it really is a microcosm of america . having a hearing on anti-muslim hate, with a panel of republicans giving out that very hate, and then them complaining about the lack of respect for israel and being more worried about anti-Semitism? its really just speaks for itself does it not? :(
Mr. John Kennedy's behaviour was just disgraceful. So disrespectful to the family, to all of the families who were there to try and stop exactly that sort of disgraceful rhetoric.
More importantly why didn't the rest of the panel speak up and admonish him. This is disgusting. He should be censored or whatever they do when one of them goes over the line.
Not surprised by Kennedy. He’s the same jerk that described a fetus being torn apart as the woman who almost died from a miscarriage and might have lost the ability to get pregnant again sat in front of him on a hearing about abortion. He’s a sadistic piece of crap and proud of it. What kind of person votes for him.
I watched parts of this hearing and was disgusted by Mr. Kennedy. He yelled, he cut off Ms. Berry's answers, he said she did not say what she clearly repeated several times about not supporting Hamas, and was his normal, rude, ill-mannered, bigoted self. I thought Ms. Berry was calm, tried to answer questions in an honest, open way, and deserved to be treated better by him. The Chair should have stepped up and stopped his open hostility against her. How can we work towards peace when people like Mr. Kennedy come into hearings and meetings with pre-set prejudices and closed minds? Our politicians need to listen more and talk less.
The only point of reference I. have is the civil rights movement here in America, when racism did include open lynchings and fee for all hate. Police using dogs, clubbing people. That was bad. I hope the people who are doing all of the right actions don't stop. We need more people in power to step up.
White-supremacists exploit a good-faith witness's faint hope of ANY degree of legitimacy (from ANY members of Congress, or at least from the Congressional record / transcript). Both parties' white-supremacists use the importance of the subject matter, as a tool of coercion, to keep the witness in her seat while they pummel her with wilful idiocy & malicious bigotry, throughout the hearings.
His smirk at the end of his line of questioning just shows what he was trying to achieve. It's so normalized for them to dehumanize Arabs & Muslims. I highly recommend reading Orientalism by Edward Said to get a centuries-long view into how this normalization has happened.
Kennedy is part of the problem , he should hang his head in shame for his Stupid , Racist Questions , never giving time for the lady to respond and than his comment about putting her a head in a bag is outrageous nonsense disgusting behavior
The United States of Israel and its deep racism was on display during this hearing. Too bad this lady felt obligated to remain civil in face of such Zazi type behavior.
That's why it's such an effective tactic of oppression, to restrict representation. When there's only one Palestinian representative, she doesn't have the freedom to lose her temper (or fail in any manner).
Conversely, countless white men can behave spitefully, criminally, violently — or just drool all over themselves, for that matter — and there's always another white guy to point to, and say, "Sure, but they're not all like that."
When there's ONE Palestinian, with ONE chance to speak, the stakes are so very different.
Hate crimes against any group is an infection in our society that needs to be dealt with legislative medicine that will stop the source of the hate without destroying the body. So what do we do when the process is infected with the same bigotry as we saw with these senators? And for a topic so important as this why were all members not there? Very disappointing.
Disgusting. Republican Senators' hateful behavior is sadly not surprising. But for the Democratic Senators not to stand up to the Republicans making them and calling them out for disrespecting the traumatized mom of a murdered child sitting upfront is absolutely mind boggling. Where was their moral courage? They weren't spewing hate but they were too afraid to stand up for what's right either. Really poor representation in the Senate.
It is as simple as this “Republicans are haters”. It is so obvious that their strategy is to cause fear and division. Over race, over reproductive right, over immigration, over gender and parenthood, and over ethnicity.
We must be very clear and show graphically where this trajectory will lead to. Mass deportations, retribution are not without purges and they are not going to be cheap and violence free. No one will be safe. Play it out. If there is someone who may want to turn you in (a covetous neighbor, a jealous colleague) for rounding up will you turn them in first. This will happen all over the country. Show Stalin’s gulags and Hitler’s concentration camps. It will happen here if the haters win.
Democrats need to be reminded that all that is required for evil to prevail is for good people to do nothing. Democrats need to confront their ambivalence regarding Arab-Americans in general and Palestinians in particular. Israel needs to be held to the same standards as other countries.
We either keep these psychos out of power or you’ll see American citizens in America rounded up and incarcerated in concentration camps or worse. Our job is to prevent that—or at least to make them have to destroy the fucking country if they try. That’ll get big capital on our side, hopefully.
I gave $500 to the kids at Brown demonstrating. Come get me, scum!
My fear is that people will just give up if and when Trump either wins or just takes power.
John Kennedy is a damned disgrace to the U.S. Government and should be sanctioned by his colleagues. I am equally disappointed by the five absent Democrats who couldn't "find" the time to attend and lend their support to those who suffered criminal attacks by American terrorists.
It’s reprehensible that both CA senators were absent (Alex Padilla and Laphonza Butler) from the hate crime hearing. They are both COWARDS and they are both fully onboard with the genocide. Both send me cringe-inducing letters declaring their loyalty to Israel and racist disdain for Palestinians by only referencing Hamas and Oct 7 instead of the innocent families and children blown to pieces with US made bombs. As evidenced by her gushing DNC speech, Laphonza is busy jockeying for a position in the Harris Administration since she is a temporary appointee for Diane Feinstein. Laphonza has also proven herself to be a great security guard for Harris in the past as she physically confronted a Republican in the airport who tried to approach Queen Kamala, but she doesn’t speak up for the witnesses attacked by Senator Kennedy? None of these Dems give a damn about Arabs or Muslims. My heart goes out to Maya Berry. This is not my Congress.
The passivity of Durbin is equally tiring and exhausting. Has he given up? Every single time Kennedy, Cruz, Green, Gaetz spews their vomit in hearings, the mic should be cut without warning. The behavior of Republicans is criminal.
it really is a microcosm of america . having a hearing on anti-muslim hate, with a panel of republicans giving out that very hate, and then them complaining about the lack of respect for israel and being more worried about anti-Semitism? its really just speaks for itself does it not? :(
Mr. John Kennedy's behaviour was just disgraceful. So disrespectful to the family, to all of the families who were there to try and stop exactly that sort of disgraceful rhetoric.
How can people vote for that sort of person? smh
Because they enjoy the sadism. Fascism is organized collective sadism for its own sake.
More importantly why didn't the rest of the panel speak up and admonish him. This is disgusting. He should be censored or whatever they do when one of them goes over the line.
Sick people like that scum bag vote for people like him.
Not surprised by Kennedy. He’s the same jerk that described a fetus being torn apart as the woman who almost died from a miscarriage and might have lost the ability to get pregnant again sat in front of him on a hearing about abortion. He’s a sadistic piece of crap and proud of it. What kind of person votes for him.
I watched parts of this hearing and was disgusted by Mr. Kennedy. He yelled, he cut off Ms. Berry's answers, he said she did not say what she clearly repeated several times about not supporting Hamas, and was his normal, rude, ill-mannered, bigoted self. I thought Ms. Berry was calm, tried to answer questions in an honest, open way, and deserved to be treated better by him. The Chair should have stepped up and stopped his open hostility against her. How can we work towards peace when people like Mr. Kennedy come into hearings and meetings with pre-set prejudices and closed minds? Our politicians need to listen more and talk less.
The only point of reference I. have is the civil rights movement here in America, when racism did include open lynchings and fee for all hate. Police using dogs, clubbing people. That was bad. I hope the people who are doing all of the right actions don't stop. We need more people in power to step up.
Dem Chair Durbin lacks the cohones to even sit as Chair! He’s another douche bag!
I can't believe she didn't walk out on him.
The issue is too important.
White-supremacists exploit a good-faith witness's faint hope of ANY degree of legitimacy (from ANY members of Congress, or at least from the Congressional record / transcript). Both parties' white-supremacists use the importance of the subject matter, as a tool of coercion, to keep the witness in her seat while they pummel her with wilful idiocy & malicious bigotry, throughout the hearings.
It's as effective as a loaded gun.
His smirk at the end of his line of questioning just shows what he was trying to achieve. It's so normalized for them to dehumanize Arabs & Muslims. I highly recommend reading Orientalism by Edward Said to get a centuries-long view into how this normalization has happened.
Kennedy is part of the problem , he should hang his head in shame for his Stupid , Racist Questions , never giving time for the lady to respond and than his comment about putting her a head in a bag is outrageous nonsense disgusting behavior
Shame on both republicans and democrats. It is disgraceful how they behave and how they have failed to condemn hate crimes.
The United States of Israel and its deep racism was on display during this hearing. Too bad this lady felt obligated to remain civil in face of such Zazi type behavior.
That's why it's such an effective tactic of oppression, to restrict representation. When there's only one Palestinian representative, she doesn't have the freedom to lose her temper (or fail in any manner).
Conversely, countless white men can behave spitefully, criminally, violently — or just drool all over themselves, for that matter — and there's always another white guy to point to, and say, "Sure, but they're not all like that."
When there's ONE Palestinian, with ONE chance to speak, the stakes are so very different.
I hear you and perhaps it is my frustration shining thru here that when I Zazi supporters such as this bully innocent and vulnerable people.
I absolutely agree with you. I completely share those feelings. 💕
She is a stabbed victim along w her son,and is suffering from trauma. She does not want to be attacked again.
Disgusting behavior. I would not have even known about the committee hearing if you didn't report on it.
I also watch Democracy Now with Amy Goodman. She never lets these things go by. Catch her Mon-Friday at 7am PT.
Hate crimes against any group is an infection in our society that needs to be dealt with legislative medicine that will stop the source of the hate without destroying the body. So what do we do when the process is infected with the same bigotry as we saw with these senators? And for a topic so important as this why were all members not there? Very disappointing.
Disgusting. Republican Senators' hateful behavior is sadly not surprising. But for the Democratic Senators not to stand up to the Republicans making them and calling them out for disrespecting the traumatized mom of a murdered child sitting upfront is absolutely mind boggling. Where was their moral courage? They weren't spewing hate but they were too afraid to stand up for what's right either. Really poor representation in the Senate.
Exactly! Wtf were the castrated Dems doing? They are absolutely spineless!
It is as simple as this “Republicans are haters”. It is so obvious that their strategy is to cause fear and division. Over race, over reproductive right, over immigration, over gender and parenthood, and over ethnicity.
We must be very clear and show graphically where this trajectory will lead to. Mass deportations, retribution are not without purges and they are not going to be cheap and violence free. No one will be safe. Play it out. If there is someone who may want to turn you in (a covetous neighbor, a jealous colleague) for rounding up will you turn them in first. This will happen all over the country. Show Stalin’s gulags and Hitler’s concentration camps. It will happen here if the haters win.
Democrats need to be reminded that all that is required for evil to prevail is for good people to do nothing. Democrats need to confront their ambivalence regarding Arab-Americans in general and Palestinians in particular. Israel needs to be held to the same standards as other countries.
We either keep these psychos out of power or you’ll see American citizens in America rounded up and incarcerated in concentration camps or worse. Our job is to prevent that—or at least to make them have to destroy the fucking country if they try. That’ll get big capital on our side, hopefully.
I gave $500 to the kids at Brown demonstrating. Come get me, scum!
My fear is that people will just give up if and when Trump either wins or just takes power.
John Kennedy is a damned disgrace to the U.S. Government and should be sanctioned by his colleagues. I am equally disappointed by the five absent Democrats who couldn't "find" the time to attend and lend their support to those who suffered criminal attacks by American terrorists.
It’s reprehensible that both CA senators were absent (Alex Padilla and Laphonza Butler) from the hate crime hearing. They are both COWARDS and they are both fully onboard with the genocide. Both send me cringe-inducing letters declaring their loyalty to Israel and racist disdain for Palestinians by only referencing Hamas and Oct 7 instead of the innocent families and children blown to pieces with US made bombs. As evidenced by her gushing DNC speech, Laphonza is busy jockeying for a position in the Harris Administration since she is a temporary appointee for Diane Feinstein. Laphonza has also proven herself to be a great security guard for Harris in the past as she physically confronted a Republican in the airport who tried to approach Queen Kamala, but she doesn’t speak up for the witnesses attacked by Senator Kennedy? None of these Dems give a damn about Arabs or Muslims. My heart goes out to Maya Berry. This is not my Congress.
The passivity of Durbin is equally tiring and exhausting. Has he given up? Every single time Kennedy, Cruz, Green, Gaetz spews their vomit in hearings, the mic should be cut without warning. The behavior of Republicans is criminal.