Cauldron of Terror - Hamas, Israel, and the World - Five Hundred Days in Gaza - Roger Waters and Medea Benjamin - Pretty in Pink

Hello from Cauldron of Terror - Hamas, Israel, and the World. The author is Mark Silinsky of Kensington Security Consulting, which provides education on national security. Today’s episode is called “Roger Waters and Medea Benjamin – Pretty in Pink.” It examines two colorful characters. Roger Waters “We, the ordinary people of the world, hugely outnumber the Israeli scum and the ruling Elites in the West. We stand alongside our brothers and sisters in Iran in the fight to end the occupation, oppression, and genocide in Palestine.” Roger Waters For listeners over 50, the name Roger Waters is instantly recognizable. You likely know some of his songs by heart. Some songs were rebellious, while others were gentle. Pink Floyd blasted onto the London music scene in 1965 and stayed on the charts for over a decade. The iconic album The Wall was released in 1979. Waters, one of the group’s veterans, continues to make music and stir controversy. Like many entertainment celebrities, he is an activist. A very loud one, and his perennial hobby horse is Israel. He is certainly not alone, but his theatrical flair has drawn the attention he sought. He appeared publicly in a Nazi uniform and performed with a giant inflatable pig bearing a Star of David on its side. The balloon also features words and symbols such as “kyke” [sic], “scum,” “follow the money,” and dollar signs. Waters is particularly incensed by the “religious supremacism” he attributes to “the Jews.” He says that “supremacy of all kinds is the key to understanding why people behave in these extremely evil ways, like the Israelis have done for the last 75 years and are continuing to do so with the support of the American empire, including my country, the United Kingdom, which is part of the American empire.” “And it’s deeply, deeply depressing to me.” He repeatedly assures his fan base and others that, in his words, “I am not an antisemite.” But not everyone is persuaded. Polly Samson, the wife of his former Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour, who has known Roger Waters for decades, is credited with texting, “Sadly, Roger Waters, you are antisemitic to your rotten core. Also a Putin apologist and a lying, thieving, hypocritical, tax-avoiding, lip-synching, misogynistic, sick-with-envy, megalomaniac.” It doesn’t help his cause that so many of his comments are captured on tape and that his cavalier insults annoy his bandmates more than he realizes. Given all this, it surprised few that he wanted to weigh in on the joint American-Israeli attacks against Iran in 2025 and 2026. The Pink Floyd bassist texted, “March 1st, 2026, is day two of WW3. We, the ordinary people of the world, hugely outnumber the Israeli scum and the ruling Elites in the West. We stand alongside our brothers and sisters in Iran in the fight to end the occupation, oppression, and genocide of our brothers and sisters.” This was a broadside against Israelis and Western elites, presumably Americans. He speculated that Donald Trump might have him assassinated. His contempt is not limited to Donald Trump. He loathed his predecessor. Iranian media referred to Waters as a “political expert” and quoted him on the Russian channel RT as saying, "Biden (is a) warmongering servant of the oligarchy that rules the United States of America and will continue to be so for however long he remains the president of the United States. He's not to be trusted on anything.” On his television show, Piers Morgan unsuccessfully pressed Waters to condemn Iran. On his show, he said to the 82-year-old rocker: "(Roger) You like to stand up for one of the world's worst regimes in Iran and pretend that the only reason people there are protesting is because of the economy, and that's because of sanctions put on it by other countries, wrongly, because they don't prop up any terror groups. "So, when I look at your worldview, I don't see a guy - with all due respect, Roger - who's standing up for the voiceless and powerless. I see somebody trying to prop up terrorists and powerful dictatorships and regimes." That is what Piers said. Medea Benjamin There is another “pink” in this podcast beyond Pink Floyd. This is Code Pink, cofounded by Medea Benjamin. The website touts Code Pink’s involvement in many causes. These include Justice for Palestine, U.S. Out of Africa, China is Not our Enemy, Peace in Ukraine, and, for our purposes today, No War on Iran/Peace with Iran. The site requests, “Tell Congress we don’t want ANY troops sent to the Middle East, we want a complete halt in military equipment and aid to Israel, and we want peace with Iran. Over 60% of Americans want to stop arming Israel, and Americans certainly do not want to go to war with Iran. No more endless wars, we want peace!” The website offers an “action toolkit” that is not easily accessible. But Ms. Benjamin and Code Pink call people of conscience to “Gather a group of people - reach out to your local anti-war coalition to broaden your base. Check out our basic events checklist. Gather your signs, art, chants, and other striking visuals. Review the CODEPINK Statement of Nonviolence. Take action! Host a rally, a street teach-in, a sit-in at your representative’s office, or something even more creative. Demand no war on Iran!” As for the woman herself, Medea Benjamin has much in common with Roger Waters. She finds a kindred spirit in Waters’ focus on Israel as a central force of the world’s evil. Born Susan Benjamin in 1952 on Long Island to Jewish parents, she changed her name to that of the Greek mythological woman who killed her children to spite their father, who loved them. At Tufts University, she threw herself into left-wing activism. In the early 1980s, this trust-fund woman of privilege lived in Cuba and married the black coach of the country’s basketball team. But she was jailed and deported after rubbing Fidel’s regime the wrong way. On her return to the United States, she pursued a slew of anti-American causes. Like Waters, Benjamin is highly theatrical. In 2024, during Israel’s war against Hamas, she appeared on video wearing striped pajamas that evoked the German concentration camps. She said, “I’m wearing these pajamas that are supposed to symbolize the concentration camp and the people in the Holocaust who died of starvation, to say people are starving right now in Gaza.” She makes similar claims about the U.S. and Israeli attack on Iran today. For those interested in her perspective on this war, please read Code Pink's webpage. For those seeking a more critical account of her advocacy, consider her profile on the Canary Mission website. For those interested in a sympathetic account of Roger Waters' politics, his videos are widely available online. His comments are very easy to access. Please consider watching the 37-minute film titled “The Dark Side of Roger Waters.” This concludes this episode. Our upcoming book, Cauldron of Terror – Hamas, Israel, and the World, will be available for purchase in July 2026. This podcast does not represent the official position of the United States government. Until next time, goodbye from Kensington Security Consulting.