Anti Israel Protests and Staying Safe

There are two kinds of protests going on right now.  Anti-Israel and Anti-War.  The media is conflating the two.  See if you can spot the subtle difference that has Reuters confused.

Protest 1 (emphasis mine):

demonstrators at the Israeli embassy in Dublin threw shoes and carried a mock coffin, covered with pictures of wounded or dead Palestinian children.

“The haunting images of homes wrecked, of terrified families existing among rubble in shock and despair, and of endless funerals, has rightly outraged people across the world,” said Gerry Adams, president of nationalist party Sinn Fein.

“It is time all of this was brought to an end: The slaughter of people in Gaza must end,” Adams told a Dublin rally.

vs protest 2 (emphasis mine):

Thousands of Lebanese Shi’ites who turned out for an Ashura festival in the southern Lebanese town of Nabatiyeh also protested against the Israeli offensive, carrying Hezbollah and Palestinian flags.

“We tell the people of Gaza and the elderly in Gaza and the heroes of the resistance, you are not alone, we are with you … victory is yours, God willing,” Mohammed Raad, a senior Hezbollah official, told the crowd.

The situation in Gaza is deteriorating to the point that there is nothing the Palestinians can do to stay safe.  Even safe-houses are being shelled.  As Gerry Adams points, this is – rightly – generating anger.  Some of that anger is surely aimed at Jews, or at the Israeli state itself.  When you praise “heroes of the resistance”, you praise men who fire rockets indiscriminately into Israel.  Men who have killed innocents.  However, despite the violence at some of the protests, lumping all of them together under the headline “Anti-Israel” accomplishes the same goal as calling anti-war protests state-side “Anti-American”.  It de-legitimizes them.

Every protest has schmucks who smash windows.  That shouldn’t take away from the message of the protest itself.  What Israel is doing in Gaza is horrific:

The Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza says at least 830 Palestinians have died. Thirteen Israelis have been killed: 10 soldiers, and three civilians hit by rocket fire.

I am no naive, wide-eyed believer in Hamas.  I think them cynical abusers of political power, theocrats, and murderers.  But looking at the carnage since the invasion started, 830 deaths is not a wild number.

The military response has been grossly disproportionate to the rocket attacks.  Israel needs to stop this, and stop this now.  They should uphold a cease-fire from their end.  Let Hamas continue firing rockets.  Then public opinion will rightly turn against them.  But Israel has turned Gaza into a hell-hole where no Palestinian is safe from a violent end.  This war needs to stop.  And the Israeli government needs to understand that it should never have been started.

Thousands of Israelis Protest War in Gaza

Via my friend Helene (Israel Social TV):

A contrast to the misconception in the media that all Israeli leftists support the war on Gaza.

Slate’s Misleading Take on the Israeli Peace Movement

From a Slate article by Anne Applebaum on the explosion in Gaza:

The Israelis—both on the “peacenik” left and the more bellicose right—believe that the only way to prevent Hamas from firing rockets is to fight back.

The article links to an interview with an Israeli author, who states his opinion that the Israeli left  supports the violence in Gaza.  Given our own experience in the US of self labeled left-wing Democrats supporting the war in Iraq, I wonder how many leftists in Israel truly do support the warfare in Gaza.  How many “peaceniks” in particular.  That single  line from Applebaum makes it sound as though all of them do.

Open Letter to a PUMA

Dear Ron:

In your letter, you said:

I’ve supported the Democrats for 40 years because the Dem party was also the democratic party. This year, those two things have diverged.

No, they haven’t.  One candidate won the primary with the most votes and the most delegates.  PUMA is standing against democracy in democracy’s name.  Why should the majority of voters be disenfranchised so your candidate (who now supports Obama) can be installed?

I hope I’ll be able to support the Dem party in the future but with different leadership that respects our commitment to democracy. Leftists have taken control of the party, casting our liberal ideals aside, and they need to go.

We aren’t going anywhere.  It is the centrists, the spineless cowards who caved to Bush on every affront to life, liberty and justice, who need to go.  The word leftist should never be a dirty one to a Democrat.

The only way we can get our party back is to make sure they lose in November.

Right, because that worked so well in 2000.  That’s the same reasoning that led people to choose Nader over Gore in states that mattered.  (For the record, that election was lost in the courts, and not by the slim margin of votes that went to Nader).  The point is that viewing defeat as anything is unrealistic.  If the Democrats lose to McCain, it will be a loss, and we will feel it: in the courts and in our foreign and domestic policy.

Loyal Democrats like us who don’t support Obama have been told by Donna Brazile to shut up and stay home on election day. No, we won’t. She also said that the “new” party doesn’t need us, it’s long loyal base. If the “new” Democrats succeed under these circumstances, we won’t even have a party to go to in the future. We’ve been put out and have no place to go right now except to McCain.

I don’t want you to stay home on election day.  I want you to vote.  But keep clearly in mind that if you actually vote for McCain, there is no way in hell you are a loyal Democrat.  Not because you are voting against the party’s candidate in the race.  Because by supporting John McCain you’d be supporting the disaterous foreign and domestic policy of George W. Bush, and joining in an assault on everything Hillary Clinton stood for.

You say you are a loyal Democrat.  Do you support freedom of choice?  An end to discrimination based on sexual orientation?  Peace in the Middle East?  Universal Healthcare?  Economic policy informed by economists, not lobbyists?  Preserving the environment?  Stopping torture and domestic spying by our own government?  Freedom of speech?  Separation of Church and State?  The Rule of Law?  Tackling excessive lobbyist influence and political corruption?

If you actually support John McCain over Barack Obama, recognize you’ll be taking a big step back on all of these issues.  In some cases, even further back than George W. Bush himself has dragged us.

Barack Obama is not the best candidate in the world, but he is a solid candidate.  And he will move us forward on each and every one of the issues above.

Witness Agains the War: An Introduction

We are two days away from the kickoff to the Witness Against the War walk.  450 Miles to protest the war in Iraq:

Witness Against War 2008 is a walk from Chicago to St. Paul to challenge and to nonviolently resist our country’s continuing war in and occupation of Iraq.

Our journey will begin in the City of Chicago, site of the 1968 Democratic Party convention in the midst of the Vietnam War. The walk will conclude on August 31 in St. Paul — in time for the start of the 2008 Republican Party convention in the midst of the Iraq war.

There’s more here.  The nonviolent protest will include civil disobedience.  It carries a simple message aimed at both parties: End the War.  The participants (including Helene!) will be taking part in a long and rich history of social activism for the best of causes:  Peace.

Support Matthis Chiroux, Fight The War

Matthis Chiroux is a soldier in DC fighting back against the war.  His fight is attracting notice (AFP):

“I stand before you today with the strength and clarity and resolve to declare to the military, my government and the world that this soldier will not be deploying to Iraq,” Chiroux said in the sun-filled rotunda of a congressional building in Washington.

“My decision is based on my desire to no longer continue violating my core values to support an illegal and unconstitutional occupation… I refuse to participate in the Iraq occupation,” he said, as a dozen veterans of the five-year-old Iraq war looked on.

Minutes earlier, Chiroux had cried openly as he listened to former comrades-in-arms testify before members of Congress about the failings of the Iraq war.

The testimonies were the first before Congress by Iraq veterans who have turned against the five-year-old war.

Former army sergeant Kristofer Goldsmith told the landmark haering of “lawless murders, looting and the abuse of countless Iraqis.”

He spoke of the psychologically fragile men and women who return from Iraq to find little help or treatment offered from official circles.

Via his facebook group:

If everyone will give at least $1 it will let him continue his political work in Washington D.C for some time, please check out the group ans see the last post from Matthis, This is not charity money!
while we all do our regular business, Matthis is in d.C trying to stop the war with his very bare hands,
Please lend a hand and go to:
https://www.paypal.com/us/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_home
and send money to :
chiroux@googlemail.com.
if you want his private address

This is a slightly more direct link: Support Via Paypal.  His a voice we want heard in the halls of power.  He is a man of rare character and bravery, and it is an honor to support him.

Peace and Love

I’m off on adventures, computer access will be random for a week or so.

I saw this, and it made me happy.  With all the bad news its easy to forget there’s a lot of positive energy out there.

“Let’s make my birthday, July the 7th at noon, all over America… whichever state you’re in, Pacific or Eastern, Western… peace and love,” Ringo told Access.

Ringo is instructing fans to say the phrase “Peace and love,” when the clock strikes 12 PM, no matter where they are in the world.

“Everybody goes ‘Peace and love,’” he explained. “In the office, on the bus… wherever.”

…

“It’s still peace and love for me, I’m a product of the ‘60s and it was a very influential period in my life, and you know, my head was turned around a bit, my eyes were opened as it were, ” said Starr. “In fact, I even have it on my arm, peace and love. I see nothing wrong with peace and love.”

Peace Inside and Out.

Love for All Sentient Beings.

Thanks for reading, hopefully when I get back the world will be just a bit warmer.

MoveOn’s Powerful New Anti War, Anti McCain Ad

In a request for support, MoveOn.org notes that this ad tests especially well.  It isn’t hard to see why.  I can see this becoming a viral meme.  Youtube videos where mothers, father, brothers, sisters, sons, daughters, grandparents, and significant others add their voice to the cry of “No, you can’t have the ones I love for your war”.

There are children still working there way up through school, who will one day be memories that evoke a choking, painful sense of loss.

The calm yet fierce defiance of Alex’s mother has a familiar feel to it.  This is our will to protect the ones we love from senseless bloodshed.

MoveOn.org’s work is an ad I am proud to get behind.

China Behind Tibet Violence?

If this is true, it is a bombshell(emphasis mine):

London, March 20 – Britain’s GCHQ, the government communications agency that electronically monitors half the world from space, has confirmed the claim by the Dalai Lama that agents of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army, the PLA, posing as monks, triggered the riots that have left hundreds of Tibetans dead or injured.

GCHQ analysts believe the decision was deliberately calculated by the Beijing leadership to provide an excuse to stamp out the simmering unrest in the region, which is already attracting unwelcome world attention in the run-up to the Olympic Games this summer.

Violence mars the message of the most worthwhile protests.  There have been accounts of undercover police officers inciting violence in protests here in the states, so this wouldn’t be without precedent.

There’s still time to sign the petition for dialogue.

Anti-War Protests and Working in DC

This morning in my “General” folder in Outlook (that’s where all the company-wide email goes by default), I found this email from our “Office Manager” noting there will be protests, and concluding with:

Building management plans to operate the building on a normal business throughout the day on Wednesday, March 19, 2008. They will, however, be prepared to lock the building on a moment’s notice should events warrant. Please be advised that you will not receive notice immediately if they make a decision to lock the building based on activity outside the building. They will secure the building first and notify us after securing the property.

Of course nothing happened. But the attitude around the office prior to the protests was one of anxiety (“will they get in our way?”) to disdain (“what do they think they are accomplishing?”). The folks I work with tend to be a mix of liberal to conservative, with those who oppose the war strongly and those who support it.

During the protests there was a mix of interest “The police were there arresting protestors!” and disinterest, which by far ruled the day. In corporate America, the protests were a curiosity. Something to keep an eye on, but otherwise of no consequence. Later today at class (which was full of generally very well informed folks), only one fellow knew the protests even happened, and what they were for.

In my mind, a protest serves several purposes. It is a PR action, it can bolster morale within a movement (and be quite empowering), and it can effect direct action. With the media being the way it is, massive numbers and effective cleverness are necessary for a protest to make waves. It needs to be something new!

That said, I wonder what an anti-war rally with the express purpose of empowering people (to go back to their communities and take action, etc) might look like.

I wonder if anyone has the strength or sees the point of engaging in direct action. The folks at the IRS today were unable to block people from entering. Was it a symbolic victory to have people briefly block the front entrance, and have other protesters hauled off to prison?

What do you think?

China is Crushing Tibet, and The World is Standing By

I’ve watched the protests unfolding in Tibet over the past few days with increasing despondency. China is killing Tibetans. They are doing their best to censor news of the protests, even going so far as to censor youtube videos.

As the Chinese government brutally tramples the Tibetan people, pollutes their land and exploits their resources, the rest of the world simply sits and watches, waiting for the Olympics.

Tibet is its own country. You cannot charge in with soldiers, murder thousands upon thousands, and institute a totalitarian regime then claim it was yours all along. China has no credibility on this. It could regain some credibility by restoring Tibet’s independence, renouncing its claims to Taiwan, and working to mend wounds and forge close socio-economic ties with both countries. Of course they will not. Any country with such a severe disrespect for the rights of its own people cannot be expected to act responsibly in the world. Peace and Liberty start at home.

Free China, Free Tibet.

Grab the Nearest Book

XicanoPwr tagged me for a rather interesting meme.  Here are the rules:

The rules are very straightforward and go as follows:

1. Grab the nearest book (that is at least 123 pages long).
2. Open to p. 123.
3. Go down to the 5th sentence.
4. Type in the following 3 sentences.
5. Tag five people.

Well, my books are either on my bookcase or lying in a pile on my couch.  The bookcase was closer, so I had my pick.  I chose “The Teenage Liberation Handbook” by Grace Llewellyn.  These three sentences are from an unschooler in Spain:

With the world as it is, there is no other option than to be involved in projects for peace, human rights and ecology.  I have mostly concentrated on ecology.  I’m a member of big groups like Greenpeace, as well as small local groups, and I participate however I can.

I really liked this as a quote.  It provides a lot to think about, and is more than a little galvanizing.  In this world of ours, there is no other option than to act.

Here’s five blogs who are sure to cause trouble and insight with their own take on this meme:   Our Descent Into Madness, US of Jamerica, The Atheocracy, EvilBender, and Undialogue.

CNN: The Scare Quotes Do Nothing!

Why do outlets like CNN even pretend to be objective?  Take a look at their headline for the Berkeley uproar:  Showdown looms in ‘treasonous’ Berkeley.  The scare quotes do absolutely nothing, they might was well not have them.  Its clear which side of the fence they are supporting:

The pro-military demonstrators were met by anti-war protesters who had camped out overnight, setting the stage for a dramatic showdown late in the day when the City Council is to discuss whether to revoke its previous vote.

“Their treasonous action, especially at this time of war right now, is not acceptable,” said Mary Pearson, a spokeswoman for the group Move America Forward.

Most people just read headlines.  CNN knows exactly what they are doing by promoting the “treason” frame to headline status.

Treason is a heavy word, one that carries deadly consequences.  It shouldn’t be used so lightly.  Our country has a rich history of pacifism, and pacifists are not traitors.

Bush, Prosperity and Peace

This quote by George Bush…. (NYTimes):

“We have had good debates and soon we will have a nominee who will carry the conservative banner into this election and beyond,” Mr. Bush said to a boisterous audience. “Listen, the stakes in November are high. This is an important election. Prosperity and peace are in the balance.”

I think he’s worried that we might be cursed with prosperity or even worse peace if a Democrat is elected President.  Let’s do our best to make that a reality.

Finding Our Strength in Peace

I’ve been absent a bit, and plan on catching up on my blogging tonight.  I figured I’d start things off with some thoughts on what it means to be a pacifist.  Given some of the topics I plan on tackling, this will help put my perspective in perspective.  Robert W. Smith in Chinese Boxing: Masters and Methods:

A military state is essentially a weak state, for the claim that its citizens have on it is peace, which cannot be gained by weapons.  The solution is a rigorous pacifism.

To truly oppose war is a profound statement of ethical and practical strength.  There is a reason the greatest men and women to walk the earth have been pacifists (Einstein, Gandhi, MLK), and the very worst have actively sought war (hitler, pol pot).  To fight endlessly is to open oneself to fighting, and to celebrate war is to make a mockery of its price.  Lao Tzu (Cheng via Tam Gibbs):

Since weapons are inauspicious instruments, they are not the instruments of a noble man.

He uses them only when necessary, for peace and quiet are what he holds highest.

To him even a victory is not worthy of celebration.

Those who celebrate it take pleasure in the slaughter of men.

Those who take pleasure in the slaughter of men consequently cannot have their will with the world.

It is especially those who fight who must eschew any love of warfare.  War is a terrible burden, placed upon shoulders under only the gravest of situations in an absolute dearth of alternatives.  It is systemic murder, and a society that commits murder lightly has grown sick and rotten in its soul.

Robert W. Smith, Masters and Methods:

There is almost no reason in the world to fight.  But there is every reason in the world to know how to fight

A prepared military is a wise thing to have.  Our military is not prepared.  An overextended military that puts retired and wounded troops back into combat is not ready to handle the challenges of the 21st century.

We have a culture that puts violence on a pedestal, sometimes next to a cross.  If we are going to emerge from the smoke and blood of the last 7 years, our ethical and practical alternative of a “rigorous pacifism” must prevail.  A nation that values and pursues peace is a nation that knows strength.