© AFPsraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is pictured in Jerusalem on 3 September
Despite propaganda to the contrary, Israel is not a democracy and never has been
As an integral part its ongoing propaganda, Israel, along with its fervent supporters and
legions of
paid and anonymous agents, zealously repeats and disseminates - in the media, on university campuses, in blogs and comment sections, at conferences and more - the same old, tired Zionist myths.
Propaganda guides and tool kits, such as the "
global language dictionary", offer ready-made arguments and counter-arguments to
sell Israel to journalists and critics. Such talking points come with tips on what tone and rhetorical tactics to use, what words and formulas "work", and how to discuss "sensitive" issues, such as Israel's illegal colonisation and annexation of Palestinian land, Jewish settlements and the killing of civilians.
All of which are now set to get worse since US President Donald Trump has both rewarded and emboldened Israel by recognising its illegal and brutal colonisation (its "settlements"). By the same token he has offered yet another spectacular demonstration of the complete contempt of the United States for the rule of international law.
Setting such an example will only send the message to all the despots, autocrats and tyrants of various stripes around the globe that not only it is ok to steal, colonise, and brutalise weak and defenceless populations, but that you may even be rewarded by the West for adopting the "law of the jungle".
Comment: Trot instead of walk; do some pull-ups from a tree limb; do an early morning (before breakfast) set of warm-up/stretching exercises; squat if you're in a queue somewhere; rake and pick up leaves... there are myriad things we can do - besides cold exposure - anytime, anywhere to 'shake' ourselves awake!
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