"Apologize, Senator Boxer"
22 August 2014
Dear Senator Boxer
I don't need to tell you it's been a busy year!
First there's that gassing business in Ghouta. What a mess! US officials immediately blame Assad and the Syrian government. Nasty buggers! And they have evidence to prove it -- though, unfortunately, they can't show the public. Trust us, they say. National Security. But let's maybe bomb Syria anyway. Or something.
Turns out they didn't have any evidence of Syrian involvement because the Syrian government wasn't involved. Oops!
Then there's the shooting down of Malaysian Airlines Flight 17 over Eastern Ukraine -- yet another potential PR disaster. US officials immediately blame pro-Russian rebels. Nasty buggers! And they have evidence to prove it -- except -- well -- we know how that one goes, don't we?
Turns out they didn't have any evidence of rebel involvement because the pro-Russian rebels weren't involved.
For those of you keeping score that's 'oops' times two.
Ah, but that's not the worst of it. Now I'm hearing all this commotion about whether or not a sitting United States Senator is also an agent for the Israeli government!
Yes! You! The self-proclaimed liberal from the left coast!
Quick! Can anyone say Hasbara?
It appears you took to the floor of the United States Senate on 5 August at roughly the same time C-Span viewers -- you know, low information voters -- were hearing first-hand accounts of the horrors inflicted on Palestinians in the occupied territories. Since C-Span is required to televise official statements, your appearance forced the channel to cut away from 15 year-old Palestinian-American Tariq Abukhdeir just as he was about to describe how Israeli Police detained him, beat him unconscious and then refused to give him medical treatment afterwards.
Yeah. I know. Who wouldn't want to hear about that?
As far as I can tell part of the concern is that, when you pulled the plug on Tariq's story -- you weren't just silencing him -- denying him the right to speak and be heard. In effect you were silencing all Palestinians -- silencing their collective stories, their collective histories, their collective suffering. You know, denying them justice. Or something.
But part of the concern is not just that you cut Tariq off. It's what you actually said on the floor of the Senate that has some people shaking their heads.
Listen I went back and watched the video -- several times -- and the more I watched the more it sounded like a full blown AIPAC advertisement. (At least the parts I could follow.) Israel is the victim. Israel is defending itself. The Israeli military is showing restraint. Hamas broke the cease fire. Hamas targets Israeli civilians.
Really?
Look, Barbara, it's not like people sit in parlors perched around radios anymore. There's something called the internet now. Inquiring minds can multi-source this stuff in a heartbeat. And guess what? They have been. And what they're discovering is that every one of your talking points is either wildly misleading or demonstrably false.
Take one example: "Hamas broke the ceasefire."
It's a claim repeated so often by Israeli officials you'd think it was true. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not only blames Hamas for violating the ceasefire -- get this -- he says Hamas is also responsible for the carnage that followed! And not, say, the Israeli military, who caused the carnage.
Anyway, what Bibi didn't tell the public is that Israel and the Egyptian military secretly colluded to exclude Palestinian representation from the ceasefire discussions altogether. They wanted to make sure Hamas wasn't involved -- denied a voice, get it? -- and in fact the leadership of Hamas only heard about the existence of a "treaty" through social media. It was this very same "treaty" that Israel then tried to impose on the Palestinian people unilaterally.
I know I know! What respectable governing body wouldn't willingly submit to a treaty crafted by its sworn enemies, without any participation at all?
My favorite is where you blame Hamas for the murder of the three Israeli teens. (Favorite is probably not the right word.) Maybe you were just following Netanyahu's lead? Who knows? But what we do know is Bibi wasn't telling the truth -- any more than you were. Israeli intelligence knew the day the teens were murdered that Hamas had nothing to do with it. Israeli police spokesman Mickey Rosenfeld admitted as much. You can look it up.
Time to open the window, Senator Boxer.
Hear that? That's the sound of your credibility cracking, crumbling, breaking apart, piece by piece. Voters will no longer trust you. They won't remember you as a principled and dedicated public servant. They'll remember you as a stooge for a foreign power -- just one more unscrupulous politician willing to sell her soul for a little plated silver.
But here's the thing.
There is a way out. (You can thank me later.)
As soon as humanly possible, go to the floor of the Senate and ask to speak. Alert the major media outlets before you go. Make sure C-Span is broadcasting live, nation-wide, so everyone in the country can tune in. Then step up to the podium, take a deep breath and apologize -- simply, clearly, honestly.
From the heart. No fluff. No excuses. No false equivalencies.
Your apology should be followed by a short announcement that you'll be holding public hearings on the plight of Palestinians living in the occupied territories, and that the first witness you will ask to testify is 15 year-old Palestinian-American Tariq Abukhdeir.
It won't be easy. Some people will plug their ears and turn away. Some people will try very hard to stop you from speaking. (I believe you know how that part works.) But you'll be helping to tell the truth -- the whole truth -- and that's always a good thing.
Let me know when you plan to appear. I'd like to watch it live.
Sincerely,
BK
Faunce