Anti-war protests prior to the invasion of Iraq easily dwarfed today’s turnouts (impressive as they are) but that didn’t stop Dubya and his client state sock puppets from Shock and Awe’ing their way through Iraq with a shit-eating grin. When “Israel’s 9/11” happened, it looked like we’d see a repeat of that despite everything, especially in an era where it’s more apparent than ever that the Western ruling class does not give two shits about popular will if things quiet down and everyone goes to brunch by the end.

And yet, politicians and MSM talking heads alike who were previously channeling their inner Goebbels and hyping up the audience for Palestinian blood are now timidly stepping back, talking about “humanitarian pauses” just short of a ceasefire (and sometimes slipping up). On occasion, there’s actual push-back even from longtime zionists. We’re seeing cold-hearted state department ghouls resigning in protest since even they understand the severity of this. Of course, talk is cheap and it’s more trying to save face than anything but compared to 20 years ago it’s baffling that they don’t simply close their eyes and ears and pretend the protests are just dumb Saddam Hamas-loving hippies.

This is less me going that things will just end up the same and more being measuredly optimistic. There was a lingering thought in the back of my mind that that the work people have done to propagate, agitate and disrupt would only pay “dividends” in the long run months after Israel finally accomplishes its dreams of acquiring Lebensraum.

I have lots of ideas as to why. The greater public fatigue for forever wars, the proliferation of graphic footage through social media, the lack of the “End of History” high that was present for the War on Terror, the diminishing socio-economic prospects for people in the belly of the beast, Israel’s more brazen stance since 2014 and so on. I’m just trying to digest it all.