If you are in Chicago this weekend, you will hear the obnoxious, loud jets from the Air and Water Show. If you live on the north side, your windows may have even been shattered from a sonic boom. For us in the belly of the US empire, these sounds and vibrations are a nuisance; for Palestinians in Gaza, that sound is the last thing they hear before being blown to pieces in an Israeli airstrike.

The Air and Water Show is a gross display of US imperialist military power, where the ruling class shamelessly flaunts the weapons used to massacre people around the world; these are the same weapons Israel has used to kill tens of thousands of Palestinians in the past 22 months.

The only reasonable response to this annual grotesque carnival is to demand it be banned.

Adding to the insanity is the fact that Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson is currently running to the media, portraying himself as resisting Trump’s moves to deploy the National Guard to repress cities and their residents. If Brandon was serious about standing up against shows of military power to threaten the masses, he would ban the Air and Water Show. Instead, he said in a statement, “The Chicago Air & Water Show is one of our city’s most beloved summer traditions, bringing together residents and visitors from around the world to enjoy an exciting, family-friendly experience on our beautiful lakefront”.

What is family-friendly about the US military? What is family-friendly about the coups in Latin America? What is family-friendly about a double-tap drone strike? What is family-friendly about the grieving mothers of Gaza?

The truth is that Brandon Johnson is a coward and an imperialist. He gleefully opened the doors of the city to the genociders in charge, Harris and Biden. He had no problem filling the city with Homeland Security, FBI, CIA, and backwater police officers during the DNC. ICE has been savaging this city, and Johnson has done very little to turn the tide.

Time after time, Johnson makes way for the imperialists or runs cover for them. This time is no different.

We don’t expect Brandon Johnson to do anything but bluster and get airtime. It is time for the people of Chicago to stand with the people of the world.

Ban the Air and Water Show. Stand up to the US War Machine in all forms.