While in Gaza

“Dear Johnny –

While you are in Gaza, please visit Gilad Shalit. He is the Israeli soldier who was kidnapped from outside Gaza 5 years ago, and has been held by Hamas without visits by anyone, including the Red Cross or Red Crescent, in violation of international law. I trust you are committed to human rights for all, and this small gesture should be quite easy to do as compared with the magnitude of arranging your flotilla. I look forward to seeing your video or photos or voice recording evidencing that Gilad is being treated well and is in good health.”

I thought about Shalit quite often as I traveled around Gaza. Though the writer of the email assumed I was unaware of the prisoner or his circumstance, it was not true. I knew he was just a teenager when captured. I knew he was a combatant- a gunner in a tank on the border of Gaza. I knew he was taken prisoner, not kidnapped.

I thought about the fear he faced as he was dragged from his tank 5 years ago, and his uncertain days imprisoned since then, days spent without family, without friends, without any contact with outside agencies. I tried to imagine the yearly landmarks; the birthdays, the anniversaries, the myriad dates and shared memories that mark our movement through life, passing without acknowledgement. I tried to imagine what his parents were going through, not knowing his condition or circumstance.

Even in Gaza, Shalit’s name comes up often. I attended the weekly demonstration of prisoners families held outside the ICRC every Monday. Mothers, fathers, wives, and children hold photos or posters of loved ones imprisoned in Israel for months, years, some for decades. A gentleman, recognizing I was from the U.S., said sarcastically, “Don’t these people know there is only one prisoner? His name is Shalit.”

Since 1967, 700,000 Palestinians have been “detained” by Israel. Currently 7000 people are imprisoned. 37 of them are women; over 300 of them are children.

When I visited the Ministry of Detainees in Gaza City I was challenged by the minister to name another region of the world where such a ministry was needed. The minister explained that this was an issue particular to Palestine because Israel imprisons so many people without charges and through military courts where evidence is hidden and trials are rigged. Many are convicted on coerced confessions. The minister’s position was that all prisoners, including Shalit, be treated with respect and dignity.

I was introduced to Umm Ahmed through Doa’a, a Ministry official who coordinates the weekly demonstrations at the ICRC. Umm Ahmed’s 19-year-old son, a university student, is imprisoned in Israel for just over a year. His story is not unique.

Video: Ahmed's Story Part 1 

Ahmed was seriously injured during Operation Cast Lead in January 2009. Families near the buffer zone were given permission by the Israelis to leave their homes to get supplies. Umm Ahmed and her family were returning to their home. Half of the family members had come inside. Ahmed, and 3 cousins remained in the doorway when the drones were heard overhead, followed quickly by 2 missile strikes. Ahmed and one cousin were gravely injured, blasted into the alcove of the home. Ahmed’s abdomen was eviscerated, he had lost an eye and several fingers, and he was bleeding profusely from shrapnel wounds all over his body. No ambulances were in the area. Family members scooped up the broken bodies and rushed them to the hospital. On arrival, Umm Ahmed was told her son was dead.

Ahmed, despite his injuries, managed to cling to life. After emergency surgery he was transferred to the hospital in Al-Arish, Egypt where he underwent 10 surgeries in 10 months, including the removal of his pancreas, leaving him diabetic and dependant on insulin injections for the remainder of his life. On his return to Gaza, suffering from life threatening infections to his wounded arm and hand, the family sought additional treatment outside Gaza. It proved impossible to have him transferred to Europe, but after several attempts he received permission from Israel to travel to Jerusalem for the needed treatment.

On the day of his departure, November 25, 2009, his mother prepared food for him, adhering to a new diet specifically for diabetics. When he departed with his brother and father for Erez crossing, she followed him out the door, hugging him tightly. When she let go, she sensed something terrible was about to happen. 

Shortly after 4pm when Ahmed, his brother and father reached Erez, Umm Ahmed received a call from her son, asking for Mohammed, the eldest brother. Umm Ahmed asked, “What is it? Is something wrong with Ahmed?” Her son hesitated then told her Ahmed had been taken at the crossing and was in Israeli custody.

The soldiers demanded that Ahmed and his father both strip naked. Ahmed, in his wheelchair, needed his father’s assistance to comply. Ahmed, though missing fingers on one hand and suffering from infections to his hand and elbow, was handcuffed and taken away. His father would not see him again. Ahmed’s father demanded Ahmed be released and allowed to return to Gaza. He was literally thrown out of the crossing and told to return to Gaza without his son. Without recourse, Ahmed’s father returned home.

Unlike Shalit who was taken by Palestinian fighters while on active duty in a tank on the Gaza border, the Israeli’s took Ahmed as he attempted to get treatment for wounds incurred at Israeli hands. Many Palestinians are ‘detained’, or perhaps my email writer’s term is more appropriate, ‘kidnapped’, by Israeli soldiers at checkpoints, from their cars, or from their beds in the middle of the night, and taken to Israel. Although the transfer of detainees to locations within the occupying power’s territory is illegal under international law, all Palestinian prisoners are currently held in Israel.

Video: Ahmed's Story Part 2

Ahmed was held under investigation for 38 days as the Israeli’s tried to elicit a confession. Regardless of his injuries, he was blindfolded, handcuffed, and routinely denied his medications. He suffered through diabetic comas throughout the 38 days. He did not confess. He was found guilty of monitoring Israeli activities in the buffer zone and sentenced to 2 ½ years in prison.

Since Hamas won an electoral decision in 2006, family visitation rules were tightened. Since 2007 all Gaza families have been denied visitation. In December 2009, the Israeli Court ruled that the right to family visits in prison is not within the “Framework of the basic humanitarian needs of the residents of the Strip, which Israel is obligated to enable” and that there was no need for family visits since prisoners could obtain basic supplies through the prison canteen. So like gunner Shalit, 700 other families have been denied visitation with their sons, daughters and children.

Umm Ahmed is concerned that her son is receiving inadequate treatment for his diabetes. It has been regularly reported that security prisoners receive inadequate food- both in quality and quantity. Regarding medical care, the Israeli prison authority has adopted a policy of systemic negligence in all its facilities. Prisons are extremely understaffed by medical personnel and visits to a doctor can take weeks, with actual treatment taking months. For a prisoner suffering from diabetes this can be deadly. Ahmed also needs constant care to treat infections resulting from all the shrapnel wounds to his body. Upon his detention, Ahmed spent 3 months in the hospital as a result of his mistreatment. While hospitalized it was determined he needs an operation to control his diabetes. In order to get an operation, Ahmed must wait. Ar-Ramleh prison hospital has a limited number of beds. Because of his inadequate diet and medication regime (most ill and injured prisoners live on aspirin, painkillers, and tranquilizers), his health continues to deteriorate. Though the operation has not yet been scheduled, the family has already been notified that Ahmed will not be released from prison until the fees for the operation are paid in full.

When Ban Ki-Moon visited Gaza in March of 2010, Umm Ahmed and her husband met with him and explained the situation of their son. Because of this meeting and the negative publicity it triggered for Israel, the family has received only sporadic news of their son. For the last 5 months they have heard nothing. The parents are anxiously awaiting word of their son.

I left Gaza without managing a visit with Shalit. But I left with the knowledge of thousands of Gilad Shalits in Israeli prisons. Many, like Ahmed, have no involvement in military operations. They were not dragged from their tanks, but were dragged from their cars, dragged from their beds, even dragged from their wheelchairs. Hundreds are children. They too, deserve basic humanitarian considerations. They too, deserve to be treated with decency and their health maintained. Their families also deserve answers and consideration. Shalit may be the only prisoner Americans have heard of, but he is not alone.

To Gaza with Love/ The Audacity of Hope

Compilation of Love

I've made a short compilation video of my time in Athens with the Audacity of Hope as a participant in the Freedom Flotilla- Stay Human.

The Flotilla Is Not Over

 The Flotilla Is Not Over

 'Every single heart, soul and mind out there not giving up on breaking this blockade is the flotilla, we ARE the flotilla.' It serves us to shift focus to the journey not results. i am not informing, i am being informed. Roots grow deeper, connections strengthen. The words 'success' and 'failure' lose meaning. Trust, love & faith grow. This is the flowering of my resistance. This is the evolution of revolution.

Blindness and Tears

In Gaza i met a mother 

who’s son was lost  20 years

in the occupier’s prison. The tears

of all those years left her blinded.

My son held my hand as

we walked in the woods.

i imagined him taken from me

by the fools of power.

The sunset stripped of color,

would still carry majesty.

the sea would lose its depth,

yet hold it’s mystery.

What doesn’t kill you

makes you stronger or

so i’ve heard, but that

doesn’t lessen the pain.

A blind man hesitated,

once and then once again

his stick rhythmically tapping

on the broken concrete curb.

i held him gently by the arm

and said, ‘Can i walk with you?’

he smiled and said, ‘Brother,

are you not blinded too?’

All the raindrops falling,

every drop in the endless sea

fail to match years of  tears

of the mothers of Palestine.

I met a boy blinded

by the occupiers rockets

no longer can he shed a tear

i cry for him throughout the year.

Yet, flowers bloom in

the Palestinian desert

the rushing sea purifies

the Gazan shore.

The tears of the youth

etch truth in the heart.

i am not blinded by tears,

at least not yet.

The tears of the brokenhearted

burn clear, clarifying our dreams,

sanctifying the parched earth

with every golden drop.

Syntagma March in Support of the Flotilla

Sunday 7/3/11 we went to Syntagma Square the seat of the resistance in Athens. In less than 12 hrs they organized a demo/march in support of the flotilla and Gaza. 600+ at it's height. If you don't care to watch the whole video, at least watch the last 2 minutes as we return to the square around midnight to throngs of cheering supporters.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFu5JugUE1o

Audacity of Hope Stopped at Sea

The Audacity of Hope, engine chugging, free of its moorings, slipped from the dock. The gangway was hoisted to the cheers of the passengers as well as the land team and journalists dockside.

Finally, after a year of preparation we were underway. As we gently churned past the end of the dock and the large freighter docked to our starboard, the horizon broadened and i was shocked to see that no Coast Guard vessels were in sight. Could it be? Would we be allowed to pass? After weeks of warnings and bureaucratic delays we had determined it was best to challenge the Greek authorities. So on a quiet Friday afternoon, one week after being presented with a challenge regarding the seaworthiness of our ship, we decided to move.

As the numerous American flags flapped in the breeze and the boat cut through the calm seas, the smiles and laughter of the passengers belied the tensions of the prior days. But our relief was short lived. Less than 20 minutes out at sea i spotted a Greek Coast Guard vessel off our port side making a wide sweep and turning towards us. In a matter of minutes, it was alongside, demanding we turn back. When our captain continued, they passed in front of us, cutting off our path. Finding radio communications difficult, the 2 captains spoke directly to each other across the several meters of sea that separated us. It was clear that no matter what we said, we would not be allowed to continue. After a standoff of several hours the original Coast Guard vessel was joined by a zodiac with about 10 commandos. Our captain continued to argue that our vessel was sea worthy, all the inspections had been completed and we requested safe passage to international waters. The Greek captain insisted that we needed to return to port to get our documents in order and said, “you will leave tomorrow.”

Finally as our boat drifted perilously close to a reef and sunken boat, our captain relented. He would turn back after getting assurances that we would dock in a secure place. Little did he know that we would be directed to a naval dock. The Audacity of Hope now has zero chance of moving without Greek authorization. The next morning, rather than being allowed to leave, our captain was arrested and charged with several misdemeanors as well as a felony count- disturbing sea traffic- which includes endangering the lives of those on the ships.

The passengers were detained on the boat, but as the days wore on, we were allowed to come and go as we pleased, the port authority police easing up, recognizing we were no threat to them. Since our attempted departure Greek ministers have announced that no boats heading to Gaza will be permitted to depart from Greek waters. It is still unclear what this means. It is equally unclear as to how long our boats will be held. We remain strong and dedicated to the cause. Many of us are leaving over the coming days, but are already making plans to return once the boat is released. There is no talk of giving up, only a resolute sense of determination. One day the siege will be lifted. Gaza will be free.

See the Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSoJuwhshSI

With Friends Like This Who Needs Enemies?

The State Dept issued new travel warnings regarding Gaza on Jun 22, 2011, stating in part:

"U.S. citizens are advised against traveling to Gaza by any means, including via sea. Previous attempts to enter Gaza by sea have been stopped by Israeli naval vessels and resulted in injury, death, arrest and deportation of U.S. citizens. U.S. citizens participating in any effort to reach Gaza by sea should understand that they may face arrest, prosecution, and deportation by the government of Israel." It goes on to explain that a U.S. citizen was killed last year in an attempt to reach Gaza by sea, while the U.S. State Dept did nothing to assist. The warning intimated that the State Dept. is prepared, once again, to do nothing if Israel kills American citizens on the upcoming flotilla.

The really bizarre aspect of this travel warning is there is no mention of Hamas or terrorism, or the supposed  risks citizens of the U.S. would face from Hamas if they were to travel in Gaza. Apparently all the risk in traveling to Gaza as an American citizen comes from our "best friend" in the region. In his May State Dept speech, President Obama declared, "As for Israel, our friendship is rooted deeply in a shared history and shared values." One would think these shared values would include the safe passage of unarmed civilians through international waters.

Our State Dept mission statement reads, "Advance freedom for the benefit of the American people and the international community by helping to build and sustain a more democratic, secure, and prosperous world composed of well-governed states that respond to the needs of their people, reduce widespread poverty, and act responsibly within the international system."

Our State Dept. should respond to American citizens needs by demanding the safety of flotilla participants. It seems it would fall under their job description. Seems like the least they could do.

Please call the State Dept. at 202-647-4000 and demand protection of the Freedom Flotilla. Remind the State Dept.  It's their job.

Rafah is Open, The Siege is Over (part 2)

We arrive at the Rafah Crossing at 9:00 am in the morning. Six buses are lined up at the gate, pilgrims waiting to cross for Umrha. For weeks I have been checking in, making sure I was prepared with all necessary information in order to cross the border. Each time I was told not to worry, everything was fine. Internationals have no difficulty. No one mentioned Umrha. We weave our way through the people and cars to the front of the gate. When a car is permitted through, we follow closely behind, passing through the gate. We hand our passports to a man in a small booth. He takes our information and tells us to go back to the other side of the gate. He would call and see if we have permission. “Five minutes”, he says.

Returning to the other side of the gate, we speak to Palestinians who tell us of daily visits to Rafah, each day repeating itself like a Kafka story. In the heat and dust,  people push and shove up to the bars of the gate, thrusting papers and passports towards the guards, hoping someone will listen. Each day they are told to return to Gaza. They wait all day anyway, repeatedly trying to get someone’s attention. At days end they go home vowing to return to the crossing the following day.

With a look of relief, Mohammed informs us that his friend, who works with border control, was coming to the crossing. He would personally escort us to the border. One half hour and he would arrive.

An hour passes. We call again, “ten minutes, ten minutes” we are told. We cross through the gate a second time. Our status as Internationals gives us benefits denied Palestinians. “Go back”, the man in the booth tells us angrily. We return to the shade and wait.

Another hour passes. We receive many calls, “you can pass once the Umrha buses are through.” “You can’t pass.” “You can pass.” “You have not been cleared.” “You are cleared, just wait.” Just wait.

We interview several Gazans who have come back to the crossing for days on end. A son who desperately needs to return to Saudi Arabia for university exams, denied. He had the proper permissions, he arrived on the proper day, but because of Umrha he could not pass. Denied.

A man visiting his mother needs to return to the Emirates to renew his residency. If he does not leave today, his residency will expire. Denied.

A woman with her two small sons, trying to get out so her youngest boy could give a bone marrow transplant to the older boy. She has come to the crossing everyday for a week. Though theses types of medical emergencies are supposed to travel without restrictions, she was denied for a week because of a backlog of people waiting to cross.

Egypt sets a daily limit. The number seems to vary from 300 to 500. Desperate to get her child the emergency medical care he needs she subjects herself to the daily humiliations at the border.

I call the American embassy in Cairo asking for a call to the Egyptian side of the border, so we are permitted to cross. The representative says, “The border is open, you should have no difficulty.” She promises a call back. It never comes.

We pass through the gate for the third time. When we get to the other side, the booth is closed, the man we had been dealing with gone. Mohammed continues making calls, one phone at each ear. We watch as a Palestinian policeman gets in a tug of war with an old woman, grabbing her bag and tossing it on the other side of the gate. She breaks away from him, screaming furiously, and comes and sits near us. I realize my privilege will do nothing to protect her. I feel ashamed.

 A border guard shouts at us- we must return to the other side. We refuse. Every time the gate opens to allow a car to pass, people push past the guards. Tempers flare. Reinforcements are called in. Shoving and shouting ensues as desperate people are pushed back. Denied.

A half dozen border guards jump out of an SUV and begin moving people back to the other side of the gate. Mohammed speaks to one of them and comes back to us saying, “No matter, what we will not go back to the other side of the gate. We will stay here until you are allowed to pass.” We agree. Another American approaches us. This is her third day at the crossing. Mohammed includes her passport with ours and approaches the guard yet again. He continues to press the guard, who returns to his SUV and leaves, promising a call. He returns shortly, but ignores us. Mohammed approaches him once again. He takes our passports and drives toward the border.

The university student I spoke with earlier is nearby. He moves from guard to guard, trying to get some help. Shouting, one guard grabs him by the arm and points. He goes back.

I notice a small girl with inquiring eyes, who I had photographed hours earlier near the tea stall, has made it inside the gate. She hobbles past us, desperately following an old woman who is imploring a guard for help. Frantic, she tells the girl to raise her pant leg, to show the guard the terrible urgency that they seek medical care. The little girls leg is terribly deformed, scar tissue running from the knee to the ankle. The guard, exasperated, turns away. He is not permitted to send her to the Egyptian side without permission. There is nothing to be done.

The SUV returns and the guard calls us over. “The Americans will be allowed to pass.”  We clamor into the police vehicle to be delivered to the border, leaving behind the Palestinians who remain trapped in Gaza. Hours later, while still waiting on the Egyptian side, we see the woman with the two small boys, finally being allowed to pursue her child’s bone marrow transplant. The old woman and the child with the damaged leg is nowhere to be found. Rafah is open. Gaza remains a prison. Gazans persevere under the harshest of circumstances. We are told the situation in Gaza is not a humanitarian crisis. The crisis we face, as Americans, is a moral one.

Nasr's Farm

Nasr's Farm Jun 14, 2011

Nasr used to live in a house with his wife and 5 children on a beautiful patch of land that he farms with his brother. They have an orchard, olive trees, watermelon, peppers, aubergine and squash. Walking down a narrow dirt road past the orchard, the land suddenly opens to gently rolling farmland. In the distance you can see the border fence.

Nasr and his family live on the edge of the buffer zone in the northern Gaza Strip. Following the border fence you can see several watch towers securing Israel. No one ensures the safety of Nasr and his family.

One year ago the Israeli army attacked his home. The children were playing outside, Nasr’s wife, Naama, was in the front yard. Shortly before sunset a tank located on a mound 500 meters from the home fired shells packed with nails at the home. Nasr's wife, torn to ribbons, bled to death in the yard when ambulances were not permitted down the narrow dirt road to his home.

Nasr's home was attacked again this past April. Nasr was afraid to move or even put on a flashlight, for fear of additional shelling. He heard two of his children cry out. They were buried under the rubble in the hallway of the upper story of the house, but they survived. On both occasions the Israeli military claimed to have been shooting at terrorists.

You can see the Israeli military outpost about 2 kilometers from Nasr’s front entrance way. The sheet metal siding of the house has hundreds of nail shaped holes in it. Nasr points to the spot where his wife died as we enter the house.

After the second attack, Nasr’s family moved to a house in the village, near to the cemetery where his wife was buried. One night, around midnight, Nasr woke to find his children gone. He went outside and found them at their mother’s grave. The next day he left that house and returned to his land.

Nasser and his family now live in a couple of tents near his olive trees. His brother’s family remains in the first floor of the house. The second story is destroyed. Nasr and his brother still continue to farm the land. He recognizes that another attack could happen at any time, but he refuses to leave the land he was born on.

Rafah is Open, The Siege is Over

Rafah Crossing Video Jun 16, 2011
The Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt reopened to great fanfare on May 28th 2011. World news agencies trumpeted, “The siege is over.” At the time, Egyptian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Menha Bakhoum said the decision was made to "Ease the suffering of the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip." This has not been
accomplished.

I spent several hours at the Rafah crossing. I watched as people desperately trying to cross out of Gaza into Egypt were met with closed gates, yelling policemen and, finally, soldiers. Vehicles inched forward; hundreds of people surrounded them and pressed up against the gate, waving papers and passports, yelling at the Hamas policeman on the other side, imploring them for passage. Tempers flared. Women were crying, some simply from exhaustion, some from despair. People were treated like animals, herded behind the gate, policeman prodding and pushing people to clear the way.

Some people explained to me that they were turned away because their name was ‘not on the list.’ When they asked how to get on the list; they did not get an answer.

A British mother, Wesam Farah had come Gaza with her 2 young sons, Qasem and Qayis for her son’s school holiday. They had planned to visit family for three weeks, but they have not been permitted to leave. They have returned to the crossing on a daily basis for the past 2 weeks, their holiday turned to nightmare. Finally she was allowed to cross the gate, but the border patrol still held her family’s passports and she was uncertain they would pass. For the moment, she was relieved just to have some space to breathe.

A small boy caught my eye, as he stood pressed up against the gate. He held his mothers hand and he did not speak. I asked his mother how long they had been waiting. “We have come everyday and waited all day, only to be turned back. We have received no explanation, just told to go back.” She had planned the family visit for years, spending four thousand dollars on airfare for her family. Her departure flight from Cairo was leaving in 2 days. She was uncertain whether she would make it, but didn’t know what to do to rectify the situation. After our interview, the gate opened and as people surged forward, she was allowed to pass. The authorities still held her passport, her fate was still undetermined, but the relief of making one small step brought both tears and laughter.

Rafah Crossing is Open  (a little bit)

I would watch for hours as these 2 mothers ran back and forth, trying to find out where their passports had gone. Dodging in between cars and ambulances crossing back into Gaza, they searched for the men who had taken their documents. Finally, passports in hand, Wesam and her boys loaded their bags into a taxi and departed for the Egyptian side. I lost track of the Ukrainian woman, and could only hope she had managed to get out.

Later last evening after arriving back in Gaza City, we received a call from Wesam. She was back in Gaza. After 6 hours of waiting, the Egyptians turned her back. She was not allowed to pass and was told to return on Saturday and try again.

For the majority of Palestinians leaving Gaza is like a Kafka tale. The fanfare has faded, the misery persists.

Beit Hanoun Jun 7th, 2011

Beit Hanoun March to the Buffer Zone Video
We marched to the buffer zone with about 20 others including members of the Beit Hanoun Local Initiative who have been organizing non-violent demonstrations for the past three years, as well as several members of GYBO (Gaza Youth Break Out). Carrying flags and alternately chanting, singing and walking in silence we approached the Israeli border. This is a no go zone for Palestinians. Israel has deemed that 300 meters from the wall is a buffer zone, so Palestinian farmland is taken away.

Waving flags and chanting we reached the edge of the buffer zone and continued walking. Almost immediately, dust kicked up just ahead of us, a warning shot rang out. We stopped, daring to go no further. Climbing a small embankment we waved our Palestinian flags and chanted to the soldiers hidden in the guard towers. Not five minutes passed and 2 shots rang out, one kicking up dust at our feet. 19 year old Mohammed Kafarna grabbed his neck, turned, and ran back in the direction we had come. He had been hit with shrapnel.

That effectively ended the demonstration; we turned and headed back toward the village. I was stunned that two dozen people could pose such a threat to Israel that the army would resort to using live rounds of ammunition against us. Of course, we were not a physical threat, I imagine the Israeli soldiers laughed at us as we turned and headed back. But non-violent demonstrations do cause a threat, especially when people walk to the wall and demand access to their land, their olive trees, their resources, and their homes. Israel has only one method to disperse non-violent demonstrators and that is through violent repression.

We often hear of Israel’s need for security, yet the people of Gaza are under occupation by the state of Israel and no one utters a word about their security. For years Palestinians have been killed with impunity, always with the words “Israel has a right to security.” Over the weekend after dozens of unarmed protesters were killed by Israeli forces in the Golan, Netanyahu declared, ‘Unfortunately, extremist forces around us are trying today to breach our borders and threaten our communities and our citizens. We will not let them do that’. The Israeli military said troops fired warning shots into the air after people started approaching the border fence, then issued verbal warnings to protesters to stay away. After some of the protesters reached the fence, soldiers opened fire, ‘with precision’, at their legs. Amongst the dead was a 24 year old woman Enis Shriteh, a fourth year English student. There was no explanation on how she got confused with ‘extremist elements’. There was no explanation of how shots to demonstrator’s legs killed her. There was no questioning of Israeli statements at all. Enis Shriteh’s death did not warrant mention in the mainstream press.

Certainly no one in our group was an extremist, nor were we a threat, merely Palestinian youth and international supporters trying to reach Palestinian land. There is no denying this: Gaza is a jail and Israeli soldiers are the jailers. Imprisoned without charges, the people of Gaza are trapped. Israel would have the world believe they are beneficent and kindly jailers, desperately seeking peace. This is a lie. Gaza is under siege.

You don't believe me? Come, we'll walk with the people of Beit Hanoun down to the buffer zone.

See my first video ever at: http://www.youtube.com/user/ISMPalestine
(Weekly Beit Hanoun non-violent demonstration met with live gunfire, shrapnel injury)

First Impressions of Gaza:

Gaza Rising

The port is quiet. Fishing boats sit empty,
tossed along the shore.
A blood red sun sets.
Waves painting the shore whisper freedom.
But the gunboats, out of sight,
are not far. No, they are not far.
Bending toward justice,
the youth rise up to meet the waves.
Tomorrow is a new day. And gunboats
can not stop the rising tide.
Gaza rising, a new day.

Shared Values, Ironclad Security and Incredible Hypocrisy.

President Obama gave a Middle East policy speech at the State Department on May 19th, followed by an address to the AIPAC convention on May 22, 2011. The rhetorical flourishes were beautiful, but the chasm between the President’s rhetoric and the actions of the United States in the Middle East is both disheartening and heartbreaking.

President Obama spoke of the United States’ ironclad commitment to Israeli security. Without any background on the current situation in the Middle East and particularly in Israel and the Occupied Territories, one would never know that Israel has the 5th largest military in the world and the only arsenal of nuclear weapons in the region. One would be hard pressed to know that during ‘Operation Cast Lead’ in Dec 2008, 400 Palestinian civilians died for each Israeli civilian killed.

Obama at AIPAC:
‘America’s commitment to Israel’s security also flows from a deeper place —and that’s the values we share. As two people who struggled to win our freedom against overwhelming odds, we understand that preserving the security for which our forefathers fought must be the work of every generation. As two vibrant democracies, we recognize that the liberties and freedom we cherish must be constantly nurtured.’

President Obama failed to recognize the fact that the Palestinian people also find themselves struggling to win their freedom against overwhelming odds- with both Israel and the United States aligned against them. He also fails to mention that the liberties and freedoms we cherish are denied Arabs in Israel as well as the West Bank and Gaza.

Obama at the State Dept:
‘There must be no doubt that the United States of America welcomes change that advances self-determination and opportunity. Yes, there will be perils that accompany this moment of promise. But after decades of accepting the world as it is in the region, we have a chance to pursue the world as it should be.’

Perhaps better words than ‘decades of accepting’ would be ‘decades of enabling’ as America’s policies in the region kept despots in power and people oppressed. Our President fails to recognize that the Palestinian people have a stake in the Arab Spring and they will continue their struggle for self-determination, dignity, and equal rights, with or without the support of the United States.

Obama at the State Dept:
Speaking of the events in Tunisia that sparked the revolution, our President said, ‘It is the same kind of humiliation that takes place every day in many parts of the world – the relentless tyranny of governments that deny their citizens' dignity.’

There was no mention of the Israeli military checkpoints in Hebron where males as young as 10 years old are made to lift their shirts before they pass, or the demolition of countless Palestinian homes for the lack of an Israeli permit.

Obama at the State Dept:
‘The United States supports a set of universal rights. And these rights include free speech, the freedom of peaceful assembly, the freedom of religion, equality for men and women under the rule of law, and the right to choose your own leaders — whether you live in Baghdad or Damascus, Sanaa or Tehran.’

Again our President doesn’t include Haifa or Jerusalem where Arabs are 2nd class citizens, he does not mention the web of roads for Israelis only in the West Bank, nor does he mention any of the unrecognized towns under demolition orders in the Negev. He does not include Ramallah, Bethlehem, Bi’Lin or Gaza City. Surely this was an act of omission, a mere oversight. Of course he recognizes that Palestinians, whether citizens of Israel or citizens of the Occupied Territories should be afforded the same ‘universal’ rights?

Obama at the State Dept:
‘Let’s remember that the first peaceful protests in the region were in the streets of Tehran, where the government brutalized women and men, and threw innocent people into jail. We still hear the chants echo from the rooftops of Tehran. The image of a young woman dying in the streets is still seared in our memory.'

Is President Obama unaware that the Palestinians have been demonstrating peacefully against the Separation Wall, the illegal appropriation of their land and resources, the illegal checkpoints and other abuses of the Israeli state for many years? It is unfortunate that the image of 11 year old Muhammad al-Durrah, dying in his father’s arms, gunned down by “the most moral army in the world” is not seared in his memory. It is unfortunate that the image of the al-Samouni family, 29 persons in all, killed by the IDF in Gaza during “Cast Lead” is not seared in his memory. It is unfortunate that the image of a young American woman, Rachel Corrie, run down by an Israeli bulldozer, is not seared in his memory.

Obama at the State Dept:
‘The United States opposes the use of violence and repression against the people of the region.’

‘The Syrian government must stop shooting demonstrators and allow peaceful protests. It must release political prisoners and stop unjust arrests. So far, Syria has followed its Iranian ally, seeking assistance from Tehran in the tactics of suppression. And this speaks to the hypocrisy of the Iranian regime, which says it stand for the rights of protesters abroad, yet represses its own people at home.’

Syria should be called out for its abuses as well as Libya… But why are the Libyans who have declared violence against Gaddafi and taken up arms considered freedom fighters and Palestinian youth who have taken up stones called terrorists? And why was there no mention of the gunning down of peaceful protesters on Israel’s borders just 4 days earlier? The Iranian regime doesn’t have a monopoly on hypocrisy in the region.

Obama at AIPAC:
‘As for security, every state has the right to self-defense, and Israel must be able to defend itself – by itself – against any threat. Provisions must also be robust enough to prevent a resurgence of terrorism; to stop the infiltration of weapons, and to provide effective border security. The full and phased withdrawal of Israeli military forces should be coordinated with the assumption of Palestinian security responsibility in a sovereign, non-militarized state.’

If only the statement that ‘Israel must be able to defend itself- by itself’ meant that the United States was ending the $3 billion in military support we provide on a yearly basis, but I’m afraid not.

We have heard continuously about Israel’s security. Not once in the past week did President Obama speak of security for Palestinians. This is a reflection of Israeli propaganda, which blames every civilian death on the victims themselves. Often they are described as human shields. Always their deaths are blamed on ‘terrorists’.

This propaganda directly contradicts the Israeli military concept known as the ‘Dahiya doctrine’, formulated during the Lebanon war. This military doctrine views disproportionate destruction and creating maximum disruption in the lives of many people as a legitimate means to achieve military and political goals. Major General Gadi Eisenkot, the Israeli Northern Command chief, expressed the premise of the doctrine: ‘What happened in the Dahiya quarter of Beirut in 2006 will happen in every village from which Israel is fired on. […] We will apply disproportionate force on it and cause great damage and destruction there. From our standpoint, these are not civilian villages, they are military bases. […] This is not a recommendation. This is a plan. And it has been approved.’

In his Middle East policy speech our President spoke of freedom, non-violence and democracy. In his AIPAC speech he failed to mention these concepts, but clarified America’s ironclad commitment to a secure Israel, a commitment that comes in the form of weapons used to oppress the Palestinian people.

President Obama states that every state has a right to self-defense. In the next sentence he states that a Palestinian state will be denied this right in order to secure Israel.

The status quo remains. It is business as usual for Israel, the President and the United States, Arab Spring be damned.

Why I’m going to Gaza.

Every time I hear American journalists use words like “storming”, “rioting”, “infiltrating” and “terror, terrorism and terrorist” in describing Palestinian protesters marching with flags, or youth throwing stones at tanks, APC’s, and soldiers armed with American weapons, I vow to support those who march for their dignity and resist the theft of their lands and resources.

Every time I read that Palestinian youth throwing stones are met with Israeli soldiers firing teargas, rubber bullets and live ammunition, and now, using attack dogs, I vow to support the youth being shot and mauled.

Every time Israeli soldiers kill a child and our country declares Israel has a right to defend itself, I vow to stand with the children.

Every time America proclaims that people have a right to freedom, and my country acquiesces as non-violent Palestinian activists are shot, I vow to stand with the activists.

Every time America lashes out at China and other countries for the illegal detention of dissidents yet remain mute regarding the thousands of Palestinians detained in Israeli prisons, (including over 300 children), I vow to stand with the prisoners.

Every time I hear our Congress pushing resolutions that deny the Palestinians their rights and blame them for their plight, I vow to stand by the oppressed.

Every time I hear our representatives veto resolutions at the UN aimed to hold Israel accountable, I vow to stand with those denied a voice.

Every time I hear Netanyahu proclaim that non-violent Palestinian protesters are intent on “destroying Israel”, and my country stands mute, I declare that my voice will be heard.

Every time I hear someone deny the Nakba (which continues to this day in the Jordan valley and throughout the West Bank) and deny the rights of Palestinians the very same rights we claim are “universal” for others- the right to security, the right to self-determination, the right to land and resources, the right to medical care, the very right “to exist”, I vow to support the Palestinian people in securing these rights.

Every time an innocent dies for the rights and freedoms I take for granted, I vow to stand up in the face of oppression.

Every time I am called an anti-Semite or a “supporter of terror”, I vow to speak the truth to what I witness.

Every time I hear a new war crime charge against “our enemy” while the United States and “our friend” kills with impunity, I vow to stand for justice.

This spring I will join with others on the “Audacity of Hope” the American flagged ship sailing to Gaza to break the illegal siege and bring relief and aid to Gaza’s people. For those of you who would like voice your support, the US to Gaza organizers are soliciting letters of support for the Gazan people as well as donations to fund our trip. You can read more about this effort at www.ustogaza.org.

If you wish to support me in my efforts, donate what you will.

An Eye for an Eye

One week ago a young American woman, Emily Henochowicz, lost an eye while bearing witness to a clash between Palestinian youth and Israeli soldiers at Qalandia checkpoint on the border of Jerusalem and Ramallah in the West Bank. She was attending a demonstration with the International Solidarity Movement in response to the murder of activists in international waters off the coast of Gaza by Israeli commandos.

The Israeli military did not comment on the incident. The United States government registered no formal protest. The major media outlets in the United States made no mention of the attack. Reporters walking the Gulf Coast beaches pointing out tar balls in the sand along with the IDF supplied video and talking points of their commando attack on the Gaza Freedom Flotilla dominated the 24-hour news cycle.

If the media thought the story was worth reporting, they undoubtedly would have talked about a tragic accident. But it wasn’t.

It was another deliberate attack on an unarmed peace activist by the Israeli military. In and of itself this incident, an American student maimed by our main Middle East ally seems newsworthy. (Imagine for a minute that Hamas, Hizbullah, or Iran had maimed an American- the threats and condemnations would have been fierce and immediate.) Coming within 24 hours of the Freedom Flotilla attack it certainly should have been considered newsworthy. But it wasn’t.

If the Israeli military commented, they most certainly would have expressed regret, but surely, soldiers are allowed to protect themselves from terrorists throwing stones. Put yourself in their place- a mob with weapons (certainly any sensible person would agree that a teenager with a stone is a deadly threat) descending upon the checkpoint need to be subdued. Unfortunately for Emily she found herself amidst the mob. But she wasn’t.

When it was revealed that Emily was standing on the opposite side of the street 20 meters or more away from the stone throwers, certainly the military would amend their statement. An un-named soldier would comment that Emily had stones in her hand or maybe it was a metal pole or maybe it was a knife. But she didn’t.

An IDF spokesperson would step forward and with innuendo and slander imply there were connections to Al-Qaeda or Hamas or maybe just some shadowy “terrorists”. But there isn’t.

ISM witnesses’ state about 100 Palestinian and International activists had gathered at the checkpoint to demonstrate when Palestinian youth clashed with the security forces. As the clash began, the international activists retreated and were on the opposite side of the road from the youth. Emily was hit in the face with a teargas canister fired directly at her by a soldier at the checkpoint. He was no further than 15 meters from Emily. A Swedish international standing alongside Emily claims the soldier fired 3 teargas canisters in rapid succession directly at them. The third one hit Emily in the face.

If the truth were revealed, the American media would certainly decry the unfortunate accident. Certainly a member of the Israeli security forces would never shoot an unarmed, non-violent demonstrator, apologizing for the soldier’s poor aim. After all, everyone knows the Israeli military is the most moral army in the world. But this is a lie.

This has always been a lie.

The Israeli military systematically targets non-violent, peaceful demonstrators in the West Bank with impunity. The army always investigates its self and never finds any wrongdoing. America, Israel’s main benefactor, arms supplier, and collaborator, turns a blind eye- even failing to protect it’s own citizens from deliberate, malicious harm.

Emily joins a long list of peace activists who confront the Israeli military and pay dearly for it. In May, Hasen Brejieyah from the West Bank village of Al Ma’asara suffered a serious head injury when he was shot with a teargas canister. In Bi’lin the month before, an Israeli protester, Emad Rezqa was hit in the forehead by an aluminum teargas canister shot directly at him by Israeli soldiers during the weekly anti-Wall demonstration in Bi’lin. He suffered a fractured skull and brain hemorrhage. One year earlier Basem Abu Rahma a Palestinian from Bi’lin was killed when he was targeted and hit in the chest with a teargas canister. Tristan Anderson, another American national, was critically injured in March 2009 when he was shot with a high velocity teargas projectile during a non-violent demonstration against the Wall in the West Bank village of Ni’lin. He is still hospitalized, recovering from a traumatic brain injury.

If the American media got wind of these facts they would certainly ask how so many peaceful demonstrators manage to jump in front of high velocity teargas canisters. They would go on to debate the morality of killing and maiming with teargas canisters as opposed to live bullets. There will be no mention of the indecency, the depravity, the cowardice of the soldiers who target non-violent demonstrators with lethal force.

Emily is a talented visual artist. Her last Facebook entry was dated May 31st and says, “Gaza on my mind”. You can access her blog and see her beautiful drawings. I scrolled through the comments- there was an outpouring of love and gratitude expressed by many who appreciated her work, not only on the page but also in the West Bank. In addition, i was not surprised to see the derisive comments spewed at her by the ignorant and the hateful. This is common ground for those who speak out against apartheid in Palestine.

Many people understand the concepts of the Israeli matrix of control and the establishment of facts on the ground that destroys any possibilities of a free Palestinian state. Emily, along with other dedicated, loving, and fearless activists, including untold numbers of Israelis, expresses a different kind of facts on the ground. These facts will be ignored, derided or denied by our media for as long as possible. Those who blindly support Israel will blather on about anti-Semitism and self-hating Jews, terrorists and existential threats. Our government, complicit in the crimes, will remain mute.

But these facts remain:

That loving people are willing to bear witness to injustice and will risk injury and death to right it.

That people realize that what happened to Emily is but a reflection of the collective punishment meted out to Palestinians at the hands of the Israeli government and their US sponsors on a daily basis and are willing to take a non-violent stand to oppose it.

This act of resistance is both noble and beautiful. Though Emily would deny it, her act and the acts of innumerable Palestinians who non-violently confront the occupation each and every day give us a glimpse of the heroic. The artist lives her art, and in doing so opens our eyes and our hearts.

The fact of the matter is the only moral army in the world is the army of non-violent activists who give themselves for the freedom of others.

The fact of the matter is Emily lost an eye, but she has not lost sight of the truth.

I am a patriot

Today I’ll skip the parades, the empty words, the promises and the praise.

You’ll find me in the nursery rocking newborns, whispering in their ears. They’ll know the story from the start. I’ll be the one with the flag.

I’ll thank their mothers; bless their hearts, raising sons and daughters for the businessmen’s next slaughter. I’ll be the one with the flag.

You’ll find me at the churches, the synagogues, and the mosques where the words of Jesus, the prophets and all the saints have been twisted and manipulated to justify war. I’ll be the one with the flag.

You’ll find me in our schools where children learn our history. Preparing them to lay down their lives for a lie. I’ll be the one with the flag.

You’ll find me in our great halls with the men who profit from our soldiers lives. They honor your service with platitudes. The dollars they make fills them with gratitude. I’ll be the one with the flag.

You’ll find me in ivory towers, talking about honor, duty, and service as more young men become cannon fodder. I’ll be the one with the flag.

I’ll raise a glass with the Hollywood pimps who prostitute a young man’s pride. You’ll never hear them speak of suicide. I’ll be the one with the flag.

You’ll find me with the advertisers. “Turning boys into men”, “An army of one”, “A force for good”, “The few, the proud”, those men know how to tell a lie. They never talk about those who die. (But the last thing you’ll ever see on Madison Avenue is a man “who hears the call”). I’ll be the one with the flag.

You’ll find me in the VA hospitals filled with broken bones and shattered lives. I’ll be the one with the flag.

You’ll find me in the nursing home with the men from wars past. They’ll repeat the lies they use to justify. But when they fall into their restless sleep they hear the screams. I’ll be the one with the flag.

I’ll be in the homeless shelters, with all our dear vets. Returning to America, they still haven’t found a way home. I’ll be the one with the flag.

Our country is born in blood and until this day we haven’t learned. No, freedom isn’t free, I believe this to my core. Freedom isn’t free as long as we believe in war.

You’ll find me with the 50 vets who each and every day decide on suicide. They gave their lives in the service of a lie. I’ll say a prayer, I’ll wish them well. I’ll beg them for forgiveness for all the lies I tell.

I am a patriot.

Amal and Her Children

The names have been changed in the story below.

In late November of 2008 i was in Damascus, Syria interviewing Iraqi refugees. My translator recommended we spend some time at the UNHCR to see how Iraqis were processed after their arrival in Syria.

After contacting the UNHCR we were invited to tour the facility on the outskirts of Damascus. During the tour i had an opportunity to sit in on an interview of an Iraqi who had turned to the U.N. for help. This is where i first met Amal and her children. i documented the interview in a story on my blog called Amal’s Journey. Here is an edited version from the Fall of 2008.

Amal’s Journey

Outside the UNHCR compound a crowd is forming. There are three groups of people here, new and renewing registrants, people with an appointment, and people receiving their food allowance. Once you arrive, you get a number and wait. The only place to sit is on the curb. The only cover from the sun or the rain is a narrow covered sidewalk that runs the length of the wall.

Once inside the compound, things are better. Chairs are provided. It’s quieter. The staff seems less harried and kinder as they direct people and answer questions.
The people with an appointment for an interview are divided into groups for processing. The UNHCR tries to prioritize the refugees based on vulnerability, single woman with children being considered the most vulnerable population. When people’s numbers are called they are led down a long hallway to one of 30 curtained off enclosures where their information is recorded into the UNHCR database. Amal gets up and taking her 3 year old daughter Shams by the hand and cradling 15 day old Kamar in her arms she follows the representative down the hall to enclosure number 17. Noor, the UNHCR representative, has them take a seat and closes the curtain behind them. Amal produces passports and documents. Amal and her family look vulnerable. She is a small woman dressed in a black hijab and she sits at one end of the long bench, very quietly answering questions as Noor types them into the computer.

As they get to the special needs section, Amal begins to explain her situation in more detail. She arrived in Damascus in August 2008 with her daughter. She hasn’t renewed her visa, so she is technically in the country illegally. She left Iraq because she received death threats by the Jaish Al-Mehdi. She was a Sunni woman married to a Shia man. It was her husband, a member of the militia, who threatened her.

Amal was married four years ago at age 21 after a one-month courtship with a 27 year-old man. Her parents disowned her because she was marrying a Shia. Headstrong and in love, she married anyway. At the time, her husband told her he didn’t care about Sunni or Shia and Amal believed him. In 2005 after the birth of her daughter, things began to change. The militias were gaining strength in neighborhoods throughout Baghdad and consolidating their power bases. Her husband began demanding she convert to Shia. Amal refused. He became violent. As their problems grew it became apparent that he was abusing drugs. As his demands changed into threats, he told her he belonged to the Badr brigades as well as the Jaish Al-Mehdi. He became physically violent as well, trying to throw his young daughter out a window. He told her he would give her to the militia. Seven months pregnant, she packed a bag, took her daughter and fled to Damascus.

Amal has turned to the UNHCR because she seeking monetary support, food aid and resettlement. The UNHCR representative identifies her as a highly vulnerable individual and schedules her to meet with a protective services agent as well as a community services representative before she leaves for the day. When i leave the UNHCR, i see Amal cradling her tiny baby in the reception area waiting for her next appointment.

I catch up with Amal a few days later. She is not wearing a hijab, but is stylishly dressed in a matching tan corduroy skirt and top and a tiger print hat and a small purse. I smile as i come face to face with another one of my uninformed assumptions regarding Iraqi women. A neighbor is watching the kids, so she only has a short time to talk. We meet at a restaurant in the Jaramana neighborhood as Amal feels it would be too dangerous for her to meet a foreign man near her apartment in Saida Zainab. We order coffee and i ask her why she is staying in Saida Zainab as there is a strong concentration of Shia refugees there, and there is even a Sadr political office. She replies that her rent is very cheap, about $85 per month for a small, unfurnished room. But she feels targeted in the neighborhood because she is a young woman alone with two small children. She explains that she is eligible for UNHCR food aid and assistance, but that she needs to wait until the next distribution at the beginning of January. She will be able to receive blankets at that time as well. The nights are getting very cold and Amal needs blankets tonight. She says she will manage. She also needs to arrange a trip to the main UNHCR building to meet with lawyers for her visa issues.

Sipping her coffee she seems very tentative, but there is more to this young woman. I tell her she must be strong or stubborn to go against her parent’s wishes, and then her husband’s. She laughs and says “Yes, but I’m paying the price for my mistakes.” I continue by saying she must be courageous to leave Baghdad and come to a strange city, pregnant and with a young daughter. She says, “Many Iraqis are facing similar circumstances, my case is not special.”

Finishing her coffee, Amal takes her leave. We’ve talked enough. Words won’t keep the baby fed or her daughter warm at night. My questions will wait for another day. Her baby waits for her now.

Fast forward to May 2010. A dear friend returned to Damascus. i asked her to inquire about Amal and her children. i couldn’t quite believe it when i received an email a few days later of Shams and her mom and the now 1 ½ year old Kamar. The children looked beautiful and happy. The last year and a half has been trying and Amal’s eyes do not hide the truth. Her worst fears were realized when her husband found her and forced her return to Baghdad where he continued his abuse. He claimed the youngest child was not his and became physically abusive with Amal. He got in serious trouble with several men he had borrowed large sums of money from. He rigged the home with explosives and locked his wife and children inside, planning on blaming the men for the explosion. Amal managed to escape with her children to a neighbor’s home. Her husband was arrested, but managed some payoffs to the police and is now free.

Amal is once again in hiding in Damascus. My friend assures me Amal is in good spirits. Meanwhile, her efforts at the UNHCR continue. The UNHCR says the first cash assistance they can offer is four months away. Amal needs to file for divorce before any action can be taken on her relocation status. This will be a challenge from Damascus, but Amal has begun the costly process. Once again she is in Syria illegally because her visa has expired. She is working with the UNHCR to gain an extension.

Amal’s situation is not the “typical” refugee story, but it is not an uncommon one. The stress of war and occupation tears at the fabric of society. Culture is destroyed. Law and order is diminished. Families suffer under the extreme burden of trying to survive. Things fall apart.

Since i have returned home i have not forgotten her or any of the dozens of people i met during my brief time in Syria. In the intervening year and a half several families have been relocated to the United States where the struggle to survive in a strange land (amidst an economic downturn) continues. Many more are still waiting. Their story remains untold.

i am disheartened and angry that our country can continue funding death and destruction at the astronomical rate of 5.5 billion dollars a month ($5,500,000,000) for the occupation of Iraq and 6.7 billion dollars a month ($6,700,000,000) for the war in Afghanistan and leave the people that have suffered from our actions (which we claim are in their best interests) to fend for themselves.

In the coming months i am sending fifty dollars a month ($50), a pittance to be certain, to Syria to help Amal and her children. If you or someone you know can help in any way, please let me know.

Bowing Without The Bow

The snow is all but gone, replaced by flowing water and muddy rich earth. Walking across the meadow, i step softly- new life is sprouting up everywhere. Each blade of grass, brilliant green against the straw that remains from last year is a reminder of our own precarious state and the delicate beauty of our lives. The landscape here is so immense it is easy to overlook the tiny white flowers shadowing my every step and the sage that baths me in the most exquisite fragrance. i step quietly, watching my dogs as they do their crazy dance across the fields. Feeling the earth between their toes for the first time since October, their exuberance makes me laugh out loud.

From a distance, the scene is not extraordinary, just a man walking with his dogs. Time does not stand still. There is no epiphany. In the moment, as i walk, nothing is recognized and nothing is acknowledged.

Seamlessly, intimately, a man bows to the universe, and the universe, as always, bows in return.

This is just the story. Understand that when you bow in complete surrender the eminence opens to you.

Freedom of Speech in Vietnam and at Home

After reading in today's NY Times that the US embassy in Hanoi condemned the arrest and conviction of non-violent peace activists, i thought i would write the ambassador to intervene on my behalf here in the United States.


Oct 15th, 2009

Dear Ambassador Michael W. Michalak,

It was with great interest that i read in today’s New York Times that the United States, through your embassy in Hanoi, condemned the arrests and convictions of nine non-violent democracy activists, as well as the violent expulsion of Buddhist monks from the Bat Nha monastery.

As a practitioner of Zen Buddhism and a follower of Thich Nhat Hanh’s teachings on peace and non-violent activism i was encouraged to see this principled denunciation of human rights violations by the government of Vietnam. Here in the United States, freedom of speech and the ability to gather non-violently to express our views and to ask for redress of grievances is not only a cornerstone of our democracy, but is protected by our Constitution. i agree with you completely and unconditionally, that “no individual should be arrested or jailed for exercising the right of free speech”, although i was unaware that the “right of free speech” was considered a human right and even communist governments were expected to allow their citizens to peaceably assemble and that their speech was protected by international human rights commitments and the rule of law. This is fantastic news.

Of course, i was not in least surprised by the statement released by Vietnam’s Foreign Ministry, saying in effect, that the U.S. was “interfering in the internal affairs of Vietnam”. This seems to be the common response of Communist regimes worldwide. Nonetheless, i applaud your efforts.

While it may be an uphill battle to convince a Communist regime of the right to free speech, i have a request that may bear fruit much more quickly. As a non-violent peace activist here in the United States, i have been arrested and convicted of various false charges at least 6 times since early 2002, as i peaceably assembled in protest of the occupation of Iraq and the torture of prisoners in Guantanamo Bay. As i faced charges in various D.C. courts, prosecutors and judges summarily dismissed my claims of “the protected right of free speech”. You may be unaware of this, but our own government is doing everything possible to suppress my rights as well as the rights of other non-violent peace activists here at home. As you stated in your condemnation to the Vietnamese authorities, “The activists were simply expressing their views peacefully and posed no threat to Vietnam’s national security.” The same could be said of us. As you are obviously aware, a democracy without free speech and the right to peacefully assemble begins to resemble any one of the many unsavory governments around the world.

i implore you to send a letter to the White House and any and all jurisdictions that may benefit from your words, which are a strong reminder to United States authorities of our commitment to human rights, the rule of law, and democracy.

Sincerely,

Johnny Barber

(Original press release from the embassy in Hanoi: http://vietnam.usembassy.gov/pr101409.html )

Make War, Win a Peace Prize

President Barack Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize on Oct 9th, 2009 "for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples". Perhaps the committee men and women should have spent some time in Waziristan to see how the lofty rhetoric of peace and cooperation is actually playing out on the ground. Perhaps being one of the victims of the dozens of drone attacks perpetrated by the United States on the sovereign territory of another nation would give them pause. Below is a brief sample of attacks in Pakistan authorized by the newest Nobel laureate.

Jan 23, 2009 Three days after his inauguration, on January 23, 2009, President Barack Obama ordered US predator drones to attack sites inside of Pakistan, reportedly killing 15 people. It was the first documented attack ordered by the new US Commander in Chief inside of Pakistan. Since that first Obama-authorized attack, the US has regularly bombed Pakistan, killing scores of civilians. The New York Times reported that the attacks were clear evidence Obama “is continuing, and in some cases extending, Bush administration policy.”

Feb 14, 2009 More than 30 killed when two missiles are launched by drones near town of Makeen in South Waziristan.

Feb 16, 2009 Strike in Kurram Valley kills 30, reportedly at a Taliban training camp for fighters preparing to combat coalition forces in Afghanistan.

Mar 26, 2009 At least four militants were killed in a suspected US missile strike in Pakistan’s north-western tribal region near Afghanistan. Two missiles believed to have been fired from a US pilotless aircraft hit a house in Mir Ali area of the North Waziristan tribal district, destroying the structure.

The house belonged to a pro-Taliban tribal elder identified as Malik Gulab Khan, local television channels reported. It was not immediately known whether Khan was killed in the strike.

It was the second suspected US attack in as many days. An airstrike killed at least seven Al Qaeda-linked militants in adjoining South Waziristan Wednesday.

Jun 24, 2009 At least 45 people have been killed and dozens wounded in a series of missile raids by US drones in northwest Pakistan, Pakistani intelligence officials have said.

The first missile attack early on Tuesday hit what authorities said was a "Taliban training centre" in the South Waziristan tribal region that borders Afghanistan.

Several hours later a second attack was carried out during a funeral procession for those killed in the first raid.

Asked by Al Jazeera to comment on Tuesday's reported attacks, the Pentagon denied any US involvement.

Jul 9, 2009 The United States fired multiple missiles from pilotless drones in two separate attacks on insurgents in Pakistan’s South Waziristan district, killing up to 60 people. The attacks followed a US missile strike in South Waziristan on Tuesday that reportedly killed 16 people.

On Jul 21, 2009 A report released by the Brookings Institution claimed that for every militant killed in drone attacks, at least 10 civilians also die.

The Washington-based US think-tank acknowledged that it is difficult to confirm sourcing on civilian deaths in drone attacks, ‘but more than 600 civilians are likely to have died from the attacks. That number suggests that for every militant killed, 10 or so civilians also died.’

The report quotes counter-terrorism expert David Kilcullen as saying that: ‘When we intervene in people’s countries to chase small cells of bad guys, we end up alienating the whole country and turning them against us.’

The attacks have not stopped, in fact, they have increased and the CIA is calling for even more.

Aug 27, 2009 Pakistani intelligence officials say a suspected U.S. drone attack in the South Waziristan tribal region in the northwest has killed at least six people and wounded another nine.

Sep 25, 2009 At least 12 people have been killed and five injured in a suspected US drone attack in north-west Pakistan, district officials say.

Hundreds of militants and civilians have been killed in dozens of drone attacks in the past year. (A dozen or so militants, the remaining deaths were innocent civilians.)

Pakistan has been protesting US drone attacks inside its territory, saying these were proving counter-productive to the fight against terrorism by giving rise to anti-American public sentiment.

At a meeting in New York of major supporters of Pakistan on Thursday, Sept 24, 2009 US President Barack Obama said the US was "firmly committed to the future that the Pakistani people deserve".

God help them if the past 9 months is any indication of how the US plans to deliver that future.

Beyond Pakistan, the United States is still occupying Iraq and considering sending more troops to Afghanistan. President Obama refuses to hold those responsible for torture in this country to account, saying he would prefer to look ahead, not back. Perhaps a man of peace would consider the preferences of those who were tortured, recognizing that peace is not possible without atonement, reconciliation, and reparations. Guantanamo remains open, and Bagram continues business as usual. President Obama refuses to consider Israel’s actual nuclear holdings as important as Iran’s nuclear aspirations and continues to threaten Iran over their nuclear program. The US government is the largest purveyor of weapons in the world- we sell more weapons than the rest of the world combined, making the world more dangerous to everyone. Finally, the United States and Israel acted in collusion to bury the Goldstone report that accuses Israel of war crimes in Gaza, war crimes perpetrated with American weapons.

It seems that the Norwegian Nobel Committee, like many in the US and around the world, have been inspired by Obama’s words of hope and promises of change. Aspirations for peace are simply not enough in a war torn world, wars of America’s making, wars fueled by American arms sales. For me, actions speak louder than words.

A beaming President Barack Obama said he was both honored and humbled to win the Nobel Peace Prize and would accept it as a "call to action to work with other nations to solve the world's most pressing problems”. May the call be loud and clear, and may peace prevail.

Just Maybe

i wrote this note to a friend 2 years ago, and that friend continues to work for justice in dc and is facing arrest today for actions calling for the end to war and occupation. Many blessings to her and everyone who participated!

So maybe crossing the police line, though no one was in congress, though no one was home, may just be necessary- just for the fact that the struggle must confront the force opposing us and say no more, we will no longer be compliant while our "leaders" our "democracy" continues down this immoral path. Just maybe.

Those who pushed back and got sprayed with chemicals- was that act of pushing against the barricades "violence"? Obviously, some of the people participating were expressing their anger and even their words seemed violent to me, but what form should this resistance take- questions we ask over again, and must continue to ask. i just realized i have been arrested five times since that 1st White House protest in 2005. In each instance, i have maintained a non-violent presence in the midst of conflict- not the least i could do, but perhaps the best i could do; no, in fact forget least and best- it was ALL i could do.

On Sept 12th i watched "Cry Freedom", a movie made in '87 about Apartheid and Steve Biko (It was the anniversary of his murder in a S African jail)- and at one point he is defending confrontation in a court, and he speaks in defense of confrontation and the prosecutor interchanges the words "Confrontation" and "Violence" as if they are the same- but Biko, insisting on confrontation, responds "We are having a confrontation here, but I do not see violence."

My mind swirls around these issues and how to move forward, yet i heard another quote just recently about the Zen "attitude"- you settle the mind, and then you don't "Take action" but you "Let action take you." i cry out, Here i am, take me!

So now that i am home and perusing the "help wanteds" again, i am missing DC already and the feeling that somehow, in any small way my presence there means something and has value and the unity of 200 hundred people in jail means something. Though the numbers of people on the street are getting smaller, the attitudes of the vast majority of people in this country are shifting. Somehow, this shift in momentum is stirring change. On the surface it may seem to be meaningless, but what stirs below the surface may cause the tide to turn. Of course, finding tactics that work is vital, but the resistance itself is meaningful- no matter the form (Though for me, non-violence must always be the container).

Though it is getting late, and is too late for multitudes (reports today speak of the death toll in Iraq surpassing that in Rwanda!!!), we must move forward, naked, armed only with our faith and our trust.

Many blessings to you and thanks for your support. If no work opportunities present themselves i may return to dc later this week....(i know, i know, i went on about futility and not returning to dc, but my heart cries out, and my mind steps aside).

A Departure

6 poems i wrote in the first weeks of my arrival in MT and posted in the mornings on my Facebook account... Not my usual fare, but food for thought.


The sun dips into the meadow.
Wildflowers shed last evening's frost.
The silence is interrupted by the dog's splashing,
mud splattering every which way as she flies by- smiling!
My hands warmed by the cup of thick coffee,
my bare feet muddy and cold.
Possibilities!


The sun permeates the pine.
The new green of the Aspen
shimmers, deeply satisfied,,
like the glimmer in a lover’s
eye.


i watch as the lodge pole pine
are devoured by the fog.
Soon, i too will be enveloped.
The moose kneels in the meadow,
Unconcerned.


Deep in the woods.
The dogs spook an elk.
Coyotes howl nearby.
Spook us.


Snow gently falls.
The spring grass shivers.
But not one complaint
about shitty weather.


Daybreak.
Rain clouds shroud the mountains.
The path is strewn with bones.
The old, lame dog carries
one home.
Something good to chew on.

Remembering the Dead, Memorial Day 2009

May 22nd, 2009, Wounded Knee, SD

Detouring south, i pass through the Pine Ridge Reservation stopping briefly in Wounded Knee. i park and leaving my dogs in the car, i walk to the dusty graveyard and the monument of the three hundred and fifty souls- men, women, and children who perished on that bitter winter day in 1890, gunned down by soldiers while attempting to flee the carnage all around them.

Another car arrives, maneuvering along the rutted dirt road, and three middle-aged tourists get out and walk quickly up to the monument. “Here it is!” “Yes, I found it, we did turn the right way!” We exchange hellos as we pass between the narrow rows of graves to look at the stone monument, i do not ask them what drew them to this place. They do a quick walk around the graveyard, saying little, before they climb back in their car and head back down the rutted track to the little souvenir stand at the junction of the main road.

It is getting late and the wind is blowing the prayer ribbons and tobacco pouches tied to the chain link fence. As i stand among the graves, i can hear the Hotchkiss guns singing their deadly song and the soldiers crying out “Remember the Little Bighorn” as they gun down children running away. i can feel the hatred coursing through the soldiers minds as they murder women with babies clinging to their breast. i can hear the peoples death songs whistling through the grass. i can hear the moaning of those left to die on the frozen earth as the soldiers turn and return to camp.

Congress awarded 20 Medals of Honor to soldiers that participated in the slaughter.

In October, 1990 the United State Congress passed a resolution to recognize Wounded Knee as a massacre and issued a statement of deep regret.

As i stand amidst the graves, i too feel deep regret from Wounded Knee to My Lai to Haditha, and all the massacres forgotten (a convenience only of the vanquisher) or left unsaid. i feel deep sadness for the ignorance that feeds them and anger at the lies our government uses to justify them.

i turn and walk back to my car. i, too, stop at the junction and two little girls run to my window and invite me to the jewelry stand. As we walk, the little one says, “You only have two dogs?” “Yes”, i reply, how many do you have”? “I have three!” The older girl says, “One boy and one girl nice.” Puzzled, i ask her, “How could you tell?” She says, matter of factly, “The girls have fluffy ears.” With a twinkle in her eye, she turns and runs.

The descendants of those murdered here continue on, mostly forgotten. Justice has yet to visit them, “change and hope” merely catch phrases relegated to dreams.

At the table, i look at the dozen offerings of jewelry for sale. i notice one piece has fallen to the ground and had been trampled in the dust. i pick it up- a necklace with a pouch for sage and cedar. Another car pulls up and the girls run off, shouting, “There’s another tourist!” i take a minute to buy the necklace before getting back on the road.

“Never forget” is a phrase oft repeated, but rarely embodied. So often, i never even take a moment to realize the truth. i mythologize war and ignore the inconvenient truths in the fabrication of our national story. “Never forget” becomes just another slogan to justify more war. This Memorial Day i will commemorate those living and dead who have been marginalized, victimized, and sacrificed at the alter of American power, including the soldiers who return from war damaged, isolated, and forgotten, suffering unbearable anguish for what they did in service of our nation.

i place the necklace around my neck, i wear it as a talisman against ignorance and forgetting.

Meditation in Orange #70

The sun is shining. i am late again, quickly donning the jumpsuit and grabbing a hood as the others are circled up and listening as Carmen reads excerpts from prisoners at Guantanamo. Even the birds fall silent as the cruelties are revealed.

Seventy days of the new administration and men are still being held at Guantanamo, irregardless of innocence or guilt. Men on hunger strike are still being force fed. TV pundits joke about the excellent conditions the prisoners have, and feign worry about the “ticking bombs” who may be “set free”. Seventeen Uighars, an ethnic Muslim minority in China, are still being held trapped in a catch-22. Cleared of all charges 2 years ago, China bars their return. No other country will accept them. They wait, with no end in site.

We bow our heads in silence. We form a straight line and slowly walk toward the White House fence. Mindful of the suffering men impose upon men, i walk. Mindful of self-righteousness and hypocrisy, i breathe. Recognizing i am not separate from the torturers or the tortured, my feet touch the earth. Passerby step aside as we walk solemnly in single file down the Pennsylvania Avenue sidewalk. Walking just beyond the “postcard zone” in front of the Whitehouse, we stop and turn.

It is a spring like day and the tourists and students stream by. Two sons stop in front of us. Their father grumbles, “Let’s go.” The younger son asks, “What are they doing dad?” He replies, “They’re pacifists.” The son asks, “What does that mean?” The father answers, “That means they would rather do this than do something constructive. Now come on, let’s go!”

We stand, silent. i’m curious about the constructive work the father has pursued to bring justice to the prisoners in Guantanamo. The family moves quickly away, the young boy looking back at us as he goes.

A large school group gathers around Carmen, peppering him with questions. The teacher asks questions as well, and allows her students freedom to ask whatever comes to mind. After ten minutes, the teacher reigns in her charges, says, “Thank you” and moves away.

An oblivious man and woman are nearly past us when the man sees us for the first time. Obliquely turning away from his wife and toward us, in a nearly inaudible voice but a voice filled with enough venom and hate to fill all the realms of hell, the tourist in a midwestern snarl, mutters, “Fuuuck Yooou!” Obviously pleased with himself, he turns toward his wife and smiles as they continue on their way.

We stand silent, bearing witness to hatred. It seems polarization is deepening in this country. Elements in the media fuel the hatred in our society. Discourse has become more difficult as we cling to concepts and beliefs that drive us apart. We stand, silent, reminding those who pass by of crimes committed in our name. No matter your point of view, conservative or liberal, Jewish, Christian, or Muslim, how can torture ever be acceptable? Us versus them has come home to America, with right wing elements in the media playing a dangerous game. Just last week, Glenn Beck of Fox News, in a disgusting act of incitement, doused a “guest” in “gasoline”, as he stated, "President Obama don't light us on fire”. “You are either with us or against us” has taken an ominous tone indeed.

A retiree and his wife pass us with a look of disgust on their faces. He circles back and stands silently in front of us and slowly moves down the line. His wife asks Carmen, “Just answer this. Where do you suppose we should send the terrorists?” Her husband, unable to contain himself, says, “Why don’t you all join the military? Do something useful to protect your country.” He circles around, unsure why we stand silent. He repeats himself, this time a little louder, a little more anger in his voice, “Join the military. Do something useful!” Still, he is met with silence. He joins his wife, gesticulating, raising his scornful voice, “Join the military, be a hero!” as he walks away. Carmen follows, and their voices drift away, though the man continues to shake his head in disgust.

i recognize disgust as a mechanism to shield oneself from the painful truth. America tortures. Those responsible must be held accountable.

We fold our signs and solemnly walk to the shade of Lafayette Park. We remove our hoods and jumpsuits and stand in silence, with heads bowed, holding hands. Our little drama completed for the day. We remember those who are less fortunate, whose dramas continue.

The 100 day vigil to close Guantanamo continues Monday thru Friday 11am to 1 pm in front of the Whitehouse. http://www.witnesstorture.org/100days