As the last month of 2023 arrives, we come down to the last three Ass Clown awards for the year, and soon it will be time for the annual voting for the Ass Clown of the Year. As always, the competition is fierce and the decision difficult, but I'm here for you, making the tough calls.
Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear Readers, the award for
The Right-Cheek Ass Clown for December, 2023
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is presented jointly to
Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu
Israeli Minister of National Security
Itamir Ben-Gvir
and
The Leaders of Hamas:
Ismail Haniyeh, Moussa Abu Marzuk, and
Khaled Mashal
As I wrote in my blog post on November 27th, there is plenty of blame for the catastrophic situation in Gaza to go around. Israel's occupation of the West Bank and stranglehold on the Gaza Strip, and its treatment of the Palestinian population in the areas it controls are disgraceful. Prime Minister Netanyahu and his extreme right-wing National Security Minister Itamir Ben-Gvir are correct as leaders to look out for the safety and security of their citizens, but the grossly excessive devastation they have wreaked on a population with no voice in the decisions that have created the situation could easily be considered a war crime.
On the other hand, the absolute Israel-must-be-eradicated approach of Hamas leaders, who have ignored every potential opportunity to better the lives of the miserable population of Gaza, and who triggered the current war with their brutal attack on Israeli border towns and seizure of hostages, is despicable. By embedding their fighters in the civilian population, effectively using women and children - both helpless Palestinians and hostages seized on October 6th - as human shields, they have invited - and were evidently planning on - the relentlessly savage Israeli response. Even more despicable is the fact that the leaders of Hamas are living in luxury and safety in Qatar while the people they supposedly govern suffer horrible hardships in a war that has devastated their homes and businesses, and cost tens of thousands of civilians dead and injured.
My view of the situation is as I wrote on November 27th - a plague on both your houses. The leaders of both Israel and Hamas share the blame for the death and suffering in Israel and in Gaza, and deserve equal condemnation by decent human beings everywhere.
Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear Readers, the tinfoil and toilet paper crown of the December Right-Cheek Ass Clown is shared by five of the most despicable leaders ever to bring death and ruin to their people. Dante would need to dig far lower levels of Hell to accommodate their like.
Have a good day, and consider whether you really want to elect a brutal authoritarian here at home. It's a demonstrably awful choice.
More thoughts coming tomorrow on Cartoon Saturday.
Bilbo
4 comments:
I've got a sign out front already from a group called Stop The Donald, STD.
The middle east problem could be solved if we would just nuke the whole area.
Many erringly will see this post as pro one and anti the other, but it is not so. There is blood on all their hands.
Mike - nuking the area just creates more pollution. I say we build a 90-foot wall around the entire area, fill it to the top with sand, and start over.
Kathy - that's why I've not stuck my toe into this polluted water before ... no matter how even-handed one tries to be, one will be accused of backing one side or the other, rather than condemning both.
Most worthy! And, as always, well said. The Middle East has a long complicated history but the solution should be easy: don't be Ass Clowns!
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