Trish Wood is Critical

MIDWEEK MELTDOWN: ISRAELI GENERALS AND SECURITY LEADERS CALL OUT NETANYAHU

After I recorded the Meltdown, an X follower brought my attention to this brilliant piece by the folks at the Solari Report — run by Catherine Austin Fitts. She gets it. And is totally in synch with our show last week calling what’s happening in Gaza “depraved.” Read it here:To Members of the Health Freedom Movement,We are fearless. We are not only survivors of systemic betrayal, but defenders of children, life, truth, and conscience. We stand together against a system that uses fear, coercion, and propaganda to violate the human body and crush the human spirit.But now we ask ourselves, urgently and directly: As people are starving to death and begging for our help, where is our conscience, voice and action for Palestine?We are witnessing genocide in real time. Over 100,000 human beings, many of them babies and toddlers, have been killed in Gaza. Tens of thousands of children have been maimed, orphaned, or buried under rubble. Vulnerable children will be used in trafficking. Hospitals and schools are bombed. Food, water, and medicine are cut off. Aid workers are executed. And the world watches, some in horror, many in silence.That silence includes much of our own movement, with a few compassionate, wise and courageous exceptions. To those who ask, 'Why Palestine?': When the tools we fought are field-tested on Palestinians, their freedom is our freedom. Their bodies are the canaries in the coal mine, proving that human rights and free speech are not real.We who marched against mandates, who spoke out against the poisoning of our children, who exposed the weaponization of public health, how can we be silent now, as children are slaughtered by machines? When children are given oral polio drops that can maim or kill them? When oxycodone is found in flour bags?This is not a detour from our mission. This is its most urgent expression. Because what is being done to Palestinians today, by drones, by algorithms, by biometric surveillance and AI systems, by silence and censorship - is an extension of the very technologies and ideologies we fight. If we cannot see this, our children will suffer.We call on every health worker, journalist, activist, lawyer, scientist, and soul in this movement:Break the silence. Speak the names of the children. Demand a ceasefire.Denounce the tech-military-biopharma complex that profits from both pandemic panic and brutal airstrikes and snipers. This includes Bill Gates and Microsoft.Expose the rollout of AI-powered repression, tested on Gaza, refined for the world.Understand that what is done to them today will be done to us tomorrow.This is not a warning. It is a pattern. Palestine is the method for death and land grabs.Catherine has always understood the connections between the tyranny of COVID-19 regulations and the wholesale, live-streamed slaughter and starvation of Palestinians. The powerful forces that have kept it going are the same ones that harassed and harmed us during Covidian Times. She is correct that a lot of people in the medical freedom movement have avoided the subject, perhaps to not offend their paying subscribers. Below is the recent video I mentioned shot from an aid aircraft flying over Gaza. I didn’t add the music.Here is the Haaretz piece on the former security and military chiefs damning Israel’s war in Gaza.A lineup of Israel's most senior former security leaders has issued an extraordinarily blunt public appeal to end the war in Gaza immediately, warning that its prolonged and grinding continuation is steering the country toward "the loss of its security and its freedom."Stay critical.#truthovertribeTrish Wood is Critical is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

MONDAY MELTDOWN: OUR GAZA COMMENTS DUSTUPS, ELECTRIC VEHICLES ON THE WAY OUT?

A story from Wired about electric vehicle battery fires.Please feel free to add to our Gaza discussion below.Also — here is the famous photo of Kim Phuc, now residing in Toronto, running from napalm in Vietnam. This shot helped end the war. For our music fans…. a dose of Blue Rodeo. Five Days in May.One, two, one, two, three, fourThey met in a hurricaneStanding in the shelter, out of the rainShe tucked a note into his handLater on, they took his carDrove on down where the beaches areHe wrote her name in the sandNever even let go of her handSomehow they stayed that wayFor those five days in MayMade all the stars around them shineFunny how you can look in vainLiving on nerves and such sweet painLoneliness that cuts so fineFind the face you've seen a thousand timesSometimes the world beginsTo set you up on your feet againAnd I know it wipes the tears from your eyesHow will you ever knowThe way that circumstances go?Always gonna hit you by surpriseBut I know my pastYou were thereEverything I've doneYou are the oneLooking back, it's hard to tellWhy they stood while others fellSpend your life or give it outAll I know is one, cloudy dayThey both just ran awayRain on the windshield headed southOh, she loved the lines around his mouthSometimes the world beginsTo set you up on your feet againAnd I know it wipes the tears from your eyesHow will you ever knowThe way that circumstances go?Always gonna hit you by surpriseBut I know my pastYou were thereEverything I've doneYou are the oneCuddy, Keelor, Carney. Oh, well. Still the best.From the Chernobyl Script:Every lie we tell incurs a debt to the truth. Sooner or later that debt must be paid.Stay critical.#truthovertribeTrish Wood is Critical is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

VIDEO POD: DEPRAVED IS NOW THE ONLY WAY TO DESCRIBE ISRAEL'S WAR ON GAZA

Note: Audio problems fixed. No, I’m not losing my ability to breathe it was a production glitch and we’ve repaired it and reposted.Even as I watched Green Beret, Anthony Aguilar on Tucker Carlson the other night, I had sense of creeping dread about what might befall him for speaking out against the so-called Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. GHF is a joint American/Israeli project now in charge of delivering “aid” to a trapped and starving population. I knew I would include it in this week’s show but I admit I had a twinge knowing that there would be blowback from unhinged accounts posting ugly comments. This reaction is intended and part of an information campaign to encourage reluctance in those writing and thinking about Israel/Gaza.Aguilar’s evidence was devastating and supports eyewitness reports from doctors and agencies on the ground. Gaza is being starved and its residents are being shot and killed as they scramble and grapple for food. The images coming out are breathtaking and invoke a kind of Hunger Games cruelty and debasement that would make Idi Amin proud. Aguilar’s testimony is direct and without hesitation.Israel had been winning the propaganda war with America’s help for some time but last week proved a turning point and Aguilar’s evidence dropped right at the moment the media — which has been prevented from entering Gaza — began putting the starvation images on the front page. Newspapers both left and right.Globally, from The Guardian and The Times in London to El País in Spain and The National in the UAE, outlets gave prominence to Gaza – often accompanied by graphic images of the crisis. On Wednesday, the UN reported that the rate of child malnutrition has risen, as reports of starvation in the Strip worsen, with over 20 deaths from starvation or malnutrition since Monday alone.The Washington Post led with "Mass Starvation Stalks Gaza," and a photo of a woman holding her skeletal toddler. The Financial Times featured a grieving mother holding her malnourished infant. El País showed a child's outstretched hand holding a crust of bread under the headline, "Hunger in Gaza sparks global outcry to stop the war." India's Economic Times ran a rare front-page editorial calling Israel's actions "genocidal," paired with a photo of empty pots lined up outside a damaged building.Critics of Israel’s conduct become a propaganda bullseye. I’m sure Aguilar knew what he was getting into but it was even worse than I had anticipated.The day after the Tucker Carlson interview, all sorts of stories impugning him as a liar, wife-beater and bitter ex-employee surfaced almost simultaneously across social media — many using the same talking points and most coming from anonymous accounts with a history of rabid support for Netanyahu and his plan for Greater Israel, which involves getting rid of the Palestinians, one way or another. Aguilar poses a nuclear level threat to that project and retaliatory missiles were aimed and fired at him as soon as he began speaking out. It intensified after the Tucker interview. The horrifying accusations against him were immediately debunked but will remain talking points for ethnic cleansing’s depraved supporters for as long as they can get away with it. One of X’s best researchers took apart the awful story that Aguilar had been in jail for attacking his wife. Here is Mel’s thread which is worth reading to fully understand how this works. Click on the link above to read her actual thread.Easily debunked but raising enough doubt about Aguilar’s character to mute the fallout from his story. Some Israeli media are more honest than what we are seeing on social media and Rupert Murdoch’s outlets.Israel’s response to the growing starvation outcry was another public relations plan that aimed to inflict the narrative with doubt — by pointing out that one of the heartbreaking photographs left out a detail — that the skeletal child had a pre-existing condition. From Haaretz explaining the government’s pushback.The plot goes like this: The whole world published a photo of a child who looked like he was starving, in order to blame Israel. But the picture, Israelis across the spectrum insisted, was a lie: the child has a pre-existing genetic condition that explains his appearance. Ergo: There is no starvation in Gaza. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu himself said so (though his biggest supporter, Donald Trump, did not agree).Then clarification: yes, the child has other issues but that doesn’t mean he wasn’t starving. Only a ghoul would think restricting food to a sick kid is something to use a public relations fix.The updated article includes a paragraph stating: "Mohammed, according to his doctor, had pre-existing health problems affecting his brain and his muscle development. But his health deteriorated rapidly in recent months as it became increasingly difficult to find food and medical care, and the medical clinic that treated him said he suffers from severe malnutrition."According to his mother, when she went to the clinic, "They told me, 'His treatment is food and water,'" she said, in the article.Our interview with Dr. Abuelaish was heartbreaking and I defy anyone who alleges this man and his family deserve what’s happened to them. Three daughters and a niece killed in 2009. Seventeen killed and now seventy family members in total — none of whom were Hamas. Why do we accept this?If you are still defending any of it you are likely regurgitating talking points generated by Israeli hasbara officers who infect social media with empty justifications like:We are killing civilians because Hamas.We are starving children because Hamas.Anyone who challenges us is antisemitic. Hand over the hostages and we will stop killing civilians.Hamas started it.The UN is at fault.The media is at fault.Gaza’s children deserve to die because they will be Hamas.Palestinian autonomy rewards terrorism. And on it goes.Sometimes reporting on this subject feels like you are about to take incoming machine gun fire. I’ve reached the point where I don’t care. Pointing out the lies that attend the erasing of the Palestinians, is exhausting for anyone who approaches it honestly. This Israeli columnist summarizes my feelings perfectly….except the suicide part.The effort is so paralyzing, the meaning of these lies so profound, that sometimes art is more effective. The 2019 HBO historical fiction series "Chernobyl" was an arresting portrayal of a society falling into an abyss, a near-hermetic ecosystem of lies that cost people their lives.In the opening monologue, set two years after the world's biggest nuclear disaster and the cover-ups that contributed to both the accident and worsened its consequences, the main character ruminates: "What is the cost of lies? It's not that we'll mistake them for the truth. The real danger is that if we hear enough lies, then we no longer recognize the truth at all. What can we do then? What else is left but to abandon even the hope of truth and content ourselves instead with stories?"Then, he hangs himself.It’s time to ask yourself why no Western media is being allowed by Israel into Gaza. This great “beacon of democracy” is hiding something and I think, at this point, we all know what it is.The photograph below came from today’s NY Times — taken not by a journalist allowed in but by someone photographing from an aid aircraft. This is what is left of the southern Gaza Strip.And yes, I know Trump’s Special Envoy, Steve Witkoff was just there and has announced that people are hungry but not to worry…….We also know he spent five hours only on the ground and with the IDF and GHF but didn’t visit a single hospital to talk to any of the medical teams reporting this disaster. I wondered on the show this week if Canada is still sending arms to Israel. There is reporting suggesting that we are — even though the government denies it.This is a moment in history. We are not meeting it and this is not the Canada I know.Name callers are an insta-block.Trish Wood is Critical is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

MONDAY MELTDOWN: ANOTHER CBC WITCH HUNT AS TRUMP DERANGEMENT RIDES AGAIN

Back in Toronto and in the home podcast studio. Of course, not great audio as I neglected to turn on the “Joe Rogan Shure” mic. Funny how easily habits can change in such a short time. As promised, here are some CBC MAGA-hysteria headlines around the Sean Feucht dust-up and censorship campaign by our national broadcaster. Ever get the sense that a command goes out from on high? Every story focuses on MAGA.Here is Brian Lilley’s take.CBC went on a religious war against a Christian singer this past week in an effort to cancel his concerts.Instead, CBC raised the profile of Sean Feucht in Canada and showed just how politicized their news coverage has become.It started several days ago as Canada’s public broadcaster went wall to wall with coverage of Feucht’s show in Halifax. They described him repeatedly as a “MAGA musician” and then made it clear to their readers and viewers that Feucht holds views that no Canadian should welcome.“Sean Feucht is a religious singer from the U.S. who has expressed anti-diversity, anti-2SLGBTQ+ and anti-women’s rights views on his platforms,” read one story about his original venue in Halifax being cancelled.Other media outlets joined in the pile on, simply describing Feucht as MAGA and therefore unacceptable. We don’t need to tell you more than that, we’ve already told you that he likes the bad Orange man in the White House – BAN HIM!Here is a link to the immigration story.By Debakanta Jena ContributorDr. Debakanta Jena is a first-generation immigrant, Chief of Orthopedic Surgery at Medicine Hat Regional Hospital and Assistant Professor at the University of Calgary.Seventeen thousand. That’s the approximate number of individuals with criminal convictions who were admitted to Canada over the past decade.The government has not disclosed how many of those convictions were for serious offences that could have otherwise barred entry.This number, recently revealed by the CTV news and the lack of transparency, raises concerns of the integrity of our immigration system.Canada’s immigration framework, once admired for its fairness and balance, has drifted into crisis. For years, policy decisions prioritized record-setting targets over planning, screening, and integration.The result? A system disconnected from the realities on the ground — and both newcomers and long-settled Canadians are feeling the strain.I grew up in India, trained as a surgeon in Britain and moved to Canada nearly two decades ago. As a physician, educator, father and community member, I have seen immigration enrich communities and transform lives.I’ve also seen the toll of unchecked expansion: overwhelmed emergency departments, ballooning wait times, a shortage of family doctors, and fraying social trust. These are not abstract concerns — they’re happening in clinics, classrooms, and neighbourhoods across this country.Since 2014, Canada’s population has grown by more than six million — roughly 15 per cent — but essential infrastructure hasn’t kept up. We are short more than 3.5 million homes. Young people are being squeezed out of entry-level roles. The youth unemployment rate is among the highest it has ever been.Many students — immigrant and Canadian-born — struggle to find not only housing but also summer and part-time jobs, once considered a rite of passage. Meanwhile, many newcomers face underemployment and are pushed into survival jobs just to stay afloat.Stay critical.#truthovertribeTrish Wood is Critical is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

VIDEO POD:LONG ROAD HOME FOR THE CONVOY AND OUR FRIEND, JULIUS RUECHEL

Back home this morning after a difficult trip to Ottawa. The full force of the state was brought to bear on the Convoy — and Tamara and Chris in a series of connected courtroom scenes that felt like a Kafka novel. The Crown and Justice Perkins-McVey will be from this moment forward forever known for lowering the status of well-meaning and brave human beings into nothing more than blank vessels to be punished and scolded for violating The Rules. There are times when they sound like chirpy hall monitors passing judgement on the cool kids. No disrespect intended.Oh no, the protest wasn’t violent they admit. And yes, Tamara and Chris implored the protestors to behave which they did, but according to the judge and the Crown that really wasn’t the issue. The protest was just too big, lasted too long and at times was too loud. It was what they are calling a “mass mischief” — a new kind of criminal mischief that punishes peaceful protesters for being too good — attracting too many people and raising too much money. It was just too successful.Tamara and Chris performed a kind of miracle in front of the whole country. Smashing the stereotype of the working class-thug. The racist deplorable. The leering sexual assaulter. The only group in Canada we are encouraged to hate and smear, showed the country and the world how to behave. And they did it at a time we all needed to see it and to know it. They allowed us to take ourselves back from the crushing weight of the privileged managerial state that was destroying everything we held dear. No shots were fired. No punches thrown. It was a perfect show of civil disobedience from the men and women our government had been telling us to hate.I believe that was the real crime. The Freedom Convoy showed them, day after day for nearly three weeks that our working class people, the people who farm our fields, fight our wars and yes, deliver our goods - are the real Canadians. Still here. Still solid and true blue. For the failing elites who rule by fear and aggression it must have felt like a shot over the bow. They were losing control. Their messaging was being exposed as a fraud. The people were saying no — and they were saying it peacefully to the whole world. That is why Tamara and Chris — plus the rest of our truckers have been placed on a spit to be roasted over judicial fires. They are — alongside our relatives who fought the great wars — perhaps the most courageous Canadians in history. Their embers burn but fewer and fewer supporters show up at the courthouse. The ones who do often carry incoherent messages. As the urgency fades for some, those of us who remember what the truckers did and how they did it — will always hold the images of those days as the best of us. The fight ahead including for me and our doc team, is too make sure this history is written in truth and I fear after this week, that won’t be happening at the Ottawa courthouse. Below is the photo of my grandfather — a Finish fisherman and boatbuilder named Thomas Johnson. Shanghaied and taken to sea as a teenager only to wash-up on the BC coast. He built Lulu Island Marine, a boatbuilding and gillnet fishing business, now long gone. Paved over by progress. But I can still smell the diesel fuel wafting up toward his house on Fraser River. The icy cold drinks from the Coke machine in the office. The majesty of the giant commercial vessels pulling in to gas up before heading out so sea. I always wanted to jump on board and go with them. Sometimes the crew would invite us out for the short trip upriver to get ice for hold.I learned a great deal about perseverance and truth-telling from this great man who spent months away, on the high seas, alone and fishing this small craft. Sometimes he navigated by the stars. Perhaps we must now, too. My grandfather, Tom Johnson at Lulu Island Marine with Little Slope. Burnaby, BC. 1950’sTrish Wood is Critical is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.