2024-03-01 03:55:00
“No news photograph in history has evoked as much emotion around the world as that photograph.” (John F. Kennedy, on the photo of the self-immolation of Vietnamese monk Thich Quang Duc, June 11, 1963)
At least 61 years ago, the United States was a country where the president even made a gesture to show special attention to a person’s self-immolation. President Joe Biden is silent even though a clear photo showing the self-immolation of an American soldier is circulating on social media.
A participant places an artificial flower in front of the portrait of Aaron Bushnell, a U.S. Air Force soldier who self-immolated, held in front of a recruiting center in New York on the 27th. 2024.2.27. Reuters Yonhap News
On the 25th, in front of the main gate of the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C., “Freedom for Palestine!” The death of U.S. Air Force Corporal Aaron Bushnell (25), who set himself on fire while screaming, is dividing American society in two. In honor of his wishes, there are voices calling for an end to the massacre of Palestinian civilians that the Israeli military has been carrying out in the Gaza Strip since October 7 of last year, while there are also movements to attribute his self-immolation to the suicide of a ‘soldier of interest’. Political circles even condemned it as an “anti-American act.”
It was confirmed that just hours before his self-immolation, Bushnell told a close friend that he knew top secret information regarding U.S. troops participating in an attack on a Hamas tunnel in the Gaza Strip. According to the New York Post on the 27th, Bushnell’s friend said, “He said on the 24th, ‘We (the United States) had troops in the tunnels. American soldiers are participating in the murders.'” The New York Post reported on Bushnell’s friendship with the informant. It was reported that it was confirmed. This is a claim that suggests that this was Bushnell’s decisive motive in deciding to set himself on fire.
The Joe Biden administration has publicly opposed the UN Security Council’s resolution for an immediate ceasefire, while making gestures urging Israel to call for a ceasefire. Some US troops have been dispatched to Israel to ensure the safety of American hostages. As the New York Post also pointed out, it is true that such claims are not easy to verify. This is because information classified as ‘top secret’ cannot be confirmed before the Pentagon discloses it.
The informant said, “Bushnell’s actual mission was to process intelligence materials, and that included intelligence related to the Gaza conflict. He said, ‘We are sending American troops to the area and killing large numbers of Palestinians.’ “He said. This is consistent with Bushnell’s cry right before setting himself on fire: “I will no longer be an accomplice to genocide.”
Mourners protest in front of the Israeli Embassy in Washington, U.S., where Aaron Bushtel set himself on fire. A picket sign that says ‘Rest in Power’ instead of ‘Rest in Peace’ is attracting attention. This is a picket that has appeared frequently since the mid-2000s when mourning young people sacrificed by the Israeli military. 2024.2.26. AFP Yonhap News
More than any other country, the United States values the hard work and sacrifice of young men in military uniform. However, the reaction from mainstream society following Bushnell’s self-immolation is somewhat shocking. The Biden administration, which had actively supported Israel’s invasion of Gaza, stopped short of offering words of comfort to the bereaved families. At the end of the regular briefing on the 27th, two days following the self-immolation, White House spokeswoman Carine Jean-Pierre was asked, “Is the President aware of his death? What was his reaction?” and briefly answered, “The President knows.” She continued: “(Bushnell’s self-immolation) is obviously a terrible tragedy and our thoughts are with the bereaved family.” “I will not get ahead of myself as the Department of Defense and the Washington Metropolitan Police Department are investigating,” Jean-Pierre said, repeating that “what happened that day was a terrible tragedy.” Defense Department spokesman Pat Ryder also said the day before, “It was clearly a tragic incident,” and “Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is also monitoring the incident.”
There is even a hint of a movement to attribute Bushnell’s self-immolation to a simple suicide by a ‘soldier of interest’ or to focus on ‘political motives’. U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Alvin said in a talk at the Brookings Institution on the 28th, “At the Air Force level, we are looking into whether it was politically motivated. Any suicide, whether it is a political protest or a matter of (mental) resilience, is a tragedy.” He added: “Whatever the cause of the suicide, we are trying to figure it all out through our standard investigative process without infringing on the individual’s privacy.” The U.S. Air Force statement only described the incident as an “incident that occurred near the Israeli Embassy” without mentioning Bushnell’s name. Outside the Brookings Institution, protesters urged, “Say Bushnell’s name, a ceasefire now.”
President Alvin did not bother to hide that he considered Bushnell’s death to be a simple suicide following the protesters’ protest was blocked. “There are 100 suicides every year in our (Air Force), and we are thinking regarding how we can reduce that,” he said. “This is just one Airman we lost, and we are looking at the bereaved family and the unit to find out who was behind the incident.” “We are trying to find out what context there is and what lessons can be drawn,” he said. Bushnell’s message of “freedom to Palestine” is simply being erased. On this day, protests once morest the Gaza massacre took place throughout the United States, including Washington and New York, but the Biden administration is trying to remain silent.
Aaron Bushnell sets himself on fire while standing in front of the main gate of the Israeli Embassy in Washington on the 25th. He shouted “Freedom for Palestine” several times before falling to the cement floor. This photo is being distributed by acquaintances on Facebook.
In an open letter to Secretary of Defense Austin, Senator Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) said, “It is clear that Bushnell held extreme and anti-American views,” and added, “It is a serious problem that such a person was allowed to serve in the military.” “I raise it,” he claimed. Congressman Cotton is a former Army captain and a veteran of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. “I intend to engage in extreme protest action, but it is not extreme at all compared to what the people of Palestine experienced at the hands of the colonialists,” Bushnell said in an audio broadcast live on social media before setting himself on fire. did.
Senator Bernie Sanders (Independent, Vermont)’s assessment was quite contrasting. Representative Sanders, who is also Jewish, demanded of the Biden administration following the Gaza incident, “Ensure that US aid supplies are not used to kill civilians in the Gaza Strip,” while also saying, “Israel has the right to destroy Hamas terrorism.” I have taken an awkward stance. However, Sanders told Newsweek on the 26th, “It was a terrible tragedy,” but added, “It eloquently expressed the depth of despair that many people feel regarding the terrible humanitarian disaster occurring in the Gaza Strip.” He continued, “The United States is becoming more and more isolated. It is terrible that the United States is one of the few countries in the world that stands by Israel, even though the international community knows that what Netanyahu (Israeli Prime Minister) is doing is a humanitarian disaster.”
Residents of Khan Yunis, a central city in the southern Gaza Strip of Palestine, are digging through a pile of rubble from a building that collapsed following being bombed by the Israeli military on the 14th (local time). The Israeli military has largely taken control of the northern part of the Gaza Strip and has recently been expanding its ground fighting in the southern part. 2023.12.14. Reuters Yonhap News
According to the New York Times, a few hours before his self-immolation, Bushnell sent an article titled ‘Against genocide’ and a link to a live video of his self-immolation to media outlets, including independent media outlets, saying, “Report my argument as is.” I asked you to do it.” He put on a military uniform cap, soaked his entire body in military uniform with flammable liquid, set himself on fire while standing, and shouted the slogan “Freedom for Palestine” several times for a minute before collapsing on the cement floor. Secret Service (SS) agents guarding the embassy tried to extinguish the fire, but were unable to save it.
The Times reported that Bushnell, 25, had been active in a Christian religious group in Cape Cod Bay, Massachusetts, before enlisting in the Air Force. Although he grew up in a religious and conservative atmosphere, he transformed into a progressive anarchist activist. While volunteering at a care center for homeless people, he often spoke out once morest poverty and capitalism.
The self-immolation of Thich Quang Duc (20), who resisted the dictatorship and suppression of Buddhism by the Catholic God Dinh Diem regime, is remembered as a strong message regarding justice and human rights in 20th century human history. The Kennedy administration supported the coup that overthrew Godin Diem’s government. However, the United States later entered the Vietnam War, causing tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese to die in flames. Kennedy at least seemed to honor Thich Quang Duc’s self-immolation with a historical quote. ‘Biden’s America’ has now turned into a country that ignores even the message its own soldiers shouted by setting themselves on fire.
Buddhist monk Thich Quang Duc burns himself to death in the middle of Saigon, Vietnam, on June 11, 1963, in protest once morest the oppression of God Dinh Diem’s government and the suppression of Buddhism. Photos taken by photojournalist Malcolm Brownie are now being shared without copyright. Wikipedia
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