- The Internet mailman brought me an interesting flier
this week. The headline screamed:
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- "NEW YORK SAYS 'NO' TO THE BUTCHER ARIEL SHARON!!!!"
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- The flier went on to announce a protest in front of the
United Nations on Thursday, September 15, 2005. The reason for the protest
was that Ariel Sharon was scheduled to speak, as an honored guest, before
the General Assembly as part of the "World Summit."
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- An honored guest?????? On the twenty-third anniversary
of the killing of thousands of Palestinian refugees at Sabra and Shatila
camps in Lebanon under Sharon's watch, is this what we are honoring? What
an outrage!!
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- Why are we honoring a man who was responsible for the
massacres of thousands of Palestinians and Lebanese? Why are we honoring
a man who is dedicated to Palestinian eradication?
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- UN Resolution 194 guarantees all Palestinian refugees
the right to return, and yet, Ariel Sharon refuses to implement this resolution.
In addition, he has turned a deaf ear on countless other resolutions denouncing
the Zionist occupation of Palestine. Ariel Sharon has continued his decades
long campaign of brutality against the Palestinian Arab people.
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- So why is this man speaking at the UN? Why is he an
honored guest? Was it because Joe Stalin had a previous engagement?
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- The flier continued, "From Qibya in 1952 to Sabra
and Shatila in 1982 to Jenin in 2002, Ariel Sharon is a butcher and a war
criminal who should be on trial at the Hague, not speaking before the General
Assembly of the United Nations."
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- And so, on Thursday, September 15th, I joined approximately
70 other people at Dag Hammerskjold Plaza, across the street from the United
Nations. Several members of the ultra orthodox Jewish group, Neturei Karta
stood by our side wearing buttons that said "A Jew not a Zionist."
They handed out fliers condemning the state of Israel and the suffering
of the Palestinian people.
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- We stood side by side, Palestinian Arabs, Jews and Christians
chanting together.
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- "New York says 'NO' to Sharon"
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- "Sharon - terrorist; Israel -terrorist"
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- A group of 10 opposing Jews gathered across from us waving
a small American flag and yelling incoherently. They had a sign which
stated "Gaza surrender endangers lives."
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- "WHOSE lives, gentlemen?
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- Anyone who bothers to look beyond the histrionics of
the Gaza disengagement knows that it is just another attempt at "pacification."
It is a myth; a pretext. It is a charade like the Camp David Accords,
in which the Israeli's are portrayed as generous and the Palestinians are
depicted as too demanding.
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- So what is really happening? Emily Gharabally writes
in Al-Awda, a newspaper of the voices of resistance, that Gaza remains
an open-air prison. Israel will continue to serve as an occupying power
maintaining military and economic control. Gaza's airspace, coastal waters
and even international borders will continue to be controlled by the Israelis.
Access to Gaza's natural resources such as water, gas, electricity and
fuel will all be controlled by the Israelis, forcing Gazans to do business
through Israel even when Israel charges the Palestinians among the highest
trade prices in the world. A community with poverty rates close to 70%
becomes indebted to the very state that created such a hazardous economic
situation.
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- Al-Awda chillingly emphasizes that Zionist military forces
will surround the borders of Gaza, ready for an attack at any time, and,
pledged to assault the Palestinians of Gaza in yet another attempt to stifle
Palestinian resistance; this time without the presence of Zionist settlers
to concern themselves about.
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- It is truly amazing that the Palestinians have resisted
and struggled for liberation despite over 57 years of assaults upon their
existence. They have withstood home demolitions and bombing raids.
And, most importantly, let us not forget that the construction of settlements
in an occupied territory should never have occurred in the first place.
However, the colonization of Gaza is only one segment of the overall illegitimate
colonization of Palestine.
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- Forgive my ignorance, but I have never been able to figure
out how one group of people can lay claim to land that another group of
people is inhabiting. (Perhaps, if he were available, Chris Columbus could
explain this to me)
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- I used to teach piano lessons in scenic Saddle River
New Jersey. For those of you who are not familiar with Saddle River, visualize
mansions with swimming pools, tennis courts and ample acreage; opulently
obscene.
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- I wonder what would have happened if one day I had walked
into a home with a scroll of parchment on top of my sheet music. What
if I had presented my student's parents with the scroll and told them
that God had given me their mansion and that their family had to relocate.
"After all, it says so right here on this paper, in God's very
own handwriting."
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- Is that the way things work? Do the people with the
biggest weapons get rewarded with land? Do the people with the smallest
consciences get rewarded with land? Survival of the shiftiest?
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- The human race is over and the winner is depravity.
Fema workers can get away with singing repulsive jingles in New Orleans
as they cheer on the death and drowning of their Black brethren. (yes,
boys, I said "brethren" as in "What you do to the least
of My brethren, you do to Me.")
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- Recently, Pat Robertson, who is known to some as a "man
of God," suggested that America should murder the President of Venezuela.
Er Pat, you might try checking that book you thump. I am sure that
somewhere inside, it says, "Thou shalt not kill." I am sure
that somewhere inside, it says "Love thy enemies." Please do
not misunderstand me, dear readers. I do not consider Hugo Chavez an enemy,
but obviously "Pious Pat" does. What confounds me is why Pat
has not, as of yet, been institutionalized. I certainly know a terrorist
when I see one.
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- We have entered a new period of darkness on Planet Earth.
American Imperialism appears to be the fastest spreading disease on the
planet. People are afraid to venture into certain areas of discussion.
Fear of reprisal has whited out The First Amendment.
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- Look around you. Listen to the comments of your fellow
Americans. Racism is not an endangered species. Criticism and hate speech
are alive and well. It merely depends upon which group is the recipient
of your comments.
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- If you express your desire to kill Palestinians, Iraqis,
Afghanis and Iranians, go right ahead. Uncle Sam wants YOU !!!!
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- Copyright 2005: Judy Andreas
- JUDE10901@AOL.com
- www.judyandreas.com
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