Middle East disaster (Lebanon) 8-23-2006

23, August 2006                       Middle East disaster (Lebanon)

A major environmental disaster, largely ignored by the corporate media, is the Israeli attack on a Lebanese power station’s five large fuel tanks which leaked 15,000 tons of oil into the Mediterranean. The spill has gone untreated for the past four weeks because of the ongoing Israeli air strikes and naval blockade. Satellite photographs show the oil spill has already reached the Syrian coastline and could end up affecting Cyprus, Turkey and Greece. One United Nations official described the oil spill as an “environmental massacre.” Friends of the Earth have described the oil spill as the greatest environmental disaster ever to strike the Eastern Mediterranean.  The damage grows exponentially with each day delay in cleanup operations. Local fisheries and tourism will be adversely impacted for many years.

Marine experts from Inforac, issued an urgent warning that the Israeli attack on the Jiyyeh Power plant in mid-July could pose a serious cancer risk to people living in the area. Spokeswoman Simonetta Lombardo said the spill of fuel oil was a ‘high-risk toxic cocktail made up of substances which cause cancer and damage to the endocrine system.’

The huge burning fire which has raged for 12 days has emitted clouds of toxic fumes and carbon deposits all the way to Beirut.

I would urge concerned readers to contact your representatives in Washington and urge our government’s active participation in cleanup operations. Israel and our government are morally bound to pay reparations to Lebanon for this environmental disaster.

60 Minutes Interview 8-22-2006

22, August 2006                     60 Minutes Interview Disgraceful RE: Iranian premier

Last August 13, Mike Wallace, of 60 Minutes, interview with the Iranian Prime Minister Ahmadinejad was a disgraceful spectacle of media bias pandering to the growing Islamophobia. Contrast Wallace’s condescending manner and bellicose demeanor with the fawning behavior when interviewing Israeli government officials leaves little doubt of lopsided news coverage. Leaders of all nations should be treated with deference and respect when being interviewed. Wallace should vent his anger on past US government which contributed to the Middle East crisis. Perhaps, Wallace is unaware that there was a functioning democracy in Iran in 1953 which was aborted by a coup orchestrated by the CIA and MI6 which ousted the highly popular Mossadegh with the autocratic tyrant, the Shah of Iran. The Shah stifled all dissent and slaughtered thousands of innocent civilians with weapons supplied by the US. The Shah’s reign of terror was eventually overthrown by a virulent form of Islam theocracy which the West so despises but which it unconsciously nurtured. 

Response to Thomas Friedman’s op ed NYT 8-19-2006

19, August 2006         Response to Thomas Friedman’s op ed NYT RE: Israel’s attack on                                                  Lebanon

Re Thomas Friedman’s op-ed article entitled “War on Daddy’s Dime”, NYT August 18. Mr. Freidman displays his obvious pro-Israel bias by selectively criticizing Iran for its humanitarian support of Lebanon’s civilian victims but chooses to remain silent on Israel’s financial benefactor – the US taxpayers who, albeit unwillingly, fund Israel’s war machinery which destroyed Lebanon’s infrastructure and killed many of its civilians. Mr. Friedman also ignores the stated purpose in kidnapping the two Israeli soldiers, namely to pressure Israel to release some of its prisoners. Currently, close to 10,000 Palestinians are languishing, without trial, in Israeli prisons. Surely, the Palestinians have a right to resist illegal occupation of their land and oppression of their people. Failure to hold Israel accountable for its actions will inevitably result in a renewed cycle of mutual hatred and loss of live. 

Media bias reporting Israeli assault on Lebanon 8-19-2006

19, August 2006              Media bias reporting Israeli assault on Lebanon

The corporate owned US media, the traditional watchdogs of our policy makers, have once again failed the American people. In a startling new development two producers of Fox News in Amman, Jordon, resigned in protest of the network’s coverage of the Lebanon assault by Israel. In their resignation letter Serene Sabbagh and Jomana Karadsheh wrote, “"we can no longer work with a news organization that claims to be fair and balanced when you are so far from that." Likewise, CNN reports of the Middle East displayed their obvious bias making a complete mockery of their claim to be “the most trusted news source.”  The Israeli military unleashed its US made military weapons on a virtual defenseless population and by doing so enraged the people of Lebanon who now stand in solidarity with Hezbollah. The corrupt, autocratic regimes of Jordon, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan who, under US pressure initially condemned the actions of Hezbollah, now remain silent fearing internal rebellions within their own nations.

Silencing critics of Israeli’s racial policies will ensure that Israel will continue its policies of land theft and oppression and thereby engender more hatred. Thus, the spiral of violence will continue unabated. The only hope for Israeli’s long term survival is to accelerate an honest land settlement with the Palestinians so both people can live in peace and harmony.

Response to local letter writer RE: Israel 8-6-2006

6, August 2011                       Response to local letter writer RE: Israel

Predictably, Desmond Tuck (letter Aug 3) tip toes around the serious issues which I raised in my letter (Aug 2), namely, the brutal terror unleashed by Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) on young Palestinian children.  No, Mr. Tuck breaking school windows, firing tear gas and sonic bombs at Palestinian children every week is no laughing matter. Your comments are reprehensible and display gross insensitivity.

Tuck writes that “thousands of Israelis have been killed or maimed by Arab terrorists”. Are these statistics pulled from the air or are they based on factual reality? According to B’Tselem, the Israeli Information Human Rights Organization, far more Palestinians have been killed and injured – for example, during the period 2000-2011, 6379 Palestinians were killed by IDF compared to 69 Israelis. Tuck accuses me of remaining silent of atrocities occurring in Arab countries. I urge Tuck to read back issues of the Daily, for example my earlier letter excoriating Saudi Arabia, Syria, and Libya for the cruel and inhumane treatment of pro-democracy dissidents. Finally, Tuck makes the absurd claim that Israel imposes strict discipline and metes out punishment for human rights violations. Human rights violations are a daily occurrence, unless of course Tuck considers Palestinians to be sub-human. Sad to say his letter is full of fictional ranting and has no basis in fact.