Rosanne Rabinowitz

Seems I have a few new followers – a warm welcome to you all! I suspect you’ve been drawn by recent ranting so here’s a thread introducing my fiction. In addition to the books below I've published stories in many anthologies – see rosannerabinowitz.wordpress.com for more info.

1/2 Death #25 He was a U.S. citizen. He was unarmed. And ICE shot him anyway. Three bullets. Through his driver’s side window. At point-blank range. Ruben Ray Martinez was 23 years old. He worked at an Amazon warehouse. He loved cars, video games, UFC fights. He was the light of his family’s home. He went to South Padre Island to celebrate his birthday. He never came back. ________________________________________ On March 15th, 2025—just after midnight—Ruben and his best friend came upon an accident scene on South Padre Island. There had been a crash. Local police were there. So were federal agents from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), which operates under ICE. Not responding to a violent crime. Not stopping a terrorist. They were directing traffic. ________________________________________ What happened next lasted seconds. ICE agents surrounded Ruben’s car. They shouted conflicting commands—one telling him to move forward and another telling him to stop. One agent moved to his window. Another moved near the front of the vehicle—the controversial “Death Box” tactic, placing himself directly in the car’s path. And then— An ICE supervisor fired three shots into Ruben’s chest. No standoff. No chase. No escalation. Just a 23-year-old American citizen dying in his car. ________________________________________ After the shooting, the federal government offered a justification. The Department of Homeland Security said Ruben had “intentionally run over” an agent. The agent who fired the shots later wrote that he feared a “terrorist-style mass-casualty attack.” That framing matters. Because it turns a seconds-long roadside encounter into something else entirely— a justification built on the fear of mass violence. And once that label is applied, the use of deadly force becomes easier to defend— even if the underlying facts are unclear. ________________________________________ But now we have the video. And it tells a different story. Ruben’s car was not speeding. It was not charging forward. It was barely moving—if moving at all. His brake lights were on when the shots were fired. Witness testimony says he did not hit anyone. No officer was seriously injured. No mass-casualty threat existed. What the video shows is chaos. Confusion. Tight space. And then— Gunfire. ________________________________________ After Ruben was shot, it got worse. Agents dragged him out of the car. Forced him face down onto the ground. Handcuffed him. He lay there— not receiving immediate medical care— even though paramedics were already on scene. Minutes passed before aid was given. He later died at the hospital. ________________________________________ And then— The truth was buried. For nearly 11 months, the federal government did not publicly disclose that ICE had killed Ruben Ray Martinez. They knew. They documented it internally within days. But they did not tell the public. It only came out after outside groups forced the records into the open. ________________________________________ Ruben’s mother has been clear: Her son was not violent. He was not aggressive. He was not a threat. “He was the light of our house.” And now he is gone. ________________________________________ There was one person who saw everything. Ruben’s best friend. He was in the car that night. He was there when the shots were fired. He was the only civilian witness to what happened inside that vehicle. He could have told the grand jury what Ruben said. What Ruben did. Whether he was trying to comply. But he never got the chance. Before he could testify, Ruben’s best friend died in a separate car accident in early 2026. And with him— went the only firsthand civilian account of what happened in those final seconds. Before his death, he provided his attorney with a written statement:

WHY ISN'T MY NON FICTION PAPERBACK ON THIS TABLE OF HARDBACK FICTION????

It's not "weird", mainly because Matt GPT's book isn't, and never has been, "the No.1 paperback in Britain" overall, but also because he's posing in front of a "New Books for 2026" hardback display while promoting his paperback, which isn't available in hardback. The week that Goodwin's 'Suicide of a Nation' hit No.1 on 'the Sunday Times general paperbacks list', it still wouldn't have ranked anywhere near the top 10 of fiction paperbacks or children's charts, and its volume (4,425) was well below perennial high-sellers or blockbuster fiction. Its overall UK sales have NOT placed it in the absolute top 5 (or even top 20 consistently) when combining all paperback genres. Bestselling books in the UK are frequently fiction, children's, or long-running self-help titles that move far more units weekly. The launch-week gap (reaching No.20 with 5,539 sales vs. 33,000 for the actual No.1) illustrates why it categorically isn't and never has been "the No.1 paperback in Britain" overall. Weirdo

I’ll never support Hamas, Hezbollah and the IRGC. I really don’t care about being a pure anti-Zionist. Fuck that. I’m against atrocities and war crimes regardless of who commits them and I trust no army or armed group.

The Palestinian woman who gained global attention after appearing on the cover of Italian magazine L’Espresso says the settler who confronted her was ready to kill them.

I love this photo of her.

Which media outlet reported on the protests by residents and shop owners in Gaza’s Beach Refugee Camp today against the steep taxes and fees imposed by the Hamas-run municipality? Why is the Gazan citizen left to be crushed by Israeli occupation from the outside and by Hamas from within? When will this injustice end? Men who have lost everything struggle just to feed their families. Yet instead of support, Hamas, despite the vast donations raised in the name of Gaza’s suffering during the genocide, imposes further financial burdens, taxing traders and ordinary people alike to sustain its own rule. It is hard not to recall Khalil al-Hayya’s stark remark: “Hamas’s money is for Hamas.” And so, the suffering of Gaza’s people goes on, in full view of the world…

Link to this important Haaretz article without the paywall archive.md/SVoj3

My first trip to the West Bank was in 2014. Going through the maze of Israeli border fences & turnstiles to get into and out of there reminded me of one thing: how cattle are moved around in US factory farms. The whole architecture of it bred humiliation & resentment. Now this.

Settlers currently rampaging through Turmus’ayya, burning homes and cars. Same town where I was chased by a lynch mob in October — army and police have only allowed the outpost to grow since then. Terrorists are running the West Bank

I attended the #HomesForAll demo in London today. The lack of accessible housing is among many issues disabled people face. I'm tired now but thanks to @Dis_PPL_Protest members for sharing drinks and generally being supportive.

Palestinian Artist Rania Amoudi Rania, born in 1978 is currently based in Ramallah, her work illuminates the lives and experiences of Palestinian women. - Untitled 2025

The people returning to their homes don't know the Yellow Line exists. But the IDF shoots them if they cross it, then labels them "terrorists". This is an outrage.

the second problem here is he’s looking for a paperback on the hardback table. the first problem is he’s an idiot

There's apparently an entire subgroup of incels who think the reason they can't get girlfriends is because someone aborted the one and only fetus that would have grown up to have low enough standards

Is this contagious in the right wing stratosphere???

I love this woman. This is something my nanna would do if she was alive to see these plastic patriots

This man is staggering around outside Manchester Piccalilli Station, screaming "Vote Reform" and trying to chat up teenage girls

“You have to brainwash all the time. This is the only way to continue Zionism.” Daniella Weiss says the quiet part out loud, Zionism depends on brainwashing…