| |
| January 1, 2009 Yesterday, we met with the President of Lebanon, the Chief of the Military, and the Interior Minister who all thanked us for responding and risking our lives on a mission of mercy; we profusely thanked them for rescuing us. What would we have done, stranded out at sea, prohibited from reaching our destination, low on fuel, with a badly damaged boat if Lebanon had not
accepted us? Lebanon sent their ships to find us. Lebanon rescued us. Lebanon welcomed us. And we are truly thankful. It’s official now. We’ve been told that the sturdy, wood construction of our boat, Dignity, is the reason we are still alive. Fiberglass would probably not have withstood the impact of the Israeli attack and under different circumstances, we might not be here to tell the story. Even at that, the report that came to us yesterday after the Captain and First Mate
went back to Sour (Tyre) to inspect the boat was that it was sinking, the damage is extensive, and the boat will take, in their estimation, at least one month to repair. Tomorrow, we will bring the Dignity from Sour to Beirut. And now, we must decide what to do and from where we will do it and how we are to get back to wherever that might be.( Read more... ) | |
|
| December 30, 2008
I’m so glad that my father told me to buy a special notebook and to write everything down because that’s exactly what I did. When we left from Cyprus, one reporter asked me “are you afraid?” And I had to respond that Malcolm X wasn’t afraid; Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. wasn’t afraid. But little did I know that just a few hours later, I would be recollecting my life and mentally preparing myself for death. When we left Cyprus, the Mediterranean was beautiful. I remember the time when it might have been beautiful to look at, but it was also filthy. The Europeans have taken great strides to clean it up and yesterday, it was beautiful. And the way the sunlight hit the sea, I remember thinking to myself that’s why they call it azure. It was the most beautiful blue. </div> | |
|
| There is an interesting conversation happening over on Facebook about the article I posted, I have hidden the names of all the commentors, but here are the contents of the response thus far: Respondent 1: Are there actually people dumb or gullible enough to believe the absurdly blatant lies upon which this left wing loon bases his ideological rants? Everything I read in the limited time I could stomach the contents of this Bush-hating, America-bashing diatribe is blatantly false.Respondent 2: How did this idiot get in here?Respondent 1: Anybody that doesn't agree with you is an idiot? That's the left wing strategy -- when you can't argue with the facts, disparage the presenter and / or make up your own "facts."
This article says the U.S. killed 1.0MM Iraqi's? Even Tim Robbins only came up with 400,000 when he fabricated his number. The U.N. and IRC both estimate the number at ... Read More75,000 people, which is roughly the same number of innocent Iraqi's that Saddam Hussein killed every 4 months, year after year after year. If Saddam Hussein were still in power, he would have murdered far more people than were killed by U.S. forces since they removed him from power. Instead, this author makes up numbers (among other things) to make the US look bad. The U.S. is a great, noble, nation -- an opinion that apparently makes me an idiot.
I can respect the viewpoints of others, and agree to disagree. When a link like this shows up on my home page, I want to be clear that I do not support such nonsense.
Dee: Identifying people as "dumb", "idiot", "gullible enough", "America bashing" or "nonsense" are all names that are not respectful. I am hopeful that people here can engage in dialogue without resorting to such labels or name calling and can indeed "agree to disagree" or choose to delete the offensive persons from their friends list.( Read more... ) | |
|
| It warms my heart when people take an event in the news and turn it into action: www.shoebush.org
JOIN US IN WASHINGTON,DC
January,19th
SHOES FOR BUSH action "For the widows, the orphans, and those killed in Iraq."
send me your old shoes to take to DC. ALL SHOES DONATED to the needy in the DC/Baltimore area and distributed by the DC Greens
On January 20th,tens of thousands of people will be gathering to celebrate the Inaugural of President Barrack Obama.It will be a historical marker and a joyous and celebratory occasion. However, the promise of change, does not mean that we can shut the door, on the past eight horrific years of the Bush administration and wipe clean the images of shear terror, torture and suffering on the faces innocent Iraqis who have faced death and total destruction of their country. Also, it will not be easy for our own families, like Melida and Carlos Arredondo who have lost their child to an unjust and immoral war. Americans of conscience are grieving for our children and for those in Iraq. To watch president Bush leave office, unaccountable is like rubbing salt into a wound. On Monday, January 19th at 11:00 people will be converging at a permitted site near the White House for what may be a cathartic action of hurling a shoe at an image of President Bush. In the spirit of Mutadhar Al-Zaidi and in solidarity with the people of Iraq, we invite you to join us. If you are will be in town for the Inaugural, bring an extra pair of shoes with you! If you cannot be there with us you can send us your shoes and we will take them to DC in a U-Haul. No Bomb-sniffing dogs at our post office! Unfortunately if you send shoes to the White House they are taken to a remote location and the gesture will be for not. We are designating a page on this web site to post the names of people who are collecting shoes in your area. These people will deliver the shoes to collection points where those who will be traveling to DC, by car, will pick bring them up. Please consider writing notes and putting them in your shoes. We will read them at the SHOES FOR BUSH event where documentary film maker Scott Hamann will be recording this historic mass action. Artists are invited to be creative if they choose to create a work of art work with their shoes. ALL SHOES WILL BE DONATED TO THE NEEDY IN THE WASHINGTON/BALTIMORE AREA. A few will be saved for posterity and perhaps we should donate those to the Bush Library. My appreciation goes out David Swanson for his literary contribution and support as well as to Andrew Lehman, Marcia Bernstein and Dana Simpson for their contribution of web site creation, The Washington Peace Center, the DC Statehood Green Party and my activist friends and organizations in DC who are supporting this mass action. Jamilla El-Shafei organizer@shoebush.org | |
|
|  From the rawstoryThe aim of "Sock and Awe" (www.sockandawe.com), launched by Britain's Alex Tew, is to knock Bush out with a shoe, a feat already attained by 1.4 million players, according to the website Tuesday. Aptly named after the US "Shock and Awe" military campaign to knock out Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, the game gives players 30 seconds to aim at a figure of Bush ducking behind a rostrum. It was in protest against the Bush administration's Iraqi policy that journalist Durgham Zaidi threw both his shoes at the outgoing president Sunday during his swansong visit to the battleground. The action won Zaidi widespread plaudits in the Arab world where Bush's policies have drawn broad hostility. | |
|
| The Emperor’s New Clothes
(or Bil Kundara* America)
*a threatening remark involving the potential use of a shoe By Vi Ransel 12/18/08 Our strutting, imperial president
paid his farewell visit to Iraq
where he appeared with puppet, Nouri al-Maliki,
not expecting to find himself under attack. He stood in front of the world’s TV cameras
and pontificated at a press conference podium
“The work hasn’t been easy, but it’s been necessary” he said,
thus exposing America as the world’s moral colon with this flippant dismissal of four million refugees
and the destruction of an entire society,
the erasure of the beginnings of Western Civilization
and the taking of more than a million Iraqi lives by means of his aggressive and illegal war
on a non-threatening, essentially unarmed nation.
And then Bush got as close as he’d ever come
to confronting the reality of one of his failures. As this genocidal, sociopathic Upper Class Twit
was doing a rhetorical backstroke in Iraqi blood,
he was given a final and fitting tribute
in the universal language of television. A young, Iraqi journalist introduced him
to one of the Middle East’s most well-known customs
which exposed the indecency of George W. Bush
like Joe Welch did to McCarthy and his Commission. While world journalists still refuse to ask the questions
which would skewer Bush with his own callous charade,
he stood up and with the courage of his convictions
threw his shoes into George W. Bush’s smug face. He yelled “Ya kalb!” calling Bush “You Dog!”
treating the occupier to a souvenir of his “victory”,
not a shower of flowers from grateful Iraqis,
but a shower of shoes from Muntather al-Zaidi. 
This is the farewell kiss, you dog.
This is a gift from the Iraqis, he went on.
This is from those who were killed in Iraq,
from the injured, the widows and the orphans. Bush ducked the first shoe and in seconds
Muntather had fired off the other
aimed just above Bush’s head, it hit the American flag,
and brought a whole new meaning to the term “shoe bomber”. In most Middle Eastern countries, the shoe
is seen as an object of dirt, pollution and disrespect
and can be used to insult or to denigrate someone
and millions the world over share the same contempt for this miserable, draft-dodging chicken hawk
who’s conducted a War of Terror and stunning atrocities
from the distant safety of his Washington Offal Office
for eight years and made it seem like eternity. And while protected by billions in military technology,
still he stood exposed, not as emperor, but as fool,
and he proved he was no match for a man without a weapon,
armed with only the truth and two of his shoes. Overnight Muntather al-Zaidi became
one of the most beloved people on the face of the earth,
and even in America the man who humiliated the president
is more popular than the president himself. Please go to www.uruknet.info and click on either “Sacred Shoe” or “The Hero Who Made Bush’s Head a Playground for His Shoes” to sign a petition for the release of this courageous young man. Thank you. Thanks also to Layla Anwar for the term “bil kundara” and its definiton. Poet and part-time actor Viola Ransel is a Senior Contributing Editor with CJO. | |
|
| Ed Asner on Huffington Post I've been around this world for awhile, and it's pretty hard to leave me speechless. But when I learned about Omer Goldman - well, her story got me.
If you haven't heard the name Omer Goldman yet, have a seat and grab your Kleenex. Her courage, and the courage of the other "Shministim" in Israel is utterly humbling. And amazing. I don't use those words lightly.
As you can see from the photo, she's young and lovely. 19 years old. She's already served two terms in an Israeli military jail, where she had to wear an American military uniform (a gift to the Israelis) or face solitary confinement. Now, she's out of jail for medical reasons. But as you read this, many of her young friends are in an Israeli prison for refusing to serve in the military there.
This new generation of young Israeli kids is standing up to the government - they call 'em "Shministim." The Shministim- all about ages 17, 18, 19 and in the 12th grade - are taking a stand. They believe in a better, more peaceful future for themselves and for Israelis and Palestinians, and they are refusing to join the Israeli army. They're in jail, holding strong against immense pressure from family, friends and the Israeli government. They need our support and they need it today. In her own words:
Send a letter to the
Israeli Minister of Defense.
I am Omer Goldman.
I am one of the Shministim.
I need your help.
I first went to prison on September 23 and served 35 days. I am lucky, after 2 times in jail, I got a medical discharge, but I'm the only one. By the time you read this, many of my friends will be in prison too: in for three weeks, out for one, and then back in, over and over, until they are 21. The reason? We refuse to do military service for the Israeli army because of the occupation.
I grew up with the army. My father was deputy head of Mossad and I saw my sister, who is eight years older than me, do her military service. As a young girl, I wanted to be a soldier. The military was such a part of my life that I never even questioned it.
Earlier this year, I went to a peace demonstration in Palestine. I had always been told that the Israeli army was there to defend me, but during that demonstration Israeli soldiers opened fire on me and my friends with rubber bullets and tear-gas grenades. I was shocked and scared. I saw the truth. I saw the reality. I saw for the first time that the most dangerous thing in Palestine is the Israeli soldiers, the very people who are supposed to be on my side.
When I came back to Israel, I knew I had changed. And so, I have joined with a number of other young people who are refusing to serve - they call us the Shministim. On December 18th, we are holding a Day of Action in Israel, and we are determined to show Israelis and the world that there is wide support for stopping a culture of war. Will you join us? Please, just sign a letter. That's all it takes.
So, there you go. Omer Goldman. Now that you've met her, I'll bet you won't forget her. Better yet, damn it, do something for her, for the Shministim, for peace. Jewish Voice for Peace is the U.S. group heading things up for them. Here's the link.
One more thing - I know that this can be a tough subject for many of us Jews. But, I find it hard to believe than anyone can look Omer in the eye and tell her that she has to risk her life and her future for Israel whether she wants to or not. It's just not right. Especially during this time of year, when many of us are getting ready to celebrate a holiday about freedom- well, take a good long look at that photo. You're celebrating her.
Thanks for reading and send your letter here.
Ed Asner | |
|
| 22.11.2008 Dear President-elect Obama:
Please accept our congratulations on your victory in the United States presidential election.
We address this appeal to you due to our concern for the preservation of the democratic process in the Czech Republic and for the security of the European community.
As you know, the Bush government and the Czech government have agreed to place the military radar base of the US National Missile Defense (NMD) system on Czech territory. Two thirds of the Czech citizenry do not, in the long term, agree with the arrangement. Despite thier opposition, the Czech government has signed agreements with the United States that are due to be ratified shortly by the Parliament. The current deputieswere elected before there was any public discussion about the project, however, and the involvement of the Czech Republic in the NMD system was not on any Czech parliamentary election platform.
The plan to place elements of this system in the heart of Europe is causing tension between USA and Russia, as well as between USA and the European Union, and will lead to a new expansion of the arms race. We are concerned that due to this advanced system, Europe will become the main battlefield in a potential international conflict and that the Czech Republic would be, due to the radar, the target of a first attack. The matter is made even more sensitive by the fact that after the fall of communism in 1989, the Czech people vowed that a foreign army would never again be stationed on their territory.
We kindly ask you to reassess the attitude of the US government towards the placement of NMD elements in Europe and to put a stop to this very dangerous and unstable project. We hope that the change so strongly symbolized by your victory will turn into reality, that the new American leadership can move us all in the direction of a world without wars and violence, and that the tendency towards the escalation of arms and military aggression will be replaced instead by investment into areas that contribute to real human development.
We entreat you as the president of a country that has long symbolized democracy to respect the will of the Czech citizens, who are being deprived of their democratic rights by their own government.
Yours faithfully,
Jan Tamás, spokesperson of Non-violence Movement
Dana Feminová, spokesperson of Europe for Peace
League Mayors against radar:
Jan Neoral, Trokavec mayor
Josef Řihák, Příbram mayor
Jitka Říhová, Láz mayor
Josef Hála, Jince mayor
Josef Vondrášek, Rožmitál pod Třemšínem mayor
Václav Hudec, Štítov mayor
Miroslav Leitermann, Nepomuk mayor
Ladislav Turek, Bohutín mayor
Josef Karas, Obecnice mayor
Stanislav Sláma, Drahlín mayor
Josef Škvára, Sádek mayor
Jan Kohout, Křešín mayor
Jiří Prokeš, Hluboš mayor
Radek Walter, Tochovice mayor
Václav Koubík, Hůrky mayor
Lubomír Fiala , Vísky mayor
Libor Štorkán, Felbabka mayor
Josef Hrubý, Zaječov mayor
Jiří Chvojka, Chaloupky mayor
Ladislav Stelšovský, Podluhy mayor
Bohumír Vítek, Volenice mayor
Karel Daniel, Vševidy mayor
Karel Dražan, Bezděkov mayor
Daniel Synek, Sedlice mayor
Pavel Hutr, Věšín mayor
Tomáš Čížek, Chrást mayor
Karel Palivec, Předmíř mayor
Stanislav Kramosil, Hvožďany mayor
Zdeněk Vrbka, Bratkovice mayor
Miloslav Suchý, Skořice mayor
Josef Stehlík, Vranovice mayor
In support
Giulietto Chiesa - EMP
Anna Curdova – deputy czech parliament | |
|
| Iraq and Afghanistan War Veterans Join The Homeless Ethan Kreutzer joined the Army at the age of 17 and fought with the 19th Airborne in Jalalabad, Afghanistan. When he retuned home, he had no money, no education and no civilian job experience. He soon became homeless. He slept in an alley off Haight Street, behind two trash cans. June Moss drove from Kuwait to Iraq as an Army engineer in a truck convoy. When she returned to the United States, she lost her home, and drove her two young children from hotel to hotel across Northern California. Sean McKeen, a hardy, broad-shouldered 21-year-old with a wide smile, went to Iraq to clear land mines, and to get money for college. When he returned home, he became homeless in less than a week. He found himself sleeping in a cot in a crowded homeless shelter in San Francisco. They are all part of a growing trend of homelessness among returning war on terrorism veterans. Read More | |
|
| Tonight at our weekly sidewalk peace vigil (ongoing weekly since 2001), a bus driver stopped in front of us, opened the door, and said "Obama won, so why are you still out here?". I answered: "Because there are still wars going on." He nodded his head in agreement and then stated, "I'm afraid it's going to get worse before it gets better."
Although people are really happy that Obama has won the presidential race in an historic presidential election, and that the Bush cronies will no longer be in office, I do feel that there is cautious optimism.... | |
|
| http://www.squadron13.com/BillPerry/HofstraDebate/default.htmClick link for photos and video (viewer discretion advised) A group of peaceful IVAW Veterans with aspirations to contribute questions for Presidential Debate use was turned away prior to the debate, brutally trampled by mounted police, and arrested. Why won’t Obama or McCain hear what these former servicemembers have to say? Pictures below (viewer discretion advised), IVAW Press Release and relevant news links below pictures. More will be added as it becomes available. [BEGIN PRESS RELEASE] PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 16, 2008 CONTACT: Jason Lemieux, jasonlemieux@ivaw.org, 760-409-9403 or Kristofer Goldsmith, kgoldy1985@gmail.com, 516-457-1260 Iraq War Veterans Arrested While Attempting to Deliver Questions to Obama and McCain HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. ? One hour before the final presidential debate of the 2008 campaign, fourteen members of Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW) marched in formation to Hofstra University to present questions to the candidates. IVAW had requested permission from debate moderator Bob Schieffer to ask their questions during the debate, but received no response. The contingent of veterans in dress and combat uniforms attempted to enter the building where the debate was to be held in order to ask questions about poor veterans’ healthcare and supporting war resisters of the candidates, but were turned back by police. IVAW members at the front of the formation were immediately arrested, and others were pushed back into the crowd by police on horseback. Several members were injured, including former Army Sergeant Nick Morgan who suffered a broken cheekbone when he was trampled by police horses before being arrested. “Neither of the candidates has shown real support for service members and veterans. We came here to try and have serious questions answered, questions that we as veterans of the Iraq war have a right to ask, but instead we were arrested. We will continue to ask these questions no matter who is elected. We believe that the time has come to end this war and bring our troops home, and we will be pushing for that no matter what happens in this election.” said Jason Lemieux, a former Sergeant in the US Marine Corps who served three tours in Iraq, and member of IVAW. A total of ten veterans were arrested during the action, including Matthis Chiroux (Army Sergeant), Kristofer Goldsmith (Army Sergeant), Adam Kokesh (Marine Sergeant), Mike Spinato, Geoff Millard (Army Sergeant), Marlisa Grogan (Marine Captain), Nathan Peld (Navy, 1998-2004), Nick Morgan (Army Sergeant), James Gilligan (Marine Corps, 6 years) and Jose Vasquez (Army & Army Reserves, 1992-2007). Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW) was founded in July of 2004 to allow servicemen and women from all branches of the military a chance to come together and speak out against an illegal, unjust and unwinnable occupation. IVAW currently has over 1,300 members in 49 states, Canada and on military bases in the United States and overseas. To learn more about IVAW you can visit our website at www.ivaw.org [END PRESS RELEASE] Additional links: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/off-the-bus-reporter/final-debate-protesters-c_b_135083.htmlhttp://www.democracynow.org/2008/10/16/15_arrested_outside_presidential_debate_inhttp://www.digitaljournal.com/print/article/261223http://www.opednews.com/articles/Iraq-War-Veterans-Arrested-by-Kevin-Gosztola-081016-85.htmlhttp://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6962936515243468480&hl=en (25 minute video) ( Read more... ) | |
|
| - immediate withdrawal of troops & contractor
- cut off all war funding
- no war with Iran
Obama / Biden
- delayed, partial withdrawal
- authorized all war funding
- embraced doctrine of pre-emptive warfare
| |
|
| Again, thanks to Cliff at One Utah for posting this. Wexler has a lot of guts. And Rice is a Liar, big time. | |
|
| This came across my email desk from the group Peaceful Tomorrows, a group of families of victims in the World Trade Center Bombings on September 11, 2001, that formed just after that horrific tragedy to turn their grief into action. Here is there message today on teh 7th anniversary of that incident:
September 11, 2008 Dear Members, Friends and Supporters of Peaceful Tomorrows, The experience of yet another anniversary of 9/11 provides an occasion to reflect upon the hopes and beliefs that brought the members of September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows together. In response to the terrorist attacks that killed our family members, we never wanted wars of retaliation that would cause the deaths of innocent civilians in other nations. We never wanted hunger for revenge to lead America to violate international law, abandon Constitutional rights, or engage in torture.
We united to turn our grief into action for peace, believing that it is possible to break the cycles of violence caused by terrorism and war. And over the past months, from Capitol Hill to Iraqi Kurdistan and beyond we have raised our voices in support of nonviolence, human rights and the rule of law.
Guantanamo Bay Detention Center
In July, Peaceful Tomorrows members traveled to DC to lobby Congress about the need to end the abuses at the Guantanamo Bay Detention Center and rededicate the U.S. to principles of international justice. We are currently working with human rights allies at Witness Against Torture and Center for Constitutional Rights to craft a multi-faceted campaign to shut down Guantánamo within the first 100 days of the new administration. We believe it can be done!
Iraq
Perhaps the most hopeful work we are doing is our campaign to support the courageous and inspiring Iraqi peace and nonviolence activists of LaOnf. LaOnf (which roughly translates as "nonviolence" in Arabic) is a network of over 100 Iraqi civil society organizations working to promote "nonviolence as the most effective way to struggle for an independent, democratic, and peaceful Iraq."
In August Peaceful Tomorrows members Terry Rockefeller and Adele Welty met with LaOnf members in Erbil, Kurdistan as they planned activities for their 2008 Week of Nonviolence. In support of LaOnf's efforts, Peaceful Tomorrows has launched a public education campaign to inform American citizens and policymakers about these Iraqi women and men who have endured repression, invasion and occupation yet remain committed to nonviolence. In October, Peaceful Tomorrows will help communities across the U.S. to show solidarity with the LaOnf activists. You can find out more at www.peacefultomorrows.org, where you can sign up to organize or attend a screening of a documentary about LaOnf in your area.
Military Commissions
Peaceful Tomorrows members have been featured in news stories about the controversy surrounding the U.S. government's prosecution of 9/11 suspects in military tribunals. As a partner in the American Civil Liberties Union's John Adams Project, Peaceful Tomorrows supports fair trials for all people, regardless of the charges they face. We will continue to speak out against the military commissions, making clear how they embody a legal process that has been compromised by political interference and stripped of the minimum of defendants' rights and protections that define fair trials.
Afghanistan
As support for war in Iraq decreases, there are disturbing calls to increase U.S. troops to Afghanistan. Peaceful Tomorrows is categorically opposed to the idea that we can win a "War on Terror." War IS terror. We need instead to invest in programs that address the root causes of violence and terrorism. Peaceful Tomorrows has been actively working to bring Afghanistan to the forefront of the U.S. peace movement. With our allies at United for Peace and Justice, we are developing web-based materials that will prepare U.S. peace activists to effectively challenge the calls for increased military engagement in Afghanistan.
As we prepare ourselves for the work ahead, we are grateful for your loyal support. Please help us to continue our work by making a generous donation to Peaceful Tomorrows today. You can donate online at this link.
And please, go to our website at http://www.peacefultomorrows.org where you will find more information about the projects of Peaceful Tomorrows and our members, including a link to the newly launched website of the International Network for Peace, a global network of victims of terrorism, genocide, atomic weapons, occupation and war who have chosen to work for nonviolent solutions to conflict.
We look forward to hearing from you.
In peace and hope,
September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows | |
|
|
![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small}
