America's Middle East policy -- specifically the prospects for peace in Palestine -- is getting a lot of attention this week as President Obama prepares for his visit to Egypt. The world will be listening closely to the words the President will speak to the Arab and Muslim people around the globe. Our President's words will be key in our understanding of how he will steer America's foreign policy in this important region.
I reported last month on the Palestine Office-Michigan's Nakba-61 commemoration on May 16, 2009, as I published the speech by peace activist and respected Middle East policy analyst Phylllis Bennishere. As a companion piece, I have posted below the additional speech from that evening by peace activist, co-coordinator of the Voices for Creative Nonviolence, and three-time Nobel Peace Prize nominee Kathy Kelly. The commentary by Bennis and Kelly add some clarity to the issues that all Americans need to better understand.
= The U.S. Army had an elaborate recruiting set-up at a shopping mall over the weekend. The display included tents with shooter video games and banks of computer stations.A “Soaring Eagle” Computer Tournament was operated at the computer stations.I saw a good number of minors tapping away at the computers.In fact, most of the computer-oriented activities were big attractions to minors.Doesn’t the Army know that -- just like torture -- recruiting minors is illegal under international law?
=The Army had plenty of “freebies” at the mall to hand out:decks of playing cards, computer game CDs, pseudo dog tags, computer mouse pads and more.The freebies were care of the military’s desperate multi-billion dollar recruiting budget, which is paid for by our tax dollars.Noticeably absent from the scene was protesting anti-tax teabaggers who oppose wasteful spending.
=Incredibly, the media blared the supposed identity of Mexico’s “Patient Zero,” the person who may have started the swine flu pandemic.It turned out to be a 5-year-old boy from La Gloria, a town in southern Mexico.He was identified by name and his picture published in print and across the Internet.There are two problems here: (1) How and why would the press want to violate the medical privacy of a minor on a world wide scale? and (2) Why should we seriously believe that this singular little boy in that little Mexican town was the originator of the flu virus?
=In the credit card reform debate in Washington, I have yet to hear or find details that the federal legislation will return to the states the power of regulating and establishing the interest rates offered by credit card companies.I will keep looking…
=This caught my eye in Sunday’s editions of the Lansing State Journal and the Chicago Tribune:separate stories related to Mexican/Latino issues were both accompanied with prominent photos of individuals sporting Mohawk haircuts, a rare look you would find among the thousand of people participating in the covered events.
=Lansing (MI) incumbent Mayor Virgil Bernero officially announced over the weekend that he will run for re-election.I don’t know what to make of the fact that Bernero was voted both the favorite local politician and worst politician in the Lansing City Pulse’s recent Top of the Town contest.
=Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was in press accounts warning that Iran is gaining influence in Latin America.Apparently, the State Department, CIA, and the military establishment are continuing the campaign to demonize Iran, the one Middle East oil country the U.S. does not influence.I still point to Iran and Venezuela as the U.S. military establishment’s top two targets for military “intervention.”The fabricated incidents to justify the actions have not yet been revealed, though plenty of hints exist.
=I’m surprised that I’m surprised about the amount of television people watch, as evidenced by the streaming commentary across Twitter.After years of limited TV service, I recently expanded my cable service to get more channels. Not much has changed. Programming is very weak. Somewhere along the way, the medium jumped the shark.
I am returning here with a post about the hot topic that has been keeping me so busy this month, the Crisis in Gaza.
The Peace Education Center is hosting a teach-in tomorrow at the Capital Area District Library's Lansing Branch, 401 South Capitol Avenue, in downtown Lansing, Michigan (USA). The event is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. in the library's auditorium. The four MSU professors who will participate on the the panel are top-notch: Kenneth Harrow, Salah Hassan, Rosina Hassoun, and Michael Perez. This event is free and open to the public.
This teach-in is planned as a mirror event of the one sponsored by Michigan State University's Students Allied for Freedom and Equality (S.A.F.E.) in East Lansing. The panelists are slightly different and the composition of the audience, being away from MSU's campus, probably will be different. Still, the topic will be no less intense as the Crisis in Gaza continues to simmer. If you have an interest in leaning about the subject, please join us at the library. Directions are here.
The Peace Education Center and this blogger will provide coverage of the panel discussion. Should the wireless network at the library allow, the event will be streamed live on-line. Word on the live stream status will be reported here, on the PEC web site, on Facebook, and via listserves. My tweets from the event will be posted periodically on the page during the event.
Below is the video recording of Dr. Salah Hassan's presentation at S.A.F.E.'s teach-in on January 14, 2009.
Two of the biggest issues waiting for President-elect Barack Obama are, first, the U.S. occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan and, second, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. On both counts, we don't know exactly how the new president will handle these hot policy issues. Obama's political stump speeches and pronouncements -- in typical, non-offensive political fashion -- are too vague to get a clear picture of his intended policy implementation. The truth won't be revealed until he sets foot in the Oval Office.
While we wait for Obama to take office, America has a clear national leadership vacuum, as both foreign and domestic policy drifts rudderlessly toward January 20th. George W. Bush has been a presidential empty suit for eight years and now the whole suit has disappeared. In the Gaza Strip in Palestine, the Israeli government is taking full and final advantage of the Bush Administration's 8-year hands-off policy in Palestine. Obviously, the Israeli government doesn't trust campaign pronouncements either.
I am predicting that once Obama is sworn into office, he is going to meet highly visible American opposition to Israel's outrageous and obviously illegal military actions and activities in Palestine. His supporters will be less tolerant of -- and more vocal about -- Israel's violations of international law and crimes against humanity as exhibited in Gaza over that last 18 months and more. His supporters are going to want "change" in American foreign policy toward Israel and Palestine. "Change" ultimately may be an albatross draped on Obama by his own supporters. That's my prediction.
At the recent United for Peace and Justice (UFPJ) General Assembly in Chicago, Palestinian-American Ali Abunimah addressed the issue of American foreign policy in Palestine and whether Obama may or may not bring "change" to the Middle East arena. Abunimah's speech is provided below. Americans should take the time to listen to these words in light of the conflict in the Gaza Strip and as we wait for someone to occupy the Oval Office.
Activist and documentary filmmaker Adam Shapiro visited East Lansing, Michigan, last month. He introduced Part One of his six-part documentary, "Chronicle of the Refugee," which focuses on the plight of Palestinian refugees. Earlier this year, I caught a sneak preview of Part Four when Shapiro was in Michigan. Following the showing, he fielded questions about the documentary from the theater crowd. Below is the recorded Q&A session, published here for the first time. Video from Shapiro's East Lansing appearance is forthcoming.
I just got back from an evening planning meeting in Dearborn as preparations are being made to host the only Michigan stop for the national "Separate is Never Equal" Tour. Two international experts on the Israeli occupation in Palestine will stop in Dearborn on Thursday, November 13, 2008. Mark you calendar. Details of the event are provided below.
The featured speakers are Diana Buttu and Rev. Eddie Makue. Here are their short biographies as provided by the event sponsors:
Diana Buttu is a Palestinian Attorney who has worked tirelessly to influence and bring more balanced coverage of Palestinian issues in the media. Ms. Buttu was also a Palestinian advocate in the litigations at the International Court of Justice in the Hague, which resulted in the landmark opinion against Israel's Apartheid Wall. She also works with PalTel on sustainable agricultural development and teaches at Birzeit University in Palestine.
Rev. Eddie Makue founded the Independent Forum on Electoral Education Committee in 1992, the Democracy Education and Lobbying Forum in 1994, and the South African Civil Society Election Observation Coalition in 1998. In 2005, Rev. Makue was a member of the Election Monitoring Delegation in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. In 2006, Rev. Makue was appointed to his current position as General Secretary of the South Africa Council of Churches.
Details of the event:
"Separate is Never Equal"
Analysis from South Africa and Palestine
Dinner & Reception
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Time: 6:30 p.m.
Location:
Byblos Banquet Hall
7258 Chase
Dearborn, Michigan 48126
Donation: $30
The event is being brought to Michigan by the U.S. Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation in conjunction with the Palestine Office-Michigan, the Peace Education Center of Greater Lansing, and numerous other peace organizations. The event is officially endorsed by the Congress of Arab American Organizations of Michigan (CAAO).
A group will be traveling to the event on November 13th from Greater Lansing (Michigan). If you are interested in attending with the Lansing delegation please contact the Peace Education Center at 517-889-1175 or send an email message to peaceedcenter@gmail.com. The Peace Education Center's Middle East Awareness Committee has a limited number of scholarship tickets available for college and university students.
Event information is also available from the Palestine Office-Michigan at 313-945-9660.
RTR is that rare combination of blogger, activist, hockey player, and ailurophile. He is from Lansing, Michigan USA and is the current co-chair of the Peace Education Center of Greater Lansing and is active with Mid-Michigan Democracy for America (MMDFA).
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