Those tiny skeletal bodies you’re seeing on social media are the fruits of the empire. So are the shredded, eviscerated, decapitated children in Gaza since 2023. This can never be unknown.
The corpse of a newborn baby killed by the Israeli airstrike of Nuseirat camp, Gaza Strip, Oct. 31, 2023. (UNRWA/ Ashraf Amra/Wikimedia Commons/ CC BY-SA 4.0)
By Caitlin Johnstone
CaitlinJohnstone.com.au
Listen to Tim Foley reading this article
They’re doing it right in front of us. Right in front of us.
So many people have dedicated their entire lives working to expose the criminality of the empire, and then the empire comes right out and commits a live-streamed genocide right in front of us.
Whistleblowers. Investigative journalists. Authors. Documentarians. Conspiracy analysts. Peace activists. Their whole lives devoted to the task of uncovering the crimes of the undeclared empire we live under and drawing attention to them, saying “Look! See?? We really are ruled by monsters!”
Only for the monsters to come right out and intentionally starve children to death on all our screens all around the world.
I have never felt so shaken.
Children are dying of hunger. Falling one after another, like petals of a dying flower. Under our watch.
How do you sleep, Presidents, Foreign Ministers, political leaders, diplomats, civil servants – doing nothing to stop Israel’s starvation… https://t.co/MqExfWysHk pic.twitter.com/okWRk7iIbU
— Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur oPt (@FranceskAlbs) July 24, 2025
People like me are almost redundant at this current point in history. I’ve been writing about the depravity of the empire for years, thousands of articles and millions of words, and I’ve never said anything that illuminates the reality of our situation nearly as well as the fact that Western governments and media have openly colluded with Israel to exterminate a group of innocent people because they’re the wrong ethnicity.
I mean, what could I possibly say about that that they’re not already saying themselves? The message is already there, fully baked. Perfect. Complete. They’re telling us everything we could possibly need to know. There’s nothing I could add.
I don’t have much use for scripture, but if I had to pick a favorite line from the Bible it would be “You will know them by their fruits.”
Those seven little words cut through all the lies and distortions of life under the Western empire, because they tell us to stop paying attention to all the spin and PR and justification and excuses we hear from the imperial propaganda machine, and just look at the products of the empire on their own.
Ignore their words, and watch the results of their actions.
Those tiny skeletal bodies you’re seeing on your social media feed are the fruits of the empire. The shredded, eviscerated, decapitated children you’ve been seeing in footage from Gaza since 2023 are the fruits of the empire. This is known now, and it can never be unknown.
As Maya Angelou said,
“When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time. People know themselves much better than you do. That’s why it’s important to stop expecting them to be something other than who they are.”
This is who they are. This is who our leaders are. This is who our complicit news media are. This is what Israel is. This is what Zionism is. This is what the empire is. This is what Western civilization is. We know that now. We know them by their fruits.
This is who they are, and it’s who they’ll always be. That’s why it’s important never to forget what they’ve shown us about themselves in Gaza, and to never, ever forgive them.
Our rulers have shown us that they must not be allowed to rule any longer. The empire has shown us that it should not be allowed to dominate our planet any longer. The apartheid state of Israel has shown us that it should not be allowed to exist any longer.
Western supremacism, Zionism, racism and imperialism have shown us that these things must be eradicated from our world.
They have planted seeds of knowledge inside you about who they are and the status quo we’re being asked to consent to. Let those seeds sprout and grow. Tend to them with care. Help them to flourish.
Someday the tree that they planted in us will bear fruit of its own.
Caitlin Johnstone’s work is entirely reader-supported, so if you enjoyed this piece please consider sharing it around, following her on Facebook, Twitter, Soundcloud, YouTube, or throwing some money into her tip jar on Ko-fi, Patreon or Paypal. If you want to read more you can buy her books. The best way to make sure you see the stuff she publishes is to subscribe to the mailing list at her website or on Substack, which will get you an email notification for everything she publishes. For more info on who she is, where she stands and what she’s trying to do with her platform, click here. All works are co-authored with her American husband Tim Foley.
This article is from CaitlinJohnstone.com.au and re-published with permission.
The views expressed are solely those of the author and may or may not reflect those of Consortium News.
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I didn’t vote for a candidate who would sign off approving of and aiding Israel’s genocide in Gaza.
I do not believe Putin was left any choice other than to invade Ukraine, regardless I didn’t vote for a candidate who was stupid enough, I thought to get the U.S. into another major never ending war.
Quite frankly I though Biden was smarter than that. So the dimo’s left me no choice other than to vote for some old man in his failing years, Biden’s tired ass. I saw this one coming when the lazy assed demos decided to kiss Clinton butts as a safe bet. Stupidity unbridled in what clearly would become the road to perdition.
No respect earned none given in my book. Regardless, here I sit embarrassed and saddened to be associated with.the United States of America. So, I’m writing here doling out the truth as I see it. I have every intention of working for big change.
What a friggin’ mess!
Thank you, Caitlin, for your courage and insight.
The zionists are the usual primitive extremist faction of their tribal group (in this case ethnic), claiming that they are needed for its defense even while creating its enemies by aggression to steal from others to reward their followers, claiming that opposition to their extremism is opposition to their ethnic group, and thereby tyrannizing their own group and the West, elevating their tyrants over their group.
It is surprising that we have so many opportunist scoundrels supporting them in hope of benefits, and so many cowardly persons fearful of objection to fascism. But that is the usual course of extreme tribalism or fascism.
We all should learn from this historic lesson in tribalist extremism, but we cannot because economic power controls mass media and education.
You could not have possibly expressed yourself more completely or more clealry than you have in this piece. I hear you. I hear you. I hear you, and I know you are right qbout everything you have said. The tragedy is we can do nothing about it other than support Russia, China, Iran, BRICS and ebeyone else who will meaningfully fight the Evil Emipre in ways that will destroy it financially politically and militarily. We must support the efforts of all the enemies of the Evil Empire in order for them to be defeated.
“Western governments and media have openly colluded with Israel to exterminate a group of innocent people because they’re the wrong ethnicity.”
Not only the wrong ethnicity, but they happen to live on a land the Zionists wish to steal. The Nazis called it ‘lebensraum,’ i.e., more room to live in. And again, it has Made in America stamped all over it.
Being the slow learner that I am, I concluded only recently that Zionism = Fascism. What I am now theorizing is that Zionism also = Psychopathy. IOW, I’m leaning to the belief that all Zionists, including the Xian (and worst) kind, are psychopaths.
Thank you for all you do. I feel your pain and despair
Being the slow learner that I am, I concluded only recently that Zionism = Fascism. What I am now theorizing is that Zionism also = Psychopathy. IOW, I’m leaning to the belief that all Zionists, including the Xian (and worst) kind, are psychopaths.
Thank you for all you do. I feel your pain and despair.
The atrocity is so appalling just think if the interventionist USA was so bold as to intervene in the genocide and forcibly put the genocide to an end and bring in food and medical aid
When it comes to killing interventions are a dime a dozen, when it comes to saving lives nothing happens.
Time for us, the citizenry to put a big leash on corporations and Wall Street. There is a split. The USA government – and there is – the people. Look at the government, its composition: Congress: over half are millionaires, a couple billionaires. The President: he says he’s a billionaire. Supreme Court: at least 6 of the 9 are millionaires (AI overview) Look at the 4th Estate:”In total, a group of about 15 billionaires own a substantial portion of the U.S. media landscape, including many newspapers and other outlets. This trend of billionaires acquiring media organizations, including newspapers, has been notably increasing in recent years. ” University Boards of Trustees: “In conclusion, while an exact percentage remains elusive, available research strongly suggests a significant presence of wealthy individuals, especially those from the financial sector, on university boards, particularly at prestigious institutions. This trend highlights the interconnectedness of wealth, power, and the governance of higher education. ” It is these super wealthy colonilalist Zionist trustees who are behind the clamp down on student freedom of speech, freedom of assembly and evisceration of academic freedom and the firing of even tenured professors (See Mulenberg College firing of tenured Prof Finkelstein). So how in heaven could we citizens be so naive to believe our needs and interests are represented or understood? Time to get out of the woods and take class war very seriously. The people tend toward compassion; the ruling class toward “power over.” and “I got mine F….K off”.
I do find it fascinating that a poet, a favorite of the Democrats and the left, takes such a right-wing, fundamentalist view towards people.
Liberals always believed in advancement and improvement. Liberals were always looking forward, saying things will get better as we all build and grow and improve. Conservatives looked to the past, and say that everything was better back when. Liberals believed in the fact that humans could live and learn and grow, while it was the conservative, fundamentalist approach to say that we are all born sinners. Liberals believed in rehabilitation of criminals, while conservatives believed in punishment and retribution. This has always been the basic schism between conservative and liberal thought. One believed in progress, the other believed that things were always better in the past. One believed people could grow. The other believed people were born sinners. Liberals believed that society was progressing, if at the speed of a now-mythical growing glacier, while Conservatives wanted to go back.
Thus, the choice of the quote from the Democrat poet is striking. It says that people do not live and learn and grow. It expresses the conservative, right-wing, notion of Identity Politics and states that we are all born with our Identity and stuck with it for life.
Dr. King, in his famous Dream speech, talked about judging people on the content of their character. I always thought that was an important liberal expression, because we can each change the content of our character as we live and learn and grow. On the other hand, Dr. King was arguing against the people who said that what you are is defined at birth and beyond your control.
It is highly likely that the bomb or shell that did that to that baby had “Made in the USA” stenciled on it. Whether it came from a batch shipped by Biden/Harris or Trump/Vance would take investigation.
Americans can use the old saying about politicians …. watch what they do, but pay no attention to what they say. The picture of that baby is ‘what they do.’ That picture speaks volumes, while what they say is worthless.
“never, ever forgive them.”
I’d hazard there’s a few billion at least who will never be able to forgive or forget the grotesque display of sickeningly eager, animalistic brutality “The Most Moral Army In The World” are committing on other human beings, especially the most innocent of us all, children. Especially the ongoing deliberate torture and murder of children.
Maybe China will follow up their talk with action and go in with their military might to finally put an end to Israel’s globally shameful actions, as it appears such a response (aka this being the internationally demanded response to genocide, no less) may be the only possible way to stop incorrigible minds from continuing to commit atrocities that reverberate around the world.
It would be great optics for them if they succeeded, showing that at least one country on the planet remembers the last 100 years of history enough to act on the promise of “Never Again”.
It’s not necessarily the empire that’s implementing this starvation policy. It’s the Israeli Jewish supremacists inflicting this repulsive and sadistic misery on the Palestinian people in Gaza (and soon the West Bank).
Moreover, don’t ever think for one second that they wouldn’t do the same exact thing to your comfortable gentile family in Peoria if you stood in the way of Greater Israel. The Jewish supremacists in a heartbeat would quickly and easily annihilate you and your whole family bc that’s what they are, that’s what they do, it’s a sadistic paranoid cult that’s built on arrogance and exclusivity, they view us gentiles as dumb goyim akin to animals.
If you happen to stand in the way of Smotrich and Ben-Givr’s distorted fantasies you and your loved ones would be starved, jailed and shot. Only propinquity is stopping them from targeting your children.
You’re right about that Drew. They are racist bigots practicing religious fanaticism.
Ditto that!
I read that you don’t have much time for scripture, nonetheless, the Jesus I know thinks you are Way Cool.
Bless you Caitlin Johnstone.
I second that
And still, how many Americans and other nations adore Israel and the Zionazis as heroes and poor innocent victims of the godless Palestinians?