user who called him &#8220;Zionist scum,&#8221; the singer <a href="https://x.com/BoyGeorge/status/2082785883518881898?s=20">replied</a>, &#8220;Jew love is true love.&#8221;</p><p>On Friday, he <a href="https://x.com/BoyGeorge/status/2083135945268682894">said on X</a> that friends were recommending that he &#8220;pipe down&#8221; and let the uproar blow over. &#8220;I&#8217;m afraid it&#8217;s not an option,&#8221; he said.</p><p>Know that every single one of us who stand with Israel, who stand with Jews, will face the same attacks. Many of us already have. How many are willing to stand up even taller instead of falling down in defeat? </p><p>I learned in Luxor, Egypt that when you face the mob, you never show weakness, you never show fear, you look them in the eyes and project more strength, more conviction than the vile abuse they throw at you. It is the only way to win. Even if they beat you to death, you have won. </p><p>This is what we can all learn from the courageous young people of Iran. They are hung from cranes in city squares, abandoned by the short attention spans of the West, and still, they do not give in.</p><p>Look at the nice white lady below. This woman is described by some sort of leftist press, <strong><a href="https://x.com/GBC_Press/status/2083609781378449724?s=20">GBC,</a></strong> as </p><h3>&#8220;<span>A brave woman shouting into the eyes of the Zionists, &#8203;&#8217;Israel is finished, no one is going to Israel. You have lost everything and you don't even realize it.&#8217;"</span></h3><div class="native-video-embed" data-component-name="VideoPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;e59b007f-b171-4400-8f4f-8eaccfff3f74&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:null}"></div><p>Terrifying. She probably never cared about Gaza before Oct 7th when Jews were massacred. Then, she gamely stood up for those who did the massacring because that was the cool thing to do. </p><div class="pullquote"><p>Surely this woman and the millions like her realize that what they are calling for when they say &#8220;Israel is finished&#8221; is the genocide of 7 million Jews&#8212;half the Jewish population in the entire world. </p></div><p>This is now acceptable. Nice ladies in designer clothes from cultured backgrounds can shout genocide of Jews with self-righteous conviction and they are applauded. Just like the upper class of Germany, they can attend the opera and ignore the ovens. </p><p>Backtracking as Helen Mirren did, feeling the need to overexplain yourself, that you didn&#8217;t really mean what you said, that of course, you care about Palestinians, that you aren&#8217;t a genocide denier, don&#8217;t fall for it. </p><h3>Once you start bowing to the demands of the mob, they will only smell more blood. They will only demand more proof of contrition. And they will never forgive you. </h3><p>The more you debase yourself, the more they will get off on it and the further down they will drag you. They will never be satisfied until you have been drowned by their hatred.</p><p>Don&#8217;t give them that satisfaction. Be defiant. Stand by your words. Don&#8217;t back down. Israel <em><strong>is</strong></em> fighting a war. They are <em><strong>not</strong></em> committing genocide. </p><p>I stand with Israel. </p><p>I stand with Jews. </p><p>I will never give into the madness. </p><p>Even though, indeed, the madness knows no bounds.  </p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://khmezek.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://khmezek.substack.com/subscribe?"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://khmezek.substack.com/?utm_source=substack&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_content=share&amp;action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share Break Free Media&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://khmezek.substack.com/?utm_source=substack&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_content=share&amp;action=share"><span>Share Break Free Media</span></a></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://khmezek.substack.com/p/boy-george-says-we-will-dance-again?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://khmezek.substack.com/p/boy-george-says-we-will-dance-again?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://khmezek.substack.com/p/boy-george-says-we-will-dance-again/comments&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Leave a comment&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://khmezek.substack.com/p/boy-george-says-we-will-dance-again/comments"><span>Leave a comment</span></a></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Genocide of Jews]]></title><description><![CDATA[Accusing Israel of genocide is actually an excuse to justify the genocide of Jews.]]></description><link>https://khmezek.substack.com/p/the-genocide-of-jews</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://khmezek.substack.com/p/the-genocide-of-jews</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Karen Hunt]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 31 Jul 2026 23:35:57 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!k1sg!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9a27b966-13d2-48ac-9240-0ef737cea475_637x624.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>You can listen to me read this essay here:</p><div class="native-audio-embed" data-component-name="AudioPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;label&quot;:null,&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;e100ae73-3a10-4092-a83b-32b5174d60be&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:1539.9445,&quot;downloadable&quot;:false,&quot;isEditorNode&quot;:true}"></div><p></p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://khmezek.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Break Free Media is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><p><span>One-time or recurring donations can be made at </span><strong><a href="https://www.buymeacoffee.com/khmezek8">Ko-Fi</a></strong></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!k1sg!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9a27b966-13d2-48ac-9240-0ef737cea475_637x624.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!k1sg!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9a27b966-13d2-48ac-9240-0ef737cea475_637x624.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!k1sg!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9a27b966-13d2-48ac-9240-0ef737cea475_637x624.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!k1sg!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9a27b966-13d2-48ac-9240-0ef737cea475_637x624.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!k1sg!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9a27b966-13d2-48ac-9240-0ef737cea475_637x624.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!k1sg!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9a27b966-13d2-48ac-9240-0ef737cea475_637x624.jpeg" width="637" height="624" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/9a27b966-13d2-48ac-9240-0ef737cea475_637x624.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:624,&quot;width&quot;:637,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:null,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;Israeli Soldiers Praying&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:null,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="Israeli Soldiers Praying" title="Israeli Soldiers Praying" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!k1sg!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9a27b966-13d2-48ac-9240-0ef737cea475_637x624.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!k1sg!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9a27b966-13d2-48ac-9240-0ef737cea475_637x624.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!k1sg!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9a27b966-13d2-48ac-9240-0ef737cea475_637x624.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!k1sg!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9a27b966-13d2-48ac-9240-0ef737cea475_637x624.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Jewish and Muslim IDF soldiers praying together</figcaption></figure></div><h3>There are over 100 active armed conflicts globally, yet there's only one that people obsess about. </h3><p>Israel&#8217;s &#8220;genocide&#8221; in Gaza. </p><p>As they say, &#8220;no Jews, no news.&#8221;</p><p>This despite the fact that the vast majority of conflicts worldwide involve Muslims killing each other and anyone else who opposes them on scales far more massive than anything happening in Gaza. To give an idea of how prevalent these conflicts are, here is a list of some of them:</p><p><a href="https://worldpopulationreview.com/countries/iraq"><span>Iraq</span></a><span>: Islamic </span>Terrorist Insurgency/Political Unrest</p><p><a href="https://worldpopulationreview.com/countries/nigeria"><span>Nigeria</span></a><span>: Islamic </span>Terrorist Insurgency</p><p><a href="https://worldpopulationreview.com/countries/bangladesh"><span>Bangladesh</span></a><span>: Islamic </span>Terrorist Insurgency</p><p><a href="https://worldpopulationreview.com/countries/dr-congo"><span>DR Congo</span></a><span>: Islamic </span>Terrorist Insurgency</p><p><a href="https://worldpopulationreview.com/countries/iran"><span>Iran</span></a><span>: Islamic </span>Terrorist Insurgency</p><p><a href="https://worldpopulationreview.com/countries/tanzania"><span>Tanzania</span></a><span>: Islamic </span>Terrorist Insurgency</p><p><a href="https://worldpopulationreview.com/countries/thailand"><span>Thailand</span></a><span>: Islamic </span>Terrorist Insurgency</p><p><a href="https://worldpopulationreview.com/countries/uganda"><span>Uganda</span></a><span>: Islamic </span>Terrorist Insurgency</p><p><a href="https://worldpopulationreview.com/countries/algeria"><span>Algeria</span></a><span>: Islamic </span>Terrorist Insurgency</p><p><a href="https://worldpopulationreview.com/countries/angola"><span>Angola</span></a><span>: Islamic </span>Terrorist Insurgency</p><p><a href="https://worldpopulationreview.com/countries/morocco"><span>Morocco</span></a><span>: Islamic </span>Terrorist Insurgency</p><p><a href="https://worldpopulationreview.com/countries/ivory-coast"><span>Ivory Coast</span></a><span>: Islamic </span>Terrorist Insurgency</p><p><a href="https://worldpopulationreview.com/countries/cameroon"><span>Cameroon</span></a><span>: Islamic </span>Terrorist Insurgency</p><p><a href="https://worldpopulationreview.com/countries/niger"><span>Niger</span></a><span>: Islamic </span>Terrorist Insurgency</p><p><a href="https://worldpopulationreview.com/countries/mali"><span>Mali</span></a><span>: Islamic </span>Terrorist Insurgency</p><p><a href="https://worldpopulationreview.com/countries/burkina-faso"><span>Burkina Faso</span></a><span>: Islamic </span>Terrorist Insurgency</p><p><a href="https://worldpopulationreview.com/countries/chad"><span>Chad</span></a><span>: Islamic </span>Terrorist Insurgency</p><p><a href="https://worldpopulationreview.com/countries/benin"><span>Benin</span></a><span>: Islamic </span>Terrorist Insurgency</p><p><a href="https://worldpopulationreview.com/countries/rwanda"><span>Rwanda</span></a><span>: Islamic </span>Terrorist Insurgency</p><p><a href="https://worldpopulationreview.com/countries/tunisia"><span>Tunisia</span></a><span>: Islamic </span>Terrorist Insurgency</p><p><a href="https://worldpopulationreview.com/countries/togo"><span>Togo</span></a><span>: Islamic </span>Terrorist Insurgency</p><p><a href="https://worldpopulationreview.com/countries/libya"><span>Libya</span></a><span>: Islamic </span>Terrorist Insurgency</p><p><a href="https://worldpopulationreview.com/countries/afghanistan"><span>Afghanistan</span></a><span>: Islamic </span>Civil War/Terrorist Insurgency</p><p><a href="https://worldpopulationreview.com/countries/ethiopia"><span>Ethiopia</span></a><span>: Islamic </span>Civil War</p><p><a href="https://worldpopulationreview.com/countries/myanmar"><span>Myanmar</span></a><span>: Islamic </span>Civil War</p><p><a href="https://worldpopulationreview.com/countries/sudan"><span>Sudan</span></a><span>: Islamic </span>Civil War</p><p><a href="https://worldpopulationreview.com/countries/yemen"><span>Yemen</span></a><span>: Islamic </span>Civil War</p><p><a href="https://worldpopulationreview.com/countries/mozambique"><span>Mozambique</span></a><span>: Islamic </span>Civil War</p><p><a href="https://worldpopulationreview.com/countries/somalia"><span>Somalia</span></a><span>: Islamic </span>Civil War</p><p><a href="https://worldpopulationreview.com/countries/central-african-republic"><span>Central African Republic</span></a><span>: Islamic </span>Civil War</p><p><a href="https://worldpopulationreview.com/countries/pakistan"><span>Pakistan</span></a><span>-</span>Afghanistan: Islamic Pakistan Border Conflict</p><h4>It is a strange turn of events, that despite every single one of these conflicts involving Muslims killing Muslims or Muslims killing Christians and other minorities, it is Israel that is the focus of everyone&#8217;s hysterical obsession. </h4><p>It is Israel that is committing genocide, when in fact it has been the Jews that have faced genocide after genocide, ever since God made his Covenant with Abraham over 500 years before Moses, 1,000 years before King David, and 2,000 years before Jesus. </p><p>Further down I will give short summaries of some of these nations at war. But first, let&#8217;s give a bit of background on Jews, who despite persecution wherever they find themselves, never gave up hope of <strong>&#8220;</strong>Next year in Jerusalem&#8221;, recited at the end of the Passover Seder. This hope goes back to the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE and the subsequent Jewish diaspora.</p><p>Finally, after numerous attempts to massacre every Jew, there came the Holocaust. Once again, the Jews refused to be wiped out completely. What to do with those pesky Jews.</p><p>In 1948, something unforgiveable happened. The state of Israel was formed. &#8220;Next year in Jerusalem&#8221; became a reality. </p><p>Immediately, Israel was attacked by the armies of every single surrounding Arab Muslim nation, vowing to wipe them out once and for all. But much to their consternation, Israel won that war and has been winning every war ever since. </p><p>Winning wars from their own state of Israel, growing stronger every year, was more unforgiveable than anything else. Jews became harder to kill off than ever before.  </p><p>Every force that can be turned on Israel is now being used to destroy the tiny nation. How dare Jews be a majority. They must accept millions of Arab Muslims as citizens so that they can finally do what they have always vowed to do&#8212;commit the genocide of Jews. Because that is what would happen. Western nations are insisting on this when they all know, despite what they say out loud, that they would never want any of their countries to be a majority Muslim, living under the oppression of Sharia Law. </p><h3>In order to get rid of the problem of Jews once and for all, it became necessary to accuse Israel of what in fact, it was fighting against: genocide. </h3><p>To accomplish this indoctrination those who seek Israel&#8217;s destruction finally had a weapon better than any military army before: the internet. Propaganda is fed to billions of people within seconds, repeated over and over, indoctrinating the masses and inciting mobs across the globe to violence against Israel. As we are seeing, that violence is now extending to Jews throughout the world. </p><p>The lie that Israel is a genocidal apartheid state, even though this is absurd and easily refuted, is now believed by billions of people worldwide. What is most striking is how the West is turning against Israel. <span>50 percent of the </span><a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/countries/uk">British</a><span> public believe that Israel is committing </span><a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/explainers/meaning-definition-what-genocide-israel-gaza">genocide</a><span> in Gaza. Only 17 percent believe it is not, while a third said they didn&#8217;t know</span>. <a href="https://truthout.org/articles/poll-most-democrats-say-israel-committing-genocide-us-should-downgrade-support/">Over half of American Democrats believe the same.</a> Overall, <a href="https://www.ap.org/news-highlights/spotlights/2026/ap-norc-poll-about-3-in-10-us-adults-believe-israel-has-committed-genocide-against-palestinians/">three out of ten Americans believe Israel is committing genocide.</a></p><p>I have refuted that lie elsewhere. At the bottom of this essay, are links to find out more. What I want to focus on is one aspect of proof, which I stated at the top of this essay. There are over a hundred wars taking place across the globe and no one is protesting a single one of them. This is because no one really cares about genocide.</p><h3>The fact that this lie is easily refuted doesn&#8217;t matter. People WANT to believe it. It is a way to justify the genocide of Jews. </h3><h4>This is the evil twist of the genocide narrative. Israel is accused of committing the very thing that is being committed upon it. </h4><p>If anyone really cared about &#8216;Palestinians&#8217;, they would have been protesting against Hamas not Israel. Israel withdrew from the Gaza in 2005. </p><p><strong><a href="https://www.israelfactcheck.com/gaza-timeline-from-israel-s-2004-withdrawal-to-hamas-attack-on-october-7-2023">Here are the cold, hard facts:</a></strong></p><ol><li><p><span>Israel completely withdrew from Gaza in 2005, forcibly removing ancient Jewish communities spanning millennia to give Palestinians full control&#8212;yet faced rocket attacks within weeks.</span></p></li><li><p><span>Gaza had significant economic potential in 2005, with functioning infrastructure, greenhouses, and international support for development projects.</span></p></li><li><p><span>Hamas democratically won the 2006 Palestinian elections but then violently overthrew the Palestinian Authority in 2007, establishing authoritarian rule.</span></p></li><li><p><span>Security restrictions developed in response to thousands of rocket attacks and suicide bombings targeting Israeli civilians, not as unprovoked aggression.</span></p></li><li><p><span>Hamas consistently rejected peace initiatives and diverted international aid toward military infrastructure rather than civilian development.</span></p></li><li><p><span>Multiple wars occurred because Hamas chose armed confrontation over diplomatic solutions, despite Israel&#8217;s repeated offers for ceasefire agreements.</span></p></li><li><p><span>October 7th represented an unprecedented escalation involving systematic targeting of civilians, including children, elderly, and international visitors.</span></p></li><li><p><span>Historical context shows a pattern of missed opportunities for peace, with violence consistently chosen over negotiation and coexistence.</span></p></li></ol><p>And yet, the obsession that Israel is the evilest, most genocidal state that has ever existed incredibly grew to hysterical levels in the west AFTER October 7, 2023, when Hamas, along with Gazan civilians, I must add, invaded Israel and committed the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust. Their intent was to continue across Israel and kill everyone. They vowed to keep on committing more attacks just like Oct 7th until they had accomplished this goal. </p><p>Yet, on Oct 8th, across the West, protests took place, not against Hamas, but against Israel. Israel had not even counted its dead or seen how many hostages had been taken. They certainly had not responded militarily, as they had every right to do. Once they did respond, the hatred towards Israel and cries of genocide grew. </p><p>&#8216;Palestinians&#8217; are the only people who can commit genocide, proudly say they are doing it and become the victims when the people they are trying to genocide attack in response.  </p><p>It becomes even more insane when one remembers that it wasn&#8217;t just Israelis or Jews that were killed and taken as hostages on Oct 7th. The United States, France, Thailand, Ukraine, Russia, the United Kingdom, Nepal, Germany, Argentina, Canada, Romania, Portugal, China, the Philippines, Austria, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Poland, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Switzerland, Tanzania, Hungary, and Denmark all had citizens killed or taken hostage. Yet not a single nation responded against Hamas, joining in the fight with Israel, in defense of their own people. </p><p>Instead, most of the above nations condemned Israel for its response. </p><p>None of this makes any sense, unless one accepts that this isn&#8217;t about justice for &#8216;Palestinians&#8217;, it&#8217;s about justifying the genocide of Jews. </p><p>Next time someone starts obsessing about the &#8220;war criminal&#8221; Netanyahu, ask them if they know the name of the president of Nigeria (Bola Ahmed Tinubu), or Somalia (Hassan Sheikh Mohamud), or Yemen (Dr. Rashad Mohammed Al&#8209;Alimi). Do they know the name of the leader of the Houthis in Yemen? That would be Abdul-Malik Al Houthi, accused of using child soldiers, horrific violence against the Yemeni people and planting an estimated 1 million mines claiming hundreds of civilian lives.</p><p>Tell them what is happening in those countries and ask why they aren&#8217;t more concerned; why they don&#8217;t condemn the presidents and jihadist leaders of those countries as war criminals when it is their own people that are being massacred. At least condemn the jihadist leaders. If they really cared about genocide, they&#8217;d know the names of the people actually committing it. </p><p>But you will not get a rational answer when you raise these points, I assure you. </p><p>It doesn&#8217;t matter. We must insist on repeating the facts, over and over. We must build a stronger army of wordsmiths who fearlessly tell the truth. We are going to need that fearless army in the near future, believe me. </p><p>In order to be better informed, here are a few of the countries at war and some horrific facts. </p><h3>UKRAINE</h3><p>Ukraine isn&#8217;t a war involving Islam, but I cannot leave it out since you&#8217;d think if anyone was going to be accused of being a war criminal in Europe it would be Vladimir Putin, but really no one cares very much about that. The Ukraine war has caused over 1.1 million to 1.5 million estimated total military casualties (killed and wounded), over 15,000 verified civilian deaths, and roughly 9.6 million displaced Ukrainians. <strong><a href="https://nationalsecurityjournal.org/ukraine-war-has-claimed-nearly-1-4-million-troop-casualties/">(1)</a></strong></p><p>On top of that, this war is being used by the United States as an experiment for the advancements of weapons. I've written a number of essays on the history behind this war and the rise of drones and autonomous weapons. Drones and other autonomous weapons are terrifying, but no one seems to care much about that either. </p><h3>SUDAN</h3><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!vDT_!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc447ff14-6c00-47d3-bbf9-e44a27a5b44d_3000x1688.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!vDT_!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc447ff14-6c00-47d3-bbf9-e44a27a5b44d_3000x1688.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!vDT_!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc447ff14-6c00-47d3-bbf9-e44a27a5b44d_3000x1688.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!vDT_!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc447ff14-6c00-47d3-bbf9-e44a27a5b44d_3000x1688.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!vDT_!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc447ff14-6c00-47d3-bbf9-e44a27a5b44d_3000x1688.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!vDT_!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc447ff14-6c00-47d3-bbf9-e44a27a5b44d_3000x1688.jpeg" width="1456" height="819" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/c447ff14-6c00-47d3-bbf9-e44a27a5b44d_3000x1688.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:819,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:null,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;Sudan&#8217;s Warring Generals Agree to Weeklong Truce, Says South Sudan ...&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:null,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="Sudan&#8217;s Warring Generals Agree to Weeklong Truce, Says South Sudan ..." title="Sudan&#8217;s Warring Generals Agree to Weeklong Truce, Says South Sudan ..." srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!vDT_!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc447ff14-6c00-47d3-bbf9-e44a27a5b44d_3000x1688.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!vDT_!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc447ff14-6c00-47d3-bbf9-e44a27a5b44d_3000x1688.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!vDT_!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc447ff14-6c00-47d3-bbf9-e44a27a5b44d_3000x1688.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!vDT_!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc447ff14-6c00-47d3-bbf9-e44a27a5b44d_3000x1688.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>The civil war in Sudan has forcibly displaced over 14 million people (making it the world's largest displacement crisis), with conservative tracked fatalities in the tens of thousands, though expert and UN-backed mortality estimates range broadly from 150,000 to over 400,000 deaths due to direct violence, hunger, and disease.</p><p>More than 4.5 million people have crossed international borders into neighboring countries like Chad, Egypt, and South Sudan.</p><p>Specific sieges and ethnic attacks&#8212;such as offensives in Darfur and North Kordofan documented by the UN Human Rights Office&#8212;have resulted in thousands of civilian deaths in isolated incidents alone. <strong><a href="https://www.internal-displacement.org/spotlights/sudan-the-world-s-largest-internal-displacement-crisis-deepens/">(2)</a></strong></p><h3>MYANMAR </h3><p>&#8220;There is nothing left except death,&#8221; is how the people of Myanmar describe their country. Multi-sided civil war and military resistance have claimed over 100,000 lives<span> and displaced 5.2 million</span>.</p><h3>SYRIA</h3><p>Below is a photo of Damascus. Why didn&#8217;t the West rise up when they saw these photos. Where were all the celebrities? Civil war resulted in 656,000 deaths and displaced over 13 million people, with nearly 6.7 million becoming refugees abroad. </p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Za-L!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fcca9c346-b7e3-4ace-98c4-cd91703d2e71_594x396.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Za-L!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fcca9c346-b7e3-4ace-98c4-cd91703d2e71_594x396.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Za-L!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fcca9c346-b7e3-4ace-98c4-cd91703d2e71_594x396.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Za-L!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fcca9c346-b7e3-4ace-98c4-cd91703d2e71_594x396.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Za-L!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fcca9c346-b7e3-4ace-98c4-cd91703d2e71_594x396.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Za-L!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fcca9c346-b7e3-4ace-98c4-cd91703d2e71_594x396.jpeg" width="594" height="396" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/cca9c346-b7e3-4ace-98c4-cd91703d2e71_594x396.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:396,&quot;width&quot;:594,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:67502,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://khmezek.substack.com/i/209253400?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fcca9c346-b7e3-4ace-98c4-cd91703d2e71_594x396.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Za-L!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fcca9c346-b7e3-4ace-98c4-cd91703d2e71_594x396.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Za-L!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fcca9c346-b7e3-4ace-98c4-cd91703d2e71_594x396.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Za-L!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fcca9c346-b7e3-4ace-98c4-cd91703d2e71_594x396.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Za-L!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fcca9c346-b7e3-4ace-98c4-cd91703d2e71_594x396.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>Displaced Syrians waiting to receive food</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!2SI6!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff5dddb34-23e3-4b75-b6b3-cd757a4246af_680x383.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!2SI6!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff5dddb34-23e3-4b75-b6b3-cd757a4246af_680x383.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!2SI6!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff5dddb34-23e3-4b75-b6b3-cd757a4246af_680x383.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!2SI6!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff5dddb34-23e3-4b75-b6b3-cd757a4246af_680x383.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!2SI6!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff5dddb34-23e3-4b75-b6b3-cd757a4246af_680x383.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!2SI6!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff5dddb34-23e3-4b75-b6b3-cd757a4246af_680x383.jpeg" width="680" height="383" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/f5dddb34-23e3-4b75-b6b3-cd757a4246af_680x383.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:383,&quot;width&quot;:680,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:90109,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://khmezek.substack.com/i/209253400?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff5dddb34-23e3-4b75-b6b3-cd757a4246af_680x383.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!2SI6!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff5dddb34-23e3-4b75-b6b3-cd757a4246af_680x383.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!2SI6!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff5dddb34-23e3-4b75-b6b3-cd757a4246af_680x383.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!2SI6!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff5dddb34-23e3-4b75-b6b3-cd757a4246af_680x383.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!2SI6!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff5dddb34-23e3-4b75-b6b3-cd757a4246af_680x383.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><h4>Currently, under the leadership of jihadist al-Sharaa, who President Trump has called a friend, Christians, Druze and Alawites are being massacred.</h4><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Rm4V!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1f930221-43d4-467a-92c2-7e7e569fd6af_925x611.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Rm4V!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1f930221-43d4-467a-92c2-7e7e569fd6af_925x611.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Rm4V!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1f930221-43d4-467a-92c2-7e7e569fd6af_925x611.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Rm4V!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1f930221-43d4-467a-92c2-7e7e569fd6af_925x611.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Rm4V!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1f930221-43d4-467a-92c2-7e7e569fd6af_925x611.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Rm4V!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1f930221-43d4-467a-92c2-7e7e569fd6af_925x611.png" width="925" height="611" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/1f930221-43d4-467a-92c2-7e7e569fd6af_925x611.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:611,&quot;width&quot;:925,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:null,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:null,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Rm4V!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1f930221-43d4-467a-92c2-7e7e569fd6af_925x611.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Rm4V!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1f930221-43d4-467a-92c2-7e7e569fd6af_925x611.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Rm4V!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1f930221-43d4-467a-92c2-7e7e569fd6af_925x611.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Rm4V!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1f930221-43d4-467a-92c2-7e7e569fd6af_925x611.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Following President Ahmed al-Sharaa's December 2024 seizure of power in Syria, the jihadist regime's persecution of religious minorities, including Christians, Druze and Alawites, has skyrocketed as the country undergoes a process of radical Islamization. Pictured: Mar Elyas Greek Orthodox Church in Damascus on June 22, 2025, after an attack by jihadists who murdered 25 Christians and wounded nearly 70 there during Sunday mass. (Photo by Ali Haj Suleiman/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure></div><p>As one example of many, <span>a series of mass killings and massacres against </span>Alawite<span> people occurred in </span>Syria<span> from 6 March 2025 to 17 March 2025, with a resurgence in early April. Estimates of the death toll range from about 1,000 to 2,000, with some sources saying the majority of the victims were civilians. </span></p><p><span>Reliable data indicate 7,000 massacres of </span>Christians<span> and Alawites and unprecedented atrocities against civilians. </span>Christian<span> and other communities with a presence in these parts for over a thousand years are at risk of extinction. </span>The attacks are carried out by armed groups aligned with the new government. </p><p><span>This is nothing new, so why doesn&#8217;t anyone care? Christians are being wiped out of Muslim countries, yet it is claimed by propagandists like Tucker Carlson that Israel is the country where Christians are being persecuted. This is absurd. </span><strong><a href="https://www.genocidewatch.com/single-post/christians-druze-alawites-attacked-in-al-sharaa-s-syria"><span>(3)</span></a></strong></p><h3>YEMEN</h3><p>The war in Yemen has killed an estimated 377,000 people through both direct fighting and indirect causes like hunger and disease. Additionally, the conflict has internally displaced roughly 4.5 million people, making it one of the largest displacement crises in the world. <strong><a href="https://www.actionagainsthunger.org/story/after-9-years-of-conflict-yemen-is-still-one-of-the-worlds-worst-humanitarian-crises/">(4)</a></strong></p><p>You&#8217;d think the wealthy celebrities would want to do something about this:</p><ul><li><p><strong>The country faces one of the worst hunger crises in the world;</strong> in 2023, 17 million Yemenis were food insecure. An estimated 1.3 million pregnant or breastfeeding women and 2.2 million children under five were <a href="https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/battling-malnutrition-yemen-helping-children-recover-and-thrive">in need of treatment for acute malnutrition.</a></p></li><li><p><strong>In 2023, 23 million Yemenis lived without access to health care,</strong> but just half of the country&#8217;s health facilities were fully functional.</p></li><li><p><strong>15.3 million people lacked access to water</strong> since the conflict extensively damaged Yemen&#8217;s water and sanitation infrastructure.</p></li></ul><h3>SOMALIA</h3><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!9i7A!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3e5e7c57-adef-4961-9dfa-408bad51d553_925x650.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!9i7A!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3e5e7c57-adef-4961-9dfa-408bad51d553_925x650.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!9i7A!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3e5e7c57-adef-4961-9dfa-408bad51d553_925x650.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!9i7A!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3e5e7c57-adef-4961-9dfa-408bad51d553_925x650.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!9i7A!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3e5e7c57-adef-4961-9dfa-408bad51d553_925x650.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!9i7A!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3e5e7c57-adef-4961-9dfa-408bad51d553_925x650.png" width="925" height="650" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/3e5e7c57-adef-4961-9dfa-408bad51d553_925x650.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:650,&quot;width&quot;:925,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:null,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:null,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!9i7A!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3e5e7c57-adef-4961-9dfa-408bad51d553_925x650.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!9i7A!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3e5e7c57-adef-4961-9dfa-408bad51d553_925x650.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!9i7A!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3e5e7c57-adef-4961-9dfa-408bad51d553_925x650.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!9i7A!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3e5e7c57-adef-4961-9dfa-408bad51d553_925x650.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Al-Shabaab militants fly the ISIS flag in Somalia Credit: ModernDiplomacy</figcaption></figure></div><p><span>Since the 1980s Somalia has been in constant civil war. The war has been marked by massacres by rival warlords, Al Shabaab terrorists, and Somali government forces. Between </span><a href="https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/war/somalia.htm"><span>350,000 and 1 million people</span></a><span> have died since 1991. </span><a href="https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2022/country-chapters/somalia"><span>2.6 million Somalis</span></a><span> are internally displaced. </span><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/09/07/somalia-famine-drought-global-hunger/"><span>3.5 million Somalis, including 1.5 million children, face starvation</span></a><span>. </span><strong><a href="https://www.genocidewatch.com/single-post/somalia-genocide-and-famine-warning"><span>(5)</span></a></strong></p><p><span>In 2022, there was a high risk of famine in the country that could affect </span><a href="https://www.rescue.org/article/why-somalia-facing-catastrophic-famine"><span>up to 7 million people</span></a><span>, close to half the population. I don&#8217;t recall any protests at universities. I don&#8217;t recall anyone accusing President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud of war crimes, since it seems he cannot keep control of his own country. </span></p><p><span>But, I forgot, all of these are Muslims countries. It isn&#8217;t Jews fighting for their survival against every Arab Muslim nation. It&#8217;s Muslims fighting and killing each other. Nobody cares about that. In fact, it&#8217;s an inconvenient truth that takes away from the lies. It&#8217;s Israel that needs to be accused of genocide so the real, final solution can take place. The genocide of Jews. </span></p><h3><span>NIGERIA </span></h3><p><span>Armed conflict in Northeast Nigeria has displaced over </span>2.2 million people. </p><p>More than 40,000 people killed since the start of the insurgency, thousands of schools and health centers destroyed, and vast agricultural areas rendered inaccessible. But the deeper damage has been economic and social.</p><p>People have been cut off from all economic activity. They are deprived of the ability to live from their work and preserve their dignity. <strong><a href="https://news.un.org/en/story/2026/01/1166857">(5)</a></strong></p><p><span>Over </span>7,000 Nigerian Christians<span> were killed by Boko Haram and Fulani herdsmen Islamists in the first 220 days of 2025. What about that? </span><strong><a href="https://www.mnnonline.org/news/report-shows-thousands-of-christians-killed-in-nigeria-this-year/#:~:text=Nigeria%20%28MNN%29%20%E2%80%94%20A%20new%20report%20reveals%20over,Islamists%20in%20the%20first%20220%20days%20of%202025."><span>(6)</span></a></strong></p><h3>CONGO</h3><p>Since January 2025, the Islamic State Central Africa Province (ISCAP), colloquially known as the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), has killed at least 967 civilians in various massacres, with most, if not all, of the victims being Christian villagers.</p><p>At least 43 people, including children, were killed 27 July 2025 in a brutal overnight attack on a Catholic church in Komanda in eastern Congo. <strong><a href="https://catholicweekly.com.au/congo-church-attack-leaves-at-least-43-dead/">(7)</a></strong></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!GZqF!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0477fead-4a58-4ea8-8157-067465524ed4_1540x2048.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!GZqF!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0477fead-4a58-4ea8-8157-067465524ed4_1540x2048.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!GZqF!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0477fead-4a58-4ea8-8157-067465524ed4_1540x2048.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!GZqF!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0477fead-4a58-4ea8-8157-067465524ed4_1540x2048.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!GZqF!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0477fead-4a58-4ea8-8157-067465524ed4_1540x2048.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!GZqF!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0477fead-4a58-4ea8-8157-067465524ed4_1540x2048.jpeg" width="1456" height="1936" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/0477fead-4a58-4ea8-8157-067465524ed4_1540x2048.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1936,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:null,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:null,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!GZqF!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0477fead-4a58-4ea8-8157-067465524ed4_1540x2048.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!GZqF!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0477fead-4a58-4ea8-8157-067465524ed4_1540x2048.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!GZqF!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0477fead-4a58-4ea8-8157-067465524ed4_1540x2048.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!GZqF!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0477fead-4a58-4ea8-8157-067465524ed4_1540x2048.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><h3>You would think the United Nations would focus on these countries more than Israel. Yet, in 2024, the <strong><a href="https://unwatch.org/un-condemns-israel-17-times-6-on-rest-of-world-combined/">UN condemned Israel 17 times while the rest of world combined only 6 times</a></strong></h3><p>&#8220;Make no mistake, the purpose of the lopsided condemnations is to delegitimize Israel and to demonize and dehumanize Israelis,&#8221; said Hillel Neuer, Executive Director of UN Watch.</p><p>&#8220;This demonization fuels the pro-Hamas agitators in America and around the world who today are targeting Jews with hate and violence on campus, at synagogues and community centers, and at their businesses.&#8221;</p><p>From 2015&#8211;2024<span> the UN has brought 173 resolutions against Israel versus a mere 80 against the rest of the nations of the world. Repeated annual tallies show Israel singled out many more times than the rest of the world combined </span><strong><a href="https://unwatch.org/2025-unga-resolutions-on-israel-vs-rest-of-the-world/"><sup>[1]</sup></a></strong><sup> </sup><strong><a href="https://unwatch.org/2024-unga-resolutions-on-israel-vs-rest-of-the-world/"><sup>[2]</sup></a></strong><span>.</span></p><p><span>I could go on and on. I could fill a book with atrocities, yet it wouldn&#8217;t matter. It only makes people angrier; it only makes them double down on the lies. The point is to demonize Israel so badly that no one feels even a twinge of guilt, in fact they will believe they are doing the world a favor, if Israel is destroyed and Jews are massacred across nations until not a single one is left. This, they believe, will solve all the world&#8217;s problems. </span></p><p>I often remind myself of how Hitler fooled the masses:</p><p>&#8220;Hitler was never logical, because he knew that that was what he was expected to be. Logic can be met with logic, while illogic cannot&#8212;it confuses those who think straight. The Big Lie and monotonously repeated nonsense have more emotional appeal in a cold war than logic and reason. While the enemy is still searching for a reasonable counterargument to the first lie, the totalitarians can assault him with another.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;Hitler&#8217;s psychological artillery was composed primarily of the weapon of fear. He had, for example, a network of fifth columnists whose main job was to sow rumors and suspicions among the citizens of the countries against which he eventually planned to fight...Fear began to direct people&#8217;s actions. Instead of facing the real threat of German invasion, instead of preparing for it, all of Europe shuddered at spy stories, discussed irrelevant problems, argued endlessly about scapegoats and minorities.&#8221;</p><p>Hitler would be proud to see his methods working out so well today. There is a new network of &#8220;fifth columnists&#8221;, those shady influencers whose &#8220;main job is to sow rumors and suspicions&#8221;. He would laugh in delight at the spy stories, irrelevant problems and arguments about scapegoats and minorities. </p><p>I am continually amazed at the insane comments on my own essays. It becomes overwhelming to even try to address them. </p><p>Mind you, no one will ever succeed in wiping out God&#8217;s people, the Jews. God made a Covenant and he will not break it. But that is precisely why Jews are targeted. Because this is a spiritual war between God and Satan, between good and evil. I realize that if I left that part out of my essays, I&#8217;d have a lot more subscribers. As it is, every time I remind my readers of this spiritual battle, I lose more in disgust. No matter. I will never leave it out. It is the truth. And I refuse to shy away from telling it. </p><p>I encourage everyone to watch Natasha Hausdorff&#8217;s speech, so you are able to argue knowledgably against the accusation of Israel committing genocide. I included all the brilliant speeches at this Oxford debate in my essay <strong><a href="https://youtu.be/WBllM8M-sko?si=18vZdbSGBLo6bbhd">Is Israel a Genocidal Apartheid State?</a> </strong>I consider these speeches by Natasha Hausdorff, Jonathan Sacerdotti, Mossab Hassan Yousef and Yosef Haddad to be perhaps the very best speeches on this topic.</p><div id="youtube2-WBllM8M-sko" class="youtube-wrap" data-attrs="{&quot;videoId&quot;:&quot;WBllM8M-sko&quot;,&quot;startTime&quot;:null,&quot;endTime&quot;:null}" data-component-name="Youtube2ToDOM"><div class="youtube-inner"><iframe src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/WBllM8M-sko?rel=0&amp;autoplay=0&amp;showinfo=0&amp;enablejsapi=0" frameborder="0" loading="lazy" gesture="media" allow="autoplay; fullscreen" allowautoplay="true" allowfullscreen="true" width="728" height="409"></iframe></div></div><p>Some other essays:</p><p><strong><a href="https://khmezek.substack.com/p/the-age-of-drones?utm_source=publication-search">The Age of Drones</a></strong></p><p><strong><a href="https://khmezek.substack.com/p/ukraines-terrifying-peoples-drone?utm_source=publication-search">Ukraine's terrifying "People's Drone Project"</a></strong></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://khmezek.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://khmezek.substack.com/subscribe?"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://khmezek.substack.com/p/the-genocide-of-jews?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://khmezek.substack.com/p/the-genocide-of-jews?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://khmezek.substack.com/p/the-genocide-of-jews/comments&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Leave a comment&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://khmezek.substack.com/p/the-genocide-of-jews/comments"><span>Leave a comment</span></a></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://khmezek.substack.com/?utm_source=substack&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_content=share&amp;action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share Break Free Media&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://khmezek.substack.com/?utm_source=substack&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_content=share&amp;action=share"><span>Share Break Free Media</span></a></p><p></p><p></p><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Anger isn't enough]]></title><description><![CDATA[Mayor Mamdani at the 9/11 memorial is as bad as Hitler invited to a Holocaust memorial. You think not? They didn't believe it about Hitler at first either.]]></description><link>https://khmezek.substack.com/p/anger-isnt-enough</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://khmezek.substack.com/p/anger-isnt-enough</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Karen Hunt]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 30 Jul 2026 19:00:11 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!SH1e!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F16c6e16d-59e7-4ee6-88d0-8ea19673dc92_375x300.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!oPuV!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F890a989d-2ed3-4730-87ee-2a04df860e85_977x978.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!oPuV!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F890a989d-2ed3-4730-87ee-2a04df860e85_977x978.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!oPuV!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F890a989d-2ed3-4730-87ee-2a04df860e85_977x978.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!oPuV!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F890a989d-2ed3-4730-87ee-2a04df860e85_977x978.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!oPuV!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F890a989d-2ed3-4730-87ee-2a04df860e85_977x978.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!oPuV!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F890a989d-2ed3-4730-87ee-2a04df860e85_977x978.jpeg" width="977" height="978" 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srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!oPuV!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F890a989d-2ed3-4730-87ee-2a04df860e85_977x978.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!oPuV!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F890a989d-2ed3-4730-87ee-2a04df860e85_977x978.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!oPuV!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F890a989d-2ed3-4730-87ee-2a04df860e85_977x978.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!oPuV!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F890a989d-2ed3-4730-87ee-2a04df860e85_977x978.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>I&#8217;m back after a week of driving across the United States!</p><p>You can listen to me read this essay here:</p><div class="native-audio-embed" data-component-name="AudioPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;label&quot;:null,&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;90541f59-d568-4318-907a-bae0648a0b63&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:1059.3436,&quot;downloadable&quot;:false,&quot;isEditorNode&quot;:true}"></div><p><em>&#8220;&#8230;We need that generation of young people who began to reach political maturity in the midst of a disciplined and desperate struggle against the bourgeoisie. In this struggle that generation is training genuine Communists; it must subordinate to this struggle, and link up with it, each step in its studies, education, and training.&#8221;</em></p><p style="text-align: center;"><em>-V.I. Lenin, Tasks of the Youth Leagues (Bourgeois and Communist Morality)</em></p><h4>The Islamic regime is preparing to hang 18-year-old Shervin Bagherian <span>on charges of &#8220;Enmity against God (Moharebeh)&#8221; and the alleged killing of four Basij members.</span></h4><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://khmezek.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Break Free Media is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><p><span>One-time or recurring donations can be made at </span><strong><a href="https://www.buymeacoffee.com/khmezek8">Ko-Fi</a></strong></p><div><hr></div><p><span>Just to be clear, the </span>Basij<span>, formally the </span><em>Organization for Mobilization of the Oppressed</em><span>, is a paramilitary volunteer force within the </span>Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)<span>, established in 1979 by Ayatollah Khomeini. We will never know the truth of what happened since Bagherian&#8217;s confessions was extracted under brutal torture. </span></p><p><span>It might seem a far stretch to worry about such terror striking in America. However, look to New York City to see shades of what is to come if people don&#8217;t stop it. The terrible thing about America is that where once upon a time, they would have stood up for youths like Bagherian, they now stand up for the regime that is going to execute him. </span></p><p><span>This is horrifying. These youths are being prepped to be the Basij of America. </span></p><p><span>Zohran Mamdani is leading the charge. It&#8217;s no wonder </span><strong><a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/an-unwelcome-guest-some-9-11-victims-families-want-mamdani-barred-from-tribute/"><span>families of those killed on 9/11 didn&#8217;t want him at the memorial. </span></a></strong><span>He insisted he would go anyway and will &#8220;proudly honor those affected by 9/11&#8221;. </span></p><h4><span>Mamdani at the 9/11 memorial is as bad as Hitler being invited to a Holocaust memorial. </span></h4><p><span>If you doubt it, remember that Hitler wasn&#8217;t taken seriously in the beginning due to: </span></p><ul><li><p><strong><a href="https://museums.nuernberg.de/documentation-center/topics/national-socialism/the-beginnings-of-the-nazi-dictatorship/the-rise-of-the-nazi-party-in-the-weimar-republic">Small party size</a></strong>: The Nazi Party was tiny and marginalized in the Weimar. People look at the Socialist Democratic Party the same, even though <strong><a href="https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/other/cnn-poll-a-third-of-democrats-now-identify-as-democratic-socialists/ar-AA293tKo?ocid=BingNewsSerp">a third of Democrats now identify as such.  </a></strong></p></li><li><p><strong><a href="https://brewminate.com/warnings-in-the-shadows-hitlers-early-rise-and-the-perils-of-dismissed-alarm/">Elites&#8217; confidence</a></strong>: Political leaders and the press often assumed his radicalism would be contained. It is the same with Mamdani. Oh, we are assured, he will be gone in a couple of years and things will return to &#8220;normal.&#8221;</p></li></ul><p>But this is a movement growing by leaps and bounds and embraced by both left and right. </p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!SH1e!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F16c6e16d-59e7-4ee6-88d0-8ea19673dc92_375x300.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!SH1e!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F16c6e16d-59e7-4ee6-88d0-8ea19673dc92_375x300.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!SH1e!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F16c6e16d-59e7-4ee6-88d0-8ea19673dc92_375x300.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!SH1e!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F16c6e16d-59e7-4ee6-88d0-8ea19673dc92_375x300.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!SH1e!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F16c6e16d-59e7-4ee6-88d0-8ea19673dc92_375x300.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!SH1e!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F16c6e16d-59e7-4ee6-88d0-8ea19673dc92_375x300.jpeg" width="375" height="300" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/16c6e16d-59e7-4ee6-88d0-8ea19673dc92_375x300.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:300,&quot;width&quot;:375,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:27431,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;Zohran Mamdani seen &#8216;cosying up&#8217; with communist influencer Hasan Piker&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="Zohran Mamdani seen &#8216;cosying up&#8217; with communist influencer Hasan Piker" title="Zohran Mamdani seen &#8216;cosying up&#8217; with communist influencer Hasan Piker" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!SH1e!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F16c6e16d-59e7-4ee6-88d0-8ea19673dc92_375x300.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!SH1e!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F16c6e16d-59e7-4ee6-88d0-8ea19673dc92_375x300.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!SH1e!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F16c6e16d-59e7-4ee6-88d0-8ea19673dc92_375x300.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!SH1e!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F16c6e16d-59e7-4ee6-88d0-8ea19673dc92_375x300.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><h4>Here is a look at a few of the radicals Mamdani has embraced:</h4><div class="twitter-embed" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://x.com/canarymission/status/2082853306343321882?s=20&quot;,&quot;full_text&quot;:&quot;Zohran Mamdani says he will proudly honor those affected by 9/11.\n\nBut look at the people he has embraced:\n\nHasan Piker said, &#8220;America deserved 9/11.&#8221;\n\nMamdani-endorsed Aber Kawas called it an attack &#8220;a couple of people did.&#8221;\n\nMamdani supporter Imam Siraj Wahhaj was named an &quot;,&quot;username&quot;:&quot;canarymission&quot;,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;Canary Mission&quot;,&quot;profile_image_url&quot;:&quot;https://pbs.substack.com/profile_images/876730611683086336/6GNIJunB_normal.jpg&quot;,&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-07-30T15:38:20.000Z&quot;,&quot;photos&quot;:[{&quot;img_url&quot;:&quot;https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!li3h!,w_1028,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best,fl_progressive:steep/l_play_button_usfui2,w_88,e_colorize:0/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F__ss-rehost__tw-video-preview-13_2082853230074114048.jpg&quot;,&quot;link_url&quot;:&quot;https://t.co/5jTKIttf6E&quot;}],&quot;quoted_tweet&quot;:{},&quot;reply_count&quot;:2,&quot;retweet_count&quot;:24,&quot;like_count&quot;:35,&quot;impression_count&quot;:1270,&quot;expanded_url&quot;:null,&quot;video_url&quot;:&quot;https://video.twimg.com/amplify_video/2082853230074114048/vid/avc1/1280x720/n823Hu2TTEJmDMGt.mp4&quot;,&quot;video_preview_media_key&quot;:&quot;13_2082853230074114048&quot;,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true}" data-component-name="Twitter2ToDOM"></div><ul><li><p>Hasan Piker said, &#8220;America deserved 9/11.&#8221;</p></li><li><p>Mamdani-endorsed Aber Kawas called it an attack &#8220;a couple of people did.&#8221;</p></li><li><p>Mamdani supporter Imam Siraj Wahhaj was named an unindicted co-conspirator in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. He was never charged. I wrote about Wahhaj&#8217;s connection to Mamdani in <strong><a href="https://khmezek.substack.com/p/new-york-has-dug-its-own-grave?utm_source=publication-search">New York Digs Its Own Grave</a> </strong>and about Wahhaj&#8217;s history and the Islamic radical cells that have been building over many years in <strong><a href="https://khmezek.substack.com/p/the-islamic-states-of-america?utm_source=publication-search">The Islamic States of America</a></strong></p></li></ul><p>What is even more insane is that Wahhaj is considered mainstream and is known as the &#8220;Imam of America&#8221;. He was the first imam invited to pray before Congress.</p><p>Yet he publicly states:</p><p>&#8220;<em>Islam is better than democracy. Allah will cause Islam to prevail over every kind of system, and you know what? It will happen.</em>&#8221; </p><h4><span>It is the youths who love Mamdani and Hasan Piker with the type of adoration only the naivety of youth can produce. </span></h4><p><strong><a href="https://www.thecityreporter.nyc/2025/11/06/how-mamdani-won-map/">Three out of four young voters backed Mamdani</a></strong>. What does this say for the future of our nation. <span>Youth who are not taught in their own homes to distinguish between right and wrong. They eagerly welcome those who would seek to invade their brains with rot. Families don&#8217;t sit down to dinner together anymore. They don&#8217;t even sit around the TV together. Everyone is off in their own little virtual worlds, staring at screens that feed them what they want to hear and see. Anything that doesn&#8217;t agree with their narrow point of view is responded to with curses and even violence. </span></p><h4><span>Where do youths get these ideas? </span><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tiktok-now-top-social-app-for-news-among-young-people-2025-12">43% of U.S. adults aged 18&#8211;29 said they regularly get news from TikTok<span>.</span></a></h4><p><span>That is surely a conservative estimate. Youths of today have no memory of what it was like before social media. All they know is short click-bait videos being fed to them by algorithms. They no longer consider researching on their own or even considering that there might be opposing viewpoints. Some youths that I know show me the constant stream of propaganda they are fed. I don&#8217;t think their parents or most adults really understand the impact this is having on the future of our nation. Anyway, their attention spans aren&#8217;t longer than that of a gnat and most can no longer handle a deep dive into any subject. </span></p><p><span>We already saw the ignorance of students at our nation&#8217;s most prestigious universities. Parroting propaganda they had heard from cool revolutionary leaders such as Mahmoud Khalil who still hasn&#8217;t been deported. Invited to this country as a &#8220;refugee&#8221; Khalil is associated with jihadist terrorist organizations and used his time at our universities to foment hatred against the United States and Israel and by extension, Jews. I wrote a number of essays about Khalil, including </span><strong><a href="https://khmezek.substack.com/p/the-mahmoud-khalil-controversy?utm_source=publication-search"><span>The Mahmoud Khalil Controversy</span></a></strong></p><h4><span>Naturally, Khalil was invited by Mamdani to dinner because they serve the same cause. They hate America, they hate Jews, they hate Israel, they want to see not communism, but Sharia law instated worldwide&#8212;communism is just the first step. </span></h4><p>&#8220;<em>Last night, as we marked the one-year anniversary of his detention, Rama and I were honored to welcome Mahmoud, Noor and their son Deen to Gracie Mansion to break our fast together,</em>&#8221; Mamdani <a href="https://x.com/NYCMayor/status/2031185185002164590"><span>wrote</span></a> on social media on March 9.</p><p>He included a photo of the meal, with his wife&#8212;whom Mamdani has <a href="https://www.jns.org/mamdani-distances-city-hall-from-wifes-social-media-likes-appearing-to-praise-oct-7/"><span>defended</span></a> as a private citizen after it reemerged that she liked social media posts glorifying the violence of Oct. 7&#8212;standing beside Khalil and looking down at him like some Madonna figure.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!a8lE!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5b395ccf-835c-4d2e-bde1-4fd604362123_532x563.webp" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!a8lE!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5b395ccf-835c-4d2e-bde1-4fd604362123_532x563.webp 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!a8lE!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5b395ccf-835c-4d2e-bde1-4fd604362123_532x563.webp 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!a8lE!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5b395ccf-835c-4d2e-bde1-4fd604362123_532x563.webp 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!a8lE!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5b395ccf-835c-4d2e-bde1-4fd604362123_532x563.webp 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!a8lE!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5b395ccf-835c-4d2e-bde1-4fd604362123_532x563.webp" width="532" height="563" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/5b395ccf-835c-4d2e-bde1-4fd604362123_532x563.webp&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:563,&quot;width&quot;:532,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:18368,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;Mamdani Khalil&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/webp&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="Mamdani Khalil" title="Mamdani Khalil" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!a8lE!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5b395ccf-835c-4d2e-bde1-4fd604362123_532x563.webp 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!a8lE!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5b395ccf-835c-4d2e-bde1-4fd604362123_532x563.webp 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!a8lE!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5b395ccf-835c-4d2e-bde1-4fd604362123_532x563.webp 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!a8lE!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5b395ccf-835c-4d2e-bde1-4fd604362123_532x563.webp 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><h4>When Ugandan born Mamdani lectured Americans on July 4th about what America is, Brigitte Gabriel stated, &#8220;this is not America, this is an invasion&#8221;:</h4><div class="twitter-embed" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://x.com/ACTBrigitte/status/2073061907469103293?s=20&quot;,&quot;full_text&quot;:&quot;Zohran Mamdani, the Ugandan-born radical, has the audacity to lecture Americans on what America is, while surrounding George Washington&#8217;s desk with foreigners.\n\nThis is not America. This is an invasion.\n\nThe Founders did not bleed for a nation of communist 3rd world imports &quot;,&quot;username&quot;:&quot;ACTBrigitte&quot;,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;Brigitte Gabriel&quot;,&quot;profile_image_url&quot;:&quot;https://pbs.substack.com/profile_images/1001845274476797954/TbklBZ1r_normal.jpg&quot;,&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-07-03T15:10:49.000Z&quot;,&quot;photos&quot;:[{&quot;img_url&quot;:&quot;https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!1kZI!,w_1028,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best,fl_progressive:steep/l_play_button_usfui2,w_88,e_colorize:0/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F__ss-rehost__tw-video-preview-13_2073061588001538048.jpg&quot;,&quot;link_url&quot;:&quot;https://t.co/m17nXrKpae&quot;}],&quot;quoted_tweet&quot;:{},&quot;reply_count&quot;:1947,&quot;retweet_count&quot;:4702,&quot;like_count&quot;:16349,&quot;impression_count&quot;:776933,&quot;expanded_url&quot;:null,&quot;video_url&quot;:&quot;https://video.twimg.com/amplify_video/2073061588001538048/vid/avc1/1280x720/aM6-6b7PbqSczOR7.mp4&quot;,&quot;video_preview_media_key&quot;:&quot;13_2073061588001538048&quot;,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true}" data-component-name="Twitter2ToDOM"></div><h4>Here, Mamdani says: "We have to make clear that when the boot of the NYPD is on your neck, it's been laced by the IDF."</h4><div class="twitter-embed" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://x.com/DSA_Watch/status/2080489898352464146?s=20&quot;,&quot;full_text&quot;:&quot;Zohran Mamdani: \&quot;We have to make clear that when the boot of the NYPD is on your neck, it's been laced by the IDF.\&quot; &quot;,&quot;username&quot;:&quot;DSA_Watch&quot;,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;DSA Watch&quot;,&quot;profile_image_url&quot;:&quot;https://pbs.substack.com/profile_images/2069642143312809984/OBFpVyvg_normal.jpg&quot;,&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-07-24T03:07:00.000Z&quot;,&quot;photos&quot;:[{&quot;img_url&quot;:&quot;https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!DmZy!,w_1028,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best,fl_progressive:steep/l_play_button_usfui2,w_88,e_colorize:0/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F__ss-rehost__tw-video-preview-13_1982973502752727040.jpg&quot;,&quot;link_url&quot;:&quot;https://t.co/SHz6PKuEca&quot;}],&quot;quoted_tweet&quot;:{},&quot;reply_count&quot;:487,&quot;retweet_count&quot;:732,&quot;like_count&quot;:2930,&quot;impression_count&quot;:572454,&quot;expanded_url&quot;:null,&quot;video_url&quot;:&quot;https://video.twimg.com/amplify_video/1982973502752727040/vid/avc1/1280x720/4Rf9vKNoOHN0FUG6.mp4&quot;,&quot;video_preview_media_key&quot;:&quot;13_1982973502752727040&quot;,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true}" data-component-name="Twitter2ToDOM"></div><h4><span>It behooves us to look to what happened in China, in the Soviet Union, in Germany under Hitler, where regimes used youths to terrorize citizens. </span></h4><p>The <strong>Red Guards</strong> were a mass, student-led, paramilitary social movement mobilized by Chairman Mao Zedong in 1966 until their abolition in 1968, during the first phase of the Cultural Revolution, which he had instituted.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Guards#cite_note-Teiwes-3"><sup><span>[3]</span></sup></a></p><p>According to a Red Guard leader, the movement&#8217;s aims were as follows:</p><blockquote><p>Chairman Mao has defined our future as an armed revolutionary youth organization<span> </span>.... So if Chairman Mao is our Red-Commander-in-Chief and we are his Red Guards, who can stop us? First we will make China Maoist from inside out and then we will help the working people of other countries make the world red<span> </span>... and then the whole universe.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Guards#cite_note-4"><sup><span>[4]</span></sup></a></p></blockquote><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!9wuP!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F32f8ebea-3e80-4c7e-af30-a3ab59e59590_250x394.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!9wuP!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F32f8ebea-3e80-4c7e-af30-a3ab59e59590_250x394.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!9wuP!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F32f8ebea-3e80-4c7e-af30-a3ab59e59590_250x394.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!9wuP!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F32f8ebea-3e80-4c7e-af30-a3ab59e59590_250x394.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!9wuP!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F32f8ebea-3e80-4c7e-af30-a3ab59e59590_250x394.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!9wuP!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F32f8ebea-3e80-4c7e-af30-a3ab59e59590_250x394.jpeg" width="250" height="394" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/32f8ebea-3e80-4c7e-af30-a3ab59e59590_250x394.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:394,&quot;width&quot;:250,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:null,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:null,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!9wuP!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F32f8ebea-3e80-4c7e-af30-a3ab59e59590_250x394.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!9wuP!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F32f8ebea-3e80-4c7e-af30-a3ab59e59590_250x394.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!9wuP!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F32f8ebea-3e80-4c7e-af30-a3ab59e59590_250x394.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!9wuP!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F32f8ebea-3e80-4c7e-af30-a3ab59e59590_250x394.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption"><span>Red Guards on </span>Tiananmen Square<span> in </span>Beijing<span>. They were holding the </span>Little Red Book<span> containing quotations from </span>Mao Zedong<span>.</span></figcaption></figure></div><h4>As for Hitler&#8217;s youth, beginning on Nov 9, 1938, the SA and Hitler Youth shattered the windows of 7,500 stores and businesses, thus the name Kristallnacht. </h4><p>Over the following days, adult male Jews were arrested and incarcerated in local jails and makeshift prisons, and some 30,000 were deported to concentration camps. Hundreds were killed; faced with devastation and total ruin, dozens committed suicide. <strong><a href="https://time.com/5449578/kristallnacht-lessons-bystanders/">(1)</a></strong></p><h4><a href="https://blogs.bu.edu/guidedhistory/russia-and-its-empires/elise-alexander/">The communist party in Soviet Russia created the &#8220;cult of childhood&#8221; with organizations such as Komsomol, Young Pioneers, and Little Octobrists. </a></h4><p>Lenin&#8217;s close collaborator Grigory Yevseyevich Zinoviev said these chilling words:</p><div class="pullquote"><p><em>We are permitted to do everything because we are the first in the world to lift the sword not for the sake of enslavement and suppression, but in the name of universal liberty and liberation from slavery. </em><span>"</span></p></div><p><span>This is what we are seeing now as justification which will soon translate into the righteous massacre of Jews and all who oppose the new order. All justified in the name of &#8220;universal liberty and liberation from slavery&#8221;, even though what it leads to is the worst form of terror and slavery. </span></p><h4><span>Can&#8217;t you just see Hasan Piker leading the mobs of youth against Jews first and then turning their rage on anyone who opposes giving over their property to the state for &#8220;the good of the working class.&#8221;</span></h4><p><span>Here he is cursing &#8220;capitalists&#8221; and saying let the streets run red with their blood.</span></p><div class="twitter-embed" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://x.com/EYakoby/status/2042031825887936702?s=20&quot;,&quot;full_text&quot;:&quot;Hasan Piker calls on his followers to kill capitalists:\n\n&#8220;Yeah kill them! KiII those motherfuckers and murder those motherfuckers in the streets. Let the streets soak in their fucking red capitalist blood, dude.&#8221;\n\nDemocrats are campaigning with him. &quot;,&quot;username&quot;:&quot;EYakoby&quot;,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;Eyal Yakoby&quot;,&quot;profile_image_url&quot;:&quot;https://pbs.substack.com/profile_images/1787004128473853952/VtlECdP1_normal.jpg&quot;,&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-04-09T00:08:21.000Z&quot;,&quot;photos&quot;:[{&quot;img_url&quot;:&quot;https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!7-oa!,w_1028,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best,fl_progressive:steep/l_play_button_usfui2,w_88,e_colorize:0/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F__ss-rehost__tw-video-preview-13_1967249203970588672.jpg&quot;,&quot;link_url&quot;:&quot;https://t.co/YiZxGgRkgc&quot;}],&quot;quoted_tweet&quot;:{},&quot;reply_count&quot;:842,&quot;retweet_count&quot;:3264,&quot;like_count&quot;:6745,&quot;impression_count&quot;:589213,&quot;expanded_url&quot;:null,&quot;video_url&quot;:&quot;https://video.twimg.com/amplify_video/1967249203970588672/vid/avc1/886x424/3vmweRPaGYXuuW8y.mp4&quot;,&quot;video_preview_media_key&quot;:&quot;13_1967249203970588672&quot;,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true}" data-component-name="Twitter2ToDOM"></div><h4>And here is Zohran Mamdani and with buddy Hasan Piker:</h4><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!SH1e!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F16c6e16d-59e7-4ee6-88d0-8ea19673dc92_375x300.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!SH1e!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F16c6e16d-59e7-4ee6-88d0-8ea19673dc92_375x300.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!SH1e!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F16c6e16d-59e7-4ee6-88d0-8ea19673dc92_375x300.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!SH1e!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F16c6e16d-59e7-4ee6-88d0-8ea19673dc92_375x300.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!SH1e!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F16c6e16d-59e7-4ee6-88d0-8ea19673dc92_375x300.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!SH1e!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F16c6e16d-59e7-4ee6-88d0-8ea19673dc92_375x300.jpeg" width="375" height="300" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/16c6e16d-59e7-4ee6-88d0-8ea19673dc92_375x300.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:300,&quot;width&quot;:375,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:27431,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;Zohran Mamdani seen &#8216;cosying up&#8217; with communist influencer Hasan Piker&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Zohran Mamdani seen &#8216;cosying up&#8217; with communist influencer Hasan Piker&quot;,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="Zohran Mamdani seen &#8216;cosying up&#8217; with communist influencer Hasan Piker" title="Zohran Mamdani seen &#8216;cosying up&#8217; with communist influencer Hasan Piker" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!SH1e!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F16c6e16d-59e7-4ee6-88d0-8ea19673dc92_375x300.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!SH1e!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F16c6e16d-59e7-4ee6-88d0-8ea19673dc92_375x300.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!SH1e!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F16c6e16d-59e7-4ee6-88d0-8ea19673dc92_375x300.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!SH1e!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F16c6e16d-59e7-4ee6-88d0-8ea19673dc92_375x300.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><h4>Meanwhile, Tucker Carlson will be rounding up the &#8220;Christian Zionists&#8221; and if they refuse to confess Jews are NOT God&#8217;s Chosen people, they will be burned at the stake as apostates.</h4><p>In the video below, he is shooting the breeze with Nazi Nick Fuentes, basically saying anyone who supports Israel has a &#8220;brain virus.&#8221;</p><p>He dislikes Christian Zionists more than anybody because it&#8217;s &#8220;heresy.&#8221;</p><p>Again, keep in mind that being a Zionist merely means you believe Israel has a right to exist and the Jewish people have a right to defend their nation, just as any person would believe their nation has a right to exist and they have a right to defend it. </p><div class="twitter-embed" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://x.com/ResisttheMS/status/1983288916976583098?s=20&quot;,&quot;full_text&quot;:&quot;TUNE IN: Tucker Carlson tells Nick Fuentes he dislikes Christian Zionists more than anyone on Earth.\n\nIt's a \&quot;Brain Virus,\&quot; Tucker Claims.\n\nHe dropped the names of Mike Huckabee, Ted Cruz, John Bolton, Karl Rove, and George W. Bush. \n&quot;,&quot;username&quot;:&quot;ResisttheMS&quot;,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;Resist the Mainstream&quot;,&quot;profile_image_url&quot;:&quot;https://pbs.substack.com/profile_images/1777217835036495872/atU7ay85_normal.jpg&quot;,&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2025-10-28T21:45:00.000Z&quot;,&quot;photos&quot;:[{&quot;img_url&quot;:&quot;https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!20Or!,w_1028,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best,fl_progressive:steep/l_play_button_usfui2,w_88,e_colorize:0/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F__ss-rehost__tw-video-preview-7_1982986899430977536.jpg&quot;,&quot;link_url&quot;:&quot;https://t.co/CPIxlLh79H&quot;}],&quot;quoted_tweet&quot;:{},&quot;reply_count&quot;:9,&quot;retweet_count&quot;:5,&quot;like_count&quot;:44,&quot;impression_count&quot;:12962,&quot;expanded_url&quot;:null,&quot;video_url&quot;:&quot;https://video.twimg.com/ext_tw_video/1982986899430977536/pu/vid/avc1/1274x720/3IAJX206di7oX8Eu.mp4?tag=12&quot;,&quot;video_preview_media_key&quot;:&quot;7_1982986899430977536&quot;,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true}" data-component-name="Twitter2ToDOM"></div><h4>Communists and Nazis were supposed to be enemies, but never before has it been clearer that they are just two sides of the same coin, with the added danger of being joined at the hip with Islam.</h4><p>Tying this back into what is happening to Shervin Bagherian and so many others, I am beyond angry. Perhaps my anger is exacerbated right now because I just had this wonderful experience driving across the United States marveling at its beauty. </p><div class="image-gallery-embed" data-attrs="{&quot;gallery&quot;:{&quot;images&quot;:[{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/25ac84f9-a01f-42cf-96e9-1d75062fe9f5_1536x2048.jpeg&quot;},{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/9d9fa59b-2d92-419b-8830-f9d08d6de170_1536x2048.jpeg&quot;},{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/2f8edc1f-0513-4a36-a0a1-396bd2bab7a6_2048x1536.jpeg&quot;}],&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;Driving from Utah into Arizona and the town of Deadwood, South Dakota&quot;,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;staticGalleryImage&quot;:{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/e64dd6cc-5836-410a-a352-a47a81d40537_1456x474.png&quot;}},&quot;isEditorNode&quot;:true}"></div><p>I met so many good-hearted, hard-working Americans in states like Nebraska and South Dakota. Restaurant servers, farmers, truck drivers, a bunch of young guys who worked on our car when the engine light came on. One guy was getting his flying license and hoped to become an airline pilot. </p><p>And all along the way, I was awe-struck by the beauty and diversity, the sheer majesty of this country. Below, we drove into the most dramatic thunderstorm I have ever experienced on this haunting stretch of road leading to from Sioux Falls to Deadwood. The sides of the road became strewn with overturned trucks. </p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!E13k!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F05203222-2436-4711-b77f-737c80c9c466_2048x1536.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!E13k!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F05203222-2436-4711-b77f-737c80c9c466_2048x1536.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!E13k!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F05203222-2436-4711-b77f-737c80c9c466_2048x1536.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!E13k!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F05203222-2436-4711-b77f-737c80c9c466_2048x1536.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!E13k!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F05203222-2436-4711-b77f-737c80c9c466_2048x1536.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!E13k!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F05203222-2436-4711-b77f-737c80c9c466_2048x1536.jpeg" width="1456" height="1092" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/05203222-2436-4711-b77f-737c80c9c466_2048x1536.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1092,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:null,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;May be an image of grass and horizon&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:null,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="May be an image of grass and horizon" title="May be an image of grass and horizon" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!E13k!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F05203222-2436-4711-b77f-737c80c9c466_2048x1536.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!E13k!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F05203222-2436-4711-b77f-737c80c9c466_2048x1536.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!E13k!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F05203222-2436-4711-b77f-737c80c9c466_2048x1536.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!E13k!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F05203222-2436-4711-b77f-737c80c9c466_2048x1536.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>And then, today, as I have finally reached Los Angeles, I see that this beautiful young man Shervin Bagherian is to be hanged and it hits me in the gut. Mostly because I think of how our youth should be protesting against his execution and instead, they listen to Hasan Piker and swoon over Mamdani. </p><h4>Then, I think of all the privileged young Western so-called journalists who were invited to Iran for Khamenei's funeral, their job being to gush over the tyrannical monsters that kill their own people. </h4><p>Never one mention of the horror of what this regime is doing, the oppression, the terror, just as no mention has ever been made of the horror of what Hamas does to its own people. Rather they are held up as &#8220;freedom fighters.&#8221;</p><p>I wrote about some of these useful idiots, like Calla Walsh, in <strong><a href="https://khmezek.substack.com/p/funeral-of-the-century">Funeral of the Century</a>. </strong></p><div class="twitter-embed" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://x.com/visegrad24/status/2073402042190569984?s=20&quot;,&quot;full_text&quot;:&quot;Palestine Action US founder Calla Walsh attends Ayatollah Khamenei&#8217;s funeral and calls him the &#8220;greatest anti-Imperialist leader&#8221; in her lifetime.\n\nThis is the brainwashing going on in the far-left, making them to unite with Islamists and terrorists. &quot;,&quot;username&quot;:&quot;visegrad24&quot;,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;Visegr&#225;d 24&quot;,&quot;profile_image_url&quot;:&quot;https://pbs.substack.com/profile_images/1875625827674591232/OBzjRIZ4_normal.jpg&quot;,&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-07-04T13:42:23.000Z&quot;,&quot;photos&quot;:[{&quot;img_url&quot;:&quot;https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!FBg-!,w_1028,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best,fl_progressive:steep/l_play_button_usfui2,w_88,e_colorize:0/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F__ss-rehost__tw-video-preview-13_2073358651125874688.jpg&quot;,&quot;link_url&quot;:&quot;https://t.co/N5o0Z3Wrv4&quot;}],&quot;quoted_tweet&quot;:{},&quot;reply_count&quot;:486,&quot;retweet_count&quot;:858,&quot;like_count&quot;:3864,&quot;impression_count&quot;:169949,&quot;expanded_url&quot;:null,&quot;video_url&quot;:&quot;https://video.twimg.com/amplify_video/2073358651125874688/vid/avc1/720x1280/W-6T7njji6dLCmuM.mp4&quot;,&quot;video_preview_media_key&quot;:&quot;13_2073358651125874688&quot;,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true}" data-component-name="Twitter2ToDOM"></div><p>I know too many Persians in Los Angeles who escaped out of Iran. One of them was Morteza Alborzi, my karate master who taught me Okinawan weapons. I wrote about him in <strong><a href="https://khmezek.substack.com/p/way-of-the-warrior?utm_source=publication-search">Way of the Warrior</a> </strong>which was about my own martial arts and fighting journey. </p><h4>On our trip across the United States, when we reached the border between Arizona and California, there were security lanes where you have to slow down and pass through and there's a possibility you could be stopped. </h4><p>Why? Because every year, hundreds of thousands of people try to sneak into the United States illegally. And somehow, shame on us if we try to stop them, even though this is the policy in every country. </p><p>And then I remembered as a child and a teenager traveling through every single East European communist country except Albania and the Soviet Union. </p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!0oKp!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F556e03b0-7568-4017-aa70-ed09b6db4889_1845x2048.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!0oKp!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F556e03b0-7568-4017-aa70-ed09b6db4889_1845x2048.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!0oKp!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F556e03b0-7568-4017-aa70-ed09b6db4889_1845x2048.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!0oKp!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F556e03b0-7568-4017-aa70-ed09b6db4889_1845x2048.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!0oKp!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F556e03b0-7568-4017-aa70-ed09b6db4889_1845x2048.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!0oKp!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F556e03b0-7568-4017-aa70-ed09b6db4889_1845x2048.jpeg" width="1456" height="1616" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/556e03b0-7568-4017-aa70-ed09b6db4889_1845x2048.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1616,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:null,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;No photo description available.&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:null,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="No photo description available." title="No photo description available." srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!0oKp!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F556e03b0-7568-4017-aa70-ed09b6db4889_1845x2048.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!0oKp!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F556e03b0-7568-4017-aa70-ed09b6db4889_1845x2048.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!0oKp!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F556e03b0-7568-4017-aa70-ed09b6db4889_1845x2048.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!0oKp!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F556e03b0-7568-4017-aa70-ed09b6db4889_1845x2048.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>We crossed at Checkpoint Charlie into East Berlin and back again and the contrast between dystopian, depressing, terrifying tyranny and freedom was apparent just from crossing the line, nothing could have been clearer. We all know which side was dystopian, depressing, terrifying and which side was free, right? </p><p> And then I lived in communist Yugoslavia in the 1980s, married to a Slovenian pop star. So, as I have said before, I know what I&#8217;m talking about. A village near Lake Bled was my home for seven years. </p><h4>The border crossings that I experienced as a child were terrifying places, guards, dogs, walls, barbed wire. Except they weren't trying to keep people out as we do in the United States.</h4><p>NOBODY was trying to sneak into a single communist country. </p><p>The walls, the guns, the dogs, the guards were there to <strong>keep people in</strong>. I cannot tell you how many people we encountered who dreamed of escaping to the West.</p><p>My family smuggled Bibles into Romania and I will never forget the fear I experienced at each crossing and the joy on the faces of the Christians who received the Bibles. </p><p>This is what these foolish American youth don&#8217;t realize they are protesting in favor of&#8212;tyranny, oppression, fear. It is so frustrating to watch when I lived it and know how they are being duped so royally. </p><h4>These so-called journalists have a lot to answer for because they aren&#8217;t ignorant, they know they are influencing American youth. It is their job. </h4><p>They look forward to being rewarded once the regime change occurs. And up until then, they enjoy the perks of their blabbing. They live under the illusion that they will be &#8220;important persons&#8221; thanks to their efforts. But once they have served their purpose, those with the real power will turn on them, too. Just as they have done every other time, they will be executed, as happened in Iran after the revolution. Some might escape as stooges for the state. They are absolutely the most pathetically cowardly, most weaselly people alive.</p><p>But who could be worse than Mamdani and his wife, these privileged communists who are really most dedicated to Islam (actually, I&#8217;m not sure about his wife, she seems to be too self-absorbed to care much about a fanatical religion or any cause at all).</p><p>I close with this from Benjamin Netanyahu:</p><p>"Mamdani and his wife celebrated October 7th massacre, the worst massacre against Jews since the Holocaust, and he's foisting hate and fear. I speak to Jewish-Americans in NY and they're afraid right now."</p><div class="native-video-embed" data-component-name="VideoPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;7705d7c6-fc2f-4761-8855-d64551e88916&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:null}"></div><p>Yes, anger isn&#8217;t enough. I don&#8217;t know how we stop this madness. It seems to be the fate of humans to continually forget the truth, to even hate it, in favor of lies that massage the ego and appeal to emotions. </p><p>Thankfully, there are always those who stand up for the truth, like the young people hanged in the public square in Iran, who never wavered, even in the face of torture and death. &#8220;Winning&#8221; isn&#8217;t standing on a stage and getting a prize and crowds cheering for you, it isn&#8217;t amassing more money, more likes and clicks than everyone else. </p><p>It is standing alone against the crowd.  </p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://khmezek.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://khmezek.substack.com/subscribe?"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://khmezek.substack.com/p/anger-isnt-enough/comments&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Leave a comment&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://khmezek.substack.com/p/anger-isnt-enough/comments"><span>Leave a comment</span></a></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://khmezek.substack.com/p/anger-isnt-enough?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://khmezek.substack.com/p/anger-isnt-enough?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p><p></p><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Bolivia to Istanbul: My favorite places to write]]></title><description><![CDATA[&#8220;There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.&#8221; &#8213; Ernest Hemingway]]></description><link>https://khmezek.substack.com/p/my-favorite-writing-locations</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://khmezek.substack.com/p/my-favorite-writing-locations</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Karen Hunt]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 23 Jul 2026 11:30:13 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!vibD!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbb0a99db-7083-4e82-b032-0285c8036ab7_528x960.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://khmezek.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Break Free Media is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><p><span>One-time or recurring donations can also be made at</span><strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.buymeacoffee.com/khmezek8">Buy Me a Coffee</a></strong></p><div><hr></div><p>Tomorrow my son Max and I embark on a road trip across the United States. We&#8217;ve wanted to do this for a while, and we finally have the time to do it. I just finished my manuscript. The Seduction of Islam, and sent it off to my publisher, so I feel like I deserve a couple of weeks of freedom. </p><p>Tonight, as I finish packing and organizing everything, I thought I would share these uplifting thoughts and photos with all my dear readers. </p><p>Although I live a simple life, and in fact, as a single mother, I have often struggled to make ends meet, somehow, through sheer determination and for the love of it, I have managed to write in some of the most astounding places. The views from my windows and terraces have inspired my works. How insipid and flat would my writing be if I had not climbed the dunes of Merzouga or walked the streets of Istanbul. Here are some of my favorites &#8230;</p><p>TISSARDMINE VILLAGE, SAHARA DESERT</p><p>I should start with my profile photo on Break Free Media, taken at Rissani, Morocco.  Once a week I made the journey to the town of Rissani to send the latest chapters of my Night Angels Chronicles series to my publisher. </p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Bjxf!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe6d39e78-e260-4187-8088-e60eccc08fc0_528x528.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Bjxf!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe6d39e78-e260-4187-8088-e60eccc08fc0_528x528.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Bjxf!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe6d39e78-e260-4187-8088-e60eccc08fc0_528x528.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Bjxf!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe6d39e78-e260-4187-8088-e60eccc08fc0_528x528.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Bjxf!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe6d39e78-e260-4187-8088-e60eccc08fc0_528x528.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Bjxf!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe6d39e78-e260-4187-8088-e60eccc08fc0_528x528.jpeg" width="528" height="528" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/e6d39e78-e260-4187-8088-e60eccc08fc0_528x528.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:528,&quot;width&quot;:528,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:null,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;No photo description available.&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:null,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="No photo description available." title="No photo description available." srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Bjxf!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe6d39e78-e260-4187-8088-e60eccc08fc0_528x528.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Bjxf!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe6d39e78-e260-4187-8088-e60eccc08fc0_528x528.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Bjxf!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe6d39e78-e260-4187-8088-e60eccc08fc0_528x528.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Bjxf!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe6d39e78-e260-4187-8088-e60eccc08fc0_528x528.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>LAKE BLED, SLOVENIA</p><p>This was my view, once upon a time, when I was writing at Lake Bled during a trip back wjth my daughter, after my divorce. My inspiration for Professor Strejan&#8217;s castle in the NIGHT ANGELS CHRONICLES.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!c3D5!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5c044773-963c-4692-9a2d-e2bd54a6072b_960x540.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!c3D5!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5c044773-963c-4692-9a2d-e2bd54a6072b_960x540.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!c3D5!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5c044773-963c-4692-9a2d-e2bd54a6072b_960x540.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!c3D5!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5c044773-963c-4692-9a2d-e2bd54a6072b_960x540.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!c3D5!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5c044773-963c-4692-9a2d-e2bd54a6072b_960x540.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!c3D5!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5c044773-963c-4692-9a2d-e2bd54a6072b_960x540.jpeg" width="960" height="540" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/5c044773-963c-4692-9a2d-e2bd54a6072b_960x540.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:540,&quot;width&quot;:960,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:null,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;395941_10151139635875360_660401846_n[1]&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:null,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="395941_10151139635875360_660401846_n[1]" title="395941_10151139635875360_660401846_n[1]" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!c3D5!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5c044773-963c-4692-9a2d-e2bd54a6072b_960x540.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!c3D5!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5c044773-963c-4692-9a2d-e2bd54a6072b_960x540.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!c3D5!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5c044773-963c-4692-9a2d-e2bd54a6072b_960x540.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!c3D5!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5c044773-963c-4692-9a2d-e2bd54a6072b_960x540.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" 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y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!1Sc2!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fff3f9e1d-8fa4-4b95-996d-ff47c24bd586_1000x1057.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!1Sc2!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fff3f9e1d-8fa4-4b95-996d-ff47c24bd586_1000x1057.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!1Sc2!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fff3f9e1d-8fa4-4b95-996d-ff47c24bd586_1000x1057.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!1Sc2!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fff3f9e1d-8fa4-4b95-996d-ff47c24bd586_1000x1057.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!1Sc2!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fff3f9e1d-8fa4-4b95-996d-ff47c24bd586_1000x1057.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!1Sc2!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fff3f9e1d-8fa4-4b95-996d-ff47c24bd586_1000x1057.jpeg" width="1000" height="1057" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/ff3f9e1d-8fa4-4b95-996d-ff47c24bd586_1000x1057.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1057,&quot;width&quot;:1000,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:219740,&quot;alt&quot;:115,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="115" title="115" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!1Sc2!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fff3f9e1d-8fa4-4b95-996d-ff47c24bd586_1000x1057.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!1Sc2!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fff3f9e1d-8fa4-4b95-996d-ff47c24bd586_1000x1057.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!1Sc2!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fff3f9e1d-8fa4-4b95-996d-ff47c24bd586_1000x1057.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!1Sc2!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fff3f9e1d-8fa4-4b95-996d-ff47c24bd586_1000x1057.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>This lake, I came to as a child at the age of ten years old, and then as a teenager, vowing that I would come back and live here. Lo&#8217; and behold, I did as an adult. My daughter is half Slovene. I lived here when it was part of communist Yugoslavia. I divorced my husband but never lost my close connection to the rest of the family. It will always be a second home to me. </p><p>Below are my grandsons at Lake Bled. </p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!FNn6!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc2cf9106-7d6d-4e47-99b8-73c3b5d81b6c_960x720.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!FNn6!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc2cf9106-7d6d-4e47-99b8-73c3b5d81b6c_960x720.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!FNn6!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc2cf9106-7d6d-4e47-99b8-73c3b5d81b6c_960x720.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!FNn6!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc2cf9106-7d6d-4e47-99b8-73c3b5d81b6c_960x720.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!FNn6!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc2cf9106-7d6d-4e47-99b8-73c3b5d81b6c_960x720.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!FNn6!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc2cf9106-7d6d-4e47-99b8-73c3b5d81b6c_960x720.jpeg" width="960" height="720" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/c2cf9106-7d6d-4e47-99b8-73c3b5d81b6c_960x720.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:720,&quot;width&quot;:960,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:null,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;No photo description available.&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:null,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="No photo description available." title="No photo description available." srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!FNn6!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc2cf9106-7d6d-4e47-99b8-73c3b5d81b6c_960x720.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!FNn6!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc2cf9106-7d6d-4e47-99b8-73c3b5d81b6c_960x720.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!FNn6!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc2cf9106-7d6d-4e47-99b8-73c3b5d81b6c_960x720.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!FNn6!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc2cf9106-7d6d-4e47-99b8-73c3b5d81b6c_960x720.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>Below, me and my daughter when she was little, up at the castle, looking down at the lake.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!xTf2!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fcd712aec-4e98-4410-86d9-e2552d66bcc7_736x736.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!xTf2!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fcd712aec-4e98-4410-86d9-e2552d66bcc7_736x736.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!xTf2!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fcd712aec-4e98-4410-86d9-e2552d66bcc7_736x736.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!xTf2!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fcd712aec-4e98-4410-86d9-e2552d66bcc7_736x736.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!xTf2!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fcd712aec-4e98-4410-86d9-e2552d66bcc7_736x736.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!xTf2!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fcd712aec-4e98-4410-86d9-e2552d66bcc7_736x736.jpeg" width="736" height="736" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/cd712aec-4e98-4410-86d9-e2552d66bcc7_736x736.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:736,&quot;width&quot;:736,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:116405,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://khmezek.substack.com/i/207730689?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fcd712aec-4e98-4410-86d9-e2552d66bcc7_736x736.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!xTf2!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fcd712aec-4e98-4410-86d9-e2552d66bcc7_736x736.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!xTf2!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fcd712aec-4e98-4410-86d9-e2552d66bcc7_736x736.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!xTf2!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fcd712aec-4e98-4410-86d9-e2552d66bcc7_736x736.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!xTf2!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fcd712aec-4e98-4410-86d9-e2552d66bcc7_736x736.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p> FEZ, MOROCCO</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!eebn!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F47ac8d1d-2dc8-4844-9fc4-f47cb3cd4810_1000x226.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!eebn!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F47ac8d1d-2dc8-4844-9fc4-f47cb3cd4810_1000x226.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!eebn!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F47ac8d1d-2dc8-4844-9fc4-f47cb3cd4810_1000x226.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!eebn!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F47ac8d1d-2dc8-4844-9fc4-f47cb3cd4810_1000x226.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!eebn!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F47ac8d1d-2dc8-4844-9fc4-f47cb3cd4810_1000x226.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!eebn!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F47ac8d1d-2dc8-4844-9fc4-f47cb3cd4810_1000x226.jpeg" width="1000" height="226" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/47ac8d1d-2dc8-4844-9fc4-f47cb3cd4810_1000x226.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:226,&quot;width&quot;:1000,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:null,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;10344373_10156447005390360_7384512955788582128_o[1]&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:null,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="10344373_10156447005390360_7384512955788582128_o[1]" title="10344373_10156447005390360_7384512955788582128_o[1]" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!eebn!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F47ac8d1d-2dc8-4844-9fc4-f47cb3cd4810_1000x226.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!eebn!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F47ac8d1d-2dc8-4844-9fc4-f47cb3cd4810_1000x226.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!eebn!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F47ac8d1d-2dc8-4844-9fc4-f47cb3cd4810_1000x226.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!eebn!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F47ac8d1d-2dc8-4844-9fc4-f47cb3cd4810_1000x226.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>This most breathtaking view of Fez has a special place in my heart. After one month in the Sahara Desert without hot water, or a real shower, or proper heating (don&#8217;t get me started), my friend Lux and I escaped on the night bus to Fez, where we found the most fabulous hotel in the Medina and climbed our way to the top to sit and drink martinis and be inspired, her in her art and me in my writing.</p><p>What&#8217;s not to love about writing in a room like this, in a Riad in the heart of the Medina?</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hiWO!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F15387ca2-1cdf-4b08-903b-4687d4621945_528x960.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hiWO!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F15387ca2-1cdf-4b08-903b-4687d4621945_528x960.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hiWO!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F15387ca2-1cdf-4b08-903b-4687d4621945_528x960.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hiWO!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F15387ca2-1cdf-4b08-903b-4687d4621945_528x960.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hiWO!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F15387ca2-1cdf-4b08-903b-4687d4621945_528x960.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hiWO!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F15387ca2-1cdf-4b08-903b-4687d4621945_528x960.jpeg" width="528" height="960" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/15387ca2-1cdf-4b08-903b-4687d4621945_528x960.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:960,&quot;width&quot;:528,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:null,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;12274259_10156337064080360_5888125629095401517_n[1]&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:null,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="12274259_10156337064080360_5888125629095401517_n[1]" title="12274259_10156337064080360_5888125629095401517_n[1]" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hiWO!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F15387ca2-1cdf-4b08-903b-4687d4621945_528x960.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hiWO!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F15387ca2-1cdf-4b08-903b-4687d4621945_528x960.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hiWO!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F15387ca2-1cdf-4b08-903b-4687d4621945_528x960.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hiWO!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F15387ca2-1cdf-4b08-903b-4687d4621945_528x960.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>Marrakesh</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!_y_2!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0a3b9751-98e5-400e-b588-2b633359c189_528x742.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!_y_2!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0a3b9751-98e5-400e-b588-2b633359c189_528x742.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!_y_2!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0a3b9751-98e5-400e-b588-2b633359c189_528x742.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!_y_2!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0a3b9751-98e5-400e-b588-2b633359c189_528x742.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!_y_2!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0a3b9751-98e5-400e-b588-2b633359c189_528x742.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!_y_2!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0a3b9751-98e5-400e-b588-2b633359c189_528x742.jpeg" width="528" height="742" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/0a3b9751-98e5-400e-b588-2b633359c189_528x742.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:742,&quot;width&quot;:528,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:88515,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;No photo description available.&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="No photo description available." title="No photo description available." srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!_y_2!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0a3b9751-98e5-400e-b588-2b633359c189_528x742.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!_y_2!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0a3b9751-98e5-400e-b588-2b633359c189_528x742.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!_y_2!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0a3b9751-98e5-400e-b588-2b633359c189_528x742.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!_y_2!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0a3b9751-98e5-400e-b588-2b633359c189_528x742.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>3. LAUSANNE, SWITZERLAND</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!8tkl!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fccc83ec7-f1b5-4fb7-a3dc-56820c4ce4ef_960x540.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!8tkl!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fccc83ec7-f1b5-4fb7-a3dc-56820c4ce4ef_960x540.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!8tkl!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fccc83ec7-f1b5-4fb7-a3dc-56820c4ce4ef_960x540.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!8tkl!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fccc83ec7-f1b5-4fb7-a3dc-56820c4ce4ef_960x540.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!8tkl!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fccc83ec7-f1b5-4fb7-a3dc-56820c4ce4ef_960x540.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!8tkl!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fccc83ec7-f1b5-4fb7-a3dc-56820c4ce4ef_960x540.jpeg" width="960" height="540" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/ccc83ec7-f1b5-4fb7-a3dc-56820c4ce4ef_960x540.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:540,&quot;width&quot;:960,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:null,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;10505491_10154408651735360_5185920944195551762_n[1]&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:null,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="10505491_10154408651735360_5185920944195551762_n[1]" title="10505491_10154408651735360_5185920944195551762_n[1]" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!8tkl!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fccc83ec7-f1b5-4fb7-a3dc-56820c4ce4ef_960x540.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!8tkl!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fccc83ec7-f1b5-4fb7-a3dc-56820c4ce4ef_960x540.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!8tkl!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fccc83ec7-f1b5-4fb7-a3dc-56820c4ce4ef_960x540.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!8tkl!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fccc83ec7-f1b5-4fb7-a3dc-56820c4ce4ef_960x540.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>This is Ouchy, near Lausanne, Switzerland, on Lake Geneva. The little pink building towards the left is where I stayed with my daughter and my niece. I was working on my childhood memoir, Into the World, part of which is included in my book The Seduction of Islam, and had traveled all this way to visit the 17th century castle I had lived in as a child; chateau d&#8217;Echendens, on a hill in a village above the city. In the mornings I ran along the lake side and the day we went to visit the castle&#8230;well, it was as if I was back there again as a child, running through the streets of the village after school Every day we chased by the children, who wanted to fight me and my sister, because they were convinced we came from the land of &#8220;Zorro,&#8221; since it was the only American TV show, besides Perdue dans la Space (Lost in Space). My sister and I would climb over the castle wall and peer back and taunt them.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!UkA_!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe9e06acb-b4b8-4476-93fc-bc1264b0e0bf_540x960.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!UkA_!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe9e06acb-b4b8-4476-93fc-bc1264b0e0bf_540x960.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!UkA_!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe9e06acb-b4b8-4476-93fc-bc1264b0e0bf_540x960.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!UkA_!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe9e06acb-b4b8-4476-93fc-bc1264b0e0bf_540x960.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!UkA_!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe9e06acb-b4b8-4476-93fc-bc1264b0e0bf_540x960.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!UkA_!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe9e06acb-b4b8-4476-93fc-bc1264b0e0bf_540x960.jpeg" width="540" height="960" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/e9e06acb-b4b8-4476-93fc-bc1264b0e0bf_540x960.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:960,&quot;width&quot;:540,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:null,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;No photo description available.&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:null,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="No photo description available." title="No photo description available." srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!UkA_!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe9e06acb-b4b8-4476-93fc-bc1264b0e0bf_540x960.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!UkA_!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe9e06acb-b4b8-4476-93fc-bc1264b0e0bf_540x960.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!UkA_!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe9e06acb-b4b8-4476-93fc-bc1264b0e0bf_540x960.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!UkA_!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe9e06acb-b4b8-4476-93fc-bc1264b0e0bf_540x960.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>DJERASSI ARTISTS RETREAT, BIG SUR, CALIFORNIA, USA</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yVWl!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2e176396-e240-450a-a051-d9c9043d03df_960x540.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yVWl!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2e176396-e240-450a-a051-d9c9043d03df_960x540.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yVWl!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2e176396-e240-450a-a051-d9c9043d03df_960x540.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yVWl!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2e176396-e240-450a-a051-d9c9043d03df_960x540.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yVWl!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2e176396-e240-450a-a051-d9c9043d03df_960x540.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yVWl!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2e176396-e240-450a-a051-d9c9043d03df_960x540.jpeg" width="960" height="540" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/2e176396-e240-450a-a051-d9c9043d03df_960x540.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:540,&quot;width&quot;:960,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:null,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;10478584_10154327980380360_4842140828755991629_n[1]&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:null,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="10478584_10154327980380360_4842140828755991629_n[1]" title="10478584_10154327980380360_4842140828755991629_n[1]" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yVWl!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2e176396-e240-450a-a051-d9c9043d03df_960x540.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yVWl!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2e176396-e240-450a-a051-d9c9043d03df_960x540.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yVWl!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2e176396-e240-450a-a051-d9c9043d03df_960x540.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yVWl!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2e176396-e240-450a-a051-d9c9043d03df_960x540.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>This is the view from my time at Djerassi in Northern California, where I spent one week living in a pod-like room with this amazing view, and working on Key of Mystery, book I in the Night Angels Chronicles.</p><p>ISTANBUL, TURKEY</p><p>This is the penthouse terrace on the steep little street, just off Istiklal Cadessi, in Beyuglu, Istanbul wherr I stayed for almost a month. From here, I could watch the ships come and go on the Bosporus, the knife that slices through the East and the West, the inspiration for Into the World and the Night Angels Chronicles.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!zPAP!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc9282e94-1a5b-4308-a655-5b8be51dd6dd_540x618.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!zPAP!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc9282e94-1a5b-4308-a655-5b8be51dd6dd_540x618.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!zPAP!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc9282e94-1a5b-4308-a655-5b8be51dd6dd_540x618.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!zPAP!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc9282e94-1a5b-4308-a655-5b8be51dd6dd_540x618.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!zPAP!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc9282e94-1a5b-4308-a655-5b8be51dd6dd_540x618.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!zPAP!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc9282e94-1a5b-4308-a655-5b8be51dd6dd_540x618.jpeg" width="540" height="618" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/c9282e94-1a5b-4308-a655-5b8be51dd6dd_540x618.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:618,&quot;width&quot;:540,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:77792,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;10313076_10154422798175360_2913802093885391918_n[1]&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="10313076_10154422798175360_2913802093885391918_n[1]" title="10313076_10154422798175360_2913802093885391918_n[1]" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!zPAP!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc9282e94-1a5b-4308-a655-5b8be51dd6dd_540x618.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!zPAP!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc9282e94-1a5b-4308-a655-5b8be51dd6dd_540x618.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!zPAP!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc9282e94-1a5b-4308-a655-5b8be51dd6dd_540x618.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!zPAP!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc9282e94-1a5b-4308-a655-5b8be51dd6dd_540x618.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>In 2014, this was written on the walls in Istanbul. Nothing changes. </p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MQtS!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe9bdf140-6d00-4ba3-a5f2-0da00307abcd_960x960.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MQtS!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe9bdf140-6d00-4ba3-a5f2-0da00307abcd_960x960.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MQtS!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe9bdf140-6d00-4ba3-a5f2-0da00307abcd_960x960.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MQtS!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe9bdf140-6d00-4ba3-a5f2-0da00307abcd_960x960.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MQtS!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe9bdf140-6d00-4ba3-a5f2-0da00307abcd_960x960.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MQtS!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe9bdf140-6d00-4ba3-a5f2-0da00307abcd_960x960.jpeg" width="960" height="960" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/e9bdf140-6d00-4ba3-a5f2-0da00307abcd_960x960.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:960,&quot;width&quot;:960,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:null,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;No photo description available.&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:null,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="No photo description available." title="No photo description available." srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MQtS!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe9bdf140-6d00-4ba3-a5f2-0da00307abcd_960x960.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MQtS!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe9bdf140-6d00-4ba3-a5f2-0da00307abcd_960x960.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MQtS!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe9bdf140-6d00-4ba3-a5f2-0da00307abcd_960x960.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MQtS!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe9bdf140-6d00-4ba3-a5f2-0da00307abcd_960x960.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>Istanbul is a beautiful city. </p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!f3_y!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fde93cf2d-d170-4254-88ea-b8ebb2c36a43_1367x1367.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!f3_y!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fde93cf2d-d170-4254-88ea-b8ebb2c36a43_1367x1367.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!f3_y!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fde93cf2d-d170-4254-88ea-b8ebb2c36a43_1367x1367.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!f3_y!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fde93cf2d-d170-4254-88ea-b8ebb2c36a43_1367x1367.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!f3_y!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fde93cf2d-d170-4254-88ea-b8ebb2c36a43_1367x1367.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!f3_y!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fde93cf2d-d170-4254-88ea-b8ebb2c36a43_1367x1367.jpeg" width="1367" height="1367" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/de93cf2d-d170-4254-88ea-b8ebb2c36a43_1367x1367.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1367,&quot;width&quot;:1367,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:null,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;No photo description available.&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:null,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="No photo description available." title="No photo description available." srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!f3_y!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fde93cf2d-d170-4254-88ea-b8ebb2c36a43_1367x1367.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!f3_y!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fde93cf2d-d170-4254-88ea-b8ebb2c36a43_1367x1367.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!f3_y!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fde93cf2d-d170-4254-88ea-b8ebb2c36a43_1367x1367.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!f3_y!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fde93cf2d-d170-4254-88ea-b8ebb2c36a43_1367x1367.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>MARTHA&#8217;S VINEYARD, UNITED STATES</p><p>This is Martha&#8217;s Vineyard, where I have been three times on a writer&#8217;s residency at Noepe. I stayed at the Point Way Inn in Edmonton. There is something magical about this island in October when all the tourists are gone, the shops are closed for the coming winter, and it&#8217;s just the ghosts of old mariners.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!UhaF!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fae3dee60-01a1-4e00-a32f-9a5414dbe2cc_960x540.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!UhaF!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fae3dee60-01a1-4e00-a32f-9a5414dbe2cc_960x540.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!UhaF!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fae3dee60-01a1-4e00-a32f-9a5414dbe2cc_960x540.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!UhaF!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fae3dee60-01a1-4e00-a32f-9a5414dbe2cc_960x540.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!UhaF!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fae3dee60-01a1-4e00-a32f-9a5414dbe2cc_960x540.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!UhaF!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fae3dee60-01a1-4e00-a32f-9a5414dbe2cc_960x540.jpeg" width="960" height="540" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/ae3dee60-01a1-4e00-a32f-9a5414dbe2cc_960x540.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:540,&quot;width&quot;:960,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:null,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;10421227_10154831579420360_7389633549501018016_n[1]&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:null,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="10421227_10154831579420360_7389633549501018016_n[1]" title="10421227_10154831579420360_7389633549501018016_n[1]" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!UhaF!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fae3dee60-01a1-4e00-a32f-9a5414dbe2cc_960x540.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!UhaF!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fae3dee60-01a1-4e00-a32f-9a5414dbe2cc_960x540.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!UhaF!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fae3dee60-01a1-4e00-a32f-9a5414dbe2cc_960x540.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!UhaF!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fae3dee60-01a1-4e00-a32f-9a5414dbe2cc_960x540.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!PWi5!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F874d9377-3a37-4461-9e44-8f1c0aedf9d8_720x540.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!PWi5!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F874d9377-3a37-4461-9e44-8f1c0aedf9d8_720x540.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!PWi5!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F874d9377-3a37-4461-9e44-8f1c0aedf9d8_720x540.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!PWi5!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F874d9377-3a37-4461-9e44-8f1c0aedf9d8_720x540.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!PWi5!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F874d9377-3a37-4461-9e44-8f1c0aedf9d8_720x540.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!PWi5!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F874d9377-3a37-4461-9e44-8f1c0aedf9d8_720x540.jpeg" width="720" height="540" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/874d9377-3a37-4461-9e44-8f1c0aedf9d8_720x540.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:540,&quot;width&quot;:720,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:null,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;No photo description available.&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:null,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="No photo description available." title="No photo description available." srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!PWi5!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F874d9377-3a37-4461-9e44-8f1c0aedf9d8_720x540.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!PWi5!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F874d9377-3a37-4461-9e44-8f1c0aedf9d8_720x540.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!PWi5!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F874d9377-3a37-4461-9e44-8f1c0aedf9d8_720x540.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!PWi5!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F874d9377-3a37-4461-9e44-8f1c0aedf9d8_720x540.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>LAKE ARENAL, COSTA RICA</p><p>I spent six months of bliss, in Costa Rica, writing furiously. First, in a house overlooking Lake Arenal, then at an apartment in near Tilaran. Almost every late afternoon the storms rolled in and water swept under the door from the balcony and into my bedroom. I loved this dramatic weather. Of course, scorpions also had a habit of crawling in. At night the howling monkeys kept me awake. Almost every night, a gigantic spider built an enormous and quite beautiful web right outside my front door, so I had no choice but to destroy the web when time I wanted to go out the next morning (it was the only way out). I kept telling the spider to change his location but he didn&#8217;t listen. </p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Pxbo!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F725c7f3a-1629-4418-be4d-5184975f0f07_960x540.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Pxbo!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F725c7f3a-1629-4418-be4d-5184975f0f07_960x540.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Pxbo!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F725c7f3a-1629-4418-be4d-5184975f0f07_960x540.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Pxbo!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F725c7f3a-1629-4418-be4d-5184975f0f07_960x540.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Pxbo!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F725c7f3a-1629-4418-be4d-5184975f0f07_960x540.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Pxbo!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F725c7f3a-1629-4418-be4d-5184975f0f07_960x540.jpeg" width="960" height="540" 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class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Bw8k!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6899147a-058b-45f5-84b8-154adb3f4938_960x960.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Bw8k!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6899147a-058b-45f5-84b8-154adb3f4938_960x960.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Bw8k!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6899147a-058b-45f5-84b8-154adb3f4938_960x960.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Bw8k!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6899147a-058b-45f5-84b8-154adb3f4938_960x960.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Bw8k!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6899147a-058b-45f5-84b8-154adb3f4938_960x960.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Bw8k!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6899147a-058b-45f5-84b8-154adb3f4938_960x960.jpeg" width="960" height="960" 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srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Bw8k!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6899147a-058b-45f5-84b8-154adb3f4938_960x960.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Bw8k!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6899147a-058b-45f5-84b8-154adb3f4938_960x960.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Bw8k!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6899147a-058b-45f5-84b8-154adb3f4938_960x960.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Bw8k!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6899147a-058b-45f5-84b8-154adb3f4938_960x960.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><div class="image-gallery-embed" data-attrs="{&quot;gallery&quot;:{&quot;images&quot;:[{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/2794bd1d-7c3a-4694-bc2e-b1c6401feba2_960x540.jpeg&quot;},{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/041a32d9-9e1a-4526-a287-3e4ed83b1e9f_960x540.jpeg&quot;},{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/b9c18774-459f-44e2-b329-0a95639d53ea_539x960.jpeg&quot;}],&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;staticGalleryImage&quot;:{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/3ddb8364-adbe-498c-8e43-d74772c724be_1456x474.png&quot;}},&quot;isEditorNode&quot;:true}"></div><p>It was a joy teaching <a href="https://www.facebook.com/myworldproject">My World Project</a> to the kids on the <strong><a href="https://www.facebook.com/Reserva-Indigena-Maleku-204138796397363/?__tn__=kC*F"><span>Reserva Indigena Maleku</span></a></strong><span>.</span></p><p>SAHARA DESERT, MOROCCO</p><p>I love the desert. I had a monkish room at Cafe Tissardmine. It was winter and hot during the day and freezing at night. No hot water, no shower, just a bucket and whole lot of sand I could never wash away. Birds were my constant companion, flying in and out of the open window.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!vibD!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbb0a99db-7083-4e82-b032-0285c8036ab7_528x960.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!vibD!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbb0a99db-7083-4e82-b032-0285c8036ab7_528x960.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!vibD!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbb0a99db-7083-4e82-b032-0285c8036ab7_528x960.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!vibD!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbb0a99db-7083-4e82-b032-0285c8036ab7_528x960.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!vibD!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbb0a99db-7083-4e82-b032-0285c8036ab7_528x960.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!vibD!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbb0a99db-7083-4e82-b032-0285c8036ab7_528x960.jpeg" width="528" height="960" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/bb0a99db-7083-4e82-b032-0285c8036ab7_528x960.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:960,&quot;width&quot;:528,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:null,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;No photo description available.&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:null,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="No photo description available." title="No photo description available." srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!vibD!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbb0a99db-7083-4e82-b032-0285c8036ab7_528x960.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!vibD!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbb0a99db-7083-4e82-b032-0285c8036ab7_528x960.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!vibD!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbb0a99db-7083-4e82-b032-0285c8036ab7_528x960.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!vibD!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbb0a99db-7083-4e82-b032-0285c8036ab7_528x960.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" 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y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!oocO!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F82bfbbdf-4d17-4bce-83a5-95644bdee506_822x960.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!oocO!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F82bfbbdf-4d17-4bce-83a5-95644bdee506_822x960.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!oocO!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F82bfbbdf-4d17-4bce-83a5-95644bdee506_822x960.jpeg 848w, 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srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!oocO!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F82bfbbdf-4d17-4bce-83a5-95644bdee506_822x960.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!oocO!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F82bfbbdf-4d17-4bce-83a5-95644bdee506_822x960.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!oocO!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F82bfbbdf-4d17-4bce-83a5-95644bdee506_822x960.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!oocO!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F82bfbbdf-4d17-4bce-83a5-95644bdee506_822x960.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>I spent a month in the Sahara Desert, writing my fantasy series and on a fellowship to teach My World Project to kids in Tissardmine village.</p><div class="image-gallery-embed" data-attrs="{&quot;gallery&quot;:{&quot;images&quot;:[{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/webp&quot;,&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/7c0bc324-96aa-4715-a120-fd71b95681bf_960x540.webp&quot;},{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/f0ac2a7c-6768-4f5a-b260-6629c5417f6a_528x960.jpeg&quot;}],&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;staticGalleryImage&quot;:{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/0bab66f3-107d-4fd6-9a53-66d6901e664f_1456x720.png&quot;}},&quot;isEditorNode&quot;:true}"></div><p>SEDONA AND PHOENIX, ARIZONA, USA</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!UI0Q!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F667901e0-c4cf-4386-8931-6a72d753d1fa_453x604.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!UI0Q!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F667901e0-c4cf-4386-8931-6a72d753d1fa_453x604.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!UI0Q!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F667901e0-c4cf-4386-8931-6a72d753d1fa_453x604.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!UI0Q!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F667901e0-c4cf-4386-8931-6a72d753d1fa_453x604.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!UI0Q!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F667901e0-c4cf-4386-8931-6a72d753d1fa_453x604.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!UI0Q!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F667901e0-c4cf-4386-8931-6a72d753d1fa_453x604.jpeg" width="453" height="604" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/667901e0-c4cf-4386-8931-6a72d753d1fa_453x604.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:604,&quot;width&quot;:453,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:null,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;1911735_10153848954965360_862899181_n[1]&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:null,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="1911735_10153848954965360_862899181_n[1]" title="1911735_10153848954965360_862899181_n[1]" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!UI0Q!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F667901e0-c4cf-4386-8931-6a72d753d1fa_453x604.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!UI0Q!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F667901e0-c4cf-4386-8931-6a72d753d1fa_453x604.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!UI0Q!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F667901e0-c4cf-4386-8931-6a72d753d1fa_453x604.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!UI0Q!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F667901e0-c4cf-4386-8931-6a72d753d1fa_453x604.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!heak!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0a242f68-d392-4eb3-a7a0-0a15f4f98579_604x453.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!heak!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0a242f68-d392-4eb3-a7a0-0a15f4f98579_604x453.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!heak!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0a242f68-d392-4eb3-a7a0-0a15f4f98579_604x453.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!heak!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0a242f68-d392-4eb3-a7a0-0a15f4f98579_604x453.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!heak!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0a242f68-d392-4eb3-a7a0-0a15f4f98579_604x453.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!heak!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0a242f68-d392-4eb3-a7a0-0a15f4f98579_604x453.jpeg" width="604" height="453" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/0a242f68-d392-4eb3-a7a0-0a15f4f98579_604x453.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:453,&quot;width&quot;:604,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:null,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;May be an image of 2 people and Uluru&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:null,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="May be an image of 2 people and Uluru" title="May be an image of 2 people and Uluru" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!heak!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0a242f68-d392-4eb3-a7a0-0a15f4f98579_604x453.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!heak!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0a242f68-d392-4eb3-a7a0-0a15f4f98579_604x453.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!heak!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0a242f68-d392-4eb3-a7a0-0a15f4f98579_604x453.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!heak!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0a242f68-d392-4eb3-a7a0-0a15f4f98579_604x453.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>Sedona on top and Phoenix on the bottom. My daughter and my son with me in Sedona. Phoenix was my home base when I lived in Luxor. For most of my life I have been a traveler, never really feeling as if I belonged anywhere. Now I&#8217;m back in Phoenix and I finally feel like this is my home&#8212;it took long enough. </p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hi0a!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fcf2c4c59-a7d6-4d17-a856-cf9fb9481cf3_4000x3000.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hi0a!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fcf2c4c59-a7d6-4d17-a856-cf9fb9481cf3_4000x3000.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hi0a!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fcf2c4c59-a7d6-4d17-a856-cf9fb9481cf3_4000x3000.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hi0a!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fcf2c4c59-a7d6-4d17-a856-cf9fb9481cf3_4000x3000.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hi0a!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fcf2c4c59-a7d6-4d17-a856-cf9fb9481cf3_4000x3000.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hi0a!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fcf2c4c59-a7d6-4d17-a856-cf9fb9481cf3_4000x3000.jpeg" width="1456" height="1092" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/cf2c4c59-a7d6-4d17-a856-cf9fb9481cf3_4000x3000.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1092,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:2906603,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://khmezek.substack.com/i/207730689?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fcf2c4c59-a7d6-4d17-a856-cf9fb9481cf3_4000x3000.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hi0a!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fcf2c4c59-a7d6-4d17-a856-cf9fb9481cf3_4000x3000.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hi0a!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fcf2c4c59-a7d6-4d17-a856-cf9fb9481cf3_4000x3000.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hi0a!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fcf2c4c59-a7d6-4d17-a856-cf9fb9481cf3_4000x3000.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hi0a!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fcf2c4c59-a7d6-4d17-a856-cf9fb9481cf3_4000x3000.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>OJAI, CALIFORNIA, USA</p><p>Whenever I could when my kids were teenagers, I escaped for just a night or two to Ojai to write. That&#8217;s when I lived in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles. All I had to do was to get in my car and drive for about an hour and I was in this peaceful place where I could regain my strength. </p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Ontd!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F44f7a51c-9c4d-4224-a44c-ef925dc85c55_453x604.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Ontd!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F44f7a51c-9c4d-4224-a44c-ef925dc85c55_453x604.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Ontd!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F44f7a51c-9c4d-4224-a44c-ef925dc85c55_453x604.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Ontd!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F44f7a51c-9c4d-4224-a44c-ef925dc85c55_453x604.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Ontd!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F44f7a51c-9c4d-4224-a44c-ef925dc85c55_453x604.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Ontd!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F44f7a51c-9c4d-4224-a44c-ef925dc85c55_453x604.jpeg" width="453" height="604" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/44f7a51c-9c4d-4224-a44c-ef925dc85c55_453x604.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:604,&quot;width&quot;:453,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:null,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;181881_10151702690480360_626001934_n[1]&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:null,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="181881_10151702690480360_626001934_n[1]" title="181881_10151702690480360_626001934_n[1]" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Ontd!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F44f7a51c-9c4d-4224-a44c-ef925dc85c55_453x604.jpeg 424w, 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stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!FiM7!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbf7cb03f-fe79-4528-af28-91d4ae24a23d_528x960.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!FiM7!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbf7cb03f-fe79-4528-af28-91d4ae24a23d_528x960.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!FiM7!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbf7cb03f-fe79-4528-af28-91d4ae24a23d_528x960.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!FiM7!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbf7cb03f-fe79-4528-af28-91d4ae24a23d_528x960.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!FiM7!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbf7cb03f-fe79-4528-af28-91d4ae24a23d_528x960.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!FiM7!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbf7cb03f-fe79-4528-af28-91d4ae24a23d_528x960.jpeg" width="528" height="960" 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srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!FiM7!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbf7cb03f-fe79-4528-af28-91d4ae24a23d_528x960.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!FiM7!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbf7cb03f-fe79-4528-af28-91d4ae24a23d_528x960.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!FiM7!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbf7cb03f-fe79-4528-af28-91d4ae24a23d_528x960.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!FiM7!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbf7cb03f-fe79-4528-af28-91d4ae24a23d_528x960.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!taw7!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0c9e5e93-77ec-4a98-b025-0fc7671e0239_453x604.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!taw7!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0c9e5e93-77ec-4a98-b025-0fc7671e0239_453x604.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!taw7!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0c9e5e93-77ec-4a98-b025-0fc7671e0239_453x604.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!taw7!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0c9e5e93-77ec-4a98-b025-0fc7671e0239_453x604.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!taw7!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0c9e5e93-77ec-4a98-b025-0fc7671e0239_453x604.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!taw7!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0c9e5e93-77ec-4a98-b025-0fc7671e0239_453x604.jpeg" width="453" height="604" 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https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!taw7!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0c9e5e93-77ec-4a98-b025-0fc7671e0239_453x604.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!taw7!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0c9e5e93-77ec-4a98-b025-0fc7671e0239_453x604.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!taw7!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0c9e5e93-77ec-4a98-b025-0fc7671e0239_453x604.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">The view from my writing desk</figcaption></figure></div><p>TYRONE GUTHRIE CENTRE, IRELAND</p><p>Here is the most brooding and mystical place, Tyrone Guthrie Centre, in Ireland, where I am a lifelong Fellow. I always hoped to return but I&#8217;m quite sure they wouldn&#8217;t allow me back, not since Ireland has become such an antisemitic country. Like the UK, I hope it returns to its senses one day. </p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!nAcV!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8dbd86d1-c265-49bf-a184-8289088f2adc_1920x1080.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!nAcV!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8dbd86d1-c265-49bf-a184-8289088f2adc_1920x1080.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!nAcV!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8dbd86d1-c265-49bf-a184-8289088f2adc_1920x1080.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!nAcV!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8dbd86d1-c265-49bf-a184-8289088f2adc_1920x1080.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!nAcV!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8dbd86d1-c265-49bf-a184-8289088f2adc_1920x1080.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!nAcV!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8dbd86d1-c265-49bf-a184-8289088f2adc_1920x1080.jpeg" width="1456" height="819" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/8dbd86d1-c265-49bf-a184-8289088f2adc_1920x1080.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:819,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:null,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;No photo description available.&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:null,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="No photo description available." title="No photo description available." srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!nAcV!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8dbd86d1-c265-49bf-a184-8289088f2adc_1920x1080.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!nAcV!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8dbd86d1-c265-49bf-a184-8289088f2adc_1920x1080.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!nAcV!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8dbd86d1-c265-49bf-a184-8289088f2adc_1920x1080.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!nAcV!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8dbd86d1-c265-49bf-a184-8289088f2adc_1920x1080.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Uvfu!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F996081b2-f6a3-4c3a-bb99-00cefdbe6736_960x540.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Uvfu!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F996081b2-f6a3-4c3a-bb99-00cefdbe6736_960x540.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Uvfu!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F996081b2-f6a3-4c3a-bb99-00cefdbe6736_960x540.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Uvfu!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F996081b2-f6a3-4c3a-bb99-00cefdbe6736_960x540.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Uvfu!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F996081b2-f6a3-4c3a-bb99-00cefdbe6736_960x540.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Uvfu!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F996081b2-f6a3-4c3a-bb99-00cefdbe6736_960x540.jpeg" width="960" height="540" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/996081b2-f6a3-4c3a-bb99-00cefdbe6736_960x540.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:540,&quot;width&quot;:960,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:null,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;407777_10151139680565360_1635791342_n[1]&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:null,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="407777_10151139680565360_1635791342_n[1]" title="407777_10151139680565360_1635791342_n[1]" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Uvfu!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F996081b2-f6a3-4c3a-bb99-00cefdbe6736_960x540.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Uvfu!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F996081b2-f6a3-4c3a-bb99-00cefdbe6736_960x540.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Uvfu!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F996081b2-f6a3-4c3a-bb99-00cefdbe6736_960x540.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Uvfu!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F996081b2-f6a3-4c3a-bb99-00cefdbe6736_960x540.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption"></figcaption></figure></div><p>And this was my desk.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Qhoi!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffaa8b6a9-e780-4089-8c2c-8eb2e880ed31_1590x1080.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Qhoi!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffaa8b6a9-e780-4089-8c2c-8eb2e880ed31_1590x1080.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Qhoi!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffaa8b6a9-e780-4089-8c2c-8eb2e880ed31_1590x1080.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Qhoi!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffaa8b6a9-e780-4089-8c2c-8eb2e880ed31_1590x1080.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Qhoi!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffaa8b6a9-e780-4089-8c2c-8eb2e880ed31_1590x1080.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Qhoi!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffaa8b6a9-e780-4089-8c2c-8eb2e880ed31_1590x1080.jpeg" width="1590" height="1080" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/faa8b6a9-e780-4089-8c2c-8eb2e880ed31_1590x1080.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1080,&quot;width&quot;:1590,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:333793,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;No photo description available.&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="No photo description available." title="No photo description available." srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Qhoi!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffaa8b6a9-e780-4089-8c2c-8eb2e880ed31_1590x1080.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Qhoi!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffaa8b6a9-e780-4089-8c2c-8eb2e880ed31_1590x1080.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Qhoi!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffaa8b6a9-e780-4089-8c2c-8eb2e880ed31_1590x1080.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Qhoi!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffaa8b6a9-e780-4089-8c2c-8eb2e880ed31_1590x1080.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>HAMBIDGE CENTER FOR ARTS AND SCIENCES, GEORGIA, USA</p><p>I was invited as a fellow of the Hambidge Center to write in this idyllic location. I had a small cabin I called my own, in the Blue Ridge Mountains. I took long walks, always on the lookout for bears.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!rB2l!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb5b6e2a7-f0d6-4160-823b-790f4055c210_453x604.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!rB2l!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb5b6e2a7-f0d6-4160-823b-790f4055c210_453x604.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!rB2l!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb5b6e2a7-f0d6-4160-823b-790f4055c210_453x604.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!rB2l!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb5b6e2a7-f0d6-4160-823b-790f4055c210_453x604.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!rB2l!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb5b6e2a7-f0d6-4160-823b-790f4055c210_453x604.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!rB2l!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb5b6e2a7-f0d6-4160-823b-790f4055c210_453x604.jpeg" width="453" height="604" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/b5b6e2a7-f0d6-4160-823b-790f4055c210_453x604.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:604,&quot;width&quot;:453,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:null,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;522167_10152221874495360_1769206305_n[1]&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:null,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="522167_10152221874495360_1769206305_n[1]" title="522167_10152221874495360_1769206305_n[1]" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!rB2l!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb5b6e2a7-f0d6-4160-823b-790f4055c210_453x604.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!rB2l!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb5b6e2a7-f0d6-4160-823b-790f4055c210_453x604.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!rB2l!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb5b6e2a7-f0d6-4160-823b-790f4055c210_453x604.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!rB2l!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb5b6e2a7-f0d6-4160-823b-790f4055c210_453x604.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>LUXOR, EGYPT</p><p>And then, of course, there was Luxor, Egypt and thanks to my time there, I&#8217;ve written an entire book, The Seduction of Islam, soon to be published. This was my garden where I spent many wonderful evenings. </p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!klSG!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8d979e8f-a813-4ff7-8446-905dbd08e67a_1440x810.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!klSG!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8d979e8f-a813-4ff7-8446-905dbd08e67a_1440x810.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!klSG!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8d979e8f-a813-4ff7-8446-905dbd08e67a_1440x810.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!klSG!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8d979e8f-a813-4ff7-8446-905dbd08e67a_1440x810.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!klSG!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8d979e8f-a813-4ff7-8446-905dbd08e67a_1440x810.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!klSG!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8d979e8f-a813-4ff7-8446-905dbd08e67a_1440x810.jpeg" width="1440" height="810" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/8d979e8f-a813-4ff7-8446-905dbd08e67a_1440x810.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:810,&quot;width&quot;:1440,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:null,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;No photo description available.&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:null,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="No photo description available." title="No photo description available." srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!klSG!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8d979e8f-a813-4ff7-8446-905dbd08e67a_1440x810.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!klSG!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8d979e8f-a813-4ff7-8446-905dbd08e67a_1440x810.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!klSG!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8d979e8f-a813-4ff7-8446-905dbd08e67a_1440x810.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!klSG!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8d979e8f-a813-4ff7-8446-905dbd08e67a_1440x810.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>Here is the cafe by the Nile where I sat and wrote and sometimes conducted my English classes in China if the internet wasn&#8217;t working at my villa&#8212;you never knew when it would go out. </p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!_7fx!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffe416cae-091d-4fc6-998e-8f7205ec5cf4_960x540.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!_7fx!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffe416cae-091d-4fc6-998e-8f7205ec5cf4_960x540.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!_7fx!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffe416cae-091d-4fc6-998e-8f7205ec5cf4_960x540.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!_7fx!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffe416cae-091d-4fc6-998e-8f7205ec5cf4_960x540.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!_7fx!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffe416cae-091d-4fc6-998e-8f7205ec5cf4_960x540.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!_7fx!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffe416cae-091d-4fc6-998e-8f7205ec5cf4_960x540.jpeg" width="960" height="540" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/fe416cae-091d-4fc6-998e-8f7205ec5cf4_960x540.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:540,&quot;width&quot;:960,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:null,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;No photo description available.&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:null,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="No photo description available." title="No photo description available." srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!_7fx!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffe416cae-091d-4fc6-998e-8f7205ec5cf4_960x540.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!_7fx!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffe416cae-091d-4fc6-998e-8f7205ec5cf4_960x540.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!_7fx!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffe416cae-091d-4fc6-998e-8f7205ec5cf4_960x540.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!_7fx!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffe416cae-091d-4fc6-998e-8f7205ec5cf4_960x540.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>SUCRE, BOLIVIA</p><p>I had never been to South America, and I wanted to go someplace out of the ordinary, so I chose Sucre. I was working on my series Night Angels Chronicles. I fell in love with Sucre and used it as a location in the fourth book in the series, still to be published. It was in Sucre that I became obsessed with churches. The buildings are bright white, and the sky is bluer than you can imagine. </p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!p8eZ!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb3eec2cb-087d-49cc-b885-a79ba9ca2de8_2988x3846.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!p8eZ!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb3eec2cb-087d-49cc-b885-a79ba9ca2de8_2988x3846.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!p8eZ!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb3eec2cb-087d-49cc-b885-a79ba9ca2de8_2988x3846.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!p8eZ!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb3eec2cb-087d-49cc-b885-a79ba9ca2de8_2988x3846.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!p8eZ!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb3eec2cb-087d-49cc-b885-a79ba9ca2de8_2988x3846.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!p8eZ!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb3eec2cb-087d-49cc-b885-a79ba9ca2de8_2988x3846.jpeg" width="2988" height="3846" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/b3eec2cb-087d-49cc-b885-a79ba9ca2de8_2988x3846.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:3846,&quot;width&quot;:2988,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:1890622,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://khmezek.substack.com/i/207730689?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F10ca969e-1498-478a-9768-c98ee87c6f47_5312x2988.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!p8eZ!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb3eec2cb-087d-49cc-b885-a79ba9ca2de8_2988x3846.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!p8eZ!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb3eec2cb-087d-49cc-b885-a79ba9ca2de8_2988x3846.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!p8eZ!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb3eec2cb-087d-49cc-b885-a79ba9ca2de8_2988x3846.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!p8eZ!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb3eec2cb-087d-49cc-b885-a79ba9ca2de8_2988x3846.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>I found a roof top gym, Vista Gym, where the owner and I trained early on Saturday mornings. I loved walking these streets. </p><div class="image-gallery-embed" data-attrs="{&quot;gallery&quot;:{&quot;images&quot;:[{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/d55df46c-c3cf-4c29-aa33-53821a3a11df_960x540.jpeg&quot;},{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/acca9d81-fda8-4101-86c5-a69f25d4551f_768x960.jpeg&quot;},{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/fcf32433-f0d1-4f59-9bf4-9e56b484c617_768x960.jpeg&quot;}],&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;staticGalleryImage&quot;:{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/9a34e692-3022-4903-b20e-438767de2ec4_1456x474.png&quot;}},&quot;isEditorNode&quot;:true}"></div><p>Below is the street where I lived. </p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!sH6d!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F00ad1955-ef9f-4df1-bc41-8b8b209e0e7b_5312x2988.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!sH6d!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F00ad1955-ef9f-4df1-bc41-8b8b209e0e7b_5312x2988.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!sH6d!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F00ad1955-ef9f-4df1-bc41-8b8b209e0e7b_5312x2988.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!sH6d!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F00ad1955-ef9f-4df1-bc41-8b8b209e0e7b_5312x2988.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!sH6d!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F00ad1955-ef9f-4df1-bc41-8b8b209e0e7b_5312x2988.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!sH6d!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F00ad1955-ef9f-4df1-bc41-8b8b209e0e7b_5312x2988.jpeg" width="1456" height="2588" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/00ad1955-ef9f-4df1-bc41-8b8b209e0e7b_5312x2988.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:2588,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:2121399,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://khmezek.substack.com/i/207730689?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F00ad1955-ef9f-4df1-bc41-8b8b209e0e7b_5312x2988.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!sH6d!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F00ad1955-ef9f-4df1-bc41-8b8b209e0e7b_5312x2988.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!sH6d!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F00ad1955-ef9f-4df1-bc41-8b8b209e0e7b_5312x2988.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!sH6d!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F00ad1955-ef9f-4df1-bc41-8b8b209e0e7b_5312x2988.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!sH6d!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F00ad1955-ef9f-4df1-bc41-8b8b209e0e7b_5312x2988.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>NEW YORK, NY</p><p>I have a beautiful view from my window in New York. That&#8217;s where I am writing at this very moment. This is what it looked like this past winter. </p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yZKi!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1da7055f-4a8b-442b-8ee2-303daf1404e9_2048x1536.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yZKi!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1da7055f-4a8b-442b-8ee2-303daf1404e9_2048x1536.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yZKi!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1da7055f-4a8b-442b-8ee2-303daf1404e9_2048x1536.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yZKi!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1da7055f-4a8b-442b-8ee2-303daf1404e9_2048x1536.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yZKi!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1da7055f-4a8b-442b-8ee2-303daf1404e9_2048x1536.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yZKi!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1da7055f-4a8b-442b-8ee2-303daf1404e9_2048x1536.jpeg" width="1456" height="1092" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/1da7055f-4a8b-442b-8ee2-303daf1404e9_2048x1536.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1092,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:null,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;No photo description available.&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:null,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="No photo description available." title="No photo description available." srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yZKi!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1da7055f-4a8b-442b-8ee2-303daf1404e9_2048x1536.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yZKi!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1da7055f-4a8b-442b-8ee2-303daf1404e9_2048x1536.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yZKi!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1da7055f-4a8b-442b-8ee2-303daf1404e9_2048x1536.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yZKi!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1da7055f-4a8b-442b-8ee2-303daf1404e9_2048x1536.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>My writing on Break Free Media deals with tough and controversial topics that require a lot of research. I have to go horrible places to do some of that research, like X formerly Twitter, and it requires mental and spiritual preparation to do so. But I love what I do. It&#8217;s a way for me to speak out about my faith, my support for Israel and the Jewish people, and hopefully encourage others to do the same. I&#8217;m thankful God gave me the energy and determination to keep at it, no matter the challenges. </p><p>But my writing hasn&#8217;t always been like this. I wrote and illustrated nineteen books for children in what feels like another lifetime now. Those books, too, made an impact on people&#8217;s lives. I still hear from people about how much my books meant to them as children, and they are now reading them to their children. I can&#8217;t tell you how much this means to me at this point in my life. </p><p>Three of those books, the Sunita series, have recently been republished and are now available in over twenty languages. </p><div class="image-gallery-embed" data-attrs="{&quot;gallery&quot;:{&quot;images&quot;:[{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/04f56a60-eb3f-4cd2-9a10-f7e3c7bc4eaf_960x540.jpeg&quot;},{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/bccc53d3-ba51-43e4-bc5f-cd24796dc258_960x540.jpeg&quot;},{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/ac97c47f-ae1f-4173-8ff2-a325fb03c316_960x540.jpeg&quot;}],&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;staticGalleryImage&quot;:{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/461704dc-d500-40c1-bd2b-06283cbfcf7d_1456x474.png&quot;}},&quot;isEditorNode&quot;:true}"></div><p>I will end with some of my artwork inspired by my travels, from my book children&#8217;s book, All the Children of the World.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-_wB!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F80636f99-667e-403d-9247-46830ae3f8ab_2048x1496.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-_wB!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F80636f99-667e-403d-9247-46830ae3f8ab_2048x1496.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-_wB!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F80636f99-667e-403d-9247-46830ae3f8ab_2048x1496.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-_wB!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F80636f99-667e-403d-9247-46830ae3f8ab_2048x1496.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-_wB!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F80636f99-667e-403d-9247-46830ae3f8ab_2048x1496.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-_wB!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F80636f99-667e-403d-9247-46830ae3f8ab_2048x1496.jpeg" width="1456" height="1064" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/80636f99-667e-403d-9247-46830ae3f8ab_2048x1496.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1064,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:null,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;No photo description available.&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:null,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="No photo description available." title="No photo description available." srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-_wB!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F80636f99-667e-403d-9247-46830ae3f8ab_2048x1496.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-_wB!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F80636f99-667e-403d-9247-46830ae3f8ab_2048x1496.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-_wB!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F80636f99-667e-403d-9247-46830ae3f8ab_2048x1496.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-_wB!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F80636f99-667e-403d-9247-46830ae3f8ab_2048x1496.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Children of the Amazon</figcaption></figure></div><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!xUyl!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe0b20912-05a8-4c6a-92c3-ca60b3cad050_2048x1520.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!xUyl!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe0b20912-05a8-4c6a-92c3-ca60b3cad050_2048x1520.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!xUyl!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe0b20912-05a8-4c6a-92c3-ca60b3cad050_2048x1520.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!xUyl!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe0b20912-05a8-4c6a-92c3-ca60b3cad050_2048x1520.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!xUyl!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe0b20912-05a8-4c6a-92c3-ca60b3cad050_2048x1520.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!xUyl!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe0b20912-05a8-4c6a-92c3-ca60b3cad050_2048x1520.jpeg" width="1456" height="1081" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/e0b20912-05a8-4c6a-92c3-ca60b3cad050_2048x1520.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1081,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:null,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;No photo description available.&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:null,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="No photo description available." title="No photo description available." srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!xUyl!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe0b20912-05a8-4c6a-92c3-ca60b3cad050_2048x1520.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!xUyl!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe0b20912-05a8-4c6a-92c3-ca60b3cad050_2048x1520.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!xUyl!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe0b20912-05a8-4c6a-92c3-ca60b3cad050_2048x1520.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!xUyl!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe0b20912-05a8-4c6a-92c3-ca60b3cad050_2048x1520.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Aborigine children of Australia</figcaption></figure></div><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!QDxt!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffec2ac7f-4068-415a-88c3-778a3e96c5a0_2048x1590.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!QDxt!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffec2ac7f-4068-415a-88c3-778a3e96c5a0_2048x1590.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!QDxt!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffec2ac7f-4068-415a-88c3-778a3e96c5a0_2048x1590.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!QDxt!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffec2ac7f-4068-415a-88c3-778a3e96c5a0_2048x1590.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!QDxt!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffec2ac7f-4068-415a-88c3-778a3e96c5a0_2048x1590.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!QDxt!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffec2ac7f-4068-415a-88c3-778a3e96c5a0_2048x1590.jpeg" width="1456" height="1130" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/fec2ac7f-4068-415a-88c3-778a3e96c5a0_2048x1590.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1130,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:null,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;No photo description available.&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:null,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="No photo description available." title="No photo description available." srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!QDxt!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffec2ac7f-4068-415a-88c3-778a3e96c5a0_2048x1590.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!QDxt!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffec2ac7f-4068-415a-88c3-778a3e96c5a0_2048x1590.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!QDxt!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffec2ac7f-4068-415a-88c3-778a3e96c5a0_2048x1590.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!QDxt!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffec2ac7f-4068-415a-88c3-778a3e96c5a0_2048x1590.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Children of Russia</figcaption></figure></div><p>Thank you for being here, and God bless you all!</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://khmezek.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://khmezek.substack.com/subscribe?"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://khmezek.substack.com/p/my-favorite-writing-locations?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://khmezek.substack.com/p/my-favorite-writing-locations?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://khmezek.substack.com/p/my-favorite-writing-locations/comments&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Leave a comment&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://khmezek.substack.com/p/my-favorite-writing-locations/comments"><span>Leave a comment</span></a></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[With Khalil al-Hayya's election, Hamas is more powerful and popular than ever]]></title><description><![CDATA[Watch now | "What occurred on Oct 7 will remain a source of pride for our people, passed down through generations. Israel's genocide and Nazi war crimes will remain in our people's and the world's minds forever."]]></description><link>https://khmezek.substack.com/p/with-khalil-al-hayyas-election-hamas</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://khmezek.substack.com/p/with-khalil-al-hayyas-election-hamas</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Karen Hunt]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 21 Jul 2026 22:44:48 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/207957010/6c3243ea15377909c6b09f9df5bd3c81.mp3" length="0" type="audio/mpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!52As!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc23822e8-1647-4263-bc27-722d71911a63_1024x682.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!52As!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc23822e8-1647-4263-bc27-722d71911a63_1024x682.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!52As!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc23822e8-1647-4263-bc27-722d71911a63_1024x682.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!52As!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc23822e8-1647-4263-bc27-722d71911a63_1024x682.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!52As!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc23822e8-1647-4263-bc27-722d71911a63_1024x682.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!52As!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc23822e8-1647-4263-bc27-722d71911a63_1024x682.jpeg" width="1024" height="682" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/c23822e8-1647-4263-bc27-722d71911a63_1024x682.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:682,&quot;width&quot;:1024,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:null,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;Palestinian Hamas militants stand guard as people gather before the release of hostages held in Gaza.&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:null,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="Palestinian Hamas militants stand guard as people gather before the release of hostages held in Gaza." title="Palestinian Hamas militants stand guard as people gather before the release of hostages held in Gaza." srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!52As!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc23822e8-1647-4263-bc27-722d71911a63_1024x682.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!52As!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc23822e8-1647-4263-bc27-722d71911a63_1024x682.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!52As!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc23822e8-1647-4263-bc27-722d71911a63_1024x682.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!52As!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc23822e8-1647-4263-bc27-722d71911a63_1024x682.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">With the appointment of Khalil al-Hayya as leader of Hamas, the terror group is stronger than ever.</figcaption></figure></div><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://khmezek.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Break Free Media is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><p><span>One-time or recurring donations can also be made at</span><strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.buymeacoffee.com/khmezek8">Buy Me a Coffee</a></strong></p><p>You can listen to me read this essay here:<br></p><div class="native-audio-embed" data-component-name="AudioPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;label&quot;:null,&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;6bfe5659-0843-4f26-948f-4b19e44b5c86&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:955.84656,&quot;downloadable&quot;:false,&quot;isEditorNode&quot;:true}"></div><h3>Khalil al-Hayya has just been chosen as the new leader of Hamas, to replace Yahya Sinwar, once called the Butcher of Khan Younis by his own people. </h3><p>Never forget how Hamas leaders, on October 7th, 2023, watched live in Qatar as Hamas massacred 1,200 Israelis and dragged others into Gaza as hostages. The video above shows these demons from hell prostrating themselves and praising Allah for their &#8220;victory&#8221;. </p><p>Since that dark day, most of the Hamas senior leadership has been eliminated by Israel, but not Khalil al-Hayya. </p><p>Here is his acceptance speech. If anyone thinks Hamas&#8217;s goals have changed since this man praised Oct 7th, and is now willing to give up power and seek peace with Israel, they aren&#8217;t listening:  </p><div class="native-video-embed" data-component-name="VideoPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;4d16701d-141c-420f-b522-396d1fd87016&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:null}"></div><h3>Every single sentence, every single promise and hope and goal, starts and ends with praise to Allah, devotion to Islam and the goal of total destruction of Israel and any nation that supports Israel. </h3><p>This is simply what every devout Muslim should and would say if they truly followed the teachings of Mohammed in the Quran and Hadiths.  </p><p>I keep telling people that this is a HOLY WAR and I keep being mocked for it. </p><p>I don&#8217;t believe in God, people say. </p><p>But the entire world does not revolve around what you believe or disbelieve. 2 billion people bow down to Allah. They now flood Times Square in New York City and Picadilly Circus in London and across Western nations as if they own the West. Their imams give the same speeches as Khalil al-Haya. Their royal leaders and prime ministers, even those who pretend moderation, such as Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia, believe the same beneath their polite smiles. In fact, they are more dangerous than any Iranian mullah, because they are less obvious and the West is so easily fooled by flattery. </p><p>You might continue to insist that you do not believe in holy wars. They are old-fashioned and irrelevant and stupid. We aren&#8217;t living in the dark ages anymore, you say. </p><p>How can I make it any clearer. Nobody in Gaza or Qatar or Iran or Saudi Arabia or Pakistan or any other Islamic state cares what you think. This is how <em>they</em> think and until our leaders in the West acknowledge this reality and the media reports honestly about it, Western nations will continue making embarrassing and foolish deals like the &#8220;Board of Peace&#8221; in Gaza and MOUs with Iran and keep on being surprised when the deals are broken <em>every single time.</em> </p><p>Israel was kept from utterly destroying Hamas by President Trump and his &#8220;Board of Peace&#8221; fantasy. With great fanfare, Trump announced its creation in January 2026, promising it would &#8220;<strong><a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/releases/2026/01/president-trump-ratifies-board-of-peace-in-historic-ceremony-opening-path-to-hope-and-dignity-for-gazans/">Open a Path to Hope and Dignity for Gazans</a></strong>.&#8221; </p><p>Instead, with the withdrawal of Israeli troops, Gazans embarked on a bloodbath amongst themselves as prominent clans vied for power. But none succeeded in defeating Hamas and the terror group regrouped with the thousands of terrorists released from Israeli prisons, reestablished its authority, and is now more powerful and more popular than ever. </p><p>None of this was acknowledged by Western leadership or the media. Pro-Palestine mobs didn&#8217;t protest the executions of rival clan members on the streets of Gaza. Who cares when Gazans kill each other. If it isn&#8217;t the IDF doing it, nobody wants to know about it. Since the &#8220;genocidal&#8221; IDF had withdrawn, everyone cheered the illusion of peace, proving that all deaths in Gaza were the fault of the &#8220;genocidal&#8221; Israelis. </p><h4>To spread the illusion of success, the media reported such absurdities as: &#8220;HAMAS EXECUTES GAZAN CLAN MEMBERS AS <strong>CEASEFIRE HOLDS</strong>&#8221;. </h4><p>How does anyone with a working brain reconcile the first half of that sentence with the second half?</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!zGuC!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe06d8360-e561-42a3-9696-07d65c4cd427_1280x586.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!zGuC!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe06d8360-e561-42a3-9696-07d65c4cd427_1280x586.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!zGuC!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe06d8360-e561-42a3-9696-07d65c4cd427_1280x586.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!zGuC!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe06d8360-e561-42a3-9696-07d65c4cd427_1280x586.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!zGuC!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe06d8360-e561-42a3-9696-07d65c4cd427_1280x586.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!zGuC!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe06d8360-e561-42a3-9696-07d65c4cd427_1280x586.jpeg" width="1280" height="586" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/e06d8360-e561-42a3-9696-07d65c4cd427_1280x586.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:586,&quot;width&quot;:1280,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:182146,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;Hamas executes Gazan clan members as ceasefire holds&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="Hamas executes Gazan clan members as ceasefire holds" title="Hamas executes Gazan clan members as ceasefire holds" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!zGuC!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe06d8360-e561-42a3-9696-07d65c4cd427_1280x586.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!zGuC!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe06d8360-e561-42a3-9696-07d65c4cd427_1280x586.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!zGuC!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe06d8360-e561-42a3-9696-07d65c4cd427_1280x586.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!zGuC!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe06d8360-e561-42a3-9696-07d65c4cd427_1280x586.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><h4>And I just can&#8217;t resist including this photo to show what a sick world we have become. Hamas advertises &#8220;Calvin Kline&#8221; and &#8220;adidas&#8221; for Western youths who want to look like the coolest terrorists at school. </h4><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!qc-a!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F59ae0dad-bf13-42fd-b354-2eb1a9c86a54_474x266.webp" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!qc-a!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F59ae0dad-bf13-42fd-b354-2eb1a9c86a54_474x266.webp 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!qc-a!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F59ae0dad-bf13-42fd-b354-2eb1a9c86a54_474x266.webp 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!qc-a!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F59ae0dad-bf13-42fd-b354-2eb1a9c86a54_474x266.webp 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!qc-a!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F59ae0dad-bf13-42fd-b354-2eb1a9c86a54_474x266.webp 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!qc-a!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F59ae0dad-bf13-42fd-b354-2eb1a9c86a54_474x266.webp" width="474" height="266" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/59ae0dad-bf13-42fd-b354-2eb1a9c86a54_474x266.webp&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:266,&quot;width&quot;:474,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:null,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;Gaza City clashes between Hamas and clan members leave 27 dead&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:null,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="Gaza City clashes between Hamas and clan members leave 27 dead" title="Gaza City clashes between Hamas and clan members leave 27 dead" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!qc-a!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F59ae0dad-bf13-42fd-b354-2eb1a9c86a54_474x266.webp 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!qc-a!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F59ae0dad-bf13-42fd-b354-2eb1a9c86a54_474x266.webp 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!qc-a!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F59ae0dad-bf13-42fd-b354-2eb1a9c86a54_474x266.webp 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!qc-a!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F59ae0dad-bf13-42fd-b354-2eb1a9c86a54_474x266.webp 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><h4>And the &#8220;accessory&#8221; below had a nice little passage from the Quran on it. It garnered 211 five-star reviews, with customers hailing it an 'excellent product' and 'so beautiful'. </h4><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Iwhl!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe3134fe4-a6d6-4fbb-8da3-3cfc17992283_634x328.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Iwhl!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe3134fe4-a6d6-4fbb-8da3-3cfc17992283_634x328.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Iwhl!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe3134fe4-a6d6-4fbb-8da3-3cfc17992283_634x328.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Iwhl!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe3134fe4-a6d6-4fbb-8da3-3cfc17992283_634x328.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Iwhl!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe3134fe4-a6d6-4fbb-8da3-3cfc17992283_634x328.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Iwhl!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe3134fe4-a6d6-4fbb-8da3-3cfc17992283_634x328.jpeg" width="634" height="328" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/e3134fe4-a6d6-4fbb-8da3-3cfc17992283_634x328.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:328,&quot;width&quot;:634,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:null,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;Green headbands resembling those worn by Hamas terrorists which were being sold on Etsy have been removed, MailOnline can reveal. It's translation reads: 'Oh god, please fasten relief for us'&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:null,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="Green headbands resembling those worn by Hamas terrorists which were being sold on Etsy have been removed, MailOnline can reveal. It's translation reads: 'Oh god, please fasten relief for us'" title="Green headbands resembling those worn by Hamas terrorists which were being sold on Etsy have been removed, MailOnline can reveal. It's translation reads: 'Oh god, please fasten relief for us'" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Iwhl!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe3134fe4-a6d6-4fbb-8da3-3cfc17992283_634x328.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Iwhl!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe3134fe4-a6d6-4fbb-8da3-3cfc17992283_634x328.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Iwhl!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe3134fe4-a6d6-4fbb-8da3-3cfc17992283_634x328.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Iwhl!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe3134fe4-a6d6-4fbb-8da3-3cfc17992283_634x328.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><h4>Below is a Hamas cosplayer in an Al-Qassam Brigade outfit in Japan, which has become a <strong><a href="https://www.turkiyetoday.com/region/al-qassam-brigade-attire-becomes-a-global-cosplay-trend-3208635?s=1">global trend. </a></strong></h4><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!zSeE!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F27cf302c-2550-4087-93e9-77c52f2e75b4_1280x853.webp" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!zSeE!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F27cf302c-2550-4087-93e9-77c52f2e75b4_1280x853.webp 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!zSeE!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F27cf302c-2550-4087-93e9-77c52f2e75b4_1280x853.webp 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!zSeE!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F27cf302c-2550-4087-93e9-77c52f2e75b4_1280x853.webp 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!zSeE!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F27cf302c-2550-4087-93e9-77c52f2e75b4_1280x853.webp 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!zSeE!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F27cf302c-2550-4087-93e9-77c52f2e75b4_1280x853.webp" width="1280" height="853" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/27cf302c-2550-4087-93e9-77c52f2e75b4_1280x853.webp&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:853,&quot;width&quot;:1280,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:null,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;Hamas cosplayers in Japan. (Photo via X /@AkimotoThn )&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:null,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="Hamas cosplayers in Japan. (Photo via X /@AkimotoThn )" title="Hamas cosplayers in Japan. (Photo via X /@AkimotoThn )" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!zSeE!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F27cf302c-2550-4087-93e9-77c52f2e75b4_1280x853.webp 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!zSeE!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F27cf302c-2550-4087-93e9-77c52f2e75b4_1280x853.webp 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!zSeE!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F27cf302c-2550-4087-93e9-77c52f2e75b4_1280x853.webp 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!zSeE!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F27cf302c-2550-4087-93e9-77c52f2e75b4_1280x853.webp 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">(Photo via X /@AkimotoThn )</figcaption></figure></div><p>So, before we get into who Khalil al-Haya is, let&#8217;s look at some stats on this happy-go-lucky place of peace and love called &#8216;Palestine&#8217;. </p><p><em>Part of Trump&#8217;s peace plan is that Hamas will lay down its weapons. I try to imagine who Trump is getting his advice from because this is ludicrous. </em></p><h3><strong>Nearly three-quarters (70%) of Palestinians oppose Hamas laying down its arms.</strong></h3><p><strong><a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/overwhelming-majority-palestinians-oppose-hamas-disarmament-poll-finds">Let&#8217;s look at a few more facts about &#8216;Palestine</a>&#8217;:</strong></p><blockquote><p>60 percent are satisfied with Hamas&#8217;s performance, with 66 percent in the occupied West Bank and 51 percent in Gaza &#8220;satisfied&#8221;</p><p>Hamas is vastly more popular than Fatah and the PA, and its support has increased.</p><p>The last time a vote was held in 2006, Hamas scored an overwhelming victory. President Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas have refused to hold elections since.</p><p>If elections were held today, 65 percent of respondents said they would participate. 44 percent said they would vote for Hamas, 30 percent for Fatah and 10 percent for third parties. Undecided stood at 16 percent.</p></blockquote><p>I have said repeatedly that the US is living in a fantasyland if it thinks Abbas and the PA could ever replace Hamas. Abbas is seen as a puppet of the US and Israel&#8212;and indeed this is true. At the same time, the PA is a terrorist organization no different from Hamas and will break any deal just as easily as Hamas. Again, who is advising Trump?  </p><h3>Now, let&#8217;s look at Khalil al-Hayya. </h3><p>Khalil al-Hayya joined the Muslim Brotherhood in the early 1980s alongside Ismail Haniyeh and Yahya Sinwar. He became a founding member of Hamas when it was established in 1987.</p><div class="image-gallery-embed" data-attrs="{&quot;gallery&quot;:{&quot;images&quot;:[{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/webp&quot;,&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/42beb1fe-87ed-47a9-9533-d1da94fa7d6b_474x316.webp&quot;},{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/avif&quot;,&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/edda065d-5fee-4261-b625-0bbdeaaaaaf4_620x349.avif&quot;},{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/webp&quot;,&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/fd87c2a5-5ee1-49e1-945c-68ed1115a442_1200x630.webp&quot;}],&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;Khalil al-Hayya, Ismail Haniyeh, Yahya Sinwar&quot;,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;staticGalleryImage&quot;:{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/b22215b9-18e9-452c-8238-396762d7a069_1456x474.png&quot;}},&quot;isEditorNode&quot;:true}"></div><p>Hamas is an outgrowth of the Muslim Brotherhood whose stated objective is to destroy Israel, kill every Jew and all other infidels, and unite the entire Middle East under a Sharia-based caliphate, while extending the reach of political Islam to the four corners of the world. </p><p>So, while Israel is being accused by Communist and Nazi influencers alike in the West of being the evil &#8220;colonizer&#8221; with the nefarious goal of expanding &#8220;Greater Israel&#8221; throughout every Muslim nation (and the world), nothing could further from the truth. </p><p>Whereas Khalil al-Hayya has so far escaped Isreal&#8217;s long arm of vengeance, his family has not. During the 2014 war, a strike on the house of his eldest son, Osama, killed Osama, his wife, and three children. While the deaths of children is a tragedy, it must be remembered that this was a war, Osama was a member of the Hamas terrorist leadership and as such, he put his own family at risk. </p><p>al-Hayya&#8217;s other son, Azzam al-Hayya, was an operative of the Nukba Force, which carried out the October 7 invasion of Israel. He was killed in a May 2026 airstrike. </p><p>So, how has Khalil al-Hayya managed to survive? For one thing, he&#8217;s been living the high life in Qatar, protecting himself and his $5 billion fortune. That&#8217;s why he was in that video with other Hamas leadership watching the Oct 7th attacks, prostrating himself and praising Allah. </p><h3>Khalil al-Hayya has consistently stuck to his message of total destruction of Israel and &#8216;Palestinians&#8217; as the pawns to achieve it. </h3><p>Four years ago, in Tehran, al-Hayya assured Iranians that Palestinians are committed to martyrdom. Watch the video below of him speaking to a massive crowd. </p><p>&#8220;Martyrdom means elevation and getting closer to Allah.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;The blood of martyrs marks the path of victory towards Jerusalem and Palestine.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;Fear of Israel and the U.S. has disappeared and the Islamic nation, with Iran at its heart, supports the resistance and the Palestinian people.&#8221;</p><div id="youtube2-wpwIaIsNGc0" class="youtube-wrap" data-attrs="{&quot;videoId&quot;:&quot;wpwIaIsNGc0&quot;,&quot;startTime&quot;:null,&quot;endTime&quot;:null}" data-component-name="Youtube2ToDOM"><div class="youtube-inner"><iframe src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/wpwIaIsNGc0?rel=0&amp;autoplay=0&amp;showinfo=0&amp;enablejsapi=0" frameborder="0" loading="lazy" gesture="media" allow="autoplay; fullscreen" allowautoplay="true" allowfullscreen="true" width="728" height="409"></iframe></div></div><h4>In 2024, he called on Arab nations to besiege Israeli and American embassies in Arab countries</h4><div id="youtube2-y-EKFlY-IjI" class="youtube-wrap" data-attrs="{&quot;videoId&quot;:&quot;y-EKFlY-IjI&quot;,&quot;startTime&quot;:null,&quot;endTime&quot;:null}" data-component-name="Youtube2ToDOM"><div class="youtube-inner"><iframe src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/y-EKFlY-IjI?rel=0&amp;autoplay=0&amp;showinfo=0&amp;enablejsapi=0" frameborder="0" loading="lazy" gesture="media" allow="autoplay; fullscreen" allowautoplay="true" allowfullscreen="true" width="728" height="409"></iframe></div></div><h3>With al-Hayya&#8217;s election, nothing will change. The same deceptive games will be played and the West will continue to fall for it. </h3><p>Here are some closing thoughts from Dr. Michael Milshtein, the head of the Palestinian Studies Forum at the Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and African Studies at Tel Aviv University:</p><ul><li><p>Embraced across the Muslim world, Hayya enjoys relations with Iran, Qatar, and seemingly Egypt, as the country&#8217;s intelligence chief was reported to have congratulated Hayya on his election on Monday.</p></li><li><p>This popularity will mean Hamas might have more room to act outside the traditional proxy relationship it has with Iran, having more freedom than Hezbollah while continuing to enjoy Tehran&#8217;s financial support and assistance.</p></li><li><p>Hamas doesn&#8217;t really feel afraid and knows that the technocratic government will be a kind of cosmetic cover, and that this kind of cover will enable Hamas to continue keeping its weapons and being the prominent player in Gaza without having to fund civil society</p></li><li><p>Hamas will not end its theft of humanitarian aid and will continue to oppress Palestinians. </p></li><li><p>Hamas will prioritize having the gangs working in opposition to them removed from Gaza, ensuring little changes domestically.</p></li><li><p>The real boss in Gaza will not be the political bureau in Gaza but the one outside, led by Hayya.</p></li><li><p>The day after the establishment of the board of peace will not be so different than the day before.</p></li></ul><p>Despite all of this, our Western leaders and the media will continue to promote the fantasy of peace in &#8216;Palestine&#8217; until it all falls apart more drastically than ever. </p><p>Meanwhile, the same goals of the destruction of Israel, the extermination of every Jew and every other infidel and the establishment of the worldwide Islamic Caliphate will continue. Yes, it will be business as usual in &#8216;Palestine&#8217; and across the Middle Eastern Islamic states.</p><p>Peace will be celebrated even as armies of Islamic nations that have vowed to destroy Israel gather in Gaza to &#8216;keep the peace.&#8217;</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://khmezek.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://khmezek.substack.com/subscribe?"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://khmezek.substack.com/p/with-khalil-al-hayyas-election-hamas/comments&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Leave a comment&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://khmezek.substack.com/p/with-khalil-al-hayyas-election-hamas/comments"><span>Leave a comment</span></a></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://khmezek.substack.com/p/with-khalil-al-hayyas-election-hamas?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://khmezek.substack.com/p/with-khalil-al-hayyas-election-hamas?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p><p><br><br></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[When Women Betray Women]]></title><description><![CDATA[&#8220;To write about the hijab is to step into a minefield.&#8221; &#8212;Mona Eltahawy, American Egyptian writer]]></description><link>https://khmezek.substack.com/p/when-women-betray-women</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://khmezek.substack.com/p/when-women-betray-women</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Karen Hunt]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 20 Jul 2026 18:25:20 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!6fF2!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd573dff8-e8ec-4792-b0e7-53f9f47b9bf1_616x511.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!6fF2!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd573dff8-e8ec-4792-b0e7-53f9f47b9bf1_616x511.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!6fF2!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd573dff8-e8ec-4792-b0e7-53f9f47b9bf1_616x511.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!6fF2!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd573dff8-e8ec-4792-b0e7-53f9f47b9bf1_616x511.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!6fF2!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd573dff8-e8ec-4792-b0e7-53f9f47b9bf1_616x511.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!6fF2!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd573dff8-e8ec-4792-b0e7-53f9f47b9bf1_616x511.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!6fF2!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd573dff8-e8ec-4792-b0e7-53f9f47b9bf1_616x511.jpeg" width="616" height="511" 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srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!6fF2!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd573dff8-e8ec-4792-b0e7-53f9f47b9bf1_616x511.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!6fF2!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd573dff8-e8ec-4792-b0e7-53f9f47b9bf1_616x511.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!6fF2!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd573dff8-e8ec-4792-b0e7-53f9f47b9bf1_616x511.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!6fF2!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd573dff8-e8ec-4792-b0e7-53f9f47b9bf1_616x511.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div 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stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p><strong>Welcome to BREAK FREE MONDAYS, a weekly discourse for paid subscribers. If you value my work, please consider becoming a paid subscriber. Thank you.</strong></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://khmezek.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://khmezek.substack.com/subscribe?"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><p><strong>You can listen to me read this essay here:</strong></p><div class="native-audio-embed" data-component-name="AudioPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;label&quot;:null,&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;cd2cb751-d78d-4abe-9568-00b076546b38&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:1272.5289,&quot;downloadable&quot;:false,&quot;isEditorNode&quot;:true}"></div><h3><a href="https://fcnn.com/en/washington-turns-ghazal-marzban-case-into-symbol-of-christian-persecution/">The United States has called for the release of Ghazal Marzban</a>, a Catholic convert from Islam who has been sentenced to nearly 10 years in prison in Iran for charges linked to her Christian faith.</h3><blockquote><p>Marzban, a law graduate, was previously barred from taking her bar examinations and faced government harassment after converting to Catholicism. State intelligence forces confiscated her Bible and other Christian literature during their January raid.</p><p>Her husband, who also converted to Christianity, suffers from Parkinson's disease. The family has faced continuous state-imposed obstacles in accessing the medication required for his treatment.</p><p>In late May 2026, she engaged in a week-long hunger strike to protest her lengthy sentence and the conditions surrounding her conviction.</p><p>In January 2025, <a href="https://vom.com.au/prayers/iran-christian-convert-re-arrested/">Ghazal was detained in Tehran&#8217;s Evin Prison</a> after being sentenced to six months&#8217; imprisonment and 74 lashes. The charges against her included &#8220;propaganda against the regime&#8221; and &#8220;appearing in public without a hijab&#8221;. Ghazal, a Christian convert from Islam, had initially been arrested in November 2024 while participating in protests against government oppression</p></blockquote><p>It is despicable that Western female journalists recently poured into Tehran for Ayatollah Khamenei&#8217;s funeral and praised him as a hero and a martyr. They never mentioned that he is responsible for the imprisonment, torture and death of thousands of young Iranians like Ghazal Marzban. </p><p>Bushra Shaikh, who resides in the UK, is one such journalist. Women like her and others, (<strong><a href="https://khmezek.substack.com/p/ana-kasparian-is-the-sexy-new-face?utm_source=publication-search">Ana Kasparian comes to mind</a></strong>), kowtow to jihadists who rape, torture and murder women for refusing to submit to their oppressive cult of Islam. </p><p>These western women praise the &#8220;freedom&#8221; of women in Iran to wear what they please and how they choose to wear the chador. They never mention the women of the &#8220;morality police&#8221; in Iran, that can be seen harassing and tackling unveiled women in the streets and forcing them into unmarked cars. Some of these women are never seen again. </p><p>You can watch these black crows questioning a woman <strong><a href="https://youtube.com/shorts/IxYXU9zPuUE?si=a6NNtcjOpyqdu9kC">HERE</a> </strong>She is even wearing a veil, but it&#8217;s not enough. </p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!cTNS!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F13f57e17-3480-4159-89fe-e3cb52e529a7_760x720.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!cTNS!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F13f57e17-3480-4159-89fe-e3cb52e529a7_760x720.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!cTNS!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F13f57e17-3480-4159-89fe-e3cb52e529a7_760x720.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!cTNS!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F13f57e17-3480-4159-89fe-e3cb52e529a7_760x720.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!cTNS!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F13f57e17-3480-4159-89fe-e3cb52e529a7_760x720.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!cTNS!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F13f57e17-3480-4159-89fe-e3cb52e529a7_760x720.png" width="760" height="720" 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srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!cTNS!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F13f57e17-3480-4159-89fe-e3cb52e529a7_760x720.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!cTNS!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F13f57e17-3480-4159-89fe-e3cb52e529a7_760x720.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!cTNS!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F13f57e17-3480-4159-89fe-e3cb52e529a7_760x720.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!cTNS!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F13f57e17-3480-4159-89fe-e3cb52e529a7_760x720.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>I suppose Bushra and Ana would have been equally silent about Nazi concentration camp guards such as Irma Grese. <strong><a href="https://allthatsinteresting.com/irma-grese">Labeled the &#8220;Hyena of Auschwitz&#8221;, </a></strong>she unleashed a torrent of lethal sadism upon the inmates, which reportedly included physical, emotional, and even sexual abuse. This is what happens to women behind the gates of Tehran&#8217;s Evin Prison. </p><p>You can read Mahvash Sabet&#8217;s account of her time in the prison <strong><a href="https://www.yahoo.com/news/world/articles/iran-most-notorious-prison-survived-050000794.html">HERE</a></strong>, which she described as &#8220;the Heart of Hell.&#8221;</p>
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      </p>
   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Bowing to the Golden Calf of 'Palestine']]></title><description><![CDATA[Gaza has become a domestic political lens for a new generation of voters, reshaping how power is evaluated at every level of government.]]></description><link>https://khmezek.substack.com/p/bow-to-the-golden-calf-of-palestine</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://khmezek.substack.com/p/bow-to-the-golden-calf-of-palestine</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Karen Hunt]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 14 Jul 2026 18:00:42 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/c1ab87ea-35bc-4e87-a438-29ea5894cf19_900x593.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>You can listen to me read this essay here:</p><div class="native-audio-embed" data-component-name="AudioPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;label&quot;:null,&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;70f99bdb-2da7-4b3a-8516-7650c8c76b34&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:896.5486,&quot;downloadable&quot;:false,&quot;isEditorNode&quot;:true}"></div><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://khmezek.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Break Free Media is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><p><span>One-time or recurring donations can also be made at</span><strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.buymeacoffee.com/khmezek8">Buy Me a Coffee</a></strong></p><p><em>Today, I was quoted on <span>@JTVChannel</span> by Ollie Anisfeld. <span>&#128591; </span>I wouldn&#8217;t have known if a friend hadn&#8217;t told me, so I was very happy he did. I listen to Anisfeld when I can but hadn&#8217;t heard this one. His content is excellent, never sensationalized, always highly researched. </em></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!DGwo!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe7077d05-7889-41a5-b2a1-cc03dc24784d_2434x1394.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!DGwo!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe7077d05-7889-41a5-b2a1-cc03dc24784d_2434x1394.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!DGwo!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe7077d05-7889-41a5-b2a1-cc03dc24784d_2434x1394.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!DGwo!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe7077d05-7889-41a5-b2a1-cc03dc24784d_2434x1394.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!DGwo!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe7077d05-7889-41a5-b2a1-cc03dc24784d_2434x1394.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!DGwo!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe7077d05-7889-41a5-b2a1-cc03dc24784d_2434x1394.jpeg" width="1456" height="834" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/e7077d05-7889-41a5-b2a1-cc03dc24784d_2434x1394.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:834,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:480270,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://khmezek.substack.com/i/206999457?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe7077d05-7889-41a5-b2a1-cc03dc24784d_2434x1394.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!DGwo!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe7077d05-7889-41a5-b2a1-cc03dc24784d_2434x1394.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!DGwo!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe7077d05-7889-41a5-b2a1-cc03dc24784d_2434x1394.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!DGwo!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe7077d05-7889-41a5-b2a1-cc03dc24784d_2434x1394.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!DGwo!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe7077d05-7889-41a5-b2a1-cc03dc24784d_2434x1394.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><h3>Every Democratic candidate who wants to win knows they must bow to the golden calf of non-existent &#8216;Palestine.&#8217;</h3><p>That means performing outrageous stunts like the one Ro Khanna just pulled in Israel. Hey, it got him noticed all over the internet, right, and that&#8217;s what matters.  </p><p>Cryptocurrency bettors expect Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) to be the first Democrat to announce a presidential run after he said he&#8217;s &#8220;strongly considering&#8221; a bid. Here is Anisfeld&#8217;s excellent overview of what happened. </p><div id="youtube2-b15orOd7oTc" class="youtube-wrap" data-attrs="{&quot;videoId&quot;:&quot;b15orOd7oTc&quot;,&quot;startTime&quot;:null,&quot;endTime&quot;:null}" data-component-name="Youtube2ToDOM"><div class="youtube-inner"><iframe src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/b15orOd7oTc?rel=0&amp;autoplay=0&amp;showinfo=0&amp;enablejsapi=0" frameborder="0" loading="lazy" gesture="media" allow="autoplay; fullscreen" allowautoplay="true" allowfullscreen="true" width="728" height="409"></iframe></div></div><p>Anisfeld titles it &#8220;The Lie Falls Apart&#8221; but it only falls apart for those who are still rational enough to appreciate honest reporting. </p><p>Here is a clip of how ridiculous Khanna looks:</p><div class="native-video-embed" data-component-name="VideoPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;9074ca8b-7491-4c25-af8b-bd7cb6eb6602&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:null}"></div><p>He becomes a buffoon when confronted with reality:</p><div class="native-video-embed" data-component-name="VideoPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;698815f6-fd0e-467e-9300-a0efdcfc1952&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:null}"></div><p>But who is listening to Fox News? Not a single democrat. Okay, maybe a few. I listen to all sides because I don&#8217;t trust the media on either side to be without an agenda. That is what rational people do. </p><p>Khanna doesn&#8217;t care how ridiculous he looks to rational people. He knows there are enough irrational people who thrive on hatred and hysteria. They are the ones he counts on voting for him. Even Democrats who aren&#8217;t invested in hating Israel will vote for him (or someone else like him) simply because they hate Trump. This is the deal that the far left has made with the Democratic Party. Throw Israel to the wolves if you want to win. </p><p>This is how it now is in America. The country has been successfully divided into two warring extremes. The far-right has made the same deal with the Republicans. If the choice is between an Israel-hating Republican and an Israel-hating Democrat, what do you think people will do? </p><p>What does it mean for the United States when our politicians win for no other reason than because they hate Israel.</p><p>It means that the next step is hating Jews. American Jews. What they will never say, at least not yet, is that hating Israel is synonymous with hating Jews. </p><p>Half of the Jews in the world live in Israel. If Israel no longer existed, what would happen to those 7.2 million Jews? A blood bath a hundred times worse than Oct 7th. </p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yTx-!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff1327155-af9a-4d08-b3e5-4aef8ca8f0c1_678x455.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yTx-!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff1327155-af9a-4d08-b3e5-4aef8ca8f0c1_678x455.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yTx-!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff1327155-af9a-4d08-b3e5-4aef8ca8f0c1_678x455.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yTx-!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff1327155-af9a-4d08-b3e5-4aef8ca8f0c1_678x455.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yTx-!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff1327155-af9a-4d08-b3e5-4aef8ca8f0c1_678x455.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yTx-!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff1327155-af9a-4d08-b3e5-4aef8ca8f0c1_678x455.png" width="678" height="455" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/f1327155-af9a-4d08-b3e5-4aef8ca8f0c1_678x455.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:455,&quot;width&quot;:678,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:null,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:null,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yTx-!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff1327155-af9a-4d08-b3e5-4aef8ca8f0c1_678x455.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yTx-!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff1327155-af9a-4d08-b3e5-4aef8ca8f0c1_678x455.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yTx-!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff1327155-af9a-4d08-b3e5-4aef8ca8f0c1_678x455.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yTx-!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff1327155-af9a-4d08-b3e5-4aef8ca8f0c1_678x455.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>Most of the other half live in NYC, where Mayor Mamdani won on the same ticket. Zohran Mamdani said his starting point was &#8216;Palestine&#8217; and that&#8217;s what led him to the Social Democratic Party--I prefer to use the proper term: communism. Communism and Islam have always gone very well together.</p><p>When asked why he defended the phrase &#8220;Globalize the Intifada,&#8221; Mamdani said: </p><p>&#8220;To me, ultimately, what I hear in so many is a desperate desire for equality and equal rights in standing up for Palestinian human rights.&#8221;</p><p>There are never equal rights when the majority are Muslims. Let&#8217;s be honest, look at history. We must always go back to the source. </p><p>If you know even recent history, then you know that the myth of &#8216;Palestine&#8217; was concocted between Yassar Arafat and the Soviet Union, the KGB and the PLO. It is all built on a lie. And that lie is what inspired relentless terror attacks against Israelis. </p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!bbue!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6fe96f21-4b3c-46b9-a85e-9c59b0f28716_640x400.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!bbue!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6fe96f21-4b3c-46b9-a85e-9c59b0f28716_640x400.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!bbue!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6fe96f21-4b3c-46b9-a85e-9c59b0f28716_640x400.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!bbue!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6fe96f21-4b3c-46b9-a85e-9c59b0f28716_640x400.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!bbue!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6fe96f21-4b3c-46b9-a85e-9c59b0f28716_640x400.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!bbue!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6fe96f21-4b3c-46b9-a85e-9c59b0f28716_640x400.jpeg" width="640" height="400" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/6fe96f21-4b3c-46b9-a85e-9c59b0f28716_640x400.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:400,&quot;width&quot;:640,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:null,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:null,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" title="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!bbue!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6fe96f21-4b3c-46b9-a85e-9c59b0f28716_640x400.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!bbue!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6fe96f21-4b3c-46b9-a85e-9c59b0f28716_640x400.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!bbue!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6fe96f21-4b3c-46b9-a85e-9c59b0f28716_640x400.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!bbue!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6fe96f21-4b3c-46b9-a85e-9c59b0f28716_640x400.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>&#8220;The Soviets were instrumental in orchestrating the narrative of Palestinian victimhood and promoting it on the global stage. They helped craft propaganda that painted Israel as a colonial aggressor while portraying Palestinians as freedom fighters. This narrative resonated with many in the developing world and aligned with the broader Soviet strategy of destabilizing Western-aligned governments.&#8221; <a href="https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/is-russia-the-hidden-architect-of-middle-eastern-chaos/">(1)</a></p><p>From <strong><a href="https://www.palestinechronicle.com/the-gaza-factor-and-the-new-political-map-how-zohran-mamdani-won-new-york/">Palestine Chronicle</a></strong>:</p><p>&#8220;Mamdani&#8217;s victory is not simply a result of his individual platform or personality. It reflects the emergence of Gaza as a powerful organizing framework, one that connects global violence to domestic inequality and demands coherence across them.&#8221;</p><p>I hope my rational friends, be they Jewish, Christian or otherwise, see the writing on the wall before it&#8217;s too late, as happened in Germany. </p><p>Here are just a few examples of Jew hatred now accepted. It has moved beyond Palestine. Blatant Jew-hatred of your neighbor next door is all the rage. What this illustrates is a relentless pursuit from the highest echelons of power, the presidency, down to the local level of government in every state and every city.</p><p>Also, people tend to say, oh, it&#8217;s all just click bait on social media. Yes, these incidents are being reported on social media. But they are happening to real people in the real world. This isn&#8217;t some fantasy, a creation of AI. It is what Jews face every day now on the streets of their neighborhoods.</p><h4>Below, this woman&#8217;s entire podcast revolves around teaching people how to hunt down Israeli restaurants. </h4><p>She picks out traditionally Jewish foods like Schnitzel as a &#8216;clue&#8217;. Ridiculous since Schnitzel originally German, or actually Austrian. But facts don&#8217;t matter. What&#8217;s so chilling is how much delight she takes in her search for Jews. It&#8217;s like the most normal thing to do, no embarrassment, no hiding what she really thinks. </p><div class="native-video-embed" data-component-name="VideoPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;23cc4e8b-d587-472f-a387-9397929248d9&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:null}"></div><h4>Below, <a href="https://x.com/JomanaCNN">CNN reporter Jomana Karadsheh Scott rides </a>with the Met Police on &#8220;proactive patrols&#8221; in the predominantly Jewish areas of North London.</h4><p>Met officers openly admit the demand is &#8220;astronomical&#8221; &#8212; the highest they&#8217;ve ever seen. Why? Physical assaults, Nazi salutes, &#8220;Heil Hitler,&#8221; &#8220;baby killers,&#8221; and people punched in the face simply for being visibly Jewish.</p><p>Since October 7th, and spiking again during the Iran conflict, antisemitic offenses have surged. What started as temporary police patrols are now permanent.</p><p>Watch 24-year-old Nathaniel Fahidi, &#8220;not particularly religious&#8221; who says, &#8220;I now refrain from being openly Jewish.&#8221; Some families in his community are leaving the UK because &#8220;being here just doesn&#8217;t feel safe anymore.&#8221;</p><div class="native-video-embed" data-component-name="VideoPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;21906727-46dc-4b4d-8e4b-347bc917f129&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:null}"></div><h4>The one below is the Chicago Teacher&#8217;s Union. This is our children&#8217;s education we are talking about, saying &#8220;It&#8217;ll be violent&#8221; at their conference.</h4><p>From <a href="https://freebeacon.com/israel/itll-be-violent-chicago-teachers-union-hosts-israel-hating-communist-convention-where-radicals-call-for-sabotaging-us-ports-backing-iran/">The Washington Free Beacon</a></p><div class="image-gallery-embed" data-attrs="{&quot;gallery&quot;:{&quot;images&quot;:[{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/9365d516-0be0-4179-8b7f-2afb28dbfb20_768x480.png&quot;},{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/2edfb5d0-37fd-42f7-897a-bec96a2ea304_1152x1536.jpeg&quot;}],&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;staticGalleryImage&quot;:{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/99599d53-e7e6-4dbb-b92c-399bd34d3c28_1456x720.png&quot;}},&quot;isEditorNode&quot;:true}"></div><p><em>The Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) hosted a Marxist, virulently anti-Israel conference last weekend which openly celebrated terrorism, introduced fledgling activists to "the growing BDS movement," and called on its members to support Iran&#8217;s "axis of resistance" and prepare for violence against the United States and Israel.</em></p><p><em>"We are all here to toughen our knuckles," Ryan Delaney, chair of communications for Jacksonville Palestine Solidarity Network, told attendees at the conclusion of events Saturday.</em></p><p><em>"I hope that everybody leaves here ready to fight when they get home," he told roughly 200 cheering attendees.</em></p><p><em>Sara Flounders, a member of the Secretariat of the Marxist-Leninist Workers World Party, thundered to the crowd that "the enemy is at home. &#8230; Change doesn't ask for permission. It'll be violent. It'll be stormy. It'll be unpredictable."</em></p><p><em>Flounders praised attendees as "a really militant, determined group."</em></p><p><em>The conference, where activists went so far as to discuss how to shut down a major U.S. port to force out an Israeli company, was the second annual gathering of <a href="https://www.antiwaractionnetwork.org/home">Anti-War Action Network (AWAN)</a>, an agglomeration of dozens of local activist groups around the country united by their hatred of Israel and mission to obstruct American "imperialism."</em></p><p><em>Conference-goers were a motley crew of aspiring revolutionaries. About 20 percent wore masks, many attendees were noticeably obese, and there was also a large contingent of openly transgender participants. Breakfast included gluten-free empanadas and vegan fare while a gender-neutral bathroom did brisk business.</em></p><p><em>One speaker named Sarah talked about a die-in she helped organize as a sparkling Pellegrino sat nestled in her chair.</em></p><p><em>The teachers' union has long faced criticism for its support for terrorism and condoning antisemitism in its ranks. The CTU vice president, Jackson Potter, has in the past been an apologist for Hamas violence and headlined an event called "Palestine and Union Power" in March 2025. In May, the union staged a walkout in honor of May Day, a celebration of the worker that&#8217;s popular with communists.</em></p><p><em>In October 2024, the president of the Chicago Board of Education, Mitchell Johnson&#8212;who was appointed to the board by far-left mayor Brandon Johnson (no relation), himself a former CTU organizer&#8212;was forced to resign after his social media posts defending Hamas&#8217;s Oct. 7 massacre resurfaced.</em></p><p><em>"My Jewish colleagues appear drunk with the Israeli power and will live to see their payment," Mitchell Johnson said in one post.</em></p><p><em>"The U.S. is losing," said Hatem Abudayyeh, national chair of the U.S. Palestinian Community Network and executive director at Arab American Action Network, to thunderous applause.</em></p><p><em>"What we've seen since October 2023 is a radical restructuring of the world order, and it's happening because of what folks like us have been saying for decades&#8212;that the unified Palestinian resistance and its protracted war of national liberation against the Israeli Zionist colonizers is one of the main determinants in the crisis of capitalism and U.S. imperialism, and will help lead to their defeat."</em></p><p><em>During his remarks, Abudayyeh lauded the "principled Iranian support for the axis of resistance in Palestine, Lebanon, and Yemen," eliciting more cheers when he declared that "with unequivocal Iranian support, the Lebanese resistance continues to defend its people and land."</em></p><p><em>One session focused on efforts to pressure Israeli defense contractor Elbit Systems from its U.S. outpost in South Carolina by targeting the infrastructure of the mammoth Port of Charleston.</em></p><p><em>"Ports are like integral pieces of the war machine, right? So we need to be in those spaces," said a representative for Elbit out of South Carolina, a member of the AWAN network.</em></p><p><em>"If we can shut down even one terminal for two hours, that&#8217;s millions of dollars out in logistics."</em></p><p><em>Other resolutions included a demand for the withdrawal of U.S. protection for Taiwan and renewed denunciations of Israel.</em></p><p><em>One attendee said she supported abandoning Taiwan to Chinese domination, citing Stalin as inspiration.</em></p><p><em>"Lenin was right in saying that the national movement of the oppressed countries should be appraised not from the point of view of formal democracy, but from the point of view of the actual results, as shown by the general balance sheet of the struggle against imperialism, that is to say not in isolation, but on a world scale," the attendee said, quoting the communist butcher verbatim.</em></p><p><em>At the conclusion of events, the Free Beacon enjoyed a capitalist detox of filet mignon, crab-stuffed avocado, and carrot cake at Bavette&#8217;s Steakhouse.</em></p><p>If anything illustrates the irrationality and blind hatred of the left, this does. The horrible thing is that this is just a drop in the bucket. </p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://khmezek.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://khmezek.substack.com/subscribe?"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://khmezek.substack.com/p/bow-to-the-golden-calf-of-palestine/comments&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Leave a comment&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://khmezek.substack.com/p/bow-to-the-golden-calf-of-palestine/comments"><span>Leave a comment</span></a></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://khmezek.substack.com/p/bow-to-the-golden-calf-of-palestine?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://khmezek.substack.com/p/bow-to-the-golden-calf-of-palestine?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Bryan Johnson spent Millions Trying to Live Forever, Now He's Dying]]></title><description><![CDATA["Now I cannot help seeing day and night chasing me and leading me to my death. This is all I can see because it is the only truth. All the rest is a lie." - Leo Tolstoy]]></description><link>https://khmezek.substack.com/p/bryan-johnson-spent-millions-trying</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://khmezek.substack.com/p/bryan-johnson-spent-millions-trying</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Karen Hunt]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 13 Jul 2026 19:19:58 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gOMC!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F38e77abd-3751-4aa4-9a80-709983aaa63b_1200x750.webp" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gOMC!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F38e77abd-3751-4aa4-9a80-709983aaa63b_1200x750.webp" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gOMC!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F38e77abd-3751-4aa4-9a80-709983aaa63b_1200x750.webp 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gOMC!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F38e77abd-3751-4aa4-9a80-709983aaa63b_1200x750.webp 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gOMC!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F38e77abd-3751-4aa4-9a80-709983aaa63b_1200x750.webp 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gOMC!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F38e77abd-3751-4aa4-9a80-709983aaa63b_1200x750.webp 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img 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srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gOMC!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F38e77abd-3751-4aa4-9a80-709983aaa63b_1200x750.webp 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gOMC!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F38e77abd-3751-4aa4-9a80-709983aaa63b_1200x750.webp 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gOMC!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F38e77abd-3751-4aa4-9a80-709983aaa63b_1200x750.webp 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gOMC!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F38e77abd-3751-4aa4-9a80-709983aaa63b_1200x750.webp 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">In 2023, Brian Johnson (right) used blood transfusions from his teenage son in an attempt to reverse cell damage - Bryan Johnson</figcaption></figure></div><p>Welcome to BREAK FREE MONDAYS, a weekly discourse for paid subscribers. If you enjoy my essays and believe they have value, please consider becoming a paid subscriber. Thank you. </p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://khmezek.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://khmezek.substack.com/subscribe?"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><p>You can listen to me read this essay here:</p><div class="native-audio-embed" data-component-name="AudioPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;label&quot;:null,&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;f2e93f1b-1d64-452b-a780-ae32f2ab331c&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:1932.3298,&quot;downloadable&quot;:false,&quot;isEditorNode&quot;:true}"></div><p></p><h3>A man who spent all his wealth and all his days, obsessed with trying to cheat death has found out that death is at his door. </h3><p>Bryan Johnson, the 48-year-old self-declared &#8220;biohacker&#8221; who used blood transfusions from his teenage son in his quest for eternal youth, has revealed he suffers from a condition known as autoimmune gastritis (AIG).</p><p>&#8220;My stomach is eating itself,&#8221; he wrote on social media. </p><p>Johnson said he hoped to &#8220;solve&#8221; the disease, which occurs when the body&#8217;s immune system attacks healthy stomach-lining cells, but admitted it was incurable.</p><p>In response to his post on social media about his illness, someone replied, &#8220;Get some sun and eat some meat, bro.&#8221; So simple. All the money in the world can&#8217;t make up for common sense. </p><p>As the Bible says, it&#8217;s easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. And as I&#8217;ve said elsewhere, the older they get, the angrier and more desperate and terrified the uber wealthy become. In our modern age, they have everything a man or woman could wish for. Except that one bothersome detail: they will die just like everyone else.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Ke55!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F913c06a7-1014-49c7-9657-e1b3e9199582_795x553.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Ke55!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F913c06a7-1014-49c7-9657-e1b3e9199582_795x553.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Ke55!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F913c06a7-1014-49c7-9657-e1b3e9199582_795x553.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Ke55!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F913c06a7-1014-49c7-9657-e1b3e9199582_795x553.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Ke55!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F913c06a7-1014-49c7-9657-e1b3e9199582_795x553.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Ke55!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F913c06a7-1014-49c7-9657-e1b3e9199582_795x553.png" width="795" height="553" 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stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!mkjy!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F15a43858-2619-4911-987d-ed15942848bd_799x717.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!mkjy!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F15a43858-2619-4911-987d-ed15942848bd_799x717.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!mkjy!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F15a43858-2619-4911-987d-ed15942848bd_799x717.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!mkjy!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F15a43858-2619-4911-987d-ed15942848bd_799x717.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!mkjy!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F15a43858-2619-4911-987d-ed15942848bd_799x717.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!mkjy!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F15a43858-2619-4911-987d-ed15942848bd_799x717.png" width="799" height="717" 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srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!mkjy!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F15a43858-2619-4911-987d-ed15942848bd_799x717.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!mkjy!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F15a43858-2619-4911-987d-ed15942848bd_799x717.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!mkjy!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F15a43858-2619-4911-987d-ed15942848bd_799x717.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!mkjy!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F15a43858-2619-4911-987d-ed15942848bd_799x717.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Liquid gold: Johnson has undergone a series of plasma transfusions in his quest to fulfill his 'don't die' philosophy</figcaption></figure></div><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!4WkP!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe9e9ad69-7888-4218-ae77-2f8a5150e6c5_787x430.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!4WkP!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe9e9ad69-7888-4218-ae77-2f8a5150e6c5_787x430.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!4WkP!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe9e9ad69-7888-4218-ae77-2f8a5150e6c5_787x430.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!4WkP!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe9e9ad69-7888-4218-ae77-2f8a5150e6c5_787x430.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!4WkP!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe9e9ad69-7888-4218-ae77-2f8a5150e6c5_787x430.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!4WkP!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe9e9ad69-7888-4218-ae77-2f8a5150e6c5_787x430.png" width="787" height="430" 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srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!4WkP!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe9e9ad69-7888-4218-ae77-2f8a5150e6c5_787x430.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!4WkP!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe9e9ad69-7888-4218-ae77-2f8a5150e6c5_787x430.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!4WkP!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe9e9ad69-7888-4218-ae77-2f8a5150e6c5_787x430.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!4WkP!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe9e9ad69-7888-4218-ae77-2f8a5150e6c5_787x430.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>Johnson employs a team of medical experts whose job is to measure the state of his blood and organs, at a cost of around $2m (&#163;1.5m) a year, turning himself into a human guinea pig.</p><p>He claims to have the heart of a 37-year-old, the skin of a 28-year-old, the lung capacity of an 18-year-old, and the gums of a 17-year-old. </p><p>He just doesn&#8217;t have the guts to go with it. </p><p>Anyone who appears to be the healthiest person alive can suddenly die. Nothing is certain. No one proves this more than Bryan Johnson. </p><p>This is a topic that has fascinated me ever since I started writing Break Free Media. I don&#8217;t write so much about it now, but with this development, I thought I would share one of my essays on this topic:</p><h3>To Live Forever </h3><p><span>In Leo Tolstoy&#8217;s </span><strong><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Confession-Religious-Writings-Penguin-Classics/dp/0140444734">A Confession and Other Religious Writings</a></strong><span>, he retells an Eastern fable about a traveler who is &#8216;taken unawares on the steppes by a ferocious beast&#8217;&#8212;a beast that we all run from at one time or another. But there is a greater terror, one that is not imagined. Which way shall we run when we know we shall never escape. </span></p><p><em>In order to escape the beast, the traveler hides in an empty well, but at the bottom of the well he sees a dragon with its jaws open, ready to devour him. The poor fellow does not dare to climb out because he is afraid of being eaten by the rapacious beast, neither does he dare drop to the bottom of the well for fear of being eaten by the dragon. So, he seizes hold of a branch of a bush that is growing in the crevices of the well and clings on to it. His arms grow weak, and he knows that he will soon have to resign himself to the death that awaits him on either side. Yet he still clings on, and while he is holding on to the branch he looks around and sees that two mice, one black and one white, are steadily working their way round the bush he is hanging from, gnawing away at it. Sooner or later, they will eat through it and the branch will snap, and he will fall into the jaws of the dragon. The traveler sees this and knows that he will inevitably perish. But while he is still hanging there, he sees some drops of honey on the leaves of the bush, stretches out his tongue and licks them.</em></p><p><em>In the same way I am clinging to the tree of life, knowing full well that the dragon of death inevitably awaits me, ready to tear me to pieces, and I cannot understand how I have fallen into this torment. And I try licking the honey that once consoled me, but it no longer gives me pleasure.</em></p><p><em>The delusion of the joys of life that had formerly stifled my fear of the dragon no longer deceived me. No matter how many times I am told: you cannot understand the meaning of life, do not think about it but live, I cannot do so. Now I cannot help seeing day and night chasing me and leading me to my death. This is all I can see because it is the only truth. All the rest is a lie.</em></p><p><span>Humanity has gone much further down this path of terror than in Tolstoy&#8217;s time. It isn&#8217;t any longer about the &#8220;meaning of life&#8221;. Who cares about that when you can beat death? Living longer means you will be more likely to understand the meaning of life further down the road, right? Until then, devote yourself to looking younger, acting younger, changing your face, your genitals, replacing your internal organs, injecting yourself with </span><strong><a href="https://www.steveyoonmd.com/biologics/umbilical-cord-blood/#:~:text=Umbilical%20cord%20blood%20is%20the%20blood%20harvested%20from,stem%20cells%20to%20trigger%20natural%20healing%20and%20regeneration.">umbilical cord blood</a></strong><span> used in transplanting stem cells to trigger natural healing and regeneration, becoming part machine, uploading your mind to the cloud, floating free without any bodily restraints.</span></p><p><span>In trying to cheat death, we have forgotten what it means to </span>live<span>. In this essay I focus on three men and one woman who had/have three different approaches to life. They are all extreme. Which of them do you admire more? If you could, which one would you most like to sit down and have a conversation with?</span></p><h3><strong>Juan Carlos Izpisua Belmonte, a specialist in &#8220;rejuvenation&#8221; technology.</strong></h3>
      <p>
          <a href="https://khmezek.substack.com/p/bryan-johnson-spent-millions-trying">
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   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Jamey Carney's tragic death is one more reason why my book The Seduction of Islam is so important]]></title><description><![CDATA[I will tell this story because who else is telling it? Maybe it&#8217;s hard for Westerners to accept the truth, that they are just as blind as women like Jamey Carney and the lost women of Luxor.]]></description><link>https://khmezek.substack.com/p/jamey-carneys-tragic-death-is-one</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://khmezek.substack.com/p/jamey-carneys-tragic-death-is-one</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Karen Hunt]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 10 Jul 2026 17:54:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!NY2J!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F06b78d16-7197-49ff-a0ba-0c50c3c018f4_768x473.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!NY2J!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F06b78d16-7197-49ff-a0ba-0c50c3c018f4_768x473.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!NY2J!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F06b78d16-7197-49ff-a0ba-0c50c3c018f4_768x473.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!NY2J!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F06b78d16-7197-49ff-a0ba-0c50c3c018f4_768x473.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!NY2J!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F06b78d16-7197-49ff-a0ba-0c50c3c018f4_768x473.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!NY2J!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F06b78d16-7197-49ff-a0ba-0c50c3c018f4_768x473.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!NY2J!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F06b78d16-7197-49ff-a0ba-0c50c3c018f4_768x473.png" width="768" height="473" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/06b78d16-7197-49ff-a0ba-0c50c3c018f4_768x473.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:473,&quot;width&quot;:768,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:597809,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://khmezek.substack.com/i/206435128?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F06b78d16-7197-49ff-a0ba-0c50c3c018f4_768x473.png&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!NY2J!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F06b78d16-7197-49ff-a0ba-0c50c3c018f4_768x473.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!NY2J!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F06b78d16-7197-49ff-a0ba-0c50c3c018f4_768x473.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!NY2J!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F06b78d16-7197-49ff-a0ba-0c50c3c018f4_768x473.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!NY2J!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F06b78d16-7197-49ff-a0ba-0c50c3c018f4_768x473.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Jamey Carney and Ahmad Alsaqer</figcaption></figure></div><p>You can listen to me read this essay here:</p><div class="native-audio-embed" data-component-name="AudioPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;label&quot;:null,&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;2d7e6a85-b718-4add-93bd-49511de5168e&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:1137.5282,&quot;downloadable&quot;:false,&quot;isEditorNode&quot;:true}"></div><p></p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://khmezek.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Break Free Media is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><p><span>One-time or recurring donations can also be made at</span><strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.buymeacoffee.com/khmezek8">Buy Me a Coffee</a></strong></p><h3>Jamey Carney&#8217;s horrific murder is one more reason why my book The Seduction of Islam is so important. </h3><p>Before being bludgeoned to death by Ahmad Alsaqer, a 28-year-old asylum seeker, Jamey Carney was writing posts on social media with captions such as:</p><p>&#8220;<em>Dating an Arab be like.</em>.,&#8221; </p><p>&#8220;<em>I&#8217;m his flower/warda and he&#8217;s my moon/qamar</em>,&#8221; </p><p>&#8220;<em>learning Arabic...</em>&#8221; </p><p>&#8220;<em>The most kind, emotionally intelligent, and self-aware person I have ever known</em> &#8230;&#8221;</p><p>This is a perfect example of the love-bombing techniques Arab Muslim men use to seduce Western women. And no, I am not just saying &#8220;Arab&#8221; men, or &#8220;Middle Eastern Men&#8221;. I am saying Arab <strong>Muslim</strong> men, because Islam adds a deeper, more insidious layer to these seductions than the usual &#8220;bad guy seduces good girl&#8221; scenario that you can find in any tourist resort, or even in your own hometown. </p><p>Muslim men have the RIGHT to abuse, lie, cheat and steal from a western woman because she is an unbeliever and she deserves it. Whereas a non-Muslim conman might know what he is doing is wrong and that he will get in trouble if he is caught, these men genuinely believe that Allah, through his prophet Mohammed&#8217;s teachings in the Quran and Hadiths, gives them the right to do whatever they want, all for the sake of Islam. </p><p>These men hide behind charming facades. They can be the kindest, sweetest, most attentive men and even women who are distrusting in the beginning eventually fall for it. But that&#8217;s not all. These men play the victim of &#8220;Western imperialism&#8221;. They are refugees with harrowing stories of escape and self-sacrifice and how they are struggling to rebuild their lives. This makes them a hundred times more appealing to western women who&#8217;ve been indoctrinated to be ashamed of their own history, their own Christian religion, their own country. In Luxor, the men have the added advantage of being in their home territory, a most magical place, aided by a network of liars and cheaters&#8212;real estate agents, car salesmen, lawyers, government officials, doctors, you name it&#8212;working together to seduce foreign women. </p><p>The greatest crime of these women is that they are too trusting and naive. They are often starved for love and desperately want to believe the lies. They know nothing of Islam or the oppression of life under Sharia law. They know nothing of how much these men <em><strong>hate</strong></em> them beneath the surface. Instead, being with these men not only gives them the love they crave but it&#8217;s a way to validate their lives have more meaning; a way to prove their loyalty to &#8216;Palestine&#8217; and their condemnation of their own country. </p><p>Palestinians are the innocent and abused victims who were only responding to years of oppression when they invaded Israel on Oct 7th, committing the worst genocide of Jews since the Holocaust. No, no, that was justified &#8220;resistance&#8221;. Israel is the evil abuser, the committer of genocide. </p><p>Not only do these women get a sexy Arab Muslim lover, but they prove their loyalty to the cause by appearing with him at &#8220;Free Palestine&#8221; rallies, making all the women who don&#8217;t have a sexy Arab Muslim lover jealous. &#8220;Look at me, I&#8217;m a real revolutionary,&#8221; their demeanor says. &#8220;Resist by any means necessary,&#8221; they yell, when all they are doing is playing a dangerous game that they don&#8217;t understand.</p><p>Jamey invited a monster into her home and he killed her, even as she demanded Israelis take down the protections separating them from the monsters who want to invade their homes and kill them. What a horrible tragedy. </p><h3>Alex Sonny is going viral because she&#8217;s moving to Afghanistan to be with a man she met on Snapchat. </h3><p>She <span>criticizes America for pedophilia and violence while moving to a country where:</span></p><ul><li><p>Girls are banned from education</p></li><li><p><span>Women are completely erased from public life: they can&#8217;t work most jobs, can&#8217;t speak in public, and can&#8217;t leave home without a male escort</span></p></li><li><p><span>21.9 million people (half the country) need emergency aid</span></p></li><li><p><span>17.4 million are facing starvation</span></p></li><li><p><span>3.7 million children have acute malnutrition</span></p></li><li><p><span>The Taliban has legalized beating wives &#8220;without breaking bones,&#8221; along with skyrocketing rates of child marriage</span></p></li><li><p><span>They have enforced a rigid caste-like system</span></p></li><li><p><span>There is no freedom of religion, speech, or dress</span></p><p></p><p>Notice in the clip below, how Alex talks about &#8220;cultural&#8221; differences. No mention of Islam because there&#8217;s always a refusal to admit that Islam has anything to do with anything negative. If something is wrong, it&#8217;s the culture that should be blamed. Of course she isn&#8217;t saying anything&#8217;s wrong with the culture, either. She defends it while refusing to acknowledge the elephant in the room&#8212;Islam. This is why I call Islam a cult:</p></li></ul><div class="native-video-embed" data-component-name="VideoPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;f2273e83-1904-4706-9c2b-a98161975093&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:null}"></div><p>Here is another disturbing clip from Alex. She says that women in the US need to &#8220;get outside the box&#8221; and date more men from other countries. Maybe she talks about Islam elsewhere, it would be weird if she doesn&#8217;t. But of course, she will only talk about it in a positive way. She knows nothing of Islam or the danger she is exposing herself to:</p><div class="twitter-embed" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://x.com/i/status/2073181337020772556&quot;,&quot;full_text&quot;:&quot;American women are EXTREMELY DISTURBED because Alex Sunny is moving to Afghanistan to be with a man she met on Snapchat. women in Afghanistan have basically NO freedom and WISH they could escape being under TALIBAN RULE and they are afraid for her but she won't listen. &quot;,&quot;username&quot;:&quot;Te_Erika&quot;,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;Te-Erika&quot;,&quot;profile_image_url&quot;:&quot;https://pbs.substack.com/profile_images/1621544064234528768/qa7IgBMU_normal.jpg&quot;,&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-07-03T23:05:23.000Z&quot;,&quot;photos&quot;:[{&quot;img_url&quot;:&quot;https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!0hB3!,w_1028,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best,fl_progressive:steep/l_play_button_usfui2,w_88,e_colorize:0/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F__ss-rehost__tw-video-preview-13_2073181261758144512.jpg&quot;,&quot;link_url&quot;:&quot;https://t.co/9sgX8Z2tG9&quot;}],&quot;quoted_tweet&quot;:{},&quot;reply_count&quot;:0,&quot;retweet_count&quot;:0,&quot;like_count&quot;:1,&quot;impression_count&quot;:353,&quot;expanded_url&quot;:null,&quot;video_url&quot;:&quot;https://video.twimg.com/amplify_video/2073181261758144512/vid/avc1/720x1280/dqBz1QD5gCcvb7OB.mp4&quot;,&quot;video_preview_media_key&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true}" data-component-name="Twitter2ToDOM"></div><h3>I recently posted a warning about Mayor Mamdani on Facebook and a liberal white woman commented that &#8220;no one cares about his religion&#8221;. </h3><p>Again, this denial that Islam has anything to do with anything. She listed all the wonderful things he&#8217;s doing for New York, none of which is actually happening. I commented back simply that she is &#8220;terribly naive&#8221; to which she responded with a laughing emoji. </p><p>That laugh sent chills down my spine, because I lived under Sharia law and I know how ignorant she is. I also know that no matter what I say, she is so indoctrinated she will just keep on with the laughing emojis and not even question that maybe she should find out more. </p><p>On her profile she has a quote from Angela Davis: "Radical simply means 'grasping things at the root.'" </p><p>This quote is quite meaningless. What &#8220;root&#8221; is Davis talking about? I&#8217;m sure this white woman considers herself to be a &#8220;radical&#8221; as she lives her privileged life in a country where the freedoms she enjoys&#8212;while laughing at them&#8212;were fought for by men and women who gave everything, even their lives, so she could be free to laugh. </p><p>The women of Iran taking off their hijabs, knowing they will be tortured and killed for it, are the real radicals. But this naive American woman will never stand with them. She will stand with Angela Davis who after being accused of murder, conspiracy, and kidnapping, went on to be hailed as a hero, embedding herself in the educational system and becoming very successful thanks to the democracy that allowed her to trash it. Then, she used those freedoms to indoctrinate her students to hate their country and love jihadists who would butcher them. </p><h4>So, yes, it&#8217;s very easy to make fun of these naive women seduced by these Muslim men. But I would respectfully ask where everyone was for the last seventy or so years? At least acknowledge that 90% of people in the West were silent, either out of naiveite themselves or laziness, even as the West was being seduced, first communism and now by Islam.</h4><p>In 2022, when my article <strong><a href="https://egyptianstreets.com/2022/05/20/tales-of-eclipse-the-lost-foreign-women-of-luxor/">Tales of Eclipse: the Lost (Foreign) Women of Luxor</a> </strong>was published in Egypt, in Egyptian Streets (because no liberal western newspaper would publish it) about what happens to Western women married to local men, one German woman messaged me to say thank you for letting people know the truth. She said she wished she could tell her story, but if she did, she wouldn&#8217;t live to see the morning. No one was interested in her or any of the other women suffering as she was. Such stories are only interesting now as fodder for making fun of these stupid, shameful women who deserve what they get. Reality TV shows make fun of them further, with stories that purposely make them look even stupider and more outrageous. </p><p>Jamey Carney was horrifically murdered by a man she trusted because she was indoctrinated over many years to believe a lot of lies. And the hypocritical public on social media mock her for it.  </p><div class="twitter-embed" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://x.com/ImMeme0/status/2075311635581853701?s=20&quot;,&quot;full_text&quot;:&quot;That deluded fool Jamey Carney strutted around calling herself &#8220;the good American&#8221; while spitting venom at ICE agents, gobbling up every toxic lie from left-wing propagandists, cosplaying as a pro-Palestine activist, and bragging about dating a Muslim.\n\nNow she&#8217;s a dead American!&quot;,&quot;username&quot;:&quot;ImMeme0&quot;,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;I Meme Therefore I Am &#127482;&#127480;&quot;,&quot;profile_image_url&quot;:&quot;https://pbs.substack.com/profile_images/1511105748671021065/h4NfG141_normal.jpg&quot;,&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-07-09T20:10:26.000Z&quot;,&quot;photos&quot;:[{&quot;img_url&quot;:&quot;https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!OnWt!,w_1028,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best,fl_progressive:steep/l_play_button_usfui2,w_88,e_colorize:0/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F__ss-rehost__tw-video-preview-13_2075311547321094144.jpg&quot;,&quot;link_url&quot;:&quot;https://t.co/SsiiCdqvwD&quot;}],&quot;quoted_tweet&quot;:{&quot;full_text&quot;:&quot;This is Jamey Carney, an American living in Europe who participates in pro-Palestine protests. She has just become another victim of a brutal murder committed by a third-world Muslim invader.&#8203;&#8203;&#8203;&#8203;&#8203;&#8203;&#8203;&#8203;&#8203;&#8203;&#8203;&#8203;&#8203;&#8203;&#8203;&#8203;&#8203;&#8203;&#8203;&#8203;&#8203;&#8203;&#8203;&#8203;&#8203;&#8203;&#8203;&#8203;&#8203;&#8203;&#8203;&#8203;&#8203;&#8203;&#8203;&#8203;&#8203;&#8203;&#8203;&#8203;&#8203;&#8203;&#8203;&#8203;&#8203;&#8203;&#8203;&#8203;&#8203;&#8203;\n\nShe posted romantic text messages https://t.co/FsQnRRNx21&quot;,&quot;username&quot;:&quot;ImMeme0&quot;,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;I Meme Therefore I Am &#127482;&#127480;&quot;,&quot;profile_image_url&quot;:&quot;https://pbs.substack.com/profile_images/1511105748671021065/h4NfG141_normal.jpg&quot;},&quot;reply_count&quot;:1358,&quot;retweet_count&quot;:3956,&quot;like_count&quot;:14256,&quot;impression_count&quot;:585893,&quot;expanded_url&quot;:null,&quot;video_url&quot;:&quot;https://video.twimg.com/amplify_video/2075311547321094144/vid/avc1/804x720/1yigEggy6pMnouJL.mp4&quot;,&quot;video_preview_media_key&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true}" data-component-name="Twitter2ToDOM"></div><p>I want people to understand that what happened to Jamey illustrates what&#8217;s happening all over the West, not only to women, but to men as well. Let&#8217;s be clear, most of the propagandists are male influencers, like Tucker Carlson, Hasan Piker, Jackson Hinkle and more. New York City elected a Twelver Shia Muslim mayor and not only women did that. Imams are men, they are the cult leaders who seduce men and women. It&#8217;s men who sit in the mosque and listen to the imams tell them they have the right to abuse infidel women.  </p><p>Landing in Luxor in the winter of 2018, I came with a completely open heart, ready to accept Islam as the religion of peace. I never wanted to convert; I simply wanted to know the truth. I never dreamed my experiences would result in a renewed faith in Jesus. The contrast, not between the religions of Islam and Christianity, but between Mohammed and Jesus was the epiphany that opened my eyes. </p><h3>My renewed faith in Jesus is the most important part of my book, and you&#8217;d think Christian publishers would want to publish it. Not so. </h3><p>It&#8217;s been illuminating to find out that not only liberal publishers don&#8217;t want to publish my book (that&#8217;s to be expected) but conservative Christian publishers are made uncomfortable by it. Why? Because of the stigma attached to women who get involved with Muslim men. No one who was so stupid, so sinful can be taken seriously. </p><p>I was actually told on two separate occasions, by two men in the Christian publishing world, that no one wants to read a memoir about Islam, from a Western woman&#8217;s perspective. One of them told me I had lived too sinful a life to be published in the Christian market. I was told there are plenty of former Arab Muslim men from the Middle East who are experts in Islam and converted to Christianity. It&#8217;s much better if they tell their stories.  </p><p>Really? I can&#8217;t think of any book that would be more relevant than mine. The Seduction of Islam isn&#8217;t just about what happens in Luxor, although that&#8217;s interesting enough. It&#8217;s about what&#8217;s happening to millions of Western women, seduced by Islam to not only marry Arab Muslim men but parrot phrases like &#8220;from the river to the sea&#8221; and &#8220;by any means necessary&#8221; and &#8220;Israel is committing genocide&#8221; and &#8220;jihadists are freedom fighters&#8221;. </p><p>I married a Muslim man in Luxor, and I reveal the reasons why in my book. My marriage gave me insight into a world I would have never understood so deeply otherwise. No former Muslim can tell that story. Over the course of almost three years, I spent hundreds of hours in honest conversation with Muslim men. On long winter evenings in my garden in front of the fire, they drank Stella beers and smoked weed and told me everything from &#8220;all western women are whores&#8221; to &#8220;of course I will cut the clitoris out of my daughter so she will be pure&#8221; to &#8220;Israel never won a single war, we always win.&#8221; I even came away with some compassion for these men because they are prisoners, too, of such an oppressive religion. They told me they can never leave Islam. It&#8217;s unthinkable. I came away with a lot of compassion for the western women who married them. </p><p>I&#8217;m a western Christian woman who sinfully married a Muslim man and apparently that&#8217;s unforgivable. No matter that Western women might be saved from making the mistakes of Jamey Carney and Alex Sonny, my story is too embarrassing to be given a platform.  </p><p>But this is the really crazy part, and quite wonderful, and at the same time, shame on Christian publishers:</p><ul><li><p>A Jewish publisher wants to publish my book. </p></li><li><p>A rabbi just had me on his podcast. </p></li><li><p>I&#8217;ve been invited to Israel once my book is published to stay in a friend&#8217;s home so he can help me spread the word. </p></li></ul><p>Maybe the reason is because Jews, especially Israeli Jews, know what it&#8217;s like to be scorned and not believed by the West. Israeli women who were hostages, tortured and raped by Hamas and civilian Gazans, were silenced by the Western media, by the United Nations, by Western liberal women, mocked and told they were lying. </p><p>I&#8217;m not a person who stays silent. I wasn&#8217;t silent in Luxor. Once I found out the truth, although I faced danger, I still spoke out. I won&#8217;t be silent now. I will tell this story because who else is telling it? And maybe it&#8217;s hard for Westerners to accept the truth, that they are just as blind as women like Jamey Carney, Alex Sonny and the women in Luxor. </p><h3>The West is being seduced by Islam RIGHT NOW, as I write these words. It is only getting worse, and I am being told that my story isn&#8217;t important. </h3><p>What happened to Jamey Carney proves that it is. She was brutally murdered by an Arab Muslim man who seduced her in a way that resembles how the West is being seduced by Islam. And the way the Irish government, the police and the media are trying to deny that it was a MUSLIM Arab man shows who hard it is to tell the truth when everyone wants to pretend it isn&#8217;t happening. </p><h4>Ahmad Alsaqer&#8217;s identity is being protected by the Irish government, while the face of Jamey Carney, the woman he killed, is everywhere. </h4><p>It is quite shocking that the Irish police investigating her horrific murder refuse to release the man&#8217;s profile, continuing to call him a &#8220;person of interest&#8221; from the &#8220;Middle East.&#8221; Then, they appeal to anyone who has information to come forward. I&#8217;ve looked at both the Irish Times and the Irish Sun and no photos of the man, no name.  <a href="https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/irish-police-hunt-jamey-carney-person-of-interest-but-dont-release-profile/ar-AA27x5oT?ocid=BingNewsSerp">(1)</a> <a href="https://www.thesun.ie/news/17260901/kerry-murder-victim-met-killer-protest-garda-hunt/">(2)</a></p><p>Maybe if they had released his profile and photos immediately, he wouldn&#8217;t have been able to board that plane and escape to Turkey. </p><p>Maybe the West will finally realize that stories like mine are important but by then, will it be too late? All the more reason to keeping fighting for the truth to be told. </p><p>I ask that people be respectful in the comments. I have heard too much from people who say they don&#8217;t feel sorry for these women, they got what they deserved. Think for a moment of Jamey&#8217;s thirteen-year-old daughter who found her mother&#8217;s bludgeoned body. Imagine what it must be like to see her mother called a deluded fool all over social media. </p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://khmezek.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://khmezek.substack.com/subscribe?"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://khmezek.substack.com/p/jamey-carneys-tragic-death-is-one/comments&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Leave a comment&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://khmezek.substack.com/p/jamey-carneys-tragic-death-is-one/comments"><span>Leave a comment</span></a></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://khmezek.substack.com/p/jamey-carneys-tragic-death-is-one?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://khmezek.substack.com/p/jamey-carneys-tragic-death-is-one?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Keffiyeh is the New 'Hipster' Swastika]]></title><description><![CDATA[The keffiyeh and the swastika are like two types of laundry soap, one expensive and one not. They're made by the same company and essentially the same, just marketed to different demographics.]]></description><link>https://khmezek.substack.com/p/the-keffiyeh-is-the-new-hipster-swastika</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://khmezek.substack.com/p/the-keffiyeh-is-the-new-hipster-swastika</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Karen Hunt]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 07 Jul 2026 02:03:50 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/cd9ec6e2-8a3d-49c7-bcbd-c797f4a7eda6_987x469.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Welcome to BREAK FREE MONDAYS, a weekly discourse for paid subscribers. If you believe my work had value, please consider becoming a paid subscriber. Thank you. </p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://khmezek.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://khmezek.substack.com/subscribe?"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><p>There is no audio, as this is mostly visual. </p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yH1K!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9ad8da47-998b-4593-a163-97f58f6e8cd1_780x435.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yH1K!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9ad8da47-998b-4593-a163-97f58f6e8cd1_780x435.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yH1K!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9ad8da47-998b-4593-a163-97f58f6e8cd1_780x435.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yH1K!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9ad8da47-998b-4593-a163-97f58f6e8cd1_780x435.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yH1K!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9ad8da47-998b-4593-a163-97f58f6e8cd1_780x435.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yH1K!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9ad8da47-998b-4593-a163-97f58f6e8cd1_780x435.jpeg" width="780" height="435" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/9ad8da47-998b-4593-a163-97f58f6e8cd1_780x435.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:435,&quot;width&quot;:780,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:null,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;ACT NOW! Protest Keffiyeh-wearing Educators in San Francisco Schools | United with Israel&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;ACT NOW! Protest Keffiyeh-wearing Educators in San Francisco Schools | United with Israel&quot;,&quot;type&quot;:null,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="ACT NOW! Protest Keffiyeh-wearing Educators in San Francisco Schools | United with Israel" title="ACT NOW! Protest Keffiyeh-wearing Educators in San Francisco Schools | United with Israel" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yH1K!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9ad8da47-998b-4593-a163-97f58f6e8cd1_780x435.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yH1K!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9ad8da47-998b-4593-a163-97f58f6e8cd1_780x435.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yH1K!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9ad8da47-998b-4593-a163-97f58f6e8cd1_780x435.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yH1K!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9ad8da47-998b-4593-a163-97f58f6e8cd1_780x435.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>They all look the same, decked out with symbols they don&#8217;t understand&#8212;except for the Scooby-Doo shirt.</p><p>Hitler&#8217;s youth wore scarves and had symbols. </p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Ajo6!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2daca048-09fb-426a-9acc-f847e1180471_1024x704.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Ajo6!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2daca048-09fb-426a-9acc-f847e1180471_1024x704.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Ajo6!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2daca048-09fb-426a-9acc-f847e1180471_1024x704.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Ajo6!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2daca048-09fb-426a-9acc-f847e1180471_1024x704.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Ajo6!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2daca048-09fb-426a-9acc-f847e1180471_1024x704.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Ajo6!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2daca048-09fb-426a-9acc-f847e1180471_1024x704.jpeg" width="1024" height="704" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/2daca048-09fb-426a-9acc-f847e1180471_1024x704.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:704,&quot;width&quot;:1024,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:null,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;A parade of uniformed young people march down a crowded celebratory street. A group of Nazi officials stand to the right observing the parade.&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;A parade of uniformed young people march down a crowded celebratory street. A group of Nazi officials stand to the right observing the parade.&quot;,&quot;type&quot;:null,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="A parade of uniformed young people march down a crowded celebratory street. A group of Nazi officials stand to the right observing the parade." title="A parade of uniformed young people march down a crowded celebratory street. A group of Nazi officials stand to the right observing the parade." srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Ajo6!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2daca048-09fb-426a-9acc-f847e1180471_1024x704.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Ajo6!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2daca048-09fb-426a-9acc-f847e1180471_1024x704.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Ajo6!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2daca048-09fb-426a-9acc-f847e1180471_1024x704.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Ajo6!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2daca048-09fb-426a-9acc-f847e1180471_1024x704.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>They carried flags, too. </p><div class="image-gallery-embed" data-attrs="{&quot;gallery&quot;:{&quot;images&quot;:[{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/webp&quot;,&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/b10d80d0-62bd-4d80-93a3-f3d67fe6ba78_1024x693.webp&quot;},{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/webp&quot;,&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/710f8589-3fb2-4522-9788-999e5bb7da8c_474x266.webp&quot;}],&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;staticGalleryImage&quot;:{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/8d894c8b-5f66-44a2-8519-6b71a37667c2_1456x720.png&quot;}},&quot;isEditorNode&quot;:true}"></div><p>You&#8217;d think the chaotic communist protestors on our college campuses have nothing to do with the disciplined youth of the Nazi movement. </p><p>The keffiyeh and the swastika are like two types of laundry soap, one expensive and one not. They&#8217;re made by the same company and essentially the same, just marketed to different demographics. Beneath the marketing, the products serve the same purpose.  </p><h3>The Keffiyeh is the New &#8216;Hipster&#8217; Swastika</h3><p>After the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust, between Oct 7 and Dec 2, 2023,<strong><a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-sales-palestinian-keffiyehs-soar-even-wearers-targeted-2023-12-05/"> sales of keffiyeh scarves on Amazon.com rose 75%, compared to the same period the previous year.</a></strong></p><ul><li><p>&#8220;Palestinian scarf for women&#8221; searches rose <strong>159%</strong> </p></li><li><p>&#8220;Military scarf shemagh&#8221; searches jumped <strong>333%</strong>.</p></li><li><p>&#8220;Keffiyeh Palestine&#8221; searches increased <strong>75%</strong>.</p></li></ul><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!l395!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fec9eb7b7-86b8-437e-9938-c912369b9101_6000x4044.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!l395!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fec9eb7b7-86b8-437e-9938-c912369b9101_6000x4044.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!l395!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fec9eb7b7-86b8-437e-9938-c912369b9101_6000x4044.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!l395!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fec9eb7b7-86b8-437e-9938-c912369b9101_6000x4044.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!l395!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fec9eb7b7-86b8-437e-9938-c912369b9101_6000x4044.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!l395!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fec9eb7b7-86b8-437e-9938-c912369b9101_6000x4044.jpeg" width="1456" height="981" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/ec9eb7b7-86b8-437e-9938-c912369b9101_6000x4044.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:981,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:null,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;Demand for the Palestinian keffiyeh only increases, in Hebron&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Demand for the Palestinian keffiyeh only increases, in Hebron&quot;,&quot;type&quot;:null,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="Demand for the Palestinian keffiyeh only increases, in Hebron" title="Demand for the Palestinian keffiyeh only increases, in Hebron" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!l395!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fec9eb7b7-86b8-437e-9938-c912369b9101_6000x4044.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!l395!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fec9eb7b7-86b8-437e-9938-c912369b9101_6000x4044.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!l395!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fec9eb7b7-86b8-437e-9938-c912369b9101_6000x4044.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!l395!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fec9eb7b7-86b8-437e-9938-c912369b9101_6000x4044.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Izzat Hirbawi shows a keffiyeh in a textile factory in Hebron, Jan 24, 2023. Reuters.</figcaption></figure></div><p>&#8220;It was like a light switch. All of a sudden, we had hundreds of people on the website simultaneously and buying whatever they could,&#8221; said Azar Aghayev, the U.S. distributor for Hirbawi, which opened in 1961 Hebron.</p><p>&#8220;In two days, the stock that we had was just gone, and not just gone, it was oversold.&#8221;</p><p>How did the keffiyeh become such a popular symbol of resistance?</p>
      <p>
          <a href="https://khmezek.substack.com/p/the-keffiyeh-is-the-new-hipster-swastika">
              Read more
          </a>
      </p>
   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Funeral of the Century]]></title><description><![CDATA[Forgotten are the Iranian dissidents, tortured and hung from cranes. Iranians unite to honor their Supreme Leader and call for the Death of America and Israel.]]></description><link>https://khmezek.substack.com/p/funeral-of-the-century</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://khmezek.substack.com/p/funeral-of-the-century</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Karen Hunt]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 06 Jul 2026 22:09:29 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/5c0f4fbe-be8e-4132-885a-a59a3c7b41df_474x266.webp" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>You can listen to me read this essay here:</p><div class="native-audio-embed" data-component-name="AudioPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;label&quot;:null,&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;e63ac0b8-47f1-47e9-a4a3-33085f19d279&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:1060.1273,&quot;downloadable&quot;:false,&quot;isEditorNode&quot;:true}"></div><p></p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://khmezek.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Break Free Media is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><p><span>One-time or recurring donations can also be made at</span><strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.buymeacoffee.com/khmezek8">Buy Me a Coffee</a></strong></p><p>I can&#8217;t stand Glenn Greenwald, but <strong><a href="https://x.com/ggreenwald/status/2073808093985526016?s=20">he is right when he says about the funeral:</a></strong></p><h4>Americans were told this is what Iranians would do to express gratitude to American and Israeli invaders for bombing them: pour out on the streets to welcome us as liberators.</h4><p>That never happened. Instead, Iranians are pouring into the streets to mourn the assassination of their Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei.  </p><div class="native-video-embed" data-component-name="VideoPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;89d19dfb-c535-4237-82ec-1e4472bbb66b&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:null}"></div><p>And because Americans are indoctrinated to think &#8220;bigger is better&#8221; many are saying, wait a minute, look at that crowd. Wow, maybe we&#8217;re wrong and they&#8217;re right. Look at their dedication. They actually believe in their religion. They love their leaders. </p><p>We sure don&#8217;t. </p><p>We&#8217;re so lost, so empty, so hungry for something to believe in due to years of having our own faith and foundation undermined by Marxist professors on college campuses and by our media, our politicians, even our own churches, saying we should embrace everything and everyone. Be all-inclusive.  </p><p>I have a bone to pick with leading atheists like Sam Harris and Richard Dawkins, leading voices in the <strong>New Atheism</strong><span> movement that criticized religion and gained widespread attention in the mid&#8209;2000s.</span></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!SWX-!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fcce0e45b-16c8-47cc-b21a-4bf9e1780242_1920x1080.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!SWX-!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fcce0e45b-16c8-47cc-b21a-4bf9e1780242_1920x1080.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!SWX-!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fcce0e45b-16c8-47cc-b21a-4bf9e1780242_1920x1080.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!SWX-!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fcce0e45b-16c8-47cc-b21a-4bf9e1780242_1920x1080.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!SWX-!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fcce0e45b-16c8-47cc-b21a-4bf9e1780242_1920x1080.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!SWX-!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fcce0e45b-16c8-47cc-b21a-4bf9e1780242_1920x1080.jpeg" width="1456" height="819" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/cce0e45b-16c8-47cc-b21a-4bf9e1780242_1920x1080.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:819,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:null,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;Richard Dawkins Wallpaper&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:null,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="Richard Dawkins Wallpaper" title="Richard Dawkins Wallpaper" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!SWX-!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fcce0e45b-16c8-47cc-b21a-4bf9e1780242_1920x1080.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!SWX-!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fcce0e45b-16c8-47cc-b21a-4bf9e1780242_1920x1080.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!SWX-!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fcce0e45b-16c8-47cc-b21a-4bf9e1780242_1920x1080.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!SWX-!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fcce0e45b-16c8-47cc-b21a-4bf9e1780242_1920x1080.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p><span>These two men </span>greatly contributed to the demise of Christianity in the West, and they would have been very proud of that achievement.  </p><p>Dawkins said: "The very idea that we get a moral compass from religion is horrible. Not only should we not get our moral compass from religion, as a matter of fact we don't."</p><p>Harris expressed endless contempt for Christianity: &#8220;It is time we admitted, from kings and presidents on down, that there is no evidence that any of our books was authored by the Creator of the universe. The Bible, it seems certain, was the work of sand-strewn men and women&#8230;&#8221;</p><p>And yet, now, these two atheists suddenly call themselves &#8220;cultural Christians&#8221;, having realized that oops, maybe Christian values are important after all, especially when compared to the values of Islam. Maybe all religions aren&#8217;t the same and one is better than another. </p><p>"I do think that we are culturally a Christian country, and I call myself a Cultural Christian,&#8221; says Dawkins. He goes on to make sure everyone knows he is not a &#8220;believer.&#8221; And we are supposed to think what he is saying makes sense.</p><p>Intellectuals like this never understood that true Christianity has nothing to do with the wars between Catholics and Protestants, or the many of the dangerous people who call themselves Christians today, such as Tucker Carlson. Christianity has to do with the TEACHINGS OF JESUS. </p><p>Jesus was either a liar a lunatic, or he was who he claimed to be: the Son of God. </p><h3>Men like Harris and Dawkins did all they could to destroy faith in Jesus by attacking manmade religion, not realizing that if people lose faith in Jesus, <em>something else will fill the void. </em></h3><p>And that something turned out to be a hybrid of Communism/Islamism/Nazism. </p><p>Harris and Dawkins arrogantly shrug their shoulders as if they had nothing to do with this catastrophe, insisting that they are such intellectual giants we must all listen to them now as they go back on everything they said before, and still, they don&#8217;t understand what they are talking about. </p><h3>You cannot just drape Christianity on your shoulders. At the first challenge it will fall off and the empty soul beneath will still be there. Only true faith can stand up to evil. </h3><p>A growing multitude of humans are falling under the force of evil. But why would men like Harris and Dawkins care about that anyway. If they don&#8217;t believe in God and Satan, in good and evil, what does any of this matter which way people go. We might as well be followers of Mohammed as followers of Jesus, right? There has to be more than just a cultural facade. </p><p>This is how a bunch of American communism/nazi influencers think&#8212;and perhaps many of them were influenced by Harris and Dawkins. One thing is as good as another, and why not let it be Islam if it gives them more money and fame. And so, they quickly scurried off to Tehran to report on the funeral.</p><p>One of those influencers is Patrick Henningsen. We were friends once. We connected during Covid. He was the first person to have me on a podcast, his 21Wire. I remember how nervous I was, but he was a very good host, and I enjoyed being able to share my thoughts. He was instrumental in introducing me to many others fighting against mask, lockdown and Covid vaccine mandates. We were a little army of voices, supporting one another. I really thought these were my people. </p><h4>And then October 7th happened and the world went from light to dark. Covid was forgotten as if it had never been. No more talk of the World Economic Forum and the dangers of the One World Government and the Surveillance State. Suddenly, almost everyone I&#8217;d built relationships with were spewing hatred about Israel and Zionists. Naturally, that was the end of our association. </h4><p>Patrick Henningsen is now in his element. He has grown his communist/nazi/Islam anti-Israel audience enormously. Here he is at Khamenei&#8217;s funeral:</p><p><em>PASSION AND PILGRIMAGE: IRANIANS UNITE TO HONOUR THEIR SUPREME LEADER (PART 1) </em></p><p><em>Experience the unity of a nation in mourning as we join the Funeral procession. This clip captures the huge turnout and emotional atmosphere at the Grand Masala funeral ceremony and the massive participation of Iranians travelling from all corners to honour the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei.</em></p><div class="native-video-embed" data-component-name="VideoPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;3954f16f-7f7f-4018-aa5a-7e764f75eb00&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:null}"></div><p>Here&#8217;s some other accounts from the funeral. </p><p><span>During the ceremonies, regime poet Mohammad Rasouli, who served as the master of ceremonies, openly called for Trump's assassination over the loudspeakers, </span><a href="https://apnews.com/article/khamenei-funeral-supreme-leader-iran-us-war-july-5-2026-9c2641e5bc540e5943dd39b95d4f02f8">according to</a><span> the Associated Press. </span></p><p><span>Why would we be surprised? It&#8217;s no different from what we&#8217;ve been hearing on the streets of the United States and in our schools ever since Oct 7, 2023. </span></p><h3>Iranians held a giant effigy of President Trump hanging with his hands covered in blood as protestors chant &#8220;Death To America&#8221; and &#8220;Kill Trump&#8221;.</h3><div class="native-video-embed" data-component-name="VideoPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;29f291d1-a01b-42d1-ace8-44beb35894c4&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:null}"></div><p>That could have been in New York; we&#8217;ve seen such sights in the US, it&#8217;s nothing new. </p><p>Among some of the other useful American idiots at the funeral are Hasan Piker and Max Blumenthal. </p><h4>They call the US the greatest tyranny, yet they aren&#8217;t afraid they&#8217;ll be imprisoned, tortured or killed for calling for America&#8217;s downfall or attending the funeral of the leader of the country at which we&#8217;ve been at war. </h4><p>Nor do they mention the tens of thousands of protestors in Iran who have been tortured and killed in recent months. </p><p><strong>Below, Iranians carry huge posters of the Americans they want to see assassinated. And okay, it&#8217;s only fair if America kills their leaders, they should have a right to express who they want killed, too. The problem is that so many Americans agree with them!   </strong></p><div class="native-video-embed" data-component-name="VideoPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;72e4786a-f0ad-47ac-9412-d6a3fd073342&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:null}"></div><p><strong>Below, the most pathetic useful idiot out there, Jackson Hinkle says the world is finally going to see the true unity of the people of the Islamic Republic of Iran. </strong></p><div class="native-video-embed" data-component-name="VideoPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;e1f29dab-c526-4e35-a2d4-c91372416720&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:null}"></div><h3>But the grand prize goes to Palestine Action US founder Calla Walsh calling Ayatollah Khamenei the &#8220;greatest anti-Imperialist leader&#8221; in her lifetime. </h3><p>She hasn&#8217;t lived long enough, obviously. </p><p>Walsh grew up in Cambridge, Massachusetts and attended expensive private schools and is a perfect example of the rotten core of our educational system teaching our youth to hate their own country. Her father, Chris Walsh, is an English professor and director of Boston University&#8217;s college writing program, while her mother, Mary Walsh, is a writer of young adult fiction and teaches at Harvard Extension School.</p><div class="native-video-embed" data-component-name="VideoPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;65b6bf45-e25a-401d-b70b-b0d114ad8116&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:null}"></div><p>Below, she gives a mind-numbing speech, thanking the Islamic regime for inviting American influencers to their beautiful country. </p><p>&#8220;We do not deserve such kindness,&#8221; she says. </p><p>&#8220;We all have a duty when we go back to the countries we come from to share the truth we saw here and to <strong>struggle</strong> against Zionism and imperialism,&#8221; she further says.  </p><p>&#8220;Struggle&#8221; is a horrific word, that brings back memories to those who survived torture under communism of the &#8220;struggle sessions.&#8221;</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!wkUf!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F61f35912-2d6d-453a-ac82-5c919c4d6395_1280x720.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!wkUf!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F61f35912-2d6d-453a-ac82-5c919c4d6395_1280x720.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!wkUf!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F61f35912-2d6d-453a-ac82-5c919c4d6395_1280x720.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!wkUf!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F61f35912-2d6d-453a-ac82-5c919c4d6395_1280x720.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!wkUf!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F61f35912-2d6d-453a-ac82-5c919c4d6395_1280x720.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!wkUf!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F61f35912-2d6d-453a-ac82-5c919c4d6395_1280x720.jpeg" width="1280" height="720" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/61f35912-2d6d-453a-ac82-5c919c4d6395_1280x720.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:720,&quot;width&quot;:1280,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:null,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;Anger in China as Netflix show 3 Body Problem goes viral | The Advertiser&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:null,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="Anger in China as Netflix show 3 Body Problem goes viral | The Advertiser" title="Anger in China as Netflix show 3 Body Problem goes viral | The Advertiser" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!wkUf!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F61f35912-2d6d-453a-ac82-5c919c4d6395_1280x720.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!wkUf!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F61f35912-2d6d-453a-ac82-5c919c4d6395_1280x720.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!wkUf!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F61f35912-2d6d-453a-ac82-5c919c4d6395_1280x720.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!wkUf!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F61f35912-2d6d-453a-ac82-5c919c4d6395_1280x720.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>She peppers her speech with worn-out communist phrases that I heard myself in the Soviet Union and other communist countries, like &#8220;glory to the martyrs&#8221; and &#8220;glory to the axis of resistance,&#8221; and then the phrases that I heard in Egypt since my childhood, &#8220;Death to America&#8221; and &#8220;Death to Israel.&#8221; She even says them in Arabic. What a star. </p><p>But her demeanor is very weird. Either she took too much Xanax, or someone is holding a knife to her back, or she&#8217;s made the full transition from human to cyborg. She is a terrifying example of someone who would stand there without emotion, watching protestors be tortured in a &#8220;struggle session.&#8221; </p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!4E3P!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F00c1e149-9c74-4b20-998a-6e919bc7d951_760x420.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!4E3P!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F00c1e149-9c74-4b20-998a-6e919bc7d951_760x420.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!4E3P!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F00c1e149-9c74-4b20-998a-6e919bc7d951_760x420.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!4E3P!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F00c1e149-9c74-4b20-998a-6e919bc7d951_760x420.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!4E3P!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F00c1e149-9c74-4b20-998a-6e919bc7d951_760x420.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!4E3P!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F00c1e149-9c74-4b20-998a-6e919bc7d951_760x420.png" width="760" height="420" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/00c1e149-9c74-4b20-998a-6e919bc7d951_760x420.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:420,&quot;width&quot;:760,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:343152,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://khmezek.substack.com/i/205522893?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F00c1e149-9c74-4b20-998a-6e919bc7d951_760x420.png&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!4E3P!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F00c1e149-9c74-4b20-998a-6e919bc7d951_760x420.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!4E3P!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F00c1e149-9c74-4b20-998a-6e919bc7d951_760x420.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!4E3P!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F00c1e149-9c74-4b20-998a-6e919bc7d951_760x420.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!4E3P!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F00c1e149-9c74-4b20-998a-6e919bc7d951_760x420.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><h3>These privileged Americans know nothing of struggle and hardship. They praise monsters while ignoring the courageous young Iranians who took to the streets and <em>were</em> tortured and hung from cranes in town squares for daring to speak freely. </h3><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!aN_w!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0e4ccae8-8f0e-41fc-b571-32ec76ebdd77_1360x800.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!aN_w!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0e4ccae8-8f0e-41fc-b571-32ec76ebdd77_1360x800.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!aN_w!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0e4ccae8-8f0e-41fc-b571-32ec76ebdd77_1360x800.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!aN_w!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0e4ccae8-8f0e-41fc-b571-32ec76ebdd77_1360x800.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!aN_w!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0e4ccae8-8f0e-41fc-b571-32ec76ebdd77_1360x800.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!aN_w!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0e4ccae8-8f0e-41fc-b571-32ec76ebdd77_1360x800.jpeg" width="1360" height="800" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/0e4ccae8-8f0e-41fc-b571-32ec76ebdd77_1360x800.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:800,&quot;width&quot;:1360,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:null,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;See the source image&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:null,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="See the source image" title="See the source image" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!aN_w!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0e4ccae8-8f0e-41fc-b571-32ec76ebdd77_1360x800.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!aN_w!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0e4ccae8-8f0e-41fc-b571-32ec76ebdd77_1360x800.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!aN_w!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0e4ccae8-8f0e-41fc-b571-32ec76ebdd77_1360x800.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!aN_w!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0e4ccae8-8f0e-41fc-b571-32ec76ebdd77_1360x800.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>When I think of all of this, it feels like I&#8217;m in one of those funhouses where reality is twisted out of proportion and I&#8217;m not longer sure what is up and what is down and how I can get out of there. </p><p>To remind ourselves of who the brave young Iranians are, please listen to Meli Imani<span> below, singing Khodafez (Goodbye) in the streets of Tehran during the January protests. As she sings, the sound of the &#8220;Morality Police&#8221; can be heard approaching. In Iran, it is illegal for women to sing in public.</span></p><div class="embedded-post-wrap" data-attrs="{&quot;id&quot;:200919409,&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://khmezek.substack.com/p/birthday-ode-to-youths-murdered-by&quot;,&quot;publication_id&quot;:258694,&quot;embedding_publication_id&quot;:null,&quot;publication_name&quot;:&quot;Break Free Media&quot;,&quot;publication_logo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!o4Cd!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F30667643-145c-4df7-8f01-0750cc2c5480_528x528.png&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Birthday Ode to Youths Murdered by the Iranian Regime&quot;,&quot;truncated_body_text&quot;:&quot;I&#8217;m not able to record this today, but I wanted to get it published as it is on my mind.&quot;,&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-06-06T23:41:02.773Z&quot;,&quot;like_count&quot;:59,&quot;comment_count&quot;:35,&quot;bylines&quot;:[{&quot;id&quot;:18565897,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;Karen Hunt&quot;,&quot;handle&quot;:&quot;breakfreewithkarenhunt&quot;,&quot;previous_name&quot;:&quot;Karen Hunt aka KH Mezek&quot;,&quot;photo_url&quot;:&quot;https://bucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/65c39b06-7e55-41dc-9ff0-47a704679333_528x528.jpeg&quot;,&quot;bio&quot;:&quot;I write about the big picture through a personal lens, exposing the lies of this dystopian era. Jesus is my Rock &amp; my Salvation. Yes, the Jews are STILL God's Chosen People. Finishing my book, The Seduction of Islam. &quot;,&quot;profile_set_up_at&quot;:&quot;2021-04-19T20:52:20.053Z&quot;,&quot;reader_installed_at&quot;:&quot;2024-04-19T13:29:19.993Z&quot;,&quot;publicationUsers&quot;:[{&quot;id&quot;:87808,&quot;user_id&quot;:18565897,&quot;publication_id&quot;:258694,&quot;role&quot;:&quot;admin&quot;,&quot;public&quot;:true,&quot;is_primary&quot;:true,&quot;publication&quot;:{&quot;id&quot;:258694,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;Break Free Media&quot;,&quot;subdomain&quot;:&quot;khmezek&quot;,&quot;custom_domain&quot;:&quot;www.breakfreewithkarenhunt.com&quot;,&quot;custom_domain_optional&quot;:true,&quot;hero_text&quot;:&quot;As a follower of Jesus, my essays explore the big picture through a personal lens, offering insight into this dystopian era. &quot;,&quot;logo_url&quot;:&quot;https://bucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/30667643-145c-4df7-8f01-0750cc2c5480_528x528.png&quot;,&quot;author_id&quot;:18565897,&quot;primary_user_id&quot;:18565897,&quot;theme_var_background_pop&quot;:&quot;#FF5CD7&quot;,&quot;created_at&quot;:&quot;2021-01-09T23:46:16.076Z&quot;,&quot;email_from_name&quot;:&quot;Karen Hunt from Break Free Media&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;Karen Alaine Hunt&quot;,&quot;founding_plan_name&quot;:&quot;Break Free Founders&quot;,&quot;community_enabled&quot;:true,&quot;invite_only&quot;:false,&quot;payments_state&quot;:&quot;enabled&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:null,&quot;explicit&quot;:false,&quot;homepage_type&quot;:&quot;magaziney&quot;,&quot;is_personal_mode&quot;:false,&quot;logo_url_wide&quot;:null}}],&quot;twitter_screen_name&quot;:&quot;karenalainehunt&quot;,&quot;is_guest&quot;:false,&quot;bestseller_tier&quot;:100,&quot;status&quot;:{&quot;bestsellerTier&quot;:100,&quot;subscriberTier&quot;:null,&quot;leaderboard&quot;:null,&quot;vip&quot;:false,&quot;badge&quot;:{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;bestseller&quot;,&quot;tier&quot;:100},&quot;subscriber&quot;:null}}],&quot;utm_campaign&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;podcast&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;,&quot;source&quot;:null}" data-component-name="EmbeddedPostToDOM"><a class="embedded-post" native="true" href="https://khmezek.substack.com/p/birthday-ode-to-youths-murdered-by?utm_source=substack&amp;utm_campaign=post_embed&amp;utm_medium=web"><div class="embedded-post-header"><img class="embedded-post-publication-logo" src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!o4Cd!,w_56,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F30667643-145c-4df7-8f01-0750cc2c5480_528x528.png" loading="lazy"><span class="embedded-post-publication-name">Break Free Media</span></div><div class="embedded-post-title-wrapper"><div class="embedded-post-title-icon"><svg width="19" height="19" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg">
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</svg></div><div class="embedded-post-title">Birthday Ode to Youths Murdered by the Iranian Regime</div></div><div class="embedded-post-body">I&#8217;m not able to record this today, but I wanted to get it published as it is on my mind&#8230;</div><div class="embedded-post-cta-wrapper"><div class="embedded-post-cta-icon"><svg width="32" height="32" viewBox="0 0 24 24" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg">
  <path classname="inner-triangle" d="M10 8L16 12L10 16V8Z" stroke-width="1.5" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round"></path>
</svg></div><span class="embedded-post-cta">Listen now</span></div><div class="embedded-post-meta">2 months ago &#183; 59 likes &#183; 35 comments &#183; Karen Hunt</div></a></div><p><strong>I wrote so many essays about these brave souls, like <a href="https://khmezek.substack.com/p/sentenced-to-death">Sentenced to Death</a>. Here are some of the girls and women murdered.</strong> </p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!jkrQ!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5a27c1bc-ee22-4508-bcf1-e05c9aa93ffd_1280x1262.webp" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!jkrQ!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5a27c1bc-ee22-4508-bcf1-e05c9aa93ffd_1280x1262.webp 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!jkrQ!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5a27c1bc-ee22-4508-bcf1-e05c9aa93ffd_1280x1262.webp 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!jkrQ!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5a27c1bc-ee22-4508-bcf1-e05c9aa93ffd_1280x1262.webp 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!jkrQ!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5a27c1bc-ee22-4508-bcf1-e05c9aa93ffd_1280x1262.webp 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!jkrQ!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5a27c1bc-ee22-4508-bcf1-e05c9aa93ffd_1280x1262.webp" width="1280" height="1262" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/5a27c1bc-ee22-4508-bcf1-e05c9aa93ffd_1280x1262.webp&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1262,&quot;width&quot;:1280,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:null,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;Victims identified: Minoo Majidi, Mahsa Mougouyi,, Hadis Najafi, Nika Shakarami, Sarina Esmailzadeh, Hannaneh Kia, Ghazaleh Chelabi&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:null,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="Victims identified: Minoo Majidi, Mahsa Mougouyi,, Hadis Najafi, Nika Shakarami, Sarina Esmailzadeh, Hannaneh Kia, Ghazaleh Chelabi" title="Victims identified: Minoo Majidi, Mahsa Mougouyi,, Hadis Najafi, Nika Shakarami, Sarina Esmailzadeh, Hannaneh Kia, Ghazaleh Chelabi" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!jkrQ!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5a27c1bc-ee22-4508-bcf1-e05c9aa93ffd_1280x1262.webp 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!jkrQ!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5a27c1bc-ee22-4508-bcf1-e05c9aa93ffd_1280x1262.webp 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!jkrQ!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5a27c1bc-ee22-4508-bcf1-e05c9aa93ffd_1280x1262.webp 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!jkrQ!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5a27c1bc-ee22-4508-bcf1-e05c9aa93ffd_1280x1262.webp 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p><strong>Here are some of the young boys murdered:</strong></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!S2R3!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fcb17562f-7dac-4b8f-8b31-b4a423676748_1280x2566.webp" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!S2R3!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fcb17562f-7dac-4b8f-8b31-b4a423676748_1280x2566.webp 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!S2R3!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fcb17562f-7dac-4b8f-8b31-b4a423676748_1280x2566.webp 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!S2R3!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fcb17562f-7dac-4b8f-8b31-b4a423676748_1280x2566.webp 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!S2R3!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fcb17562f-7dac-4b8f-8b31-b4a423676748_1280x2566.webp 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!S2R3!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fcb17562f-7dac-4b8f-8b31-b4a423676748_1280x2566.webp" width="1280" height="2566" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/cb17562f-7dac-4b8f-8b31-b4a423676748_1280x2566.webp&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:2566,&quot;width&quot;:1280,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:null,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;Victims identified: Mohammad Rakhshani, Omid Sarani, Sodeys Keshani, Ali Barahooei, Amirhossein Basati, Mohammad Eghbal Naebzehi, Zakaria Khial, Samer Hashemzehi, Omid Safarzehi, Mehdi Asgari, Pedram Azarnoush, Siavash Mahmoudi, Abdollah Mahmoudpour&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:null,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="Victims identified: Mohammad Rakhshani, Omid Sarani, Sodeys Keshani, Ali Barahooei, Amirhossein Basati, Mohammad Eghbal Naebzehi, Zakaria Khial, Samer Hashemzehi, Omid Safarzehi, Mehdi Asgari, Pedram Azarnoush, Siavash Mahmoudi, Abdollah Mahmoudpour" title="Victims identified: Mohammad Rakhshani, Omid Sarani, Sodeys Keshani, Ali Barahooei, Amirhossein Basati, Mohammad Eghbal Naebzehi, Zakaria Khial, Samer Hashemzehi, Omid Safarzehi, Mehdi Asgari, Pedram Azarnoush, Siavash Mahmoudi, Abdollah Mahmoudpour" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!S2R3!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fcb17562f-7dac-4b8f-8b31-b4a423676748_1280x2566.webp 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!S2R3!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fcb17562f-7dac-4b8f-8b31-b4a423676748_1280x2566.webp 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!S2R3!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fcb17562f-7dac-4b8f-8b31-b4a423676748_1280x2566.webp 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!S2R3!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fcb17562f-7dac-4b8f-8b31-b4a423676748_1280x2566.webp 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><h3>Shame on Americans that are so stupid as to stand against the young people above and for those who tortured and killed them. </h3><p>Has no one warned them that after they &#8220;take down the empire from within,&#8221; they will be the first to be killed by the new Islamic/Communist/Nazi Empire. Maybe they have been told and they just don&#8217;t listen. Their five minutes of fame is far more important. </p><p><strong>Please watch the short video below showing the unity between this three-headed monster of Communism/Islamism/Nazism:</strong></p><div class="twitter-embed" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://x.com/canarymission/status/2073921266206056898?s=20&quot;,&quot;full_text&quot;:&quot;This July 4th, many &#8220;America First&#8221; podcasters sound one step away from calling &#8220;Death to America.&#8221;\n\nWatch Nick Fuentes, Tucker Carlson, Steve Bannon, and Dave Smith repackage anti-American rhetoric for the right. &quot;,&quot;username&quot;:&quot;canarymission&quot;,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;Canary Mission&quot;,&quot;profile_image_url&quot;:&quot;https://pbs.substack.com/profile_images/876730611683086336/6GNIJunB_normal.jpg&quot;,&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-07-06T00:05:36.000Z&quot;,&quot;photos&quot;:[{&quot;img_url&quot;:&quot;https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Rvpc!,w_1028,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best,fl_progressive:steep/l_play_button_usfui2,w_88,e_colorize:0/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F__ss-rehost__tw-video-preview-13_2073921119782912001.jpg&quot;,&quot;link_url&quot;:&quot;https://t.co/U5YdoTg0jt&quot;}],&quot;quoted_tweet&quot;:{},&quot;reply_count&quot;:21,&quot;retweet_count&quot;:111,&quot;like_count&quot;:338,&quot;impression_count&quot;:14905,&quot;expanded_url&quot;:null,&quot;video_url&quot;:&quot;https://video.twimg.com/amplify_video/2073921119782912001/vid/avc1/1280x720/J6_8Z-DrzuNAMp4q.mp4?tag=14&quot;,&quot;video_preview_media_key&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true}" data-component-name="Twitter2ToDOM"></div><h3><span>The West is in freefall. And still our heads are in the sand. </span></h3><p><span>President Trump will be at the NATO Summit in Turkey tomorrow, cozying up to Erdogan who he calls his good friend and a great leader. He says Erdogan can look forward to a</span><strong><a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/trump-notifies-congress-turkey-engine-sale-2026-06-25/"><span> $700 million jet engine deal</span></a></strong><span>. Turkey is on Trump&#8217;s &#8216;Gaza Board of Peace&#8217;. Turkey wants to send its military to Gaza to breathe down Israel&#8217;s neck along with a host of other Muslim nations that have vowed its destruction. </span></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!eIgX!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F12a01898-80e4-43ea-bef6-7b63632a0024_1320x1741.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!eIgX!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F12a01898-80e4-43ea-bef6-7b63632a0024_1320x1741.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!eIgX!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F12a01898-80e4-43ea-bef6-7b63632a0024_1320x1741.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!eIgX!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F12a01898-80e4-43ea-bef6-7b63632a0024_1320x1741.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!eIgX!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F12a01898-80e4-43ea-bef6-7b63632a0024_1320x1741.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!eIgX!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F12a01898-80e4-43ea-bef6-7b63632a0024_1320x1741.jpeg" width="1320" height="1741" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/12a01898-80e4-43ea-bef6-7b63632a0024_1320x1741.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1741,&quot;width&quot;:1320,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:null,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;Image&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Image&quot;,&quot;type&quot;:null,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="Image" title="Image" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!eIgX!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F12a01898-80e4-43ea-bef6-7b63632a0024_1320x1741.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!eIgX!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F12a01898-80e4-43ea-bef6-7b63632a0024_1320x1741.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!eIgX!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F12a01898-80e4-43ea-bef6-7b63632a0024_1320x1741.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!eIgX!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F12a01898-80e4-43ea-bef6-7b63632a0024_1320x1741.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p><span>Erdogan calls Zionism &#8220;a genocidal, expansionist ideology&#8221; and fighting against it a &#8220;struggle for the collective survival&#8221; of his nation.</span></p><p><strong><a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/tracking-the-trump-familys-business-deals-and-profits-in-his-2nd-term"><span>Trump&#8217;s personal business deals in Turkey earn him hundreds of millions of dollars</span></a></strong><span>, as do his interests in Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar. How can he be impartial. We lied to the people of Iran who went into the streets and were gunned down and now they are forgotten as more deals are made with the monsters. </span></p><p>Instead of sucking up to Erdogan and these other Islamist leaders, we should speak like <strong><a href="https://x.com/AmichaiChikli/status/2074126463108829491?s=20">Amichai Chikli</a></strong>: </p><p><em><span>Greetings to Erdogan, the patron of Hamas and ISIS, the dictator who jails every critical journalist, the man behind the barbaric rapes and massacres of Kurdish, Druze, and Alawite minorities, the megalomaniac who has lost his mind, a grotesque hybrid of Hitler and Sinwar.<br><br>We all know how narcissistic power obsessed fanatics like you begin and how they end.<br>The Jewish people have never feared mere flesh and blood, from Pharaoh until today. <br><br>Unlike you, we have faith in the God of truth and mercy and in the Ten Commandments, none of which you have ever kept.</span></em></p><h4><span>The more Israel is abandoned by the world, the stronger their faith grows. </span></h4><p><span>If the United States doesn&#8217;t learn this lesson from Israel, we will be given over to the forces of evil. Unfortunately, it&#8217;s already happening, since we can&#8217;t seem to tell the difference between who&#8217;s good and who&#8217;s evil anymore. </span></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://khmezek.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://khmezek.substack.com/subscribe?"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://khmezek.substack.com/p/funeral-of-the-century?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://khmezek.substack.com/p/funeral-of-the-century?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://khmezek.substack.com/p/funeral-of-the-century/comments&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Leave a comment&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://khmezek.substack.com/p/funeral-of-the-century/comments"><span>Leave a comment</span></a></p><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item></channel></rss>