Wednesday, May 24, 2006
Pacifica Commentary for May 24, 2006
Palestinian Anti-Terrorist Act of 2006 HR 4681
Prime Minister Golda Meir told us, "There is no such thing as Palestinians; they never existed." Then we see them thrown off their land, their homes bulldozed, their militants jailed and tortured. Then Israel refuses to recognize or negotiate with their leadership. And all of this happened long before Hamas was elected. As normal human beings, Palestinians have resisted.
The Israeli peace movement has recognized this reality for decades. The government of Israel is the aggressor. Aggressors are opposed by people all over the globe.
And this is similar to what is happening in Iraq. The US government is the aggressor. The Iraqis are fighting back. Should anyone be surprised?
And now our pathetic banana republic House of Representatives has passed House Resolution 4681. This bill restricts humanitarian aid to Palestine. It also threatens to withhold portions of the US dues to the United Nations if Palestine continues to demand Israel's compliance with existing international law.
This vile piece of legislation designates territory controlled by the Palestinian Authority as a terrorist sanctuary and refuses visas to members of the Palestinian Legislative Council and Palestinian Mission to the United Nations. It also instructs the US Representative to the World Bank to oppose the continuation of humanitarian aid to Palestine.
Representative Betty McCollum has banned the Israeli Lobby AIPAC from her office until she receives a formal apology from this powerful "wag the dog" group for saying she is supporting terrorists.
Here is what Representative Jim McDermott of Washington State has to say about this bill:
“The World Health Organization sees a rapid decline of the public health system in Palestine. This bill will only make the already dire situation even worse. As a doctor I took an oath to heal. Allowing innocent Palestinians to go hungry, while denying them medical treatment cannot possibly correct injustice, or lead to peace."
Join Rabbi Arthur Waskow in his efforts to assist the Palestinian people as the Israeli government stops international aid, freezes Palestinian tax revenues and creates an acute shortage of medical and food aid. Palestinian children are already suffering dire physical and mental damage from this outrage. For information on how to assist in Rabbi Arthur Waskow's project call 323/852-9808.
Prime Minister Golda Meir told us, "There is no such thing as Palestinians; they never existed." Then we see them thrown off their land, their homes bulldozed, their militants jailed and tortured. Then Israel refuses to recognize or negotiate with their leadership. And all of this happened long before Hamas was elected. As normal human beings, Palestinians have resisted.
The Israeli peace movement has recognized this reality for decades. The government of Israel is the aggressor. Aggressors are opposed by people all over the globe.
And this is similar to what is happening in Iraq. The US government is the aggressor. The Iraqis are fighting back. Should anyone be surprised?
And now our pathetic banana republic House of Representatives has passed House Resolution 4681. This bill restricts humanitarian aid to Palestine. It also threatens to withhold portions of the US dues to the United Nations if Palestine continues to demand Israel's compliance with existing international law.
This vile piece of legislation designates territory controlled by the Palestinian Authority as a terrorist sanctuary and refuses visas to members of the Palestinian Legislative Council and Palestinian Mission to the United Nations. It also instructs the US Representative to the World Bank to oppose the continuation of humanitarian aid to Palestine.
Representative Betty McCollum has banned the Israeli Lobby AIPAC from her office until she receives a formal apology from this powerful "wag the dog" group for saying she is supporting terrorists.
Here is what Representative Jim McDermott of Washington State has to say about this bill:
“The World Health Organization sees a rapid decline of the public health system in Palestine. This bill will only make the already dire situation even worse. As a doctor I took an oath to heal. Allowing innocent Palestinians to go hungry, while denying them medical treatment cannot possibly correct injustice, or lead to peace."
Join Rabbi Arthur Waskow in his efforts to assist the Palestinian people as the Israeli government stops international aid, freezes Palestinian tax revenues and creates an acute shortage of medical and food aid. Palestinian children are already suffering dire physical and mental damage from this outrage. For information on how to assist in Rabbi Arthur Waskow's project call 323/852-9808.
Wednesday, May 17, 2006
Pacifica Commentary For May 17, 2006
Divine Strake
What is a strake? A strake is a device for controlling airflow over an aircraft or the flow of water under a ship. But the Divine Strake is a 700 ton bomb made of ammonium nitrate and fuel oil. This monstrosity is to be detonated in the atmosphere in lieu of the Robust Nuclear Earth Penetrator and will have a force similar to that nuclear weapon. The test is planned for June 23rd in the Nevada desert close to the sites where hundreds of nuclear tests were conducted between 1950 and 1992.
Scientists who have retained their sanity believe that the Divine Strake will stir up nuclear contamination from 42 years of nuclear bombing on the lands of the Western Shoshone. Yes,it was the Western Shoshone who had the intelligence to file a lawsuit declaring that this planned atmospheric explosion would disturb contaminants left from previous nuclear tests. The original blast date of June 2nd was pushed back because of their lawsuit.
But this is where the word divine comes in. The planners of this mega explosion seem to think they are divine, they are playing god and even the courts give way to their gods of metal.
Citizens of the city of St. George, Utah, not far from the site, identify thousands of people who are now suffering from cancer as a result of radiation released from those previous nuclear bombs.
And the cancer patients are supposed to believe it when the National Nuclear Security Administration and the Defense Threat Reduction Agency say that the detonation of Divine Strake is perfectly safe. In view of the lack of credibility of the current Administration, it seems that the people of northern Nevada and Utah should make their peace with God and prepare to die of cancer.
Those who have planned this upcoming crime should be tried and convicted. Divine Strake is an act of terrorism against the land and the people of the United States of America. Many of our citizens have taken an oath to protect this country from enemies foreign and domestic. It seems that the demise of this land will be the work of domestic enemies who think they are divine.
Rational human beings will conduct a protest to the abomination of Divine Strake on May 28th in Nevada.
Pacifica Commentary for May 10, 2006
The President Writes a Letter
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad writes a letter to President Bush. The Iranian President said many things that were in accord with his Persian culture.
But really would it not be easier to start a nuclear war rather than to do some homework on Persian culture? We are completely set up for the nuclear war but we are not set up to ask a group of Persian experts to analyze the letter and to respond in a respectful manner. But you see, intelligent letter writing is difficult and nuclear war is so easy.
All Bush needs is a button for the war. But to respond to the letter he would need an education on the matter or to ask someone who has had an education to be of assistance.
The rape of Iraq has gone on for fifteen years now. The first Bush Administration, the Clinton Administration and the Lesser Bush Administration consistently demonstrated near absolute zero understanding of the cultures of Iraq. Some dialogue, some honesty and some humanity would have avoided the Iraq disaster. But dialogue, honesty and humanity require some spiritual substance.
Regardless of the personal failings on the part of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and regardless of his pietistic approach to our pietistic President, why would we not answer the Iranian's question? "Are you pleased with the current condition of the world? Do you think present policies can continue?" These are excellent questions and could be the beginning of a substantive dialogue and a peaceful future.
Friends, we are talking about the first direct contact between an Iranian head of state and an American president since the revolution of 1979. We are talking about a risk that was taken by the Iranian president who could be called a traitor by some of his own people for even writing such a letter.
President Ahmadinejad was clearly looking for common ground for an ongoing dialogue. Our Secretary of State should be sent to Iran with a respectful response to this important letter. There is no need at all for our response to agree with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
The only requirement is that the response be educated, respectful, thoughtful and dialogical. Diplomacy has been the rarest component in the Bush Adminitration. Here is an opportunity that must not be missed. Here is an opportunity for our country to give some indication that it might accept a peaceful solution to this unnecessary crisis.
What is a strake? A strake is a device for controlling airflow over an aircraft or the flow of water under a ship. But the Divine Strake is a 700 ton bomb made of ammonium nitrate and fuel oil. This monstrosity is to be detonated in the atmosphere in lieu of the Robust Nuclear Earth Penetrator and will have a force similar to that nuclear weapon. The test is planned for June 23rd in the Nevada desert close to the sites where hundreds of nuclear tests were conducted between 1950 and 1992.
Scientists who have retained their sanity believe that the Divine Strake will stir up nuclear contamination from 42 years of nuclear bombing on the lands of the Western Shoshone. Yes,it was the Western Shoshone who had the intelligence to file a lawsuit declaring that this planned atmospheric explosion would disturb contaminants left from previous nuclear tests. The original blast date of June 2nd was pushed back because of their lawsuit.
But this is where the word divine comes in. The planners of this mega explosion seem to think they are divine, they are playing god and even the courts give way to their gods of metal.
Citizens of the city of St. George, Utah, not far from the site, identify thousands of people who are now suffering from cancer as a result of radiation released from those previous nuclear bombs.
And the cancer patients are supposed to believe it when the National Nuclear Security Administration and the Defense Threat Reduction Agency say that the detonation of Divine Strake is perfectly safe. In view of the lack of credibility of the current Administration, it seems that the people of northern Nevada and Utah should make their peace with God and prepare to die of cancer.
Those who have planned this upcoming crime should be tried and convicted. Divine Strake is an act of terrorism against the land and the people of the United States of America. Many of our citizens have taken an oath to protect this country from enemies foreign and domestic. It seems that the demise of this land will be the work of domestic enemies who think they are divine.
Rational human beings will conduct a protest to the abomination of Divine Strake on May 28th in Nevada.
Pacifica Commentary for May 10, 2006
The President Writes a Letter
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad writes a letter to President Bush. The Iranian President said many things that were in accord with his Persian culture.
But really would it not be easier to start a nuclear war rather than to do some homework on Persian culture? We are completely set up for the nuclear war but we are not set up to ask a group of Persian experts to analyze the letter and to respond in a respectful manner. But you see, intelligent letter writing is difficult and nuclear war is so easy.
All Bush needs is a button for the war. But to respond to the letter he would need an education on the matter or to ask someone who has had an education to be of assistance.
The rape of Iraq has gone on for fifteen years now. The first Bush Administration, the Clinton Administration and the Lesser Bush Administration consistently demonstrated near absolute zero understanding of the cultures of Iraq. Some dialogue, some honesty and some humanity would have avoided the Iraq disaster. But dialogue, honesty and humanity require some spiritual substance.
Regardless of the personal failings on the part of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and regardless of his pietistic approach to our pietistic President, why would we not answer the Iranian's question? "Are you pleased with the current condition of the world? Do you think present policies can continue?" These are excellent questions and could be the beginning of a substantive dialogue and a peaceful future.
Friends, we are talking about the first direct contact between an Iranian head of state and an American president since the revolution of 1979. We are talking about a risk that was taken by the Iranian president who could be called a traitor by some of his own people for even writing such a letter.
President Ahmadinejad was clearly looking for common ground for an ongoing dialogue. Our Secretary of State should be sent to Iran with a respectful response to this important letter. There is no need at all for our response to agree with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
The only requirement is that the response be educated, respectful, thoughtful and dialogical. Diplomacy has been the rarest component in the Bush Adminitration. Here is an opportunity that must not be missed. Here is an opportunity for our country to give some indication that it might accept a peaceful solution to this unnecessary crisis.
Thursday, May 04, 2006
Pacifica Commentary for May 3, 2006
A Day Without An Immigrant
It was a joy to participate in the two Los Angeles gatherings last Monday. The early march terminated at City Hall and the later march terminated at La Brea and Wilshire. These two May Day marches were the largest in a historic national outpouring of immigrants and those in solidarity with them.
The great democratic power of the General Strike and boycott represented by the Noon March was profoundly instructive. It was organized from the base by people who believed in these powerful tools in the arsenal of non-violence. Dr. Martin Luther King had also used these tools effectively. Indeed the General Strike and Boycott can bring participatory democracy to the United States. The Noon March was conducted with joy and dignity. It represented the vanguard of immigrant power.
The Afternoon March was also successful and actually was an even larger gathering. Certainly there was tension between the two actions, but it was intelligent and peaceful tension. The Church, the Unions and the City Government were in complete support of the afternoon March. Students were urged to attend after school and employees who could not leave their jobs were encouraged to attend after work. Some observers considered this second march to be divisive.
But regardless of the intentions of the organizers, the second march gave an opportunity to those who were not ready to support a general strike and boycott.
Rather than demeaning the people who went to the second and larger march, it is important to understand that for many it was a huge step in the struggle for justice.
And it seems to me that everyone should oppose the so-called Guest Worker Program. It is simply a repetition of the old Bracero Program which divided families and exploited workers. We do not need a program that creates second class citizens.
In recent decades we have witnessed the globalization of capital. These immigrant marches help us to understand that there is a second component to this phenomenon and that is the globalization of labor. If capital can go anywhere in the world without restriction, it is only logical that those who create capital, namely workers, should also be able to travel freely. I consider the people who come to our country to be refugees, not illegal aliens. The military and economic terror that drove them here is often created by United States policy.
It was a joy to participate in the two Los Angeles gatherings last Monday. The early march terminated at City Hall and the later march terminated at La Brea and Wilshire. These two May Day marches were the largest in a historic national outpouring of immigrants and those in solidarity with them.
The great democratic power of the General Strike and boycott represented by the Noon March was profoundly instructive. It was organized from the base by people who believed in these powerful tools in the arsenal of non-violence. Dr. Martin Luther King had also used these tools effectively. Indeed the General Strike and Boycott can bring participatory democracy to the United States. The Noon March was conducted with joy and dignity. It represented the vanguard of immigrant power.
The Afternoon March was also successful and actually was an even larger gathering. Certainly there was tension between the two actions, but it was intelligent and peaceful tension. The Church, the Unions and the City Government were in complete support of the afternoon March. Students were urged to attend after school and employees who could not leave their jobs were encouraged to attend after work. Some observers considered this second march to be divisive.
But regardless of the intentions of the organizers, the second march gave an opportunity to those who were not ready to support a general strike and boycott.
Rather than demeaning the people who went to the second and larger march, it is important to understand that for many it was a huge step in the struggle for justice.
And it seems to me that everyone should oppose the so-called Guest Worker Program. It is simply a repetition of the old Bracero Program which divided families and exploited workers. We do not need a program that creates second class citizens.
In recent decades we have witnessed the globalization of capital. These immigrant marches help us to understand that there is a second component to this phenomenon and that is the globalization of labor. If capital can go anywhere in the world without restriction, it is only logical that those who create capital, namely workers, should also be able to travel freely. I consider the people who come to our country to be refugees, not illegal aliens. The military and economic terror that drove them here is often created by United States policy.
