From time to time I receive from my friends in the Middle East, horrific photographs of the atrocities perpetrated on the Palestinians by the IDF. (Israel Defence Force) Apparently these photographs are never ever distributed in the western media; they are in fact, censored. Additionally, any essays or discussions about the Israel/Palestinian situation also never see the light of day in the Western media. Why is that? There are on the Internet at least, some articles about the Israel Lobby, and even books and articles appear in the mainstream press, most notably the writings of John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt. And there is the book by the former President of the United States, Jimmy Carter, with his book, "Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid," which was fiercely attacked by the foot soldiers of the Israel Lobby. Witness also the vociferous ongoing war of words betweenAlan Dershowitz and Norman Finkelstein, which has resulted in Professor Finkelstein not being offered tenure at the DePaul University. While I was checking the spelling of his name I came across this breaking news.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- BREAKING NEWS: "Israel Arrests Outspoken Academic Norman Finkelstein" (Democracy NOW! "And the American academic Norman Finkelstein has been arrested and ordered deported from Israel. Finkelstein arrived in Tel Aviv earlier today on his way to the Occupied Territories. He was immediately detained and told he is banned from Israel for ten years. He's expected to be deported tomorrow. Finkelstein is known as one of the most prominent academic critics of Israel's occupation of the West Bank and Gaza. He was detained by the Interior Ministry and Shin Bet.") NEW! 05.23.2008 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------So these people and many others, have stood up to the torrent of criticism directed at them from the Israel Lobby and their cohorts, even though the criticism is usually nothing to do with their message, but an attack on the messenger, denigrating the character, outright lies about the slightest error in their work, and so on.So I ask you, are you brave enough to take on the almost complete control of the media and public opinion that has grown up in the United States and also in Europe? And if you are so inclined, in what way?Writing articles on blogs and websites isn’t very brave really; it never has a chance of getting into the mainstream press or on radio and TV. Of course there are a few radio and TV stations that do publish such things, but are they largely preaching to the choir? I do get email alerts and messages to my inbox, from quite a few of these, and of course welcome the information.But what do I do with it? And I sometimes get photographs of things happening in Gaza and the West Bank, in Iraq and Afghanistan, which are heartbreaking and bring tears to my eyes. But what do I do with them?Very often the sender requests that I forward the photographs to as many people as possible. I hesitate to forward them to my friends because although my friends may be, in some ways quite open, my hesitation either stems from my cowardice in not standing up for what I profess to believe in, human rights, etc and rationalizing that perhaps they are too busy, are already working to help people in other ways.I’m sure that face to face, my friends would probably agree with me about these things happening in Gaza and the West Bank, Iraq and so on, but would they do anything about it? I’m not sure.This brings me to the realization that most people abhor such things but would prefer not to be disturbed from their comfortable lives, especially as they get older. It always seems to be the young that go on marches and protests. That’s not to say there are no older people in those marches, far from it. But by and large people have other personal worries, like keeping their jobs, making mortgage payments and bringing up their kids, the numbers in the protests speak for themselves.And then there is the recent history of such protests. I was in Istanbul at the time, but in England there was the largest protest against the war in Iraq just before Tony Blair and George Bush gave the orders to invade. What effect did that protest have? Nada, zilch, nowt. This lack of power leads to despair for many people and they give up. Quite often in the comments of progressive sites people actually say, we are preaching the choir and unless we get out there on the streets, nothing will change. Others try to counter this despair by enthusiastically advocating meet up groups, as in the ‘Ron Paul Revolution’, and although that is remarkable and commendable, will that lead to Ron Paul being elected as the next President of the United States. The best one can say is that the jury is still out on that one. So while there are plenty of advocates for change both in the United States and Europe as well as in Israel, when you stand back and look at it, there is no communication between the different groups and no organization. They all seem to be waiting for the White Knight in shining armour to come and rescue them all and perhaps also with the Palestinians.But my contention is that there will not be a White Knight and the ‘Age of Aquarius’ is characterized by group co-operation. The character of the preceding age of Pisces was the cult of the individual. Anyone who knows the astrological signs knows that the sign of Pisces is the last of the twelve signs and that there is a great new beginning with the start of the next cycle. Part of the despair felt by people who advocate change is based on the seemingly large intractable forces involved. One elite group sends its working class cannon fodder to fight the working class cannon fodder of the elites of another group or nation. How can one individual or small group of people change anything in that scenario? Witness the many dual nationality Neocons who have infiltrated the United States government and their ideology of perpetual war, for the sake of Israel, marrying Israel’s interests with the USA’s interests in the area, and the complete complicity of the ruling class of America to standing by Israel, right or wrong.The common people seem to have no chance of overturning this situation. Yet these people are just that, people, who have banded together to achieve their goals, and very successfully. The forces and people who appose this ideology are successfully marginalized, ridiculed and nullified because of the complete take over of the means of communication, the mainstream press, radio and TV. The only medium left to the others is the Internet, and the Pentagon has indicated that it would like to shut it down. And on the Internet there are many trolls, publishing disinformation and distractions, some of them very clever, but most are easily spotted and ignored.There are hundreds of thousands of people who would like to see the Zionist regime disappear from the pages of time, as Ahmadinejad said, and who is consistently misquoted, and I’m sure you all know the phrase that is repeated time and again.But are you going to stand up for justice and human rights in Palestine, Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere? Will you forward articles and photographs that are sent to you? Will you add your pen to others in advocating change in America, Europe and Israel?Everyone reading this should, at the very least, contemplate their own complacency and cowardice in the face of the undoubted strong entrenched groups that want to keep you in their control, devoid of real information, and the feeling of helplessness and powerlessness. Will you reach out to others of like mind? Will you put your pet project aside for the greater good? Will you agree with what I have written and then go on to the next thing? When will you make a stand and act like Norman Finkelstein and Jimmy Carter and many others, taking the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, and return again and again to the fray, the 'greater jihad' of struggling with your weaknesses? From today, with my limited resources and indifferent health, I will not despair, will not roll over and play dead, hoping to avoid the fight that we must all undertake – to rid the world of tyrants and not allow ourselves to be corrupted by their ideology.
These are the photographs that were sent to me…
A well traveled and slightly worse for wear 72 year old Englishman; widower, several children and grandchildren and a penchant for wondering 'what is the hidden agenda' in almost everything I read. A keen interest in American culture (an oxymoron?) (JOKE!) and politics and an international world view, except where I haven't got first hand experience of the parts of the world I have not visited. Editor of some books about the Qur'an and Islam. Teacher of English in little known countries like Mauritania, Istanbul, Turkey and Morocco.
This article was also published on Information Clearing House and the last sentense included my email address, saying if you wanted the photos to contact me.
There have been 315 requests for them to which I have replied.
The offer still stands - you can get my emai address there.
and there has been 54 interesting comments there too.
by
ibrahim turner (25 articles, 28 quicklinks, 5 diaries, 172 comments)
on Friday, May 30, 2008 at 9:14:38 AM
Mr. Turner, the ' cowardice' issue is kind off exaggarated. As a Russian refugee I can assure you that most of the people live pretty hard lives; comfort is rare. The atrocities are a part of that life and as my former collegues had proven- you should not expect everyday heroism. What you should expect and demand is truthfullness to thyself. There must be no place for self- deceit. You have to know that you are not better than anyone else. From this point of view I had already lost most of my former friends even without those photos of yours- just by saying that Israelis are capable of anything, just like anyone else. You can read my ' Israel- a haunted land' article.
So, I had said before and I say again- the only way of true patriotism of the c common citizen is to find and help honest people. Whenever, however and whatever. Find and help. The more of those we find the more we help the more is the chance for the good to win. Alexander Block, the Russian poet said,'Humanity is still here only due to the overall duty of goodness in us. '
And one more thing- in most cases we cannot prevent evil from happening but we sure as Hell can prevent ourselves from benefiting from its activities. That's courage. I don't go to foreclosures. I don't give money for Israel although I am pushed as a Jew. I do not participate in the World Congress of the Russian-speaking Jewry although that could bring me a lot of connections. Our family does not benefit from political agendas and posturing. That's what we can do.
And from time to time we can become heroes. See this:)
YES, I know he was a bard of English Empire: so what, the poem is still great! I learned in Russian school when I was 12!
IF
If you can keep your head when all about you Are losing theirs and blaming it on you, If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you But make allowance for their doubting too, If you can wait and not be tired by waiting, Or being lied about, don't deal in lies, Or being hated, don't give way to hating, And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:
If you can dream--and not make dreams your master, If you can think--and not make thoughts your aim; If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster And treat those two impostors just the same; If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools, Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken, And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:
If you can make one heap of all your winnings And risk it all on one turn of pitch-and-toss, And lose, and start again at your beginnings And never breath a word about your loss; If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew To serve your turn long after they are gone, And so hold on when there is nothing in you Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!"
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue, Or walk with kings--nor lose the common touch, If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you; If all men count with you, but none too much, If you can fill the unforgiving minute With sixty seconds' worth of distance run, Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it, And--which is more--you'll be a Man, my son!
--Rudyard Kipling
by
Mark Sashine (47 articles, 19 quicklinks, 236 diaries, 3364 comments)
on Friday, May 30, 2008 at 11:58:18 AM
I take on board what you have to say. The cowardice theme was of course a hook to get people to read it, but stemmed from the realization that I am a coward, as I wrote at length about not sending things I receive to my friends.
And by inferance, perhaps others are too.
I have illusions of grandeur like everybody else and also a dose of realism, that this article and the little wave of concern it might have raised will quickly dissappear down the rabbit hole.
Nevertheless, I put my neck out intending to suffer the consequences, if any, and to date there has not been any. It shows that this little wave is just a ripple on the bigger pond. I have no influence, I am really a nobody of any consequence but my point seems to be that numbers of noninfluential people can change things if they are banded together and organized.
My present research, perhaps for another article, is to study what I can about the Polish Solidarity movement of the 1980's to see what lessons can be learnt from it for us today. It can be argued that this was a factor in bringing down the Soviet Union and the Berlin wall, in just a few short years. It can be also argued that it was on its way out anyway, but maybe it was the catalyst.
My own experiences have shown me that those who have very little are always willing to share it, whilst those who have a comfortable life, as in the West, seem reluctant to share. I know I have been subjected to that contradiction in myself, with no malice from anyone, just seeing myself and how my reactions have been in certain situations.
Nobdy's perfect is an oft said phrase, but not to strive to do the right thing, or to move outside of one's comfort zone could perhaps be seen as a greater sin. There are many quotations about doing nothing in the face of evil as I'm sure you know.
by
ibrahim turner (25 articles, 28 quicklinks, 5 diaries, 172 comments)
on Friday, May 30, 2008 at 12:15:11 PM
