Sunday Offering #34: "The City of Saba" (Rumi)

The City of Saba

There is a glut of wealth in the City of Saba.Everyone has more than enough. Even

the bath stokers wear gold belts.Huge grape clusters hang down on every street and

brush the faces of the citizens. No one has to do anything. You can balance

a basket on your head and walk through an orchard, and it will fill by itself with

overripe fruit dropping into it. Stray dogs stray in lanes full of thrown-out

scraps with barely a notice. The lean desert wolf gets indigestion from the rich

food. Everyone is fat and satiated with all the extra. There are no

robbers. There is no energy for crime, or for gratitude, and no one wonders about

the unseen world. The people of Saba feel bored with just the mention of prophecy.

They have no desire of any kind.Maybe some idle curiosity about miracles, but that’s

it. This overrichness is a subtle disease. Those who have it are blind

to what’s wrong and deaf to anyone who points it out. The City of Saba cannot be

understood from within itself: But there is a cure, an individual medicine, not

a social remedy: sit quietly, and listen for a voice within that will say, *Be

more silent*. As that happens, your soul starts to revive Give up talking and

your positions of power. Give up the excessive money. Turn toward teachers and

prophets who dont live in Saba. They can help you grow sweet again and fragrant

and wild and fresh and thankful for any small event.

Source

L.A. officials Defend Mapping of Muslim Areas

This article is EXTREMELY alarming and sure hope to God that something gives and this doesn't go forward. What is also so fascist is that it is openly being written about in the LA Times, as if this police department has NO qualms, well, actually, evidenced here, they DON'T, about surveying Muslim areas in this manner. This is RACIAL PROFILING on it's most ugly UGLY face

Folks, this is something REALLY to get worried about.

L.A. officials defend mapping of Muslim areas

template_bas

template_bas

Mayor Villaraigosa says the LAPD has 'good intentions' in gathering intelligence. Chief Bratton says the effort should be seen as 'community engagement.'

Los Angeles Times Staff Writers

11:13 AM PST, November 9, 2007

City officials this morning defended the LAPD's decision to identify Muslim enclaves across the city, saying that instead of "mapping," Angelenos should see the program as "community engagement."

Civil rights groups have harshly criticized the new initiative as racial profiling that unfairly targets Muslims. The American Civil Liberties Union along with other community groups sent a letter to the LAPD this week saying the prospect of such a measure raised "grave concerns."

Related Stories
-	LAPD to build data on Muslim areas

At a press conference about police recruitment in Elysian Park, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Police Chief William Bratton and Councilman Jack Weiss said they stood behind Deputy Chief Michael P. Downing's decision to gather extensive intelligence about local Muslim communities.

"Chief Downing has good intentions here," said Villaraigosa, who added that he had only learned of the new program through newspaper articles and at a short briefing.

The Police Department respects "the civil and human rights of Muslims in Los Angeles," Villaraigosa said.

The mapping program would be headed by Downing, who is in charge of the LAPD's anti-terrorism bureau.

"We want to map the locations of these closed, vulnerable communities, and in partnership with these communities . . . help [weave] these enclaves into the fabric of the larger society," Downing said in testimony about the program before Congress on Oct. 30.

At the hearing, Downing said his intentions were to "mitigate radicalization," and that law enforcement agencies everywhere faced "a vicious, amorphous and unfamiliar adversary on our land."

The LAPD hopes to identify communities that "may be susceptible to violent, ideologically based extremism and then use a full-spectrum approach guided by an intelligence-led strategy," Downing said during the hearing.

Bratton tried to recast the program this morning, saying that incorrect words had been used to describe the LAPD's actions.

"We are seeking contact with many communities," he said. "We are doing it in a very transparent way here. We got hung up on the word 'mapping', this is 'community engagement.' "

Bratton then used an anecdote from his first days as police commissioner in New York City in the early 1990s, saying that officers there raided what appeared to be a store but turned out instead to be a mosque.

Police can sometimes be ignorant of what is actually in their neighborhood, Bratton said, referencing the officers' mistake. The new initiative is designed to get officers out into communities, meeting with people and learning the local landscape, he said.

City officials repeatedly praised the LAPD for its transparency in describing the program, but police have yet to give any details of how the mapping would be carried out or which communities would be affected.

"Right concern, wrong program," Weiss said.

Concerns over clandestine racial profiling and spying by law enforcement are important concerns but do not apply to Downing's initiative, Weiss said. "This is not a program of subterfuge, it is a program of transparency."

Salam Al-Marayati, executive director of the Muslim Public Affairs Council, has embraced the vaguely defined program "in concept" and was on hand this morning to support the city officials. In an earlier interview, Al-Marayati said he wanted to know more about the plan and that he would meet with the LAPD next week.

Other Muslim groups have harshly condemned the project.

"We certainly reject this idea completely," Shakeel Syed, executive director of the Islamic Shura Council of Southern California, said in an earlier interview. "This stems basically from this presumption that there is homogenized Muslim terrorism that exists among us."

SOURCE

CAIR Los Angeles statement: Muslim, Civil Rights Groups Oppose LAPD ‘Mapping’ Project

Letter from Muslim Leaders to the LAPD

MPAC statement: MPAC Opposes Racial Profiling, Awaits Meeting to Discuss Specifics of LAPD

Youtube: CAIR Reaction to LAPD "Mapping" LA Muslims. Listen to the moderator, "They want to find out who's there, where they live, that's all. They're not going after individually any one person" Do you see the contradiction? BTW, Hussam Ayloush spoke brilliantly at the CAIR banquet last evening.

Camels Bought at "Beauty Contests" are EXPENSIVE as Well as "Evil"

Back in April I posted THIS post about camel beauty contests in Saudi Arabia, with a video of just such a thing. Well, I don't know how much longer camel beauty contests are going to last in KSA, because a Saudi cleric has issued a fatwa declaring that these beauty contests are "EVIL".

WOW!!! Read below to find out WHY these beauty contests have been declared "evil".

I CANNOT believe this story.

Maybe add a sales tax and everyone will come out smelling like roses. Those camels sure fetch a "pretty penny".

Saudi cleric condemns camel beauty contests as evil

Thu 8 Nov 2007, 16:46 GMT

RIYADH (Reuters) - A leading authority of Saudi Arabia's hardline school of Islam has condemned camel beauty contests as evil, saying those involved should seek repentance in God.

Camel pageants have become major events in the desert kingdom in recent years as tribes hold ever larger competitions, with bigger prizes and wider publicity.

Delicate females or strapping males which attract the right attention during a show can sell for more than a million riyals (127,000 pounds). Sponsors spent 10 million riyals on prizes for one competition this year.

"Everyone must repent of these acts from which no good can come because of its evils, and they should beg forgiveness from God," said a fatwa, or religious ruling, issued this week by Sheikh Abdul-Rahman al-Barrak and a lesser-known sheikh.

"Millions of riyals are spent on buying camels just to feel proud and not for the reasons God created camels, like for food, drink, riding and work," he said, attacking the contests as a backward tribal custom from pre-Islamic Arabia.

Commentators have pointed to camel contests as a sign of increasing tribal pride, seen as a threat to stability in the kingdom established by the Saudi royal family in 1932.

(Source)

Judge Temporarily Blocks Retrial of an American Hero, First Lieutenant Ehren Watada

REJOICE!!!! Today in a court room in Tacoma, Washington, First Lieutenant Ehren Watada received from Judge Settle of the federal court a ruling in his favor!! I just got off the phone with another support team member from NCRR who I attended the court martial with in February. We are absolutely beside ourselves with joy, because in his ruling, Judge Settle ruled EXACTLY as he should have, for if you were in the court room that day like we were, you would KNOW, Judge Head mishandled the case and the mistrial should NOT have been called only to try to go back to square one and try it all over again differently because it was NOT going well for the prosecution.
The case is not quite over yet, but from all appearances, Ehren will NOT be tried again.

Judge temporarily blocks war objector's court-martial

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

TACOMA, Wash. -- A federal judge has temporarily blocked the Army from conducting a second court-martial of an Iraq war objector based at Fort Lewis, saying it's likely the second trial would violate the soldier's constitutional rights.

Granting an emergency motion for a stay, U.S. District Judge Benjamin H. Settle ruled Thursday that no court martial will be held for 1st Lt. Ehren Watada pending the outcome of his claim that it would violate his Fifth Amendment rights by trying him twice for the same charges.

Watada's first court-martial ended in a mistrial in February; Settle wrote that the military judge likely abused his discretion in declaring the mistrial.

Watada is charged with missing his unit's deployment to Iraq in June 2006 and with conduct unbecoming an officer for denouncing President Bush and the war. If convicted, he could be sentenced to six years in prison and be dishonorably discharged.

Watada contends the war is illegal and that he would be party to war crimes if he served in Iraq. The Army refused his request to be posted in Afghanistan or elsewhere.

"This is an enormous victory, but it is not yet over," Kenneth Kagan, one of Watada's attorneys, said in a statement.

Settle did not indicate what the next steps would be.

Fort Lewis spokesman Joseph Piek said the judge acted "so that he may hear further evidence on the double jeopardy issue.

"We look forward to the opportunity to file additional briefs to further explain to the District Court judge the full extent of the protections and safeguards" afforded under the military justice system at the trial court and appellate levels, Piek added in a statement.

On Oct. 5, Settle ruled that his court had jurisdiction on the request for an emergency stay and that Watada's claim was "not frivolous." That ruling effectively blocked the scheduled Oct. 9 start of the second court-martial. The judge then asked for additional briefs, leading to Thursday's ruling.

Watada's term of service in the military ended in December, but the legal proceedings have prevented his discharge. He lives in Olympia and continues to perform administrative duties at Fort Lewis, south of Seattle.

Source

Watada court-martial now less likely

P-I STAFF

The chances of a second court-martial for 1st Lt. Ehren Watada, the Fort Lewis officer who refused to go Iraq because he believes the war there illegal, became far less likely Thursday. A federal judge issued a preliminary injunction against a second-court martial.

Last month, U.S. District Court Judge Benjamin Settle of Tacoma temporarily stopped the court-martial, which was to begin Oct. 9.

In his ruling Thursday, Settle said that Watada would "suffer irreparable harm" should he be tried a second time and that the Army lieutenant would likely prevail at a full trial if he argued that a new court-martial would violate his constitutional protection against double jeopardy.

Watada's court-martial in February ended in a mistrial, over his objections, after evidence had been heard but before a panel of officers began deliberating.

His attorneys argue that a new court-martial would constitute trying Watada twice for the same offenses.

(Source)

From Ehren's website, Thankyoult.org: (please go there to read in full)

In his decision, Judge Settle made the following significant points:

1. The remedy sought by Lt Watada (i.e., a writ of habeas corpus in a pretrial setting), while rare, is appropriate;

2. Lt Watada will suffer irreparable injury if relief is denied;

3. Lt Watada is likely to succeed on the merits;

4. Judge Head abused his discretion in rejecting the Stipulation of Fact;

5. Even if Judge Head did not abuse his discretion in rejecting the Stipulation of Fact, there was still a lack of "manifest necessity;"

6. Judge Head failed to adequately consider possible alternatives;

7. The balance of potential harms weighs in Lt Watada's favor; and

8. The public interest favors granting relief.

Read Judge Settles full ruling (33 pages long)>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

THANK YOU GOD AND BLESS YOU EHREN!!! YOU ARE OUR HERO, YOU ARE AMERICA"S HERO!!!

MAY YOUR MESSAGE BE HEARD AROUND THE WORLD, REFUSE ILLEGAL WAR!!!!

The Cancer Within: Evangelical Christianity Takes Over the USAF

Well here's the answer folks, this is what is shaping our soldiers actions and attitudes.

The Cancer from Within

by David Antoon

“I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic. …”
-Oath of Office

“Our mission is to educate, train, and inspire men and women to become officers of character motivated to lead the United States Air Force in service to our nation.”
-Air Force Academy mission statement

“We will not lie, steal, or cheat. …”
-Air Force Academy honor code

“Military professionals must remember that religious choice is a matter of individual conscience. Professionals, and especially commanders, must not take it upon themselves to change or coercively influence the religious views of subordinates.”
-Religious Toleration (Air Force Code of Ethics, 1997)

Forty-two years ago, at the age of 18, I took the oath of office on my first day as an Air Force Academy cadet. The mission of the academy was not only to train future leaders for the Air Force but for America as well, because, in the end, most academy graduates do not serve full military careers. The honor code became an integral part of everyday life. These are the values that I, and most graduates of the 1960s and early ’70s, took with us from our four years at the academy.

I, as did many graduates, underwent pilot training followed by tours of duty in Vietnam. Like military men and women of today, we did our best to become technically competent and professional leaders. Never, during my four years at the academy and subsequent pilot and combat training, was the word warrior used; nor, whether as a cadet or officer, did I ever encounter “Christian supremacist” rhetoric.

In April of 2004, my son, after receiving a coveted appointment to the United States Air Force Academy, asked me to accompany him to the orientation for new appointees. This 24-hour visceral event changed my life forever, and crushed my son’s lifelong dream of following in my footsteps.

The orientation began with a one-hour “warrior” rant to appointees and parents by the commandant of cadets, Brig. Gen. Johnny Weida. The fact that the word warrior had replaced leadership was a signal of what was to follow. I later learned that cadets, to determine when a new record was established, had created a game in which warrior was counted in each speech Weida gave.

My son and I then made our way to the modernist aluminum chapel, where I expected to hear a welcome from one or two Air Force chaplains offering counsel, support and an open-door policy for any spiritual or pastoral needs of these future cadets. In 1966, the academy had six gray-haired chaplains: three mainline Protestants, two priests and one rabbi. Any cadet, regardless of religious affiliation, was welcome to see any one of these chaplains, who were reminiscent of Father Francis Mulcahy of “MASH” fame.

Instead, my son’s orientation became an opportunity for the academy to aggressively proselytize this next crop of cadets. Maj. Warren Watties led a group of 10 young, exclusively evangelical chaplains who stood shoulder to shoulder. He proudly stated that half of the cadets attended Bible studies on Monday nights in the dormitories and he hoped to increase this number from those in his audience who were about to join their ranks. This “invitation” was followed with hallelujahs and amens by the evangelical clergy. I later learned from Air Force Academy chaplain MeLinda Morton, a Lutheran who was forced to observe from the choir loft, that no priest, rabbi or mainline Protestant had been permitted to participate.

I no longer recognize the Air Force Academy as the institution I attended almost four decades earlier. At that point, I had no idea how invasive this extreme evangelical “cancer” had become throughout the entire military, that what I had witnessed was far from an isolated case of a few religious zealots.

Read further>>>>>>>>>>>>

USC Middle East Awareness Week

USC Middle East Awareness Week

-presented by Students for Justice in Palestine and Political Student Assembly-

Monday, November 12: Palestine 101 with Laurie Brand

12:00 noon: Taper Hall of Humanities 116

Laurie Brand is the Director of the School of International Relations at USC. Professor Brand specializes in the international relations of the Middle East, including the political economy of the region and inter-Arab relations.

Monday, November 12: Media and the Middle East with As'ad Abu Khalil

7:00 pm: Taper Hall of Humanities 201

As’ad Abu Khalil is a professor of political science at California State University, Stanislaus and visiting professor at University of California, Berkeley. He is the author of Historical Dictionary of Lebanon (1998) and Bin Laden, Islam, & America’s New “War on Terrorism” (2002). He maintains the “Angry Arab News Service” blog.

Tuesday, November 13: Effects of U.S. Intervention on Women’s and

Human Rights in Afghanistan with Sonali Kohlatkar (co-sponsored with Women’s Student Assembly)

6:00 pm: Taper Hall of Humanities 301

Sonali Kolhatkar is vice president of the Afghan Women’s Mission, a group that works in solidarity with Afghans to help improve health and educational facilities for Afghan refugees in Pakistan. She is also the host of “Uprising”, an hour of news and analysis on KPFK radio.

Thursday, November 15: It’s Not Either/Or: The Israel Lobby and US Foreign Policy in the Middle East with Norman Finkelstein

6:00 pm: Taper Hall of Humanities 101

Norman Finkelstein is an American political scientist and author, specializing in the Israel-Palestine conflict. His books include Beyond Chutzpah and Image and Reality of the Israel-Palestine Conflict.

Saturday, November 17: Jerusalem to Los Angeles: The Poetry of Peace (Hip-Hop Concert)

7:00 pm: Bovard Auditorium

This event will feature DAM, the Palestinian hip hop stars from Jersulaem, and Omar Chakari & Ragtop. A night of hip hop and performance poetry. See www.levantinecenter.org for more information and tickets.

All Events Taking Place on USC Campus

Free Admission and Free Food for all events except Nov. 17 concert

KPFK 90.7 is the Media Sponsor For This Event

For more info: Contact Students for Justice in Palestine

uscsjp@yahoo.com ; 323-733-2274

Did Democrat leadership bury Cheney impeachment?

David Swanson, founder of ImpeachCheney.org talks about U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich's impeachment bill and tells us all what we need to do:





Current co-sponsors:

Tammy Baldwin Wisconsin/2 08/01/2007 member of House Judiciary Committee
Robert Brady Pennsylvania/1 07/24/2007
Yvette Clarke New York/11 06/06/2007
William Lacy Clay, Jr. Missouri/1 05/01/2007
Steve Cohen Tennessee/9 08/04/2007 member of House Judiciary Committee

member of the Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties
Danny K. Davis Illinois/7 11/05/2007
Keith Ellison Minnesota/5 06/28/2007 member of House Judiciary Committee

member of the Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties
Sam Farr California/17 07/12/2007
Bob Filner California/51 07/12/2007
Sheila Jackson-Lee Texas/18 08/04/2007 member of House Judiciary Committee
Hank Johnson Georgia/4 06/28/2007 member of House Judiciary Committee
Carolyn Kilpatrick Michigan/13 09/07/2007
Barbara Lee California/9 06/07/2007
Jim McDermott Washington/7 07/10/2007
James Moran Virginia/8 07/10/2007
Donald M. Payne New Jersey/10 08/01/2007
Jan Schakowsky Illinois/9 05/01/2007
Edolphus Towns New York/10 09/27/2007
Maxine Waters California/35 06/12/2007 member of House Judiciary Committee
Diane Watson California/33 10/16/2007
Lynn Woolsey California/6 06/07/2007
Albert Wynn Maryland/4 05/10/2007

House Judiciary Committee Members:

Majority (Democrat)

* John Conyers, Chairman, Michigan
* Howard L. Berman, California
* Rick Boucher, Virginia
* Jerrold Nadler, New York
* Robert C. Scott, Virginia
* Mel Watt, North Carolina
* Zoe Lofgren, California
* Sheila Jackson-Lee, Texas
* Maxine Waters, California
* Bill Delahunt, Massachusetts
* Robert Wexler, Florida
* Linda T. Sánchez, California
* Steve Cohen, Tennessee
* Hank Johnson, Georgia
* Luis Gutierrez, Illinois
* Brad Sherman, California
* Anthony D. Weiner, New York
* Adam B. Schiff, California
* Artur Davis, Alabama
* Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Florida
* Keith Ellison, Minnesota
* Tammy Baldwin, Wisconsin[1]
* 1 vacancy

Minority (Republican)

* Lamar S. Smith, Ranking Member, Texas
* Jim Sensenbrenner, Wisconsin
* Howard Coble, North Carolina
* Elton Gallegly, California
* Bob Goodlatte, Virginia
* Steve Chabot, Ohio
* Dan Lungren, California
* Chris Cannon, Utah
* Ric Keller, Florida
* Darrell Issa, California
* Mike Pence, Indiana
* Randy Forbes, Virginia
* Steve King, Iowa
* Tom Feeney, Florida
* Trent Franks, Arizona
* Louie Gohmert, Texas
* Jim Jordan, Ohio

CALL CONGRESS NOW!

Council of Religious Institutions of the Holy Land Meet and Issue Communiqué

Palestinian, Israeli religious leaders launch new effort to resolve Israeli-Palestinian conflict

By Mohamed Elshinnawi

An independent group of Palestinian and Israeli religious leaders, meeting in Washington, has launched an initiative to help resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The group says it hopes to counter extremism by facilitating dialogue among the region's moderate voices. Speaking Wednesday at a Washington news conference, members of the group, called the Council of Religious Institutions of the Holy Land, said they are working closely with the political leaders of Israel and the Palestinian authority to support current peace initiatives. VOA's Mohamed Elshinnawi prepared this report.

Read further>>>>>>

Council of Religious Institutions of the holy Land Communiqué

07-Nov-07
HCEF

Living Stones HCEF E-News
The Voice of the Holy Land

All of us believe in one Creator and Guide of the Universe. We believe that the essence of religion is to worship Him and respect the life and dignity of all human beings, regardless of religion, nationality and gender.
We accordingly commit ourselves to using our positions of leadership, and the influence of our good offices, to advance these sacred values, to prevent religion from being used as a source of conflict, and instead serve the goals of just and comprehensive peace and reconciliation.

Our respective Holy Places have become a major element in our conflict. We lament that this is the case, as our respective attachments to our holy places should not be a cause of bloodshed, let alone be sites of violence or other expressions of hatred. Holy places must remain dedicated to prayer and worship only, places where believers have free access and put themselves in the presence of the Creator. Holy places are there for believers to draw inspiration to strengthen their acceptance and love of Almighty and all His creatures, from all religions and all nationalities.

Accordingly each religious community should treat the Holy Sites of the other faiths in a manner that respects their integrity and independence and avoids any act of desecration, aggression or harm.

We, believers from three religions, have been placed in this land, Jews, Christians and Muslims. It is our responsibility to find the right way to live together in peace rather than to fight and kill one other. Palestinians yearn for the end to occupation and for what they see as their inalienable rights. Israelis long for the day when they can live in personal and national security. Together we must find ways of reaching these goals.

Towards these ends we are actively working to:

1. Establish “hot line” procedures of rapid communication among ourselves in order to address and advise government officials regarding issues of protection of and access to Holy Sites before such issues become cause for conflict.

2. Establish mechanisms to monitor media for derogatory representations of any religion, and issue statements in response to such representations.

3. Together reflect on the future of Jerusalem, support the designation of the Old City of Jerusalem as a World Heritage Site, work to secure open access to the Old City for all communities, and seek a common vision for this city which all of us regard as holy.

4. Promote education for mutual respect and acceptance in schools and in the media. We will sponsor a conference for Israeli and Palestinian educators, academics and Ministers of Education on “The Role of Religion in Educating for Peace: Principles and Practices.”

5. Demonstrate through our relations that differences can and should be addressed through dialogue rather than through violence, and strive to bring this message to our respective communities and political leaders that they may embrace this approach accordingly.

6. Provide ongoing consultation to our government leaders, and through the example of our work together remind them that the interests of one community can only be served by also respecting and valuing the humanity and interests of all other communities.

Source

Accusing Someone of Being A Member of the Pro-Israel Lobby is "Insensitve" (don't tell AIPAC)

Ridiculous article of the day:

Issa’s letter cites racism

By Jackie Kucinich (Dennis Kucinich's daughter)

November 08, 2007

In an unusual plea for campaign funds, Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) recently evoked images of racism against Arab- Americans, criticized a congressional colleague by name, and reminded potential donors of a 2001 bomb threat to his office. “I am one of only five Arab-Americans in Congress,” begina a letter written by Issa to potential donors. “I have been personally the target of anti-Arab racism and hate speech on the Internet and in other media.” The letter, which was sent to roughly 80,000 members of the Muslim and Arab community on Oct. 24, cited an incident in December 2001 when Issa’s California office was the target of a bomb plot. “Inspired by the malicious writings of one person, members of the radical Jewish Defense League targeted my California office — a U.S. Congressman’s office – in a terrorist bomb plot that was thwarted by the FBI just days before it was to be carried out.” The two members of the Jewish Defense League were later charged with plotting to blow up a California mosque as well. Issa believed he was targeted as a result of a local columnist who targeted him based on his ethnicity. “Those are the things that occurred and the only reason was because I [am] an Arab,” he said in an interview Wednesday. Issa’s letter did not sit well with Rep. Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.), who is singled out in the congressman’s plea for contributions. Issa explained in his missive that Congress wanted to draft a resolution in 2006 after the short-lived war between Hezbollah and Israel broke out. He wrote that Arab-American members of Congress wanted to call on both sides to limit the number of civilian casualties. “Rep. Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.) said language urging restraint to protect civilian life would have been interpreted as a slap to Israel,” the Issa letter states. “As time would reveal,” the letter adds, “Israel showered Lebanon in the last few days of its military campaign with hundreds of thousands of cluster bombs that to this very day are killing innocent Lebanese civilians.” Engel expressed shock that a fundraising letter would use another member’s name. “This is unusual and I think it is unfortunate, frankly,” he said. “I understand as colleagues we are going to have differences but it is inappropriate to use anyone else in a fundraising letter.” He added, “We are colleagues, we are friends. I thought we were friends… I don’t personalize [an issue] to try to raise funds. “I think his point could have been emphasized another way.” Told of Engel’s reaction to his letter, Issa said it is common practice to quote other members in fundraising letters. “I would be shocked if he is shocked,” Issa said. While direct-mail letters to donors and constituents are common, the language that Issa used in his letter has also attracted criticism from outside groups. In his letter, Issa criticized members of the “pro-Israel lobby” for blocking the civilian casualty language in the 2006 measure. (article continued below) ____________________________________________________________________ Congressman Eliot Engel This week's guest is Congressman Eliot Engel, Democrat from the 17th district of New York. A staunch supporter of Israel and an active member of the International Relations Committee (SOURCE) Trips taken by Eliot Engel: (SOURCE) Engel, Rep. Eliot (-NY) 10/13/01-10/15/01 American Israel Public Affairs Committee Boston, MA Participate in AIPAC's national summit $938.46 Engel, Rep. Eliot (-NY) 05/13/02-05/14/02 American Israel Public Affairs Committee Boston, MA Participate in AIPAC dinner $561.26 Engel, Rep. Eliot (-NY) 10/06/02-10/07/02 American Israel Public Affairs Committee Atlanta, GA To participate in AIPAC's summit meeting $1,303.13 Engel, Rep. Eliot (-NY) 08/17/03-08/22/03 Jewish Community Relations Council London, England - Israel Participate in meetings with elected and community leaders $7,441.20 Engel, Rep. Eliot (-NY) 10/11/03-10/15/03 Michael Cherney Foundation Tel Aviv, Israel Participate in summit $4,481.00 Engel, Rep. Eliot (-NY) 10/01/04-10/04/04 American Israel Public Affairs Committee Las Vegas, NV Participation in annual gala $2,458.09 Engel, Rep. Eliot (-NY) 08/14/06-08/15/06 Alpha Epsilon Pi Foundation - Schustermann Family Foundation Louisville, KY Speak at Israel Amplified $693.20 "Consistently ranked as the most influential foreign policy lobbying organization on Capitol Hill, AIPAC is a nonpartisan American membership organization that seeks to strengthen the relationship between Israel and the United States. For more than 40 years, AIPAC has been working with Congress to build a strong, vibrant relationship between the United States and Israel. Its more than 85,000 activists throughout the United States work to improve and strengthen that relationship by supporting U.S.-Israel military, economic, scientific and cultural cooperation." (source) "Certainly, there are great friends of Israel on the Democratic side, such as Senator Joe Lieberman (who if he is re—elected, will triumph largely from the votes of Republicans after the Democratic Party rejected him in the primary), Congressman Eliot Engel, Steny Hoyer, and Tom Lantos, to name a few. (source) __________________________________________________________ Dan Mariaschin, executive vice president for B’nai B’rith International, said the phrase “pro-Israel lobby” is a “discredited term” and claimed Issa’s comments about the conflict between Hezbollah and Israel were delivered without context. “Whether it is a speech on the floor or a mailing I really would hope that [members have] a commitment to accuracy, a commitment to context and a commitment to avoiding the use of phrases that are insensitive,” he said. Maybe DanMariaschin ought to suggest a new slogan for AIPAC and "staunch supporters of Israel". We wouldn't want to hurt any one's feelings after all :( David Vance of the Campaign Legal Center said there is nothing legally wrong with Issa’s letter though he did note it’s not surprising that the controversial letter ended up in the media’s hands. Issa, who is of Lebanese decent, said the examples of discrimination and violence referenced in the mailing were intended to communicate that he understood and experienced firsthand many of the injustices and prejudices that many Arab-Americans and Muslim- Americans had experienced in their day-to-day lives. “We thought about writing to a community that is disenfranchised,” Issa said, stressing that it was important for that community to know that it had an advocate in Washington. An Issa campaign spokesman said the response to the letter has been excellent. The congressman, who is in his fourth term, said he did not intend to disparage any group. “This letter reaches out to one group,” Issa said. “I have a great many contributors and friends from other communities.”

Coming To Terms With The Right Of Return

In this essay, Tom Pessah, a Jewish Israeli, writes of his journey of coming to terms with the Palestinian Right of Return.

This essay is published in the second edition of The A-rab, a new political magazine coming out of Berkley, mainly written by students.


Cover page of October 2007 issue. Art by Husam Zakharia.

Coming to terms with the right of return

by tom pessah

Damn it, those neighbors!

It’s a hot and humid August in Tel Aviv, and I have no wish to leave my old room in my parents’ house. During two years of studying in the States I had forgotten just how unpleasant August was here. Crossing the road would be an expedition that would require an extensive shower when I got back.

But I can’t stay, either. There is a horrible clanging going on upstairs, people are drilling into walls and making the whole house shake.

Over breakfast my dad wonders if this isn’t the third time that apartment has been renovated in the past couple of years. What for? Why did they buy the place if they didn’t like the way it looks? Is there nothing we can do? He supposes not, it is their apartment, after all.

The apartment is, but not the house, my mom explains. We all lease the land on which the house was built.

Who do we lease it from?

From the Jewish National Fund. Everyone does – either from them or from the State. Almost no one in Israel owns the land their houses are built on.

“And where did the Jewish National Fund get it from?” I ask myself. My parents have moved on to more comfortable topics. But I can guess the answer: I know the houses of a Palestinian village, Sumeil, were just a few blocks south of my parents’ house, until 1948. And while I always liked to tell myself that “that’s where the village was”, in fact that’s just were the houses were. The villagers had land. All the land in the country was divided, none of it was empty. And this land, that my parents’ house is built on, must have belonged to them.

I grew up in Israel thinking I was left-wing. I went to all the right demonstrations against the occupation. The Ministry of Defense is located conveniently in the middle of Tel Aviv, just a few stops away on the bus. You can just go and demonstrate, and then go out to a café. So we turned out and chanted all the right slogans: “ahat, shtaim, shalosh, arba’, teforak Kiryat Arba’ “ – “One, two, three, four, dismantle Kiryat Arba” (one of the most famous settlements, near Hebron/al-Khalil).

Settling on other people’s land is wrong, I thought, so all we need to do is move the settlers back into Israel and then we’ll have peace. And we went on chanting these slogans at the same place, through the first intifada, during the Oslo years, after the shock of Rabin’s murder and the ascent of Netanyahu, until the second intifada.

It was around then I met with some students from Nablus. The meeting between Israeli and Palestinian college students was organized by Neve Shalom/Wahat al-Salaam, a community that tries to promote coexistence between Jews and Arabs. Unlike other groups, their idea wasn’t to help us find friends, to realize the “Other” wasn’t so bad, to create a shared belief in some kind of vague peace, tame and apolitical. It was quite the opposite: they tried to push us to confront some of the hardest issues, without guaranteeing any agreement would be found.

I had been getting along quite well with the Palestinian students, showing off my well-rehearsed tolerance, distancing myself from settlers, from the other Israelis in the group, from Israelis in general--I thought I was simply too open to be like them. And I understood some spoken Arabic, so I could listen a little to the Palestinians’ stories, about the checkpoints they avoided and the beatings they took just in order to come and meet us.

The organizers asked us to split into groups to discuss some of the biggest issues. I wanted to be on the group discussing the right of return. We Israelis came up with an especially tolerant proposal: we would allow a hundred thousand Palestinians to return! This was much to the left of the Israeli consensus and we felt very generous.

To our surprise, the Palestinians weren’t taken aback by our liberality. They even seemed offended by our discussing the issue in terms of allowing them to enter our country! But how else could it be discussed, I wondered? What is their solution? Could they really want to live among us? But how is that possible? Israel is a Jewish state, after all. What would happen to us Jews? Would we become a minority?

Five years have passed since then. I learned a lot, and I was lucky enough to study at UC Berkeley. As a famous Israeli song goes, things that you see from here, you don’t see from there. It seems much simpler to me now: Palestine/Israel isn’t mine to give; Palestinians have as much of a right to it as I do. The former inhabitants of Sumeil don’t need my big-hearted generosity: they need my recognition of the injustice committed towards them when they were expelled from their homes in 1948. They need me to remind people that most of Israel is built upon land that belonged to Palestinians. They need me to invite them and their children to come and live with us.

In Berkeley, I live a couple of blocks from some of my closest Palestinian friends. That could happen in Tel Aviv too. Inshallah.

---

Tom Pessah is a graduate student of Sociology at UC Berkeley.

Source

Used with the understanding of Creative Commons