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TechnoratiFew Speak Out for Palestinians in US Congress
WASHINGTON - Many voices around the world speak up for the Palestinians, but few in the U.S. Congress.
Lawmakers in Washington routinely pass nonbinding resolutions
supporting Israel during Middle East crises. The Senate on Thursday
backed Israel's battle against Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip and
the House of Representatives followed on Friday.
Even U.S.
lawmakers who express sympathy for the Palestinians hesitate to call
themselves pro-Palestinian and they voice strong support for the
security of Israel as well, hewing to decades of close U.S.-Israeli
ties.
"When these events occur, there's almost a knee-jerk
reaction of Congress that endorses 1,000 percent what Israel is doing,"
said Nick Rahall, a West Virginia Democrat and Lebanese-American who
has voted against some of the measures and did so again on Friday.
"Israel is our ally. ... It always has been, with which I perfectly
agree. But I don't believe in allowing that to blind us to what is in
our best interests, or giving knee-jerk approval to anything Israel
does. We don't do that with any other ally," he told Reuters.
Washington has been Israel's closest ally since 1948, when President
Harry Truman made the United States the first country to recognize the
new Jewish state.
Harry Reid, who leads the Democratic majority
in the Senate, gave voice to the depth of the relationship when he said
on Thursday, "Our resolution reflects the will of the State of Israel
and the will of the American people."
The Senate measure
offered "unwavering commitment" to Israel. It recognized "its right to
act in self-defense to protect its citizens against acts of terrorism"
and urged a ceasefire that would keep Hamas from firing rockets at
Israel.
That closely tracked Republican President George W.
Bush's comments on the crisis, said Ric Stoll, professor of political
science at Rice University, who questioned whether it helped U.S.
diplomats trying to broker a ceasefire.
LANDSLIDE VOTES
"You don't have to say Hamas are nice folks," Stoll said. "(But) how do
you convince supporters of the Palestinians to pressure Hamas to go for
a ceasefire, if your statements look like you are tilting heavily
towards Israel?"
The House on Friday passed a resolution
"recognizing Israel's right to defend itself against attacks from Gaza"
by 390-5. The measure noted that the humanitarian situation in Gaza "is
becoming more acute" but did not rebuke Israel.
The House has passed similar measures in recent years by landslides.
In 2006, the House voted 410-8 to condemn Hamas and Hezbollah for
"unprovoked and reprehensible armed attacks against Israel" and
supported Israel's incursion into Lebanon.
In 2004, the vote
was 407-9 to support a statement by Bush that it was "unrealistic" to
expect Israel to return completely to pre-1967 borders. In 2003, it was
399-5 to support Israel's forceful response to Palestinian attacks as
justified.
The few opponents of the measures often include
lawmakers of Arab-American descent or from Arab-American communities,
and mavericks such as Democrat Dennis Kucinich of Ohio and Republican
Ron Paul of Texas.
Kucinich, who sought the Democratic
presidential nomination last year, charged that the United States was
ignoring the current humanitarian crisis in Gaza while facilitating
Israel's actions with arms deals worth billions.
Washington
"sniffs at the slaughter of innocents in Gaza," he said. "U.S. tax
dollars, U.S. jets and U.S. helicopters provided to Israel are enabling
the slaughter in Gaza."
James Zogby, president of the Arab
American Institute, said the Israeli lobby is often seen as the force
behind pro-Israel votes, but he thinks it is not that simple.
Some Americans "don't have a clue" about the Palestinians' history, he said.
Lawmakers also take foreign policy cues from the president, Zogby said,
so some change could lie ahead with President-elect Barack Obama, who
has said little about the crisis so far.
Editing by Eric Walsh
128 Comments so far
Show AllThe US government, who is responsible for supporting and arming, including with 400 nuclear warheads, the genocidal state of Israel (really Occupied Palestine), is the number one problem here.
The number two problem is YOU, who do nothing about it.
That same US government allows sites like this plastic progressive sandbox to operate relatively unfettered.
Why?
Because they view it as a useful SAFTY VALVE: they know if you piddle away your time posting and hand-wringing here that you won't march on Washington and throw their asses out.
As always, the ball is in YOUR court--and I don't see you doing squat.
James A. Swanson, Los Altos, California
www.bushleagueofnations.com [For FREE download of entire book]
Although Congress does not speak out for Palestinians, an overwhelming supermajority of the rest of the civilized world does.
Why is our Congress spineless? The number one reason is AIPAC, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.
Of the thousands of groups that lobby our government, AIPAC is by far the most influential and feared. Its enormous clout—coupled with its willingness to kill the messenger if the message is not perceived as 100% pro-Israel—puts the fear of God in any American politician, whether Democrat or Republican, who wishes to be candid and rational regarding Israeli affairs.
The raw fear of AIPAC extends to America’s Big Media and grossly distorts America's "journalism," including this article, which does not even discuss AIPAC.
Thanks to AIPAC, there is much less meaningful debate in the United States regarding anything affecting Israel than there is anywhere else in the developed Western world, including Israel itself.
This and much more is discussed in, “The Bush League of Nations: The Coalition of the Unwilling, the Bullied and the Bribed – the GOP’s War on Iraq and America,” by James A. Swanson (2008, CreateSpace Publishing, 448 pages).
Patriots everywhere can download the entire book for free at www.bushleagueofnations.com.
I ask for nothing in return, except that you use my book, if you are so inclined, to help restore and build America.
Jim Swanson, Los Altos, California
www.bushleagueofnations.com [For FREE download of entire book]
Americans are quite justly horrified and indignant at what happened on 9/11 when 3,000 people were killed.
GAZA TODAY . The Israelis -- supported with American tax dollars and using American weapons -- have attacked Gaza . So far 800 Gazans have been killed.
The people of Gaza live on the densest, most overpopulated land on earth. Even before the invasion they have suffered inhuman deprivation and much of the population lives with no water.
I just did some calculations based on the Gaza population of 1.3 million people and the U.S. population of 300,000,000 people [there are actually more than that]. If the same killing rate was going on in the United States right now 184,000 AMERICANS WOULD BE DEAD.
And the killing goes on.
A synopsis of the Mearsheimer and Walt book, "The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy":
"Expanding on their notorious 2006 article in the London Review of Books, the authors increase the megatonnage of their explosive claims about the malign influence of the pro-Israel lobby on the U.S. government. Mearsheimer and Walt, political scientists at the University of Chicago and Harvard, respectively, survey a wide coalition of pro-Israel groups and individuals, including American Jewish organizations and political donors, Christian fundamentalists, neo-con officials in the executive branch, media pundits who smear critics of Israel as anti-Semites and the American-Israel Public Affairs Committee, which they characterize as having an almost unchallenged hold on Congress. This lobby, they contend, has pressured the U.S. government into Middle East policies that are strategically and morally unjustifiable: lavish financial subsidies for Israel despite its occupation of Palestinian territories; needless American confrontations with Israel's foes Syria and Iran; uncritical support of Israel's 2006 bombing of Lebanon, which violated the laws of war; and the Iraq war, which almost certainly would not have occurred had [the Israel lobby] been absent. The authors disavow conspiracy mongering, noting that the lobby's activities constitute legitimate, if misguided, interest-group politics, as American as apple pie."
Now, why is Congress squarely in Israel's corner? And why is the US supporting a nation when it brings us nothing but retribution and grief?
Pan
PJD
Right on ! when I was a youngster I would read Safire and and always be amazed that the setup was in the first part and the nail in the last part as if it was the least important , so not knowing of Chomsky then who also says read all and many sources then the puzzle leaks together ,arg seems as if one has to be an analyst to get the real skinny so much for in bed d d reporters.
Marchers pelt consulate with shoes
I think every American citizen has a local office for their Representative and Senators.
Now I know just where to put my old shoes in addition to Boycott Israel stores!
What can I say?
"It has been said that politics is the second oldest profession. I have learned that it bears a striking resemblance to the first". Roland Reagan.
George C. Brown - One fool-proof way to end the ballistic, imperialistic ways of Israel in the Middle East is to tell them that while we (the U.S.) will honor our pledge to guarantee their continued existence, we will withhold any further shipment of arms and ammunition until they stop their aggression and "planned attrition."
George C. Brown - Seems like our Congress has a very long way to go before they are able to deal realisitcally with the world as it really is. Perhaps they really do need to read "the news backwards".
Noam Chomsky once said that, wnen you read an article in the corporate media, you can find out what actually are the most important issues by reading the article backward. The real important issue will typically be mentioned in passing manner in the last couple sentences, followed by increasing levels of bullshit as you read upward.
This article is absolutely a classic example!
Often, like this article, it is bizarre how the the real issue gets introduced at the end of the article - as if the poor Ms. Cornwall is trying to say: "My dear readers: AIPAC, US war-bucks, Kucinich's courage, and the ignorance of US citizens are what I really wanted to write about, but all I can do is mention them to the end of a practically unrelated article; else, my corporate media boss-editor would fire me so fast I'd find myself on the cold New York sidewalk wondering what happened."
---USAn---
Good tip from Chomsky PJD will start doing that with msm articles!
Dennis Kucinich is one of the few congressmen who have not been bought off, which is why he is always demonized on CNN and Fox News.
BTW, boycott Israeli products: http://www.boycottisraeligoods.org/modules11748.php
Total estimated cost of Israel to the USA is over $90 Billion.
Since 1973, Israel has cost the United States about $1.6 trillion. If divided by today’s population, that is more than $5,700 per person.
U.S. Aid to Israel: The Subject No One Mentions !!!
http://wake-up-america.net/
http://wake-up-america.net/IRAQTHEJEWSWAR/Economist%20tallies%20swelling%20cost%20of%20Israel.htm
A "liberal" politician these days is just a warmongering conservative who favors abortion.
I've noticed that myself. That is why I think in the long run only a Green Paelo-Con alliance will overcome the empire. Paul Craig Roberts/Ron Paul type honorable Conservatives need to unite with us lefties against the corrupt self labeled "moderate," "centrist," war mongering imperialist establishment middle.
Jeevee
n.b. God is NOT dead. His Name(s) are being greatly distorted by the fundamentalists within every religion or spiritual tradition.
Something that has never lived cannot be dead. It doesn't exist.
Jeevee
Excellent idea! Let's also throw into the incinerator the demonic insistence that corporations are "persons".
Although we have a few good Congress Folk left, they are the few and far between. We need a full house of Congress with the same passion for life, liberty, and the support of the US Constitution.
What we got is an almost full house of crooks, liars, thief's, scam artist, con artist, and in general criminals. Never has our congress been so corrupt.
Sad thing is, it will not change because there is nothing to force these people to change. Once they are elected, they stay in for their term, and make decisions that will only benefit them and their friends who support and network with them.
Anyone who has tried lawful protest knows what I am talking about. This is why we see what we see right now all around the world. Protesters getting out and telling their government that what they are doing is wrong. Then we see the military, police, and hardware roll into the fray and those that stand up for what is right are crushed.
We sit around and do nothing because people have already tried, and nothing was accomplished. After all why should we go to jail when the crooks have the upper hand. Better to sit back and watch it happen.
Thing is, there is a simple way to resolve this. But I doubt anyone will do anything about it: http://www.thoughts.com/RedNeckPossie/blog/a-way-to-give-power-back-to-the-people-184665/
In situations like the current genocide in Occupied Palestine, it's particularly useful to know more than English.
The entire middle section of this week's Proceso (weekly political magazine in Mexico, also available online by subscription and in some parts of the US) is devoted to the Gaza horror. The photos were sufficient to make my 14-year-old nephew toss his breakfast.
If you want to know what's happening in the world, learn a few more of its major languages. Before you get too old (I learned Spanish at 49, and that's really pushing the envelope in language acquisition).
Please don't be so discouraging!
I understand that Jimmy Carter continues to learn new languages in his 80's.
But I agree, I deeply regret being a young, ignorant, 22 year old typical gringo when I was working in the oil patch in Venezuela in the early 1980's. In spite of being there for almost 2 years, and a many co-workers being Venezuelan, Colombian or Peruvian, I would go out of my way to hand around with USAns or Brits and my Spanish hardly progressed beyond tourist-level.
---USAn---
I am not discouraging you--just indicating the reality--which is that languages become more difficult to learn as one ages.
Children up to 12 can store more than one language in the same part of the brain. Which is why they are such "natural" language learners.
After that age, each language is stored in a different part of the brain, and agility becomes a big factor in language learning (which means how fast you can translate from one language to another, basically).
The older you get the slower you are at brain gymnastics. And there is also the factor of having the stacks full--and needing to kick out parts of old languages to replace them with new ones.
I was bilingual English/French until I started school. Then French passed into a very second place. Now, although I can still read it, I cannot really speak it. Learning Spanish put the final nail in its coffin, I think.
I am now 64, and although I have made some stabs at learning Arabic, I am pretty sure it's not going to be in the cards for me to become fluent--especially since I live in Latin America--where although the grammar and syntax of Spanish comes directly from Arabic, as well as about 10,000 words, there are few Arabic speakers. I have resigned myself to using Spanish to get around in Arabic-speaking countries where there aren't many English speakers or French speakers--which works, since I know which words in Spanish are Arabic words.
But I digress. The point is that in order to get some idea of what is really happeneing in the world, one needs to read and listen to different perspectives--and that means different languages. (It also makes us more open to different cultures and their ways of seeing the world.)
Ron Paul's Statement on H Res 34, Recognizing Israel's right to defend itself against attacks from Gaza:
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article21702.htm
** I was a Kucinich supporter. Then I switched to McKinney before ultimately deciding on Nader. But we should acknowledge all who are brave enough to demand the end to the slaughter in Gaza.
Interestingly, Ron Paul is the same man and in fact the only House Rep to strongly push for the PLANT OF PEACE, HEMP. To all you people out there who insist that Texas has oily politicians only, you're about to be proven WRONG. Ron Paul may be a Republican but he's not an inconsistent wacko type. He's against these reckless wars and he's one of the few reps who truly recognize the fact that government had no business to ban Cannabis and that their support of the ban due to politics, ties to corporate cronies, and cowering to the religious fundamentalists and war mongers is the only reason they committed the greatest moral error in all of American history. After WWII, God has PUNISHED America with losses in Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan, etc ... Either we the American people are gonna stand up and empower the plant of peace and get rid of our dependence on black gold or GOD will continue to PUNISH the West BIG TIME !
The Jews are God's chosen people and in this world, the US military-industrial complex is God.
God is dead.
Money and power are Gods
The Gods are angry and demand sacrifice as they always have done.
Who will die to save us from our sin?
Dear Patriots:
It is simple. What we are dealing with are the same arrogant money-hungry Pharisees that crucified Jesus. They are now crucifying the Palestinians! Make no mistake; they will not hesitate to crucify any "Goym" (Gentile Human Cattle) that gets in their way.
The Pharisees abducted our economic and political institutions. Most of Congress consists of a cabal of avaricious lying cowards with price tags hanging from their trousers. The only reason the Pharisees and their traitor enablers have such a stranglehold on 80 % of Americans and thus our country, is because Americans have become uneducated, indoctrinated, fat and lazy.
The Spirit of 1776 which inspired our forefathers with the courage to boot King George's British occupiers and their hired mercenaries at a cost of 50,000 American Patriot casualties....That spirit has been extinguished!
However.... Suffering Heralds Redemption. As our economy is destroyed by these parasites and more of our citizens are thrown out of their homes, and as the jobless clamor for bread...change will occur! Beware the nobility! Your time to be held accountable for your crimes will come!
Ponder the following quotes.......
"Educate and inform the whole mass of the people... They are the only sure reliance for the preservation of our liberty."
-Thomas Jefferson
"When once a republic is corrupted there is no possibility of remedying any of the growing evils but by removing the corruption . . . every other correction is either useless or a new evil."
- Thomas Jefferson
"The best way to destroy an enemy is to make him a friend."
-- Abraham Lincoln
"Whoever would overthrow the liberty of a nation must begin by subduing the freeness of speech." - Benjamin Franklin
"Power is usurped from the people, first by implementing fear, then it is maintained by slandering as 'unpatriotic' those who refuse submission."
-Ramman Kenoun
"A time will come when a politician who has willfully made war and promoted international dissension will be...surer of the noose than a private homicide."
– H. G. Wells
"The more corrupt the state, the more numerous the laws."
-Tacitus
"All the war-propaganda, all the screaming and lies and hatred, comes invariably from people who are not fighting."
-George Orwell
"The worst crimes were dared by a few, willed by more and tolerated by all."
– Tacitus
"The coward threatens when he is safe."
-Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
"There are only two things we should fight for. One is the defense of our homes and the other is the Bill of Rights. War for any other reason is simply a racket."
-General Smedley Butler
"Government is not reason, it is not eloquence, it is force...Never for a moment should it be left to irresponsible action."
– George Washington
"Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both."
-Benjamin Franklin
"All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent."
-Thomas Jefferson
"Commerce with all nations, alliance with none, should be our motto."
-Thomas Jefferson
"The spirit of this country is totally adverse to a large military force."
-Thomas Jefferson
"The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government."
-Thomas Jefferson
"The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants."
-Thomas Jefferson
"Reality is an unforgiving taskmaster"
-Peter Montana
This is MUST watch video of Dennis Kucinich and Eliot Engel being interviewed on Al Jazeera regarding possible war crimes in Gaza.
Engel finally concedes (tacitly) that he's not concerned with the law.
Kucinich, the man who should be President, shines again.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGOv0lMMNDI
"Our resolution reflects the will of the State of Israel and the will of the American people." -Harry Reid.
No Harry, it does not. It reflects the ignorance of 46% of the American people. It does not reflect the will of the rest of the American people.
But then, you never have known what the real will of We The People is.
Not only does Harry not know what the will of "the people" is - he doesn't care!
So true, he doesn't know or care, and neither do any of them. We have no democracy, or only in myth do we have one. It's a plutocracy, oligarchy, rule by the rich few, and they alone dictate to Congress all domestic and foreign policy. "We the People" don't exist except as an irrelevant abstraction. If polls were taken that showed 95% of Americans NOT supporting Israel, it would change nothing in the way Congress votes on who it supports. Reid would still insist he's only doing the will of the American people, and the MSM would parrot his lies. The Palestinians don't have a chance in this conflict because the country follows the demands of AIPAC and about 3% of the population. The rest of us are carping, raging, impotent spectators. It's inevitable when there isn't a trace of democracy anywhere to be found.
t_g
This elderly Jewish lady hangs her head in shame... Whatever is happening in Gaza (and the West Bank): Not in my name! I'm not religious, but I'm of Hungarian/French Jewish origin. Could've gone to live in Israel, but I never wanted to make a point. I live Down Under and never felt threatened, ostracized, made to feel like an outsider or in any way fearful for my or my family's survival. I happily live in the diaspora - however my best friends are non-religious Gentiles. I like to make a point that I'm not religious and NEVER trade on my Jewish roots. If people like or respect me, it shouldn't be because of some wrongs done to my forefathers.
However, we've visited Israel many times. Have seen the religious and/or racist thugs bullying Palestinian women, children and youths in various towns. We've always felt uncomfortable.
I'm not comfortable in raising my voice in public in favour of Palestinians - don't like to be the token "simpathetic Jew". But if we could help in any other way... anonymous financial help comes into my mind! If anybody knows of a charity assisting Palestinian children, please let us know.
toad_goddess:I am an older Jewish woman. This morning, on DemocracyNow, Amy Goodman interviewed two women, Jews, who are doing demonstrations:one organized a sit-in and its also in another article on CD,from last week, and the other, is doing a demonstration today of Jewish women at the Israeli consulate on E. 42St.,NYC. 5PM I know you are "in down under" (and I had a French grandfather, who I never met). Read the transcript and/or listen to the last segment of today's show: www.democracynow.org From there, you can google their names and find groups. If I were well enough to go, I'd be at the demonstration today.
ANERA works with Palestinian refugees and children. They also recieve some funding from USAID so they are a legitimate and recognized charity here in the usa. www.anera.org.
Even Mayors are getting involved in foreign affairs and international human rights.
Both Bloomberg of New York and Villaraigosa of Los Angeles gave support for Israel saying they'd do the same thing as the Israelis if their cities were under rocket attack.
Neither one of them mentioned how they would react if their city was blockaded and the people were not receiving food, medicine ,and other essentials and were suffering heavily as a consequence.Neither did they seem to ponder how angry their constituents might get in such a situation and how they might react.
With so little thinking going on it's a good thing they are only running a bg city and not a nation!!!!
Lee Scratch Perry
'From The Secret Laboratory'
PARTY TIME
I am the government
and I cannot be governed.
I govern myself and
and I rule myself.
I create myself
and I make myself...
King George is dead - Long live King Barrack
The Trough Is Always The Same - Only The Pigs Change.
Parliamentary Duty instead of 'Elections'.
May All Beings Be Blessed.
No Restrictions Or Limitations Shall Apply.
Right now, the US government is trying to find a ship to send 3000 TONS of reload to Israel.
Yeah, the US must really want all those Palestinian kids deader than gefilte fish...
Walk in peace.
The following is a short video, 2:26 long (or short), but seems worth viewing.
"US Congress votes to back Israel - 09 Jan 09",
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=713V6bRPMjU
Want an idea that we can send viral?...On the night of the inauguration...January 20th.....at 8PM....We the People step outside and hold a candle, a flashlight or a torch for the starving and dying children in Gaza...a message to the new president and a message to the new CONgress that we do not support the slaughter of innocent children..............Please send it around to everyone you know......IT'S THE LEAST WE THE PEOPLE CAN DO FOR THE GUILTLESS CHILDREN OF GAZA............
Beauty is truth, truth beauty,....that is all ye need on earth, and all ye need to know.....John Keats
That would make a great Elton John video, but will do nothing else. Remember when millions marched against the War in Iraq? What effect did that have?
Naomi Klein is right. Only a South Africa type boycott will end the Israeli "Apartheid" like state.
Or parhaps America will become so broke, it will no longer be able to give Israel 3 billion in foreign aid every year.
This is what our hoax of a democracy is reduced to: Standing outside and holding a candle. That'll show Congress!
Not really. Our "Democracy" became a hoax through the indifference, false patriotism and cowardess of We the People. We took the easy path and THE WORLD, along with us, is now suffering the consequences. Jefferson warned us..we took no heed and let what little democracy we had be sold to the highest bidder, instead of making corrections along the way.
To see what is happening up close in Gaza, see the slide show on the front of this site:
http://www.ikhwanweb.com/
I note that we have to rely on Reuters for this report--so sad to see the self-imposed blackout from American media. Dennis Kucinich surely deserves to become more than just a representative from Northeastern Ohio. Let's hope he keeps on speaking out and others follow his good example.
Poet
I give you folks a lot of grief trying to make you think outside of the box of Gringolandia, but I will say that you have made a bit of progress since the comments fucntion was added to this site.
The first few times I said Israel was a genocidal machine you acted as if I had just defecated on the carpet in your living room.
And I have been banned twice for writing that.
I have to tell you, though, you have not gone gently into the light of awareness about the planet we live on--you've been kicking and screaming all the way.
sLiMsHaDy: I have always alienated people. I got Best Personality award though. See, I believe that Americans must realize what the true history of their country is. I feel betrayed because I believed the myth of America as the land of the free. Because of the internet I have been exposed to many ideas and I have researched some. What I learned shattered my view of the United States and its people. I simply was not aware of the amount of death and destruction caused by the US. Suddenly I saw myself in class, all the way from Spot, Jane, Dick and Sally to world Governments in 12th grade and I realized I hadn't learned anything about what really happened. The US was not the good guy. But c,mon. Did you realize that movies about shooting indians was insensitive? I didn't. But they are, incredibly so. I have alienated myself. I am separated, sleeping in a different room from the culture I loved. I don't even like baseball any more. Major disappointment.
Serena, the person who wrote this some time ago called him/her self "lizard" and it is the best summation about how I feel right now. The truth has shattered my view of the USA, too. I wish that I could leave, like you did, but a disability prevents me from doing so. Although many "kick and scream" (and I have been guilty as well) about how you say it, KEEP ON SAYING IT!
WE GOTTA GET OUT OF THIS BOX.
Thanks for your support.
I am sorry that you feel limited in your freedom by a disability. I have had systemic lupus since infancy, and must by now at 64 be one for the book of records or something--but I attribute my survival with my refusal to accept limitations. May not work for everybody, I know.
But a lot of one's health comes from the spirit, not from the body.
I assume you are referencing Jim Morrison (a fellow Sagittarian)? My memories of The Doors lyrics are pretty foggy, but I do remember Eric Burden and the Animals singing "We gotta get out of this place--if it's the last thing we ever do...."
Pretty well sums up my feelings about Gringolandia.
"...trying to make you think outside of the box of Gringolandia."
Actually, I was referencing what you said! And, yes, I am Sagittarian. I also attribute still being alive to refusing to accept limitations- but I am weakening over time and being conscious of what is going on in "el mundo hoy" is not helping. The spirit has a lot of fight, just the body is failing. Vaya con Dios.
Thanks for your good wishes. I know it is very debilitating to deal with the reality of the world we live in. There seems to be a fairly direct relationship with my episodes of failing kidneys and the escalation of violence levels on the planet. I have let my own website go since the end of the year in order to post on other sites, as I simply do not have the physical stamina to do both.
One of my therapies is cooking and serving really good food to my adopted family here. Prices for food in Mexico have risen dramatically--to the point where sales are down by 50% in all the mercados in Mexico City and the adjoining state of Morelos (where I live)--and sales have fallen off at pretty much the same level at the supermarkets (WalMart and others of its ilk). Folks just don't have enough money to buy all the food they need.
Menu for today: pork ribs baked in a sauce of chile pasilla, maple syrup, tamarind sauce, soy sauce, garlic and lime juice--to be served with mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli.
I am off to make dinner now.
Oh Serena, give it a rest--Unless you are 100% Native American your Latin forbearers were just as bloody and just as big a bunch of lying, murdering thieves as the Gringos you so easily despise.
Or have you never heard of Columbus, Cortez, Pizzaro, Coronado, Ponce De Leon, Somoza, Batista, Pinochet, and the Trujillos to name but a few--all of them a pack of lying, murdering, thieves. Living in such a glass house should caution you against throwing so many stones at "Gringolandia". (But given the aproaching full moon it probably won't!)
Poet
Poet,
You really lost your cool on this one. I suggest hanging your head in shame for awhile--then soak it in a bucket of ice water and sober up.
I am not 100% Native American by blood, it's true, but I am CULTURALLY Native American as I was raised by my Native American grandfather in the Red Road traditions.
I have no Latin ancestors--unless you consider French Canadians to be Latins--which they would be surprised to hear.
Gringo governments imposed and/or kept in power Somoza, Batista, Pinochet and Trujillo--as well as a host of other cute dictators that murdered their people with YOUR tax dollars.
I don't live in a glass house, but my life--with its extremely low ecological footprint and its committment to social justice--is transparent.
Your post--in its irrational verbal violence and ad hominem rage--nicely made my point about you gringos being dragged kicking and screaming into awareness of the world we live in. You got a long way to go, baby.
Serena sez:
I don't live in a glass house, but my life--with its extremely low ecological footprint and its committment to social justice--is transparent.
Your post--in its irrational verbal violence and ad hominem rage--nicely made my point about you gringos being dragged kicking and screaming into awareness of the world we live in. You got a long way to go, baby.
****************
Poet replies (with a big thanks to Cheryl Wheeler)
If I were maybe a wolf or a dog
I wouldn't have to speak
Wouldn't have to talk
Just eat my dinner and go for a walk
And howl at the moon
And if I were laying there just like you
All curled up the way dogs do
I'd dream that dream that you're dreamin' too
And howl at the moon
Howl at the moon
Howl at the moon
And if I could carry your black and white
Sleep so sound wake so nice
I'd keep real close to my own advice
And howl at the moon
Oh, you know something I don't know
You go places I can't go
You lift your head when the breezes blow
To voices older than time
I'll keep you close
Oh, I like you near
I'll touch your head and pull your ear
And watch you resting while I sit here
And howl at the moon
Howl at the moon
Howl at the moon
Howl at the moon
I'll watch you resting while I sit here
And howl at the moon
****************
As that special time of the month approaches (the full moon not THAT time of the month!) may your dog nature revel in itself. I wish you well.
Poet
I don't have any reason to wish YOU well--and it's very clear that YOU are the dog howling at the moon.
We Ravens are way too smart to do that.
I know--thank you for finally proving my original point--WHICH IS YOUR COMMON HUMANITY WITH THE REST OF US in Gringolandia Ms. Guerilla Theater. Now that didn't hurt so bad did it?
Poet
Poet, you needn't have got so nasty with that "time of the month" remark to Serena, a rather low blow. "Common humanity," perhaps, but you certainly draw a hard line between the sexes. I do see, however, that you have the decency to keep quiet on the historical issue of the respective genocides in North and South America, having been set right on that one.
Clovis, as I noted in my original post the "time of the month" remark (and congruent with the lyric quoted above it) referred to the coming of the full moon (middle of this week) and not anything else. I put the disclaimer in the remark because I knew that someone would get it wrong--thank you for proviong my point.
Poet
That's called the Intentional Fallacy--which, if you have any real claim to being a poet, you should be aware of.
Words, once they hit the page, are in business for themselves, and your INTENTION doesn't matter one whit.
You seem to be unaware that post-menopuase women don't have those times of the month.
Time to go back to school to take Creative Writing and Biology.
I never said, BTW, that I didn't share the same species with you. Just that I am not happy about that.
Serena: I am sad that you have lupus and very happy you are doing OK. The meal sounded delicious. I can empathize with your having to chose between doing a website and posting on websites, in re stamina. And Post-menopause is fabulous.
Thanks for your good wishes.
When the dust toxic phosphorus dust finally settles in Gaza I will be able to update my own website. Or sooner if my disgust level with some of the barbaric attitudes on this site reaches its limit. I read a good definition of barbarians in our paper, La Jornada, today: Barbarians are folks who bestialize other people so that they can ignore their human rights. I have already been bestialized several times today on this site by a sanctimonious New Age huckster. Par for the course, I suppose.
Any time of one's life is fabulous--if it's not frittered away in addictions to tv, shopping, booze, sex, etc.
Jung talked about th first half of life being spent on ego development, and that the second half should be spent on developing community. I think he was right.
Actually, poet, that's not true. Bloody and savage and ruthless as the Spaniards were, their attitude towards the indigenous populations did not have the same profoundly racist character as that of the predominantly Anglo-Dutch settlers up north. From the start the Spaniards began to mix with the "Indios" as a specific imperial strategy, whereas "miscegenation" was a definite no-no for gringo whitey, who saw it as no less than the work of the devil. This is one important reason why the European populations of North America were able to achieve a far more complete genocide of the natives than the Spaniards, who, while still racist to a lesser degree, did not wish to wipe them all out.
It worked well for the Spaniards. Some say it was the first truly large scale germ warfare, the Spaniards introducing European diseases (the flu, small pox) to the natives, wiping out millions. In natural cyclical response the Spaniards also got a taste of their own... Montezumas Revenge, Aztec Two Step... etc.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1963 & 1968- Dallas and Los Angeles Coup d'État by the US Military Industrial Junta completed according to modern examination of old evidence
"I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones.", Albert Einstein. (Ed note: WHITE PHOSPHOROUS, DENSE METAL SUPER WEAPONS, NUCLEAR STICK UP, MISSILE DEFENSE, AND PROPAGANDA!!!!!)
The whites did the same thing. Northern indigenous groups didn't have any more immunity to European diseases than central and southern ones.
"The blankets they gave the Indians only made them die" (Michael Franks, "Antonio's Song")
By the way, MOCTEZUMA's (not Montezuma's) Revenge is no big deal. Hardly a fatal illness.
There is no need to trivialize genocide.
I didn't mean to trivialize anything, if that's what you read from my 'cyclical response' wording. This stuff was bad. My understanding is that practically the entire Aztec civilization was wiped out at the drop of a european germ.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1963 & 1968- Dallas and Los Angeles Coup d'État by the US Military Industrial Junta completed
"I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones.", Albert Einstein. (Ed note: WHITE PHOSPHOROUS, DENSE METAL SUPER WEAPONS, NUCLEAR STICK UP, MISSILE DEFENSE, AND PROPAGANDA!!!!!)
Clovis your post above carries the odious scent of Latino exceptionailsm (which I recognize as Serena's ironic and satirical strategy to provoke responses on the forum).
For the record all peoples whether European, African (Black as well as Arabic), Middle Eastern, Indians (by which I mean those who dwell in the land of India), and other Asians have taken their turn at:
Getting wealthy and powerful by stealing the productive labor and wsges off of captive peoples and using them and their progeny as so much breeding stock to increase their wealth and power.
Developing theologies or philosophhies of exceptionalism which portrayed them as God's (or evolution's in the case of the Ubermensch or Communist dogmas)special agents and therefore not subject to the same rules and limitations of those they subjugated.
Eventually becoming decadent and corrupt and crumbling as their lies were neither sustainable or believable in their minds of those of their progeny. From Egypt to Babylon, to Assyria, to Greece, to Rome, Saladin and other Muslim conquerers, to Imperialist Europe, to Imperialist America, the story has and will always remain the same.
It's not a Gringo or Latino thing--it's a human nature thing and the only solution is to transform human nature. Short of Divine intervention this transformation is about as likely as finding a clean way to use coal or a safe way to dispose of nuclear waste.
Poet
No, poet, I make no case for Latino exceptionalism, and am not Latino myself. I am indeed a "gringo." I am merely stating historical fact when I say that the Spanish conquerors had a policy of mixing with the native peoples as a strategy of conquest, and that this policy, which is as unjustifiable as any form of forced conquest, is nevertheless less racist than the wholesale genocide carried out by the settlers of North America, who were loath to mix with the native population and believed that their "god" forbade it. Read the histories, my friend. The conquistadores were very wicked, no doubt about it, but you simply cannot deny that there are far more indigenous people still alive, and there is far more indigenous culture still alive, in Latin America than in North America, and it's not only because the natives in the south were more numerous than in the north. It's also because, like it or not, the Spaniards were less racist and less genocidal.
Incidentally, I use the terms "gringo" and "whitey" in this and my previous post for purely rhetorical (and ironic) effect. Surely you, as a poet, should understand such literary devices.
The French settlers in Canada also mixed with the indigenous groups--which is why I am Waban-Aki and French Canadian.
Poet needs a damn good purgative for the foolish and ignorant racism he has smeared on this thread.
Scratch a gringo and out it comes, more often than not--and on this spectacularly hypocritical pseudo-progressive site it's particularly insidious.
An aside from the exasperation and disgust re the US lawmakers about Pres. Truman and his support of the Israelis:
"In his diaries, Pres. Truman made the following observation: "The Jews, I find, are very, very selfish. They care not how many Estonians, Latvians, Finns, Poles, Yugoslavs or Greeks get murdered or mistreated as D[isplaced] P[ersons] as long as the Jews get special treatment. Yet when they have power, physical, financial or political neither Hitler nor Stalin has anything on them for cruelty or mistreatment to the under dog."
Truman was right about a lot of things.
And I have definitely gotten a lot of mileage out of his saying, "If you can stand the heat, get out of the kitchen".
But he made one big, unforgivably wrong decision: to use nuclear weapons against Japan.
The key issue here is to stand for law.
The missile attacks on Israeli civilians are terrorism, and are war crimes. Missile attacks or RPG attacks on Israeli tanks within Lebanon or Gaza are not crimes, they are legitimate defense, and legitimate resistance.
The Israeli attacks on Gaza are terrorism, and constitute a vast bunch of war crimes, on a larger scale than the crimes of Hamas. And the Israeli crimes are the direct responsibility of the United States, and each of us as US citizens.
The Israeli occupation of the West Bank, the blockade of Gaza, the occupation of East Jerusalem, are all war crimes and crimes against humanity.
The US policy should be (obviously) to make aid contingent on adherence to international law; to put peace keepers in Palestine areas; and to insist on the fulfillment of UNSC resolution 242, the Geneva Initiative, and the Saudi Plan.
Here is a link to the Roll Call on this vote:
http://clerk.house.gov/cgi-bin/vote.asp?year=2009&rollnumber=10
Note the courageous, compassionate five:
Dennis Kucinich, Gwen Moore, Ron Paul, Nick Rahall, and Maxine Waters.
Let us remember them.
And note the semi-courageous 22 who voted "present":
Abercrombie, Blumenauer, DeFazio, Dingell, Edwards (MD), Ellison, Farr, Grijalva, Hinchey, Johnson (GA), Kilpatrick (MI), Barbara Lee, McCollum, McDermott, George Miller, Moran (VA), Oliver, Payne, Loretta Sanchez, Stark, Watson, Woolsey.
Let us remember them.
And let us remember the complicity of the war criminals in Congress who voted yes to the crimes of Israel against Gaza and its citizens.
I hope we will be finding and running authentic representatives to replace those in office now. The five who stood up should be given a reward - we should shield them against electoral challenges. Those other politicians will understand the reward / punishment level of ethics.
Joe
I agree Joe, especially in congressional primaries. I think Cindy Sheehan proved in her race against Pelosi that independent challenges are extraordinarily difficult to win. It wasn't close, and Cindy was well-known, a true progressive, in a district that Pelosi betrayed.
Your idea is something PDA (Progressive Democrats of America) is a good group to pursue that. So are the state progressive caucuses in the Democratic Party, and, as always, working to support the Green Party in a progressive Democrat/Green Party alliance of some kind.
We should think about what happened to our dear Cindi, why she got so little electoral support in a district where many agreed with her on issues. Not for the purpose of telling her to water down her message, but to see how the campaign could have made more connections and been more effective. Long ago I realized that having a good message is only a small factor in politics. You know psychological studies show that in general people understand only about 10% of what you say in words. The rest is body language.
Then there is organization, which the Obama campaign understood to a tee. Since we do not have the big bucks, we have to figure out how to get the small bucks and then to use each dollar effectively and in a targeted way. We have to understand how not to waste volunteers' time but to make people honestly feel that working on a campaign is time well spent. We need to be smart and savvy.
The democratic organizations you mention sound like one possibility among many. One test of worthiness will be the ability of contenders to form alliances and then fight for inclusion of progressives and independents in debates and news coverage. The way the dems supported shutting Kucinich and others out of debates was completely shameful. The campaigns were run with the maturity and democratic principles of toddler beauty pageants.
For most members of Congress, unless you can hypnotize them with bigger money bags, they ain't gonna listen to you or speak up for the Palestinians who are already looked at as "threats" simply because they ain't armed or rich.
No shit!
How many folks in the US Congress were not purchased by Big Guns and Big Oil and served up on a menu for you suckers to choose from and vote?
Count 'em on one hand?
Probably.
And we get to pay the price. I do not know whom Israel thinks that it is helping...
Well, it's helping itself to US tax dollars that could be spent for health care and other social needs.
So it's helping millions of gringos to have shorter lifetimes, lower-quality education, non-repaired infrastructure, and a name that stinks of moral putrescence.
A fair amount, in short.
Jeevee
..."hewing to ties", or lies?
The silver lining in all of these is giving a drunk a few feet of rope and letting him to hang himself. The United States' unconditional support has allowed the Israelis to show their true hand and put an end to playing the victim's role after the Holocaust. Now they are playing Nazi's role. Let them play it as much as they can. Nothing stays the same forever. Even the Nazis came to an end. Sooner or later the wind will blow the other way. Hope it will be sooner than later.
topaz
yes,a common dream....maybe,just maybe Obama will be able to adress this tragic,ongoing conflict by taking a new ,bold,fresh look at the present situation,open talks,and in time find a lasting solution ,together with the world community..i am a dreamer..but remember,the best hard dreamed dreams can become the best reality.
I'm glad you are a dreamer, but Obama already has taken a "a new, bold, fresh look at the present situation" and still supports Israel.
But this doesn't mean he will approach the peace process in the same way as Bush. He is allowing low-level contact with Hamas. That, in and of itself, is a "a new, bold, fresh look at the present situation".
Obama simply understands that the desire for peace must be balanced against Israel's need for security. Also, let's not ignore that our inextricable relationship to the Middle East makes Israel an important regional ally in the War on Terror.
"Obama already has taken a "a new, bold, fresh look at the present situation" and still supports Israel."
You call that "bold and fresh" ? It's called the same old bribery and cowardice dude. AIPAC pretty much has him and Congress right where they want them.
Israel will never withdraw all Jewish settlements from the West Bank because that will trigger a civil war in Israel of unpredictable outcome. At the very least it will make the withdrawal of Jewish settlements from Gaza look like child's play.It is even possible that an Israeli analog to Spain's Franco will become the dictator of Israel. The past illustrates Israel's tactics. Allow "talks" to reach a point of or near agreement, then trigger a war which will stop all talks for another year. New elections help also. The Western world, especially our country which refused European Jews enhanced and swift entry as refugees from Hitler Germany in the 1930's, is still smarting too much from the Holocaust to do anything about this ruse.
I called (my) senator Bernie Sanders office to see how he voted on the backing Israel in the Gaza invasion resolution. The senatorial aid stated since the Senate did not have an open roll call vote that they did not know how Bernie voted. How about that? Want to guess how Bernie voted?
If Bernie was present in the Senate for the voice vote he voted aye because the vote was unanimous according to reports.
The US should borrow one of those F-16s we gave the Israelis money to buy and drop some leaflets over Israel saying, "Stop the genocide or we won't give you #6 billion a year anymore."
Reid had some nerve saying the American people went along with his lopsided resolution. Isn't it time for he and Pelosi to head off into the sunset? What good are they doing the American peoople? Two jerks.
To be replaced by who? This is American foreign policy as usual.Where in the world has a US client state ever been guilty of committing atrocities,they're carrying out orders for which they will be rewarded.Check the historical record.Hussein gassed the Kurds ,US aid increased dramatically .There are way to many examples to list here the pattern is so pervasive it should be a recognized mathematical equation by now.The Israeli government dosnt give a damn about its citizenry (does any)they get paid to do a job. Do you suppose that if Israel were not so strategically located (slap in the middle of the world energy source) that it would have been the leading recipient of US foreign aid for the 35 years.This beautiful country home to so much shared history has been turned into the world biggest off-shore military base not for its own protection but to insure those resources stay in hands that cater to OUR interests.These policy's are not intended to help people,policy is made for profit if people get hurt well thats just the price of doing business.Business is what maters to leaders not people .You cant expect the fox to have the well being of the chickens at heart, you can however it seems to me ,take stock in the comfort that most people in the world are sick to death of their respective foxes,hope we can build on it.Peace.
I voted for Dennis Kucinich in the 2008 Dem. primary in NYS, just before he exited. Sigh. Right now, I am one very very upset older Jewish woman.
Having just heard/read that Israel threatens escalation in Gaza, I ask, "Who will stop an out of control/yet deliberate military inhumanities?". The US government can but won't. The US government can and won't stop its out of control/yet deliberate military inhumanities in Iraq and Afghanistan.
I just read in the Irish (Dublin) press that Rice was poised to vote for the UN resolution but was stopped by a call from the white House.
A common sign at the various protest marches over the last few years has been:
"US Congress - Another Israeli occupied territory" 'Nough said.
In solidarity, Walter
Dennis, Ron and Nick....tread softly, watch your back, protect your family and for God's sake, stay off planes....PLEASE! And thank you from the bottom of my heart for your courage...