In case you feel like authoring a post, and let’s face it, this place would certainly benefit from some smart people adding to the scrawny list of posts I managed to accumulate over the past three years, please contact me via my profile below on the left. Once I’ve added your e-mail to the recognised author list you should be able to publish new posts.
In the meantime, as some food for discussion. As you can see from the blogroll, the Palestinian issue is close to my heart. I occassionally donate money to benevolent organisations trying to help the beleaguered and suffering population in Gaza, such as the IRC or the Free Gaza movement. And the latter had its boat, loaded with humanitarian supplies, seized by USraeli forces. Via Uruknet:
Bethlehem - Ma'an - A top United Nations official in a statement on Friday denounced Israel's seizure of a humanitarian aid ship bound for the Gaza Strip earlier this week.In all seriousness, and Bernhard alluded to that in his posts, Israel’s behaviour of strangling its Palestinian neighbours into submission is almost on par with Nazi Germany’s Warsaw ghetto, a holding bin until the final solution can be enforced on any survivors. How can we, in full knowledge of whats going down, witness the atrocities dished out to the helpless people of Gaza and not feel like the Good Germans who all knew about the camps but didn’t act to stop their leaders crimes against their fellow humans?
The UN official, Special Rapporteur for human rights in the Palestinian territories Richard Falk, denounced what he called the unlawful naval seizure by an Israeli gunboat on Tuesday.
"This Israeli action implements its cruel blockade of the entire Palestinian population of Gaza, in violation of Article 33 of the Fourth Geneva Convention that prohibits any form of collective punishment directed at an occupied people," Falksaid.
The seized vessel was carrying medicine and reconstruction material to the blockaded people of Gaza, and was carrying a Nobel laureate and former US congresswoman when it was seized and towed to the Israeli port city of Ashdod. [...]
"Such a pattern of continuing blockade under these conditions amounts to such a serious violation of the Geneva Conventions as to constitute a continuing crime against humanity," the independent human rights expert added.
In a response to the official's remarks, Israeli Ambassador to the UN in Geneva Aharon Leshno-Yaar attacked Falk, saying he is "known for his bias against Israel and anti-Israel statements," and insisted that Israel is allowing aid into Gaza.
"Clearly the purpose of that ship was to create a buzz and serve as a propaganda vehicle against Israel," he reportedly added, according to Reuters.
The boat in question had been inspected in response to Israeli demands before departure by the port authorities in Cyprus to determine whether there were weapons on board. None were found, and Israeli authorities were so informed, according to the UN official and the Free Gaza Movement, which chartered the vessel.
Nonetheless, the 21 peace activists on the boat were arrested, held in captivity, and have been charged with "illegal entry" to Israel even though they insisted they had no intention of going to Israel. The group included an Irish winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, Mairead Maguire, and a former US congresswoman, Cynthia McKinney. [...]
p.s. Annie, should you read this, ever since I found out about your recent trip to Palestine have I been looking forward to reading your impressions of the tour and a first hand view on the situation there.
Greetings
19 comments:
Juan-
thanks this isn't so bad... I miss the moon!
It's not the first time nor will be the last when a once-persecuted minority leaps over into its opposite and becomes the persecuting majority.
thank you for your offer juan
remembereringgiap
hi juan,
thank you so much for your generous offer. i am heading off for the weekend but have bookmarked linglong.
being the paranoid that i am, the problem i have w/the blogger is while one can be anon to readers the blogger folks know who you are. also many posters (i would imagine) don't have the same usernames as their moom ones, or those names are not available so one can't bring their reputations with them. and then their is the whole signing in issue which can be a drag every time you post. it's not 'free' feeling. also, would you be able to delete spamming comments? we could get attacked easily. but as a temporary hangout it is really nice here .
how do others feel about the blogger format?
i have really dragged my feet on writing about my trip although i have spoken at some public gatherings which i plan to do more in the future. i will write something! my trip was amazing.
i'll be back, and once again thank you.
hi r'giap!
well, i guess i forgot you can just sign yer friggin name! ok, obviously i am not completely awake.
Thank you for the welcome, Juan. I really appreciate having a resting place here while we put ourselves together again after a long fall all the way from the Moon...
May I make a suggestion? Could you start a new post for a time honored MoA community activity - news and links gathering and related discussions?
thanks Juan, we have been mostly unsuccessful in restoring LS. No one has the account number for the hosting service, it seems no one has the username and password to ftp into the hosting site, and even if okie does have these it is uncertain that he has backup files. the database was backed up a couple of days ago I think but can't even be sure of that. regardless, the code is early phpbb version 2 and absolutely needs to be upgraded to the latest release. If there are any phpbb gurus reading here please contact siun or me (danelore at gmail dot com).
this site looks pretty good, like a watermelon stand on a hot summer day.
the captcha is easy to read, that is a really good thing for me.
Yes, thanks comrade, for pointing us to this space. I may try to pull together a coherent post or two a bit later but am just preparing to leave for two weeks and probably will have no or only limited internet access during that period.
Palestine- it is making me crazy, just watching the Israel Government commit these outrages while the U.S. keeps right on forking over the dough and supporting them in virtually every other way.
I want to thank you also Juan. It is warming to know that when things start to look the darkest there are still souls who step forward to be there for us.
It was bad enough already but when I realized I couldn't access annie's 101st post on the OT, I started to feel despondent. Seeing some of our community posting here has brought back a glimmer of light to me. At least I know some of us can still manage to communicate and maybe find or build a new home. I had no idea losing the Moon would hit me this hard but it has.
Writing for me has always been difficult. I don’t know why. My thought are there and I can vocalize them well but the translation to the written word usually fails for me. I felt that I was just recently starting to make a break through and I don’t want to stop. I sense it is significantly important to me – but not just me, those I would be trying to communicate to or with also. I will work, and play, with you and the others here to keep whatever headway I’m making on track and hopefully offer some value. Thank you again for making the opportunity possible.
Firstly, good to see yas all. What an interesting weekend, to spot your so familiar names on the sidebar is giving me Goosebumps
I miss the moon!
David, get in line ;-) I’d nearly give one of my little fingers to bring about a change of heart in Bernhard. The moment I read his fare well post my virtual world came crashing in. The Moon was/is a corner stone of my political philosophy, its depth and investigative nature a rock to cling onto in a crashing sea of empty words. As shallow as this might sound, but one man and his band of kindred spirits profoundly changed my understanding of our big wide world.
FG, right on brother, history has indeed a habit of repeating itself. And yet, I harbour hope that once the shoe is on the other foot, the Palestinians will not become the kind of people they once despised. Surely the learning process has to kick in some time.
R’giap, your presence is uplifting. Your comments, woven of an authentic belief in humanity and an appreciation of how the world ticks is something I looked forward to ever since I read you the first time.
Annie, I guess the impact on ones mind a trip to Palestine has, and seeing/living first hand the reality imposed on the people living there, is something not that easy to write about. Should you however feel like putting your pen to paper and describe your impressions and experiences, please let me know where you’ll do so.
Alamet, no worries, I’ll see if I can scout out a few links to topics I find of interest and kick of the Linglong Thought Exchange’s first Open Thread. Please remember though, I am not a man of Bernhard’s stature when it comes to snooping out worthwhile news and sharply interpreting them. The idea is mainly for you guys to share your links and to possibly put up front page posts, I don’t have the time to commit myself too much to LTE, my girlfriend is already rolling her eyes at me ;-)
DoS, your and Siun’s efforts to shipshape LS and undo the damage done will hopefully not be in vain. Once I’ve visited the site a couple of times I started to like its format and the networking tools it offers, so watching it going down the cyber gurgler would be miserable. Unfortunately I have no php knowledge whatsoever and as much as I’d like, can’t offer any assistance in tweaking the site back to function properly.
Maxcrat, I think I know how you feel. In one word, Powerless. A feeling which in the ruins of Gaza city must be as touchable as the sadness for lost friends and family.
I sense it is significantly important to me – but not just me, those I would be trying to communicate to or with also.
Juannie, I am pleased you found the way. And you are absolutely right, communication is the key. The essence of our human experience is our ability to interact with each other, and more so, with ourselves.
Hi Juan, I see we are commenting at the same time even though our time zones couldn't be more different!
Let me offer the first handful of links:
Honduras - Apparently the coup makers are not only out of bounds, they are out of their minds as well...
Also found via IncaKolaNews (above), In Honduras, a media crackdown.
Europe - This is disgusting: OSCE equates the Soviet Union with Nazi Germany. "Out of 385 assembly members, only eight voted against the resolution." More at Russia Today, with criticism including a quote from Greek Communist MP Kostas Alissandrakis who says the resolution is "not aimed against Stalin, who is long dead, but against Communism in general, and in the times of a crisis, when workers’ discontent is on the rise”.
alamet
great links on the link for honduras - those in spanish & in english
i do not find it all strange - that there exist & has existed for some time - an anticommunist hysteria which has no corresponding reality & that it happens at a time when people are forced to analyse history to seek answers & when social democratic parties in europe have morphed into the right or are completely incapable of defending the people
the people's movement for self determination is always a troubled history but it is a proud one & it is rooted as much in the extraordinary struggles of ordinary people than in the history of parties & leaders
a workers labor even if they work the immaterial rests a unique force & energy
& if the people are not herded into fear - they are going to seek their answers through that force
remembereringgiap
& thank you again, juan
the people's movement for self determination is always a troubled history but it is a proud one & it is rooted as much in the extraordinary struggles of ordinary people than in the history of parties & leaders
Nicely put. And it is precisely this grassroots activism which caries the nucleus for progress in improving our fellow beings lives. It is only when street politics threatens to move beyond the inherent limitations of our so called democratic systems that parties and their respective leaders learn the real meaning of people power.
Thanks Juan for offering a venue where we can meet. In spite of the heartache that comes at the closing of Moon of Alabama, I am more confident than before that the community will stick together. Bernhard's genius and our collective efforts makes a home for us, wherever we may decide to hang our hats.
I hope a way can be found to put le speakeasy back in order, even if it takes a little time to do it. Let's hope the efforts will succeed, since it is such a beautiful space, and such loving care was taken to build it. But if that doesn't work out, we can figure out what we ought to do.
I have a renewed feeling of rootedness at any time that brings us together, at any place where we may gather.
Juan, I see your passion is the I/P conflict and I have some great links for you on this subject if you would like them...to read for yourself or include in your list. I can post them here if you like, or email to you.
Cheers Leslie. The apartheid system and seemingly never ending oppression Palestinians have to endure is unbelievable, with the tacit approval if not support by the west. Thats us, thats me, thats our governments using our taxes to support coldblooded murder and discrimination on epic proportions. Drives me mad just thinking about it.
So yes, any links are much appreciated. Why not post them in a comment, I am sure they are of interest to other readers, and I can always copy them into my list.
Juan..thanks. Thought I'd better ask before loading them. I have hundreds pertaining to this issue, but will post a few that I refer to daily... and a couple with an important historic perspective...that I'll put here now. Occasionally post some more later.
Jews sans frontieres
Lawrence of Cyberia
Middle East Reality Check (Aussie oi:D)
The Hasbara Buster
The Magnes Zionist
The King-Crane Commission Report,August 28, 1919
http://www.chss.montclair.edu/english/furr/essays/rokach.html
/
Post a Comment