Just as an aside, how many US tax dollars did the Democrats vote to give to the Israeli government this year? Just wondering. Its so sad there is no money left over for universal health care.

jlocke123, you ask about Democrats and tax dollars to Israel? Here is one example: The same year Bill Clinton cut five billion dollars from single moms and needy children in the USA, Israel received a five billion dollar welfare check from Congress. This won't change.

And the US has no moral authority any longer to c/o about
mistreatment as Dubya has ruined that long ago. If this is
democracy, then what are we fighting for? Our behavior and that of Israel's is no better than any dictator we know. So sad. We need a new President and I don't mean McCain.

Ha, like Obama with his pandering to AIPAC will do anything different than McCain. Wake up Rockerbabe.

ISRAEL has become their own worse nightmare - they have fashioned themselves into the Nazis of the 21st Century in the name of national security.
Sound familiar???

Why didn't he leave via Egypt? Why go thru Israel at all? Anyone know?

In Mohammad Omer's article in the August 2008 Washington Report, "A Voice for the Voiceless," Omer defined his life's mission:

"To get the truth out...I am not pro-Palestinian or anti-Israeli, but simply…an eyewitness on the ground, reporting what happens and why."

Due to the Israeli siege of Gaza, "there is no electricity, potable water, medical supplies, gasoline or other necessities of life. Clearly Israel wants to silence Mohammed Omer's voice, as it has silenced the voices of other journalists—most recently Omer's colleague Fadel Shana, the 24-year-old Reuters cameraman killed by an Israeli tank shell on April 16.

"Palestinian journalists risk their lives on a daily basis to tell the world what is happening in their homeland. Their words and pictures remind us that we have yet to realize the vow, "Never again!

"Add your voice to Mohammed Omer's on behalf of voiceless Gazans and all Palestinians living under Israeli military occupation—an occupation made possible by American tax dollars:

http://mediausa.net/wrmea/petition/

Eileen Fleming, Reporter and Editor WAWA:
http://www.wearewideawake.org/
Author "Keep Hope Alive" and "Memoirs of a Nice Irish American 'Girl's' Life in Occupied Territory"
Producer "30 Minutes With Vanunu" and "13 Minutes with Vanunu"

Page 192 of Albert Einstein's book "IDEAS and OPINIONS", 1938:

EINSTEIN: "My awareness of the essential nature of Judaism resists the idea of a Jewish state with borders, an army, and a measure of temporal power no matter how modest.

"I am afraid of the inner damage Judaism will sustain–especially from the development of a narrow nationalism within our own ranks, against which we have Ialready had to fight strongly, even without a Jewish state.

"We are no longer the Jews of the Maccabee period.

"A return to a nation in the political sense of the word would be equivalent to turning away from the spiritualization of our community which we owe to the genius of our prophets.

"If external necessity should after all compel us to assume this burden, let us bear it with tact and patience."

(End Einstein's quote.)

Einstein's predictions have a good track record, and prove accurate once again. Israel has come to stand, not for the best in Judaism and in Humanity, but for the opposite.

ISFREY: Thank you for sharing Einstein's wisdom.

The tragic thing held in common both by power elites in the US and Israel (as well as UK) is this idea that POWER means you can control and dehumanize other people. Jesus taught that he who is greatest among you recognizes him/herself as the SERVANT of others. This takes me to Buddhism and the importance of the inviolate UNIVERSAL LAW of karma. The fools in charge of both Israel and the US have become spiritual bottom feeders thinking themselves (drunk on power as they appear to be) immune to any HIGHER authority. Many who read CD expect justice to be served in the here and now at THEIR bidding. Sometimes it does work out that way; but when it does not, wise souls recognize that ours is a sentient universe. Just as our computer disks carry data, the entire etheric field that we are immersed in carries imprints of all that occurs. (It's seen through its biological equivalent in tree rings, or weather equivalent in ice records.) "Whatsoever you do unto the least of these" is LAW! I feel for the senseless tragedy so many are being put to, but those who are choosing and deploying this deranged course of action againt their fellow human beings are placing enormous indictments against themselves that will need to be answered for.

Zionist Jews are the mirror image of Nazis, pure and simple.The swine who tortured that young man would just as soon do the same to any American Goyim...and no doubt, be applauded by traitor-bastard Zionists in our midst. We American peasants have nothing in common with the torturing terrorist of Israel.It is our representives who are bribed and coerced by their agents...right here in America. Screw Israel...they've screwed us long enough.

Israel controls the border crossings into Gaza, even along the Egyptian border. At that crossing also he'd have ended up in a room with the police.

Absolutely amazing. Nice to know what us Americans are paying $5 billion or more a year for.

The Congressional Democrats will probably pass a resolution congratulating Shin Bet for cracking down on smuggling.

Thank You lwfrey & Siouxrose-

I will add,

Heat is energy. Cold is not. Cold is simply the relative absence of heat. One cannot manufacture a machine that produces cold. To make something cold, remove the heat.

Light is energy. Darkness is not. Darkness is simply the relative absence of light. One cannot manufacture a machine that produces darkness. To make something dark, remove the light.

Compassion (love) is energy. Evil is not. Evil is the relative absence of compassion. To make something evil, remove compassion.

The degree to which one lacks compassion is the degree to which one serves evil. This is true regardless of religious beliefs, political alignment or anything else.

Imagine yourself in a giant auditorium with all of the lights turned off. Total darkness. In your hand is a flashlight. A flick of the thumb sends a beam through the darkness. While the flashlights beam is not infinitely powerful, all of the darkness in the universe, if you could bring it into the auditorium, would have no effect on it whatsoever. There is no battle between darkness and light. Darkness is powerless. The battle takes place in the thumb.

The same thing can be said for the trigger finger. The battle between good and evil does not take place "out there" where the bullet is. It takes place in the finger.

The battle is between that which is separate from all else (ego) and that which is connected to all else (spirit).

To borrow from Carl Jung-

"We used to regard foreigners—the other side—as political and moral reprobates; but the modern man is forced to recognize that he is politically and morally just like everyone else. Whereas I formally believed it to be my bounden duty to call other persons to order, I now admit that I need calling to order myself."

…And from Albert Einstein-

"A human being is a part of the whole, called by us "Universe," a part limited in time and space. He experiences his self, his thoughts, and feelings, as something separate from the rest– a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion, to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in it's beauty. Nobody is able to achieve this completely, but the striving for such achievement is in itself part of the liberation and foundation for inner security."

…And finally from Joseph Campbell-

"…every failure to cope with a life situation must be laid, in the end, to a restriction of consciousness, Wars and temper tantrums are the makeshifts of ignorance; regrets are illuminations come too late."

"Totem, tribal, racial, and aggressively missionizing cults represent only partial solutions of the psychological problem of subduing hate by love; they only partially initiate. Ego is not annihilated in them; rather, it is enlarged; instead of thinking only of himself, the individual becomes dedicated to the whole of his society. The rest of the world meanwhile (that is to say, by far the greater portion of mankind) is left outside the sphere of his sympathy and protection because outside the sphere of the protection of his god. And there takes place, then, that dramatic divorce of the two principles of love and hate which the pages of history so bountifully illustrate. Instead of clearing his own heart the zealot tries to clear the world. The laws of the City of God are applied only to his in-group (tribe, church, nation, class, or what not) while the fire of a perpetual holy war is hurled (with good conscience, and indeed a sense of pious service) against whatever uncircumcised, barbarian, heathen, "native," or alien people happens to occupy the position of neighbor."

Open the door to a dark room. Does the darkness flow out or the light rush in?

Truth Faerie
The_truth_faerie@yahoo.com

Some of my best friends aren't Zionists.

When I was reading the part about the Israelis mocking and torturing the guy, I kept thinking, "This sounds like things Americans do! This sounds like things Americans do!" Then I remembered that a lot of Israelis are actually Americans and that the Israeli and US militaries probably share a lot of torture information among themselves. And I can just hear the voices of some of my right-wing relatives in my head trying to excuse the Israelis brutal behavior: "They're just very conservative." Apparently, the more brutal and heartless you are, the more "conservative" you're said to be.

ONe has to confront the layers of criminality, without which the bottom line of officially sanctioned Israeli criminality could not survive.
On top of the bottom line is:
i. the general silence of the bulk of the so-called 'diaspora' Jewish community, save for the active dissent of a handful, vilified for their efforts (and, as for Finkelstein, losing their livelihood as well)
ii. the active lobbying, funding, buying off, censorship, etc. of the pro-Israeli elite that makes cowards of the political class across a large range of countries
iii. the socialisation process in the Jewish communities, including the so-called faith schools, in which 'a love of Israel' is dutifully instilled (is this the main purpose of the schools?), and the synagogues as well (shame)
iv. the multitude of the hasbara shock troops at the lowest level who fill the letters pages of the media, the comments in blogs (note what happens in the Guardian from which the Pilger article is extracted), thankfully marginalised on Common Dreams.
The Zionist machine is a lobbying/propaganda network with no parallel in history. Without it, Israel would have to shape up or ship out overnight.

Here is a quote from Wikipedia's Martha Gellhorn biography-
"She considered the so-called objectivity of journalists "nonsense", and used journalism to reflect her politics. Politically, Gellhorn had two major favorites, Israel and the Spanish Republic. For Gellhorn, Dachau had "changed everything" and she became a life-long champion of Israel. She was a frequent visitor to Israel after 1949, and considered moving to Israel in the 1960s.

A self-described "hater", she attacked fascism, anti-communism, racism, Joe McCarthy, Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan and the Palestinian and German peoples with equal vigor. Gellhorn never forgave the German people for Hitler, and reveled in their suffering after WW II. Her hatred of the Palestinians was extreme and friends learned never to mention them in her presence.[citation needed]"

In light of this, I wonder if Martha Gellhorne would identify better with the SS guard-like Ari, (as in Dauchau, on which she reported), rather than this Palestian she might despise also for being a dispassionate 'objective' journalist.

I think Omer deserves to be identified with a journalist nobler than Martha.

Given the Zionist/pro-Israel slant of much of Wiki entries, the extract highlighted by markbinoz is instructive.
It's another case of 'hole in the head' syndrome like Nadine Gordimer.
Perhaps the Martha Gellhorn prize for journalism should be renamed the Mohammed Omer prize for journalism.

On the Global Research News Hour (actually two hours) of June 30th, Dahr Jamail (hour 2) and Michael Ratner (hour 1), who's an evidently very good war correspondant and an activist member of the (I believe) Center for Constitutional Rights, provided excellent interviews. Ratner evidently is an emphatic activist with the Center for Constitutional Rights, and the discussion with him spanned the crimes of the Bush administration (and Congress) from the very start of either the Bush-Cheney appointment in 2000, or else since 9-11, Sep. 11, 2001.

(I'll have to listen to the discussion again in order to be fully sure of the precise time-frame covered, but if Ratner and Michel Chossudovsky (host) don't discuss the hijacking of the presidency in 2000, then they still say that the war launched on the Taliban on Oct. 7, 2001, had to have been planned as of [before] 9-11, not as a reaction to it; for it takes more than three weeks to plan for war, or one of this scale anyway.)

Dahr is also good in hour 2, and like he says, there is [no] real anti-war [movement] in the U.S. As he briefly, but well enough says, even UFPJ is not really anti-war 'movement', for it is only or mostly about trying to get Congress to rule differently on [some] terms. There have been good critics of the so-called antiwar "movement" in the U.S. for several years, or more, now; but these people are mostly ignored. There's Richard Oxman (some pieces at Counterpunch.org, some or more at selvesAndOthers.org, and then he has his own website, or did a few years ago), and if I recall the name correctly, then was Sharon Smith (I read her articles at Counterpunch.org) and some others. They all did, but Oxman and Smith excellently wrote specifically of problems with the so-called antiwar movement, of which the leaders didn't carefully consider what critics said; and Oxman writes in a sort of novel way for me, so his pieces stood out from the others (for me).

Oxman wrote one article in which he referred to the U.S. anti-war movement, protest anyway, held I believe in 1918, or very near that year, and I also believe to recall that it was with respect to WWI. He said that the anti-war protesters camped in Wa., DC, perhaps at or in front of the White House or Congress, and stayed for as long as it took; instead of a one or two hour street demonstration that disappears as if it never happened. They stayed, camped there, and family members at home prepared food and other things the "campers" needed, to provide the supplies in a continued manner (else, it would not have been really possible to maintain such a steadfast protest). I don't know if that's a true story, but Oxman specifically said it was in 1918 or there-abouts, and ... like I just said. And we know about the British man who held his similar anti-war "movement" (solo) for a few years against the present war on Iraq; he was camped across from Parliament or Downing Street, or the Commons, whatever, but [stayed], and I don't know what the total time span is, but believe he was there for two or more years with this protest. A one-man anti-war movement, and the U.S. has nothing comparable with even demonstrations that had 250,000 participants.

Iow, I believe that Dahr is very right about the U.S. really having [no] anti-war 'movement'. Note that I quote 'movement' because it's probably important; he doesn't say 'anti-war protests' or demonstrations', but 'movement', and also doesn't say that Americans support the war. He only says that there isn't a real 'movement' against war in the U.S., and he provides a little explanation; little, but enough to understand what he means. And I can't disagree with him.

Anyway, these are both good interviews or discussions, and I didn't know anything about Michael Ratner, before; while I certainly have read many of Dahr's articles, enough to certainly know about his and his co-authors' reporting. Ratner was novel, new, emphatic, strongly enough, very fervently, ..., and very welcome.

And, now, to the main purpose of this post: The following article is about Dahr and (mainly) Mohammed Omerm, 24, and based on their jounalistic awards and a good bio. on Omerm. The article provides plenty on him, and it's all good or favourable, or even much better than that.

"Independent Media Coverage of Middle East War: From BAFTA to the Border
by Felicity Arbuthnot

Global Research, June 29, 2008
UN Observer "

http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=9470

For people not yet familiar with her writings, she is good, often presents [interesting] information, and this is one of her best pieces; because the story of Omerm is very, very important, as I think most people can agree without difficulty.

For one of her unique (much anyway) reports, she wrote one (I believe) in either 2007, or earlier this year, and it had a title saying something about another major flood being a serious and avoidable risk; a flood like of Biblical proportion. It was due to the badly deteriorated state of a serious or major dam in (I believe to recall) Mosul or that area of Iraq; and she mentioned, if not quoted, that one or more engineers (all Iraqi and specifically relevant types of engineers, so structural, I guess) had reported (after their own verifications) that the dam seriously and quickly needed maintenance, a.s.a.p. They reported that if this upkeep isn't done and the dam gives way because of the deteriorations, then there would or could be another massive flood of unimaginable scale, a flood either 60ft or 60m deep and over the area of the dam, while also being so much water suddenly released that it'd end up flooding many enough miles away. I think she said the flood could or would reach Baghdad or near it.

She reports on "little" omissions in western "news" media, and like I've said over most of the years of the war on Iraq, the Bush-Cheney-... cabal does NOT care at all about Iraqis; they are not to be liberated, except from life and prosperity, in the books of "law" of Bush, Cheney, and the many other psychopaths. The U.S. supposedly had some engineers, or some somehow related technical people, looking at the dams, but the U.S. has [no] intention at all of doing any good for Iraqis, so I guess these U.S. engineers might have been considering only the dangers for the permanent military bases the U.S. has in Iraq.

After all, the U.S. elites surely don't want to risk having U.S. military bases flooded over by such massive floods.

For the June 30th GR News Hour with Jamail and Ratner, just look for the link in the homepage, www.globalresearch.ca .

The following article is about Dahr and (mainly) Mohammed Omerm, 24, and based on their jounalistic awards and a good bio. on Omerm. The article provides plenty on him, and it's all good or favourable, or even much better than that.

"Independent Media Coverage of Middle East War: From BAFTA to the Border
by Felicity Arbuthnot

Global Research, June 29, 2008
UN Observer "

http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=9470

Felicity Arbuthnot is a good analyst and writer, btw; too.

DEANG said, ""They're just very conservative." Apparently, the more brutal and heartless you are, the more "conservative" you're said to be."

It's chilling that so many hide behind an Old Testament call for vengeance and mistake that for religion or patriotism! Conservative... they should CONSERVE resources like oil and food, rather than champion policies of waste & hatred!

TRUTH FAIRY: Great quotes!

EVAN J: What you call the silence of the Jewish community could be the same kind of media black out that Mike Corbeil relates regarding the lie that there is no anti-war movement. Keep in mind who owns media and what goals the control of air waves serve. The manufacture of consent is big business and marginalizes all voices of viable dissent!

Mike Corbeil, I'm pretty sure that Code Pink camped outside the White House for a long time. Maybe there're still there. We sure won't know from the corporate media.

___________ T R U T H __ F A I R Y ___________

Excellent quotes, which well paint the perceptual context of BE'ing truly _ H U M A N _:

__ That a single match has the
__ illumination to be _ s e e n _

__ at a distance of 4 miles,

with the un-aided human eye ( in the absence of any other light ) -- is just one miracle of being human.

To have COMPASSION for billions of others suffering, is just as miraculous.

Although in these times ( of massive Zionist PSYOPS propaganda, dedicated to Americans ) having compassion for a single Palestinian is a miracle for most Americans.

This is a shameful occurrence, and contrary to what we intrinsically know of human kin and kind.

___ P L E A S E ___ B E ___ T H A T ___ F L A M E ___

______ B E ___ T H A T ___ C O M P A S S I O N ______

… that is seen and felt around the world, we need you to _ C A R E _ more ( no longer be careless ).

Namaste « Presence »

« We must be the change we wish to see in the world » — Gandhi
« There is a sufficiency in the world for man's need but not for man's greed » — Gandhi
« We adopt the means of nonviolence because our end is a community at peace with itself » — ML King