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December 30, 2008 at 15:26:22
Promoted to Headline (H3) on 12/30/08: by Bruce K. Gagnon Page 1 of 1 page(s) |
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The Israeli attack on Gaza is getting personal for me.
In 1966 while visiting my mothers family in Connecticut my Italian grandfather took me into the dining room and opened a chest of drawers. He took a bag from the chest and handed it to me and said, "These have been in the family for generations. I want you to have them." Inside the bag were a bunch of old hand-knitted yarmulkes. It was then that I learned that his family, back in Italy, had been Jewish. At some point the family had hidden this fact and become "Northern Baptists" as a way to fit into American culture.
You can imagine my surprise at 14 years-old to learn this story. No one had ever spoken a word about this to me or anyone else. My grandfather said nothing else about the subject. My mother would not even comment on the matter until she was near death just this past year when she finally admitted the truth. Somewhere along the way she had taken the bag of yarmulkes and hidden or destroyed them. I've never seen them since about 1970.
When the 1967 Arab-Israeli six-day war began I wanted to go fight for Israel. I began to read everything I could about the history of the Jewish people. I wanted to make up for lost time.
While going to school at the University of Florida some years later I got a part-time job working for a disabled woman. She was writing a book on the many forms of genocide and one day she had me go to the library and copy a page from a book. This particular page was a table called "The Caloric Reduction Intake Schedule," one of Hitler's occupation Army documents from the Warsaw, Poland Jewish ghetto. Hitler had a plan to reduce the amount of food that the Jews inside the ghetto would eat over a period of time knowing it would cause their premature death. Another form of genocide. I was stunned as I copied the page. Pure evil it was.
In the 1990's, while coordinating the Florida Coalition for Peace & Justice, at that time based in Orlando, I got a phone call from the Jewish Federation Board of Directors asking me to come to their next meeting. I had no clue what they wanted. When I arrived they had me stand at a podium in front of about a dozen board members sitting behind the dais. The chairman began to yell at me telling me that the federation would never donate to the Florida Coalition again because I ran an article in the last edition of our newsletter, Just Peace, that was sympathetic to the cause of the Palestinian people. I let him rave on and didn't say a word until he was finished. Then I calmly told him that in fact the Jewish Federation had never given the Florida Coalition a single penny and that we had always furnished the newsletter to them as a courtesy. I also told him that many of our members across the state wanted peace in the Middle East and were committed to fair treatment and justice for the Palestinian people and that position was not going to change. At that point I was escorted out of the room to shouts from the chair.
As I look at the news I see that 370 Palestinians have been killed during the last few days of Israeli bombing, unknown hundreds have been wounded. I also heard that six Israeli citizens have been killed by rockets fired by Palestinians.
I also see that recent Green Party presidential candidate Cynthia McKinney is aboard the 60-foot, pleasure boat called Dignity that was rammed earlier today by Israeli naval vessels. The Dignity was attempting to bring medical volunteers and supplies to Gaza. Those on the boat included the crew and 16 passengers -- physicians from Britain, Germany and Cyprus and human rights activists. The Dignity was severely damaged in the attack.
"I would call it ramming. Let's just call it as it is," McKinney told CNN. "Our boat was rammed three times, twice in the front and one on the side. Our mission was a peaceful mission to deliver medical supplies and our mission was thwarted by the Israelis -- the aggressiveness of the Israeli military," she said.
Throughout my years as a peace activist there has always been pressure excerpted on our movement to stay away from the Palestinian issue. While many Jewish Americans in the peace movement show great courage and work to oppose Israel's heavy-hand against the Palestinians, many influential Jewish citizens make it their job to block any real organizing to criticize Israel and to stop efforts by the peace movement to show any solidarity with the Palestinian people or to cut U.S. military aid to Israel.
I have come to believe that Israel's Palestinian policy is genocidal. When we see Israel blocking food and medical shipments into Gaza it is clear that they know this will lead to the premature deaths of many people who live there. The constant state of war on the Palestinian people is an attempt to destroy their culture and shorten the life spans of the people. When I see the pain and suffering in the eyes of the Palestinian people I see the American Indians. Gaza is an Indian reservation. The Indians had bows and arrows to stand up against the U.S. cavalry's cannons and repeating rifles. The people in Gaza fire wayward rockets and Israel uses state-of-the-art U.S. military high-tech weapons systems. It's David vs Goliath.
The Israeli military has created a two-mile war cordon along the Gaza border and their commanders say that a ground force invasion is now a distinct possibility. The international media reports their access to Gaza is being closed off.
We know Bush will remain silent. In her CNN interview Cynthia McKinney calls on Obama to make a statement. But he is playing golf and body surfing in Hawaii and will likely also remain silent. Most American people remain silent as well because they know that to speak out on behalf of the Palestinian people means they will often be accused of being anti-Semitic.
But it is not anti-Semitic to say Israel has lost its soul. It is not wrong to stand up and say stop the genocide of the Palestinian people.
http://www.space4peace.org
Bruce Gagnon is the Coordinator of the Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space.
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| 13 comments |
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I would call it genocide..
With Rahm Emanuel as Obama's chief of staff, you can forget about any assistance to the Palestinians. He is a war mongering zionist who, as a dual citizen, fought in the Israeli army in 91. THAT is where his loyalties lie. His father was a member of the zionist terrorist group "Ingun" in the 40's and it seems the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. No, Mr Emanuel is no fan of peace in the middle east. Karl Rove has got nothin' on him in the nasty department. Rahm is itching for war with Iran and he may just get it. Look for things to worsen in the region with the Obama presidency. by jersey girl (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 1201 comments [734 recommended, 12 rejected]) on Tuesday, Dec 30, 2008 at 5:59:39 PM  (0+)
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Israel Has Not Lost Her Soul
The attack on Gaza is Israel's desperate attempt to save Jewish, Palestinian and Iranian lives. For some time the Iranians have been supplying Hamas with long range missiles. [Tonight, one of these exploded two blocks from my home deep inside Israel.] My nation is trying to stop this bombardment to save Jewish civilians. Since Iran is nearing the point of production of nuclear weapons, Israel must determine her intent. If Iran continues to supply Gaza [or Hezbollah] with these missiles, it is no problem to fit them with nuclear warheads. Israel is running the risk of nuclear destruction [with Pakistan too]. If they prove hostile, we must destroy their nukes before they fly against us. If they don't prove hostile, we will stand down and save tens of millions of Muslim lives. Israel's respect for human life was never higher. by Jason Paz (68 articles, 88 quicklinks, 112 diaries, 1386 comments [97 recommended, 1 rejected]) on Tuesday, Dec 30, 2008 at 6:00:20 PM (0+)
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Reply: are you kidding?
Is that why the Israeli govt ordered a vessel, bearing medical supplies to the suffering Palestinians, to be rammed in international waters and made to turn back? Sorry that doesn't sound soulful nor humanitarian to me. by jersey girl (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 1201 comments [734 recommended, 12 rejected]) on Tuesday, Dec 30, 2008 at 6:17:46 PM (0+)
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Reply: You should be ashamed for attempting to defend Israel's
blatant savage murderousness. You're exactly like a Bush apologist claiming that the US invasion of Iraq was intended to "save Iraqi lives" -- when it actually destroyed the whole country & killed over a million Iraqis. Your BS about Iran's "nuclear warheads" is about as valid as Bush's charges that Saddam had "WMD." Do you recall anything about how that worked out? Israel's "soul" & its "respect for human life" are pretty much in plain view. When you bomb defenseless civilians, including helpless women & children, with F-16's and bunker busters (kindly donated by Washington), talk about "respect for human life" rings hollow & cheap. by Richard Mynick (2 articles, 4 quicklinks, 1 diaries, 1552 comments [255 recommended, 5 rejected]) on Tuesday, Dec 30, 2008 at 9:21:57 PM (0+)
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Those who live by sword, die by sword
Dear brother Bruce: I am not an Arab, and I do not have good relations with religious segment of muslim population. In fact, as a reformist muslim, as a progressive liberal American, I am in the black list of extremists. But, I find the policy of the Israeli government and its supporter the USA (more accurately, USA-Inc) to be immoral. Furthermore, it is the cause of radicalization of Muslims and the agenda of racists, who use Israeli's oppression and atrocities to condemn Jews. I am glad that you are standing against aggression that tends to implicate all Jews. I know from my personal experience in the past and my communication with thousands of muslims around the world. I invite you to read the last sections of Manifesto for Islamic Reform, which I have posted here. Peace, by Edip Yuksel (17 articles, 0 quicklinks, 2 diaries, 90 comments [4 recommended, 0 rejected]) on Tuesday, Dec 30, 2008 at 7:48:19 PM (0+)
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Reply: Thanks
Edip, Thanks for your thoughtful comments. Very much appreciate your words and the spirit behind them. I can tell you that more and more people in the US are figuring out that Israel and the US are doing the Palestinian people wrong. They don't know what to do though as they see AIPAC so dominant in US politics. Heartfelt statements like yours help break the blockage I think. Bruce by Bruce K. Gagnon (128 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 42 comments [1 recommended, 0 rejected]) on Tuesday, Dec 30, 2008 at 7:58:35 PM (0+)
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Jews Against Israeli/USA Government Masacre in Gaza
Please note that there are Jews who condemn what the Israeli/USA government is doing to the Palestian people. For instance see click here by Hubert Steed (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 84 comments [10 recommended, 0 rejected]) on Tuesday, Dec 30, 2008 at 8:29:37 PM (0+)
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Reply: Hubert
Probably the majority of Israelis are against their govt's policy. They are prisoners of their gov'ts murderous decisions just as we in the U.S. are. Both govts are bullies and don't care what the people want as long as their great military industrial complexes are churning out big $$$ for their benefactors. by jersey girl (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 1201 comments [734 recommended, 12 rejected]) on Wednesday, Dec 31, 2008 at 4:50:51 AM (0+)
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Re: SOME WOULD CALL IT GENOCIDE
by Munich (1 articles, 86 quicklinks, 14 diaries, 1125 comments [86 recommended, 1 rejected]) on Wednesday, Dec 31, 2008 at 12:50:01 PM (0+)
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The people need to read more to understand the Arabs
The majority of the Arabs are the people do like wars always. They are not looking for peace because of the Islamic teaching and the culture they are brought up. They are making the World unstable because of their terrorist ideologies. The Arabs used to have only Saudi Arabia and part of the Yemen’s land. They are in positions of the land from Morocco to Iraq what else they want. The Arab and Jewish people’s problem can be solved based on truth about the past. When the Arab Imperialists are going to acknowledge the truth? By admitting the crime they did commit against the humanity in the past. The Jewish people are in title of more land than what they have now because they are the original people from the region. The Arab took the land of western Persian Gulf, Iraq, and half of Syria from our Iranian people just like few years ago Saddam Hussein took part of Kirkuk, Mousel, Daylia from our Kurdish in this modern ages. Now Noori Maliki the Iraqi PM want the land because he is clamming that the land belongs to his father from Basra/Iraq. When they are going to think about peace and stop the war of land in the region. by Jaff Sassani (19 articles, 0 quicklinks, 1 diaries, 138 comments) on Wednesday, Dec 31, 2008 at 1:26:00 PM (0+)
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Hey, Jaf...
before you release yet another dozen copies of your less-than-relevant misguided responses to well-researched Op-Ed articles, just ask yourself if what you say might not carry a little more weight with some sharp editing and more-targeted posting. Peace by hommedespoir (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 55 comments [32 recommended, 0 rejected]) on Wednesday, Dec 31, 2008 at 7:36:39 PM (0+)
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The State of Israel
Is based on a land theft of Biblical proportions: "When the LORD your God brings you into the land you are to possess and casts out the many peoples living there, you shall then slaughter them all and utterly destroy them. You shall make no agreements with them nor show them any mercy. You shall destroy their altars, break down their images, cut down their groves and burn their graven images with fire. For you are a holy people unto the LORD thy God and He has chosen you to be a special people above all others upon the face of the earth." -- Book of Deuteronomy, 7:1-8 by mary sunshine (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 149 comments [79 recommended, 1 rejected]) on Wednesday, Dec 31, 2008 at 11:25:07 PM (0+)
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Tell Obama to Cut Wasteful Military Spending
All of us are implicated in the furtherance of this cycle of violence, as long as the US continues to spend hundreds of billions on failed policies of militarism. There is another way. Sign and circulate the petition for a Secure Green Future at Green Change: click here We're telling Obama to cut military spending by at least 70% and invest the savings in education, health care, preventing foreclosures and developing green energy. More military spending won't make the world safer. True security comes from living peacefully, within the limits of the Earth's capacity. by David Schwab (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 54 comments [25 recommended, 0 rejected]) on Thursday, Jan 1, 2009 at 9:12:34 AM (0+)
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