Federal Judge Blocks Trump From 'War-Ravaged' Portland, Not 'War-Ravaged' Gaza. Curious.
The Independent reports a federal judge stopped Trump from turning Portland into a federal battleground, noting the move was 'untethered' to facts. A commendable defense against executive overreach, one might think. Yet, just weeks prior, the Biden administration approved another $14 billion in military aid to the Netanyahu government, effectively enabling the ongoing devastation of Gaza, which
the UN has unequivocally called 'uninhabitable.' (UN Chief António Guterres, December 2023). Funny how a judge can discern 'untethered' facts when the battle is domestic, but the international equivalent gets a blank check and a media euphemism. This selective justice highlights a disturbing double standard. We worry about militarizing US cities (as we should), but actively fund and defend the
actual militarization and destruction of Gaza, a place where over 37,000 people have been killed since October (Gaza Health Ministry, June 2024). The 'war-ravaged' descriptor is applied to Portland, where property damage was the primary concern, yet the widespread slaughter of civilians, including over 15,000 children, in Gaza is simply 'conflict management.' Perhaps the judge could weigh in on
how 'untethered to the facts' the US policy in the Middle East truly is.