Patriotic Americans Criticize Their Country's Support for Genocide

Kamala Harris's mischaracterization of peaceful demonstrations and civil disobedience in Washington, D.C. as pro-Hamas, antisemitic, and unpatriotic is deeply troubling.  Still worse, it was a lie. The primary demand of the protests was crystal clear:  End U.S. military aid and diplomatic support that is enabling the Israeli genocide of Gazans. 

Heading into the November election in which democracy, decency, and human rights are at stake, the threat of stay-at-home and third-party voters tilting the vote to Trump couldn't be any clearer.  The sharpness of Harris’s response to the protests squandered any potential tentative goodwill toward her candidacy in an instant.  For those here in the United States who have lost scores of friends and family beneath the bombs and rubble in Gaza, her statement is a stake in their hearts.  For those who are repulsed by Trump’s fascism and his band of Christian nationalist zealots but who cannot bring themselves to vote for anyone regarded as a genocide supporter, Harris’s statement extinguishes any hope of a shred of light between Harris and Biden. I hope she can quickly shift to undo the harm.

I sat in the Capitol Rotunda with hundreds of other Jews on July 23. The front of our T-shirts read, "Not in Our Name.” The back said, “Jews Say Stop U.S. Aid to Israel.”  Not remotely antisemitic! I also joined with Palestinians and thousands of others in the streets on July 24. I would not have chosen a flag burning to make my voice heard, but that way of condemning the actions of our government is still a legitimate expression of dissent and free speech. One spray-painted love Hamas does not represent the overwhelming sentiment of thousands. Harris's selection of isolated incidents to deflect criticism is false, anti-democratic, and unpatriotic.

Harris could have recognized the humanity, passion, and humanity of her congressional colleagues who sat out Netanyahu’s address and people in the streets.  She certainly knows that antisemitism is not the driving force for sharp condemnation of genocide.  She chose instead to repeat AIPAC's lies.  I can only unfortunately conclude that fear of AIPAC is Harris’s driving force, not the will of the American people.

With the dire threat of the election of a fascist president and Congress at stake, Biden did the right thing to step aside.   To stand for democracy and humanity, Harris needs to quickly do the patriotic and electorally-smart thing: Renounce U.S. military and diplomatic support for continuing genocide.  That stand is right for democracy and humanity.  It's essential for defeating Trump.

We cannot give up on stopping the genocide or defeating Trump.

Arthur taught and led science professional learning and curriculum and assessment development projects for 50 yrs. He writes about education and social justice. He loves spending time with friends and family, hiking, and gardening.

Follow him:

Substack:

X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/arthurcamins

Threads: https://www.threads.net/@caminsarthur

Instagram @caminsarthur