[Irvine, California, October 13, 2007 ] I arrived at the Irvine Marriott last Friday evening because I was scheduled to speak the next day at "The No More Wars for Israel Conference" which had been dedicated to Mordecahi Vanunu. I learned then that the event had been cancelled.
Mark Glenn, one of the Coordinators, informed me that three days prior, the Marriott requested payment of $20,000.00, although there was no such requirement in the contract.
Mark told me he was able to secure $8,000 within twenty-four hours and even after a visit from a representative from CAIR, Council of American-Islamic Relations [http://www.cair.com/]informed the Marriott's Events Coordinator that twenty speakers from around the Nation were on their way; the event would not happen at the Marriott as planned.
Dr. Hesham Tillawi, Palestinian American, Political Analyst and TV show host of "Current Issues" reported that he spoke with Marriott Representative, Diana Harrison. "I asked her if we came up with all the money, would that be OK and she responded, 'The event has been canceled.'"
I had traveled from Florida to speak about how freedom of speech had been denied in Israel to Mordechai Vanunu, and was aghast to learn it also had been squelched in Irvine.
While I did not agree with many things some of the speakers said during the rescheduled event at a local church that began nine hours after originally planned, I uphold that all people have the right to think their own thoughts and speak their own minds.
The conference continued on Sunday, but I had already split and found out on Monday that some of the speakers, who spoke on Sunday, were white supremacists. I thank God I was not in attendance, for I abhor and detest any ideology which presupposes any person is superior to any other.
I am however grateful to have made the long trip to meet the diversity that is America; Christians, Muslims, agnostics and two Orthodox Rabbis against the ideology of Zionism, but most especially to have had the opportunity to hear the President of the USS LIBERTY Veterans Association, Phillip F. Tourney.
On June 8, 2007, in the Marriott Courtyard in Tysons Corner, Virginia, Tourney held a press conference regarding the fact that 40 years ago, "Thirty four Americans were brutally slaughtered, 172 wounded [including himself and that] Israel deliberately attacked America's virtually unarmed USS LIBERTY in international waters, knowing full well our identity, in an assault that lasted as long as the attack on Pearl Harbor…the government of Israel put a knife in the back of America…the Israelis began the attack with unmarked jet fighters using rockets, canons, and napalm on our unprotected ship…three motor torpedo boats…fired six torpedoes at us, one hitting its mark, midship's on the starboard side, instantly blowing to bits 25 of America's finest young men."
On October 13, 2007 Phillip remarked to the crowd who had gathered at the conference that began nine hours late in a California church, "It was God that kept us afloat."
I contend that it was also God who kept the Saturday event afloat and as the saying goes; it's not over 'till the fat lady sings.
Forty years ago the American government colluded with Israel in the treasonous cover-up of the attack on the USS LIBERTY and the survivors "were ordered to remain silent under threat of court martial, imprisonment or worse...The U.S. government has never challenged the obviously phony Israeli excuse of "mistaken identity" nor have they attempted to expose the dishonorable cover up that continues to date. Truth and America's honor were ignominiously sacrificed to provide cover for Israel's transparent lies and despicable act of perfidy." -Phillip F. Tourney, President USS LIBERTY Veterans Association, June 8, 2007, Marriott Courtyard, VA.
All the Veterans are asking for is an open and independent panel to investigate the horrific and unprovoked attack on the USS Liberty. They have written to President George W. Bush requesting this just action only to receive pro-forma letters from a White House staffer stating that the attack had already been investigated.
"This is a bald-faced lie!" Tourney wrote in a postscript to our Commander In Chief in his most recent appeal.
"The declassification of government documents and the recollections of former military personnel…strengthen doubts about the U.S. National Security Agency's position that it never intercepted the communications of the attacking Israeli pilots -- communications, according to those who remember seeing them, that showed the Israelis knew they were attacking an American naval vessel. The documents also suggest that the U.S. government, anxious to spare Israel's reputation and preserve its alliance with the U.S., closed the case with what even some of its participants now say was a hasty and seriously flawed investigation."- http://www.chicagotribune.com/services/newspaper/printedition/tuesday/ chi-liberty_tuesoct02,0,1050179.story?coll=chi_business_ugc
On October 13th Tourney stated, "Israel got away with cold blooded murder! Forty years ago the CIA and the NSA all threatened the survivors not to talk! They scared me so much, I didn't for twenty years…Our keel was broken, we should have sunk but God kept us alive…Israel wanted the world to believe that Egypt [committed the crime]…Thirty-four were killed and 172 were wounded out of a crew of 294…The Israeli planes marked out the Star of David so we wouldn't know who was attacking us…Eighteen hours after the attack we were rescued…McNamara said, 'We're not going to attack our ally.' How did McNamara know who attacked us?"
Producer of "30 Minutes with Vanunu" and "13 Minutes with Vanunu" Author of "Keep Hope Alive" and "Memoirs of a Nice Irish American 'Girl's' Life in Occupied Territory"
She has been to Israel Palestine five times since June 2005.
She is currently working on "The Boom Boom Benny Story"
Flat out anti-semitic haters hide behind the "let's criticize zionism" facade.
Apparently, you were being used. I have no doubt of your good intentions. But perhaps Marriot was not off base, since even you were horrified by the presentations you missed. You need to be a bit more careful. And your experience confirms my attention and concern for this issue.
Believe me, a lot of the people who support you are interested in hate, not supporting Vanunu or the Palestinians.
by
Rob Kall (808 articles, 3923 quicklinks, 332 diaries, 1703 comments)
on Wednesday, October 17, 2007 at 5:20:03 PM
What i learned this weekend is that there is so much anger over USA foreign policy when it comes to Israel and even more about the total blindness in Congress.
What Senator Bill Nelson emailed me when I sent him a message thru this article proves the point that Congress is also under Occupation, for all I got was BS talking points and NOT a response to what I wrote to Mr. Bill Nelson, who has received $89,861 for the 2005-2006 Election Cycle:
Dear Dr. and Mrs. Fleming:
Thank you for contacting me regarding the United States policy toward Israel. I appreciate you taking the time to inform me of your views on this issue, and I share your concern about violence in the Middle East.
Our commitment to Israel should never be in doubt. Our symbiotic relationship with Israel serves an important purpose in furthering the United States goal of promoting peace in the Middle East. Helping Israel achieve peace with its neighbors while maintaining its security strengthens our strategic interests.
I strongly condemn the continued escalation of violence, and destruction of the Roadmap peace process by Palestinian militants. Israelis should not have to endure continued homicide bombings, and are justified in seeking to end the terror that has been inflicted on their homeland.
We must do everything we can to end the bloodshed and resume positive measures. I support the vision of two states living side-by-side in peace and security as outlined in a speech by President Bush on June 24, 2002. To achieve that end, the Palestinians must reform their institutions and cease continued terrorist activities against innocent Israelis. Continued US engagement and leadership is required to get us there. Please know that I will monitor this situation closely.
I will keep your concerns in mind when making any future decisions on this issue. If you have additional concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me.
PS from me- I certainly will be contacting the Senator again about seeking JUSTICE for the USS LIBERTY!
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Eileen Fleming (146 articles, 51 quicklinks, 266 diaries, 580 comments)
on Wednesday, October 17, 2007 at 5:35:04 PM
On October 13, 2007 Phillip remarked to the crowd who had gathered at the conference that began nine hours late in a California church, "It was God that kept us afloat
After reading "Operation Cyanide" by noted investigative reporter Peter Hounam, it seems highly probable that "God" did prevent the USS Liberty from being sunk and did keep the ship afloat that Grim day in June of 1967.
6 of the most modern Italian torpedoes manufactured, failed to sink the Liberty. 5 missed totally and only 1 struck in a non deadly location. How could that happen?
For 40 minutes the Israeli gun boats fired into the boiler room with armor piercing ammunition and not 1 shot penetrated the boilers. Again, how could that be?
The antennas on the ship had transformers that generated a large amount of heat. 1 antenna was malfunctioning and was shut down before the attack. The Israelis used heat seeking missiles to blow up and shut down all of the other antennas in the first minute of the attack. The antenna that was shut down was then turned on and used to send a message that the USS Liberty was under attack. Was it an act of "God" that someone knew ahead of time that the plan was to silence the USS Liberty's radios by using heat seeking missiles to home in on the antennas?
Charles Rowley was a Communications technician(CT) on the USS Liberty who recieved a strange coded message. He sent it to Washington and was reprimanded for what he found and told to ignore any more signals like that.
Rowley said that in 12 years as a CT he had never heard or intercepted a signal as strange as what he had heard early on the day that the USS Liberty was attacked.
The message was decoded and President Lyndon Johnson was awakened at 4:30 A.M and told of the strange message.
Looking at the entire event in hindsight, it was an obviously well planned event that was to be used to begin an all out nuclear holocaust.
Apparently, "God," did not want to see humanity destroyed in an all out nuclear war and so he-or she as the case may be- stepped in and prevented the USS Liberty from being sunk.
The Russian and American Navies were in the Mediteranean Sea poised to do battle and 2 jet planes armed with nuclear weapons were launched from the aircraft carrier USS America and were sent on their way to bomb Cairo. This would be the "Triggering" event that would get it all underway.
According to Hounam in "Operation Cyanide" of the 8 Iraeli planes that attacked the USS Liberty that day, 3 were piloted by American Air force pilots. Commander John Fitzgerald , Major Walter Rothstein and Major Jack Batey.
The "Jamming" of the USS Liberty's radios were done by American military units on temporary assignment in Israel.
To understand it all you must first understand that the decision to immolate the human race with use of nuclear weapons was made way back in 1946. That decision-to genocide humanity with the use of nuclear weapons- has never been rescinded.
We are still awaiting the "Fulfillment of the Committment" to exterminate us.
This is the reality of what we are dealing with at this moment as Cheney leads war games and Russia is also engaged in war games. An "Accident" is planned, to allow a full blown nuclear war to get underway and kill us all.
The "Gods" were with us on June 8, 1967 and have been with us on several occasions both before and after the attack upon the USS Liberty.
The recent attempt to get a nuclear war underway by launching a cruise missile from a B-52 bomber that was sent out from Minot, North Dakota, appears to be another act of salvation by the "Gods."
The nuclear armed cruise missile was launched and "God" shut it down and locked out the other 5 missiles, preventing a major disaster befalling us.
We are the Living Dead.
The "Gods" have the 'keys' to our nuclear war fighting elites missiles, and if God stays with us, we may yet survive.
These same "Gods" were with the sailors on the USS liberty, and all of the rest of us, on June 8, 1967.
by
Patrick (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 401 comments)
on Wednesday, October 17, 2007 at 9:26:14 PM
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