Towards a global perspective . . .

I think that Iraq Veterans Against the War could be our best hope for ending the War on Terrorism. Their points of engagement include not only ending the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and better support for Veterans, but reparations to the people of Iraq and Afghanistan. They have met the enemy, and found that it is us. I think they are better organized and have better visibility than Vietnam Veterans against the war. And, they have an increasingly radicalized wing that is capable of making very public statements that cannot be ignored. They are also young, idealistic, full of energy. They are prepared to place their military credentials on the line and bring their military training to bear on the current problem, ending the war/s. They are about the same age as my son, many younger, and their vulnerability lends their message a striking depth of sincerity and passion, while their youthful joy in life make their company a pleasure.

For example, I have an image of IVAW member Mathis Cheroux at the last local march led by IVAW, hanging upside down from a tree taking pictures. It seems trivial, but adds the general quality of experience along the way. It is also true that the presence of Veterans in our march caused the police to be surprisingly restrained while we, about 100 people, walked down the middle of the road blocking traffic for a good mile. Most drivers waited patiently, and surprising number smiled and waved Peace Signs at us through their open windows. Perhaps IVAW can finally bring the resistance into the main stream. Read the rest of this entry »

My last post engages the scenario in Hebron, perhaps, beyond the ability of the ordinary American to grasp. I is important to me because it is a microcosm of everything that is wrong in Israel today. Whatever the suffering of the Jewish people prior to WWII, and whatever benevolent intentions the ordinary liberal American or American Jew may have in supporting Israel, this is why those intentions are misplaced. It is time for a change of perspective.
When I wrote last night, I purposely avoided using the word “Jew” to refer to the settlers. They are thugs. They do not represent the thinking of any Jews that I know, and their behavior would be unthinkable to any civilized person.

Words are important. There are all kinds of subtle levels of covering the truth. For instance, I refer to the City of Hebron. This is the Jewish name for the location. In fact, the Palestinians call the town Tel Rumeida. Read the rest of this entry »

The NY Times ran an article on Wednesday, titled ‘Palestinian Forces Dilute Hebron’s Volatile Brew’, stating that Abbas’ new army, trained by the US in Jordan, is bringing peace to Hebron.    It describes the newly trained Fatah forces in glowing terms, but doesn’t say exactly what they would be doing in Hebron, only that they would be helping to keep the peace in a volatile situation where Settlers and Palestinians are at each other’s throats.  In fact, they say that the bad attitude on the part of the settlers isn’t a surprise as they are running out of patience after years of  Palestinian harassment.

This is a typical reversal of documented facts which clearly show the Hebron Settlers to have a long history of hostiity and violence toward the Palestinians.  According to an Israeli peace activist who served his mandatory military stint in Hebron, the Israeli soldiers stationed there have not been allowed to restrain or interfere with the settlers.  Videos taken by human rights activists show Settlers attacking Palestinians while the soldiers restrain the Palestinians or do nothing.  What could Palestinian soldiers do in a situation like this?

At first I thought it was just another fluff piece presenting a nice picture of fellowship and restoration of order for the American audience, a distraction, if you will, from the ongoing atrocity in Gaza.   Read the rest of this entry »

Congress is doing a great job of protecting ‘Main Street’ as the economy crashes. First they approved $700 billion for the financial sector, who admittedly caused the current crisis through their insistence on non-regulation, then refused to accept any constraints on their activities or payrolls. Then, when execs for the big 3 car companies came up for assistance, they were righteously sent off to come up with a plan. I agree, they need to make some changes, but what about the banks? They get a “Pass Go and Collect $200″ card, and a “Get out of Jail Free” card to go with it.  We get to sell some properties to pay taxes on the rest. There was a big fuss about the car execs flying from their homes in the Midwest to DC. No concerns about business as usual in the banking sector.  The big fish continue eating the little ones.  It’s the food chain.  Nature is good.  It’s pure.
So, big news. The car execs are back with their plans, driving in their hybrid vehicles. What’s the plan? GM will close 11 plants in the US and lay off a couple of hundred thousand workers. No offer to close plants overseas, though. Maybe Americans should emigrate to where the jobs are. Of course, given our attitude so far, who will take us? As I write, Deutch Welle is reporting that corporations that haven’t already moved to Dubai and Qatar are getting ready to go. I was thinking the Euro might replace the Dollar as international monetary base, but who knows, maybe it will be the Dihram.

Next week, Norway is hosting the signing of a treaty banning Cluster bombs. Norway, Germany and Lebanon are happy to sign. Many members of NAM (Non Aligned Members of the UN – I like that better than ‘third world’) countries will be there as well. Conspicuously absent will be the US, China, Russia and Israel. Why should the high and mighty, who begin a devastating war in response to an isolated attack once a decade by a dozen men by lthat targets anyone who lives anywhere near the training camps of the perpetrators, though not their homeland or their families. Why should the mighty, who weep and wail . or if small, crude missiles fall in fields near a town in retaliation for their constant missile attacks, attacks in civilian areas from black hawk helicopters and drones, why should they give up the right to use a weapon, 98% of whose victims are civilians, 27% of whom are children. We NEED those weapons. They have their uses. Indeed they do.

You know, I have wanted to comment on about the godawful situation in Gaza for some time.  The Israeli siege of Gaza, the devastation and the human suffering that it is causing is notably absent from the mainstream media.   Big surprise!  We do hear about Israel has blockaded Gaza ‘until the ‘militants’ stop firing Kassams.   Has anyone been injured by a Kassam lately?  Not to my knowledge.   Why are the Kassams being fired?  Because Israel has not let up with the raids and missile attacks since the beginning of the so called “cooling off period”.  This is all old news.   It is so old that it is difficult to focus on.

Activists who came to Gaza from Cyprus on the Liberty sailboat succeeded in breaking the Israeli blockade twice.  Those who stayed on, however, have since been imprisoned after being removed at gunpoint from fisherman’s boats which were attacked by the Israeli Navy.  Read the rest of this entry »

I have been reading the reactions from various quarters to Obama’s selection of Rahm Emanuel as his chief of staff with some interest.  As a supporter of Palestinian rights, and the rights of sovereignty of the surrounding nations in the Middle East, I was personally rather dismayed by this choice.  But, being a person of hope, I did, at least, entertain the thought (however whistfully) that Obama is bringing in the troublemakers so that they will have to support him if he moves against their traditional agenda, or be disloyal.   If they can’t move him from the inside, they can’t complain in quite the same tone as they might as open adversaries.

For example, and no one that I know of has emphasized this point, it is said that Emanuel is in line to become Speaker of the House.   I don’t know what they are planning on doing with Nancy Pelosi, but this is a very powerful position.  It is a position without the direct control of a boss who demands level of personal loyalty.   Would it be better for Obama to have this man inside his team, or on the outside, leading the lower house of the Congress, potentially, in opposition to his plans?

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When Emanuel made the comment that he was most honored that his parents are still alive to savor his achievement, it seemed a little unusual, but honorable.   The fact that the parent he is so pleased to impress is a former member of the Irgun, an Israeli terrorist group that participated vigorously in the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians from their homeland around 1948 makes me a little uncomfortable.  Read the rest of this entry »

If you have a half hour or so to do so, listen to this podcast of a paper by Barnett R. Rubin and Ahmed Rashid *.  I have reprinted the first paragraph below.

“The Great Game is no fun anymore. The term “Great Game” was used by nineteenth-century British imperialists to describe the British-Russian struggle for position on the chessboard of Afghanistan and Central Asia — a contest with a few players, mostly limited to intelligence forays and short wars fought on horseback with rifles, and with those living on the chessboard largely bystanders or victims. More than a century later, the game continues. But now, the number of players has exploded, those living on the chessboard have become involved, and the intensity of the violence and the threats it produces affect the entire globe. The Great Game can no longer be treated as a sporting event for distant spectators. It is time to agree on some new rules.”

The article begins with a rather cavalier flourish, a little too cavalier for my taste.  However, the authors then proceed to analyze the players in the deteriorating Afghan standoff in some detail, and with significant authority.  Based on their analysis, they present of dizzying array of diplomatic possibilities and presumptive necessities for developing peace and stability in the region.  At the outset, they state that not everyone will agree with every idea presented, and going by the comments, there are those who vehemently disagree with certain aspects of the plan, and with any renewed Western meddling in Eastern affairs.  Wouldn’t it be better to discuss the issues, acknowledging the agendas of different players, and look for consensus, rather than either a) try to manipulate a particular outcome, or b) turn away and wash our hands of rest of the world?  Albeit, plan b) looks pretty good considering the blood on our hands.  Read the rest of this entry »