Berkeley chancellor speaks out about ‘Gaza brutality’ at graduation

Michael Cohen interviews Malcolm Nance

RantWoman is a grown up and knowingly willingly wades into media that almost qualifies as recreational blood pressure elevation. The only thing better than one irritating voice is TWO irritating voices.

RantWoman does not like or agree with a large percentage of what is said BUT does consider it important to understand the perspectives.

At about minute 30, Malcolm Nance quotes Menachem Begun "Sometimes you gotta negotiate with your enemy."

Interesting comments about "gulf state money," the Muslim Brotherhood, Shiite Muslims

"What are the student protestors doing right? doing wrong?"

REALLY blunt criticism of Black Bloc

Comments on Jewish / African American relations

Ukraine is not drafting anyone under age 24. (Not just Nance) Russia manpower is a MESS

MSNBC: Rep Jayapal on contradictions in State Department report on Gaza

GET PEOPLE TO COME TO THE TABLE to stop the killing.

Another Biden appointee resigns over Gaza

Kazoos. Please, someone, Kazoos!

 #GAAD, #GAAD2024

In the interest of preparing for a presentation on #GlobalAccessibilityAwarenessDay RantWoman has been taking a bit of a break from popping off about warzones, opining about student protests, and chronicling .various encounters with new technology and new transportation options.

The imperfect and still ripening fruits of RantWoman's labor

mean to add:

--Another Alt text item about a certain intersections.

--the links to the screen reader demos

--reflection on RantWoman work process.

All of that said, RantWoman is wading back into trials of what the Daily Show calls "America's Most Tremendously Wanted." RantWoman still does not regret not going to law school but is absolutely fascinated by all the legal commentators and the many soap opera rabbit holes to discover.

Consider:

MSNBC on the Speaker and the VP wannabes and Sen. Tubby at the EX president's trial

I think it would be just fine for Judge Merchan to firmly chastise the defendant for the statements made on his behalf. Fine #DonTheCon $1000 for every person that repeats one of his lies, or even better $1000 per lie per person. Don't bother about jail. I know it's pocket change but just send a signal. MAYBE people will figure out they shouldn't be costing their "Friend $1K every time they open their mouths. A true friend can show up as a friend and make clear they don't endorse "oh good grief decisionmaking."

On another clip, Speaker Johnson gets an A+ in hyperbole for using the word "atrocity" about ordinary functioning of the US judicial system. Save the word atrocity for #Gaza.

I hope the judge's daughter doubles down and uses some of this idiocy in ads. Every time someone complains about the judge's daughter, people should come back HARD about all the #TrumpCrimeFamily grifts, all the billions Ivank and Jared raked in. Merrick Garland already has his hands full, but ordinary people are allowed to be outraged about nepobaby behavior.! And I still want a kazoo flash mob playing "Hail to the Thief" anytime someone gets near a microphone outside court..

On the U of WA encampment, negotiations with administrators, an overabundance of riot gear, the immediate crisis in #Gaza, and what must grow.

A video and a comment on the video

RantWoman has more to say but does not have bandwidth to say it constructively tonight. Stay tuned

Divestment is probably not an immediate time horizon decision. I also find it depressing and anti-democratic that college administrators and police seem to need to get out the riot gear, like it's spring and needs to be aired out or something.

October 7 was an outrage. Unfortunately, it isn't the first and is not likely to be the last. It's time for people of good will on all sides to break the cycles of death and dismantle what I have no problem calling apartheid. I can't argue with Jewish experiences. From my perspective, I do not see how it can be antisemitic to expect better of everyone.

The humanitarian situation in #Gaza right now is horrific and I gag every time some Israeli official is on camera congratulating themselves for their "humanitarian" measures turning Gaza to rubble. #Israel is both invading Rafah and attacking the UN and every form of humanitarian assistance. The US can and should #StopSendingArms NOW. Universities can and should create fora to talk about both immediate and long-term resolutions. And I am all for people's creative expression at events like commencement though from a hearts and minds perspective, I would lean toward gestures that honor the solemnity of such passages. I myself graduated from college on disciplinary probation because of an anti-apartheid protest. Many people carried black balloons and wore armbands at commencement, and it was several more years before apartheid collapsed.

I have no opinion about tent encampments on campuses. I have enough concerns about homeless people's tent encampments getting cleared.

Waging Nonviolence on controlling the narrative, amplifying constructive voices, and fighting disinformation

This statement on Radical Discipleship speaks clearly and deeply to RantWoman's condition.

Happy V-E Day Russian Style???

RantWoman offers this Times Radio segment FYI.

Daily Princetonian article about protests at Princeton against the Gaza War

 So there RantWoman was, poking away at homework for a presentation about #a11y, accessibility in social media for the upcoming Global Accessibility Awareness Day #GAAD 

DIGRESSION: acute need to post links to articles about what is happening regarding #GazaSolidarity #GazaWar on the campus of Princeton University, RantWoman's alma mater.

Statement of President Christopher Eisgruber on "time, place, and manner'

Day 7 of solidarity encampment

Day 8 of on campus solidarity encampment

Statement signed by MANY faculty calling on VP Calhoun to resign

Expect RantWoman to have more to say, just not tonight.

As an aside to a Friend who holds an Important Title at a certain regional transportation agency, sorry, not sorry for publicly chiding you on LinkedIn about alt text on photos. You are not alone and can help set an example. 

Spaces not so safe.

RantWoman's comment:

Old protestor rant here. First, THANK YOU to places like Brown and Evergreen State in WA where administrators agreed to TALK in exchange for easing up on the encampments. IN the short term, the best I think people can aim for IMMEDIATELY is to ease the humanitarian disaster, get Israel to stop bombing relief and killing humantarian actors like World Central Kitchen Economic transformation from Israel's apartheid state is going to take longer than the end of one semester and students need stay steady past graduation. Now, Kids, Kids, Kids, FFS! People protesting use of US tax dollars to help induce famine in #Gaza should be glad they have options to feed themselves. Yeah, sure students have meal plans, but building occupation 101 is bring food, prepare for basic utilities being disrupted. THANK YOU for calling out the "Antisemitism Awareness Act." I consider it in the same free speech trash can with, say, "don't say gay" in FL, book bans in multiple states, and parents hyperventilating about what kids see in libraries. Stuff people disagree about exists. ONE point of school is learning how to disagree constructively. Thank you also for talking very militarized policing and about NYPD cop equipment. Honestly, when I saw the big long ladder thing, I though, doesn't the fire department have ladder trucks? How many ladder trucks can be bought for whatever that thing costs? It's College. Students are SUPPOSED to meet people they disagree with. Students are supposed to be prepared to learn from each other EVEN IF that means sometimes being uncomfortable. And we get to come back in another rant to comparative treatment of different categories of protestors.

For additional perspective:

19 news Annual May 4 Kent State commemoration

A short review of riot gear issues.

RantWoman needs to maintain her RantWoman cred.

Plus RantWoman is just feeling linguistically challenged on account of all the infuriating news streams she is permitting to pass by her brain.

With that, RantWoman wants to offer some, uh, unconventional commentary on the protests sweeping the nation's campuses. RantWoman will be critiquing the approaches of the many police departments on display.  Please hold RantWoman's blurting out in the Light.

NYPD: 

--full riot gear for peaceful protestors marching calmly out of Hind Hall in their zip ties?

--Big giant super scary looking ladder thingie: doesn't the fire department have ladder trucks? How many ladder trucks could the city buy for the price of one extra scary monster thingie?

Police at UNC-Chapel Hill

--No riot gear whatsoever. Let's hope they DON'T get riot gear envy and go spend a whole lot of public money.

Whoever is beating up nonviolent protestors at UT in Austin

Gees: whatever all police stood around for hours at Uvalde sure did not hold back when it came to beating up nonviolent people protesting mayhem in #Gaza.

UCLA

Whoever let the rabid pro-Israeli faction beat up on the peace demonstration for over an hour before stepping in: Seriously????

University of MI

Forbes clip of U of MI commencement

RantWoman remembers wearing a red armband and carrying a black ballon at her college graduation. RantWoman remembers Dr. Seuss being awarded an honorary degree, because of his role in helping people of a certain age learn to read, not because of very explicitly racist views which became widely known later.

RantWoman's point: RantWoman appreciates that police without riot gear removed protestors at U of MI  RantWoman thinks it could have possible to have an effective visible protest at graduation without inviting state police to the party. RantWoman and a beloved longtime family friend came to RantWoma's college tgaduation,. A finals week sit-in and ensuing disciplinary hearing were plenty for RantWoman. On the other hand, the struggle against apartheid in South Africa did not involve two million civilians facing immediate famine brought on with help from US tax payers. So RantWoman is in a then and now space with question marks.