Musing on Palestine

I was just watching Witness on Al Jazeera English (we have a satellite dish and I find English-language news preferable to Greek TV since my Greek is so execrable). This week's story was about the old Jerusalem airport which has been turned into a giant check point since the 1967 war. It was told from the point of view of (among others) a woman whose family, prior to the 1967 war, had the only house overlooking the airport. She has a Jerusalem ID and her sister, who lives in Ramallah only five minutes a way, has a West Bank ID so the one from Jerusalem must visit the other because her sister must get one of the few permits allowed at specific times (in this case, Orthodox Easter - I could tell because of the egg boiling and boiled egg fight which is the same here in this mostly Orthodox country).

But what caught my eye were the old pictures from the 1950s and 1960s of the passengers and air staff - not a hijab or khimar (Muslim headscarf) in sight. It seems to me that we (the West) have never considered our actions against Muslims as part of the reason many have retreated into their religion, some more than others.

So, it seems that we have been sowing the seeds of terrorism and our own destruction for some time. This is not a new phenomenon. And it seems that each time we meddle, we make it just a little worse.

We armed the mujahideen in Afghanistan to fight the Soviets - that didn't turn out so well. We disbanded the army in Iraq only to try to recreate that army after our action caused the sectarian violence that has racked that country. I was reading about how the US occupied Japan after WWII. The US sent in 350,000 military personnel, kept the Japanese army and the police (just disarmed them) and ensured that the Japanese populace had enough food. That was a model that worked. Could have been used in Iraq and feeding the population in Afghanistan would have helped as well.

This was followed by a story of Viva Palestina finally making its way into Gaza and delivering the aid to the people. Many ambulances, wheel chairs, food - a drop in the bucket to be sure, but at least someone is starting to recognize the bucket is empty and needs filling.

If the EU and the US would stop aiding Israel in its policy of collective punishment, a lot would be gained. It is hard to understand what is gained by preaching free and open elections and then punishing those who vote "the wrong way." How do you convince people without a history of electoral democracy that this is the way to go and then punish them when they do what you said? Makes no sense.

Coincidence or Conspiracy?

Is there any doubt, was there ever any doubt among thinking Americans, that the Bush Administration's Department of Justice (DOJ) was so thoroughly politicized that basic American laws were broken in the questioning of the Blackwater Five? I heard a former attorney in the Bush DOJ say that perhaps the State Department officials hadn't heard of the Miranda warnings and were unaware that you couldn't promise immunity and then use those statements - coerced, no less - against these accused.

I really thought that was a stretch; I don't remember reading any intimations that the Blackwater Five were waterboarded!

I'm writing now about the release and dismissal of all charges against the five Blackwater employees who killed more than a dozen Iraqi civilians in September 2007. How did it come to be that the State Department (?!!) was the organization that interrogated these men? Why wasn't this done by the FBI or another federal law enforcement agency? Since when did the State Department add criminal jurisprudence to their mandate?

This is the same Justice Department that was so lax with the rules in the case of former Senator Ted Stevens that his charges were also dropped. Unfortunately, getting rid of these folks hasn't yet occurred in the Obama DOJ - and we're going to pay for it.

But the dropped charges only happened for Republicans or Republican donors. And the Obama Justice Department doesn't see any wrongdoing in the political lynching of former Alabama Governor Don Siegelman? I sure do.

TSA, Unions, and the Republicans

I always knew Republicans (the current variety) were some of the biggest hypocrites in history; but to see them beating on Obama because of the Nigerian terrorist is the worst.

So, Senator Jim DeMint spent a lot of time this weekend railing about TSA. What he neglected to tell his audience is that he has a hold on the nomination of the new director of TSA because the rank and file may want to unionize.

Then there are the 100 Republican lawmakers who voted against funding TSA this year!

Give me a break! I thought Ronald Reagan taught Republicans what to do with uppity unionized federal workers - fire them all! It worked for the Air Traffic Controllers and the airlines kept flying so it could probably work for TSA.

Given the economy and the jobs situation in the US, you wouldn't have to wait long or look far for new employees!

We live most of the year in Greece and when we return to the US, we have to not only provide the airline (Air France) with our passport numbers, but also where we're going in the States - and we're US citizens. I can't believe it is easier for non citizens, even if they have visas.

And what's up with not being suspicious of this guy - he buys a one-way (!!) ticket in cash, has no carry-on luggage and is traveling for two weeks!

I don't think there's a enough communication going on.

2010 Elections - Will You Vote?

I've been reading how disappointed that Democrats are becoming with the Democratically-controlled Congress. So disappointed that fully 53% of them are saying they are less likely to vote for Democrats in the 2010 election!

The poll also shows that 81% of Democrats want Lieberman kicked out of the caucus. Frankly, keeping him in the caucus was one of the stupidest things that the Obama administration championed from the beginning. Not only did Lieberman work for McCain's election and trash Democrats - but he has never supported the Obama agenda.

So, how is the Administration going to change things? Time is running out especially since Lieberman is now in control of what goes in and what stays out of the health care reform bill. The only sure thing in the bill at this point is that people are going to be forced to buy insurance from the same people who have refused to cover them at affordable rates now.

We know the party partisans are going to insist that people not talk down the Administration, the Congress, or the bills that are (or mostly are not) being brought out for passage. I think people will smile sweetly and mouth all sorts of platitudes, but in the end - we'll know how many Democrats stayed home on November 2, 2010.

Now, I've always been proud of my voting record (which I think is close to perfect) since I was first able to vote in the California primary that saw Bobby Kennedy win the election and later lose his life. My personal philosophy is that people are dying for the right to vote all over the world and I have that privilege and right and often I've voted while thinking of them.

But, if I sit out this election (my Congressman has been serving in the House of Representatives since 1988 and is quite likely to continue to easily win elections, with or without my vote) nothing much will change. Neither of my Senators are up for election (and both are extremely capable and I respect them wholeheartedly) so, I could keep my record by voting for local issues and just bypass Congress.

Will I? Only time, and what kind of health care bill is signed by President Obama, will tell.

Empathy and White Men

The Supreme Court today ruled in favor of the white mail firefighters in Connecticut. Their rationale seems to imply that white men have a "right" to promotion.

Could this be because (and I'm purposely including Thomas here!) they are all white men. After all, they couldn't find that women deserved equal pay for equal work.

Letter to My Senator

Dear Senator:

Thank you so much for responding to my earlier letter about the situation in the Gaza strip.

However, missing from your letter was any discussion about the Palestinian people. Of course, Israel has a right to protect its people. What about the people of Palestine? Are they to be denied food, medicine, employment, freedom of movement, and now shelter forever?

What is Israel's responsibility to the people of Gaza and the West Bank? Israel is still occupying Gaza and has never "left" the West Bank. To say that Israel withdrew from Gaza ignores the fact that Israel controls all entry and exit into that narrow strip of land, smaller than Rhode Island, including air space.

It is time for members of Congress to be honest about what is going on. We have a new African American president; as he stated in his inauguration address his father wasn't allowed to eat in a restaurant in Washington, DC 60 years ago and now his son is the President.

It is time to stop allowing Israel to treat the Palestinians as less than people, even slaves were better treated because they were property and assets, and to insist that Israel begin to obey international law. After all, the US exports our military hardware, dollars and oil to that country. What do we the citizens get in return - Israeli actions that incite terrorism in the Middle East, Europe, and the United States.

Thank you,

Republicans and Filibustering

One of the things I haven't been able to figure out since the Democrats regained majority in the Senate, is why they don't make the Republicans filibuster.

One would think, with public approval of Congress at an all time low, that forcing the GOP to explain to the American public why they don't want to assist Americans, whether it be in domestic policy (environment, jobs, unemployment, health care) or foreign policy (Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, etc.) would go a long way towards educating Americans about what Republicans stand for and why they are dangerous.

Maybe someone can explain to me the political calculation that makes sense why this should be. I mean, everyone knows Republicans don't play fair - they don't know what that means. So there couldn't be a quid pro quo involved here. So what is it?

The Employer Free Choice Act is crucial to helping Americans regain the economic security many families have enjoyed over the past 60 years; especially families of color who worked either in the auto industry or for the government - federal, state, or local.

Make they explain why they're giving us the finger!