Mn-prog-events Mailing List: Progressive Calendar 10.07.09

[David Shove (shove001]

            P R O G R E S S I V E   C A L E N D A R   10.07.09

1. MN media/what now?  10.07 11am
2. Mpls mayor forum    10.07 3pm
3. Afghan bridge vigil 10.07 5pm
4. Vs bigger airport   10.07 6pm
5. Vs gun violence     10.07 6:30pm

6. RNC 8/rally/court   10.08 7:30am/8:15am/9am
7. Suburban organizers 10.08 3pm
8. Eagan peace vigil   10.08 4:30pm
9. Northtown vigil     10.08 5pm
10. Eco-boudoir bash   10.08 5pm
11. Meridel LeSueur/f  10.08 7pm
12. 12 short films     10.08 7pm
13. Northside peace    10.08 7pm
14. Nonviolence conf   10.08-10 Milwaukee WI

15. John Zavesky  - Holocaust politics
16. Gilad Atzmon  - Who is a Jew?
17. Dan Lieberman - Deconstructing the Israeli narrative
18. Ira Glunts    - Obama disappoints as Middle East peacemaker
19. ed            - Change we can believe in  (poem)

--------1 of 19--------

From: Andy Driscoll <andy [at] driscollgroup.com>
Subject: MN media/what now? 10.07 11am

TRUTH TO TELL 11AM OCT 7: MINNESOTA MEDIA: Mainstream No More?
KFAI - 90.3FM-Minneapolis/106.7FM Saint Paul and STREAMING at
<http://www.KFAI.org
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7- 11:00AM

Minnesota's media landscape continues to shift - and not so glacially as
generationally. Aging boomers cling to the printed word, some news and
talk sources and the 10 o'clock news as younger consumers increasingly get
their news and information from their computers and cell phones - when
they care to find it at all. The Twin Cities dailies slipped away from
reliably family-owned newspapers to never-satisfied Wall-Street controlled
profit centers. Meanwhile, alternative outlets, some broadcast, some
online are filling the vacuum in local and regional news coverages and
blogs have replaced print columnists as opinion-makers.

TTT's ANDY DRISCOLL and LYNNELL MICKELSEN toss around past, present and
future upheavals in Twin Cities and Minnesota media with four seasoned
writers and producers in local and national journalism, themselves having
been tossed about by the volatile industry they and their readers relied
on for a stable sources of news and information we all need to govern
ourselves. Now what?

GUESTS:
 NICK COLEMAN - (parttime) columnist for the StarTribune; now free-
lancing
 JUDITH YATES BORGER - retired Pioneer Press reporter, now novelist;
author of Where's Billie?
 KATE STANLEY - former editorial writer, StarTribune; now free-lance
writer/consultant
 JIM LEINFELDER - free-lance television producer; field producer for
CNN, ABC, NBC, others
 AND YOU Can't get us on the radio? *Stream us LIVE and LATER at
KFAI.org


--------2 of 19--------

From: Nik <kreuzauge [at] GMAIL.COM>
Subject: Mpls mayor forum 10.07 3pm

EVENT:  2009 Minneapolis Mayor's Forum -
Wednesday 10/7 3-4pm LIVE  BROADCAST MTN Channel 17

If you can make it it would be nice to have a few partisans in the
audience cheering on Papa John (and Al Flowers as he needs the support,
hint, hint ;))

The candidates attending are: John Kolstad, Al Flowers, Dick Fransen,
Bob Carney, William McGauhey and James Everett.

Wednesday, October 7 from 3-4 p.m. MTN will broadcast live the 2009
Minneapolis Mayors Forum. (Channel 17)
The address is 125 SE Main Street in Minneapolis (St. Anthony Main Area).


--------3 of 19--------

From: Women Against Military Madness <wamm [at] mtn.org>
Subject: Afghan bridge vigil 10.07 5pm

Eight Years of War in Afghanistan:
Out of Afghanistan - Bring the Troops Home Now!

Peace Vigil, 5:00 to 6:00 pm
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Lake Street/Marshall Avenue Bridge over the
Mississippi River between Minneapolis and St. Paul, MN

Wednesday Peace Vigil to Mark 8 years of War
in Afghanistan with call for Peace

A peace vigil will be held from 5:00 to 6:00 pm on Wednesday, October 7,
2009, to mark the 8th anniversary of the beginning of the U.S. war in
Afghanistan.

The event will take place on the Lake Street/Marshall Avenue Bridge over
the Mississippi River between Minneapolis and St. Paul and is part of a
national effort to mark the anniversary. Across the U.S., peace groups
will be holding vigils, rallies and other activities to speak out against
the war and against any escalation of the war.

At 5:00 pm, representatives of several area organizations will be
available to give brief statements on the east end (St. Paul side) of the
bridge.

A statement issued by organizers says, in part, "The U.S. government is
considering a plan to send 40,000 additional U.S. troops to Afghanistan.
We will mark the 8th anniversary with a call for an end to the U.S. war
and to speak out against any escalation."

The statement goes on to say, "For 8 years, the people of Afghanistan have
suffered attacks on their families and the destruction of their homes and
villages. We say this is 8 years too many! The people of Afghanistan
deserve to live free of foreign occupation and to determine for themselves
what happens in their own country."Ô

The statement continues, "On Wednesday, people across the U.S. will gather
to call for an end to the war in Afghanistan and to oppose any escalation
of the war. The number of troops in Afghanistan has doubled under the
Obama administration. Deaths among U.S. troops in Afghanistan are now at
an all-time high and eight more U.S. soldiers were killed this past
weekend. It's time to being the troops home now!"

At the Wednesday vigil, plans will be announced for an anti-war protest
set for Saturday, October 17 in Minneapolis. October 17 is a day in which
local and regional anti-war protests are planned, with peace actions set
for 40 cities around the country.

The Wednesday vigil is sponsored by: Twin Cities Peace Campaign-Focus
on Iraq and Women Against Military Madness. The vigil is co-sponsored
by Anti-War Committee and Iraq Peace Action Coalition.

For more information, news organizations may contact: For more
information: Meredith Aby 612 819-3149 Marie Braun 612 522-1861 Sarah
Martin 612 379-4716 Women Against Military Madness 612 827-5364


--------4 of 19-------

From: Ron Holch <rrholch [at] q.com>
Subject: Vs bigger airport 10.07 6pm

General Meeting Notice Concerned Citizens of the North Metro
THE THREAT OF AIRPORT EXPANSION IS STILL VERY REAL!!!

Our MONTHLY general information meetings will resume in October With a
PowerPoint presentation on noise impacts surrounding the airport and a
second presentation by Barry Rice.

Wednesday October 7, at 6:00 PM
Northtown Branch Anoka County Libraries
711 County Road 10 NE, Blaine
763-717-3267
On the North side of County Hwy 10 across from the Northtown Shopping
Center

CHECK OUT OUR WEBSITE AT THE LINK BELOW
www.ccnm6.com


--------5 of 19--------

From: "Heather Martens, Protect Minnesota, Citizens for a Safer Minnesota"
    <csm [at] endgunviolence.com>
Subject: Vs gun violence 10.07 6:30pm

How Common Sense Can Win: Join Us Oct. 7.
An armed conspiracy theorist with a criminal record, outside a
Presidential speech in Minneapolis? Is this okay with you? It is not with
me!

[Had it been a progressive with a pea-shooter he would have been tasered,
tear gassed, batoned, stomped, and maybe shot thru the head.  But
right-wingers are untouchable, because our rulers like brownshirts and
will need them if and when they decide on a coup. -ed]

The way to fight back is with words and resolve - and that starts with
*showing up.*

Please join us Wednesday, October 7, 6:30-8:30 p.m. at a reception in
Edina with two important leaders:

Dennis Henigan is Vice President of Law and Policy at the Brady Center to
Prevent Gun Violence. He will speak on his new book exposing the faults in
the gun lobby's arguments: Lethal Logic: Exploding the Myths That Paralyze
American Gun Policy.

Minnesota Rep. Michael Paymar authored the bill to close the gun show
loophole in Minnesota this year. He'll speak on how to change policy and
save lives.

Can you be there? Reply to this email or click here
<http://org2.democracyinaction.org/o/5610/c/237/t/5475/event/index.jsp?event_KEY=8646>
to RSVP. (You'll receive directions when you RSVP.)

If you can't be there, you can still donate! Go to
http://www.endgunviolence.com and click on Donate.

Beverages and hors d'oevres will be served. Admission to this fundraiser
is free, but space is limited. RSVP
<http://org2.democracyinaction.org/o/5610/c/237/t/5475/event/index.jsp?event_KEY=8646>
as soon as possible!

Donations to Citizens for a Safer Minnesota and Protect Minnesota will
support our gun violence prevention work.

Heather Martens Executive Director Citizens for a Safer Minnesota, Protect
Minnesota


--------6 of 19--------

From: Michelle Gross <mgresist [at] visi.com>
Subject: RNC 8/rally/court 10.08 7:30am/8:15am/9am

RALLY AND COURT SOLIDARITY FOR THE RNC 8 ON OCTOBER 8
Thursday, October 8
7:30 a.m. Carpool from Walker Church, 3100 16th Ave S, Minneapolis
8:15 a.m. Rally at Ramsey County Courthouse, 15 W Kellogg, St. Paul
9:00 a.m. Court Watch, Rm 1040 of Ramsey County Courthouse

Originally slated for August and then cancelled at the last minute, the
RNC 8's scheduling and motion hearing has been rescheduled for Thursday,
October 8 at 9am in room 1040 of the Ramsey County Courthouse in St.
Paul.  Once again - barring further delays - all of the RNC 8 and their
attorneys will be in attendance.  Please join them!

The RNC 8 Defense Committee will sponsor a rally outside the courthouse
at 15 West Kellogg Boulevard from 8:15-9am on October 8, before we head
upstairs to pack the courtroom.  To carpool from Minneapolis, meet at
Walker Church (3100 16th Ave S.) at 7:30 sharp.  Otherwise, the
courthouse is near several bus routes from Minneapolis, including the 16,
21, 50 and 94.  For updates, sign up for our twitter feed by texting
"follow defendthernc8" to 40404.

At the hearing itself, the 8's motion to be tried together rather than
separately will likely be addressed.  Other motions may be raised as
well, and future dates will be set.  Judge Warner may or may not rule on
the motions immediately.

It's been more than a year since the RNC, and our community has proven
that court solidarity works.  Show yours!  Help remind Judge Warner,
Ramsey County Attorney and DFL Governor candidate Susan Gaertner, and the
Ramsey County Sheriff's Office that the RNC 8 are not criminals and that
prosecuting activists is a disgrace!  Join us on the morning of Thursday,
October 8.  It's now been seven months since the last hearing - bring
your friends and let's show how much support for the RNC 8 has grown.

Remember that nothing that could be construed as a weapon - such as
scissors or tools - are allowed in the courthouse and that all bags will
be searched, so check them before you leave. For more info, email
info [at] rnc8.org.


--------7 of 19--------

From: joan [at] metrostability.org
Subject: Suburban organizers 10.08 3pm

The Alliance for Metropolitan Stability invites you to join us to network
with other organizers who work in the Twin Cities suburbs!

Metro Organizer Networking Session for Suburban Organizers
Thursday, October 8
3 to 4:30 pm
Rondo Community Outreach Library
461 N Dale Street
St. Paul
(free parking available on lower level, enter from University Avenue)

Suburban Organizers this is for you! This networking session is a
follow-up to the August Organizer Roundtable: Community Organizing in the
Suburbs you attended, where participants emphasized the power of
connections with other organizers as a key to successful efforts (find a
PDF of the notes from the August session here
http://www.metrostability.org/efiles/Suburban_Organizing_notes_Aug_26_09.pdf).

This session will be dedicated to informal networking. All organizers and
program staff are welcome. Each organizer will have the opportunity to
introduce themselves and their work. Bring your cards, program
information, and date books to set up one on ones with other organizers.

This session is free, but registration is required. Please register at:
https://www.thedatabank.com/dpg/322/personalopt1.asp?formid=event&c=5305834

Light refreshments will be served.

I look forward to seeing you there! Please contact me with any questions.
Joan Vanhala Coalition Organizer Alliance for Metropolitan Stability 2525
E Franklin Ave, Suite 200 Minneapolis, MN 55406 612-332-4471


--------8 of 19--------

From: Greg and Sue Skog <family4peace [at] msn.com>
Subject: Eagan peace vigil 10.08 4:30pm

PEACE VIGIL EVERY THURSDAY from 4:30-5:30pm on the Northwest corner of
Pilot Knob Road and Yankee Doodle Road in Eagan. We have signs and
candles. Say "NO to war!" The weekly vigil is sponsored by: Friends south
of the river speaking out against war.


--------9 of 19--------

From: EKalamboki [at] aol.com
Subject: Northtown vigil 10.08 5pm

NORTHTOWN Peace Vigil every Thursday 5-6pm, at the intersection of Co. Hwy
10 and University Ave NE (SE corner across from Denny's), in Blaine.

Communities situated near the Northtown Mall include: Blaine, Mounds View,
New Brighton, Roseville, Shoreview, Arden Hills, Spring Lake Park,
Fridley, and Coon Rapids.  We'll have extra signs.

For more information people can contact Evangelos Kalambokidis by phone or
email: (763)574-9615, ekalamboki [at] aol.com.


--------10 of 19--------

From: Do It Green! Minnesota <Do_It_Green_Minnesota [at] mail.vresp.com>
Subject: Eco-boudoir bash 10.08 5pm

Twin Cities Green and the Do It Green! Resource Center's Two Year
Anniversary Party

Thursday, October 8, 2009, 5-8:30pm
Twin Cities Green, 2405 Hennepin Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55405
For more information: 612-374-4581

Come join us to celebrate the anniversary of our Do It Green!
Resource Center and Twin Cities Green's two year success! The owners of
Twin Cities Green, Ryan and Tina will honor their favorite room - the
BEDROOM! Twin Cities Green's "Eco-Boudoir Bash" is gearing up to be an
unforgettable evening of celebration and sexiness!


--------11 of 19--------

From: Lydia Howell <lydiahowell [at] visi.com>
Subject: Meridel LeSueur/film 10.08 7pm

On Thursday, October 8, 7 p.m., at the Rondo Community Outreach Library
[Dale & University StPaul], Neala Schleuning, author of America, Song We
Sang without Knowing: Life and Ideas of Meridel Le Sueur, introduces the
film The People Are My Home, about Minnesotan FWP writer Meridel LeSueur,
and leads a post-film discussion.


--------12 of 19--------

From: Stephanie Bates <Stephanie.Bates [at] americas.org>
Subject: 12 short films 10.08 7pm

Ninth Annual Media That Matters Film Festival
October 8, 2009
Films start at 7pm
Oak Street Cinema
309 Oak Street  SE, Minneapolis, MN 55414
Tickets $8

This event will bring nonprofit and community organizations together to
screen 12 award-winning short films that represent different social
issues. Each organization will relate to a certain film and will be
available to answer questions and spark conversation.

Films:
The Next Way presented by Climate Central/U of M
Bits and Pieces, presenter TBD
Immersion, presenter TBD
Locusts presented by Poetic Assassins
Lone Wolf presented by Twin Cities Daily Planet
Why Do White People Have Black Spots? presented by Marnita's Table
La Hoja presented by Resource Center of the Americas
Will I Be Next? presented by MAD DADS
Exiled in America presented by Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Coalition
The Secret Life of Paper presented by Eureka Recycling
Knock Knock, Who's There? presented by Men As Peacemakers
Looking Back presented by Minnesota Assistance Council for Veterans


--------13 of 19--------

From: Carole Rydberg <carydberg [at] comcast.net>
Subject: Northside peace 10.08 7pm

Sondra Samuels, President of the Peace Foundation, will present, "Peace
is an Inside Job" on Thursday October 8 at 7 PM. This program is sponsored
by NW Neighbors for Peace and will take place at the Parish Community of
St. Joseph's, 8701-36th Avenue N., New Hope.

The Peace Foundation was co-founded in 2003 by Minneapolis City Council
member, Don Samuels, and the current Executive Director, Michelle Martin.
It is the premise of the Peace Foundation that the broader community must
join with adult and youth leaders of the Northside if problems of isolated
poverty and violence in our neighborhoods is to be solved. This program is
free and open to all.  Discussion will follow her presentation. For more
information, Carole Rydberg, 763-546-5368.


--------14 of 19--------

From: Art Heitzer <aheitzer [at] igc.org>
Subject: Nonviolence conf 10.08-10 Milwaukee WI

"Exploring the Power of Nonviolence"
7th Annual Conference of the Peace and Justice Studies Association
October 8-10, 2009 Marquette University, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Announcing a conference jointly sponsored by the Peace and Justice Studies
Association (PJSA), the Wisconsin Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies
(WISPG), and the Marquette University Center for Peacemaking.

Keynote speakers include Helen Prejean, Robert Enright, Jonathan Schell,
James Douglas, Will Allen, and Janine Geske.

On Friday night, October 9, 2009 at 8:00 p.m. there will be a
concert-Emma's Revolution This year's conference theme is "Exploring the
Power of Nonviolence," and it will be on October 8-10, 2009 to mark the
140th anniversary of Gandhi's birth.  The conference also will mark the
twenty-fifth anniversary of the founding of WIPCS, a consortium of
twenty-three colleges and universities that supports peace studies. For
more information contact
http://www.peacejusticestudies.org/conference/call.php or Professor
Michael Duffey, Marquette University, (414) 288-3748


--------15 of 19--------

Holocaust Politics
by John Zavesky
October 6th, 2009
Dissidenrt Voice

Holocaust politics has come into major play in recent months and in some
of the most bizarre ways. First there was Israeli Prime Minister
Netanyahu's breaking out literal blueprints for Auschwitz when he spoke at
the U.N. Did Bibi believe that those nations seated were not familiar with
the European events of WWII? Possibly he felt they hadn't seen Defiance or
Inglourious Basterds, or one of the many other revisionist films dealing
with this topic to come out of Hollywood in recent years, and needed to
brush up on the subject.

Whatever the case may be, Netanyahu never once addressed the fact that
Israel has had nukes for decades and has steadfastly refused to join the
IAEA, sign a nuclear non-proliferation treaty or allow inspections of
their nuclear facilities. Iran has complied on all of these accounts. Yet
the Israeli Prime Minister could only chastise the countries that had the
courtesy to remain seated and listen to what the Iranian President Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad had to say. Netanyahu's behavior only bears out the need to
initiate a scholarly study of this WWII event, just as President
Ahmadinejad has suggested. To blindly accept information from those who
pontificate on its occurrence is a religion, not a dispassionate
examination of historical fact.

While the European events of WWII may play a big role with a Jewish
population they are not as significant to many others, especially most
Muslims. Why should they be? These events only affected some Muslims with
the creation of Israel. America backed U.N. Resolution 181 primarily
because of the events in Europe during the war. If the U.S. had really
believed in democracy they would have supported Palestine being returned
to the Arabs at the end of the British Mandate. After all Britain had
previously supported Arab independence with the McMahon-Hussein
correspondence of 1915, two years before the Balfour Declaration was
issued. England and France eventually said, "No" to both the Arabs and
Jews with the Sykes-Picot Treaty and divvied up the spoils of the former
Ottoman Empire between themselves.

Shortly after the Balfour Declaration President Wilson rightly observed on
July 4, 1918,

"The settlement of every question, whether of territory, of sovereignty,
of economic arrangement, or political relationship, rests upon the basis
of the free acceptance of that settlement by the people immediately
concerned, and not upon the basis of the material interest or advantage of
any other nation or people which may desire a different settlement for the
sake of its own exterior influence or mastery. If that principle is to
rule, and so the wishes of Palestine's population are to be decisive as to
what is to be done with Palestine, then it is to be remembered that the
non-Jewish population of Palestine - nearly nine-tenths of the whole - are
emphatically against the entire Zionist program. The tables show that
there was no one thing upon which the population of Palestine was more
agreed upon than this. To subject a people so minded to unlimited Jewish
immigration, and to steady financial and social pressure to surrender the
land, would be a gross violation of the principle just quoted, and of the
People's rights, though it is kept within the forms of law."1

Twenty-nine years later and another world war under our belt, the U.S.
sang another tune. Truman pragmatically observed when questioned regarding
his overruling a report by the State Department advocating against the
creation of Israel, "I'm sorry, gentlemen, but I have to answer to
hundreds of thousands who are anxious for the success of Zionism. I do not
have hundreds of thousands of Arabs among my constituents".2 This support
from the Truman Administration was borne out of guilt and political
expedience. It is notable that Truman refrained from championing having
all those displaced Jews sent to New York instead of Palestine.

Sixty-two years after the creation of Israel the west is still
consistently battered with images of WWII by Israelis and Jews as some
type of bastardized excuse for nearly any type of crime or aberrant
behavior they might be guilty of. In July 2009 New Jersey resident Ben-Ami
Kaddish pled guilty to spying for Israel. The top secret documents he sent
were far more extensive and damaging than those Jonathan Pollard, another
Jewish spy handed over to Israel. For sixty seconds the media had a field
day playing the holocaust card and whining that M.R. Kaddish was too old
to stand trial and that the events occurred years ago. Kaddish was
eventually convicted of a single offense and sentenced to pay a $50,000
dollar fine. Kaddish's reply when Judge Pauley passed sentence, "No
problem".3 Obviously spying for Israel pays well.

The media along with Representative Jane Harman and the usual suspects,
AIPAC and ADL were also very instrumental in getting the trials of AIPAC
spies, Steven Rosen and Keith Weissman derailed. Oddly enough the federal
official who was not Jewish and involved in passing information to Rosen
and Weissman is presently doing hard time for his part of the crime.

In September, Toronto journalist and author, Naomi Klein and a group of
artists signed a letter calling the Toronto Film Festival on the carpet
for celebrating Israeli filmmakers. Klein likened the recognition as the
same as celebrating California wine during the 1960's grape boycott or
South Africa during its apartheid history. She and the other signers were
instantly labeled anti-Semites and self-hating Jews. Some went as far as
offering absurd rationalizations how Klein could be Jewish and an
anti-Semite too. This was no doubt why activist Jane Fonda backed down
faster than a turkey tossed from a 747 when confronted by this monolithic
lobby.

Most recently holocaust politics has played a big role in the Roman
Polanski case. Polanski, who was convicted of drugging and having unlawful
sex with a minor, has been a fugitive from American justice for 31 years.
The Los Angeles Times ran two articles and an editorial on Polanski in
their October 1, 2009 edition. When was the last time a movie director
warranted three pieces in a single issue, none dealing with his latest hit
film? All three articles invoked the holocaust as some excuse for not
sentencing Polanski. One piece even went as far as to mention the fact
that the director was arrested on Rosh Hashanah. As if the Swiss police
were lying in wait for Polanski like nefarious Nazis to capture him on a
Jewish holiday. According to this line of thinking then any Catholic
pedophile should be given a pass on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.

Regarding Polanski's arrest, Peg Yorkin was quoted, "My personal thoughts
are let the guy go. It's bad a person was raped. But that was so many
years ago. The guy has been through so much in his life. It's crazy to
arrest him now. Let it go. The government could spend its money on other
things". It is highly doubtful Ms. Yorkin would be expounding such ideas
if it was her 13 year old daughter who was drugged and sodomized. The fact
that a woman would defend Polanski only serves to demonstrate how warped
the thinking is of those practitioners of holocaust politics. Bringing the
events of WWII in as some jaundiced defense for Polanski also smacks of
gross elitism. The thinking is that what happened to Polanski's mother
being sent off to a camp is so traumatic it would be cruel and unusual
punishment to send him to prison. Guess what, prison is supposed to be
punishment for committing a crime, especially one as socially unacceptable
as pedophilia. The logical end to this type of thinking would be to give
all Chinese-American rapists a pass since over 6 million Chinese civilians
were slaughtered by the Japanese during WWII.4 The most time Polanski can
ever do is 16 months. That is less than two years for brutally stealing a
young girl's childhood.

This use of holocaust politics allowing Israel to summarily dismiss the
Goldstone Report and rationalize that Ben-Ami Kaddish is too old to
prosecute only makes the argument that Jews considered themselves above
the law, specifically because of events which occurred 70 years ago in
Europe. Of course there are those exceptions, Bernie Madoff who stole
primarily from Jews, and certainly wasn't a beneficiary of holocaust
politics is now doing time. It does beg the question that if Polanski's
case is so ancient that the Los Angeles D.A. shouldn't bother with it,
then an explanation is certainly due as to why so much of the government's
time and money was spent seeing that alleged Nazi guard, John Demjanjuk
was deported for a crime that he already served time for and was found not
guilty of by an Israeli court.

Debra Winger is on record saying, "The whole art world suffers from such
arrests [Polanski's]".5 Hollywood and the media continue to bellyache
about Mel Gibson's 2006 DUI arrest and he didn't touch a person, let alone
a young girl. Where is Winger's support for an artist like Mr. Gibson?
When the cast of Seinfeld recently reunited the media was conspicuously
silent about Michael Richards' racial invective against African-Americans
at a comedy club in 2006.6 Obviously Mr. Richards' crime was old news and
wasn't worth bringing up.

Accountability is something all countries and persons should face for
their actions. No one should be above their country's laws. No country
should be above international law. Considering Israel's recent war crimes
and the fact they are chomping at the bit to bomb Iran, the dropped cases
against AIPAC spies and the excusing of a convicted pedophile it should
give one pause to wonder if the consistent use of holocaust politics has
created a chosen group that is above criminal prosecution and
accountability for their crimes.

1 President Woodrow Wilson speech on Independence Day July 4, 1918, text
in Tannous, Izzat. 1988. The Palestinians: Eyewitness History of Palestine
Under British Mandate. I.G.T. Company, New York, p. 72. [.]

2 "Harry Truman," Wikipedia; also quoted in "Anti-Zionism," ed. by
Teikener, Abed Rabbo & Mezvinsky; also in Cape Cod Times "The Sorrow of
Truman," Sean Gonsalves, Nov. 28, 2000. [.]

3 New York Times, "Man 85 Avoids Jail Time for Giving Military Secrets,"
Benjamin Weiser, May 29, 2009. [.]

4 The Rape of Nanking: The Forgotten Holocaust, Iris Chang, [.]

5 "Euro outrage over Polanski arrest," Variety. [.]

6 It is a public record that Michael Richards committed the act mentioned
in the article. YouTube videos of the occurrence were the first to break
it. It was also covered on Huffington Post at the time. [.]

John Zavesky is a freelance writer living in California with his wife and
two cats. His material has appeared in Z Magazine and the Los Angeles
Times. He can be reached at: johnz52 [at] charter.net.


--------16 of 19--------

Who Is a Jew?
by Gilad Atzmon
October 6th, 2009
Dissident Voice

The question of "who is a Jew?" has been debated in Israel since it
attained statehood. In the Jewish state, the authorities, Rabbis, and the
media would dig into one's bloodline with no shame whatsoever. For the
Israelis and orthodox Jews, Jewishness is obviously a blood-related
concept. However, Jewishness and blood concerns are becoming a subject of
a growing debate in the UK. In the last few days the Daily Telegraph and
the Guardian are trying to decide whether Iranian President Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad is a "self hating Jew" or just an ordinary anti-Semite. Like
the Israeli Rabbis, they both dig into his bloodline.

Ahmadinejad is revealed to have a "Jewish past" said the Daily Telegraph
on Saturday. According to the paper, a photograph of the Iranian president
holding up his identity card during elections in March 2008 "clearly"
suggests that his family had Jewish roots. The Telegraph even found the
"experts" who suggested that "Mr Ahmadinejad's track record for
hate-filled attacks on Jews could be an overcompensation to hide his
past". Needless to say that Ahmadinejad has never come on record with a
single anti-Jewish "hate-filled" attack as the Telegraph suggests. He is
indeed extremely critical of the Jewish state and its raison d.etre. He is
also highly critical of the crude and manipulative mobilisation of the
holocaust at the expense of the Palestinian people.

One may wonder how come a Western media outlet happens to selectively
engage with issues to do with the racial or ethnic origin of the Iranian
president. At the end of the day, digging into peoples ethnic past and
family bloodline is not a common practice you expect from the Western
press. It is something you tend to leave for racists, Nazis and Rabbis.
For one reason or another, no one in the so called free press tried to
dwell on the close ties between multi-billion swindler Bernie Maddof and
his tribe. The Free Press saved itself also from dealing with Wolfowitz's
ethnicity, in spite of the fact that the Zionist war he brought on us has
cost 1.5 million lives by now. If you wonder how it is that the Western
free media is reverting to "pathology" in order to deal with a Muslim
president, the answer is simple not to say trivial:

The so called "liberal West" is yet to find the answers to President
Ahmadinejad within the realm of reason. It lacks the argumentative
capacity to address Ahmadinejad. Instead, it insists to spin banal
racially orientated ideas that cannot hold water, "By making anti-Israeli
statements" says the Daily Telegraph, "he is trying to shed any suspicions
about his Jewish connections". The truth of the matter is clear.
Ahmadinejad has already managed to re-direct a floodlight of reasoning and
skepticism just to enlighten our darkest corner of hypocrisy. He somehow
manages to remind us all what thinking is all about.

It is pretty much impossible to deny the fact that Ahmadinejad's take on
the holocaust and Israel is coherent, consistent and valid. He seems to
have three main issues with the narrative:

   1. Around sixty Million died in WWII, the vast majority of them were
innocent civilians. How is it, asks Ahmadinejad, that we insist to
concentrate on the particularity of the suffering of one "very" specific
group of people, i.e., the Jews?

   2. The Iranian president rightly maintains that this historical chapter
must be historically examined. This would mean as well that every event in
the past should be subject to scrutiny, elaboration and revision. "If we
allow ourselves to question God and the Prophets, we may as well allow
ourselves to question the holocaust".

   3. Regardless of the truthfulness of the holocaust, it is not a trivial
fact that the suffering of the Jews in Europe had nothing to do with the
Palestinian people. Hence, there is no reason for the Palestinians to pay
for crimes committed by others. If some Western Leaders feel guilty for
crimes committed against the Jews by their ancestors, which they seem to
claim, they better allocate some land for the Jews within their
territories rather than expect the Palestinians to keep upholding the
Zionist murderous burden.

As much as it is obviously clear that the above points raised by
Ahmadinejad are totally valid, it is also painfully transparent that the
West lacks the means to address those issues. Instead we seem to revert to
supremacy and pseudo-scientific discourse dwelling on blood, pathology and
lame psychoanalysis.

As embarrassing as it may seem, in just three moves Ahmadinejad manages to
expose the current deceptive Western mode of discussion. He, in fact
identifies the holocaust as the core of our hypocritical stand, a tendency
that has managed to shatter our ethical judgment. The holocaust was there
to divert the attention from the colossal crimes committed by the allies:
Hiroshima, Nagasaki and Dresden are just brief examples of
institutionalised genocide at the hands of the English Speaking Empire.
The holocaust has successfully matured into a new religion. Yet, it lacks
theology. It doesn't allow any form of criticism or reformism. It is in
fact an anti-Western religion inspired by hate and vengeance. It is dark,
it is blind and it lacks mercy and compassion. It is a faith that declares
an assault on any form of doubt. It is a crude brutal belief system that
stands in opposition to the notions of liberty and goodness. As if this is
not enough, those who subscribe to this religion are complicit in an
ongoing assault against grace and peace.

As things stand at the moment, The British media are yet to decide whether
Ahmadinejad is a "Jew rebel" or just a "Meshugena Goy". The Guardian was
very quick to publish its own take on the subject refuting the Telegraph's
account. However, one thing is clear, neither the Guardian nor the
Telegraph or any other so called "free media" outlets are free enough to
address the questions raised by Ahmadinejad. 1. Why only the Jews? 2. Why
do you all say NO to scrutinizing the past? 3. Why do the Palestinians
have to pay the price? Instead of engaging in these crucial elementary
questions, the British main papers succumb to racially orientated
bloodline digging.

Rather than following the banal Zionist query "who is a Jew?" I suggest
that we take the discourse one step further and ask a very simple
question: What Jewishness stands for?

Gilad Atzmon was born in Israel and served in the Israeli military. He
lives in London, and is the author of two novels: A Guide to the Perplexed
and the recently released My One and Only Love. Atzmon is also one of the
most accomplished jazz saxophonists in Europe. He can be reached at:
atz [at] onetel.net.uk. Read other articles by Gilad.


-------17 of 19--------

Deconstructing the Israeli Narrative
by Dan Lieberman
October 5th, 2009
Dissident Voice

As Israel's democratic posture becomes more questioned, its mystique
becomes more exaggerated. To prove the validity of its actions, Israel's
supporters focus on three components of Israel's drive to an accomplished
nation:

   The significance of the Zionist mission,
   Israel as a Jewish state, and
   Israel not being responsible for the Palestinian displaced persons.

All of these issues, which had roles in establishing the Israel state, are
expressed with sweeping generalities, devoid of specifics and facts.
Obfuscation, lack of clarity and an assumption that what is being related
is correct often characterize discussions of these issues. No questions
asked and nothing to explain.

Evidence contradicts the narratives that Israel's supporters work
diligently to create. Deconstructing the spurious Israeli narratives is an
essential before constructing a base for Middle East peace.

                     The Zionist Mission

The Zionists portray themselves as a vanguard of Jewish thought and
aspiration, leading the masses of Jewish people to freedom and fulfilling
the promises denied to them by an adversarial world. History contradicts
these portrayals, especially that of Zionism as a mass movement by the
Jewish people. Zionist philosophy had little appeal to the Jewish people
in the late 19th century.

The first Zionist Congress (1887) was to have taken place in Munich,
Germany. However, due to considerable opposition by the local community
leadership, both Orthodox and Reform, it was decided to transfer the
proceedings to Basle, Switzerland.

Reform Judaism in a series of proclamations, which culminated in the 1885
Pittsburgh Conference, rejected the Zionist program (Note: Overturned in
1999 by contemporary Reform Judaism):

"We consider ourselves no longer a nation, but a religious community; and
we therefore expect neither a return to Palestine, nor a sacrificial
worship under the sons of Aaron, nor the restoration of any of the laws
concerning a Jewish state".

The 19th century emancipation movements liberated West and Middle European
Jews and permitted them to integrate into European society.

"Jews emerged as writers of secular literature, enriching English, French,
and German literature with novels, short stories, poems, and essays. In
Britain, Benjamin Disraeli, who converted to Christianity, wrote popular
novels before becoming prime minister. Heinrich Heine, who converted to
Christianity in order to earn a law degree in Germany, became one of the
best-loved German poets".

The Zionist agenda evidently preferred Disraeli to remain Jewish and not
become Britain's Prime Minister. Jews rejected this agenda, which they
perceived as prompting nations to question the loyalty of their Jewish
citizens, as serving to impede their advances, and as reinforcing a
race-baiting theory that Jews engaged in international conspiracies.
Anti-Zionist Rabbis insisted: "Zion exists everywhere but in Zion".

Examine the Russian Jews. They had significantly more problems than other
European Jews. Nevertheless, they didn't consider Zionism as a relief for
their difficulties. Between 1881 and 1914, 2.5 million Jews migrated from
Russia - 1.7 million to America, 500,000 to Western Europe, and almost
300,000 to other nations. Until 1914, only a mere 30,000-50,000 Russian
Jews followed the Zionist call to Palestine and 15,000 of them eventually
returned to Russia.

So, if not for Zionism, how did the Israel state arrive and swell into
millions of inhabitants?

By 1914, Zionism had become a stagnant adventure. Somehow, and in some
way, someone took advantage of the Allies victory in World War I to
promote the Balfour Declaration, which approved "a national home for the
Jewish people in Palestine". The League of Nations' certification of the
British mandate in Palestine prevented the formation of a national
Palestinian governing body and many English speaking European Jews came to
work in the British administration. Fly below the cloud of propaganda and
rhetoric and the principal result of the original Zionist agenda is easily
observed: People of uncertain circumstance (not dedicated Zionists) and
favored by the Zionists have been transferred from their countries to a
new land, while people of more certain circumstances and not favored by
the Zionists have been displaced from their lands. The less favored have
become refugees and, in many cases, been reduced to poverty.

The Jews who immigrated to Israel immediately after 1948 arrived for
mainly economic and political reasons and not to fulfill a Zionist
mission. Israel even claims the massive number of immigrants from North
Africa and the Middle East (Mizrahi) did not arrive voluntarily, but were
forced out of their homes. Zionism has not persuaded a great number of
Jews to leave their western nations, not deterred them from greatly
participating in their nations' economic and social gains and not
prevented them from integrating themselves into their nations' cultures.
The Economist (Jan. 11, 2007) mentions that only 17% of American Jews
regard themselves as pro-Zionist and only 57% say that "caring about
Israel is a very important part of being Jewish".

In the last decades, Russians from the former Soviet Union, most of whom
preferred to migrate to the United States, have been the principal
immigrants to Israel. Many of them are dubious Jews or lost their Jewish
roots during the Communist era. Orthodox Jews, who came for religious
reasons and not to join their secular compatriots in common pursuits, are
the fastest growing segment of the Israeli Jewish population. Where they
settle, the secular Jews tend to leave. More aligned with Rabbis preaching
mystical nineteenth century philosophies, these orthodox Jews isolate
themselves from their fellow Israelis and from worldwide Jewry.

The dubious Zionists created a dubious Jewish state.

                        The Jewish State

By what authority did Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu proclaim,
"The Palestinians must recognize Israel as the state of the Jewish
people," and "Jerusalem is the united capital of the State of Israel and
the Jewish people?"

The Jewish people don't have a central authority and no referendum of its
15 millions has been taken. PM Netanyahu might not care, but many Jews
fear that their fellow citizens might one day ask: "You have a country,
what are you doing here?" or suggest that Jews are more loyal to a foreign
nation and are working for that nation.

It is difficult to characterize Israel as a Jewish nation. Avraham Burg,
former Knesset speaker and former head of the Jewish Agency has been
quoted as saying, "to define the State of Israel as a Jewish state is the
key to its end". The term "Jewish nation" has never been adequately
defined and there is nothing exceptional in Israel that identifies a
specific Jewish morality, culture or Judaic atmosphere

The cool and breezy manner in which the Israelis express the words "Jewish
state" intends to create a comfortable feeling; nothing hostile towards
anyone, just a satisfactory note to Jewish citizens. Cause for alarm is
abundant. Israel has no written constitution. Its laws discriminate
against its minorities and separate its citizens.

   (1) The entire Jewish population left Nazareth many years ago and
established a new Nazareth. The new Nazareth receives substantial benefits
from the government and has grown prosperous and modern. The old Arab
Nazareth remains old.
   (2) In Haifa, the Arab population lives by the sea. The Jewish
population lives in the hills.
   (3) Few Palestinians have been able to rent housing or buy property in
West Jerusalem.
   (4) In Acre, immigrant Jews are able to acquire property but are not
allowed to sell the property to Arab citizens.
   (5) Tel Aviv has contiguous populations but not mixed populations.
   (6) Few, if any Arabs, have been able to purchase government sponsored
housing.
   (7) The separation of populations results in the separation of
activities, recreation centers, schools and education.
   (8) Although some Arabs are able to obtain college scholarships, the
large majority of college scholarships require previous military duty.
Since Arabs are not allowed to serve in the Israeli army, few Arabs can
obtain college scholarships.
   (9) Arabs don't obtain many housing loans.
   (10) The state of Israel owns more than 90 percent of the land.
Non-Jewish citizens cannot, except in rare occasions, purchase land.
   (11) Whenever the Israeli army wants to construct a military base, Arab
property is expropriated for the endeavor.
   (12) Since marriages are performed by a rabbi, a Jew cannot marry a
non-Jew within the boundaries of Israel.

Separation of ethnicities is most apparent in how Israel and most of the
world differ in regarding nationality. It's not just separation. It's a de
facto apartheid, which the words "Jewish state" will tend to reinforce.

All Americans have both United States citizenship and nationality.
Israelis have Israel citizenship, but don't have an Israel nationality.
Israel's citizens have either Jewish, Arab, Druze, Samaritan, Circassian,
Kara'ite or foreign nationality. Jewish nationals already have
overwhelming preference in the Israeli state, Defining Israel as a Jewish
state seems ominous; only an attempt to give some meaning to the
preference, and reinforce it to an extent that being non-Jewish means you
might as well leave

Add to the dangerous mix of laws, which favor the favored nationals, the
declarations of Israel's leaders. According to the Jewish Daily Forward
(March 18, 2009): "Foreign Secretary Avigdor Lieberman was elected to the
Knesset on a platform that would require a loyalty oath as a condition of
Israeli citizenship. He has suggested transferring Israeli-Arab population
centers to the control of a future Palestinian state".

Israel today is a nation whose people have conditions, problems, purposes
and values that are different from Jews around the world. The Israeli
characteristics aren't derivatives of a three thousand year-old part urban
and part tribal society - but are associated with a specific 21st century
industrial society. The specifics create an Israeli identity that is not
aligned with the identities of Jews in other nations. Israel is attempting
to make all Jews into good Israelis and redefine the meaning of being
Jewish. This includes being agreeable to Fundamentalist Christianity,
which is not agreeable to world Jewry, but is Israel's best friend. Israel
is strengthening a fervent antagonist of Jewish and progressive peoples.

Recall the conclusion of the King-Crane commission, which was appointed by
President Wilson in 1919:

"a national home for the Jewish people is not equivalent to making
Palestine into a Jewish State; nor can the erection of such a Jewish State
be accomplished without the gravest trespass upon the civil and religious
rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine. The fact came out
repeatedly in the Commission's conference with Jewish representatives that
the Zionists looked forward to a practically complete dispossession of the
present non-Jewish inhabitants of Palestine, by various forms of purchase.

"In view of all these considerations, and with a deep sense of sympathy
for
the Jewish cause, the Commissioners feel bound to recommend that only a
greatly reduced Zionist program be attempted by the Peace Conference, and
even that, only very gradually initiated. This would have to mean that
Jewish immigration should be definitely limited, and that the project for
making Palestine distinctly a Jewish commonwealth should be given up."

Israelis also make it seem that the route to the "Jewish state" was a
natural progression; disregarding their roles in creating the Palestinian
displaced persons and the evictions of almost one million Palestinians
from their lands.

                        The Displaced Persons

Israel did not permit Palestinians who left or were evicted during the
1948 and 1967 conflagrations to return to their homes and lands. Assets,
businesses, property and household items were confiscated and the owners
were not reimbursed. Israeli historian Benny Morris summarized the
evictions well:

I feel sympathy for the Palestinian people, which truly underwent a hard
tragedy. I feel sympathy for the refugees themselves. But if the desire to
establish a Jewish state here is legitimate, there was no other choice. It
was impossible to leave a large fifth column in the country. From the
moment the Yishuv was attacked by the Palestinians and afterward by the
Arab states, there was no choice but to expel the Palestinian population.
To uproot it in the course of war.

Benny Morris used the correct phrase: ".. if the desire to establish a
Jewish state here is legitimate". It was not legitimate. The choice was
not between "having a Jewish state and not dispossessing the
Palestinians". The choice was between "not having the expanded state that
Israel gained" and "dispossessing the Palestinians". Almost all the
evicted Palestinians were in the territory granted to the Palestinians.
Not since the days of American expansionism has a group of individuals
(Israel was not even a declared nation when the confiscations began nor
had Arab armies attacked at that time.) invaded another land, seized the
territory and cleared the area of the indigenous people.

Can anyone believe that Israel is not directly responsible for the
Palestinian exodus? Did these people voluntarily decide to leave their
homes, face starvation, have entire families commit suicide because of
their desperation and then be willing to sit quietly in refugee camps? Are
these verified reports of forced removals, terrorizing killings and
destruction of more than 400 Palestinian villages only stories? Why were
the villages destroyed? Why weren't the villagers allowed to return? Why
were vacant homes instantly occupied? In Rwanda, Bosnia, Kosovo and
elsewhere, the western nations were firm in demanding prompt return of
refugees and fought to achieve that demand. In other situations, refugees
had been created, but wanton property and asset seizures were not a rule.
In Palestine, Israel seized all properties and assets and allowed newly
arrived foreigners to occupy vacant homes. No precedent for these illegal
operations exists in the post World War II western civilized world. We
have perpetrators telling victims; "Look it's over, let's forget it. You
want restitution; it isn't going to happen".

Israel has revealed its nature; a nation built on actions normally termed
war crimes by world institutions; a nation that does not follow
international law; and a nation that does not heed United Nations
Resolutions. Distracting and deceiving the world community with contrived
and fallacious narratives permits Israel to continue its illegal
maneuvers. Setting the record straight will straighten the road to Middle
East peace.

Dan Lieberman is Editor of Alternative Insight, a monthly web based
newsletter. He is a writer of many published articles on the Middle East.
He can be reached at: alternativeinsight [at] earthlink.net. Read other
articles by Dan, or visit Dan's website.


--------18 of 19--------

Obama Disappoints as Middle East Peacemaker
The Audacity of Nope
By IRA GLUNTS
October 6, 2009
CounterPunch

Let me make one thing perfectly clear: President Barack Obama definitively
demonstrated at the trilateral summit in New York that he will not
contribute anything significant to peacemaking between Israelis and
Palestinians. When Obama dropped his demand for a freeze on Israeli
settlement building, all of which is illegal according to international
law, and adopted a softer formulation calling for a show of "restraint,"
he was telling the world that he is surrendering to Prime Minister
Binyamin Netanyahu, to his powerful American supporters, and to their wish
to continue to suppress any Palestinian aspirations for an independent
state.

Of course you will not read about this abject American surrender in The
New York Times, although a Reuters report that appeared on The Times' web
site did characterize the summit as a "dud". However, the self-described
pro-peace, pro-Israel organizations and their spokespeople outdid the
mainstream media in spinning the summit in a positive direction. J Street,
for instance, called Obama's recent statements a "move in the right
direction" in an email sent to its mailing list. They also praised the
President's performance at the summit in a public statement declaring that
they, "applaud the serious commitment President Obama has demonstrated
since the first days of his Presidency to personally engage in a sustained
and active pursuit of a negotiated, two-state solution to the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict". Daniel Levy (New America Foundation)
interprets Obama's capitulation with some tortured logic which whimsically
concludes that the chastened President will eventually stiffen-up and
actually confront the Israelis in the future.

When I was growing up in a tough neighborhood in the Bronx, we all
believed that if you were attacked and the attacker intended on using a
weapon, he would show it during the initial phase of combat. Applying the
same logic, I have to conclude that Obama will never use the weapon of
cutting Israeli military aid or of curtailing US diplomatic support. If he
intended to do so, he would have shown that weapon before now, instead of
suffering the humiliation of dropping his demand for a full freeze on
Israeli settlement expansion.

It is generally understood by even the least perceptive and biased of
Middle East pundits that if Obama does not compel Israel to make peace
with the Palestinians, it ain't gonna happen. That is why in an internal
memo, a top official in one of those pro-Israel, pro-peace Jewish
organizations, who understands Obama's weakness, wrote that the "odds of
[Obama's policy] success are very low". Despite this gloomy prognosis the
organization over which he presides continues to tell its members what a
wonderful job the President is doing in the peace negotiations and to
encourage its donors to contribute more money to help them support the
President's peacemaking efforts.

Referring to Israeli Benny Morris' groundbreaking book about the Nakba
(the expulsion of Palestinians from their homes in 1947-49), the
Palestinian academic and politician Hanan Ashrawi said at a lecture I
attended in the 90s: "When we [Palestinians] told you about it, you said
we were crazy, but now that one of your own says it is true, you start to
believe it". In order to find out how ineffective Obama is, you do not
have to watch al-Jazeera or read Palestinian-American journalists like Ali
Abunimah (ElectronicIntifada.com). Just listen to one of our own. And who
could be more "our own" than the Israeli-American newspaperman Larry
Derfner. Derfner wrote in the Jerusalem Post that Obama has been played
for a sucker (freier pl. freierim in Hebrew/Yiddish) by Israeli Prime
Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and that the whole of Israel is laughing at
our beloved and venerated young President.

Derfner is an Israeli, but not one of those sensitive "shoot and cry"
writers, native-born peace party types, who have Hebraicized names like
Avraham Hazak*. Those guys always bail out when the going gets tough.
During the Gaza war, they could never get it together to call a war crime
a war crime and instead justified Israeli aggression as understandable
self-defense.

No, Derfner is no Avraham Hazak, just check out the sunglasses he sports
and the brash expression he wears in that photograph that appears with his
column. The guy is pure New York, in the tradition of Jimmy Breslin,
straight talk journalism. And unlike the beautiful Israelis like Hazak, he
knows America. You can believe him when he says Obama has "caved in to the
Netanyahu government on the peace process".

The truth is that the real Obama is not the idealist he portrayed himself
to be in his Presidential campaign. He is a clever politician who has
learned how to accommodate the powerful and not appear too obsequious. He
is the Obama that pandered to the members of the American Israel Public
Affairs Committee (AIPAC) by stating he believed in an undivided Jerusalem
under Israeli sovereignty. He is the Obama who informed the press in Iowa
that he would permit Israel to dictate his policy decisions on the Iranian
nuclear issue. Both of these declarations of fealty occurred after signing
on Dennis Ross as Middle East campaign advisor. After a period in the
wilderness, the blatantly pro-Israeli Ross has become President Obama's
closest adviser on Middle East foreign policy.

The real Obama will not be the hero of Palestinian/Israeli peacemaking,
but may be the first American President who has an illegal outpost named
after him. As Derfner predicts, do not be surprised if a settlement soon
appears on the West Bank called "Havat Obama".

Make no mistake about it. The chutzpah that the American President
initially demonstrated by raising expectations about a new American peace
initiative in the Middle East by appointing George Mitchell as envoy and
then by making the freeze demand, and then suddenly throwing out the bit,
is not the audacity of some dope. It is the calculation of a politician
who knows how to cater to the powerful in US/Israeli relations, and the
name of that game is the Israel lobby.

Let me make another thing perfectly clear. Barack Obama's Israel/Palestine
initiative will make many understand the futility of hope for a just
two-state solution.

The interesting question, however, is who are the real "freierim" here?

*Avraham Hazak is not a real person. Any resemblance my characterization
of him has to any living or deceased Israeli writers is completely
intentional.

Ira Glunts first visited the Middle East in 1972, where he taught English
and physical education in a small rural community in Israel. He was a
volunteer in the Israeli Defense Forces in 1992. Mr. Glunts is a Jewish
American who lives in Madison, New York. He owns and operates a used and
rare book business and is a part-time reference librarian. Mr. Glunts can
be reached at gluntsi[at]morrisville[dot]edu.


--------19 of 19-------

 Change we can believe
 in - works, but only if you're
 turkey gullible.

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   rhymes with clove         Progressive Calendar
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