Dear Israel Lobby, We Give Up

[seemslikeadream]

Dear Israel Lobby, We Give Up -- Please Give Us an Acceptable Way of Insulting You

Maybe you could ask the Native American for some ideas....mascots were kinda trendy and very acceptable for years

[barracuda]

I can see it now - a best-of-four subway series featuring the New York Intellectuals versus the Brooklyn Rothschilds.

[sunny]

*Tiptoes in, ducking*

Meanwhile, in my inbox, from Chris Hedges and Code Pink...

February 28, 2012

Dear Lynn,

President Obama: No War on Iran!
Sign the petition

Occupy AIPAC Summit
Saturday, March 3
Register now!

No War on Iran Protest
Protest outside the AIPAC Conference
Sunday, March 4, 11am 



Read 10 Reasons Why the Israel Lobby is So Dangerous
By Medea Benjamin

Washington, DC
http://www.occupyaipac.org



I invite you to join me at the Occupy AIPAC Summit in Washington this weekend.

I spent seven years in the Middle East. I lived for two of those seven years in Jerusalem. I was the Middle East Bureau Chief for the New York Times. AIPAC does not speak for Jews or for Israel. It speaks for right-wing ideologues who believe that because they have capacity to wage war, they have a right to wage war.

And just as these elites were too blind and too enamored of their own rhetoric to see what invading Iraq would trigger, so too are they unable to comprehend the regional conflagration that would be unleashed by attacking Iran.

The uprisings from Tunisia to Egypt to Greece to Occupy Wall Street to our gathering outside AIPAC's doors in Washington are all the same primal struggle for justice.

The battle for justice in Middle East is our battle. It is part of the vast, global battle against the 1 percent. It is a battle against the fossil fuel industry, the weapons manufacturers, the security and surveillance state, the misuse of public funds that wastes $ 4 trillion on wars that never had to be fought, the trillions more in looted taxpayer money to prop up insolvent banks and swell bloated military budgets, the battle to protect working men and women who are left struggling in the name of "austerity" to save their homes and find work.

Join us at Occupy AIPAC this weekend. Help us make the voices of the 99 percent—the voices of mothers, fathers and children in the squalid refugee camps in Gaza, in the suburbs of Tehran and in the bleak industrial wastelands in Ohio—heard.

Yours,
Chris Hedges

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http://www.occupyaipac.org/2012/02/10-reasons-why-the-israel-lobby-aipac-is-so-dangerous/

https://twitter.com/#!/OccupyAIPAC

[Searcher08]

There will now be a short musical intermission, a Nica Rothschild inspired one

[compared2what?]

I didn't like what I'd written. So I deleted it.

[AlicetheKurious]

I didn't like what I'd written. So I deleted it.

Well, shoot, c2w! I wrote a long response. What do I do now? Should I post it or what?

[seemslikeadream]

understand if you do this all bets are off, no one will be intimidated any longer and you may find a whole lot of anti-semitism...I may even post another David Icke video

Israel Won’t Warn US Before Attacking Iran
Officials Plan to Keep US 'In the Dark' About Impending Strike
by Jason Ditz, February 28, 2012

Reports quoting a number of anonymous US and Israeli officials today say that the Israeli government has decided, and has informed the US, that it will not offer any advanced notice to the US before attacking Iran.

This comes amid repeated US official visits to Israel in an attempt to convince the nation to at the very least delay its attack for a few months. Israeli officials say the decision to keep the US “in the dark” is meant to keep them from being held responsible when the strike is launched.

Exactly how they figured this would work is uncertain, however, as the US has repeatedly given verbal support for the idea of an Israeli attack on Iran, repeatedly pledged to commit itself to Israel’s side unconditionally in the ensuing war, and has provided Israel with massive amounts of military hardware that would be used in such an attack.

The more interesting story is that, while the White House declined to comment on the new revelation, there doesn’t appear to be any US attempt to secure at least a little advanced notice of such an attack, meaning that the embassies in the region and the massive occupation force in neighboring Afghanistan are likely to find themselves sucked into a war with no preparation time.

[seemslikeadream]

Dear Israel Lobby, We Give Up -- Please Give Us an Acceptable Way of Insulting You

Dr. Hajo Meyer - "The Misuse of the Holocaust for Political Purposes" (Dublin, 30-01-10)

3 Feb 2010
Reports from public meetings with Auschwitz survivor Dr. Hajo Meyer in Belfast and Dublin

Dublin: Holocaust survivor speaks out against Israel & the Siege of Gaza, endorses Boycott campaign

Meeting addressed by Dr. Hajo Meyer, Dr. Haidar Eid and Sara Kreshnar


Dr.Hajo Meyer - Holocaust survivor
By Kevin Squires, IPSC: On Saturday 30th January Auschwitz survivor Dr. Hajo Meyer, Dr. Haidar Eid of the Al Quds University in Gaza and Sara Kershnar of the International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network (IJAN) addressed a standing room only crowd of over 140 people in the Central Hotel in Dublin. The public meeting, entitled “The Misuse of the Holocaust for Political Purposes”, was organised by the Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign (IPSC) as part of a high profile speaking tour hosted by IJAN and the Scottish PSC.

First to speak was Dr. Haidar Eid who addressed the audience via video from besieged Gaza – which he has been unable to leave for several years. He gave a harrowing description of the situation in Gaza today. He reported that one year after Israel’s brutal assault on the region which left over 1,400 people, thousands injured and thousands more homeless, and destroyed the infrastructure of Gaza, the Israeli blockade is still preventing even basic rebuilding supplies from entering the strip.

Dr. Eid called on people in Ireland to do all they can to help end the siege and the untold suffering that is part and parcel of it. Quoting famed Israeli historian Ilan Pappe, he described Israel’s actions towards the people of Palestine as being a “slow-motion genocide”. He ended by calling for the stepping up of the international Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions campaign against Israel.

Dr. Meyer, who 65 years ago survived ten months in the Auschwitz Nazi death camp, then spoke to the rapt crowd.

Reflecting on the fact that it was the end of Holocaust Memorial Week, he despaired of the use of the Holocaust as a political weapon wielded by the state of Israel and its supporters to silence critics of that Apartheid regime. He called this the ‘Holocaust Religion’, of which Elie Wiesel was High Priest. Indeed, the doctor opened by saying that Israel was not a Jewish state in any sense he understood, it was in fact a Zionist state and that Zionism was the antipode of pre-WWII liberal Judaism.

Dr. Meyer said: “Pre-World War Two Judaism was humanitarian and universalistic in outlook, under which all humans were considered equal.” The doctor contrasted this with political Zionism, “as it now exists in practice, which is xenophobic, nationalist, colonialist and racist. It is an ideology that seeks the maximum number of Palestinians concentrated onto the smallest amount of land”.

Commenting on what he viewed as the fallacious idea that the existence of the State of Israel was a ‘protector’ of Jews, the doctor pointed out that “the existence of the Chinese State has never prevented a single anti-Chinese pogrom in Indonesia for example”.

Dr. Meyer further went on to say that the lesson modern Zionism wants people to learn from the Holocaust is that “we Jews have a monopoly on suffering. Therefore, whatever we do to the Palestinians – or anyone else - however horrible, is less that what we suffered” and therefore excusable.

The doctor pointed to a recent address by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the UN in which he invoked the Nazi Holocaust and the numbers tattooed on survivors’ arms in a propaganda speech justifying an attack on Iran.

Dr. Meyer contrasted this with the lesson he learned from the Nazi Holocaust, which was that “only those who are themselves dehumanised can attempt to dehumanise others, for example to inflict sufferings such as collective punishment. I personally never want to inflict suffering on anybody.”

Dr. Meyer continued by saying that “Israel has not the slightest wish to make peace – to Israel peace is an entirely ambivalent term, its means only the peace and freedom to continue carrying out its crimes against the Palestinian people”, and as such, he fully supported the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions campaign against Israel as a progressive non-violent method of international resistance to Israeli crimes.

Dr. Meyer commented: “Israel is a world champion at pretending to be an enlightened civilised nation – and nowhere more so than in the realms of academia and the arts. And therefore the BDS campaign, especially in the areas of the cultural and academic boycott, is one of the most effective weapons at our disposal”.

Dr. Meyer concluded by making clear that “Israelis should not be dehumanised. However, Israel is dehumanising itself through its treatment of Palestinians, and this will be its downfall.”

Following on, Sara Kershnar, spoke about the global work of the International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network of which both she and Dr. Meyer are members. For more information on JIAN, please see http://www.ijsn.net Ms. Kershnar also reiterated the call for the BDS campaign, and along with IPSC Chairperson Dr. David Landy, highlighted the growing opposition to the Zionist state of Israel amongst Jewish communities worldwide.

In a final rousing contribution from the floor, Mick Napier of the Scottish PSC reminded everyone present that in the dark days of South African Apartheid in the 1980s, the news that Irish women working for Dunnes Stores were on strike for refusing to handle South African goods, while a small but important act of resistance in Ireland, had a huge positive effect among anti-Apartheid activists in South Africa and worldwide. Mr. Napier concluded that there was no reason why Ireland shouldn’t again be able to play such a role in helping bring about the defeat of Israeli Apartheid today.

In summing up the meeting, Dr. Landy, speaking from the chair, urged people to not just go home with a sense of anger, but to convert that anger into action and get involved in pro-Palestine activism and the BDS movement in this country through the Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign. He pointed out that the IPSC is a multi-faceted campaign that works at grassroots, civil society and political lobbying levels and seeks to build the widest possible support in Irish society for the Palestinian cause – and there is always room for new members in the campaign. For more information on the IPSC please see http://www.ipsc.ie.

[American Dream]

"The Misuse of the Holocaust for Political Purposes"

..I may even post another David Icke video

Talk about a contradiction!....

[seemslikeadream]

^^^^^



Sardonic Poem

[American Dream]

slad, do you think David Icke's use of the holocaust for political purposes is even remotely decent?

[seemslikeadream]

slad, do you think David Icke's use of the holocaust for political purposes is even remotely decent?

AD do you think Israel use of the holocaust is even remotely comparable to Icke?

damage done

FEBRUARY 29, 2012, 5:51 A.M. ET
French Govt: Probably No New Law On Armenian Genocide Before June

PARIS (Dow Jones)--French government spokeswoman and budget minister, Valerie Pecresse, Wednesday said it will be almost impossible to pass a new law that makes denying the Armenian genocide in 1915 a criminal offense before the next parliamentary elections in June, when the current legislature is due to end.

The government will work on a new draft that would be compatible with the constitutional council's ruling, which said the law violated freedom of speech, Pecresse said in a press conference Wednesday.

Given the time needed to draft a bill and get it through parliament, it is almost impossible to have the law passed before June, she said.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy insisted late Tuesday that denying the Armenian genocide must be made punishable by law.

AD have you ever seen these photos in the M$M? Again I say OMISSION word of the day
1915-1916, corpse of young Armenian boy starved to death, collapsed at doorstep. Location: Ottoman empire, region Syria.

"Abandoned and murdered small children of the (Armenian) deportees, "according to the photographer, 1915-1916. Three are dead including stripped boy in gutter. Location: Ottoman empire, region Syria.


OMITTERE
to lay aside, to pass away

[AlicetheKurious]

Denying that an entire people exist is up there too, slad, especially while you're continuing the process of 'ethnically cleansing' them:

"There is no such thing as a Palestinian people... It is not as if we came and threw them out and took their country. They didn't exist."
-- Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir, statement to The Sunday Times, 15 June, 1969.

"How can we return the occupied territories? There is nobody to return them to."
-- Golda Meir, March 8, 1969.

Heroines:
remarkable and inspiring women ; an illustrated anthology of essays by women writers

Crescent Books, Sep 19, 1995 - Biography & Autobiography - 160 pages
Providing portraits of fifty diverse and outstanding women throughout the last two thousand years, a biographical treasury includes such women as Joan of Arc, mother Theresa, Cleopatra, and Golda Meir. Link

"Let us not ignore the truth among ourselves ... politically we are the aggressors and they defend themselves... The country is theirs, because they inhabit it, whereas we want to come here and settle down, and in their view we want to take away from them their country."

-- David Ben Gurion, quoted on pp 91-2 of Chomsky's Fateful Triangle, which appears in Simha Flapan's "Zionism and the Palestinians pp 141-2 citing a 1938 speech.

[American Dream]

slad, do you think David Icke's use of the holocaust for political purposes is even remotely decent?

[seemslikeadream]

Denying that an entire people exist is up there too, slad, especially while you're continuing the process of 'ethnically cleansing' them:

cleaver but not unique

The United States government has a way of taking care of that also......out of sight out of mind


and there's still hope for that mascot thing....go to North Dakota were racism is alive and well and the LAW

They Still Have Native American Reservations
By Mark Monroe


They Still Have Native American Reservations?©

Mark Monroe

July 1, 2011

The other morning some friends and I were solving the world’s problems over a couple of cups of excellently brewed coffee. The conversation that day happened to turn towards the poor living conditions many Native Americans face on the different reservations across the country. Towards the end of the conversation one of the participants asked, “How is it possible inAmericatoday that we can allow this to happen?” Given we live in an age where everything is instantly spread over the world by the 24-hour news cycle and the internet, it seems impossible that people are ignorant what has and is happening to the oldest demographic group on the continent.

It is not that hard to imagine the general lack of knowledge within our society about Native Americans. My own history is a good example to demonstrate this claim. I grew up inNorth Dakotafrom 1962 to 1980 when I graduated High School inEllendaleND. If I went 140 miles east of Ellendale, I would be in the middle of the Sisseton Reservation and if I went 180 to the west, I would be in the Stand Rock Reservation, 160 miles to the north was the Sprit Lake Reservation and to the South about 180 miles was Crow Creek Reservation. This list does not cover the 12 tribes that theAberdeenSDoffice the BIS supports. I am naming the four to demonstrate a point, between 150 to 200 miles in any direction I went from my home I would have found myself on a reservation. Yet growing up I can only remember meeting two kids of Native American decent. Living that close I had no direct access to the population, so the issues that effected then were foreign to me.

Growing up as I did, I had no understanding of the history or the relationship between the U. S. Government and the tribes. Most of what I “knew” was based on old stereotypes reinforced by images in western novels, television shows and movies. Even today the historical and present issues that face many tribes remain a mystery for a large percent of the population, to the point where some have no knowledge of the existence of reservations. One place where people can turn to for information about the relationship is the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) website. The opening page of their web site states:

“The United Stateshas a unique legal and political relationship with Indian tribes and Alaska Native entities as provided by the Constitution of the United States, treaties, court decisions and Federal statutes. Within the government-to-government relationship, Indian Affairs provides services directly or through contracts, grants, or compacts to 565 Federally recognized tribes.[1]”

The concept of “dual citizenship” for the Native American population is a nebulous relationship to understand. It needs to be clearly stated that Native Americans are citizens of the United Statesas of the signing of the1924 Indian Citizenship Act. "BE IT ENACTED by the Senate and house of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That all non citizen Indians born within the territorial limits of the United States be, and they are hereby, declared to be citizens of the United States: Provided That the granting such citizenship shall not in any manner impair or otherwise affect the right of any Indian to tribal or other property. (Approved June 2, 1924)[2] " So while they are citizens of this country, they retain their right to be a citizen of a federally recognized tribe. This also means that they are subject to the management of the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), which was created in 1824[3]. In 150 years of the agency the relationship with the BIA rarely has been equitable or advantageous to Native Americans. In many instances, the actions by agents of BIA were criminal yet had the support or the tolerance of the government. The following list is just a sample of social issues that continue to be a concern to Native Americans, which are a lasting reminder of the relationship between the tribes and theU.S. government.

Health:

In 2006 the infant mortality rate for Native Americans was 8.3[4] as compared to white non-Hispanic population which was at 5.6. This rate is an improvement, between 1985 and 1986 the infant mortality rate for Native Americans was 13.3
American Indians and Alaska Natives born today have a life expectancy that is 2.4 years less than the U.S. all races population (74.5 years to 76.9 years, respectively; 1999-2001 rates)[5]
American Indians and Alaska Natives die at higher rates than other Americans from tuberculosis (600% higher), alcoholism (510% higher), motor vehicle crashes (229% higher), diabetes (189% higher), and unintentional injuries (152% higher). (Rates adjusted for misreporting of Indian race on state death certificates; 2000-2002 rates.)[6] Note that the decimal point is not missing from these statistics; the gaps are really that expansive.
Employment

In 2009 according to DOL reports the unemployment rate for Native Americans was around 27.3% where in 1986[7] the unemployment rate was 49%.
Suicide

According to the CDC in 2010 among American Indians/Alaska Natives 15 – to 34-years, suicide is the second leading cause
· Suicide rates among American Indian/Alaskan adolescents and young adults ages 15 to 34 (20.0 per 100,000) are 1.8 times higher than the national for that age group (11.4 per 100,000).[8]

· While in 1986 that rate was roughly 30 per 100,000

Crime

· American Indians and Alaska Natives die from homicide 61% higher rate[9]

Housing

· Safe and adequate water supply and waste disposal facilities are lacking in approximately 12% of American Indian and Alaska Native homes, compared to 1% of the homes for the U.S.general population.[10]

The items just listed do not represent a comprehensive list. However it is enough information to explain why my friend asked, “How is it possible in Americatoday that we can allow this to happen?” In a country such as ours, no citizen should have to have to live under those conditions. Now, there is a belief in the main stream that the introduction of gambling casinos on many reservations should have eliminated many of the problems, because of the influx of funds. Nevertheless, not every operation is successful as a PBS report shows. “Not every Indian casino is a financial success. Currently, only 12 percent of the Indian gaming operations generate 65 percent of Indian gaming revenue. Operations in the most populous areas, like California, New Yorkand Florida, are the fastest growing sector of the Indian gaming industry.[11]” Yet even on reservations where gambling operations have been successful, many of the same social issues exist. That is because money is only one part of the solution, some times little things have a significant impact as well.



Firgure 2

The mascot of UND
I relearned a lesson about the little things while I was home on vacation this summer. On the trip, I was listening to a conversation between two graduates of the University of North Dakota (UND). It seems that the University has found itself in a bit of a controversy over its mascot. The University is known as the home of the Sioux, which it adopted in 1930, latter the popular name became the home of the Fighting Sioux, prior to that they were known as the Flickertails. For more than a decade, groups have been calling for the University to change the mascot. Then in 2011, the North Dakota State Legislature passed into law a mandate for the University to keep its mascot.

“Neither the university of North Dakotanor the state board of higher education may take any action to discontinue the use of the fighting Sioux nickname or the fighting Sioux logo in use on January 1, 2011. Any actions taken by the state board of higher education and the universityof North Dakotabefore the effective date of this Act to discontinue the use of the fighting Sioux nickname and logo are preempted by this Act. If the national collegiate athletic association takes any action to penalize the universityof North Dakotafor using the fighting Sioux nickname or logo, the attorney general shall consider filing a federal antitrust claim against that association.[12]” One of the arguments to maintain the mascot came from, “Sen. Dick Dever (R-Bismarck) reminding members that, “Discrimination comes in many shapes and sizes and sometimes from unexpected places.” He posited the argument that retiring the nickname and logo would do nothing to end discrimination against Native Americans on campus or off.[13]” The Senator acknowledges that discrimination against Native Americans exists but this is not the way to address the issue.

This piece of legislation was the columniation of many years of legal battles the University has fought over the use of the mascot. The money raised to defend the continued use has come at the hands ofNorth Dakotataxpayers and private donations. It was the same contributors, when they saw that the school was actually going through with the change flooded the legislature for the passage of House Bill # 1263.

According to.theUniversity’s website, the reason they are changing the mascot is not out of respect but compliance with NCAAP mandate.

“The University of North Dakota (UND) is changing its Fighting Sioux nickname and logo at the direction of the North Dakota State Board of Higher Education and in compliance with a settlement agreement with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). On May 14, 2009, the State Board adopted a resolution that directed “UND officials to retire the ‘Sioux’ nickname and logo, effective August 1, 2009.” At subsequent meetings, the State Board extended the August 1, 2009deadline. In April 2010, the State Board implemented the May 2009 resolution and charged Chancellor William Goetz to send a letter directing UND President Robert Kelley to start the process of changing UND’s nickname and logo. The State Board’s decision stems from the conditions of an agreement settling UND’s lawsuit with the NCAA.[14]”

The President of the University and others still called for the retirement of the mascot despite the current legislation. Given the statistic that were cited earlier, it might appear to some that it is petty to spend millions of dollars in legal funds arguing over the use of the image, when those finances could be used addressing the issues on the reservation. Part of the answer is yes it would be beneficial to have those funds diverted to programs that address poverty, infant morality, etc. However, the reality is that people putting up the money to protect the mascot are not willing to spend those same funds on social issues. In addition, existence of funds is only part of the solution.

There is a direct relationship between the mascot and the social ills of the reservation. In a 2007 interview about the former Chairman, Ron His Horse Is Thunder, he explained why the mascot needs to be retired.

“At a recent press conference held on UND’s campus, Chairman His Horse Is Thunder reaffirmed his tribe’s opposition to the mascot by stating, “It’s part of who we were, not who we are.” He further stated of the mascot that “it must be changed.” In support of his position, He said that he runs in to harmful and ignorant stereotypes of Indians all the time, and that the UND mascot “perpetuates that stereotypical image, … and doesn’t give them the encompassing image of who we are.” Chairman His Horse Is Thunder rightly stated that tribal members come to the University “to expand our horizons… to become part of the modern world.” Tribal members should not be remembered most for wearing “buckskins and headdresses” and “for fighting the cavalry.” He also pointed out that past support by Standing Rock tribal leaders were voided by broken promises from UND officials about how the mascot would be used.[15]”

What is at the heart of the debate is the value of identity. Ten years ago, I touched on the issue of Native Americans in my graduate thesis. What I wrote back then provides for a perfect launching point for this discussion. What follows is an excerpt of a conversation with a woman on the Pine Ridge reservation. It is an example of how the identity of a people was taken from them.

“Speaking our language was not allowed, it was outlawed just like everything associated with our way of life. If you where caught speaking it you were punished. I remember one time there was these two sisters talking to each other in our language. That was all they were doing, just talking and laughing.

The Nuns came. The oldest girl, in an attempt to protect her younger sister told the Nuns that it was her fault. She was the one who was speaking the language. Two of the Nuns grabbed her, one on each side. The third Nun began to slap her face. All the time they tried to get the girl to confess that her sister was speaking the language too. But never once did the girl betray her sister.

For awhile the girl took the punishment in silence there was very little else that she could do. The Nuns had her in a tight grip so there was no running away. In time she had had enough and fought back the only way that she could, by cussing the Nuns. The more she cussed the harder they beat her. They beat this poor little girl right in front of her sister until she was bleeding from the nose and mouth.

The Nuns did not know that I was watching them and when they did discover that I was watching, the beating still did not stop. They continued on for several minutes. It was as if they were saying, we know what is best for you, even if we have to beat it into your heads so you understand it.[16]” [17]

This conversation demonstrates that part of the actions that took place against the Native American population was not just a physical defeat. There was an attempted elimination of the soul of a people, so that nothing of the culture could survive. The social issues discussed earlier are the lingering effects of those actions. There are two components to addressing the issues affecting many Native Americans; they are resources and identity. Resources are having the adequate means to support the population. However, without a positive self-identity the effectiveness of the resources will be limited. Conversely, without the resources reconstructing a positive self-identity would be virtually impossible. Think ofMaslow's hierarchy of needs, providing for the basic physical needs does not fulfill the person. However, a person is not able to reach self-actualization without first taking care of the basic needs. Supporting the two components is education and awareness of the total population, so they can see beyond the stereotypes and prejudice to see the people. It is only through awareness will my friend’s question ever be answered.