The DISH
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Vol. 9 No. 29…Dedicated to the Dialogue on Race…July
21, 2006
Venue for an Artist
The Silence of the
Pig: On the Cusp of WWIII
By Lynne Glasner
Less than ten days after celebrating our own
'rockets red glare,' the Middle East is about to go up
in flames. Israel and Lebanon are hurling rockets at each other -- testing one
another's strength and resolve. Syria is contemplating its response. Iran will
fuel the flames from the sidelines, for now, waiting for the right moment to
jump in. Iraq deteriorates further every day, along with Afghanistan. It feels
like we're on the eve of destruction, like the wild fires that burn in the
Canadian west, they are quelled only to ignite again elsewhere in the heat of summer,
in the arid climate that has been stripped of civility.
For how long will the Saudis be able to restrain themselves?
And the Egyptians? Saudi Arabia and Egypt have their own homegrown problems
with keeping a lid on terrorism and fundamentalist opposition to their tenuous
rule. Will Saudi Arabia also devolve into a certainly uncivil civil war? Will
Egypt go next as it tries desperately to play traffic cop at the Suez Canal?
And what happens to the price of oil?
All this while Bush and German Chancellor Angela
Merkel break bread and eat roast pig. The irony couldn't be more startling. As
the two leaders of the West toast each other's health and answer brief softball
questions, the Washington Post reports that Bush keeps his focus on the roast.
"A few minutes later -- after discussing Iran,
the Middle East, merits of press freedoms in Russia
and progress on the Doha round of
free trade talks -- Bush returned to the boar." The only sound heard above
the clicks of the cameras flashing for photo ops is the hollow bang of silence
in the face of impending disaster.
The security in Germany
for this Bush visit is tighter than that for the World Cup and more costly
(over 12 million euros, more than 12,000 police). Anti-war, anti-Bush
demonstrations are being limited, miles from anywhere that Bush will set foot.
In order to provide adequate security for Bush, the whole village has been
converted to a Green Zone for the day: blockades and security fences surround
the town, businesses must close for the day, all windows must remain shut, cars
must be removed from the area, and all drains in the town are plugged. A curfew
is in effect for the residents from 9:30 a.m.
until an hour after Bush has left. This is the kind of security detail that
surrounded Hitler in his peak of power. This is what we have become.
Tomorrow is Bastille Day (July 14). Bush and Merkel dine on boar. The
message is: let them eat cake.
Even in photo-ops aimed at the world press,
German babies cried when Clueless George kissed them.
About Me: Lynne Glasner is a freelance
writer/editor based in New York City.
She is the editor of Danny Schechter's book When News Lies (SelectBooks,
Jan. 06). Her work has appeared in OpEd News, Commondreams and
MediaChannel.org. Email Glasner at lyngla@rcn.com.
Atlanta Vibe
Funk Tour 2005
Yes! The wait is over. Aqiyl and Yohannes, in
conjunction with BTF International, present Funk Tour 2005, which features the
Fifth Element, Zapp and P Funk. Funk Tour 2005, a documentary, takes you to the
heart of Tokyo and gives you a taste of life on tour.
Join the celebration of the season. Place: Apache
Café, 64 3rd Street in downtown Atlanta. Date: Sunday, July
23, 2006. The film starts at 6:30 PM. For more info, hit us up at www.myspace.com/aqiylthomas or aqiyl@aol.com and www.myspace.com/yohasha or yohasha@yahoo.com. Special thanks to Kimani
of Free Forum Xchange, Asa Fain owner of Apache Café, OmniBlue Systems,
Smooth As Kappacino, www.thedish.org and the Atlanta
vibe.
Bit of History
Israel:
Creation and Conflict (1947-2006)
In 1947, the British government withdrew from the
Palestine Mandate, and the UN General Assembly voted to divide the territory
into a Jewish area consisting of roughly 55% of the land, and an Arab area
comprising the remaining 45%. To avoid conflict over its status, the UN decided
to administer Jerusalem as an international region.
On November 29, 1947, Israeli leader David
Ben-Gurion tentatively accepted the UN Partition. The Arab League rejected the
plan.
After the May
14, 1948 establishment of the state of Israel,
Egypt, Syria,
Jordan, Lebanon
and Iraq
attacked the Jewish state. The UN declared a month-long cease fire in June.
During this period of relative calm, Israel formed it defense forces. Today,
the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) is one of the world's best trained and
equipped. After months of war, a cease fire was declared (1949) and temporary
borders, known as the Green Line, were established. Israel gained an additional
26% of the Palestine Mandate, the West Bank went to Jordan and Egypt assumed
control of the Gaza Strip. Many Arabs fled or were driven out of the
newly-created Jewish State, creating a refugee problem that persists today.
Following the failed Lavon Affair (1955) in which
Israel
attempted to bomb Egyptian targets, Egypt
nationalized the Suez Canal, closing it to Israeli
ships. Along with its European allies, France and Great
Britain, Israel
declared war on Egypt.
After the Suez Crisis, the three collaborators faced international
condemnation; Israel
was forced to withdraw its forces from the Sinai Peninsula.
In 1967, Egypt
expelled UN Peacekeeping Forces from the Gaza Strip and closed the Straits of
Tiran to Israeli ships. Israel
attacked Egypt
on June 5 and destroyed Arab air forces on the ground. At the end of the
Six-Day War, Israel
had captured the West Bank, Gaza Strip, Sinai and Golan
Heights. Conflict continued along the Israel,
Syria and Egypt
borders. At the 1972 Munich Olympic Games, Palestinians killed members of the
Israeli delegation. The Israeli secret police (Mossad) responded with Operation
Wrath of God, killing those involved.
On Yom Kippur (October 6, 1973), Egypt
and Syria
attacked Israel
to regain lost territories. A cease fire was signed on November 11, 1973.
In March 1979, Israel
and Egypt
signed a peace treaty. Israel
withdrew from the Sinai and evacuated its settlements. Israel
agreed, but failed, to give Palestinians autonomy across the Green Line.
Tensions remained high, especially in Lebanon,
which was used as a guerilla base by Palestinians from which to attack
Israelis.
On July 7, 1981, the Israeli Air Force bombed the
Iraqi nuclear reactor at Osiraq 'to foil Saddam Hussein's efforts at acquiring
nuclear weapons.' The following year, it attacked Lebanon
to defend northern Israeli settlements. Israel
captured Beirut to 'expel
Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) forces.' It partially withdrew from Lebanon
(1986) retaining 'a buffer zone.' In May 2000, Israel
withdrew from all of Lebanon,
except Shabaa Farms, territory that remains a bone of contention
In 1994, Jordan
became the second Arab country to make peace with Israel.
Throughout the 1990s, Israel
occupied the West Bank and Gaza Strip in the face of UN
disapproval and a wave of Hamas guerilla attacks.
In July 2000, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak
and PLO leader Yasser Arafat entered failed peace talks, which were followed by
a second Palestinian uprising. Known as the Al-Aqsa Intifadah, it began after
Israeli Lukid Party leader Ariel Sharon visited the Temple
Mount in Jerusalem.
In 2005, Israel
initiated its unilateral withdrawal from the Gaza Strip. However, it continued
to build a security wall and settlements in disputed territory. The barrier
crosses the Green Line and effectively annexes portions of the West
Bank. The wall has come under harsh criticism and protests.
On June
28, 2006, Israel
began Operation Summer Rains, sending troops back into Gaza
territory after Hamas guerillas captured an Israeli soldier. On July 12, Hezbollah
guerillas captured two Israeli soldiers, sparking the 2006 Israel-Lebanon
crisis and potentially a world war. (Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israel,
www.questia.com, www.fordham.edu and www.mfa.gov.il/mfa)
Comments from the Bat Cave
The Dark Knight-Batman/White Ninja/Zorro is surrounded by younger siblings all
vying for attention. They seem to always take and demand the very things he
wants most. Even his personal possessions are at risk of confiscation. When his
young brother took a favorite action figure, pandemonium broke out. I demanded
peace and quiet, then sat them down for a civil discussion. He complied with a
pout. Then, with steely resolve, the Dark One/Ninja/Zorro declared, "It is
mine grandma, and I'm not giving it up!"
Intuit’s Vibe
Rivers of Blood Flow
thru the Corporate-Spine Spin
By Diana Gwinn
On a conveyor belt of carnage and death
Flag draped coffins glide silently by,
Hidden from view.
Sacrificial lambs fed to the false god
of insatiable greed and endless war.
Endless war for endless peace.
Corporate spin zone kicked the “Vietnam
Syndrome”.
No body bags this time around.
Trapped in 1984, conditioned, unthinking drones
Rest in peace in living tombs.
Wolves wrapped in red, white and blue
Battle dark skinned phantoms.
Emboldened by our silence and indifference to life
Rivers of blood flow
Rivers of blood flow thru the corporate spine
Rest in peace till the end of time.
WAKE UP!
News You Use
Wake up America!
Internet site http://wake-up-america.net
provides a list of United Nations Resolutions passed by the Security Council
and General Assembly against Israel
that have been ignored. This includes UN Security Council Resolution 242.
Passed on November 22, 1967,
Resolution 242 required Israel
to withdraw its forces from territories occupied in the 1967 conflict; this
includes Gaza and the West
Bank.
Numerous UN draft resolutions against Israel,
including the most recent one demanding that Israel
end its military offensive in the Gaza Strip, failed to pass because the US
exercised its veto power. It is a shameful history that screams hypocrisy.
The US used Iraq's
failure to comply with UN resolutions as part of the overall pretext for war.
It also cited possible possession of weapons of mass destruction, weapons Israel
is known to possess, including a nuclear arsenal purchased with US
tax dollars. Ironically, according to some reports that have failed to find
their way into mainstream US
media, Israel
is currently using bunker busting bombs and some sort of chemical weapon that
burns flesh.
UN Secretary General Kofi Annan has rightly called the maiming and murder of
unarmed civilians acts of terrorism. This applies to all sides of the conflict.
Even before the capture of a single Israeli soldier, Israeli Defense Forces
rounded up dozens of Hamas cabinet members, legislators and officials,
punishing the Palestinian people for their choice of democratically elected
representatives.
The international community has remained silent as thousands of Palestinians,
including women and children, languish in Israeli prisons. More egregious, its
silence is offensive as those ostensibly free in Gaza
suffer collective punishment, a universally recognized war crime, which
includes destruction of vital infrastructure and bombardment. These are war
crimes for which the world would condemn and punish, if they were perpetrated
by any country other than US-protected Israel.
Visit the website, educate yourself and demand your elected representatives do
more than parrot the White House line that Israel
has the right to defend itself. The root cause of this conflict goes deeper
than the capture of three Israel
soldiers. To pretend there is not a decades-long history of fault on all sides
serves no useful purpose, save prolong finding a lasting resolution to the
conflict. It is time for America
to wake up!
Disgruntled says: On
Tuesday, Georgia (USA) citizens went to the polls to vote. Some of us wondered
if our votes would count with so many problems surrounding electronic voting.
However, Ralph Reed, Republican candidate for lieutenant governor and former
Christian Coalition leader, suffered a stunning defeat. It is believed his
close ties to Jack Abramoff, who duped Christians and Indians, doomed his
candidacy. Whatever the cause, his flame-out at the polls restored a little of
our faith in the electoral process.
Disgruntled feels: Disproportionate!
Dubbed Summer Rain, the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) is reigning terror on Gaza
and Lebanon. Even
with longer range missiles, the 'terrorists' are no match for Israel's
state-of-the-art air, ground and sea arsenal. Three Israeli soldiers have been
captured and less that a dozen Israelis killed, while thousands are in Israeli
prisons and hundreds have died and been injured on the other side. At this
juncture with all of its rhetoric in support of Israel,
no one imagines the US
can be an honest broker. Hence, the US
will send in Secretary of State Dr Condi Rice, on Israel's
terms. Nothing will be done as long as the US
applauds and supports Israel's
actions.
Disgruntled wants to know: Iran
has been blamed by the West, particularly Britain
and the US, for
starting the new round of Middle East violence to
distract attention away from its nuclear ambitions, which the West opposes. If
true, it has worked! But, what were we fixated on before Israel
and Lebanon
began exchanging bombs? There was the collective punishment of Palestinians by Israel
in Gaza, the brutal Iraqi US-led
occupation, with charges of rape, murder and torture by US soldiers, growing
sectarian violence, etc. Given this onslaught of bad news, could one charge the
US with wanting
to change the subject and using its Middle East puppet
to bomb Beirut anew to do it?
Hood Notes
Syriana (2005)
Like the great oil game and the Middle
East conflict around which it revolves, Syriana is a complex
thriller with lots of intrigue, corruption and violence. Writer/director
Stephen Gaghan brings together a host of players that span the spectrum of the
oil industry from corrupt greedy businessmen and the politicians in Washington
that keep big business happy to the lowly workers struggling to make a living
in oil fields of the Persian Gulf.
At times confusing, Syriana's multiple storylines
do merge to present a compelling tale of Prince Nasir (Alexander Siddig), who
wants to change the way his country's oil and gas business is run, and his
eventual betrayal. His decision to accept the highest bid for natural gas
drilling rights places him in direct opposition to a powerful US
company.
When its owners set in motion a plot to change
Nasir's decision, veteran CIA operative Bob Barnes (George Clooney) is given a
final assignment to assassinate Prince Nasir. Barnes' mission fails, and he is
betrayed by the CIA.
In the meantime, there is plenty of other action
and intrigue to keep one riveted to the screen. There is a Justice Department
investigation into possible corruption involving the oil company's merger with
a smaller firm, disaffected oil workers turned suicide bombers trained at a
madrassa and the shady things ambitious men do, including the emirs, sheiks and
princes that rule Persian Gulf nations.
Syriana is based in part on Robert Baer's See No
Evil. It is rated "R" for adult language and violence. Given the
current high oil prices and conflict in the Middle East,
Syriana is well worth watching, because things are seldom what they seem as
greedy men pull strings behind the scene.
Mailbox: E-Mails, Faxes and Telephone Calls
Email jwg@Jwgpc.com
In US and British media, the cold-blooded murder of Palestinian civilians is
called "deadly clashes." It is interesting how the reporting begins
with the capture of an Israeli soldier; it does not mention the cold-blooded
murder on a Gaza beach of a
picnicking Palestinian family. Just as Hitler told the German people that the
1939 Wehrmacht invasion of Poland was in self-defense after Poland attacked
Germany, so the Zionist owned media have brainwashed the ignorant American and
British masses to think Israel only reacts in self defense, when, in fact, it
is carrying out a long planned program of deliberate genocide.
Email drymarc2003@yahoo.ca
Strikes Are Part of Broad US/Israel Strategy...Washington Post Sunday, July 16, 2006...Israel,
with U.S.
support, intends to resist calls for a cease-fire and continue a longer-term
strategy of punishing Hezbollah, which is likely to include several weeks of
precision bombing in Lebanon.
A senior Israeli official confirmed that Hezbollah leader Hasan Nasrallah is a
target. For the US,
the broader goal is to strangle the axis of Hezbollah, Hamas,
Syria and Iran,
which the Bush administration believes is pooling resources to change the
strategic playing field in the Middle East.
Email cook@jkcook.net
Just before the Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit was abducted on June 25, Israel
abducted two Palestinians. Few readers of a British newspaper would have
noticed the story. In the Observer of 25 June, it merited a mere paragraph
hidden in the 'World in brief' section, revealing that the previous day a team
of Israeli commandos entered the Gaza Strip to 'detain' two Palestinians Israel
claims are members of Hamas. The significance of the mission was alluded to in
a final phrase describing this as 'the first arrest raid in the territory since
Israel pulled
out of the area a year ago.'
Email www.bloomberg.com
Syria Plans to End Dollar Peg, Moves Half of Reserves to Euros...July 11-Syria,
under fire from the US for the alleged support of terrorism, plans to end its
currency peg to the dollar by year-end to reflect closer trade ties with
Europe, central bank Governor Adib Mayaleh said in a telephone interview. The
Central Bank of Syria has already converted half of its foreign-exchange
reserves to euros. Syria's
reserves, including gold, totaled $1.4 billion at the end of 2005, according to
the US Central Intelligence Agency.
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DISH ||