Re: from the village voice (pc)

["anthony_r" <anthony_r>]

----- Original Message -----
From: <Dlofdahl>
To: <babel-list>
Sent: Friday, June 21, 2002 2:26 PM
Subject: Re: from the village voice (npc)


> my point is that my country is blindly supporting an illegal military
> occupation against a people with no army that is forced to resist with stones
> an the destruction of its youth through suicide bombings. a people who have
> endured the longest military occupation of the last century. one that is
> continuing into this century with the full support of a rabid, war mongering,
> american political right who is seizing this opportunity to piss all over the
> constitution.
>
> and with full support of a [kowtowing] american political left.
>
> an illegal military occupation that shares characteristics with nazi germany.
> note the current attempt to fence the palestinians into ghettos - - in their
> own territory, mind you.   territory already beset with over 200 illegal
> israeli "settlements"(paid for with us dollars).  a military occupation that
> also shares characteristics with south african apartheid.  palestinians are
> paid substandard wages and sold inferior goods at inflated rates.  they
> endure daily humiliations justified by a racism so blatant it would make
> lester maddox hang his head in shame.  in what little is left of their own
> territory they have to endure curfews and check points (palestinian workers
> in israel are forbidden to stay overnight) that last hours and separate
> families and often inhibit proper medical treatment for the sick and elderly.
>
> they have endured the systematic de-evolution of the entire structure of
> their society. and all of this is done in the name of the american people.
> with our dollars.  with our military power.
>
> my point is that i am ashamed that i was so surprised that you, someone who
> has met me, could ask me if i supported terrorism, that i silenced myself.
>


I totally agree with all that. I think you had previously posted a link to an
article in The Nation,

http://www.TheNation.com/doc.mhtml?i=20020520&s=lerner

which I didn't get a chance to read until now; thanks for the link, I think it'
s
an excellent article. I also just had the chance to check out the author's
(Michael Lerner) organization, Tikkun.org, and there are some excellent article
s
there as well, all written by Jews.

http://www.tikkun.org/index.cfm


Too bad these views aren't heard more on television and in the papers (incl. th
e
NYT).


I believe you were criticized by sonic5 awhile ago for seeming to support the i
dea
that killing innocent civilians is somehow justified, which of course you weren
't
saying anything of the sort, and there's an excellent article at Tikkun.org tha
t I
think can help some people understand the difference between suicide bombings
(individual terrorist acts) and state terrorism, written by an Israeli professo
r
at Ben Gurion Univerity:

http://www.tikkun.org/magazine/index.cfm/action/tikkun/issue/tik0205/article/02
051
2a.html


Also, ABC New Nightline did a report last night that basically made the point t
hat
if the Israelis and Americans will not negotiate peace until the suicide bombin
gs
stop, then they will _never_ negotiate, if all it takes is one or two suicide
bombers to derail a peace process meant for millions of Palestinians and Israel
is.
It's a self-defeating condition, designed to fail before it even starts.


> you don't think that a patti smith list is an appropriate forum a political
> discussion?  i disagree. not only do i think it is appropriate, i, like you,
> have been a member of this list for years.  i am a member of this community.
> if i cannot use my voice here ( as ms smith is so want to encourage us to do)
>  where can i use it?
>
> i will continue to post here in the hopes of continuing some of the
> intelligent discussions of the past that made this list so unique.  i will
> continue posting political information - - with and without commentary.  if
> the members and moderators of this list find it inappropriate then they can
> exercise their right to ban me.


It's impossible NOT to discuss the single most important world conflict since
WWII, especially in the post-9.11 world of ours, and especially since it is
spiralling to an all-time low every day (not coincidentally, ever since Bush an
d
Sharon took their respective office). And speaking of Bush, I guess if Patti Sm
ith
never discussed politics or world events then there'd be a precedent or
expectation to not do so here. However, since she continues to dedicate "About 
a
Boy" to John Walker Lindh at her concerts, I guess the topic of terrorism is no
t
"npc" after all.


Anthony