CBS’s 60 Minutes – A Middle Perspective 1-30-09

30, January 2009                   CBS’s, 60 Minutes – A Middle Perspective

In a recent broadcast, Bob Simon of the CBS Minutes team provided a strikingly honest perspective on the Middle East crisis. A map of the West Bank was shown with hundreds of illegal settlements built on confiscated Palestinian land making it impossible for the Palestinians to ever establish their own state. “This is the goal. And this is the reality," Weiss, who is mayor of a large settlement, told Bob Simon.  Bypass roads have been constructed for the exclusive use of Jewish settlers forcing Palestinians to use older roads and pass through hundreds of military checkpoints causing humiliating delays.

Dr. Mustafa Barghouti, a former candidate for Palestinian president, told Bob Simon that his repeated requests to visit relatives in Jerusalem, his birthplace, had been denied. No such restrictions apply to Jewish residents. Such draconian laws bare a strong resemblance to those that were imposed by the white apartheid government in South Africa restricting the movement of native Africans.

Simon was shocked to learn that Israeli troops routinely enter the homes of Palestinians, without notice, and hold them hostage for extended periods of time. This practice is well documented in Jerrold Cohen's book on the Israeli occupation.

It is now up the Obama administration to charter a new course based on respect for human rights and dignity. As a first step, the Gaza siege must be lifted to allow humanitarian aid to reach the imprisoned population.

CBS’s 60 Minutes 1-30-09

30, January 2009

Dear Editor,   CBS’s, 60 Minutes

In a recent broadcast, Bob Simon of the CBS Minutes team provided a strikingly honest perspective on the Middle East crisis. A map of the West Bank was shown with hundreds of illegal settlements built on confiscated Palestinian land making it impossible for the Palestinians to ever establish their own state. “This is the goal. And this is the reality," Weiss, who is mayor of a large settlement, told Bob Simon.  Bypass roads have been constructed for the exclusive use of Jewish settlers forcing Palestinians to use older roads and pass through hundreds of military checkpoints causing humiliating delays.
Dr. Mustafa Barghouti, a former candidate for Palestinian president, told Bob Simon that his repeated requests to visit relatives in Jerusalem, his birthplace, had been denied. No such restrictions apply to Jewish residents. Such draconian laws bare a strong resemblance to those that were imposed by the white apartheid government in South Africa restricting the movement of native Africans.

Simon was shocked to learn that Israeli troops routinely enter the homes of Palestinians, without notice, and hold them hostage for extended periods of time. This practice is well documented in Jerrold Cohen's book on the Israeli occupation.

It is now up the Obama administration to charter a new course based on respect for human rights and dignity. As a first step, the Gaza siege must be lifted to allow humanitarian aid to reach the imprisoned population.

Response to Daily’s Offensive Cartoon 1-16-09

16, January 2009,                  Response to Daily’s offensive cartoon

Your January 14 cartoon is a classic example of media bias. Contrary to Sentinel’s depiction of the conflict, are the searing images (see BBC and YouTube) of murdered children juxtaposed with their dismembered parents in boxes accompanied by the wailing sounds of grief stricken residents in the world’s largest man-made concentration camp. This is a testimony of Israel’s war of terror.

It speaks volumes of our own media bias that these images are hidden from the US public. Israel and we, as suppliers of these weapons of mass killing, have violated all norms of civilized conduct. The terror raining down on Gaza has little to do with Hamas and everything to do with Israel’s messianic zeal for territorial gain. It is telling that we in the US never hear a counter argument to “Israel has a right to exist.” Do not the indigenous people who were driven off their land have a right to exist?

Turn back the pages of history and we witness a consistent pattern of ethnic cleansing from “Plan D” of 1947-48 which resulted in the eradication of 369 Palestinian towns by the Jewish terrorist organization, Haganah, and the subsequent massacres and ethnic cleansing of Palestinian civilians in such places as Deir Yassin, al-Dawayima, Eilaboun, Jish, Ramle and Lydda. As Rabbi Hescel so aptly stated “the greatest sin of all in the Nazi era was silence.” When we remain silent to the suffering and the incredible aggression against the Palestinian people, then we are all culpable.

Response to Local Letter re Israel 1-14-09

14, January 2009                   Response to local letter re: Israel

Desmond Tuck (Post, January 13) is very selective in his outrage. His is certainly right in condemning Hamas for launching rockets killing innocent people. But sadly he and other letter writers are deafeningly silent on the mindless slaughter of innocent Palestinians. Contrary to Israel’s false claims, parroted by US politicians, it was Israel who violated the ceasefire when they launched an unprovoked attack inside the Gaza Strip, killing six persons on November 4 (see Israeli’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs website).  It is a pity Tuck and other letter writers failed to vent their collective anger at Israel when it imposed a draconian blockade of Gaza creating a monstrous humanitarian crisis. Mary Robinson, the former High Commissioner for Human Rights, described this action “as a destruction of a civilization.”

Our stubborn military and political support for Israel’s state sponsored terror and denial of state’s rights for the Palestinians have pitted against us against most of the world and severely compromised our security. Of the 164 nations at the UN, only Nauru, Palau, Micronesia, the Marshall Islands and Australia support Israel and the US.

Support for Israel’s ongoing slaughter is not an act of loyalty but an act of betrayal. Israel’s actions are indefensible and will only intensify the anger and desire for revenge against Israel and the US. This does not bode well for Israel’s future and our security.

Obama Nominees 1-11-09

11, January 2009                   Obama nominees

Obama’s recent announcement of Admiral Dennis Blair, as Director of National Intelligence, is extremely disturbing. Blair played a critical role offering unconditional US military support to top Indonesian general, Wiranto, during the brutal massacre of the East Timorese in the 1990’s which wiped out one third of the population. When world opinion forced the Clinton administration to halt its military and diplomatic support to Indonesia, Blair defied Washington and continued his unwavering support to Wiranto.

It is odd that senior democrats have reacted so strongly against the nomination of Leon Panetta as head of the CIA but have thus far given a free pass to Blair, ignoring his past history. Perhaps, bruised egos of these democrats who were not informed of Panetta’s appointment may have had a lot do with their public opposition. Panetta, who vigorously opposes torture and abuse of detainees, would be a welcome change.

On the other hand, Blair’s appointment must be vigorously opposed. Obama must make a clean break from our dark past history and usher in new era based on respect for human rights. We must hold Obama accountable to his election promise of ‘change we can believe in’. We must demand an immediate halt to supporting regimes that sponsor terrorism such as Israel, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. 

The following letter was sent to President Elect, Barack Obama. 11-20-2008

20, November 2008
The following letter was sent to President Elect, Barack Obama.
Dear Mr. Obama, 
I offer you my sincere congratulations on your well-deserved victory in the hotly contested presidential campaign. As president you will be challenged with many daunting issues which will require courage, fortitude, boldness and visionary solutions. To this end may I respectfully offer you some suggestions?

On the economy, resist seeking the advice and guidance of the moneyed folks from Goldman Saks who have contributed in a major way to the economic morass that we are now facing. Thus far, the financial bailout has been a monumental disaster with no restrictions imposed on those institutions who have squandered their assets and taxpayers bailout funds to reward their incompetent executives with obscene bonuses, shareholders dividends and bank buyouts. Such bank consolidations create non-competitive entities and fail-safe behemoths. 

Do not support the bailout of the auto industry. General Motors, Chrysler and Ford have contributed to their own demise by ignoring the public’s hunger for more fuel efficiency cars in favor of short term profits and marketing gimmicks (offering lower gas prices for gas guzzlers and low interest car loans). These companies have mocked climate change doomsday pundits and have instead lobbied politicians to postpone fuel efficiency legislation. They must be allowed to sink into receivership and forced to replace board members with new blood. Gross incompetence must not be rewarded with more government largesse. 

Call an immediate moratorium on home foreclosures and allow bankruptcy judges to restructure the loans downwards to reflect actual home values. Banks should absorb the difference between the original loan values and the restructured loans. 

Provide relief to seniors by suspending the mandatory redemption of IRA’s at age 701/2. 
Charge a federal excise tax on oil imports and offer a portion of the revenue in the form of loans to innovators to encourage the manufacture of fuel efficient cars and alternate energy sources. 
Pursue vigorous diplomatic efforts to promote world peace and harmony. Abandon policies which promote US commercial interests to the exclusion of the basic needs of the people the world. The Bush administration has alienated much of the world with their bellicose ‘axis of evil’ language. Use your high office to elevate the level of discourse and abandon the failed polices of the Bush administration which perpetuated rancor with nations such as Iran, Venezuela and Cuba and remove existing trade embargos. Reach out to the governments of Venezuela and Bolivia and Ecuador, each of which is currently under subversive attack by the United States. Restore trade relations with Cuba.

Close Guantánamo, Abu Grab and Bagram Air force Base and scrap the Military Commissions Act. Allow prisoners to be tried in US federal courts granting them the right to due process and dismiss confessions extracted under torture. The current system is an absolute outrage and has rightly been criticized by JAG lawyers.  Call an immediate halt to all forms of torture and extraordinary renditions. Restore Habeas Corpus. Banish ‘unlawful combatants’ from our lexicon and instruct Pentagon officials to stop offering financial inducements to ‘turn in’ Afghani people. According to the International Red Cross, most of those arrested are completely innocent and have been arrested on false information to settle tribal scores or for financial gain. Do not escalate the war in Afghanistan. Instead negotiate a speedy withdrawal with a specific timetable. Our continual presence violates international law and basic common sense.  The high rate of civilian deaths is fueling more anger and bitterness and our illegal occupation is doomed to failure. Offer massive reparations to innocent civilians who have been killed by US or international forces. 

Reign in military spending. Banish private soldiers of fortune such as those hired by Blackwater who have a dark history of committing war crimes and have squandered billions.
Appoint a special prosecutor to investigate the war crimes of Bush & Company. 
Curtail excessive spending of the Department of Homeland Security and phase out this bloated bureaucracy which does little to preserve our security and wellbeing. An ounce of diplomacy will reap tons of security. 

Eliminate cluster bombs which continue to maim hundreds of innocent men, women and children each year. 

Close the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation (WHINSEC), formerly known as the ‘School of the Americas’. This institution has an extremely dark history training its recruits in barbaric treatment of its citizens, principally in Latin America. 
Phase out US agricultural subsidies which place third world countries at an uncompetitive disadvantage and have contributed to thousands of farmer suicides in India and Africa.  
Resist the siren song of powerful lobbies such as AIPAC. These lobbies have driven US foreign policy and have done incalculable harm to our nation drawing us into unnecessary conflicts. Their influence must be neutralized. Appoint former president Jimmy Carter as a special envoy to heal the deep wounds inflicted by the failed policies of Bush- Cheney.

The following letter was sent to President Elect, Barack Obama.11-20-2008

20, November 2008

The following letter was sent to President Elect, Barack Obama.

Dear Mr. Obama,

I offer you my sincere congratulations on your well-deserved victory in the hotly contested presidential campaign. As president you will be challenged with many daunting issues which will require courage, fortitude, boldness and visionary solutions. To this end may I respectfully offer you some suggestions?

On the economy, resist seeking the advice and guidance of the moneyed folks from Goldman Saks who have contributed in a major way to the economic morass that we are now facing. Thus far, the financial bailout has been a monumental disaster with no restrictions imposed on those institutions who have squandered their assets and taxpayers bailout funds to reward their incompetent executives with obscene bonuses, shareholders dividends and bank buyouts. Such bank consolidations create non-competitive entities and fail-safe behemoths.

Do not support the bailout of the auto industry. General Motors, Chrysler and Ford have contributed to their own demise by ignoring the public’s hunger for more fuel efficiency cars in favor of short term profits and marketing gimmicks (offering lower gas prices for gas guzzlers and low interest car loans). These companies have mocked climate change doomsday pundits and have instead lobbied politicians to postpone fuel efficiency legislation. They must be allowed to sink into receivership and forced to replace board members with new blood. Gross incompetence must not be rewarded with more government largesse.

Call an immediate moratorium on home foreclosures and allow bankruptcy judges to restructure the loans downwards to reflect actual home values. Banks should absorb the difference between the original loan values and the restructured loans.

Provide relief to seniors by suspending the mandatory redemption of IRA’s at age 701/2.

Charge a federal excise tax on oil imports and offer a portion of the revenue in the form of loans to innovators to encourage the manufacture of fuel efficient cars and alternate energy sources.

Pursue vigorous diplomatic efforts to promote world peace and harmony. Abandon policies which promote US commercial interests to the exclusion of the basic needs of the people the world. The Bush administration has alienated much of the world with their bellicose ‘axis of evil’ language. Use your high office to elevate the level of discourse and abandon the failed polices of the Bush administration which perpetuated rancor with nations such as Iran, Venezuela and Cuba and remove existing trade embargos. Reach out to the governments of Venezuela and Bolivia and Ecuador, each of which is currently under subversive attack by the United States. Restore trade relations with Cuba.

Close Guantánamo, Abu Grab and Bagram Air force Base and scrap the Military Commissions Act. Allow prisoners to be tried in US federal courts granting them the right to due process and dismiss confessions extracted under torture. The current system is an absolute outrage and has rightly been criticized by JAG lawyers.  Call an immediate halt to all forms of torture and extraordinary renditions. Restore Habeas Corpus. Banish ‘unlawful combatants’ from our lexicon and instruct Pentagon officials to stop offering financial inducements to ‘turn in’ Afghani people. According to the International Red Cross, most of those arrested are completely innocent and have been arrested on false information to settle tribal scores or for financial gain. Do not escalate the war in Afghanistan. Instead negotiate a speedy withdrawal with a specific timetable. Our continual presence violates international law and basic common sense.  The high rate of civilian deaths is fueling more anger and bitterness and our illegal occupation is doomed to failure. Offer massive reparations to innocent civilians who have been killed by US or international forces.

Reign in military spending. Banish private soldiers of fortune such as those hired by Blackwater who have a dark history of committing war crimes and have squandered billions.

Appoint a special prosecutor to investigate the war crimes of Bush & Company.

Curtail excessive spending of the Department of Homeland Security and phase out this bloated bureaucracy which does little to preserve our security and wellbeing. An ounce of diplomacy will reap tons of security.

Eliminate cluster bombs which continue to maim hundreds of innocent men, women and children each year.

Close the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation (WHINSEC), formerly known as the ‘School of the Americas’. This institution has an extremely dark history training its recruits in barbaric treatment of its citizens, principally in Latin America.

Phase out US agricultural subsidies which place third world countries at an uncompetitive disadvantage and have contributed to thousands of farmer suicides in India and Africa. 

Resist the siren song of powerful lobbies such as AIPAC. These lobbies have driven US foreign policy and have done incalculable harm to our nation drawing us into unnecessary conflicts. Their influence must be neutralized. Appoint former president Jimmy Carter as a special envoy to heal the deep wounds inflicted by the failed policies of Bush- Cheney.

End the siege of Gaza immediately. Israel has committed one of the greatest crimes in modern history by confining 1.5 million in a ghetto who are on the brink of starvation. Demand an immediate freeze on new Jewish-only settlements. Structure a phased withdrawal from existing settlements and demand a removal of the separation wall. Put Israel on notice that continued US aid is conditional on withdrawal of illegal settlers from confiscated Palestinian lands and respect for international law.

Resist Zionist demands for territorial conquests.  Your earlier stump speech before AIPAC was disappointing especially the statement you made promising Jerusalem will remain the undivided capital of Israel. I urge you to replace ‘Israel’s lawyers’ such as Dennis Ross, and Martin Indyk with more honest brokers. Robert Malley, Zbigniew Brzezinski, or President Carter would be far better choices.

Close the monstrous US embassy in Baghdad and accelerate the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq closing all US military bases. This will go a long way to engendering the trust and respect for the US. Make equal rights, civil rights, basic human rights and freedom of expression the centerpiece of your administration. Jettison the ideological, rapacious, Pentagon war-making machine which has brought misery and death to so many innocent people. Stop the genocide in Darfur and the Congo. Use the US military to achieve noble goals such establishing a no-fly zone in Darfur.  Honor our verbal commitments to promote peace and goodwill. For example, the US has failed to meet its stated promise of providing $50 million to African Union troops who are attempting to halt the killing in so many African nations.

I wish you all the success as the first African-American President of this nation.