by Paul Shannon
Below is a transcript of a short speech given by Mass. Peace Action member, Paul Shannon, at a rally in front of the Massachusetts State House on September 19, 2025, in support of Bill H.2984 which would divest the state pension from companies providing military equipment to the state of Israel which is actively committing genocide in Gaza.
As we begin, let’s remember the fundamental reason we are here. How many tears have we shed over these past 2 years.
As we have watched Palestinians blown apart by our bombs — yes our bombs.
As we have watched the very basics of Palestinian society demolished on top of the bodies of their inhabitants.
And now we see the eyes of Palestinian children closing for the last time as their tiny bodies yield to starvation deliberately imposed on them.
Cruelty!
Yes, how many tears have we cried, how much grief have we experienced.
Day after day, week after week, month after month — to know that we are all part of this infinite suffering and pain and loss and heartbreak.
And so today, on behalf of ourselves and our country, we do our best to turn those oceans of tears into a wall of resistance to this U.S.-Israeli Killing Machine — a killing machine that we now know surrounds us at every turn — in our military and high tech companies, in our complicit universities and hospitals, in our media, in our shamefully silent churches and synagogues, and in our state government.
Everywhere, we are surrounded by this machine of death that demands either our complicity or our silence.
But instead of succumbing, we dare to live as human beings by speaking up for our brothers and sisters — all of them.
We Dare to Live by confronting the Cruel Tyrants in Washington and in Tel Aviv — whose cynical and cruel vision of life extends far beyond Gaza.
And today we undertake this small act of resistance as we beg our legislators to divest our state retirement fund of its holdings in the Killing Machine that provides the weapons being used to carry out this genocide.
What a statement it would be for our Legislature to find the courage to divest its holdings in the companies making a killing off the ongoing annihilation of another people.
And that’s just what our bill would do. Here it is: “An Act relative to pension divestment from companies providing military equipment to the state of Israel”.
Here is an effort we can be proud of in the midst of the shame that surrounds us.
