It Could Happen Here - What Happens When A US Volunteer Is Shot by the IDF?

Episode Date: September 6, 2024

James and Shereen talk with Amado, a volunteer with Faz3a who was shot in the leg by the IDF. We discuss the lack of a US government response, and how listeners can be in solidarity with the people of Palestine. https://www.defendpalestine.orgSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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our second season digging into tech's elite and how they've turned Silicon Valley into a playground for billionaires. From the chaotic world of generative AI to the destruction of Google search, Better Offline is your unvarnished and at times unhinged look at the underbelly of tech brought to you by an industry veteran with nothing to lose. Listen to Better Offline on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, wherever else you get your podcasts from. On Thanksgiving Day 1999, five-year-old Cuban boy Elian Gonzalez was found off the coast of Florida. And the question was, should the boy go back to his father in Cuba? Mr. Gonzalez wanted to go home, and he wanted to take his son with him. Or stay with his relatives in Miami?

Imagine that your mother died trying to get you to freedom. Imagine that your mother died trying to get you to freedom. Listen to Chess Peace, the Elian Gonzalez story on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hi, everyone. Welcome to It Could Happen Here. Hi everyone and welcome to It Could Happen Here. It's me James today and I'm joined by Shireen and also Amado who was a volunteer with FASA, Nonviolent Protectors Presence Volunteer in Palestine. How are you doing today? I'm good, thank you. Yeah, thanks so much for being here. Yeah. So we met through a mutual friend who was also a volunteer with you. And the reason that that friend contacted me was that unfortunately,

uh, the IDF shot you. And it's obviously a pretty shitty situation. And would you be okay with just beginning by recounting the incident? I don't know if that's something you're okay going back to just because I think the fucking wantonness of the violence is so stark that I think it might help people to hear it. Yeah. So I volunteered with Faza, and we go to a demonstration in Beta every Friday.

The aim is to go back to their land that was stolen from them. I think there's a settlement called Avatar on the Palestinian land. And their aim is just to go back to it and plant the Palestinian flag. So we get there and they're doing Juma prayer. And then after Juma prayer is when they start chanting. So like not even, it was like between five to ten minutes when they started shooting tear gas at us. During the prayer? After the prayer. Okay.

After the prayer. Yeah. So the prayer went without incident. Okay. And then afterwards was when they shot tear gas at us, multiple tear gas canisters. And then once they started firing live rounds, we hid behind a concrete wall. Te tear gas still being shot at us, and then live rounds as well. You could see the

dust coming off of the concrete walls as they shot. And then once it seemed like they were coming down from the tower, I think Palestinians were running because they thought they were coming. tower i think palestinians were running because they thought they were coming so we ran and we went over a concrete wall we ran for i don't even know how long but once we got to a clearing and they thought it was safe we regrouped with everyone um so the road going up to where we were there were palestin Palestinians still running down. There's Palestinians running to the right. And we just waited maybe 30 seconds. And then someone told us to go.

So we ran with them. And then we got to rest for like five minutes. Had a quick smoke, coffee. Some people had tea. But then some Palestinians were moving towards the street to our right. So we followed them, a couple of us, and some of them stayed. And as we were approaching there, this was the road that went straight up to the watchtower we saw them on before. So there was still some tear gas shot at us and some live rounds as well. But we saw them actually coming down from the tower this time and before

you know they even drove down there was palestines to our left that were running so whenever we see them running we know that it's a threat they think may be fatal so we're running we we actually could run to the olive groves behind us. And as we were running, just making sure all my comrades were good, I hear a loud bang, and then I feel a pain in my leg. I thought it was like a tear gas canister that hit my leg because it just felt like a blunt force. But I've never felt that pain before.

And one of my comrades were helping me up while I was still running and limping. And then finally, once we got to a clearing, that's when all the Palestinians ran to me and carried me away to the pickup truck, which then went to the health clinic or the emergency clinic in Beita. And then after that, the army trucks blocked our way while I was in the ambulance when I was transferred. And then there was two checkpoints afterwards. And the two checkpoints,

they demanded to see who was inside, which delayed my care further. And then finally getting to Rafidia Hospital. Jeez, the swept. Fucking hell. Classic of them to block the ambulance. i've heard that so many times that's yeah yeah yeah i mean i'm really glad that it wasn't like an arterial bleed or something when that time would have been a life and death yeah those minutes right it's a really good point yeah i was smiling because i was like i don't know what just

happened to me but i'm hope i hope i'm okay and also i know i'm here for philistine so you know yeah kept smiling but i didn't know what was happening and thankfully it was no artery or bone so i was very lucky yeah and do you know what rifle you were shot with because i know they sometimes use like smaller calibers for crowd control yeah from what i heard was um m16 american made yeah so yeah they're just really going for it unbelievable i'm glad you're okay i know like just we spoke about this before but just so listeners like you're healing up you feel like you're on the path to at least physical recovery yeah absolutely like uh so i got shot and one week later i went from wheelchair to crutches to cane. I'm still on the cane but I can move around pretty well like indoors like when I'm outside I have to use the cane because my leg

buckles and the hole in the front the exit wound is still healing it's not fully closed yet but a lot better. Did the bullet go straight through yeah it went straight through uh no fragments i believe they had to do surgery to stitch me up but also to take the dead tissue out and i think they had to put together some muscles as well yeah jesus so like i want to talk about a couple of things regarding this first of all i think like are you a u.s citizen yeah yeah so like a foreign military shot a u.s citizen right has your no senator representative any of these people who are supposed to give a single fuck about this like reached out to you new um so it was just the embassy the embassy did contact us maybe the same day i was shot just a little bit later

but no representatives here in the united states have reached out to me yeah that's pretty reprehensible yeah do you want to give people a rough sense of who those might be because i don't want to like dox you and where you live but i'm in jersey city there is um a vacancy actually for one of the representatives so that is one reason why but But the other ones, yeah, Jersey senators, local politicians, nobody has reached out. Yeah, nobody's reached out. Yeah.

And I think, like, we said this again before, but, like, it's not that your leg is more important than someone's child's life in Gaza, right? Like, I don't want to imply that for a second. But, like, the system of states as it is today works in a certain way and in theory those people should care about you and like i think it really gets us to something else i wanted to talk about which is that like the existence of palestine like as as it is today and as it wishes to be in the future much like you know other places i've worked in kurdistan and the you know liberated parts of myanmar is a threat to the system of states and governments as it exists

today and like at some point you decided that the government and writing to your senator or whatever tweeting people do wasn't enough or wasn't gonna to work and you decided that like you wanted to put your body in between the people trying to kill the people and people trying to survive so can you talk us through that journey like have you always been invested in in the palestinian cause is it something that you became aware of at some point yeah so i'm part of the philippine movement anak bayan i'm part of the Philippine movement, Anak Bayan. I'm part of Bayan and the National Democratic Movement in the Philippines. So through them, I was in contact and collaboration with Palestinians. And that's when I started to understand the Palestinian struggle.

And actually, I was at the protest in New York recently and it's came full circle because um nerdine of uh within our lifetime stated that she actually started it because of the national democratic movement and our work together and our studies so because I also saw Palestinians standing for the liberation of the Philippines we always had that connection or I had that connection with Palestinians. And it grew over time. And the escalation of October 7th really had me just dysregulated because I'm a teacher in Jersey.

And for the first few months, it was so hard for me to teach. It was like I was just going on autopilot because how could we, you know, just go on with our daily lives, seeing these atrocities happening every day. And once it was the end of the year, it was hot. I was smoking a cigarette. I put my keffiyeh on the gate outside of our school. And then I came out because i had to bring the snacks in for my students for the last week of school and it was gone so i had to buy another one and

when i did it came with a really beautiful handwritten postcard from palestine and it was just talking about thank you for supporting us through these difficult times and then it said invitation to visit so that was what prompted me me to research and ask other friends in the movement, and then they told me about FASA. And then I took the orientation and training, and I went over during my summer break. Yeah, it's a very easier summer. We'll just stop for some advertisements here, and then come back. for some advertisements here and then come back.

Hi, I'm Ed Zitron, host of the Better Offline podcast, and we're kicking off our second season digging into how tech's elite has turned Silicon Valley into a playground for billionaires. From the chaotic world of generative AI to the destruction of Google search, Better Offline is your unvarnished and at times unhinged look at the underbelly of tech from an industry veteran with nothing to lose. This season, I'm going to be joined by everyone from Nobel-winning economists to leading journalists

in the field, and I'll be digging into why the products you love keep getting worse and naming and shaming those responsible. Don't get me wrong, though. I love technology. I just hate the people in charge and want them to get back to building things that actually do things to help real people. I swear to God things can change if we're loud enough. So join me every week to understand what's happening in the tech industry and what could be done to make things better. Listen to Better Offline on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, wherever else you get your podcasts. Check out betteroffline.com. favorite Latin celebrities, artists, and culture shifters, this is the podcast for you. We're talking real conversations with our Latin stars, from actors and artists to musicians and creators,

sharing their stories, struggles, and successes. You know it's going to be filled with chisme, laughs, and all the vibes that you love. Each week, we'll explore everything from music and pop culture to deeper topics like identity, community, and breaking down barriers in all sorts of industries. Don't miss out on the fun, el té caliente, and life stories. Join me for Gracias Come Again, a podcast by Honey German, where we get into todo lo actual y viral. Listen to Gracias Come Again on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

On Thanksgiving Day, 1999, a five-year-old boy floated alone in the ocean. He had lost his mother trying to reach Florida from Cuba. He looked like a little angel. I mean, he looked so fresh. And his name, Elian Gonzalez, will make headlines everywhere. Elian Gonzalez.

Elian, Elian. Elian Gonzalez. Elian, Elian. Elian Gonzalez. Elian, Elian. Elian Gonzalez. At the heart of the story is a young boy and the question of who he belongs with. His father in Cuba. Mr. Gonzalez wanted to go home

and he wanted to take his son with him. Or his relatives in Miami. Imagine that your mother died trying to get you to freedom. At the heart of it all is still this painful family separation. Imagine that your mother died trying to get you to freedom. At the heart of it all is still this painful family separation. Something that as a Cuban, I know all too well. Listen to Chess Piece, the Elian Gonzalez story, as part of the My Cultura podcast network, available on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

We are back. Unfortunately, you've had to listen to some adverts, so hopefully you've skipped them. So I wanted to ask about that journey, the journey to Palestine. Now, I imagine it's very difficult. And how did it feel, I guess? This is a cause you've been invested in for some time, right? And've seen these horrific things and then suddenly you're on the ground like was to be in solidarity with people like I know my experience at the

border has been that like I would much rather be like in it even if it's terrible than at home seeing pictures of it now I wonder how it was for you. Yeah. For me, I've always just wanted to visit Palestine. And I want to be in solidarity with the Palestinian people. As a Filipino American, I've seen Palestinians there to support Filipinos. I've been there in the streets with them, you know, when they supported Americans, black Americans, you know, against police brutality.

So it just felt like a duty as a organizer as a revolutionary to you know show the same solidarity back as well as knowing that i'll be in a beautiful place with beautiful people under horrible circumstances yeah i wish more people and it's not just palestine right we have these revolutions that we talk about these causes that we talk about like and i understand it's not always easy people have commitments financial and interpersonal and and yeah but like if you can go you should go yeah do you feel like your solidarity grew because you you experienced solidarity in return right like somebody ran towards a gunfighter to pick you up at some point do you feel like a more profound sense of solidarity after that experience,

having also experienced like settler colonial violence, I guess? Absolutely. It's like, you know, before I'm talking about it, we talk about in circles and I did have the privilege to be able to go, you know. Not a lot of people have the financial ability, mental ability, physical capabilities. So I'm lucky on that end as well.

But if one is willing and able in all those different aspects, they should go if they can, especially during all of the harvest right now, which is an escalation of settler violence that we've seen recently and even the Israeli army. So I get updates from kusva right now and i just see everything that's happening still and i know all of harvest is a huge economic thing for the palestinians so yeah it would be great for anyone that's able to go yeah leading up to you getting shot and maybe after can you describe maybe what the environment was like like

what on the ground how people were living your experiences with the IDF maybe before that like can you just walk us through what that was like on the ground yeah so my first day there I was in Kusra and we were just getting the money that we need we got some groceries i believe i had i only had like two pairs of clothes i packed like and um then we had dinner with the palestinian family very beautiful collective dinner and when you have lunch or dinner there you know it's not like a quick 30 minutes and you're gone you're there for like three hours even if we have different language barriers it's just very beautiful culture and people and then i get shot the second day the second day good god i didn't know that

yeah so uh second full day and so i think i was the first person shot at a demonstration there. So people were ready for, I guess, the usual tear gas and live rounds. But I don't think anyone is expecting anyone to get shot that day, including me. But yeah, so I was healing in the hospital. I heard the Israeli army came into Kusra. And, you know, we had the amount of people we had on the ground and one person had to kind of stay around me. So I was scared and feared for my people over there. And then another day goes by. The next day after that, I'm back in town. And then there was reports of a settler that was killed. And then we heard that all the settlements, there was a call to attack Kusra.

So right when I get back, we're already on high alert. We're watching, making sure nothing was happening. Thankfully, nothing did happen that day. But then, yeah, it happens like every other day where either the Israeli army comes in or settlers. In Kusra, we also tried to open the gate between the town because the Israeli army put a gate between the town so people can't travel within the town. And we tried opening it, but they have the key. And a peaceful demonstration turned into the IDF or the IOF coming with like 12 soldiers. I'm intimidating folks, loading up some kind of automatic weapon, pointing tear gas at us.

A few days after that, they came into town at night, shot up the town. Came into town at night, shot up the town. A few days after that, the Israeli army was guarding settlers really close to town, or actually in town. And then a couple days after that, too, I think one of the last days I was there, they raided the town. they shot like 12 tear gas canisters like two to three like flash bangs and then like three live rounds and they shot a boy in the back thankfully he's also okay and then after i left settlers attacked international volunteers u.s citizens as well with rocks and the iof shot like five other palestinians as well so it's just continual violence you know what i faced that one day is what they face every day yeah yeah yeah

and like they don't get to go home like it is at home can you explain for people who aren't familiar right i think a lot of people have come into solidarity with palestine in the last 11 months which is fine right you don't have to know like textbooks of history to be like genocide is bad yeah so like you're in the west bank right can you explain where that lies in relation to gaza and what is happening in the west bank especially especially right now in the last few days and weeks, that is extremely concerning? I don't know how to phrase it like terrible. Yeah, so the decimation of Gaza on Israel's end is a response to October 7th escalation. Even though October 7th was a response to however many decades of oppression that they faced.

So Gaza is being decimated, but Israel wants more land, the greater Israel that they've been advertising. Settlers want to move into Gaza. Settlers want to continue to move into West Bank. The West Bank also, from israel um gave authority or something of being able to get more land which is palestinian land so what kind of authority do they have over that all the legal settlements but they're trying to just take all the land that they can get whether it's in gaza whether it's in west bank so they're obviously connected because it is palestine

whether it's in West Bank. So they're obviously connected because it is Palestine. But now they're just going into the West Bank because there's further resistance now as well. And there has always been just a lot more quiet than Gaza at the moment because, I guess, of the government that's over them, Palestinian Authority. But yeah, it's all connected. And they want to just squash any kind of resistance there is, whether it's in the West Bank and Gaza,

as well as just trying to take as much land as possible before international intervention happens, which we haven't seen, because the U.S. continues to supply weapons and arms to Israel. Yeah. Apparently, what happened to you isn't going because the u.s continues to supply weapons and arms to israel yeah apparently what happened to you isn't going to stop that like nothing else is i don't know what is just for people who aren't familiar the west bank's a much larger geographical area bank refers to the jordan river right settler colonialism is a term that people are familiar with right like and it happens it's not i'm not saying it doesn't happen in america because it still happens every day like there it's a process that we continue

to create it's not one that stops in 19th century right i don't want to imply that but like where you were is the bleeding edge of settler colonialism right it's a family being kicked out of their house it's people not being allowed to go back to their homes do you have a sense of like what does that look like because it's incredibly violent right and incredibly inhumane no reasonable person would think that like oh yeah this seems normal and cool can you explain like perhaps how that would appear for one family or for the farm or a village. So in Kusra, there has been a good amount of resistance, even before October 7th, from the leaders there and the community. But even with that, three months before,

it looked like settlers coming into town, a whole wave of them, burning 11 houses, I believe it was, cars, attacking people with Israeli army there, not stopping anything. I believe it was Masfer Yata, where other activists are, where they literally come to the land, say, this is ours, try to destroy infrastructure, like water wells. They come in and literally say say god told me this is my land and i'm here and try to settle there there's i guess i saw a place where the israeli occupation forces would uh guard around a mosque not for the muslims there but for settlers to come in and pretty much make it a synagogue for however long.

It looks like someone coming in and claiming that your home is theirs and destroying any infrastructure so you don't come back. Whether it's the home, the streets, water, whatever it is. Yeah. Water, whatever it is. Yeah. Hi, I'm Ed Zitron, host of the Better Offline podcast. And we're kicking off our second season digging into how tech's elite has turned Silicon Valley into a playground for billionaires. From the chaotic world of generative AI to the destruction of Google search,

Better Offline is your unvarnished and at times unhinged look at the underbelly of tech from an industry veteran with nothing to lose. This season, I'm going to be joined by everyone from Nobel-winning economists to leading journalists in the field, and I'll be digging into why the products you love keep getting worse and naming and shaming those responsible. Don't get me wrong, though. I love technology. I just hate the people in charge and want them to get back to building things that actually do things to help real people. I swear to God things can change if we're loud enough. So join me every week to understand what's happening in the tech industry and what could be done to make things better. Listen to Better Offline on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, wherever else you get your podcasts. Check out betteroffline.com.

Hola mi gente, it's Honey German and I'm bringing you Gracias, Come Again. The podcast where we dive deep into the world of Latin culture, musica, peliculas, and entertainment with some of the biggest names in the game. If you love hearing real conversations with your favorite Latin celebrities, artists, and culture shifters, this is the podcast for you. We're talking real conversations with our Latin celebrities, artists, and culture shifters, this is the podcast for you. We're talking real conversations with our Latin stars, from actors and artists to musicians and creators, sharing their stories, struggles, and successes. You know it's going to be filled with chisme laughs and all the vibes that you love. Each week, we'll explore everything from music and pop culture to deeper topics like identity, community, and breaking down barriers in all sorts of industries.

Don't miss out on the fun, el té caliente, and life stories. Join me for Gracias Come Again, a podcast by Honey German, where we get into todo lo actual y viral. Listen to Gracias Come Again on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. On Thanksgiving Day, 1999, a five-year-old boy floated alone in the ocean. He had lost his mother trying to reach Florida from Cuba. He looked like a little angel. I mean, he looked so fresh. And his name, Elian Gonzalez, will make headlines everywhere. Elian Gonzalez. Elian Gonzalez. Elian Gonzalez. Elian. Elian. Elian Gonzalez.

At the heart of the story is a young boy and the question of who he belongs with. His father in Cuba. Mr. Gonzalez wanted to go home and he wanted to take his son with him. Or his relatives in Miami. Imagine that your mother died trying to get you to freedom. At the heart of it all is still this painful family separation.

Something that as a Cuban, I know all too well. Listen to Chess Peace, the Elian Gonzalez story, as part of the My Cultura podcast network, available on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I keep thinking about, like, one, how much it didn't matter that you were American, but I keep thinking about Rachel Corey and how maybe that was the most, like,

egregious recent example I can think of of an American citizen. I think she was 23 when she died got run over by a fucking bulldozer from the iof nothing happened her parents are still trying to remind the world what happened like year after year yeah and so it's not surprising to me that no one reached out to you and that there is no outrage but it's just really frustrating that it really doesn't matter like it you could have like you could have lost your life and no one would have bad an eye in government like it really really just makes my blood boil because it's i don't know that's what i've been thinking about

for a tiny bit i just reminded me of that and how there's no protection being american when you're on the ground in palestine at all yeah when when we're there our power comes from having a passport somewhere else and our phone right that's why we go there to volunteer to create a buffer between uh the israeli army settlers and the palest Palestinians. And it shows their complete disregard. The caveat there is that they said it was a mistake, which it went straight through my leg. So I don't know what kind of mistake goes straight through my leg. But also someone was arrested and heard that they thought I was Palestinian.

So it just shows even more so the complete disregard for Palestinian life. Yeah, right. Whether they thought I was or not, that they would just shoot me. And yes, there was two U.S. citizens that were recently attacked by settlers, and the IOF did not do anything. Only a little bit after, they you know stop throwing rocks but the damage is done yeah our government has complete disregard for palestinian lives because there was also a lot of palestinian americans that have been dead yeah and our lives or my life or others

that are just american with another nationality have you know i guess a little bit more value in their eyes but because they don't want outrage um international outrage but yeah our government they haven't reached out to me which showcases that they don't care about u.s citizens that support palestine yeah even biden said that, you know, if a US citizen got hurt, he would do something and nothing has happened. Yeah. I think it's kind of illustrative, right? Like we're supposed to live in a democracy

and like here they are, like choosing the interests of a state to do what is extremely clearly and like it's very widely agreed upon illegal and to do so in a genocidal manner and they're gonna back that over your right to not be shot in the leg yeah i i do think it's it's funny maybe that's not the right word but the fact that they thought you were palestinian as if that was a good enough excuse yeah yeah yeah oh oh that oh that explains it of course like okay sure that makes me so so mad yeah absolutely yeah

we mistook that person for a person whose life doesn't matter like yeah it's shameful you know what you're really giving it away yeah and i think like i know it seems to me that our government is not going to solve this right like it realistically in the election you know there are third parties and stuff i'm not going to vote for someone who said nice things about assad but like you don't have a box you can take that will make the stop in november right and the only way we can do anything is with solidarity so like what do people do like how you've been there you've seen it like how do people most effectively be in solidarity yeah i think the biggest thing is international pressure that we've seen all across the globe which has showcased some results in other countries, not here,

where arms exports are actually at least somewhere being banned or restricted altogether. But here, I think it's continuing to build up anti-imperialist organizations like Anak Bayan, like the many pro-Palestinian organizations, like many revolutionary black organizations, and then uniting and coming together to create a power that is beyond the two-party system and uniting with everyone that is pro-Palestinian, that does want to see true democracy in the United States

and all across the globe. Because I was one person, and people call me a hero, but for me, the Palestinians face this every day. They're the globe. Because I was one person, and people call me a hero, but for me, the Palestinians face this every day. They're the heroes, and we should be uniting to support them in their liberation. And sometimes it looks like building those organizations. Sometimes it also looks like going to Palestine and joining things like FAZA, like International Solidarity Mission, to pressure, especially when we have good organizations,

to pressure elected officials to really divest from the two-party system and people that support genocide. And have that pressure amount to more than the lobby for Israel or, you know, people lobbying for arms for Israel to have that outweigh the pressure financially that they have politicians. Yeah. That was very informative and I really appreciate you sharing your experience. Yeah. Thank you for all the work you do.

People might want to support your healing. They might want to support father. They might want to support your healing. They might want to support FATHER. They might want to support International Solidarity Mission. They might want to find out more about how they can be that buffer. Do you have any suggestions on where people could do any of those, all of those things? I don't have a personal fund right now, which is fine. I'm going back to work, teaching.

But there are people that need funds to be able to participate, especially during the Olive Harvest. So, following Afaza, F-A-Z-3-A underscore P-A-L

is somewhere to follow, as well as defendpalestine.org. They're both connected. So you can follow the news on what's happening on the ground, as well as defendpalestine.org they're both connected so you can follow the news on what's happening on the ground as well as i believe contacting them there's a general fund for folks that want to travel to palestine but are not able to so there's a general fund for that in the future my friend was going to make a t-shirt to help fund the palestinian ambulance center over there that i got a first aid training with amado sisoma on there so i don't know if it'll work here but um over there definitely

so there's a lot of different things i know there's the different camps that are being rated right now i think there's some fundraisers for them as well in Gaza. There's plenty too. But in any way that people can contribute to any of those things, it always goes a long way for them. That's pretty great. Thank you. Is there anything else you wanted to say to people, Amado, before

we finish up? Yeah. I hope that one day, folks, persons listening right now if you're capable and able to join up to see the beauty of Palestine

landscape, it's gorgeous outside of the settlements the people are so loving and caring and the culture is just amazing and I just hope that you will be able to see Palestine one day, whether it is to be in solidarity with them

as a protective presence or just to see it. And hopefully one day, inshallah, it's free and we are all able to visit. It Could Happen Here is a production of Cool Zone Media. For more podcasts from Cool Zone Media, visit our website, coolzonemedia.com, or check us out on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts. You can find sources for It Could Happen Here updated monthly at coolzonemedia.com slash sources.

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It's time to get rewarded for it. Submit your podcast today at iHeart.com slash podcast awards. That's iHeart.com slash podcast awards. Hi, I'm Ed Zitron, host of the Better Offline podcast, and we're kicking off our second season digging into Tex Elite and how they've turned Silicon Valley into a playground for billionaires. From the chaotic world of generative AI to the destruction of Google search, Better Offline is your unvarnished and at times unhinged look at the underbelly of tech brought to you by an industry veteran with nothing to lose. Listen to Better Offline on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, wherever else you get your podcasts from.

Apple Podcasts, wherever else you get your podcasts from. On Thanksgiving Day, 1999, five-year-old Cuban boy Elian Gonzalez was found off the coast of Florida. And the question was, should the boy go back to his father in Cuba? Mr. Gonzalez wanted to go home and he wanted to take his son with him. Or stay with his relatives in Miami? Imagine that your mother died trying to get you to freedom. Listen to Chess Peace, the Elian Gonzalez story, on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.