Happy International Women's Day!!
This is actually the 100-year anniversary of International Women's Day. It was started by the UN in 1911 when women in the Western world were petitioning for their basic political and employment rights. Since then it has become not only a world-wide celebration of half the population of the earth, but also a moment to raise awareness about harassment, lack of education, mal-treatment, and inequality facing women around the world.
I never considered myself a die-hard feminist before, but I have to admit that I don't take lightly any jokes (*hilarious* as they may be...) about the inequality of women (i.e. women belong in the kitchen). As a human, my place in this world should not be dictated by my gender!
Unfortunately, in many parts of the earth, women are treated incredibly differently due to the very fact that they are women! We are still not granted the same pay as men in many countries. We are not given access to education in many countries. We are treated as property, abused as sex workers, unable to attain positions in government, looked down upon, etc.
Why do so many people fail to realize that by neglecting a significant portion of the world's population, we are at once stopping the evolution of a healthy society, but also propagating so many of the world's problems, including hunger, disease, and lack of education.
If women were not treated as objects and given the right to say "No" to unsafe sex in Africa, the spread of HIV would slow down. If women in developing were given the same access to tools and technology as their male counterparts, they could augment the yields on their farms, producing more food for their families and villages.
Think of the most amazing woman you know...times that by several billion...that's the number of amazing women we *could* have on this planet if our world was not so obsessed with having male children that they will throw a female baby in the dumpster rather than give her a life; if our world considered females to have the same rights to an education that we give males; if our world wasn't so caught up with having women be child-care providers and homemakers.
Women are wonderful humans who do wonderful things and none of us would be here if it wasn't for a woman. So make sure to fully appreciate and *show* your appreciation for all the intelligent, talented, beautiful, and under-appreciated women in your life today and every day!
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Whatcha gonna do about it?!
I'm so tired of the phrase "must be held accountable". What an over-used, cliched, and often-times empty threat!
Recall the Gaza flotilla of late-May 2010 when the Israeli army surged aboard a fleet of boats headed for Gaza to distribute badly-needed medical, educational, and infrastructural supplies. The raid on the boats left nine people dead at the hands of the IDF, including a 19 year-old Turkish civilian. I found it almost laughable that Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu called this a "clear case of self-defense of the IDF soldiers". Really? The IDF entered International Waters, and boarded a boat carrying non-blockaded goods, and then attacked the unarmed civilians onboard. How can that possibly, in the mind of any logical-thinking human being, be deemed a case of self-defense!? But I digress...
Before I began this post, I wondered what exactly the international community had done to "hold Israel accountable" for the murder of people who were only trying to enhance the incredibly poor quality of life for Gazans? (Notwithstanding that this flotilla should have followed standard procedures for shipping equipment into Gaza, since when is it acceptable for armed people to board a civilian ship in international waters, kill unarmed civilians, and seize the vessels? Last time I checked, that was called "piracy". Not to mention the fact that the blockade on Gaza is unlawful in and of itself - meant to stop weapons and ammunition from entering Gaza, the blockade also banned chocolate, diapers and numerous medical supplies.)
Fortunately, wikipedia has an article on exactly that:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaza_flotilla_raid#Reactions
I discovered that many countries condemned, protested, and expressed deep concern and regret over the actions of Israel. Only four countries downgraded their diplomatic relations with Israel and/or withdrew ambassadors: Ecuador, Nicaragua, South Africa, and Turkey. Good for them!
I was pleased to know that the Human Rights Council adopted a vote of 32-3 that condemned Israel's actions and would begin a fact-finding mission to investigate violations of international law in this instance. Hopefully this case will yield positive results that will provide justice to all the people affected by the horrible way the IDF acted.
In this instance, maybe Israel will be "held accountable" after all...?...despite clearly being held unaccountable for its occupation of Palestine including the building of the apartheid wall, construction of illegal settlements, wanton destruction of Bedouin villages, violence against Palestinian civilians, diverting water from Palestinian villages and using that water to irrigate their illegal settlements within the West Bank, and the list goes on...
*************************************
After the successful protests in Egypt led to the ousting of long-time dictator Hosni Mubarak, other Arab countries, including Libya, are following suit to overthrow their repressive and oppressive regimes! While Arab leaders are stepping down (Egypt and Tunisia) or trying to quell revolutionaries with promises that they will not run for re-"election" (Yemen), Libyan dictator Muammar Gadhafi has threatened his country with a bloody massacre, promising to crush all the "cockroaches" who oppose him!
This is an incredibly frightening thing for the leader of a country to say!! The other frightening thing is that the international community has no idea how to respond, other than to condemn Gadhafi's actions (obviously) and say that he would, of course, be "held accountable". Would that be the same accountability that Mubarak is enduring, as he sits with his feet up in Saudi? Mind you, will the US really charge Mubarak for his years of oppression when it was they who funded it? ($1.3 billion in military aid each year)
Hopefully Gadhafi will be "held accountable" for the lives he has commanded his military to take.
I suppose the really ridiculous thing is that all of these countries are talking about "holding people accountable" as though they bear no responsibility themselves. The international community should be trying to *prevent* atrocities and crimes against humanity before they happen!
Speaking positively of my own country, Canada: "Under the previous Liberal government, Ottawa had pushed for the “responsibility to protect” doctrine, which would oblige the international community to take action if a sovereign country is obviously failing to protect its citizens from mass atrocities. The concept has won support from the UN in recent years, but Libya could be a crucial test of the principle."
( http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/africa-mideast/world-leaders-unsure-of-how-to-respond-to-gadhafi/article1918231/ )
Let's see if the Harper government has the balls to act (likely not...).
Hopefully the world leaders will start acting before it's too late and they have to issue yet another official declaration of their condolences at lost lives and a condemnation of the Gadhafi regime. Save the ink, save your voices, save some lives and take action!
*************************************
Maybe it's easy for a 25 year-old Canadian girl to sit back and criticize the world scene for its seemingly lackadaisical attitude towards genocide...but too often the greed for oil allows politicians to sit on their laurels lest they disrupt a relationship with a country that lets them drive their Hummers and other tree-killing SUVs.
Where are our priorities?! Where are the consciences of these people?!
Recall the Gaza flotilla of late-May 2010 when the Israeli army surged aboard a fleet of boats headed for Gaza to distribute badly-needed medical, educational, and infrastructural supplies. The raid on the boats left nine people dead at the hands of the IDF, including a 19 year-old Turkish civilian. I found it almost laughable that Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu called this a "clear case of self-defense of the IDF soldiers". Really? The IDF entered International Waters, and boarded a boat carrying non-blockaded goods, and then attacked the unarmed civilians onboard. How can that possibly, in the mind of any logical-thinking human being, be deemed a case of self-defense!? But I digress...
Before I began this post, I wondered what exactly the international community had done to "hold Israel accountable" for the murder of people who were only trying to enhance the incredibly poor quality of life for Gazans? (Notwithstanding that this flotilla should have followed standard procedures for shipping equipment into Gaza, since when is it acceptable for armed people to board a civilian ship in international waters, kill unarmed civilians, and seize the vessels? Last time I checked, that was called "piracy". Not to mention the fact that the blockade on Gaza is unlawful in and of itself - meant to stop weapons and ammunition from entering Gaza, the blockade also banned chocolate, diapers and numerous medical supplies.)
Fortunately, wikipedia has an article on exactly that:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaza_flotilla_raid#Reactions
I discovered that many countries condemned, protested, and expressed deep concern and regret over the actions of Israel. Only four countries downgraded their diplomatic relations with Israel and/or withdrew ambassadors: Ecuador, Nicaragua, South Africa, and Turkey. Good for them!
I was pleased to know that the Human Rights Council adopted a vote of 32-3 that condemned Israel's actions and would begin a fact-finding mission to investigate violations of international law in this instance. Hopefully this case will yield positive results that will provide justice to all the people affected by the horrible way the IDF acted.
In this instance, maybe Israel will be "held accountable" after all...?...despite clearly being held unaccountable for its occupation of Palestine including the building of the apartheid wall, construction of illegal settlements, wanton destruction of Bedouin villages, violence against Palestinian civilians, diverting water from Palestinian villages and using that water to irrigate their illegal settlements within the West Bank, and the list goes on...
*************************************
After the successful protests in Egypt led to the ousting of long-time dictator Hosni Mubarak, other Arab countries, including Libya, are following suit to overthrow their repressive and oppressive regimes! While Arab leaders are stepping down (Egypt and Tunisia) or trying to quell revolutionaries with promises that they will not run for re-"election" (Yemen), Libyan dictator Muammar Gadhafi has threatened his country with a bloody massacre, promising to crush all the "cockroaches" who oppose him!
This is an incredibly frightening thing for the leader of a country to say!! The other frightening thing is that the international community has no idea how to respond, other than to condemn Gadhafi's actions (obviously) and say that he would, of course, be "held accountable". Would that be the same accountability that Mubarak is enduring, as he sits with his feet up in Saudi? Mind you, will the US really charge Mubarak for his years of oppression when it was they who funded it? ($1.3 billion in military aid each year)
Hopefully Gadhafi will be "held accountable" for the lives he has commanded his military to take.
I suppose the really ridiculous thing is that all of these countries are talking about "holding people accountable" as though they bear no responsibility themselves. The international community should be trying to *prevent* atrocities and crimes against humanity before they happen!
Speaking positively of my own country, Canada: "Under the previous Liberal government, Ottawa had pushed for the “responsibility to protect” doctrine, which would oblige the international community to take action if a sovereign country is obviously failing to protect its citizens from mass atrocities. The concept has won support from the UN in recent years, but Libya could be a crucial test of the principle."
( http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/africa-mideast/world-leaders-unsure-of-how-to-respond-to-gadhafi/article1918231/ )
Let's see if the Harper government has the balls to act (likely not...).
Hopefully the world leaders will start acting before it's too late and they have to issue yet another official declaration of their condolences at lost lives and a condemnation of the Gadhafi regime. Save the ink, save your voices, save some lives and take action!
*************************************
Maybe it's easy for a 25 year-old Canadian girl to sit back and criticize the world scene for its seemingly lackadaisical attitude towards genocide...but too often the greed for oil allows politicians to sit on their laurels lest they disrupt a relationship with a country that lets them drive their Hummers and other tree-killing SUVs.
Where are our priorities?! Where are the consciences of these people?!
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Together but Apart...
Akin to the philosophical question: "If a tree falls in the forest and no is around, does it still make a noise?", I pose this query: "If two people agree to be a 'couple' but they live 1000 miles apart, are they still a couple?"
My boyfriend lives in the mid-Western United States and I live in basically the middle of Canada. Since we don't get the chance to talk much in-person, we spend a lot of our time communicating via Google Chat, Google Video, and Skype. Fortunately these resources are free, but that doesn't mean that both of us haven't spent a considerable amount of money and time traveling to visit the other.
We have actually been really lucky that we have had the time and money to see each other fairly frequently. We even spent 5 weeks together in Europe in September. After that we were able to see each other every 3 weeks. We can't keep that up forever, as we've realized when we examine our dismal bank accounts. Therefore we're trying to go a solid two months without visits.
Two months feels like an eternity. I've been trying to fill up my calendar as much as possible so that I'm busy enough that time will start to fly by. So far I've noticed that I'm exhausted and still incredibly aware of the hours and days slowly ticking along.
But back to my original question: If two people agree to be a couple but live miles apart, are they still a couple? It seems like an oxymoron. When you think of yourself as being in a relationship, you assume that you will spend a considerable amount of time with the one who dominates your thoughts 90% of the time. So when that person lives in another country, you are relegated to your thoughts alone and the daily (hopefully) phone call/video chat. Not really an effective or substantial way of demonstrating your "couple-ness".
Still, there's not much more you can do when you can't just stop by their place on their way home from work. So you have to find other ways of cementing your bond: letters, postcards, voice messages, little ways to let the other know you're thinking about them.
And to be fair, when we ARE together we are most definitely a couple. That doesn't do much to quell the disappointment every time we have to say good-bye, though. Long-distance is hard and it sucks. I feel for everyone who doesn't live in the same city as their beloved.
So you do what you can with what you've got. As for me, it's off to another video chat and after that I'll be back to X-ing days off on my calendar and counting away at those slowly-moving hours.
My boyfriend lives in the mid-Western United States and I live in basically the middle of Canada. Since we don't get the chance to talk much in-person, we spend a lot of our time communicating via Google Chat, Google Video, and Skype. Fortunately these resources are free, but that doesn't mean that both of us haven't spent a considerable amount of money and time traveling to visit the other.
We have actually been really lucky that we have had the time and money to see each other fairly frequently. We even spent 5 weeks together in Europe in September. After that we were able to see each other every 3 weeks. We can't keep that up forever, as we've realized when we examine our dismal bank accounts. Therefore we're trying to go a solid two months without visits.
Two months feels like an eternity. I've been trying to fill up my calendar as much as possible so that I'm busy enough that time will start to fly by. So far I've noticed that I'm exhausted and still incredibly aware of the hours and days slowly ticking along.
But back to my original question: If two people agree to be a couple but live miles apart, are they still a couple? It seems like an oxymoron. When you think of yourself as being in a relationship, you assume that you will spend a considerable amount of time with the one who dominates your thoughts 90% of the time. So when that person lives in another country, you are relegated to your thoughts alone and the daily (hopefully) phone call/video chat. Not really an effective or substantial way of demonstrating your "couple-ness".
Still, there's not much more you can do when you can't just stop by their place on their way home from work. So you have to find other ways of cementing your bond: letters, postcards, voice messages, little ways to let the other know you're thinking about them.
And to be fair, when we ARE together we are most definitely a couple. That doesn't do much to quell the disappointment every time we have to say good-bye, though. Long-distance is hard and it sucks. I feel for everyone who doesn't live in the same city as their beloved.
So you do what you can with what you've got. As for me, it's off to another video chat and after that I'll be back to X-ing days off on my calendar and counting away at those slowly-moving hours.
Monday, February 14, 2011
Valentine's Day?
It's been so long since my last post and I honestly don't know if anyone reads this anymore...so I can feel completely free to go off on a wonderful tangent :)
So it's Valentine's Day...hurray...or not?
This is the first Valentine's Day in my entire existence that I have been "with" someone - that someone being my boyfriend of the last 7.5 months. We are in a "long-distance" relationship (a.k.a. a very shitty position to be in), so, while we talk every single day, it's still hard to maintain the kind of close relationship you would have if you saw someone in person every day.
My boyfriend is not a romantic guy. He will admit this. That's ok. I love him anyway. He also thinks Valentine's Day is a complete sham. That's ok, too. I love him anyway. He told me not to expect anything for Valentine's Day, so I guess I should have been prepared. But...but...but...I cannot help but be envious of everyone's facebook status that reads "Best Valentine's Day ever!! Roses and a romantic dinner!" or "What an amazing Valentine's Day - breakfast in bed and couples massages!"
So what if Valentine's Day is a huge commercialized holiday designed to make people spend money on chocolate and flowers?? It makes people feel special and cared about. No, it doesn't mean your honey loves you more on Valentine's Day than on any other day, but it's an opportunity to demonstrate your affections and what's so wrong with that!?
Of course I didn't receive anything for our 6-month anniversary either...My boyfriend will be the first to admit he's terrible at buying gifts. I don't think it's hard to buy girls presents: earrings, necklaces, scarves, perfume, candles, body wash, tea, lotion, gift certificates even. [To be fair, he did take me to Iron and Wine at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, which was a freaking awesome show.]
Anyway, I will survive the obvious dis-acknowledgement of Valentine's Day. My point is that, despite it being a money-making scheme, receiving flowers/chocolate/a love letter is always a treat and quite honestly I'm in dire need of a pick-me-up these days so the green monster is burning behind my eyes and into my fingers (hence the post).
Sorry for putting you on the spot, boyfriend...you just gotta step it up a few notches, ok?? I still love you!!
So it's Valentine's Day...hurray...or not?
This is the first Valentine's Day in my entire existence that I have been "with" someone - that someone being my boyfriend of the last 7.5 months. We are in a "long-distance" relationship (a.k.a. a very shitty position to be in), so, while we talk every single day, it's still hard to maintain the kind of close relationship you would have if you saw someone in person every day.
My boyfriend is not a romantic guy. He will admit this. That's ok. I love him anyway. He also thinks Valentine's Day is a complete sham. That's ok, too. I love him anyway. He told me not to expect anything for Valentine's Day, so I guess I should have been prepared. But...but...but...I cannot help but be envious of everyone's facebook status that reads "Best Valentine's Day ever!! Roses and a romantic dinner!" or "What an amazing Valentine's Day - breakfast in bed and couples massages!"
So what if Valentine's Day is a huge commercialized holiday designed to make people spend money on chocolate and flowers?? It makes people feel special and cared about. No, it doesn't mean your honey loves you more on Valentine's Day than on any other day, but it's an opportunity to demonstrate your affections and what's so wrong with that!?
Of course I didn't receive anything for our 6-month anniversary either...My boyfriend will be the first to admit he's terrible at buying gifts. I don't think it's hard to buy girls presents: earrings, necklaces, scarves, perfume, candles, body wash, tea, lotion, gift certificates even. [To be fair, he did take me to Iron and Wine at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, which was a freaking awesome show.]
Anyway, I will survive the obvious dis-acknowledgement of Valentine's Day. My point is that, despite it being a money-making scheme, receiving flowers/chocolate/a love letter is always a treat and quite honestly I'm in dire need of a pick-me-up these days so the green monster is burning behind my eyes and into my fingers (hence the post).
Sorry for putting you on the spot, boyfriend...you just gotta step it up a few notches, ok?? I still love you!!
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Stealing great posts from other bloggers
Two great pieces about the Gaza flotilla massacre:
http://samuelnichols.blogspot.com/2010/06/former-us-marine-was-on-mavi-marmara.html
A former US Marine was on the Mavi Marmara
Cross-posted from Paul Woodward's War in Context
“All I saw in Israel was cowards with guns.” These are the words of Ken O’Keefe, a former US Marine who was just deported from Israel after surviving the Mavi Marmara massacre.
In 2002, O’Keefe initiated what some would regard as a quixotic endeavor: an effort to prevent the war in Iraq by positioning Western volunteers as human shields at strategic sites in Iraq. TheTruth Justice Peace action failed, but O’Keefe’s passion to follow the dictates of his own conscience has continued unabated.
This is part of a statement O’Keefe made upon arriving in Istanbul on Friday after his expulsion from Israel:
I remember being asked during the TJP Human Shield Action to Iraq if I was a pacifist, I responded with a quote from Gandhi by saying I am not a passive anything. To the contrary I believe in action, and I also believe in self-defence, 100%, without reservation. I would be incapable of standing by while a tyrant murders my family, and the attack on the Mavi Marmara was like an attack on my Palestinian family. I am proud to have stood shoulder to shoulder with those who refused to let a rogue Israeli military exert their will without a fight. And yes, we fought.
When I was asked, in the event of an Israeli attack on the Mavi Mamara, would I use the camera, or would I defend the ship? I enthusiastically committed to defence of the ship. Although I am also a huge supporter of non-violence, in fact I believe non-violence must always be the first option. Nonetheless I joined the defence of the Mavi Mamara understanding that violence could be used against us and that we may very well be compelled to use violence in self-defence.
I said this straight to Israeli agents, probably of Mossad or Shin Bet, and I say it again now, on the morning of the attack I was directly involved in the disarming of two Israeli Commandos. This was a forcible, non-negotiable, separation of weapons from commandos who had already murdered two brothers that I had seen that day. One brother with a bullet entering dead center in his forehead, in what appeared to be an execution. I knew the commandos were murdering when I removed a 9mm pistol from one of them. I had that gun in my hands and as an ex-US Marine with training in the use of guns it was completely within my power to use that gun on the commando who may have been the murderer of one of my brothers. But that is not what I, nor any other defender of the ship did. I took that weapon away, removed the bullets, proper lead bullets, separated them from the weapon and hid the gun. I did this in the hopes that we would repel the attack and submit this weapon as evidence in a criminal trial against Israeli authorities for mass murder.
I also helped to physically separate one commando from his assault rifle, which another brother apparently threw into the sea. I and hundreds of others know the truth that makes a mockery of the brave and moral Israeli military. We had in our full possession, three completely disarmed and helpless commandos. These boys were at our mercy, they were out of reach of their fellow murderers, inside the ship and surrounded by 100 or more men. I looked into the eyes of all three of these boys and I can tell you they had the fear of God in them. They looked at us as if we were them, and I have no doubt they did not believe there was any way they would survive that day. They looked like frightened children in the face of an abusive father.
But they did not face an enemy as ruthless as they. Instead the woman provided basic first aid, and ultimately they were released, battered and bruised for sure, but alive. Able to live another day. Able to feel the sun over head and the embrace of loved ones. Unlike those they murdered. Despite mourning the loss of our brothers, feeling rage towards these boys, we let them go. The Israeli prostitutes of propaganda can spew all of their disgusting bile all they wish, the commandos are the murders, we are the defenders, and yet we fought. We fought not just for our lives, not just for our cargo, not just for the people of Palestine, we fought in the name of justice and humanity. We were right to do so, in every way.
While in Israeli custody I, along with everyone else was subjected to endless abuse and flagrant acts of disrespect. Women and elderly were physically and mentally assaulted. Access to food and water and toilets was denied. Dogs were used against us, we ourselves were treated like dogs. We were exposed to direct sun in stress positions while hand cuffed to the point of losing circulation of blood in our hands. We were lied to incessantly, in fact I am awed at the routineness and comfort in their ability to lie, it is remarkable really. We were abused in just about every way imaginable and I myself was beaten and choked to the point of blacking out… and I was beaten again while in my cell.
In all this what I saw more than anything else were cowards… and yet I also see my brothers. Because no matter how vile and wrong the Israeli agents and government are, they are still my brothers and sisters and for now I only have pity for them. Because they are relinquishing the most precious thing a human being has, their humanity.
In conclusion; I would like to challenge every endorser of Gandhi, every person who thinks they understand him, who acknowledges him as one of the great souls of our time (which is just about every western leader), I challenge you in the form of a question. Please explain how we, the defenders of the Mavi Marmara, are not the modern example of Gandhi’s essence? But first read the words of Gandhi himself.
“I do believe that, where there is only a choice between cowardice and violence, I would advise violence…. I would rather have India resort to arms in order to defend her honour than that she should, in a cowardly manner, become or remain a helpless witness to her own dishonour.” – Gandhi
And lastly I have one more challenge. I challenge any critic of merit, publicly, to debate me on a large stage over our actions that day. I would especially love to debate with any Israeli leader who accuses us of wrongdoing, it would be my tremendous pleasure to face off with you. All I saw in Israel was cowards with guns, so I am ripe to see you in a new context. I want to debate with you on the largest stage possible. Take that as an open challenge and let us see just how brave Israeli leaders are.
I doubt that there is a single Israeli official who would have the guts to take up O’Keefe’s challenge. Instead, the IDF has issued a laughable claim:
Ken O’Keefe (Born 1969), an American and British citizen, is a radical anti-Israel activist and operative of the Hamas Terror organization. He attempted to enter the Gaza Strip in order to form and train a commando unit for the Palestinian terror organization.
The IDF spelled his name correctly and the year he was born — thereafter, the errors and deceptions follow. O’Keefe renounced his US citizenship in March 2001. He is now an Irish and Palestinian citizen, though describes himself as “in truth a world citizen.”
If the IDF had a shred of evidence that O’Keefe was heading to Gaza to train a commando unit for Hamas, I guarantee he would not now be in Istanbul. He would be in an Israeli jail awaiting trial. (In an interview with Al Jazeera appearing below, he does indeed dismiss Israel’s claims.)
But when O’Keefe says that all he saw in Israel was “cowards with guns” he points to a fundamental truth that reveals the character of the Jewish state.
As a nation that revels in its willingness to crush its opponents, Israel operates with the mindset of every bully: it only feels convinced of its strength when facing a weak opponent.
Lacking the courage to hold its own among equals, Israel operates in a world defined by dominance and oppression.
******************************
http://mondoweiss.net/2010/06/protest-in-new-york-and-celebration.html
Protest in New York, and celebration
by PAMELA OLSON on JUNE 2, 2010 · 21 COMMENTS
On May 31, the day after Israel’s bloody and unconscionable raid against civilian aid volunteers in international waters, around 1,000 people gathered in Times Square to protest. The next day, June 1, the same number showed up to protest again, meeting at 42nd Street and 2nd Avenue and marching to Times Square.
The organizers had arranged for 200 feet of the street to be blocked off for the demonstration, and by the time the march began, it was overflowing. There were very few news cameras around, though, most of them from the independent and left-leaning press. A counter-protest was held a few blocks away by people who supported Israel’s blockade of Gaza and its attack against the flotilla. A friend and I went to check it out. He suggested I hide the kuffiyeh that was hanging around my neck, but I was in no mood to cater to anyone’s delicate sensibilities after what had happened. It was a symbol of solidarity and resistance to illegal brutality, and I wore it proudly.
The right-wing protest looked as packed as the pro-justice protest, and it was surrounded by journalists, most of them apparently mainstream. One of them, well-dressed and sharply-groomed, from a local Fox station, was asking a protester what he thought about the claim by activists that the boats were attacked in international waters, and that Israel’s assault was therefore illegal. I leaned in closer, very interested to listen to his answer.
Just then a large bald man, apparently an organizer who noticed my kuffiyeh, stepped between me and the interview and asked accusingly, “Where are you from?” I replied, “Oklahoma.” He shook his head and rolled his eyes. “You can’t stand here. Not with that scarf. You know what it means, don’t you? It means support for terrorism.”
I laughed, because it was such an absurdist thing to say. The kind of thing you don’t expect real people to say right in front of you.
“You can’t stand here,” he repeated. “It’s a free country,” I reminded him.
He mumbled something and walked away. Soon I was confronted by a huge policeman with a thick Bronx accent. “You can’t stand here,” he said. “Join the protest or step aside. They got permits for this space, they can choose who they want to be in there, and they don’t want you in there, so step aside.”
“I’m not in there,” I said. “I’m standing on the sidewalk.”
“You can’t stand there.”
“I can’t stand here because he says so?”
“Ma’am, I will lock you up for refusing to obey a legal order.”
“You’ll lock me up because I’m standing on the sidewalk?”
“This is a crosswalk, ma’am. It’s illegal to stand here. Step aside or I will arrest you.”
I nodded now that he said something halfway sensible and stepped out of the trickle of pedestrian traffic, too far away to engage or listen to the protesters except for hearing a few intermittently chanting, “Stop the flotilla, Stop the Islamic terror!”
My friend, who is Jewish, was also rustled up and kicked off the sidewalk for trying to talk to one of the protesters, with no ready excuse that he was standing in a crosswalk, because he wasn’t. He argued in vain with the same police officer (“It’s illegal to have a conversation?”), then he joined me near the curb. With no more reason to be there, we headed back to the pro-justice protest.
And that’s when the illusion was broken. The pro-Israeli-government protest had reserved as much space as the pro-justice protest. But their protesters were all crammed into about one-sixth of the space at one end, where the cameras were surrounding them. There couldn’t have been more than 150 people. From the angle we saw as we were approaching it, it looked about as formidable as the pro-justice movement. But from the angle we saw as we were leaving it, it perfectly encapsulated the state of Israel’s government’s supporters today—surrounded by cameras, aided unquestioningly by the powers that be, with an increasingly sad, defensive, sputtering illusion of popular support.
Pamela Olson is working on a book called Fast Times in Palestine.
http://samuelnichols.blogspot.com/2010/06/former-us-marine-was-on-mavi-marmara.html
A former US Marine was on the Mavi Marmara
Cross-posted from Paul Woodward's War in Context
“All I saw in Israel was cowards with guns.” These are the words of Ken O’Keefe, a former US Marine who was just deported from Israel after surviving the Mavi Marmara massacre.
In 2002, O’Keefe initiated what some would regard as a quixotic endeavor: an effort to prevent the war in Iraq by positioning Western volunteers as human shields at strategic sites in Iraq. TheTruth Justice Peace action failed, but O’Keefe’s passion to follow the dictates of his own conscience has continued unabated.
This is part of a statement O’Keefe made upon arriving in Istanbul on Friday after his expulsion from Israel:
I remember being asked during the TJP Human Shield Action to Iraq if I was a pacifist, I responded with a quote from Gandhi by saying I am not a passive anything. To the contrary I believe in action, and I also believe in self-defence, 100%, without reservation. I would be incapable of standing by while a tyrant murders my family, and the attack on the Mavi Marmara was like an attack on my Palestinian family. I am proud to have stood shoulder to shoulder with those who refused to let a rogue Israeli military exert their will without a fight. And yes, we fought.
When I was asked, in the event of an Israeli attack on the Mavi Mamara, would I use the camera, or would I defend the ship? I enthusiastically committed to defence of the ship. Although I am also a huge supporter of non-violence, in fact I believe non-violence must always be the first option. Nonetheless I joined the defence of the Mavi Mamara understanding that violence could be used against us and that we may very well be compelled to use violence in self-defence.
I said this straight to Israeli agents, probably of Mossad or Shin Bet, and I say it again now, on the morning of the attack I was directly involved in the disarming of two Israeli Commandos. This was a forcible, non-negotiable, separation of weapons from commandos who had already murdered two brothers that I had seen that day. One brother with a bullet entering dead center in his forehead, in what appeared to be an execution. I knew the commandos were murdering when I removed a 9mm pistol from one of them. I had that gun in my hands and as an ex-US Marine with training in the use of guns it was completely within my power to use that gun on the commando who may have been the murderer of one of my brothers. But that is not what I, nor any other defender of the ship did. I took that weapon away, removed the bullets, proper lead bullets, separated them from the weapon and hid the gun. I did this in the hopes that we would repel the attack and submit this weapon as evidence in a criminal trial against Israeli authorities for mass murder.
I also helped to physically separate one commando from his assault rifle, which another brother apparently threw into the sea. I and hundreds of others know the truth that makes a mockery of the brave and moral Israeli military. We had in our full possession, three completely disarmed and helpless commandos. These boys were at our mercy, they were out of reach of their fellow murderers, inside the ship and surrounded by 100 or more men. I looked into the eyes of all three of these boys and I can tell you they had the fear of God in them. They looked at us as if we were them, and I have no doubt they did not believe there was any way they would survive that day. They looked like frightened children in the face of an abusive father.
But they did not face an enemy as ruthless as they. Instead the woman provided basic first aid, and ultimately they were released, battered and bruised for sure, but alive. Able to live another day. Able to feel the sun over head and the embrace of loved ones. Unlike those they murdered. Despite mourning the loss of our brothers, feeling rage towards these boys, we let them go. The Israeli prostitutes of propaganda can spew all of their disgusting bile all they wish, the commandos are the murders, we are the defenders, and yet we fought. We fought not just for our lives, not just for our cargo, not just for the people of Palestine, we fought in the name of justice and humanity. We were right to do so, in every way.
While in Israeli custody I, along with everyone else was subjected to endless abuse and flagrant acts of disrespect. Women and elderly were physically and mentally assaulted. Access to food and water and toilets was denied. Dogs were used against us, we ourselves were treated like dogs. We were exposed to direct sun in stress positions while hand cuffed to the point of losing circulation of blood in our hands. We were lied to incessantly, in fact I am awed at the routineness and comfort in their ability to lie, it is remarkable really. We were abused in just about every way imaginable and I myself was beaten and choked to the point of blacking out… and I was beaten again while in my cell.
In all this what I saw more than anything else were cowards… and yet I also see my brothers. Because no matter how vile and wrong the Israeli agents and government are, they are still my brothers and sisters and for now I only have pity for them. Because they are relinquishing the most precious thing a human being has, their humanity.
In conclusion; I would like to challenge every endorser of Gandhi, every person who thinks they understand him, who acknowledges him as one of the great souls of our time (which is just about every western leader), I challenge you in the form of a question. Please explain how we, the defenders of the Mavi Marmara, are not the modern example of Gandhi’s essence? But first read the words of Gandhi himself.
“I do believe that, where there is only a choice between cowardice and violence, I would advise violence…. I would rather have India resort to arms in order to defend her honour than that she should, in a cowardly manner, become or remain a helpless witness to her own dishonour.” – Gandhi
And lastly I have one more challenge. I challenge any critic of merit, publicly, to debate me on a large stage over our actions that day. I would especially love to debate with any Israeli leader who accuses us of wrongdoing, it would be my tremendous pleasure to face off with you. All I saw in Israel was cowards with guns, so I am ripe to see you in a new context. I want to debate with you on the largest stage possible. Take that as an open challenge and let us see just how brave Israeli leaders are.
I doubt that there is a single Israeli official who would have the guts to take up O’Keefe’s challenge. Instead, the IDF has issued a laughable claim:
Ken O’Keefe (Born 1969), an American and British citizen, is a radical anti-Israel activist and operative of the Hamas Terror organization. He attempted to enter the Gaza Strip in order to form and train a commando unit for the Palestinian terror organization.
The IDF spelled his name correctly and the year he was born — thereafter, the errors and deceptions follow. O’Keefe renounced his US citizenship in March 2001. He is now an Irish and Palestinian citizen, though describes himself as “in truth a world citizen.”
If the IDF had a shred of evidence that O’Keefe was heading to Gaza to train a commando unit for Hamas, I guarantee he would not now be in Istanbul. He would be in an Israeli jail awaiting trial. (In an interview with Al Jazeera appearing below, he does indeed dismiss Israel’s claims.)
But when O’Keefe says that all he saw in Israel was “cowards with guns” he points to a fundamental truth that reveals the character of the Jewish state.
As a nation that revels in its willingness to crush its opponents, Israel operates with the mindset of every bully: it only feels convinced of its strength when facing a weak opponent.
Lacking the courage to hold its own among equals, Israel operates in a world defined by dominance and oppression.
******************************
http://mondoweiss.net/2010/06/protest-in-new-york-and-celebration.html
Protest in New York, and celebration
by PAMELA OLSON on JUNE 2, 2010 · 21 COMMENTS
On May 31, the day after Israel’s bloody and unconscionable raid against civilian aid volunteers in international waters, around 1,000 people gathered in Times Square to protest. The next day, June 1, the same number showed up to protest again, meeting at 42nd Street and 2nd Avenue and marching to Times Square.
The organizers had arranged for 200 feet of the street to be blocked off for the demonstration, and by the time the march began, it was overflowing. There were very few news cameras around, though, most of them from the independent and left-leaning press. A counter-protest was held a few blocks away by people who supported Israel’s blockade of Gaza and its attack against the flotilla. A friend and I went to check it out. He suggested I hide the kuffiyeh that was hanging around my neck, but I was in no mood to cater to anyone’s delicate sensibilities after what had happened. It was a symbol of solidarity and resistance to illegal brutality, and I wore it proudly.
The right-wing protest looked as packed as the pro-justice protest, and it was surrounded by journalists, most of them apparently mainstream. One of them, well-dressed and sharply-groomed, from a local Fox station, was asking a protester what he thought about the claim by activists that the boats were attacked in international waters, and that Israel’s assault was therefore illegal. I leaned in closer, very interested to listen to his answer.
Just then a large bald man, apparently an organizer who noticed my kuffiyeh, stepped between me and the interview and asked accusingly, “Where are you from?” I replied, “Oklahoma.” He shook his head and rolled his eyes. “You can’t stand here. Not with that scarf. You know what it means, don’t you? It means support for terrorism.”
I laughed, because it was such an absurdist thing to say. The kind of thing you don’t expect real people to say right in front of you.
“You can’t stand here,” he repeated. “It’s a free country,” I reminded him.
He mumbled something and walked away. Soon I was confronted by a huge policeman with a thick Bronx accent. “You can’t stand here,” he said. “Join the protest or step aside. They got permits for this space, they can choose who they want to be in there, and they don’t want you in there, so step aside.”
“I’m not in there,” I said. “I’m standing on the sidewalk.”
“You can’t stand there.”
“I can’t stand here because he says so?”
“Ma’am, I will lock you up for refusing to obey a legal order.”
“You’ll lock me up because I’m standing on the sidewalk?”
“This is a crosswalk, ma’am. It’s illegal to stand here. Step aside or I will arrest you.”
I nodded now that he said something halfway sensible and stepped out of the trickle of pedestrian traffic, too far away to engage or listen to the protesters except for hearing a few intermittently chanting, “Stop the flotilla, Stop the Islamic terror!”
My friend, who is Jewish, was also rustled up and kicked off the sidewalk for trying to talk to one of the protesters, with no ready excuse that he was standing in a crosswalk, because he wasn’t. He argued in vain with the same police officer (“It’s illegal to have a conversation?”), then he joined me near the curb. With no more reason to be there, we headed back to the pro-justice protest.
And that’s when the illusion was broken. The pro-Israeli-government protest had reserved as much space as the pro-justice protest. But their protesters were all crammed into about one-sixth of the space at one end, where the cameras were surrounding them. There couldn’t have been more than 150 people. From the angle we saw as we were approaching it, it looked about as formidable as the pro-justice movement. But from the angle we saw as we were leaving it, it perfectly encapsulated the state of Israel’s government’s supporters today—surrounded by cameras, aided unquestioningly by the powers that be, with an increasingly sad, defensive, sputtering illusion of popular support.
Pamela Olson is working on a book called Fast Times in Palestine.
Monday, June 7, 2010
Packing it in...
So I've decided to move home...
The finality of my decision is really sinking in tonight and I feel really quite sad about it.
There were a lot of factors that went into why I decided to go back to Canada. Of course I made my huge list of pros and cons. It seems like the reasons for going back to Canada just seemed to make a lot more sense and carry more weight than the reasons for staying. But it's just so hard to say how I will feel four months from now. When I see the leaves start to drop off the trees in Saskatchewan, will I be craving fresh mangoes and peaches from the Ramallah fruit market? Undoubtedly. But then I think of all the whistles and stares and catcalls, day in and day out.
For some time now I had been pondering what the next step in my life would be. I wasn't sure if my work even wanted to employ me for another year. I suffered a series of frustrating experiences both in my personal and professional life that made me want to get out of here as soon as possible. I was convinced that moving back to Canada was the best option. And then after talking to some people and realizing I had some awesome friends here, I was super scared to leave it all behind.
But in the end I decided to do just that: leave it all behind...well, physically. I know I will carry Palestine and all my friends (Palestinian and otherwise) so close to my heart forever. I fell in love with this land and I know that I will return in the future - how could I not?
A wise friend of mine suggested that it's a good idea to leave something you love before the magic fades entirely. It's true that the magic of Palestine has certainly been fading for a while now and maybe it's for the best that I'm leaving before I get completely sick of this place. But wow, moving back across the world is a frightening thought.
And what am I going back for exactly?
These are the possibilities: orchestra audition; vocal accompanying; Violin/Viola teaching; instrumental accompanying; lessons and masterclasses; investigating possibilities for doing a Masters degree; practicing...
Everyone I talked with told me that the overwhelming feeling they had from me was that I wanted to return to Canada. So why am I feeling so blue? I mean, I can only imagine how hard it would be to leave this place after another year of getting attached!
I just have to take this decision and run with it. At times I'm overwhelmed with excitement at the idea of going back to Canada and starting new projects. And then in the next minute I'm completely astonished that I'm leaving this wonderful land that has captured my heart.
For better or for worse, I'll be on a plane, Canada-bound, in T-minus 3 weeks...
The finality of my decision is really sinking in tonight and I feel really quite sad about it.
There were a lot of factors that went into why I decided to go back to Canada. Of course I made my huge list of pros and cons. It seems like the reasons for going back to Canada just seemed to make a lot more sense and carry more weight than the reasons for staying. But it's just so hard to say how I will feel four months from now. When I see the leaves start to drop off the trees in Saskatchewan, will I be craving fresh mangoes and peaches from the Ramallah fruit market? Undoubtedly. But then I think of all the whistles and stares and catcalls, day in and day out.
For some time now I had been pondering what the next step in my life would be. I wasn't sure if my work even wanted to employ me for another year. I suffered a series of frustrating experiences both in my personal and professional life that made me want to get out of here as soon as possible. I was convinced that moving back to Canada was the best option. And then after talking to some people and realizing I had some awesome friends here, I was super scared to leave it all behind.
But in the end I decided to do just that: leave it all behind...well, physically. I know I will carry Palestine and all my friends (Palestinian and otherwise) so close to my heart forever. I fell in love with this land and I know that I will return in the future - how could I not?
A wise friend of mine suggested that it's a good idea to leave something you love before the magic fades entirely. It's true that the magic of Palestine has certainly been fading for a while now and maybe it's for the best that I'm leaving before I get completely sick of this place. But wow, moving back across the world is a frightening thought.
And what am I going back for exactly?
These are the possibilities: orchestra audition; vocal accompanying; Violin/Viola teaching; instrumental accompanying; lessons and masterclasses; investigating possibilities for doing a Masters degree; practicing...
Everyone I talked with told me that the overwhelming feeling they had from me was that I wanted to return to Canada. So why am I feeling so blue? I mean, I can only imagine how hard it would be to leave this place after another year of getting attached!
I just have to take this decision and run with it. At times I'm overwhelmed with excitement at the idea of going back to Canada and starting new projects. And then in the next minute I'm completely astonished that I'm leaving this wonderful land that has captured my heart.
For better or for worse, I'll be on a plane, Canada-bound, in T-minus 3 weeks...
Friday, May 7, 2010
Breaking the Trend...
Okay so these last posts have been completely politically-orientated...I think it's about time I wrote something that was about my life...my girly life.
I'm a strong woman. I like to think so, anyway. I've been messed with. I've been hurt. I've been thrown aside like I didn't matter. I've been looked at as though I was a piece of dirt (or worse). And still I believe in love. And still I believe in humanity.
I live in an occupied territory. I see people everyday who are messed with, hurt, thrown aside, treated like dirt and looked upon as less than worthless. And these people still believe in love and humanity.
That's what being a conquerer is about. You come back from a fight. You fall off the horse, and you get back on (although after being nailed in the face by a hockey stick at my street hockey game, I'm a little reluctant to full-on attack an offensive player...but don't worry, I'll get it back).
So even though I'm not actually talking about the Palestinian occupation right now, I'm shouting out to the world that I AM STRONG. I can be beaten down and pop back up (given some time and a little TLC).
Right now I'm nursing a few wounds. There have been a lot of people that have helped me through this latest little (big?) gash to my heart and ego. I thought that I was strong enough to not even allow this latest foray into...well, I'd like to call it a romance but it can hardly be considered such a thing...so I'll call it...stupidity haha. So I thought that I was strong enough to allow this latest foray into stupidity to leave me unaffected. Unfortunately for me it left a bigger mark than I had predicted.
(Side-note: Shout out to EP, B-wop, WAZ, DinDin, Roz, MO, EEEE-MAD, Brahmania, and all the other people who played a part in making me realize I am BETTER than this garbage; I am BETTER than what is going on; I AM BETTER THAN THIS. WAZ you are such a killer dude.)
But I'm bouncing back. And you better believe that I'll be strong (and hopefully smarter) than ever.
I'm a strong woman. I like to think so, anyway. I've been messed with. I've been hurt. I've been thrown aside like I didn't matter. I've been looked at as though I was a piece of dirt (or worse). And still I believe in love. And still I believe in humanity.
I live in an occupied territory. I see people everyday who are messed with, hurt, thrown aside, treated like dirt and looked upon as less than worthless. And these people still believe in love and humanity.
That's what being a conquerer is about. You come back from a fight. You fall off the horse, and you get back on (although after being nailed in the face by a hockey stick at my street hockey game, I'm a little reluctant to full-on attack an offensive player...but don't worry, I'll get it back).
So even though I'm not actually talking about the Palestinian occupation right now, I'm shouting out to the world that I AM STRONG. I can be beaten down and pop back up (given some time and a little TLC).
Right now I'm nursing a few wounds. There have been a lot of people that have helped me through this latest little (big?) gash to my heart and ego. I thought that I was strong enough to not even allow this latest foray into...well, I'd like to call it a romance but it can hardly be considered such a thing...so I'll call it...stupidity haha. So I thought that I was strong enough to allow this latest foray into stupidity to leave me unaffected. Unfortunately for me it left a bigger mark than I had predicted.
(Side-note: Shout out to EP, B-wop, WAZ, DinDin, Roz, MO, EEEE-MAD, Brahmania, and all the other people who played a part in making me realize I am BETTER than this garbage; I am BETTER than what is going on; I AM BETTER THAN THIS. WAZ you are such a killer dude.)
But I'm bouncing back. And you better believe that I'll be strong (and hopefully smarter) than ever.
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