The People Take Action

Things ARE terrible in 2025, but you can do something about them beside whining. You can take ACTION. (Be sure to sign up for the webinar at Lifeline for Palestine.)

Listen to Greta at the launch of the Global Sumud Flotilla on Instagram.

The People Take Action

by C. A. Matthews

I’m tired of people whining. It’s not that I don’t whine myself, because we all do from time to time, but some folks’ incessant whining about how terrible things are and how they can’t do anything about them drives me up the wall. If I were a protagonist in a 1940s movie, I’d take the whiners by the shoulders and shake them hard and then slap them across the face to make them stop whining.

I know. I’d get into a helluva big mess if I resorted to physical violence to get the whiners’ attention nowadays. So, I’m left with using only non-violent means, such as writing, to get them to snap out of their whining tirades. So, here goes.

Things are terrible in 2025, but you can do something about them beside whining. You can take action.

The following are examples of people from all over the world who didn’t sit and whine about how terrible things are. They’ve stood up and started moving. They know their actions could make them lose their livelihoods or get them hurt. They realize they could be risking their lives and their reputations by taking action, but they feel it’s worth it. The ends justify the means—and any cost to themselves personally.

First example: American IT workers were willing to risk losing their jobs, their careers and professional reputations in order to make a bold statement protesting Israel’s actions in Palestine and their company’s association with the genocidaires. This is the story of what four former employees of Microsoft did recently.

Their firings followed a demonstration by seven current and former employees at Microsoft’s Redmond headquarters in Washington state. The activists are affiliated with the group No Azure for Apartheid. They entered Vice-Chair Brad Smith’s office to demand that Microsoft end what they described as direct and indirect support for Israel in its genocide in Gaza.

These employees weren’t just acting up in order to get raises—they are serious about bringing the public’s attention to Microsoft’s ties with Israel. There have been reports that Israel’s Unit 8200 used Microsoft Azure to store Palestinian phone call recordings, and the Associated Press recently revealed Microsoft’s partnership with Israel’s Defense Ministry to process intelligence for target selection.

These IT workers took action. No excuses, no whining—they protested and marched into the boss’ office to demand an end to their company’s aiding and abetting the genocide in Gaza. And for their actions, some lost their jobs, but the public now understands who and what is happening behind the scenes in the cybertech industry in apartheid Israel.

Now we know the why behind the Microsoft boycott. This could inspire more to join in the boycott of Microsoft and other IT companies with Israeli contracts.

“But they acted stupidly—they lost their nice, well-paying jobs,” the whiners will emphasize, totally missing the point of how the activists brought attention to the terrible things Microsoft has been involved with in the Israeli government during the genocide of Gaza.

All I can say to that comment is perhaps for some people it’s preferable to stay silent and put up with evil in order to keep their cushy jobs and own lots of nice things. But this wasn’t the case with the activists from No Azure for Apartheid. They put their careers at risk because they believe genocide is wrong.

Hmm, a person who is willing to put up with evil yet still complains about it… Maybe that’s a good description of a whiner?

We never know how our small activities will affect others through the invisible fabric of our connectedness. In this exquisitely connected world, it’s never a question of “critical mass.” It’s always about critical connections. -- Grace Lee Boggs

Our second example of people taking action instead of whining is global in its importance. From People’s Dispatch:

In July 2025, a new international maritime initiative was launched: the Global Sumud Flotilla. It was formed by four major coalitions: the Global Campaign to Return to Palestine, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, the Maghreb Sumud Convoy, and the Southeast Asian Nusantara Sumud Initiative. The Global Sumud Flotilla is set to depart on August 31, 2025. Its goal is clear: to break Israel’s illegal blockade on Gaza, to deliver urgent humanitarian aid, and to expose the genocidal war waged on Palestinians.

The flotilla is composed of dozens of small civilian vessels carrying activists, parliamentarians, doctors, and trade unionists, alongside humanitarian cargo. More than 39 national delegations have pledged participation, making this the largest people-led maritime effort in solidarity with Gaza since the 2010 “Mavi Marmara”.

Behind every flotilla passenger lies a story of conviction. Greek trade unionists brought banners pledging workers’ solidarity with Palestine. Doctors from Spain and Italy carried vital medicines banned from entering Gaza. Parliamentarians from South Africa and Norway insisted that breaking the siege is a moral and political duty. (…)

The flotilla’s organizers remind the world that Israel has maintained a land, air, and sea blockade on Gaza since 2007. As they prepared for upcoming missions, flotilla spokespeople declared:

“Our boats carry more than aid. They carry a message: the siege must end. The greater danger lies not in confronting Israel at sea, but in allowing genocide to continue with impunity.”

Once my article is posted on Substack, it will be have been three days since the flotilla left from the port in Barcelona and began their journey to Gaza. Some of the same people who tried previously to get to Gaza on the boats Madleen and Handala, only to find themselves captured and imprisoned by Israel, will sail once again in this latest version of the flotilla.

“These people are crazy,” some of the whiners will say, shaking their heads and rolling their eyes in disbelief. “Didn’t they see how the Israelis boarded those last boats and took the passengers to be interrogated and beaten? None of their food aid got to Gaza, either. It’s nuts to keep doing the same thing over and over, expecting a different response from the Israelis.”

I agree mostly with that definition of insanity: “To do the same thing over and over, expecting a different result.” Where I diverge from this idea of the whiners is in the Global Sumud Flotilla members’ motivation. They are attempting the same goal—getting food aid into Gaza—but this time their motivation is one of open defiance of the Israelis’ illegal boardings of their previous vessels in international waters.

And motivation is what can make all the difference when it comes to taking action against injustice.

There are over 50 vessels attempting this passage this time instead of the usual one or two. Trying to stop so many vessels at once makes this flotilla a much more challenging offensive operation for the Israelis. It’ll be like trying to find all the needles in a haystack, painful and ultimately pointless.

The odds are fairly good that some of the flotilla boats will make it all the way to Gaza this time, inspiring other groups to do the same. The blockade of food and medicines into Gaza will be broken. The rest of the world will see the hell wrought there by the genocidaires through the eyewitnesses of the flotilla. There will be no use for the mainstream media to continue doing as they’ve been instructed by the Zionist regime and its allies in denying reality and downplaying the loss of life as they have these past 23 months.

“But what if the Israelis drop American bombs on the Freedom Flotilla like they have in Gaza?” the whiners will whine. “They might not bother with boarding the boats and warning them first. They might not care about the public relations fiasco of sinking so many vessels full of Good Samaritans.”

The whiners are right—why would the Israelis care about what the world thinks of them? It hasn’t stopped them from committing war crimes so far. And yet the Israeli government has a huge budget set aside for propaganda (hasbara) to downplay these sorts of “unfortunate incidents.” (Watch the video Israel: The Narcisstic State below or at this link to learn more about Israel’s use of propaganda and why they resort to it.) Perhaps even war criminals can sense when their bad publicity might be catching up with them at long last?

But the whiners will continue: “Remember the USS Liberty and what happened to it in 1967? The IDF sunk a US Navy ship, and they never were held responsible for its loss or the loss of Americans’ lives. Who’s going to shut Israel down for drowning a bunch of do-gooders from around the world in the middle of the Mediterranean?”

The answer is in the question. There are 39 national delegations represented in the Global Sumud Flotilla. This increases the odds as to what country might shut down the Israelis if they attempted such a heinous crime.

The IDF commanders may be bloodthirsty and arrogant, but they’re not entirely stupid. Would they risk starting an actual world war—not a one-sided genocide of civilians, mostly children—by murdering so many other countries’ citizens in cold blood? One would hope they’d think twice and decide it wasn’t a good idea and back down. But any response is possible—just look at Israel’s aggressive actions toward Iran—and most recently the murder of Yemen’s prime minister and his cabinet.

The Madleen was attacked by Israel in international waters.

The whiners are right about the high stakes involved in this operation. The people taking this action with the Global Sumud Flotilla definitely aren’t scaredy-cats. They’ve been informed in advance what could happen to them, but they’ve chosen to go anyway. It’s important to them to become a part of the solution to end starvation in Gaza rather than become just another whiner who does nothing but complain about how terrible things are.

We the people who strive to fight injustice take action. We take action even when it’s risky to our own personal health and safety. We don’t waste time and energy making excuses. We don’t whine—we act.

As the organizers of the Global Sumud Flotilla said at a recent press conference: “This will not only be a fleet. It will be a reminder that the world is watching, that Gaza is not alone, and that peoples will not remain silent.”

Remaining silent is what makes the terrible things even more terrible. Taking action is what makes things less terrible.

Not everyone can sail in an aid flotilla or infiltrate a major multinational cybertech corporation and expose its part in committing war crimes, but we can donate our time, talents, and money to causes involved in such work. We can spread the news of the Global Sumud Flotilla and what the No Azure for Apartheid activists revealed far and wide. We can talk about it with friends and family and enlist their aid and donations as well. We can protest and march in solidarity with those who are suffering from injustice and raise funds to continue the actions until the genocide is over.

From the People’s Dispatch:

The Global Sumud Flotilla is both a lifeline and a warning: Gaza will not be starved into silence, and solidarity will not be blockaded.

As the flotilla prepares to set sail, its message resounds across seas and continents: The siege must fall. Gaza must live. Palestine must be free.

No time for whining. Become a part of the action. None of us will be free until all of us are free.

Here’s another way we all can become a Lifeline for Palestine. Details and how to join the webinars at https://lifelineforpalestine.com/

Emergency Call to Global Action that CAN End the Genocide Now! (Sept. 5 and Sept. 7 Sessions)

We DO have the power to End the Genocide Now! Join the webinar to learn how and spread the word. September 5 at 10 AM ET or September 7 at 4:00 PM ET.

A super-majority of the world’s nations already support Palestine. Using a little known process - Uniting for Peace - our UN representatives have the numbers and the power to override the US veto to: Send a multinational protection force to Palestine providing food & medicine, ending the blockade, protecting civilians. - Implement sanctions & a military embargo on Israel. - Withdraw Israel’s UN credentials, establish a war crimes tribunal & more.

September 18 marks a one-year deadline set by the UN General Assembly for Israel to comply with the World Court and the UN – or face concrete measures like those listed above. The UN could vote as soon as Sept 18. If we press governments/UN reps that supported Palestine in the past to hold the line for Palestine, we can pass a measure with real teeth to end genocide.

Join the webinar to help launch this global movement, with Craig Mokhiber (International human rights attorney), Dr. Jeffrey Sachs (economist, academic) Roger Waters (musician), Miko Peled (author, advocate), Medea Benjamin (CodePink), Susan Abulhawa (novelist), Ali Abunimah (journalist, Electronic Intifada), Imam Omar Suleiman (scholar & community leader), Rev. Munther Isaac (Bethlehem pastor), Jill Stein (2024 Green Party presidential candidate).

Join us to mobilize civil society worldwide & compel our governments/UN reps to use the supermajority power we ALREADY have to end the genocide now. Together we’re unstoppable!

Lifeline for Palestine https://lifelineforpalestine.com/

Articles and Links to Inspire You to Take Action!

Other actions you can take: 
BLACKOUT THE SYSTEM https://blackoutthesystem.com/ 
Draw The Line https://drawtheline.world/

Global Sumud Flotilla https://globalsumudflotilla.org/
Freedom Flotilla Coalition https://freedomflotilla.org/
Lifeline for Palestine https://lifelineforpalestine.com/

The Global Sumud Flotilla: Over 50 ships will set sail for Gaza https://peoplesdispatch.org/2025/08/28/the-global-sumud-flotilla-over-50-ships-will-set-sail-for-gaza/

'Largest civilian flotilla in history' to set sail for Gaza https://thecradle.co/articles/largest-civilian-flotilla-in-history-to-set-sail-for-gaza https://peoplesdispatch.org/2025/08/28/the-global-sumud-flotilla-over-50-ships-will-set-sail-for-gaza/

Any attempt to block Gaza-bound flotilla is ‘attack’ on int’l law, warns rights group https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20250901-any-attempt-to-block-gaza-bound-flotilla-is-attack-on-intl-law-warns-rights-group/

Microsoft fires 4 employees after protest over Israel ties, break-in at Washington office https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20250829-microsoft-fires-4-employees-after-protest-over-israel-ties-break-in-at-washington-office/

Entire UN Security Council Except US Says Gaza Famine 'Man-Made' https://www.commondreams.org/news/un-security-council-gaza-famine

Israeli Official Says Israel May Halt the Meager Aid Entering Northern Gaza Amid Famine https://news.antiwar.com/2025/08/31/israeli-official-says-israel-may-halt-the-meager-aid-entering-northern-gaza-amid-famine/

Israel Just Assassinated Yemen’s Prime Minister. They Want Us All To Act Like This Is Normal. https://www.thenorthstar.com/p/israel-just-assassinated-yemens-prime

How the UN could act today to stop the genocide in Palestine https://mondoweiss.net/2025/08/how-the-un-could-act-today-to-stop-the-genocide-in-palestine/

Boycott Chevron’s Complicity In Israel’s Crimes https://uscpr.org/campaigns/boycott-chevron

The Media: Absurdities and Complicity https://www.fosna.org/the-fosna-blog/mediaabsurdities

Netanyahu's favorite pedophile skips court hearing in Las Vegas after fleeing to Israel https://www.thenorthstar.com/p/breaking-netanyahus-favorite-pedophile

Chris Hedges: Israel’s Assassination of Memory https://consortiumnews.com/2025/08/26/chris-hedges-israels-assassination-of-memory/

Gaza to Donbass: How Israel and Ukraine Built a Fascist, Transnational War Machine https://orinocotribune.com/gaza-to-donbass-how-israel-and-ukraine-built-a-fascist-transnational-war-machine/

The Betrayal of Palestinian Journalists https://chrishedges.substack.com/p/the-betrayal-of-palestinian-journalists

Yemen vows revenge after Israel assassinates its prime minister and several ministers https://www.councilestatemedia.uk/p/yemen-vows-revenge-after-israel-assassinates

Venezuela Orders Naval Patrols as US Warships Head To Southern Caribbean https://news.antiwar.com/2025/08/27/venezuela-orders-naval-patrols-as-us-warships-head-to-southern-carribean/

The Great Hoax Against Venezuela: Oil Geopolitics Disguised as a War on Drugs https://www.telesurenglish.net/opinion/the-great-hoax-against-venezuela-oil-geopolitics-disguised-as-a-war-on-drugs/

BOUGHT OFF: Corruption Of Many American Democrat/Liberal Influencers Exposed! https://mark192.substack.com/p/bought-off-corruption-of-many-american

From Revolution to Revival: Russell Brand Embraces Trump and Israel https://www.mintpressnews.com/russell-brand-right-wing-pro-israel-pivot/290413/

Trump Just Tried to Illegally Deport 600+ Guatemalan Kids on Holiday Weekend https://www.commondreams.org/news/trump-deporting-children

Judge Blocks Kristi Noem From Deporting Kilmar Abrego Garcia to Uganda — for Now https://truthout.org/articles/judge-blocks-kristi-noem-from-deporting-kilmar-abrego-garcia-to-uganda-for-now/

ICE's Detained Population Now at Record 61,226 People https://austinkocher.substack.com/p/ices-detained-population-now-at-record

Why We Don't Have Libraries of Everything https://realleecamp.substack.com/p/a-library-of-everything-would-change

Trump’s Answer to Homelessness? Lock Up Unhoused and Disabled People. https://truthout.org/articles/trumps-answer-to-homelessness-lock-unhoused-and-disabled-people-up/

New Trump Order Among 'Scariest Things I've Seen in US Politics,' Civil Rights Attorney Says https://www.commondreams.org/news/trump-vigilante-portal

The Pentagon Wants Your High Schoolers https://nnomy.org/en/home-73768/1076-the-pentagon-wants-your-high-schoolers.html

How US-Israeli Regime Change in Iran Failed https://www.kitklarenberg.com/p/how-us-israeli-regime-change-in-iran

Sept. 11 Victims’ Lawsuit Against Saudi Government Can Go to Trial, Judge Rules https://www.propublica.org/article/saudi-arabia-september-11-lawsuit-trial-qaida

Western Civilization Is Not Worth Saving https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/western-civilization-is-not-worth

Factcheck: 16 misleading myths about solar https://interactive.carbonbrief.org/factcheck/solar/index.html