I’ve been wanting to say this for a long time.
Getting Up Off the Floor
A demonstrator in a Freedom for Palestine march in Berlin, November 2023. Photograph by Sean Gallup (permission requested)
Nasser Hospital
Dr. Nizam Mamode speaking in the British House of Commons, 11/20/24.
A couple days ago I watched a story on Al Jazeera English about how the Israeli military is using small drones mounted with machine guns to kill civilians in Gaza. These drones are 3-5 feet wide, with four or more propellers. They’re called quadcopters. They move like hummingbirds or bumblebees—hovering and darting. They can go inside buildings and tunnels, or chase someone down the street. Besides guns they carry cameras, loudspeakers and bombs. The Al Jazeera story claimed the Israelis are busy building new prototypes and testing them on the trapped civilians in Gaza.
I did a search under 'Israeli Quadcopters' and saw that NPR did a story on November 20th about a British doctor speaking in the House of Commons about operating on Palestinian children who had been shot by quadcopters in Gaza. So I went to the UK Parliament website and found the video of the doctor’s testimony, and I’m going to play the whole thing, because I think the whole thing needs to be heard.
The doctor’s name is Nizam Mamode, 62 years old. In the video, he’s sitting in front of a microphone before 10 members of the Committee for International Development. All the members ask a question, so it’s long interview, over 40 minutes, and it’s not easy to listen to. I had to take breaks and come back to it. Some parts are rather horrifying. It begins with an introduction by committee chairman Sarah Champion.
Link to the video.
The Committee listening to Dr. Mamode.
A machine gun mounted on a quadcopter.
Belief Over Reason
My take on what happened in the election.
Fascism In America
Militiaman outside the Republican Convention in Cleveland, 2016.
A short essay on what I know about fascism.
Beirut Epilogue
I wrote this after I got back home the other night, but it took a few days to get it posted. I had a good trip, thanks very much for your support.
Beirut Part Six
Dr. Edward Alam, professor of philosophy and theology at Notre Dame University in Lebanon.
This interview with Dr. Alam gives a very good historical context for the war now going on in Lebanon. I feel lucky to have met him. Here are the links to the book he recommended for more in depth study:
The Hundred Years’ War on Palestine by Rashid Khalidi
The Iron Wall: Israel and the Arab World by Avi Shlaim
The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine by Ilan Pappe
Beirut Part Five
This is the monument in Martyr’s Square in Beirut.
Four more interviews with people on the street in Beirut.
Beirut Part Four
On the street in Beirut.
Beirut Part Three
I lifted this image from a L’Orient Today story.
I made a mistake about the date. I meant Friday, October 11th. This is a short piece recorded in my hotel room following last night’s bombing in Central Beirut.
Beirut Part Two
Beirut Part One
A family camping out along the beach in Beirut to avoid being bombed in their home.
End of Season Two
I’m going to take a break for a few months, or at least until the pandemic is over. Thank you very much for your support. This podcast has been the best thing in my life, professionally, and I couldn’t have done it without you. I hope to be back soon with more stories.
A Photographer's Account of the Insurrection
The moment the police line breaks. West Portico of the U.S. Capitol, January 6th, 2021.
Many Trump supporters I spoke with before the election said there would be violence after the election, and now here we are. I missed last Wednesday’s insurrection, but my friend photo-journalist Alan Chin was there. So I called him.
You may remember Alan from a previous episode. I met him in 2001 in Afghanistan. We worked together there and he went on to cover the war in Iraq. He’s covered a lot of war zones. His photos are published in the New York Times and Newsweek. I’ve always been amazed by his spot-on verbal descriptions and accounts, his command of history, and his confidence in the role of photo-journalism.
This is a very good report of what it was like at the U.S. Capitol last week.
All photos by Alan Chin.
Trump in Dalton, Gerogia, January 4th, 2021, railing against fictitious election fraud and ostensibly supporting Kelly Loeffler’s Senate campaign.
At the Trump rally in Dalton Georgia, January 4th, 2021.
West Portico of the U.S. Capitol, January 6th, 2021.
West Portico of the U.S. Capitol, January 6th, 2021.
West Portico of the U.S. Capitol, January 6th, 2021.
West Portico of the U.S. Capitol, January 6th, 2021.
Virginia State Police using tear gas to clear the West Portico of the U.S. Capitol, January 6th, 2021.
How Much Time Has Gone By: Part Two
The Yellowstone River, Montana.
Following the river was a good idea, especially across the Great Plains, because it’s really easy to get lost out there. The view is the same in all directions—rolling hills of dry grass that resemble giant waves on the open ocean. It seemed I would never find my way across them. I was lost at sea. But the river knows where it’s going, downhill to the sea, and it has cottonwood trees and green meadows along its shore. Animals and birds live along the river. People come to hang out and fish. Following the river kept me sane and grounded.
The music is from Neil Young’s soundtrack to “Deadman,” a film by Jim Jarmusch. I highly recommend it.
On the Standing Rock Reservation, North Dakota.
Gabe Romo, Standing Rock Reservation, North Dakota.
South Dakota
How Much Time Has Gone By: Part One
Back in the beginning of September, two months before the election, I set out on a trip driving across the country talking to people about the candidates and the issues. I collected a lot of interviews and I think now is the time to play them, at length.
Most of the interviews are with Trump supporters and some of the things they say may trigger you. You don’t have to listen. You may feel the time for listening is over.
This is the first of three parts.
The music is from Neil Young’s soundtrack to “Deadman,” a film by Jim Jarmusch. I highly recommend it.
South Pass, Wyoming
Atlantic City, Wyoming
Arthur “Junior” Hernandez
Don Metzger
Culture War: War Zone
Kansas City, Missouri, September 20, 2020. I came upon this man who was unconscious but still breathing. I called 9/11 and an ambulance came. He was able to get up on the stretcher by himself. I think he’ll be ok.
I went to New Orleans but didn’t interview anyone because I thought things were getting too sketchy with the spreading virus. So I drove home. And I’m sort of beat. It was an exhausting trip. But I recorded a lot of good interviews, maybe the best ever. Thanks very much for supporting this series.
Downtown St. Louis, Missouri, September 26, 2020. I asked them, “What’s up?” One said, “We’re just standing by.”
Kaufmann Center for the Performing Arts, Kansas City, Missouri.