1/18/09
What You Need to Know About Israel and Palestine: A Beginner's Journey
Way back in the day, back when Clinton ruled the land, I heard of an "evil man" named Yasser Arafat. He denied a peace treaty giving Palestinians land and the Palestinians suffered for his poor judgment. If only that guy would go away, everything would be okay there!
Later I heard that Palestine's choice to not become a state caused their people to get their homes demolished by machines, their land settled by Israel and their routes to work, school, and home were sadly taken away. If only they would embrace democracy, everyone would be okay there!
Today I hear how Palestinians chose to elect "an evil terrorist group" so now Israel has to defend itself by going into the Palestinian land and sniper children as they sit at their desks in UN sanctioned schools. If only they would not have terrorists in their country, everyone would be okay!
After hearing a barrage of stories that didn't add up or seemed to be missing key pieces of information, I began a web journey and found some valuable knowledge. I'd like to share with you the links that changed everything.
Gaza: The Killing Zone - 2003
In this report for Britain's Channel 4, reporter Sandra Jordan and producer Rodrigo Vasquez face gunfire and tear gas within hours of arriving at a memorial service for Rachel Corrie, the peace activist crushed by an army bulldozer two days before.
Noam Chomsky and Alan Dershowitz Debate Israel and Palestine - 2005
An awesome debate at the Kennedy School of Government about imagining peace in the Middle East. Check out the ad hominems Dershowitz spews at Chomsky!
Full Transcript Here
And what is probably my favorite...
Life in Occupied Palestine: Eyewitness Stories and Photos - 2007
Anna Baltzer, Jewish American Columbia graduate, Fulbright scholar, author of Witness in Palestine, and the granddaughter of Holocaust survivors, shares her discovery of Israel's human rights violations in Palestine.
View Complete Film via FreeSpeech.org. Tiny screen, though.
Later I heard that Palestine's choice to not become a state caused their people to get their homes demolished by machines, their land settled by Israel and their routes to work, school, and home were sadly taken away. If only they would embrace democracy, everyone would be okay there!
Today I hear how Palestinians chose to elect "an evil terrorist group" so now Israel has to defend itself by going into the Palestinian land and sniper children as they sit at their desks in UN sanctioned schools. If only they would not have terrorists in their country, everyone would be okay!
After hearing a barrage of stories that didn't add up or seemed to be missing key pieces of information, I began a web journey and found some valuable knowledge. I'd like to share with you the links that changed everything.
Gaza: The Killing Zone - 2003
In this report for Britain's Channel 4, reporter Sandra Jordan and producer Rodrigo Vasquez face gunfire and tear gas within hours of arriving at a memorial service for Rachel Corrie, the peace activist crushed by an army bulldozer two days before.
That sets the scene for the next five weeks during which the filmmakers also document the grievous wounding of British peace activist Tom Hurndall, the death of award winning cameraman James Miller, shot as he filmed Israeli troops bulldozing Palestinian homes, and the killing and maiming of civilian residents of Gaza.
The Dispatches team reveals what life is really like in a war zone. They capture on film the aftermath of an Israeli missile attack that assassinates a leader of the deadly Hamas group. Children playing in the street nearby are killed or have limbs blown off.
Jordan and Vasquez film the impact of an attack in which Israeli troops fire shells that explode in mid air above densely populated areas and spray thousands of razor sharp darts in a wide arc. The team also encounters sniper fire from Israeli watchtowers, and endures tank shelling alongside a class of cowering school children.
Peace, Propaganda, and the Promised Land - 2004
Noam Chomsky and Alan Dershowitz Debate Israel and Palestine - 2005
An awesome debate at the Kennedy School of Government about imagining peace in the Middle East. Check out the ad hominems Dershowitz spews at Chomsky!
Full Transcript Here
And what is probably my favorite...
Life in Occupied Palestine: Eyewitness Stories and Photos - 2007
Anna Baltzer, Jewish American Columbia graduate, Fulbright scholar, author of Witness in Palestine, and the granddaughter of Holocaust survivors, shares her discovery of Israel's human rights violations in Palestine.
View Complete Film via FreeSpeech.org. Tiny screen, though.
10/21/08
What a Debate Should Look Like...Add a Libertarian Woman
7/8/08
7/5/08
America's Birthday?
John Adams wrote to his wife about this historical day saying,
He was off by a couple of days but the gist is, freedom should make you want to party hard. We still uphold that part but we have added a dash of something nasty to this pot of happiness and I just plain don't like it.
That magic ingredient I am referring to is the celebration of the military.
I found that everywhere I went this week there was some asshole with a mic telling the people in the military or people who have loved ones in the military to stand so everyone else can clap for them.
There are a few things wrong with this. I don't like people standing up so I can clap for them. If someone told all the moms to stand up so everyone can clap, I would not stand up.
Why should people clap for me? They don't even know me. I could be an abusive mother.
I apply this same logic to clapping for military peeps. How do I know you are worthy of a clap? You could have killed an innocent child or mother, you could have beat your wife, you could have made a really stupid decision when you were 18 because you wanted to go to college for free. I don't know these people! Why would I applaud them?
By the way, this is why I NEVER call a cop or firefighter a "hero"...
Now, as for clapping for the military person's mom/dad/sister/brother/cousin/wife, daughter/son/dog, this is just ludicrous! Are you guys kidding me? It makes me think of Dr. Laura who everyday praises herself because her son is in the military. You aren't a hero Laura, you are a tramp who posed nude when you were young.
Of course, there is still one more reason I hate this "new tradition". I hate how big the military has gotten. I hate how so many men and women are losing their lives for no reason. I hate how many innocent people suffer because of the US military ( legs blown off, children without parents, etc).
I am not saying that ALL people in the military are bad ( I have many friends and family in the military and my best friend is joining once she gets her BA ). I am not saying that we shouldn't applaud TRUE heroes. I am just saying, why would I clap for someone I don't know who is a part of something I don't support.
I don't know about you guys but I will not stand or clap for any military person, unless of course it is a particular person who has proven themselves worthy of my hands smacking together.
Furthermore, I will not do this on July 4th, I will do it on Memorial Day, D-Day, or Flag Day.
"The second day of July, 1776, will be the most memorable epoch in the history of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forever more."
He was off by a couple of days but the gist is, freedom should make you want to party hard. We still uphold that part but we have added a dash of something nasty to this pot of happiness and I just plain don't like it.
That magic ingredient I am referring to is the celebration of the military.
I found that everywhere I went this week there was some asshole with a mic telling the people in the military or people who have loved ones in the military to stand so everyone else can clap for them.
There are a few things wrong with this. I don't like people standing up so I can clap for them. If someone told all the moms to stand up so everyone can clap, I would not stand up.
Why should people clap for me? They don't even know me. I could be an abusive mother.
I apply this same logic to clapping for military peeps. How do I know you are worthy of a clap? You could have killed an innocent child or mother, you could have beat your wife, you could have made a really stupid decision when you were 18 because you wanted to go to college for free. I don't know these people! Why would I applaud them?
By the way, this is why I NEVER call a cop or firefighter a "hero"...
Now, as for clapping for the military person's mom/dad/sister/brother/cousin/wife, daughter/son/dog, this is just ludicrous! Are you guys kidding me? It makes me think of Dr. Laura who everyday praises herself because her son is in the military. You aren't a hero Laura, you are a tramp who posed nude when you were young.
Of course, there is still one more reason I hate this "new tradition". I hate how big the military has gotten. I hate how so many men and women are losing their lives for no reason. I hate how many innocent people suffer because of the US military ( legs blown off, children without parents, etc).
I am not saying that ALL people in the military are bad ( I have many friends and family in the military and my best friend is joining once she gets her BA ). I am not saying that we shouldn't applaud TRUE heroes. I am just saying, why would I clap for someone I don't know who is a part of something I don't support.
I don't know about you guys but I will not stand or clap for any military person, unless of course it is a particular person who has proven themselves worthy of my hands smacking together.
Furthermore, I will not do this on July 4th, I will do it on Memorial Day, D-Day, or Flag Day.
6/26/08
Lucky Number Seven
Check out Republic Magazine's seventh issue A Blueprint to Restore America in PDF form.
Be sure to check out their other issues, this magazine rocks! Buy some for your friends and family, too.
Be sure to check out their other issues, this magazine rocks! Buy some for your friends and family, too.
6/20/08
6/19/08
The Scott Loper Story
Restore the Republic is calling for the people to speak up about a US citizen, Scott Loper, who was tortured for four years in a Canadian jail and upon release cannot find his wife or son.
RTR pulled my heart strings when they sent me an e-mail saying..."My brothers and sisters, one of us has been wounded and scarred by those we trust, and when one bleeds we all bleed. This is the American way."
This is what must be done:
1. Email and phone call:
Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs;
Michelle Bond Phone: 202.736.9090
Acting Director, Overseas Citizens Services and Crisis Management:
David Swartz: Phone: 202.647.6137
Chief, Western Hemisphere Division U.S. State Department;
Ken Durkin: Phone- 202.647.5113 or 202.736.4996
House Majority Leader, Congressman Steny Hoyer;
Phone - 202.225.4131 or (301) 843-1577
Speaker of The House of Representatives
Nancy Pelosi; 202.225.4965
When calling state, "All of America is watching how you handle
the Scott Loper case, when will you properly address it?"
Interview with Scott...
To get more information go to...The Scott Loper Story
RTR pulled my heart strings when they sent me an e-mail saying..."My brothers and sisters, one of us has been wounded and scarred by those we trust, and when one bleeds we all bleed. This is the American way."
This is what must be done:
1. Email and phone call:
Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs;
Michelle Bond Phone: 202.736.9090
Acting Director, Overseas Citizens Services and Crisis Management:
David Swartz: Phone: 202.647.6137
Chief, Western Hemisphere Division U.S. State Department;
Ken Durkin: Phone- 202.647.5113 or 202.736.4996
House Majority Leader, Congressman Steny Hoyer;
Phone - 202.225.4131 or (301) 843-1577
Speaker of The House of Representatives
Nancy Pelosi; 202.225.4965
When calling state, "All of America is watching how you handle
the Scott Loper case, when will you properly address it?"
Interview with Scott...
To get more information go to...The Scott Loper Story
6/18/08
It's Never too Late to Rebel
I Can Ride My Bike With No Helmet On, No Helmet On, No Helmet On
Get a bike helmet to move ahead - or maybe not
Police State in Iowa RIGHT NOW!!!
Government "Strike Teams" Invade Homes, Harass Flood Victims
Shocking footage out of Cedar Rapids Iowa shows cops and government employee "strike teams" breaking into houses of flood victims and threatening anyone who questions their actions in complete violation of the 4th amendment right that protects against unlawful search and seizure.
http://www. prisonplanet. com/articles/june2008/061808_strike_teams. htm
6/17/08
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
