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Wednesday, October 31, 2007
DC Activist Eve Tetaz Likely to Be Sentenced to Serious Jail Time Friday
This morning I was listening to KPFK and heard an interview with an AMAZING woman, Eve
Tetaz, a 76 year old peace activist who was recently arrested for the 6th time for protesting.
You've just got to watch the videos below in which Eve speaks. This is simply stating truth to power.................Bless you Eve, bless you
Tetaz, a 76 year old peace activist who was recently arrested for the 6th time for protesting.
You've just got to watch the videos below in which Eve speaks. This is simply stating truth to power.................Bless you Eve, bless you
DC Activist Eve Tetaz Likely To Be Sentenced To Serious Jail Time Friday | |
| WASHINGTON - October 29 - Three prominent peace activists will offer their support to a 76-year-old woman this Friday, November 2, when she appears before a senior Judge of the DC Superior Court for a status hearing as a result of her engaging in civil disobedience to nonviolently protest the continued war and occupation of Iraq. Gael Murphy of Code Pink, Rev. Lennox Yearwood of the Hip-Hop Caucus and Adam Kokesh of Iraq Veterans Against the War, will speak to the press supporting the retired D.C. schoolteacher Eve Tetaz. The Adams Morgan resident has a hearing Friday morning in D.C. Superior Court. The three prominent anti-war activists will speak to the media on behalf of their friend at 11 a.m. in front of the courthouse at 500 Indiana Avenue, N.W. "This courageous woman has been an inspiration to us," said Rev. Yearwood. "In order to stop continued illegal and immoral warfare, more will need to follow in her steps."Read further>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Video: About This Video Washington, D.C. June 25, 2007—Dressed in the ancient mourning symbols of sackcloth and ashes, a senior citizen protesting war was arrested twice Friday, and violated a stay away order. For the sixth and seventh times this year, Eve Tetaz, 75, a retired D.C. public schoolteacher was arrested for nonviolently protesting the illegal and immoral war and occupation of Iraq. Tetaz was first arrested in front of the White House in a protest organizers described as a mourning for children killed in war. The arrest happened at 12:45 p.m. and was conducted by the U.S. Park Police. "All life is sacred," Tetaz said. "No one is collateral damage." Wearing a hand-made burlap dress and shawl and faced smudged with ashes, Tetaz held one sign inscribed with a passage from the Gospel of Matthew, "Rachel wept for her children and refused to be comforted because they were no more." She was released later that afternoon, and then her and a few friends continued the anti-war protest on Capitol Hill, violating her stay away order. After some hesitation and a peaceful discussion, Capitol Hill Police stationed at the Hart Senate Office Building placed her under arrest at 5:15 p.m. "I am unable to comply with these orders, and after careful and prayerful consideration, have decided to take the initiative by deciding the circumstances under which I will begin serving my sentence," Tetaz said. "I am following in the tradition of others. There are many who have chosen to speak truth to power in this fashion." In May, Tetaz violated a stay away order from the Hart Senate Office Building, and was arrested as soon as she entered the building with a group of peace activists. She faces a contempt of court trial on that matter, and could now face at least a month in jail. On July 9, Tetaz will again appear in court for a jury trial, stemming from an earlier protest inside the Hart Senate Office Building in March. She was arrested along with six others while the Senate approved $95 billion more in funding for war and occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan. A retired teacher for 30 years, Tetaz is the founder of Life Pathways, a non-profit organization helping single parents become financially independent and trained in the field of health care. A member of the Church of the Savior, she has been an advocate for the poor on issues of economics and social justice. For more information, contact: Pete Perry, 571-271-1313 Interview with Eve, parts 1-3 (these videos are documenting what Eve is charged with and what she faces as the article above states, "some serious time for". UNBELIEVABLE |
CHARGES DROPPED IN 20-YEAR OLD DEPORTATION CASE AGAINST PALESTINIAN ACTIVISTS
Center for
Constitutional Rights
National Lawyers
Guild
ACLU of
Southern California
EMBARGOED UNTIL WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2007 AT 9 A.M. EDT –
AGAINST PALESTINIAN ACTIVISTS
Long court battle ends with victory for immigrants
LOS ANGELES – The 20-year effort to deport two men over their alleged political
support of Palestinian self-determination officially came to an end today when the
nation’s highest administrative body overseeing immigration cases dismissed all charges
against Khader Hamide and Michel Shehadeh, members of a group of Palestinian student
activists arrested in January 1987, who became known as the LA8.
The action by the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) closes one of the nation’s
longest-running and most controversial deportation cases, one that tested whether
immigrants have the same First Amendment rights as citizens.
Hamide and Shehadeh expressed both relief and happiness that the case is finally over but
also anger over what they believed to be a politically motivated, baseless prosecution.
“My family and I feel a tremendous amount of relief today,” said Hamide. “After 20
years, the nightmare is finally over. I feel vindicated at long last. This is a victory not
only for us, but for the First Amendment of the Constitution and for the rights of all
immigrants.”
Shehadeh agreed.
“I am extremely happy but do have mixed emotions,” Shehadeh added. “The
government was wrong for twenty one years. They robbed us, and our families, of the
best and most productive years of our lives. We are now free to continue living our lives,
acting on our beliefs; raising our families, supporting our communities, loving our
country, defending justice and the Constitution, and prospering as good citizens."
The case against the pair began in January, 1987, when the government arrested them and
six others, who collectively came to be known as the LA 8, placed them in maximum
security prison, and accused them of having ties to a faction of the Palestine Liberation
Organization. The government alleged that Hamide and Shehadeh distributed
newspapers, held demonstrations and organized humanitarian aid fundraisers for
Palestinians, and that because these actions supported the PLO faction, they should be
deported. The men were initially charged with being associated with a Communist
organization, but when a court declared those charges unconstitutional, the government
filed new charges of material support for a terrorist group. The case went before the US
Court of Appeals four times, the Supreme Court once, and the Board of Immigration
Appeals multiple times.
The BIA dismissed the case at the request of the government, which agreed in a
settlement to drop all charges and not to seek removal of either of the men in the future
based on any of the political activities or associations at issue in the case. Hamide and
Shehadeh agreed not to apply for citizenship for three years, and to have several judicial
orders in the case vacated as moot.
Attorneys for the two hailed the government’s decision to drop the case as a victory the
First Amendment rights of all immigrants and a vindication of their clients’ actions.
“This is a monumental victory for all immigrants who want to be able to express their
political views and support the lawful activities of organizations in their home countries
fighting for social or political change,” said Marc Van Der Hout, of the National Lawyers
Guild. “Hamide and Shehadeh did nothing more than advocate for Palestinians’ right to
a homeland and support charitable causes and other legal activities in the Occupied
Territories. That should never have been cause for deportation charges in the first place.
The government’s attempt to deport them all these years marks another shameful period
in our government’s history of targeting certain groups of immigrants for their political
beliefs and activities.”
“We are overjoyed for our clients, who have spent twenty years fighting for the right to
stay in this country and speak and associate freely,” said David Cole, a professor at
Georgetown University Law School and volunteer attorney for the Center for
Constitutional rights. “And we commend the administration for recognizing that federal
anti-terrorism resources can be far better spent on other endeavors.”
The tipping point came in January 2007, when Immigration Judge Bruce J. Einhorn
dismissed the case finding that the government’s refusal to turn over evidence favorable
to the men violated the pair’s right to due process
. The government’s refusal to comply with his disclosure order, Einhorn wrote, is “a festering wound on the body of
respondents and an embarrassment to the rule of law
.” The case originally involved seven Palestinians and a Kenyan, the wife of Khader
Hamide. Late last year, Aiad Barakat, one of the eight, was sworn in as a U.S. citizen in
Los Angeles after federal judge Stephen Wilson rejected the government’s contentions
that he should be denied citizenship for his political associations. All of the others have
either been granted permanent residency or are on track to becoming permanent
residents.
“We are gratified that the government has decided to terminate this case and to spend its
resources on genuine threats to our national security,” said Ahilan T. Arulanantham, staff
attorney with the ACLU of Southern California. “Hamide and Shehadeh are law-abiding
immigrants who have lived here for more than a quarter century each and done nothing
wrong. We are glad that they will be able to live out the rest of their lives in peace in the
country they have called home.”
Van Der Hout and Cole have been representing the immigrants since the case began in
1987 along with Leonard Weinglass of Chicago Seven fame and investigator Phyllis
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Israel's "Humanity"----------------------------------------
29 October 2007:
Israeli "humanity": Look at Mahmoud's pillow, it is upside down, but it reads "Life"......no more
Gazan cancer patient dies after being delayed entry into Israel for 10 days
In August 2007, Mahmoud Abu Taha, 21, was diagnosed with cancer of the small intestine. He underwent surgery at Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis, but the operation failed. After receiving chemotherapy at the European Hospital in Gaza , physicians found that his intestines were blocked and that he required emergency surgery in Israel . While at the hospital, Abu Taha was intravenously fed a vitamin solution. The hospital had a shortage of the solution because of the siege on Gaza and was forced to drop Abu Taha's feeding from four to two portions of the solution a day. As a result, he lost an appreciable amount of weight.
On 18 October, Abu Taha's family managed to get him a permit to enter Israel so that he could undergo surgery at Tel Hashomer Hospital . That same day, he was taken by ambulance to Erez Checkpoint, his father accompanying him. When the father went to arrange the crossing, Shabak agents detained him and ordered the ambulance to return to the hospital in Gaza . The father remained in detention for 11 days.
Only yesterday, 10 days later, was Abu Taha's entry to Israel arranged. The Palestinian ambulance carrying him waited at the checkpoint for five hours before being allowed to cross. Today, the family was informed that Abu Taha died a few hours after he crossed into Israel , although they have not yet received any specific details on his death. The father was released from detention following his son's death.
Mahmoud Abu Taha at the European Hospital in Gaza. Photo: Muhammad Sabah , B'Tselem.
The health system in the Gaza Strip is able to supply only limited services and due to Israel 's siege policy, the quality of treatment provided is steadily declining. As of June 2007, Israel has forbidden Palestinians to leave the Gaza Strip to go abroad, even to receive medical treatment. The only possibility remaining to sick people who need treatment that is unavailable in the Gaza Strip is to seek treatment in Israel . However, only a small number of entry permits are given and only following a lengthy process.
..............................................................................
The snare of the fowler will never capture you,
And famine will bring you no fear;
Under His Wings your refuge,
His faithfulness your shield.
- Refrain
And He will raise you up on eagle's wings,
Bear you on the breath of dawn,
Make you to shine like the sun,
And hold you in the palm of His Hand.
Bless you Mahmoud, may peace be yours....................
Monday, October 29, 2007
Happy 76th Birthday Mom
On October 29, 1931, my mother was the tenth child born to my grandparents, Lonzo Ruff and Mable. Actually though, she was the seventh child of eight which lived. Born Bonnie Lee, she sincerely thought her middle name was Louise until she sent for her birth certificate at age 49 in order to obtain her passport to travel overseas for the first time. At that time she was stupefied that for 49 years she didn't even know her own true middle name.
By the time my mother was born, my grandmother, "Other Mother" or "Duddah" as some of us called her, had already lost three children, two at child birth and one to typhoid fever. On that day in October Duddah wasn't due to give birth to her latest child, but after a day of picking cotton she went in to labor more than a month early. They sent for the doctor to come deliver the baby which was a TINY premature infant. The doctor told Duddah, "Mable, she aint' goin' to make it through the night, but just hold her while you can". But Dudddah had a mind of her own, she held her as long as she could and then decided to put her in a box with blankets on the door of the coal stove to keep her warm. My grandfather said, "Maybe she just might make it Mable, she sure looks like a strong little hefer" And make it she did.
A skinny child, she was doted on by all until four years later her sister was born, the last to round out the family of eight living children, Lonzo and Mable. When my aunt came, my mother was horribly jealous, she kept chasing after my grandmother who had little patience for her. So my mother who had been the center of her mother's world, at that time, became just one of eight with a new baby to tend to. By this time also, my mother was already an aunt herself, with her oldest sister having given birth to her own daughter. Times were hard, it was the Great Depression, and in fact my mother had been born on the two year anniversary of the stock market crash.
There were no toys to play with, so they made their own. Balls were made out of string, and then there were all your sisters and brothers to play with. At the end of the day, they would all come in for dinner where my grandfather was served first, not much talk went on at the dinner table, but the kids liked to make their own fun even then. They would wait till my grandfather would put his head down to eat to throw biscuits across at each other. If they got caught, then they were sent away from the table hungry, because "Big Daddy" didn't take much to playfulness, especially at the dinner table after a hard day in the field.
The family always lived in rented houses, unable to afford one of their own. None of them had indoor plumbing and only one had electricity. On Saturday nights they got their weekly baths in the kitchen with the big tub brought in for the occasion. My mother being at the young end had to take her bath after her brothers finished. Bath time for my mother was at her brother's mercy, because they always told her they had peed in the water just for her. Mind you, these were the same brothers she had to share a bed with on a continuous rotating basis, because there weren't enough beds for everyone to have one of their own.
Growing up as a sharecroppers daughter during the Depression shaped my mother in ways that are hard to understand if it didn't happen to you. The family simply had no money left over for ANY sort of "luxury"- and the word itself, "luxury" is relevant to the circumstances. She either wore hand me downs, or once in a while, little cotton dresses were purchased from the Sears Roebuck catalog. Her shoes were always boy's boots, because Big Daddy did the buying and that's what he thought she needed. What Big Daddy did NOT think his children needed was any kind of handout whatsoever, so while others enjoyed free food on trucks that went around (often handing out fresh fruit) my mother and the others were forbidden to take it. Instead, at Christmas, their present always consisted of an orange, an apple and some nuts in a stocking-because these things were "expensive" and a "luxury" in Big Daddy's eyes, and he was CERTAINLY going to provide those things for his own children himself, even if it was only once a year. My mother's birthday present always was something for school, her favorite gift being pencils so she could write.
By the time she was twelve, with things being hard at home, she went to live with one of her sisters who by that time had three children of her own. "Billy" lived on a farm that also had chickens, but went to work every day to help support her own children. So my mother took over the daily care of her two nephews and niece, as well as learning to drive the tractor during the summer and on weekends. Those were happy years for my mother she says, but it was also toiling work. One day, my cousin at the age of three wandered into the chicken coop and was pecked all over his body. My mother who loved my cousin like he was her own child (even though she was only a young teenager herself) went out to the chicken coop and proceeded to kill as many chickens as she could get her hands on, because they had HURT my cousin. That night, my aunt's husband came home and was not happy one bit. Shortly after she went back to live with her own parents where she decided that all those years of hard work at school would have to pay off for her, for she was GOING to graduate high school unlike any of her siblings and go to college. But to go to college she had to earn her way by scholarship, which she did, graduating second in her high school class and winning a full scholarship to nursing school at age 16. (she had skipped second grade)
While in nursing school for three years, she earned five dollars a month the first year, ten dollars the second, and fifteen the last. Any expenses she couldn't afford, her oldest sister, nicknamed "Sister" helped out with as she could. The school she attended was a Catholic Sisters of Mercy nursing school. While there, she was baptized a Catholic for what she likes to say were "practical reasons", because according to my mother, "The Catholics got mops to mop the floor with, all others had to lick the floor clean". This of course is my mother's own unique way of saying that the Catholics were treated better, but this isn't the whole story. Ever mischievous, she had gotten into a wee bit of trouble when she took the class skeleton and placed it on the toilet with a cigarette between it's teeth. Taken to the Mother Superior of the school, my mother decided that maybe becoming Catholic wasn't such a bad idea after all. Til this day she says the Sisters of Mercy had NO mercy on her. (but she HAS been known to do the sign of the cross over her patients who have deceased and fully supported me when I became Catholic myself)
My mother worked as a nurse from the age of twenty til the day she retired on her 65th birthday. She worked her way all the way up to the corporate position in charge of all nursing at a hospital corporation which owned several hospitals.
A few years before retirement, my mother decided she wanted to go back home (East Texas) to live near her brothers and sisters. So they purchased a little house on a lake only a few miles from where the house she was born in still stands along the highway. At the time she moved back, seven including herself were still living. Since then, five have died, and my mother was by each one's side taking care of them in the hospitals where they died. She was also at the side of my beloved cousin, the one who was pecked by the chickens, my closest cousin, when he died eight years ago.
Now it's just my mother and her younger sister, the sister she was so jealous of as a child, who are left. They talk on the phone almost every day, about what is going on now with the cousins and so forth, and about their childhood adventures. Whenever I talk to my mother, which is several times weekly I get the low down on current events as well as a few "new memories" she shares when they arise. And we laugh, oh we laugh as she relates to me these stories. And sometimes I just listen. She started writing a journal several years ago about those memories which are hard for my own children to understand. They think she is making a lot of it up, but I assure them she is not, for I have heard these stories from all my aunts and uncles over the years, the stories of love and hardship, joy and loss, family.
Happy 76th Birthday Bobs (my oldest daughter nicknamed her this as a child). May you remain healthy and able to walk better with your new knee, and may you be with us for MANY years to come, smiling and bringing laughter and joy to us all with your stories. I love you with all my heart.
Song: "Coat of Many Colors" (my grandmother did not sew clothes, but she made quilts out of whatever scraps she had) This is one of my mother's favorite songs, and whenever I hear it, I think of her.)
By the time my mother was born, my grandmother, "Other Mother" or "Duddah" as some of us called her, had already lost three children, two at child birth and one to typhoid fever. On that day in October Duddah wasn't due to give birth to her latest child, but after a day of picking cotton she went in to labor more than a month early. They sent for the doctor to come deliver the baby which was a TINY premature infant. The doctor told Duddah, "Mable, she aint' goin' to make it through the night, but just hold her while you can". But Dudddah had a mind of her own, she held her as long as she could and then decided to put her in a box with blankets on the door of the coal stove to keep her warm. My grandfather said, "Maybe she just might make it Mable, she sure looks like a strong little hefer" And make it she did.
A skinny child, she was doted on by all until four years later her sister was born, the last to round out the family of eight living children, Lonzo and Mable. When my aunt came, my mother was horribly jealous, she kept chasing after my grandmother who had little patience for her. So my mother who had been the center of her mother's world, at that time, became just one of eight with a new baby to tend to. By this time also, my mother was already an aunt herself, with her oldest sister having given birth to her own daughter. Times were hard, it was the Great Depression, and in fact my mother had been born on the two year anniversary of the stock market crash.
There were no toys to play with, so they made their own. Balls were made out of string, and then there were all your sisters and brothers to play with. At the end of the day, they would all come in for dinner where my grandfather was served first, not much talk went on at the dinner table, but the kids liked to make their own fun even then. They would wait till my grandfather would put his head down to eat to throw biscuits across at each other. If they got caught, then they were sent away from the table hungry, because "Big Daddy" didn't take much to playfulness, especially at the dinner table after a hard day in the field.
The family always lived in rented houses, unable to afford one of their own. None of them had indoor plumbing and only one had electricity. On Saturday nights they got their weekly baths in the kitchen with the big tub brought in for the occasion. My mother being at the young end had to take her bath after her brothers finished. Bath time for my mother was at her brother's mercy, because they always told her they had peed in the water just for her. Mind you, these were the same brothers she had to share a bed with on a continuous rotating basis, because there weren't enough beds for everyone to have one of their own.
Growing up as a sharecroppers daughter during the Depression shaped my mother in ways that are hard to understand if it didn't happen to you. The family simply had no money left over for ANY sort of "luxury"- and the word itself, "luxury" is relevant to the circumstances. She either wore hand me downs, or once in a while, little cotton dresses were purchased from the Sears Roebuck catalog. Her shoes were always boy's boots, because Big Daddy did the buying and that's what he thought she needed. What Big Daddy did NOT think his children needed was any kind of handout whatsoever, so while others enjoyed free food on trucks that went around (often handing out fresh fruit) my mother and the others were forbidden to take it. Instead, at Christmas, their present always consisted of an orange, an apple and some nuts in a stocking-because these things were "expensive" and a "luxury" in Big Daddy's eyes, and he was CERTAINLY going to provide those things for his own children himself, even if it was only once a year. My mother's birthday present always was something for school, her favorite gift being pencils so she could write.
By the time she was twelve, with things being hard at home, she went to live with one of her sisters who by that time had three children of her own. "Billy" lived on a farm that also had chickens, but went to work every day to help support her own children. So my mother took over the daily care of her two nephews and niece, as well as learning to drive the tractor during the summer and on weekends. Those were happy years for my mother she says, but it was also toiling work. One day, my cousin at the age of three wandered into the chicken coop and was pecked all over his body. My mother who loved my cousin like he was her own child (even though she was only a young teenager herself) went out to the chicken coop and proceeded to kill as many chickens as she could get her hands on, because they had HURT my cousin. That night, my aunt's husband came home and was not happy one bit. Shortly after she went back to live with her own parents where she decided that all those years of hard work at school would have to pay off for her, for she was GOING to graduate high school unlike any of her siblings and go to college. But to go to college she had to earn her way by scholarship, which she did, graduating second in her high school class and winning a full scholarship to nursing school at age 16. (she had skipped second grade)
While in nursing school for three years, she earned five dollars a month the first year, ten dollars the second, and fifteen the last. Any expenses she couldn't afford, her oldest sister, nicknamed "Sister" helped out with as she could. The school she attended was a Catholic Sisters of Mercy nursing school. While there, she was baptized a Catholic for what she likes to say were "practical reasons", because according to my mother, "The Catholics got mops to mop the floor with, all others had to lick the floor clean". This of course is my mother's own unique way of saying that the Catholics were treated better, but this isn't the whole story. Ever mischievous, she had gotten into a wee bit of trouble when she took the class skeleton and placed it on the toilet with a cigarette between it's teeth. Taken to the Mother Superior of the school, my mother decided that maybe becoming Catholic wasn't such a bad idea after all. Til this day she says the Sisters of Mercy had NO mercy on her. (but she HAS been known to do the sign of the cross over her patients who have deceased and fully supported me when I became Catholic myself)
My mother worked as a nurse from the age of twenty til the day she retired on her 65th birthday. She worked her way all the way up to the corporate position in charge of all nursing at a hospital corporation which owned several hospitals.
A few years before retirement, my mother decided she wanted to go back home (East Texas) to live near her brothers and sisters. So they purchased a little house on a lake only a few miles from where the house she was born in still stands along the highway. At the time she moved back, seven including herself were still living. Since then, five have died, and my mother was by each one's side taking care of them in the hospitals where they died. She was also at the side of my beloved cousin, the one who was pecked by the chickens, my closest cousin, when he died eight years ago.
Now it's just my mother and her younger sister, the sister she was so jealous of as a child, who are left. They talk on the phone almost every day, about what is going on now with the cousins and so forth, and about their childhood adventures. Whenever I talk to my mother, which is several times weekly I get the low down on current events as well as a few "new memories" she shares when they arise. And we laugh, oh we laugh as she relates to me these stories. And sometimes I just listen. She started writing a journal several years ago about those memories which are hard for my own children to understand. They think she is making a lot of it up, but I assure them she is not, for I have heard these stories from all my aunts and uncles over the years, the stories of love and hardship, joy and loss, family.
Happy 76th Birthday Bobs (my oldest daughter nicknamed her this as a child). May you remain healthy and able to walk better with your new knee, and may you be with us for MANY years to come, smiling and bringing laughter and joy to us all with your stories. I love you with all my heart.
Song: "Coat of Many Colors" (my grandmother did not sew clothes, but she made quilts out of whatever scraps she had) This is one of my mother's favorite songs, and whenever I hear it, I think of her.)
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Fanning the fire: Is there really no choice but violence for Israel?
This is just simple psychology 101, of course individuals and nations have choices, one needs only to look to history to see that if other alternatives were taken, then catastrophes could have been avoided.
Fanning the fire: Is there really no choice but violence for Israel?
Palestinian women walk next to a section of Israel's separation barrier between the West Bank city of Ramallah and Jerusalem.
By Patrick Regan
Arieh Ullmann's Oct. 5 guest viewpoint on the need for military preparations by Israel presented a picture of an Israeli government locked in a hostile environment and devoid of choices. Mr. Ullman is simply wrong -- wrong on the inferences he draws and wrong on at least some of the evidence he uses to make his case. A more sober view of conditions and events in the Middle East is warranted.
Israel might not like the choices it must confront, but it does have choices. Much of the tension in the region stems from generations of violent hostilities. Since the 1967 war, Israel has occupied areas of Syria (Golan Heights), Lebanon, Egypt (Gaza), and Jordan (West Bank). Some of the hostility to which Israel must react derives directly from the continued occupation of these lands. Israel has the choice to relinquish lands conquered in 1967. They choose not to do so. Israel continually prepares for conflict with Syria, a choice that Arieh Ullmann both advocates and worries about. But Israel has the choice to make concessions over the Golan Heights, a step that would reduce considerably the tension with Syria, to name but a few of the many options available.
Ullmann's use of evidence is problematic in part because it is designed to eliminate choices, and it is incorrect. He portrays an embattled Israel in a region where all hostility is directed at it, none initiated by it. One way he made his case was to claim that 39 Iraqi Scud missiles carrying chemical warheads were targeted at Israel during the first Gulf War. The evidence simply does not bear this out. According to a U.S. Defense Department review, 43 missiles did land in Israel or "in the vicinity of Israeli territory," and that none of them were equipped with chemical warheads. Ullmann's use of the chemical attack is designed to embellish his case that Israel lacks choices in its approach to its security situation. The evidence is wrong, so is the inference.
Israel exists in a conflict-prone region of the world. If there is one place on the planet that is perpetually at risk for war, the Middle East is it. But all conflict takes place in a strategic environment where each party's choices are predicated on the expected behavior of their adversary. To suggest that Israel has no choice is equivalent to either blaming its opponents for all the violence in the region, or suggesting that Israel never has any expectations other than imminent hostility from its neighbors. Neither holds up to evidence.
The world community recognizes that a large part of the hostilities toward Israel come from the failure to adequately resolve the Palestinian "problem." Regardless of which Arab or Islamic leader speaks, at the forefront are their concerns about the rights of the Palestinians to a viable homeland, a Palestinian state. For example, the virulent words of Mr. Ahmadinejad, the Iranian president, are prefaced by the Israeli denial of Palestinian rights. This resonates with the Arab community and in part structures the strategic environment that Israel faces. Israel has choices here.
When the Palestinian election brought Hamas to power, the U.S. and Israeli governments chose to embargo all funds to the Palestinians. That was a choice. When Hamas offered a 10-year moratorium on violence toward Israel, Israel chose to ignore the offer. That was a choice. In neither case the alternative might not have looked attractive to Israel -- in its strategic environment -- but they did present viable choices. Hamas' offer did not include recognition of the Israeli state, but had Israel explored rather than rejected the offer, Katusha rockets might not be raining down on Israel today.
Tentative steps toward recognition might have been under way if a different choice had been made. If Israel had chosen to withdraw from the West Bank, Hamas might not have won the election -- some think this was almost a certainty. Instead, Israel chose the strategy of expanding settlements, resulting in a in a more precarious security situation. The separation wall is yet another example where a choice was made, perhaps the wrong one.
At the core it is not an honest description of the picture to suggest that there is only one choice, one strategy for Israel, and that being the choice of preparing for war.
One of Ullmann's concerns is that Israel's need to prepare militarily will have social and economic costs. Indeed it will, just as military preparations anywhere incur social costs. If the social and economic consequences of military vigilance are of primary concern, then any government should think about the choices they have in the strategic environment that they face. Peace can be cheaper than war, but peace takes effort and compromise.
It is patently wrong to suggest that all violence in the Middle East is targeted at Israel and that Israel is in no way culpable for any of the hostility that the region faces. Any effort to reduce tensions through the management of conflict requires concessions and risks, and both present choices. There are numerous choices that Israel makes that fuel the hostilities rather than ameliorate them, and they could choose otherwise. Often, these choices are made for domestic political reasons, even in the presence of better strategies. Those who think about the risk to the state of Israel should evaluate evidence honestly and consider choices wisely. Presenting the picture as black and white, inflaming passions, does little to advance peace.
Tutu Appeals To All Jews Through Their Own Past Experiences
POLITICS: Desmond Tutu Likens Israeli Actions to Apartheid
By Adrianne Appel
BOSTON, Oct 28 (IPS) - South African Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu compared conditions in Palestine to those of South Africa under apartheid, and called on Israelis to try and change them, while speaking in Boston Saturday at historic Old South Church.
"We hope the occupation of the Palestinian territory by Israel will end," Tutu said.
"There is a cry of anguish from the depth of my heart, to my spiritual relatives. Please, please hear the call, the noble call of our scripture," Tutu said of Israelis.
"Don't be found fighting against this god, your god, our god, who hears the cry of the oppressed," Tutu said.
Tutu spoke with political activist and lecturer Noam Chomsky and others to a largely religious audience about "The Apartheid Paradigm in Palestine-Israel," a conference sponsored by Friends of Sabeel North America, a Christian Palestinian group.
Israeli policy toward Palestine is an inflammatory topic in the U.S. and is not commonly discussed in large, public forums.
In Boston, complaints were lodged with Old South Church in the weeks prior to the event, in an effort to halt the conference. The Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting complained that Sabeel is "an anti-Zionist organisation that traffics in anti-Judaic themes," according to press reports.
Outside the church Saturday, Christians and Jews United for Israel demonstrated against Tutu and the conference.
"Sabeel is an organisation that seeks to demonise Israel. Tutu several years ago made anti-Semitic comments," May Long, president of the group, told IPS. Long did not hear Tutu's speech, she said.
Tutu was an inspirational leader in the South African fight against apartheid, which officially ended 13 years ago. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984 and today continues to speak around the globe for peace and justice, and to call for Palestinian rights.
The 76-year-old Tutu also appears to have won a battle against prostate cancer, which he was last treated for in 2000.
"Because of what I experienced in South Africa, I harbour hope for Israel and the Palestinian territories," said Tutu, who invoked passages from the Christian bible throughout his talk.
Tutu drew parallels between the apartheid of South Africa and occupied Palestine of today, including demolitions of Palestinian homes by the Israeli government and the inability of Palestinians to travel freely within and out of Palestine.
"I experienced a déjà vu when I encountered a security checkpoint that Palestinians must negotiate every day and be demeaned, all their lives," Tutu said.
Tutu said that Palestinian homes are being bulldozed, and new, illegal homes for Israeli's built in their place.
"When I hear, 'that used to be my home,' it is painfully similar to the treatment in South Africa when coloureds had no rights," Tutu said.
Tutu is a pacifist and he said only non-violent means should be used to confront the oppression at play in Palestine.
"Palestinians ought to try themselves to restrain those who fire the rockets into Israeli territory," Tutu said.
Tutu said that while fighting apartheid in South Africa he drew inspiration from the Jewish struggle as the bible describes it.
"Spiritually I am of Hebrew decent. When apartheid oppression was at its most vicious, and all but knocked the stuffing out of those of us who opposed it, we turned to the Hebrew tradition of resistance," and the belief that good will triumph over evil, and that a day of freedom from oppression will come, he said.
"The well-to-do and powerful complain that we are mixing religion with politics. I've never heard the poor complain that 'Tutu, you are being too political,"' he said.
"I am not playing politics when it involves children who suffer," Tutu said. "A human rights violation is a human rights violation is a human rights violation, wherever it occurs."
Tutu recently bumped up against U.S. discomfort with discourse about Palestine, when a Minnesota university president yanked an invitation to Tutu that had been extended by a youth group.
Rev. Dennis Dease, president of the University of St. Thomas, in St. Paul Minnesota, said he did not want Tutu to speak because the Nobel Laureate's position on Palestine was viewed by some as anti-Israeli and anti-Semitic.
Dease also fired Cris Toffolo as head of the university's peace and justice programme, who had supported the invitation to Tutu.
Dease apologised to Tutu three weeks ago.
Tutu said Saturday that he accepted Dease's "handsome apology", but that he will not consider speaking at the school until Toffolo is reinstated and her record cleared.
At the conference, Chomsky said the U.S. provides heavy financial support to Israel and has a profound influence on Israeli policies, including those toward Palestine and foreign trade.
"If the U.S. doesn't like what Israel is doing, it just kicks Israel in the face," Chomsky said. In 2005, Israel wanted to sell improved missiles to China. The Bush administration halted the sale, Chomsky said.
"It blocked them and refused to allow Israeli officials to come to the U.S. The U.S. demanded an apology from Israel. It dragged Israel through the mud," Chomsky said.
The U.S. began its close relationship with Israel after the Israeli victory in the 1967 "Six Day War" against Egypt, Syria and Jordan, Chomsky said.
Source
Never again?
By Adrianne Appel
BOSTON, Oct 28 (IPS) - South African Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu compared conditions in Palestine to those of South Africa under apartheid, and called on Israelis to try and change them, while speaking in Boston Saturday at historic Old South Church.
"We hope the occupation of the Palestinian territory by Israel will end," Tutu said.
"There is a cry of anguish from the depth of my heart, to my spiritual relatives. Please, please hear the call, the noble call of our scripture," Tutu said of Israelis.
"Don't be found fighting against this god, your god, our god, who hears the cry of the oppressed," Tutu said.
Tutu spoke with political activist and lecturer Noam Chomsky and others to a largely religious audience about "The Apartheid Paradigm in Palestine-Israel," a conference sponsored by Friends of Sabeel North America, a Christian Palestinian group.
Israeli policy toward Palestine is an inflammatory topic in the U.S. and is not commonly discussed in large, public forums.
In Boston, complaints were lodged with Old South Church in the weeks prior to the event, in an effort to halt the conference. The Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting complained that Sabeel is "an anti-Zionist organisation that traffics in anti-Judaic themes," according to press reports.
Outside the church Saturday, Christians and Jews United for Israel demonstrated against Tutu and the conference.
"Sabeel is an organisation that seeks to demonise Israel. Tutu several years ago made anti-Semitic comments," May Long, president of the group, told IPS. Long did not hear Tutu's speech, she said.
Tutu was an inspirational leader in the South African fight against apartheid, which officially ended 13 years ago. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984 and today continues to speak around the globe for peace and justice, and to call for Palestinian rights.
The 76-year-old Tutu also appears to have won a battle against prostate cancer, which he was last treated for in 2000.
"Because of what I experienced in South Africa, I harbour hope for Israel and the Palestinian territories," said Tutu, who invoked passages from the Christian bible throughout his talk.
Tutu drew parallels between the apartheid of South Africa and occupied Palestine of today, including demolitions of Palestinian homes by the Israeli government and the inability of Palestinians to travel freely within and out of Palestine.
"I experienced a déjà vu when I encountered a security checkpoint that Palestinians must negotiate every day and be demeaned, all their lives," Tutu said.
Tutu said that Palestinian homes are being bulldozed, and new, illegal homes for Israeli's built in their place.
"When I hear, 'that used to be my home,' it is painfully similar to the treatment in South Africa when coloureds had no rights," Tutu said.
Tutu is a pacifist and he said only non-violent means should be used to confront the oppression at play in Palestine.
"Palestinians ought to try themselves to restrain those who fire the rockets into Israeli territory," Tutu said.
Tutu said that while fighting apartheid in South Africa he drew inspiration from the Jewish struggle as the bible describes it.
"Spiritually I am of Hebrew decent. When apartheid oppression was at its most vicious, and all but knocked the stuffing out of those of us who opposed it, we turned to the Hebrew tradition of resistance," and the belief that good will triumph over evil, and that a day of freedom from oppression will come, he said.
"The well-to-do and powerful complain that we are mixing religion with politics. I've never heard the poor complain that 'Tutu, you are being too political,"' he said.
"I am not playing politics when it involves children who suffer," Tutu said. "A human rights violation is a human rights violation is a human rights violation, wherever it occurs."
Tutu recently bumped up against U.S. discomfort with discourse about Palestine, when a Minnesota university president yanked an invitation to Tutu that had been extended by a youth group.
Rev. Dennis Dease, president of the University of St. Thomas, in St. Paul Minnesota, said he did not want Tutu to speak because the Nobel Laureate's position on Palestine was viewed by some as anti-Israeli and anti-Semitic.
Dease also fired Cris Toffolo as head of the university's peace and justice programme, who had supported the invitation to Tutu.
Dease apologised to Tutu three weeks ago.
Tutu said Saturday that he accepted Dease's "handsome apology", but that he will not consider speaking at the school until Toffolo is reinstated and her record cleared.
At the conference, Chomsky said the U.S. provides heavy financial support to Israel and has a profound influence on Israeli policies, including those toward Palestine and foreign trade.
"If the U.S. doesn't like what Israel is doing, it just kicks Israel in the face," Chomsky said. In 2005, Israel wanted to sell improved missiles to China. The Bush administration halted the sale, Chomsky said.
"It blocked them and refused to allow Israeli officials to come to the U.S. The U.S. demanded an apology from Israel. It dragged Israel through the mud," Chomsky said.
The U.S. began its close relationship with Israel after the Israeli victory in the 1967 "Six Day War" against Egypt, Syria and Jordan, Chomsky said.
Source
Never again?
Tutu urges Jews to challenge oppression of Palestinians
Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who won a Nobel Peace Prize for his role in the struggle against apartheid in South Africa, appealed yesterday to Jews to challenge what he described as the Israeli government's oppression of Palestinians.
In a lengthy and emotional address to a packed Old South Church, where the faint din of pro-Israel protesters could be heard through the stone walls, Tutu cited passages from the Hebrew Bible to argue that the God worshiped by Jews would champion the cause of Palestinians.
"Remembering what happened to you in Egypt and much more recently in Germany - remember, and act appropriately," he said, alluding to the enslavement of Jews in Egypt described in the book of Exodus, as well as to the Nazi Holocaust. "If you reject your calling, you may survive for a long time, but you will find it is all corrosive inside, and one day you will implode."
Read Further>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Rumsfeld Charged With Torture During French Visit
Donald Rumsfeld Charged With Torture During Trip To France
Complaint Filed Against Former Defense Secretary for Torture, Abuse at Guantánamo and Abu Ghraib
|
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Press Release: October 26, 2007, Paris, France – Today, the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) along with the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR), the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR), and the French League for Human Rights (LDH) filed a complaint with the Paris Prosecutor before the "Court of First Instance" (Tribunal de Grande Instance) charging former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld with ordering and authorizing torture. Rumsfeld was in
"The filing of this French case against Rumsfeld demonstrates that we will not rest until those
"
"We want to combat impunity and therefore demand a judicial investigation and a criminal prosecution wherever there is jurisdiction over the torture incidents," said ECCHR General Secretary Wolfgang Kaleck.
"That a criminal State representative should benefit from impunity is always unacceptable. Because the USA is the super power of the beginning of this century and, above all, because it is a democracy, the impunity of Donald Rumsfeld is even more insufferable than that of a Hissène Habré or a Radovan Karadzic", underlined Jean-Pierre Dubois, LDH President.
The criminal complaint states that because of the failure of authorities in the United States and Iraq to launch any independent investigation into the responsibility of Rumsfeld and other high-level U.S. officials for torture despite a documented paper trail and government memos implicating them in direct as well as command responsibility for torture – and because the U.S. has refused to join the International Criminal Court – it is the legal obligation of states such as France to take up the case.
In this case, charges are brought under the 1984 Convention against Torture, ratified by both the
French courts therefore have an obligation under the Convention against Torture to prosecute individuals responsible for acts of torture if they are present on French territory (1). This will be the only case filed while he is in the country, which makes the obligations to investigate and prosecute under international law extremely strong.
Rumsfeld's presence on French territory gives French courts jurisdiction to prosecute him for having ordered and authorized torture and cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment of detainees in
In addition, having resigned from his position of U.S. Secretary of Defense a year ago, Rumsfeld can no longer try to claim immunity as a head of state or government official. Nor can he claim immunity as former state official, as international law does not recognize such immunity in the case of international crimes including the crime of torture.
Former U.S. Army Brigadier General Janis Karpinski, former commander of Abu Ghraib and other U.S.-run prisons in
This is the fifth time Rumsfeld has been charged with direct involvement in torture stemming from his role in the Bush administration's program of torture post-9/11.
Two previous criminal complaints were filed in
The second case was filed in fall 2006 by the same groups as well as dozens of national and international human rights groups, Nobel Peace Prize winners and the United Nations former Special Rapporteur on Torture. The 2006 complaint was presented on behalf of 12 Iraqi citizens who had been held and abused in Abu Ghraib prison in
Two other cases were filed against Rumsfeld in Argentina in 2005 and in Sweden in 2007.
Source
Ah but wait, Darth Vader was whisked away!
Rumsfeld flees France fearing arrest
Sat, 10/27/2007 - 08:45Former US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld fled France today fearing arrest over charges of "ordering and authorizing" torture of detainees at both the American-run Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq and the US military's detainment facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, unconfirmed reports coming from Paris suggest.
US embassy officials whisked Rumsfeld away yesterday from a breakfast meeting in Paris organized by the Foreign Policy magazine after human rights groups filed a criminal complaint against the man who spearheaded President George W. Bush's "war on terror" for six years.
Under international law, authorities in France are obliged to open an investigation when a complaint is made while the alleged torturer is on French soil.
According to activists in France, who greeted Rumsfeld shouting "murderer" and "war criminal" at the breakfast meeting venue, US embassy officials remained tight-lipped about the former defense secretary's whereabouts citing "security reasons".
Anti-torture protesters in France believe that the defense secretary fled over the open border to Germany, where a war crimes case against Rumsfeld was dismissed by a federal court. But activist point out that under the Schengen agreement that ended border checkpoints across a large part of the European Union, French law enforcement agents are allowed to cross the border into Germany in pursuit of a fleeing fugitive.
"Rumsfeld must be feeling how Saddam Hussein felt when US forces were hunting him down," activist Tanguy Richard said. "He may never end up being hanged like his old friend, but he must learn that in the civilized world, war crime doesn't pay."
International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) along with the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR), the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR), and the French League for Human Rights (LDH) filed the complaint on Thursday after learning that Rumsfeld was scheduled to visit Paris. (SOURCE)
Youtube: Rumsfeld hit with Torture lawsuit in France!!!!
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Sunday Offering #32: Where Do The Children Play?
Well I think its fine, building jumbo planes.
Or taking a ride on a cosmic train.
Switch on summer from a slot machine.
Yes, get what you want to if you want, cause you can get anything.
I know weve come a long way,
Were changing day to day,
But tell me, where do the children play?
Well you roll on roads over fresh green grass.
For your lorry loads pumping petrol gas.
And you make them long, and you make them tough.
But they just go on and on, and it seems that you cant get off.
Oh, I know weve come a long way,
Were changing day to day,
But tell me, where do the children play?
Well youve cracked the sky, scrapers fill the air.
But will you keep on building higher
til theres no more room up there?
Will you make us laugh, will you make us cry?
Will you tell us when to live, will you tell us when to die?
I know weve come a long way,
Were changing day to day,
But tell me, where do the children play?
All children are God's children. Where do we want them to play?
Okie Redneck Legislator Who Rejects the Koran Gets Put In His Place
This week in Oklahoma, in yet another bigoted display of ignorance reminiscent of Congressman Virgil Goode's objection to newly elected Congressman Keith Ellison taking his oath of office on the Koran, at least 17 law makers chose to join state representative Rex Duncan in refusing a copy of the Koran which was distributed to lawmakers by the Governor's Ethnic American Advisory Council ( a panel on diversity) as part of the state's centennial celebration.
Mr. Duncan's letter to his colleagues reads in part:
"most Oklahomans do not endorse the idea of killing innocent women and children in the name of ideology." At least 17 other legislators have notified the Governor's Ethnic American Advisory Council that they too will return the gift."
Wow Mr, Duncan, that's quite a statement you made there. Just what did you mean by that? So much for diversity Mr. Duncan, and so much for you bringing red-necked fame to your state again, but I have news for you, not everyone in your state agrees with your actions, in fact many are objecting to this latest display of ignorance by so called lawmakers in this country
Quran rejection is criticized
The Rev. Marlin Lavanhar, president of Tulsa Metropolitan Ministry Board of Trustees, speaks in front of a photo of Mecca during a press conference Friday at the Al-Salaam Mosque. Lavanhar criticized a Sand Springs lawmaker for his comments this week about the Quran.
By BILL SHERMAN World Religion Writer
10/27/2007
In a show of solidarity with the Muslim community, representatives of the Jewish Federation of Tulsa and several interfaith organizations held a press conference Friday condemning Oklahoma lawmakers who turned down a copy of the Quran.
Read further>>>>>>>>>>>
Here Mr. Duncan and cohorts is the answer to your ignorance and hateful actions from a fellow Oklahoman. And you can check out what they are saying on OKC Talk where I found the referral for this EXCELLENT rebuttal to this absolute nonsense.
I got an e-mail late yesterday from one of my Muslim friends, Orhan. Orhan, an Oklahoma City resident, is from Turkey and is part of an organization called the Institute for Interfaith Dialog. Their mission is to get people of all faiths to learn about one another's beliefs, traditions and practices. That process, they believe, will dispel a lot of myths, which in turn will dispel a lot of fears, which in turn will dispel a lot of hatred and violence. Sounds like a pretty good plan to me.
Hypocrisy abounds. Duncan was one who this year accepted a Bible as a gift from a Baptist General Convention, so he can hardly claim he's honoring some ideological separation of church and state. His argument against the Quran is that "Most Oklahomans do not endorse the idea of killing innocent women and children in the name of an ideology."
He went on to tell the World: "I know not all Muslims are terrorists, but I don't know of another religion or ideology that employs terrorism and the threat of terrorism."
Really? Check out this passage from the book of Jeremiah. Or this Psalm, which is sort of the Christian version of killing all the infidels. Or even the Last Supper story as told by Luke, who recounts Jesus telling the disciples to make sure thaey had a couple of swords with them. How about Numbers 35:33? Or even Genesis 9:6. Lots of violent Christian groups like to cite those passages.
And Duncan's best quote: "I don't know any Christians who run around using the Bible as their basis of justification or instruction booklet to keep killing innocent people."
Well, Rex, let me introduce you.
If you have the stomach for it, check out the Army of God Web site, one of many that promote violence against abortion clinics in the name of an ideology. Here's the National Abortion Federation's data on such violence. Former Presbyterian minister, Paul Hill, was executed in Florida for murdering a doctor. Hill believed he was doing God's work. Check out the Rev. Bruce Evan Murch's Web site if you need to see more.
I'm a Presbyterian, and I can tell you with certainty that Paul Hill did not represent my beliefs, nor those of most Presbyterians. The PC USA folks tend to be a tolerant, inclusive, peaceful bunch.
If you need a historical lesson, Rex, you can look back to the Crusades or the Salem witch trials for some more examples of Christians using the Bible to justify violence. There are plenty more examples if you remain unconvinced.
Maybe the seven of you should have accepted the gift and read the book. You would have found that there is a theme of helping others and that one of the Five Pillars of the faith requires that the haves go out of their way to help the have-nots.
Blindly believing that one's group has everything right and virtuous while thinking some other group has it all wrong is immature, lazy and worst of all, dangerous. Pick up a copy of the Quran, all seven of you. Just for fun, check out a copy of the Bhagavad Gita, too. Read them for yourselves. Talk to some people of other faiths. Check out this site, run by Shahed Amanullah, a frequent contributor to Beliefnet.
That site, Rex, wouldn't be the worst place to start getting acquainted with some people who aren't rich, white Republicans.
Oklahoma keeps battling an image problem, one that has hurt our economic development efforts. When elected officials show a lack of tolerance, coupled with ignorance, it perpetuates the stereotype that Oklahomans are a backward lot, struggling for recognition and acceptance without a clue why we're not being allowed into the game.
Thanks, Rex. Our state needed that little boost.
I'm disappointed in all seven of the legislators who refused such a simple gift, but I am perhaps the most disappointed in Rep. Winchester. Susan, I held her in higher regard than some of the others on this list. Frankly, I thought she was better -- and smarter -- than that.
My friend Orhan feels about Muslim terrorists the same way I feel about Christian terrorists: We abhor their actions and are embarrassed that they consider themselves part of our respective faith communities. But I bet you'd take another Bible, even if it came from a Presbyterian, wouldn't you, Rex?
(This BRILLIANT response to Rex Duncan and cohort's bigotry is a blog editorial found HERE
that you can respond to)
Mr. Duncan's letter to his colleagues reads in part:
"most Oklahomans do not endorse the idea of killing innocent women and children in the name of ideology." At least 17 other legislators have notified the Governor's Ethnic American Advisory Council that they too will return the gift."
Wow Mr, Duncan, that's quite a statement you made there. Just what did you mean by that? So much for diversity Mr. Duncan, and so much for you bringing red-necked fame to your state again, but I have news for you, not everyone in your state agrees with your actions, in fact many are objecting to this latest display of ignorance by so called lawmakers in this country
Quran rejection is criticized
The Rev. Marlin Lavanhar, president of Tulsa Metropolitan Ministry Board of Trustees, speaks in front of a photo of Mecca during a press conference Friday at the Al-Salaam Mosque. Lavanhar criticized a Sand Springs lawmaker for his comments this week about the Quran.By BILL SHERMAN World Religion Writer
10/27/2007
Several faith groups condemn Oklahoma lawmakers who turned down copies of the book.
In a show of solidarity with the Muslim community, representatives of the Jewish Federation of Tulsa and several interfaith organizations held a press conference Friday condemning Oklahoma lawmakers who turned down a copy of the Quran.
Read further>>>>>>>>>>>
Here Mr. Duncan and cohorts is the answer to your ignorance and hateful actions from a fellow Oklahoman. And you can check out what they are saying on OKC Talk where I found the referral for this EXCELLENT rebuttal to this absolute nonsense.
Tolerance, diversity, separation of church and state? Not here.
October 24, 2007I got an e-mail late yesterday from one of my Muslim friends, Orhan. Orhan, an Oklahoma City resident, is from Turkey and is part of an organization called the Institute for Interfaith Dialog. Their mission is to get people of all faiths to learn about one another's beliefs, traditions and practices. That process, they believe, will dispel a lot of myths, which in turn will dispel a lot of fears, which in turn will dispel a lot of hatred and violence. Sounds like a pretty good plan to me.
Orhan was concerned about a story in the Tulsa World about Rep. Rex Duncan, R-Sand Springs, and his refusal to accept a copy of the Quran as a gift from a Muslim group. Orhan sent the e-mail to a lot of people, not just me. The e-mail simply contained a link to the story above which he wrote, "Dear Friends, Would you please take 5 minutes out of your busy schedule to write a comment to the Tulsa World for the following article." That was it. He didn't even suggest what sort of comment to provide.
Today, David Derby of Owasso, Guy Liebmann of Oklahoma City, Scott Martin of Norman, Mark McCullough of Sapulpa, Mike Reynolds of Oklahoma City, and Susan Winchester of Chickasha, all Republicans, joined Duncan in his refusal, according to a follow-up story in the World.
Hypocrisy abounds. Duncan was one who this year accepted a Bible as a gift from a Baptist General Convention, so he can hardly claim he's honoring some ideological separation of church and state. His argument against the Quran is that "Most Oklahomans do not endorse the idea of killing innocent women and children in the name of an ideology."
He went on to tell the World: "I know not all Muslims are terrorists, but I don't know of another religion or ideology that employs terrorism and the threat of terrorism."
Really? Check out this passage from the book of Jeremiah. Or this Psalm, which is sort of the Christian version of killing all the infidels. Or even the Last Supper story as told by Luke, who recounts Jesus telling the disciples to make sure thaey had a couple of swords with them. How about Numbers 35:33? Or even Genesis 9:6. Lots of violent Christian groups like to cite those passages.
And Duncan's best quote: "I don't know any Christians who run around using the Bible as their basis of justification or instruction booklet to keep killing innocent people."
Well, Rex, let me introduce you.
If you have the stomach for it, check out the Army of God Web site, one of many that promote violence against abortion clinics in the name of an ideology. Here's the National Abortion Federation's data on such violence. Former Presbyterian minister, Paul Hill, was executed in Florida for murdering a doctor. Hill believed he was doing God's work. Check out the Rev. Bruce Evan Murch's Web site if you need to see more.
I'm a Presbyterian, and I can tell you with certainty that Paul Hill did not represent my beliefs, nor those of most Presbyterians. The PC USA folks tend to be a tolerant, inclusive, peaceful bunch.
If you need a historical lesson, Rex, you can look back to the Crusades or the Salem witch trials for some more examples of Christians using the Bible to justify violence. There are plenty more examples if you remain unconvinced.
Maybe the seven of you should have accepted the gift and read the book. You would have found that there is a theme of helping others and that one of the Five Pillars of the faith requires that the haves go out of their way to help the have-nots.
Blindly believing that one's group has everything right and virtuous while thinking some other group has it all wrong is immature, lazy and worst of all, dangerous. Pick up a copy of the Quran, all seven of you. Just for fun, check out a copy of the Bhagavad Gita, too. Read them for yourselves. Talk to some people of other faiths. Check out this site, run by Shahed Amanullah, a frequent contributor to Beliefnet.
That site, Rex, wouldn't be the worst place to start getting acquainted with some people who aren't rich, white Republicans.
Oklahoma keeps battling an image problem, one that has hurt our economic development efforts. When elected officials show a lack of tolerance, coupled with ignorance, it perpetuates the stereotype that Oklahomans are a backward lot, struggling for recognition and acceptance without a clue why we're not being allowed into the game.
Thanks, Rex. Our state needed that little boost.
I'm disappointed in all seven of the legislators who refused such a simple gift, but I am perhaps the most disappointed in Rep. Winchester. Susan, I held her in higher regard than some of the others on this list. Frankly, I thought she was better -- and smarter -- than that.
My friend Orhan feels about Muslim terrorists the same way I feel about Christian terrorists: We abhor their actions and are embarrassed that they consider themselves part of our respective faith communities. But I bet you'd take another Bible, even if it came from a Presbyterian, wouldn't you, Rex?
(This BRILLIANT response to Rex Duncan and cohort's bigotry is a blog editorial found HERE
Friday, October 26, 2007
An Appeal from Helga Aguayo and Sara Rich (Mother of Suzanne Swift)
An appeal from Helga Aguayo and Sara Rich
Wife of Army Spc. Agustín Aguayo; Mother of Army Spc. Suzanne Swift
www.couragetoresist.org/donate
Wife of Army Spc. Agustín Aguayo; Mother of Army Spc. Suzanne Swift
www.couragetoresist.org/donate
Dear Friend,
If you feel anything like we do, you are beyond frustrated by years of war that appear endless. Presidential candidates, Democrats and Republicans alike, are offering little hope that this nightmare of unjust occupation and war will be over anytime soon. It appears that it really is up to us, “the people,” to stop this war.
We have all done our share of marching for peace, and of course we'll be marching tomorrow October 27th as well. Regional demonstrations to end the Iraq War are happening in Boston, Chicago, LA, SF, New Orleans, NYC, Orlando, Philly, Salt Lake City, Seattle, and Jonesborough. However, there are those who have put much more on the line.
Tens of thousands of service members have resisted illegal war and occupation in a number of different ways—by going AWOL, seeking conscientious objector status and/or a discharge, asserting the right to speak out against injustice from within the military, and for some, publicly refusing to fight.
You’re the backbone of our efforts to help stop this war by supporting the troops that are resisting—and we’re counting on you to help us do so. We want to share a few highlights of recent efforts, and offer a preview of unfolding initiatives.
Earlier this month, the Army attempted to stage a court martial “do over” in the case of Lt. Ehren Watada—the first officer to publicly resist deployment to Iraq. On only a few days notice, the Army announced it would ignore the Constitution’s prohibition of double jeopardy and try again—after the first trial didn’t turn out to their liking. As supporters nationwide geared up to take action, a civilian federal judge stepped in and delayed the proceedings. Without strong civilian legal defense, Lt. Watada would have been railroaded. Without public attention, it is unlikely that a federal judge would have been compelled to step in.
Every day military recruiters enter the halls of high schools equipped with a goodie bag of promises and free copies of their official video game, America’s Army. Assurances of non-combat positions and college money made largely to teens of color and low-income communities rarely materialize upon real-life service. Courage to Resist organizer David Solnit and Gulf War objector Aimee Allison have written a comprehensive guide to counter military recruiting and are currently traveling the country sharing their strategies outlined in their new book, Army of None. We’re proud to sponsor this exciting project.
-
A couple of weeks ago, U.S. war resister Robin Long was picked up by Canadian police and faced immediate deportation. Robin would have been the first objector in Canada to be deported, even while the Canadian Supreme Court has yet to rule on his and other applications for refugee status. In cooperation with our friends at War Resisters Support Campaign, we sprung into action to halt Robin’s seemingly imminent deportation. After letters, calls, and faxes, flooded the offices of key Canadian officials, Robin was released.
Next week we'll be announcing our, “Dear Canada: Let U.S. war resisters stay” initiative. But you can get a jump on things by signing the appeal at www.couragetoresist.org today. We’ll mail letters on your behalf to three Canadian officials!
Some people still dismiss war resisters as cowards—and that is still hard for us to hear as we remember what it took for our loved ones to say “enough is enough.” For many resisters, first-hand experiences in Iraq compelled them to take a stand. For others, “doing the right thing” and acting on conscience simply began to outweigh their military training in obedience.
“Courage,” declares Iraq War resister and GI Rights Hotline counselor Pablo Paredes, “is so often assumed of the cowardly and so seldom acknowledged in the brave. The good people at Courage to Resist and their work are the antidote to that troublesome state of affairs. More importantly, they are the inspiration for those who are currently being asked by history to find that unsung courage—the courage to resist.”
With your help, in the next few weeks we will be:
- Launching a public pledge and national education campaign in support of G.I. resistance.
- Increasing our efforts in support of U.S. war resisters in Canada.
- Continuing our support of the hundreds of G.I. resisters speaking out.
- Finding better ways to support resisters trying to resolve their issues with the military.
- Traveling the country doing counter military recruiting with the Army of None Project.
As two of the newest members of Courage to Resist, we are getting a better idea of what it takes to do this work every day. Most importantly, we have learned that we can’t do it without your support. Please send your gift of $30, $50, $100 or more today. It’s your tax deductible gift of whatever you can afford that is critical to our efforts through this Fall and Winter in support of the troops who are refusing to fight.
On behalf of Courage to Resist,
Helga Aguayo
Wife of Iraq War veteran and war resister
Army Spc. Agustín AguayoSara Rich
Mother of active duty Army Spc. Suzanne Swift,
Iraq War veteran and war resister
—Army Sgt. James Circello, AWOL Iraq veteran (pictured with Army Col. Ann Wright, ret.)
Youtube: Courage to Resist - Augustin Aguayo
When Rudy Goes Waterboarding
When Rudy goes waterboarding
The former mayor says "liberal newspapers" have exaggerated the technique's brutality. Perhaps he should try it himself.
By Joe Conason
Oct. 26, 2007 | Echoing Michael Mukasey, his friend and associate who likely will soon be the next attorney general, Republican presidential front-runner Rudolph Giuliani claimed Wednesday that he doesn't know whether waterboarding is torture. Having become accustomed long ago to making the most absurd declarations without fear of challenge, Giuliani went further than Mukasey's hesitant demurral.
"I don't know what is involved in the technique," Mukasey replied during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, when Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., a former prosecutor, asked whether Mukasey thinks waterboarding constitutes torture and is therefore illegal as well as unconstitutional. Perhaps Mukasey (and Giuliani) should be subjected to theOct. 26, 2007 | Echoing Michael Mukasey, his friend and associate who likely will soon be the next attorney general, Republican presidential front-runner Rudolph Giuliani claimed Wednesday that he doesn't know whether waterboarding is torture. Having become accustomed long ago to making the most absurd declarations without fear of challenge, Giuliani went further than Mukasey's hesitant demurral.
"I don't know what is involved in the technique," Mukasey replied during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, when Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., a former prosecutor, asked whether Mukasey thinks waterboarding constitutes torture and is therefore illegal as well as unconstitutional. Perhaps Mukasey (and Giuliani) should be subjected to thetechnique for strictly educational purposes so that they will become aware that it involves reclining the victim on a bench or table, covering his face with a cloth and then pouring water over his nose and mouth to make him feel as if he is drowning.
People who have suffered this kind of treatment -- at the hands of Japanese military intelligence officers, for instance -- have described it as horrific. Experts have determined that it can result in permanent physical and psychological damage and can even result in death.
But that very unpleasant experience may or may not be a form of torture, according to the former New York mayor. "I'm not sure it is, either," said Giuliani when asked about Mukasey's dodge at a forum in Iowa. "It depends on how it's done. It depends on the circumstances. It depends on who does it."
Such lazy-minded clichés -- "it depends on the circumstances" -- are emblematic of the moral relativism that swaggering absolutists like Giuliani claim to despise in liberalism. He went on to disparage media coverage of the technique, claiming that "liberal newspapers" have exaggerated its brutality. "So I'd have to see what they really are doing." Perhaps as president, he would attend the interrogations and even pour a few pitchers over the face of a suspect himself.
Following a series of Senate hearings led by Massachusetts Republican Henry Cabot Lodge, the Army tried Maj. Edwin Glenn in a court-martial in the Philippine province of Samar for misconduct and breach of discipline, including "infliction of the water cure" on suspected Filipino insurgents. The Army's judge advocate general rejected Glenn's defense of "military necessity," and he was suspended from his post for a month and fined $50 (not an insignificant sum in 1902). President Roosevelt affirmed the major's conviction.
More severe punishments were meted out to the Japanese imperial officers who inflicted the water cure on Allied military officers and civilians during World War II in such places as Korea, the Philippines and China. In war crimes trials overseen by Gen. Douglas MacArthur, the supreme commander in the Pacific and a great Republican hero, testimony about water torture led to numerous convictions -- and sentences that ranged from years of imprisonment at hard labor to death by hanging. As head of the International Military Tribunal for the Far East, MacArthur voted to uphold those convictions and sentences.
Just so there can be no mistake about what the Japanese perps were convicted of doing, here is a sliver of the copious testimony that can be found at Law of War, where an excellent essay on waterboarding and American law can be found. It comes from the trial in Manila of Sgt. Maj. Chinsaku Yuki, a Japanese military intelligence officer. The witness is Ramon Lavarro, a Filipino lawyer suspected by the Japanese of providing assistance to resistance forces. "I was ordered to lay on a bench and Yuki tied my feet, hands and neck to that bench lying with my face upward," Lavarro testified. "After I was tied to the bench Yuki placed some cloth on my face and then with water from the faucet they poured on me until I became unconscious. He repeated that four or five times."
Such testimonies all sound very much the same because waterboarding is a simple practice that even Giuliani should be able to comprehend. When he argues that it is an act whose significance depends on who does it and under what circumstances, does he mean to suggest that the Japanese war criminals were wrong, but the CIA is right? Does he think that laws and treaties apply only to foreigners and not to Americans? Or that the president can abrogate those laws and treaties at will? That is a formula for tyranny -- and it was rejected by Republicans and Democrats alike, all much better men than he.
Youtube: Waterboarding - Truth in Advertising: The word "simulated" (as in 'drowning' or 'suffocating' is truly misleading. They aren't simulating it, they're actually drowning and suffocating people - they just don't finish the job. (SOURCE)
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