When one is in safety (as I am at the moment) it is difficult to know what to do during these times, when thousands of innocents are being killed in Gaza. Suddenly I was reminded of the expression ‘Fiddling While Rome Burns’. Perhaps this was an impetus, a means to lead me to the Straight Path – showing me the best course of action to take.
Discovered that if you say that someone is fiddling while Rome burns, you mean that they are not dealing with a difficult or dangerous situation but instead are doing useless things or pretending that nothing is wrong. Another, perhaps more complete, definition is: (idiomatic) To neglect helping when one’s time is needed most; to ignore the major problem at hand (whilst doing something less important); to be idle, inactive, or uninterested in a time of great need. Used in a sentence . Fighting with one another over small details is like fiddling while Rome burns: Fiddling is a distraction from the main issue. Another viewpoint: It’s often used to point out a lack of concern or responsibility for important issues. Early references to this idiom can be traced back to Shakespeare, and it serves to highlight a devil-may-care attitude concerning responsibilities or life in general.
Realistically what can I do during these times. I am not pretending that nothing is wrong., wearing my Palestinian scarf which I shall continue to do. I will spread the word of what is happening utilizing media that may not be within some blog reader’s capabilities. It is quite likely that many readers do not read Al Jazeera, a media platform employing the finest of intellectuals. My main man is. Marwan Bishara, writing on October 24, 2023. .
His pen destroys the so-called leader of Israel.
“This blind fury is now channelled into a genocidal drive by the narcissism and extremism of one man: Benjamin Netanyahu, a doubled-faced, pathological liar, who has done everything and anything to stay in power.”
Netanyahu’s arrogance, corruption and callousness are to blame for the country’s political and military failures that led to the October 7 attacks. He thought he could just transform all of historic Palestine into a Greater Land of Israel, by making the occupation of the Palestinian territories permanent and keeping millions of Palestinians in an open-air prison in Gaza and segregated bantustans in the West Bank – all with no repercussions.
On October 7, his arrogance finally caught up with him, because arrogance breeds stupidity. Hubris turned into humiliation, and the fiasco into farce, or as Israelis say, using Arabic words, the fashla (failure) turned fadiha (scandal).
Oh so true: arrogance breeds stupidity, but stupid Netanyahu takes not responsibility for his actions and is shielded by is ‘Western detractors”
First and foremost among them is US President Joe Biden, who went from snubbing Netanyahu for much of the year to embracing and shielding him from the wrath of Israelis and Arabs alike. Biden has committed America to Netanyahu’s genocidal war on Gaza, offering American arms, tactical assistance in urban warfare, and diplomatic leverage. He has ordered the deployment of two aircraft carriers in the Eastern Mediterranean to protect Israel and deter the likes of Iran from intervening in the conflict.
Bishara describes it as a war of self deceit, this is right on target (so to speak)
The ongoing genocidal war – spearheaded by a failed prime minister and supported by his morally suspect Western allies – is not one of self-defence; rather, it is a war of self-deceit. Israel falsely believes that it could attain security by the sword. But when has killing more Palestinians ever resulted in better security for Israeli society? It never has; it never will.”
As usual concludes strongly, with force!
A genocidal war on Gaza will not bring peace and quiet to the Israeli society, nor to those in the West abetting it.
The West is abetting a genocidal war. What is abet?
Abet is encourage or assist (someone) to do something wrong, in particular, to commit a crime or other offense, One or two synonyms describe is accurately: collaborate with, connive with, collude with, be hand in glove with.
The West – the US, Canada, the UK etc. etc will not have peace, will not have quiet.
I sometimes think I have lived too long. I was born during WWII, after that was done with and one was on the winning side, everything was peachy keen for awhile – the Women’s Movement, the Summer of Love, The Birth Control Pill, Equality in the Workplace for Educated Women, an Excellent Retirement Provided the County of Marin, a Safe Rich San Francisco suburb.
Peachy keen if an informal expression meaning extremely good, exactly right; all right.
But then along came covid – I survived, thoroughly vaccinated, kept safe aided my hundreds of pcr tests. Then another rude awakening, found out what it was like to be black in lily white USA. I became The Other, when I became a Muslim. Discontent Marinites no longer saw me as one of them, despite my living there, working there, a being well respected for over fifty years. . I managed to escape to and from the UAE – gaining knowledge of the Ruler’s insidious evil. Then to Canada, the country of failed dreams, now lacking any potential despite an abundance of resources. No courage, no backbone. A Yes Man to the USA, Now in Saudi Arabia again finding hope, optimism, excellent governance. Then this blow – the horrible genocide of the Palestinians, people of my Islamic Faith.
The following from Al Jazeera, the Quote of the Day: “Noor’s tearful voice on the phone from Doha, pleading with us to take photos of her family who were already buried in silence evoked the words of the Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish. “Death doesn’t hurt the dead it only hurts the living’ (Al Jazeera’s Maram Human, writing after she spoke to a friend Noor whose family of nine was killed in Gaza.
You see that is why I have lived too long. I suffer with my immense empathy: Death doesn’t hurt the dead it only hurts the living. I am alive, and well and living in Saudi Arabia.
An extremely powerful reel appeared on Instagram. I added this post to My Instagram Story sending it to scores of Instagram followers. I am a Unite States taxpayer, as are many of them. The link hopefully will be provided. Having great difficulty transmitting it.
There was also a reassuring powerful reel – thousands of Brits praying outside 10 Downing Street, where the PM, a puppet from a colonial country lives. I do wonder why they are not praying in front of Buckingham Palace. I guess they know that King Charles has no power, nor any heart.
Another extremely strange happening occurred. While writing I was listening to Apple Music, to a specially created Alexis Station. Leonard Cohen began to sing Anthem. Listen to the music, here are the words:
The birds they sang
At the break of day
Start again
I heard them say
Don’t dwell on what has passed away
Or what is yet to be
Ah, the wars they will be fought again
The holy dove, she will be caught again
Bought and sold, and bought again
The dove is never free
Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack, a crack in everything
That’s how the light gets in
We asked for signs
The signs were sent
The birth betrayed
The marriage spent
Yeah, and the widowhood
Of every government
Signs for all to see
I can’t run no more
With that lawless crowd
While the killers in high places
Say their prayers out loud
But they’ve summoned, they’ve summoned up
A thundercloud
They’re going to hear from me
Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack, a crack in everything
That’s how the light gets in
You can add up the parts
But you won’t have the sum
You can strike up the march
There is no drum
Every heart, every heart
To love will come
But like a refugee
Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack, a crack in everything
That’s how the light gets in
Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack, a crack in everything
That’s how the light gets in
That’s how the light gets in
That’s how the light gets in
I love Leonard Cohen, have loved him for years. A will always m=remember my feelings of utter desolation learning he had died. Now it is bearable. I am certain he is in Jannah. More motivation to behave myself.
I brought some books with me to Saudi Arabia. All books of the faith, except one I purchased at Audrey’s Book Store in Edmonton. Leonard Cohen’s A Ballet of Lepers. A photograph of the cover of the book will follow.
I am exhausted, so very tired. This hotel is a cocoon. Perhaps I shall emerge as a butterfly or a caterpillar.
A caterpillar is the larva of a butterfly or moth, having a segmented wormlike body with three pairs of true legs and several pairs of appendages similar to legs. Caterpillars may be hairy, have warning coloration, or be colored to resemble their surroundings.
The Oberio Hotel is rather lush, I would be pleasantly colored.
