Monday, July 31, 2006
Day 12 of my Lebanon Peace Initiative
Every spiritual mistress/master I've ever read or encountered calls for the seeker to live in the present moment. That is where one finds the Divine, they say. Well, all that seeker would have to do is come out in front of a global crossroads like the White House, and living in the present would not be hard. It's all you can do. From one minute to the next, often before you can catch your breath, your reality shifts, sometimes dramatically. The Present is no respecter of consistency.
An example: Yesterday afternoon, after having taken a midday break to add more specific messages to my signs, I was parked--happily under the shade of a tree on this scorching hot day--holding my sign in front of the White House fence. A young man--turned out he was 30--stopped and asked in a soft voice, "Are you Jewish?"
"No," I replied, "Are you?"
"No," he answered. But something prompted me to delve a bit further.
"Are you any religion?"
"Yes," he said. "I'm Buddhist."
"And what country are you from?"
"Israel."
What followed was one of the most amazing conversations I've experienced in 12 days of amazing conversations.
Pablo, who asked that I not take his picture but said I could tell his story, responded to my next question--"So what do you think about what's happening between your country and Lebanon right now?" by saying with deep sadness, "Israel always has to win, and they won't stop fighting until they do."
My next question, "So how do you feel about the fighting?" was met with the firm answer, "Violence always breeds more violence. It is an unending cycle."
"Were you raised Buddhist?"
"No. I chose to be Buddhist."
"Does your family support you in this choice?
"My mother is now Buddhist as well."
I wonder if any of us can begin to imagine how Pablo's choice has separated him from his countrymen and women? How much alone he must feel in his views that war is NEVER the answer, as he said later in our conversation. To be a believer in non-violence in a country that seems to believe they are never safe from outside threats, that they must fight and fight and fight to defend their "homeland", well, I can't imagine it.
Although maybe I can. Maybe my attitudes towards war are as much out of sync with my country's attitudes as Pablo's. Maybe that's why I'm here in front of the White House. But I still think that if Pablo were to take a solitary stand in front of his country's house of government, he would be putting himself at risk of arrest, injury and maybe death. At least here in the US one can still stand up publicly against war and be protected by law while doing so. I've seen that enacted here by the US Park Police who position themselves not too far away from me in case things go bad. I know they'd protect me if need be.
Would that be true for Pablo in Israel? Somehow I doubt it.
He told me something else that helped me better understand the Israeli collective psyche. He said, "When you're inside Israel, you feel so safe."
This statement, coupled with statements I've heard all week from Israeli citizens about the need to defend their borders, how they're surrounded by Arabs who don't want them there, helps me see that Hezbollah rockets hitting inside their borders day after day, night after night, have so traumatized them because they've always trusted that they ARE safe inside their borders, that their strong military will always protect them. And now it can't. Each Israeli man, woman and child feels at risk of personal injury and death every minute of every day. The fact that only 17 Israeli civilians have been killed so far makes no difference. If even one civilian is killed inside their "safe borders" then everyone is at risk. And that brings back horrible memories of the Holocaust.
The Israeli collective consciousness I describe is VERY different from that of the Lebanese, the Palestinians and residents of other Middle Eastern countries where war inside their borders has been a fact of life off and on for hundreds of years.
As I've said so many times during these past 12 days, I am learning more than anyone.
Immediately following that beautiful oasis of peaceful dialogue with Pablo, my reality changed. A woman who identified herself as being from Israel--I always ask people their country of origin--came up wagging her finger and saying in broken English, "No! You don't know! You don't know!" She was with a large group of Isrealis, apparently none of whom had much English, but whose feelings were obvious as they passed very close in front of me. I did my best to send them love.
My only other difficult moment came maybe an hour later when a man who had just passed me with his wife and child in a stroller, came back to ask, "Did you have a sign last week for the Israeli children who died? Did you?"
I did as I'm learning to do and invited him to make just such a sign and come stand beside me. He waved that off and kept repeating his question. I asked if his family in Israel was safe. He shook his head. I just said I hoped thy would be safe.
On a day when the temperature rose to at least 98 degrees F., encounters like this did not make one feel very cool. But, thankfully, there was a breeze, and often the most refreshing breezes came from the people I'd meet who joined me in wishing that Israel would pull out of Lebanon so talks could begin.
I have photos of some of these individuals, and snippets of their stories posted below.
Photo #1 is of the Capitol from behind the fountain in the park where I take breaks during my Senate Office Building vigils. I'd started my day over there but soon discovered most Senators had already left for their summer recess, so I left after an hour or so.
Photo #2 is of today's addition to one side of my sign. The other side is seen in later photos.
Photo #3 is of Angela and Eduardo from Madrid, Spain. They were riding by on rented bikes and stopped to talk. As so many Europeans do, they thanked me for bein out there with my sign.
Photo #4 is of Mike and Gail. Mike is a second-generation Lebanese who has given a lot of thought to the situation there. We had a stimulating discussion of the issues, even getting into Israel's political influence here in Washington, DC. We both agree it's all about money. Later in the evening I received a long email from him continuing our disussion. I'm going to see if Mike would be comfortable with my sharing it here. He has some interesting ideas.
Photo #5 is of Meghan from Poughkeepsie, New York and Naomi from Stratford, Ontario. They are in DC as part of an international youth leadership training called HOBY (Hugh O'Brian Youth Leadership). They were the only members of their rather large group who took the time to come over and see my sign. I always appreciate that.
Photo #6 is of Tonia Young, a volunteer coordinator for a Veteran's for Peace retreat in Los Angeles for returning vets who have fought in Afghanistan and Iraq. She was meeting Ray McGovern, the dear man who gave me back my Dad, in front of the White House at 5 PM.
Photo #7 is of Ray McGovern and me. Although Ray and I are about the same age, he reminds me of my Dad with his sense of integrity and gentle spirit.
An example: Yesterday afternoon, after having taken a midday break to add more specific messages to my signs, I was parked--happily under the shade of a tree on this scorching hot day--holding my sign in front of the White House fence. A young man--turned out he was 30--stopped and asked in a soft voice, "Are you Jewish?"
"No," I replied, "Are you?"
"No," he answered. But something prompted me to delve a bit further.
"Are you any religion?"
"Yes," he said. "I'm Buddhist."
"And what country are you from?"
"Israel."
What followed was one of the most amazing conversations I've experienced in 12 days of amazing conversations.
Pablo, who asked that I not take his picture but said I could tell his story, responded to my next question--"So what do you think about what's happening between your country and Lebanon right now?" by saying with deep sadness, "Israel always has to win, and they won't stop fighting until they do."
My next question, "So how do you feel about the fighting?" was met with the firm answer, "Violence always breeds more violence. It is an unending cycle."
"Were you raised Buddhist?"
"No. I chose to be Buddhist."
"Does your family support you in this choice?
"My mother is now Buddhist as well."
I wonder if any of us can begin to imagine how Pablo's choice has separated him from his countrymen and women? How much alone he must feel in his views that war is NEVER the answer, as he said later in our conversation. To be a believer in non-violence in a country that seems to believe they are never safe from outside threats, that they must fight and fight and fight to defend their "homeland", well, I can't imagine it.
Although maybe I can. Maybe my attitudes towards war are as much out of sync with my country's attitudes as Pablo's. Maybe that's why I'm here in front of the White House. But I still think that if Pablo were to take a solitary stand in front of his country's house of government, he would be putting himself at risk of arrest, injury and maybe death. At least here in the US one can still stand up publicly against war and be protected by law while doing so. I've seen that enacted here by the US Park Police who position themselves not too far away from me in case things go bad. I know they'd protect me if need be.
Would that be true for Pablo in Israel? Somehow I doubt it.
He told me something else that helped me better understand the Israeli collective psyche. He said, "When you're inside Israel, you feel so safe."
This statement, coupled with statements I've heard all week from Israeli citizens about the need to defend their borders, how they're surrounded by Arabs who don't want them there, helps me see that Hezbollah rockets hitting inside their borders day after day, night after night, have so traumatized them because they've always trusted that they ARE safe inside their borders, that their strong military will always protect them. And now it can't. Each Israeli man, woman and child feels at risk of personal injury and death every minute of every day. The fact that only 17 Israeli civilians have been killed so far makes no difference. If even one civilian is killed inside their "safe borders" then everyone is at risk. And that brings back horrible memories of the Holocaust.
The Israeli collective consciousness I describe is VERY different from that of the Lebanese, the Palestinians and residents of other Middle Eastern countries where war inside their borders has been a fact of life off and on for hundreds of years.
As I've said so many times during these past 12 days, I am learning more than anyone.
Immediately following that beautiful oasis of peaceful dialogue with Pablo, my reality changed. A woman who identified herself as being from Israel--I always ask people their country of origin--came up wagging her finger and saying in broken English, "No! You don't know! You don't know!" She was with a large group of Isrealis, apparently none of whom had much English, but whose feelings were obvious as they passed very close in front of me. I did my best to send them love.
My only other difficult moment came maybe an hour later when a man who had just passed me with his wife and child in a stroller, came back to ask, "Did you have a sign last week for the Israeli children who died? Did you?"
I did as I'm learning to do and invited him to make just such a sign and come stand beside me. He waved that off and kept repeating his question. I asked if his family in Israel was safe. He shook his head. I just said I hoped thy would be safe.
On a day when the temperature rose to at least 98 degrees F., encounters like this did not make one feel very cool. But, thankfully, there was a breeze, and often the most refreshing breezes came from the people I'd meet who joined me in wishing that Israel would pull out of Lebanon so talks could begin.
I have photos of some of these individuals, and snippets of their stories posted below.
Photo #1 is of the Capitol from behind the fountain in the park where I take breaks during my Senate Office Building vigils. I'd started my day over there but soon discovered most Senators had already left for their summer recess, so I left after an hour or so.
Photo #2 is of today's addition to one side of my sign. The other side is seen in later photos.
Photo #3 is of Angela and Eduardo from Madrid, Spain. They were riding by on rented bikes and stopped to talk. As so many Europeans do, they thanked me for bein out there with my sign.
Photo #4 is of Mike and Gail. Mike is a second-generation Lebanese who has given a lot of thought to the situation there. We had a stimulating discussion of the issues, even getting into Israel's political influence here in Washington, DC. We both agree it's all about money. Later in the evening I received a long email from him continuing our disussion. I'm going to see if Mike would be comfortable with my sharing it here. He has some interesting ideas.
Photo #5 is of Meghan from Poughkeepsie, New York and Naomi from Stratford, Ontario. They are in DC as part of an international youth leadership training called HOBY (Hugh O'Brian Youth Leadership). They were the only members of their rather large group who took the time to come over and see my sign. I always appreciate that.
Photo #6 is of Tonia Young, a volunteer coordinator for a Veteran's for Peace retreat in Los Angeles for returning vets who have fought in Afghanistan and Iraq. She was meeting Ray McGovern, the dear man who gave me back my Dad, in front of the White House at 5 PM.
Photo #7 is of Ray McGovern and me. Although Ray and I are about the same age, he reminds me of my Dad with his sense of integrity and gentle spirit.
Sunday, July 30, 2006
Day 11 of my Lebanon Peace Initiative
"Get a job!", the middle-aged white American sneered as he walked by me with his family.
"This IS my job," I said in reply.
And so it is. Hour after hour, day after hot muggy day. My job. To sit in my scooter holding a two-sided sign with "Israel OUT of Lebanon!!!" on one side, and an enlarged photo of my Lebanese family with the question, "Who suffers in war?" on the other. In front of the White House some days, the Senate and/or House Office Buildings the others. To make eye contact as people pass by. To keep turning my sign so they can read both sides. To smile and try to be a presence of peace. To refuse to respond to hostility with anger, but to do everything I can to open a path for dialogue.
My job.
Today's most challenging moment came when a fellow activist/organizer was visiting with me at my "post" in front of the White House. He responded poorly to a woman's shouted, "You have NO RIGHT to say that! No right!", referring to the "Israel OUT of Lebanon!!!" side of my sign. He started shouting back at her. My attempts to get him to stop fell on deaf ears, so I left his side and scooted farther down the block.
After about ten minutes he came to find me and apologized for his behavior. He said, "I'd heard that you don't like confrontation, and I'm sorry I didn't respect that." I accepted his apology and asked that he promise not to do that again while sitting with me, otherwise I would have to ask him to leave. He agreed.
I then told him how I would have handled that situation if I'd been allowed to do so. I would have responded to her accusation that I had no right to call for Israel to leave Lebanon by turning my sign around to the picture of my family. I would have said calmly, "This is my family in Lebanon. I'm here for them." If she had kept on ranting, I would have smiled and kept quiet. I've learned it doesn't pay to engage with angry people. I expect she would have gotten tired of yelling and moved on.
I feel deep compassion for people who "lose it" like this. I don't know their story or how they have suffered. It is my job not to respond in kind. That would just add to the cycle of violence I'm trying to stop...on a macro and micro level. My job is to remain a presence of peace no matter what.
My activist/organizer friend and I then went on discussing how to deal with our own personal anger that's triggered by people like George W. Bush. Strangely enough, that had been our topic of conversation when the shouting match interrupted us--how to deal with our anger. We picked up right where we'd left off. My friend admitted that he sometimes thinks his anger at Bush is so strong because it is connected to childhood issues. I understand that because I've been there too. But, you know, I'm not there any longer. I don't seem to harbor much anger anymore, at least not since I've been here. It takes too much energy simply trying to be a person of peace for me to want to waste it on anger. May it always be so.
Otherwise, it was a quiet day. No dialogues with people from Israel or anyone who disagreed with my signs. One American man made a negative comment as he passed by, but when I asked if he wanted to talk, he just kept on going. A good number of Europeans gave me the thumbs up, wanted to take pictures with me and my sign, or just thanked me for being out there. I got LOTS of thank yous today for simply being out there. Maybe because of the Qana Massacre.
I met one man early in the day, and then a couple later on who had recently gotten out of Lebanon. The man--Ryad--had escaped into Syria, then to Jordan, into Turkey, then someplace in Europe--I forget where--and finally to the US . His seven year old son, mother and father, sister and brother are still there in the north of Beirut. He looked haunted. The couple had been evacuated on a ship to Cyprus, gone to Portugal, London (I think) and on to the US. This was the third time they'd had to escape from Lebanon--the first in 1982, the second in 1989, and the third last week. The man kept repeating how complex the issues were. He also told me the southern suburbs of Beirut are constantly under attack.
I also had an interesting talk with Charlie, a translater/interpreter who lives in DC and is currently translating at a large conference nearby. He very much agreed with my sign but has been frustrated with the lack of support by both his progressive and more conservative Jewish friends. Even his mother, a longtime organizer for peace, is ambivalent about Israel's right to "defend" itself against Hezbollah. We agreed that what they're doing to Lebanon goes WAY beyond self-defense. He said he'll come back to visit me again. I encouraged him to make a sign and bring it with him.
One of my favorite encounters was with Nick, a 13 year old boy from Hawaii. He asked me why I was there. I gave him a thumbnail history of what's been going on in Lebanon, the US place in it, and then asked what he thought. Nick said, "I think the United States should stop sending bombs to Israel, get out of it altogether, and let them work it out themselves." I told him I wished he was in the White House instead of the current president. He smiled and said, "So do I." Who knows? Maybe he will be someday.
I finished up about 4:30 PM and scooted over to the Code Pink/Troops Home Fasters' tree to check in with my friends. Martha and I got to talking. She told me that she hadn't been home to Portland, Oregon in four months, and on Tuesday when the Code Pink/Troops Home Fasters close camp here in front of the White House, she'll be off to Crawford, Texas to join Cindy Sheehan at the new Camp Casey. For three months before coming to DC to start the Troops Home Fast on July 4th, she was in New Orleans as a volunteer working with the reconstruction efforts. Her primary job was as a cook in the tented volunteer headquarters. According to Martha, ten months after Katrina, New Orleans is still a disaster zone, with devastation everywhere. She said she still cries when she thinks about it. By the way, Martha is my age--64. She was also one of the four fasters arrested on Friday when they sat down and blocked the White House driveway so Tony Blair couldn't leave. An amazing woman.
Today's photos are:
Photo #1 is of Ryad who had escaped last week from Lebanon.
Photo #2 is of a US Park Mounted Policewoman and her horse trying to find some shade.
Photo #3 is of the CodePink/Troops Home Fasters at their camp under a tree.
Photo #4 is of the couple who had just been evacuated from Beirut.
Photo #5 is of Martha, my new shero.
"This IS my job," I said in reply.
And so it is. Hour after hour, day after hot muggy day. My job. To sit in my scooter holding a two-sided sign with "Israel OUT of Lebanon!!!" on one side, and an enlarged photo of my Lebanese family with the question, "Who suffers in war?" on the other. In front of the White House some days, the Senate and/or House Office Buildings the others. To make eye contact as people pass by. To keep turning my sign so they can read both sides. To smile and try to be a presence of peace. To refuse to respond to hostility with anger, but to do everything I can to open a path for dialogue.
My job.
Today's most challenging moment came when a fellow activist/organizer was visiting with me at my "post" in front of the White House. He responded poorly to a woman's shouted, "You have NO RIGHT to say that! No right!", referring to the "Israel OUT of Lebanon!!!" side of my sign. He started shouting back at her. My attempts to get him to stop fell on deaf ears, so I left his side and scooted farther down the block.
After about ten minutes he came to find me and apologized for his behavior. He said, "I'd heard that you don't like confrontation, and I'm sorry I didn't respect that." I accepted his apology and asked that he promise not to do that again while sitting with me, otherwise I would have to ask him to leave. He agreed.
I then told him how I would have handled that situation if I'd been allowed to do so. I would have responded to her accusation that I had no right to call for Israel to leave Lebanon by turning my sign around to the picture of my family. I would have said calmly, "This is my family in Lebanon. I'm here for them." If she had kept on ranting, I would have smiled and kept quiet. I've learned it doesn't pay to engage with angry people. I expect she would have gotten tired of yelling and moved on.
I feel deep compassion for people who "lose it" like this. I don't know their story or how they have suffered. It is my job not to respond in kind. That would just add to the cycle of violence I'm trying to stop...on a macro and micro level. My job is to remain a presence of peace no matter what.
My activist/organizer friend and I then went on discussing how to deal with our own personal anger that's triggered by people like George W. Bush. Strangely enough, that had been our topic of conversation when the shouting match interrupted us--how to deal with our anger. We picked up right where we'd left off. My friend admitted that he sometimes thinks his anger at Bush is so strong because it is connected to childhood issues. I understand that because I've been there too. But, you know, I'm not there any longer. I don't seem to harbor much anger anymore, at least not since I've been here. It takes too much energy simply trying to be a person of peace for me to want to waste it on anger. May it always be so.
Otherwise, it was a quiet day. No dialogues with people from Israel or anyone who disagreed with my signs. One American man made a negative comment as he passed by, but when I asked if he wanted to talk, he just kept on going. A good number of Europeans gave me the thumbs up, wanted to take pictures with me and my sign, or just thanked me for being out there. I got LOTS of thank yous today for simply being out there. Maybe because of the Qana Massacre.
I met one man early in the day, and then a couple later on who had recently gotten out of Lebanon. The man--Ryad--had escaped into Syria, then to Jordan, into Turkey, then someplace in Europe--I forget where--and finally to the US . His seven year old son, mother and father, sister and brother are still there in the north of Beirut. He looked haunted. The couple had been evacuated on a ship to Cyprus, gone to Portugal, London (I think) and on to the US. This was the third time they'd had to escape from Lebanon--the first in 1982, the second in 1989, and the third last week. The man kept repeating how complex the issues were. He also told me the southern suburbs of Beirut are constantly under attack.
I also had an interesting talk with Charlie, a translater/interpreter who lives in DC and is currently translating at a large conference nearby. He very much agreed with my sign but has been frustrated with the lack of support by both his progressive and more conservative Jewish friends. Even his mother, a longtime organizer for peace, is ambivalent about Israel's right to "defend" itself against Hezbollah. We agreed that what they're doing to Lebanon goes WAY beyond self-defense. He said he'll come back to visit me again. I encouraged him to make a sign and bring it with him.
One of my favorite encounters was with Nick, a 13 year old boy from Hawaii. He asked me why I was there. I gave him a thumbnail history of what's been going on in Lebanon, the US place in it, and then asked what he thought. Nick said, "I think the United States should stop sending bombs to Israel, get out of it altogether, and let them work it out themselves." I told him I wished he was in the White House instead of the current president. He smiled and said, "So do I." Who knows? Maybe he will be someday.
I finished up about 4:30 PM and scooted over to the Code Pink/Troops Home Fasters' tree to check in with my friends. Martha and I got to talking. She told me that she hadn't been home to Portland, Oregon in four months, and on Tuesday when the Code Pink/Troops Home Fasters close camp here in front of the White House, she'll be off to Crawford, Texas to join Cindy Sheehan at the new Camp Casey. For three months before coming to DC to start the Troops Home Fast on July 4th, she was in New Orleans as a volunteer working with the reconstruction efforts. Her primary job was as a cook in the tented volunteer headquarters. According to Martha, ten months after Katrina, New Orleans is still a disaster zone, with devastation everywhere. She said she still cries when she thinks about it. By the way, Martha is my age--64. She was also one of the four fasters arrested on Friday when they sat down and blocked the White House driveway so Tony Blair couldn't leave. An amazing woman.
Today's photos are:
Photo #1 is of Ryad who had escaped last week from Lebanon.
Photo #2 is of a US Park Mounted Policewoman and her horse trying to find some shade.
Photo #3 is of the CodePink/Troops Home Fasters at their camp under a tree.
Photo #4 is of the couple who had just been evacuated from Beirut.
Photo #5 is of Martha, my new shero.
Why I must stay...part 2
The numbers of those massacred by Israel in Qana have risen to at least 56 dead, 34 of whom were children, and 12 of whom were women. There were also as yet uncounted, elderly and infirm.
...........................................................................
"The Israeli prime minister, Ehud Olmert, told the visiting US secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice, that the army needed another 10 to 14 days to finish its campaign in Lebanon.
"The US president embraced the Israeli position and sidestepped calls for an immediate ceasefire - although he did urge Israel to take more care to avoid civilian casualties." [my bold]
...excerpt from "Annan dismay at UN inertia"
.............................................................................
From University of Michigan Professor Juan Coles' blog, "Informed Comment":
Sunday, July 30, 2006
Qana Massacre part II
Israeli war planes scored a direct hit on a building in the Shiite village of Qana where destitute farming folk, including old people, women and children, had taken refuge in the basement from Israeli bombing raids. At least 60 are dead, as bodies are pulled from the rubble. 19 children are confirmed dead and another 11 are thought still to be in the basement. The Israelis say they had pamphleted the region demanding that all civilians leave, and high Israeli officials have openly said that anyone who remains is fair game (low civilianity index, and maybe low humanianity index, too). The Israelis don't say, however, how desperately poor hardscrabble farmers including the aged and infirm and children are supposed to travel to Beirut over the roads and bridges that the Israelis have bombed out, and on what they are supposed to live when they get there.
The Israelis had launched 80 air raids on the village of Qana overnight, with large numbers of buildings flattened, according to CNN.
The Israelis appear to be engaged in a concerted campaign of ethnic cleansing in the Shiite towns and villages of southern Lebanon, and are indiscriminately bombing all buildings in the area south of the Litani River. They have chased hundreds of thousands of residents out, and are destroying the property they left behind in a systematic way, rather as they destroy the houses belonging to the family members related to suicide bombers. In other words, the Israelis are engaged in collective punishment on a vast scale. They maintain that rocket launching sites are embedded in these villages. But since Hizbullah keeps firing large numbers of rockets, it does not actually appear to be the case that the Israelis are hitting the rocket launchers. They are demonstrably hitting civilian houses and apartment buildings in a methodical way. There is no independent evidence that this civilian building in Qana was used for any military purpose. Prime Minister Fouad Siniora has called for an international investigation and an immediate ceasefire, and he summarily sent Condi Rice away until she brings such a proposal. To read more...
...........................................................................
"The Israeli prime minister, Ehud Olmert, told the visiting US secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice, that the army needed another 10 to 14 days to finish its campaign in Lebanon.
"The US president embraced the Israeli position and sidestepped calls for an immediate ceasefire - although he did urge Israel to take more care to avoid civilian casualties." [my bold]
...excerpt from "Annan dismay at UN inertia"
.............................................................................
From University of Michigan Professor Juan Coles' blog, "Informed Comment":
Sunday, July 30, 2006
Qana Massacre part II
Israeli war planes scored a direct hit on a building in the Shiite village of Qana where destitute farming folk, including old people, women and children, had taken refuge in the basement from Israeli bombing raids. At least 60 are dead, as bodies are pulled from the rubble. 19 children are confirmed dead and another 11 are thought still to be in the basement. The Israelis say they had pamphleted the region demanding that all civilians leave, and high Israeli officials have openly said that anyone who remains is fair game (low civilianity index, and maybe low humanianity index, too). The Israelis don't say, however, how desperately poor hardscrabble farmers including the aged and infirm and children are supposed to travel to Beirut over the roads and bridges that the Israelis have bombed out, and on what they are supposed to live when they get there.
The Israelis had launched 80 air raids on the village of Qana overnight, with large numbers of buildings flattened, according to CNN.
The Israelis appear to be engaged in a concerted campaign of ethnic cleansing in the Shiite towns and villages of southern Lebanon, and are indiscriminately bombing all buildings in the area south of the Litani River. They have chased hundreds of thousands of residents out, and are destroying the property they left behind in a systematic way, rather as they destroy the houses belonging to the family members related to suicide bombers. In other words, the Israelis are engaged in collective punishment on a vast scale. They maintain that rocket launching sites are embedded in these villages. But since Hizbullah keeps firing large numbers of rockets, it does not actually appear to be the case that the Israelis are hitting the rocket launchers. They are demonstrably hitting civilian houses and apartment buildings in a methodical way. There is no independent evidence that this civilian building in Qana was used for any military purpose. Prime Minister Fouad Siniora has called for an international investigation and an immediate ceasefire, and he summarily sent Condi Rice away until she brings such a proposal. To read more...
Why I must stay...part 1
I dedicate today's vigil in front of the White House to the memory of the 50 innocents murdered by Israel early this morning in the southern Lebanese village of Qana. Inside that pristine white dwelling on Pennsylvania Avenue, with its carefully tended gardens and green green grass, lives a man whose hands are red with the blood of these 50 innocent villagers, 27 of them children. It was his bombs, his financial and official support of Israel, and his refusal to call for an immediate ceasefire that killed them. Because this man represents us--the American people--we are all to blame. The Massacre of Qana will not be forgotten.
ISRAELI ATTACK DRAWS OUTRAGE
Sunday 30 July 2006 10:41 AM GMT
Western and Arab leaders have condemned Israel's attack on a village in south Lebanon which killed at least 50 civilians, among them children, as protesters stormed the UN headquarters in Beirut.
Sunday's strike, the bloodiest since Israel's showdown with Lebanon's Shia group Hezbollah began on July 12, prompted the Lebanese government to cancel a visit by the US secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice.
Lebanon's premier, Fouad Senioria, said: "There is no place on this sad morning for any discussion other than an immediate and unconditional ceasefire as well as an international investigation into the Israeli massacres in Lebanon now."
Hezbollah threatened to retaliate, saying that "this horrific massacre [at Qana] will not go without a response".
Rice 'deeply saddened'
Rice said she was "deeply saddened by the terrible loss of innocent life". She also urged Israel to take "extraordinary care" to avoid civilian deaths in Lebanon.
And while calling for a ceasefire, she said that a truce could not mean a return to the position before the war, which was triggered by Hezbollah's abduction of two Israeli soldiers in a raid out of south Lebanon on July 12.
Israel and the United States have said they want to ensure that Hezbollah can no longer carry out raids and rocket attacks and that it is eventually disarmed under a UN resolution.
Israel said it had attacked Qana on Sunday because Hezbollah was launching rockets from that area.
An Israeli foreign ministry official, Gideon Meir, said: "We deeply regret the loss of any civilian life and especially when you talk about children who are innocent.
"One must understand the Hezbollah is using their own civilian population as human shields. The Israeli defence forces dropped leaflets and warned the civilian population to leave the place because the Hezbollah turned it into a war zone."
'Unjustified action'
France and Britian condemned the attack.
The office of the French president, Jacques Chriac, said in a statement: "The president learnt with concern about the act of violence which cost the lives of numerous innocent victims, notably women and children in Qana.
"France condemns this unjustified action, which demonstrates more than ever the need for an immediate ceasefire without which there will only be other such incidents."
And Britain's foreign secretary, Margaret Beckett, described the strikes as "absolutely dreadful" and "quite appalling".
"We have repeatedly urged Israel to act proportionately," she said.
'Crimes'
Arab and Muslim leaders said international law had beeen violated and spoke of "crimes".
King Abdullah of Jordan said: "This criminal aggression is an ugly crime that has been committed by the Israeli forces in the city of Qana that is a gross violation of all international statutes."
Abdullah, a close US ally, repeated his call for an immediate ceasefire.
Iran, accused by Washington of backing Hezbollah, also condemned the raid.
"I think Israeli officials and some American ones should be tried for these sorts of crimes," said Hamid Reza Asefi, the foreign ministry spokesman.
And the Egyptian President, Hosni Mubarak, called the air strike "irresponsible".
"The Arab Republic of Egypt is highly disturbed and condemns the irresponsible Israeli attack on the Lebanese village of Qana, which led to the loss of innocent victims, most of which were women and children," a statement from the presidency said.
Egypt, which has already called for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire, stressed "the need for a serious international effort to issue an urgent Security Council resolution to stop military attacks immediately".
You can find this article at:
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/19065882-1F42-41DB-AE42-79542F1220C7.htm
ISRAELI ATTACK DRAWS OUTRAGE
Sunday 30 July 2006 10:41 AM GMT
Western and Arab leaders have condemned Israel's attack on a village in south Lebanon which killed at least 50 civilians, among them children, as protesters stormed the UN headquarters in Beirut.
Sunday's strike, the bloodiest since Israel's showdown with Lebanon's Shia group Hezbollah began on July 12, prompted the Lebanese government to cancel a visit by the US secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice.
Lebanon's premier, Fouad Senioria, said: "There is no place on this sad morning for any discussion other than an immediate and unconditional ceasefire as well as an international investigation into the Israeli massacres in Lebanon now."
Hezbollah threatened to retaliate, saying that "this horrific massacre [at Qana] will not go without a response".
Rice 'deeply saddened'
Rice said she was "deeply saddened by the terrible loss of innocent life". She also urged Israel to take "extraordinary care" to avoid civilian deaths in Lebanon.
And while calling for a ceasefire, she said that a truce could not mean a return to the position before the war, which was triggered by Hezbollah's abduction of two Israeli soldiers in a raid out of south Lebanon on July 12.
Israel and the United States have said they want to ensure that Hezbollah can no longer carry out raids and rocket attacks and that it is eventually disarmed under a UN resolution.
Israel said it had attacked Qana on Sunday because Hezbollah was launching rockets from that area.
An Israeli foreign ministry official, Gideon Meir, said: "We deeply regret the loss of any civilian life and especially when you talk about children who are innocent.
"One must understand the Hezbollah is using their own civilian population as human shields. The Israeli defence forces dropped leaflets and warned the civilian population to leave the place because the Hezbollah turned it into a war zone."
'Unjustified action'
France and Britian condemned the attack.
The office of the French president, Jacques Chriac, said in a statement: "The president learnt with concern about the act of violence which cost the lives of numerous innocent victims, notably women and children in Qana.
"France condemns this unjustified action, which demonstrates more than ever the need for an immediate ceasefire without which there will only be other such incidents."
And Britain's foreign secretary, Margaret Beckett, described the strikes as "absolutely dreadful" and "quite appalling".
"We have repeatedly urged Israel to act proportionately," she said.
'Crimes'
Arab and Muslim leaders said international law had beeen violated and spoke of "crimes".
King Abdullah of Jordan said: "This criminal aggression is an ugly crime that has been committed by the Israeli forces in the city of Qana that is a gross violation of all international statutes."
Abdullah, a close US ally, repeated his call for an immediate ceasefire.
Iran, accused by Washington of backing Hezbollah, also condemned the raid.
"I think Israeli officials and some American ones should be tried for these sorts of crimes," said Hamid Reza Asefi, the foreign ministry spokesman.
And the Egyptian President, Hosni Mubarak, called the air strike "irresponsible".
"The Arab Republic of Egypt is highly disturbed and condemns the irresponsible Israeli attack on the Lebanese village of Qana, which led to the loss of innocent victims, most of which were women and children," a statement from the presidency said.
Egypt, which has already called for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire, stressed "the need for a serious international effort to issue an urgent Security Council resolution to stop military attacks immediately".
You can find this article at:
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/19065882-1F42-41DB-AE42-79542F1220C7.htm
Saturday, July 29, 2006
Day 10 of my Lebanon Peace Initiative
On this steaming hot day in front of the White House, I again met interesting people from around the world.
First it was Megda and her daughter Amy who had just been evacuated from Beirut a few days ago. Their husband/father had stayed behind in the mountain home where they have lived for years. Up there, Megda said, they could see all the bombing and destruction, but, so far, they had not come under direct attack themselves. When I shared that I help teach art at a school in Dearborn, Michigan, Megda said there were many people from Dearborn with them on the ship to Cyprus. I asked if that included children. She nodded her head and said, "Lots of children!" I got teary-eyed thinking maybe my kids are safe. I've been so worried about them.
Waiting to talk to me while I was with Megda and Amy was a young Israeli family. Fortunately they waited to speak until my new friends from Lebanon had left. I say "Fortunately" because their perspective on Israel's bombing of Lebanon is very different from Megda's and Amy's. Even though they identify themselves as "leftist Israelis" who have been supporting the return of Gaza and the West Bank to the Palestinians, including the elimination of Jewish settlements there, this young man and woman with their two beautiful small children, wholeheartedly support their country's attacks on Lebanon, which they see as "self-defense." The man likened it to responding to a burgler who has come into your home and killed your child. "Would you just sit back and let that happen?", he asked, "No! You would fight the intruder!"
We talked for quite awhile and were able to agree that we want our loved ones safe, but we couldn't seem to get much beyond that. However, as they turned to leave, the woman said, "I hope your family will be safe." I said the same to her.
Not too long after this rather exhausting encounter--such dialogues are not easy--a woman stopped to have her say about my "Israel Out of Lebanon" sign. She said she has family in Jerusalem and things went downhill from there. I tried to find a common place for us to meet, but she couldn't stop ranting. Finally I gave up on the thought of any dialogue and just kept repeating, "I'm sorry you are suffering." Finally her friend literally pulled her away. So sad.
This encounter happened as a policeman was trying to get my identifying information, so he was witness to it. After the woman had left, I turned and said, "That is how I try to respond peacefully towards those who disagree." He just said, "I hope you can keep doing it that way."
By the way, a policeman usually comes up every day to ask how long I plan to stay and to ask my name. The first two days I gave them my name, but I have since learned from my Code Pink sisters and brothers, that, by law, I do not have to identify myself. So yesterday, I didn't. The policeman was very respectful of that. "You don't have to identify yourself," he said. He then asked if I had a permit, but my friends had also told me you only need a permit if you have 14 or more individuals standing on the sidewalk. Any number of people can stand on the street. So I reminded him that I didn't need a permit to stand there by myself. I also know exactly where I am allowed to stand still with my sign and where I must keep moving. If you stand between the two lightposts directly in front of the White House, you must keep moving. Otherwise, you can stand still for as long as you want. It helps to know the lay of the land, so to speak.
Luckily, my tough "assignments" in nonviolent dialogue came early in the day when I was fresh, as it was a hot one. But I always wear my hat, try to stay in the shade--I'm beginning to know the time of day by when certain of the trees at the fence begin to offer shade--and drink lots of water. I also drink a Gatorade a day to keep my "electrolytes in balance."
The rest of the day was made up of more encounters with amazing people.
Like Carlos Duguech, the director of Paz En El Mundo, a peace organization in Argentina. His English--although somewhat limited--was better than my Spanish so we did our best to communicate in my language. He taped my answer to his question, "What do you think about what is happening between Israel and Lebanon?" I guess he'll have someone translate it.
And M. Khorasani, a friend of the Dalai Lama, stopped and spoke with me for quite awhile. He is an imam at a mosque in Northern Califiornia, and apparently knows people in high places. Yesterday he'd met with the ambassador from Saudi Arabia. When he was asked if he wanted to meet Mr. Bush, my friend said, "No." He said to me, "I couldn't bear to shake that man's hand." His companion took a picture of M. Khorasani and me together.
I also met a group of young women from the Middle East--I can't recall which country--who were deeply appreciative of my being out there.
I can't tell you how many times a day I receive thanks from people from around the world for my being there with my sign. And not just those from the Middle East either. A lot of Europeans agree with me too; Asians as well. And so do some Americans. Not many, to be sure, but enough to give me hope. Of course I still hear the "Why doesn't your sign say, 'Hezbollah out of Israel'?" But if they want to talk, I just encourage them to make their own sign and stand here beside me. I tell them I'd welcome their presence.
My day ended on a very high note. Sahar, Marian's friend from Iran, came to meet me at my vigil and we walk/scooted over to my favorite restaurant for an early dinner. Again, Yared, the host, refused to let me pay! What a dear man.
I could write a book about all that I learned from Sahar.
She is a feminist in Tehran, where being one is extremely dangerous. Her companions were beaten badly and some of them imprisoned after a recent demonstration in Tehran. Her heart is there even while she is here. Sahar was practicing as a medical doctor in Tehran when she found herself drawn to the field of Medical Anthropology. There are very few such programs around the world; one of them being at Columbia Univiersity in New York City. After having to jump a lot of official hoops--in order to get a visa she had to travel to Istanbul--she arrived in New York to start the doctoral program in January. She is currently in DC for two weeks working with a program that focuses on AIDS protection--another area of interest to her--for the homeless and prostitutes of this city. Apparently AIDS is a huge problem in Iran, particularly because of the substance abuse epidemic. Did you know that Iran has the largest percentage of people with narcotics addictions--mainly injected heroin--in the world? This was news to me.
We had a long talk about my family in Lebanon. As a feminist in an Islamic fundamentalist country like Iran, where all women's heads must be covered at risk of imprisonment or lashing--Sahar was surprised and upset that I would carry a sign where the women are not only scarved but--in Sana's case--have their faces covered as well. Her question was, "How could I, a feminist, hold up a picture of women who epitomize Islamic repression of women?" My response was one I have often had to give to my feminist sisters: This is my family and I do not judge their personal choices. I may not agree with them, but I try not to judge.
Our conversation--as our walk/scoot after dinner--was wide-ranging and honest. Sahar and I meet on a deep level and I feel honored to be in her company. She is a couageous, committed woman who is making a difference in the world. We hope to spend more time together before she returns to NYC next Friday.
And now for the pictures:
Photo #1 is of the CodePink/Troops Home Fasters & friends at their usual spot under the tree.
Photo #2 is of a group of exchange students from Algeria and Morroco being shown DC by their hosts from a university in southern Virgina. They very much supported my message.
Photo #3 is of Carol who had just returned from picketing in front of a synagogue with her signs. As a Jewish woman she has been focusing on trying to influence Jewish opinions.
Photo #4 is of Amy with her mother Megda, both of whom had just been evacuated from Lebanon last week.
Photo #5 is of M. Khorasani, the Dalai Lama's friend.
Photo #6 is of Carlos Duguesch, the director of Paz En El Mundo in Argentina.
Photo #7 is of the young women from the Middle East who supported my vigil.
Photo #8 is of Sahar and me at the Washington Monument.
First it was Megda and her daughter Amy who had just been evacuated from Beirut a few days ago. Their husband/father had stayed behind in the mountain home where they have lived for years. Up there, Megda said, they could see all the bombing and destruction, but, so far, they had not come under direct attack themselves. When I shared that I help teach art at a school in Dearborn, Michigan, Megda said there were many people from Dearborn with them on the ship to Cyprus. I asked if that included children. She nodded her head and said, "Lots of children!" I got teary-eyed thinking maybe my kids are safe. I've been so worried about them.
Waiting to talk to me while I was with Megda and Amy was a young Israeli family. Fortunately they waited to speak until my new friends from Lebanon had left. I say "Fortunately" because their perspective on Israel's bombing of Lebanon is very different from Megda's and Amy's. Even though they identify themselves as "leftist Israelis" who have been supporting the return of Gaza and the West Bank to the Palestinians, including the elimination of Jewish settlements there, this young man and woman with their two beautiful small children, wholeheartedly support their country's attacks on Lebanon, which they see as "self-defense." The man likened it to responding to a burgler who has come into your home and killed your child. "Would you just sit back and let that happen?", he asked, "No! You would fight the intruder!"
We talked for quite awhile and were able to agree that we want our loved ones safe, but we couldn't seem to get much beyond that. However, as they turned to leave, the woman said, "I hope your family will be safe." I said the same to her.
Not too long after this rather exhausting encounter--such dialogues are not easy--a woman stopped to have her say about my "Israel Out of Lebanon" sign. She said she has family in Jerusalem and things went downhill from there. I tried to find a common place for us to meet, but she couldn't stop ranting. Finally I gave up on the thought of any dialogue and just kept repeating, "I'm sorry you are suffering." Finally her friend literally pulled her away. So sad.
This encounter happened as a policeman was trying to get my identifying information, so he was witness to it. After the woman had left, I turned and said, "That is how I try to respond peacefully towards those who disagree." He just said, "I hope you can keep doing it that way."
By the way, a policeman usually comes up every day to ask how long I plan to stay and to ask my name. The first two days I gave them my name, but I have since learned from my Code Pink sisters and brothers, that, by law, I do not have to identify myself. So yesterday, I didn't. The policeman was very respectful of that. "You don't have to identify yourself," he said. He then asked if I had a permit, but my friends had also told me you only need a permit if you have 14 or more individuals standing on the sidewalk. Any number of people can stand on the street. So I reminded him that I didn't need a permit to stand there by myself. I also know exactly where I am allowed to stand still with my sign and where I must keep moving. If you stand between the two lightposts directly in front of the White House, you must keep moving. Otherwise, you can stand still for as long as you want. It helps to know the lay of the land, so to speak.
Luckily, my tough "assignments" in nonviolent dialogue came early in the day when I was fresh, as it was a hot one. But I always wear my hat, try to stay in the shade--I'm beginning to know the time of day by when certain of the trees at the fence begin to offer shade--and drink lots of water. I also drink a Gatorade a day to keep my "electrolytes in balance."
The rest of the day was made up of more encounters with amazing people.
Like Carlos Duguech, the director of Paz En El Mundo, a peace organization in Argentina. His English--although somewhat limited--was better than my Spanish so we did our best to communicate in my language. He taped my answer to his question, "What do you think about what is happening between Israel and Lebanon?" I guess he'll have someone translate it.
And M. Khorasani, a friend of the Dalai Lama, stopped and spoke with me for quite awhile. He is an imam at a mosque in Northern Califiornia, and apparently knows people in high places. Yesterday he'd met with the ambassador from Saudi Arabia. When he was asked if he wanted to meet Mr. Bush, my friend said, "No." He said to me, "I couldn't bear to shake that man's hand." His companion took a picture of M. Khorasani and me together.
I also met a group of young women from the Middle East--I can't recall which country--who were deeply appreciative of my being out there.
I can't tell you how many times a day I receive thanks from people from around the world for my being there with my sign. And not just those from the Middle East either. A lot of Europeans agree with me too; Asians as well. And so do some Americans. Not many, to be sure, but enough to give me hope. Of course I still hear the "Why doesn't your sign say, 'Hezbollah out of Israel'?" But if they want to talk, I just encourage them to make their own sign and stand here beside me. I tell them I'd welcome their presence.
My day ended on a very high note. Sahar, Marian's friend from Iran, came to meet me at my vigil and we walk/scooted over to my favorite restaurant for an early dinner. Again, Yared, the host, refused to let me pay! What a dear man.
I could write a book about all that I learned from Sahar.
She is a feminist in Tehran, where being one is extremely dangerous. Her companions were beaten badly and some of them imprisoned after a recent demonstration in Tehran. Her heart is there even while she is here. Sahar was practicing as a medical doctor in Tehran when she found herself drawn to the field of Medical Anthropology. There are very few such programs around the world; one of them being at Columbia Univiersity in New York City. After having to jump a lot of official hoops--in order to get a visa she had to travel to Istanbul--she arrived in New York to start the doctoral program in January. She is currently in DC for two weeks working with a program that focuses on AIDS protection--another area of interest to her--for the homeless and prostitutes of this city. Apparently AIDS is a huge problem in Iran, particularly because of the substance abuse epidemic. Did you know that Iran has the largest percentage of people with narcotics addictions--mainly injected heroin--in the world? This was news to me.
We had a long talk about my family in Lebanon. As a feminist in an Islamic fundamentalist country like Iran, where all women's heads must be covered at risk of imprisonment or lashing--Sahar was surprised and upset that I would carry a sign where the women are not only scarved but--in Sana's case--have their faces covered as well. Her question was, "How could I, a feminist, hold up a picture of women who epitomize Islamic repression of women?" My response was one I have often had to give to my feminist sisters: This is my family and I do not judge their personal choices. I may not agree with them, but I try not to judge.
Our conversation--as our walk/scoot after dinner--was wide-ranging and honest. Sahar and I meet on a deep level and I feel honored to be in her company. She is a couageous, committed woman who is making a difference in the world. We hope to spend more time together before she returns to NYC next Friday.
And now for the pictures:
Photo #1 is of the CodePink/Troops Home Fasters & friends at their usual spot under the tree.
Photo #2 is of a group of exchange students from Algeria and Morroco being shown DC by their hosts from a university in southern Virgina. They very much supported my message.
Photo #3 is of Carol who had just returned from picketing in front of a synagogue with her signs. As a Jewish woman she has been focusing on trying to influence Jewish opinions.
Photo #4 is of Amy with her mother Megda, both of whom had just been evacuated from Lebanon last week.
Photo #5 is of M. Khorasani, the Dalai Lama's friend.
Photo #6 is of Carlos Duguesch, the director of Paz En El Mundo in Argentina.
Photo #7 is of the young women from the Middle East who supported my vigil.
Photo #8 is of Sahar and me at the Washington Monument.
becoming a Friend of my Lebanon Peace Initiative
It has been suggested that I invite my readers to do more than support my work here in Washington, DC with good thoughts and prayers; I have been encouraged to ask you for money. This goes against my grain, but I now realize that if you are allowed to give tangible support for this peace effort, you will have the satisfaction of knowing you are doing something worthwhile to try to protect the innocent civilians in Lebanon, 600 of whom have already been killed in 18 days of violence.
ALL of the money donated--sorry to say it is not tax deductible--will go towards paying my hotel and parking expenses here in Washington, DC.
I'm staying at the most reasonably priced hotel I could find in this expensive city--$113.37 a day including taxes, and $10 a day for parking--but that is still going to add up to $2220.66 by the time I leave on Monday, August 7 after having stayed for 18 nights. Unfortunately my need for a wheelchair-accessible room and shower prevents me from staying in a private home, even if one were available. Another advantage of staying here at the Hotel Harrington at 11th & E streets NW is that it is within scooting distance of the White House and Capitol Hill where I spend 4-5 hours every day holding up my sign and entering into peaceful dialogue with passersby.
If you would like to become a Friend of my Lebanon Peace Initiative by making any donation, large or small, please email me and I'll send you my snail mail address to which you can send a check made out to Patricia Lay-Dorsey. If good wishes and prayers are all you can afford right now, please know they are deeply appreciated.
ALL of the money donated--sorry to say it is not tax deductible--will go towards paying my hotel and parking expenses here in Washington, DC.
I'm staying at the most reasonably priced hotel I could find in this expensive city--$113.37 a day including taxes, and $10 a day for parking--but that is still going to add up to $2220.66 by the time I leave on Monday, August 7 after having stayed for 18 nights. Unfortunately my need for a wheelchair-accessible room and shower prevents me from staying in a private home, even if one were available. Another advantage of staying here at the Hotel Harrington at 11th & E streets NW is that it is within scooting distance of the White House and Capitol Hill where I spend 4-5 hours every day holding up my sign and entering into peaceful dialogue with passersby.
If you would like to become a Friend of my Lebanon Peace Initiative by making any donation, large or small, please email me and I'll send you my snail mail address to which you can send a check made out to Patricia Lay-Dorsey. If good wishes and prayers are all you can afford right now, please know they are deeply appreciated.
Friday, July 28, 2006
Day 9 of my Lebanon Peace Initiative
So much happened today--in both my inner and outer lives--that it's hard to know where to begin. But I'm going to start with the most significant: my father was restored to me.
Now that might seem like a strange thing to say, especially since he's been dead since 1987. But if you've followed my life through my blog or web site, you've probably heard me speak of my father's career as a founder of the CIA and Executive Secretary of the National Security Council under Presidents Truman and Eisenhower. What I might not have mentioned was that he left the NSC in 1960 shortly after John Kennedy became president, and went to the CIA where he was the Executive Secretary of the United States Intelligence Board until his retirement in 1971. The CIA was very important in our lives. I worked there for one summer during college, and the Director of the CIA at the time, Richard Helms, came to Ed's and my wedding in 1966.
All this as background for what happened today.
The Code Pink/Bring Troops Home Fasters organized a street theater-type of demonstration to welcome Britain's Prime Minister Tony Blair to his meeting this morning with GW Bush at the White House. The theme was "Pink Poodles" because the media in the UK refers to Blair as Bush's poodle. I decided to join them. So I got to their spot under the tree across from the White House at 9 AM. Martha and others prepared the poodle-decorated pink parasols while Ann gave us an introduction to the day's actions. Among those attending was Ray McGovern, the former longtime CIA analyst who has been writing and speaking about how the Bush administration doctored the CIA reports prior to attacking Iraq to make them look like they supported his assertion that Saddam Hussein was a threat to the US. Ray has become a well respected voice in the antiwar movement.
So I introduced myself and told him how much I appreciated all he was doing to replace the lies we'd been fed with the truth. Ray is a modest fellow who quickly turned the conversation from himself to me, so in no time at all we were talking about my father and his connection with the CIA. He remembered having seen my Dad's name on many documents he'd received in his work as a CIA analyst. The conversation then turned to the disillusionment Id felt when I'd awakened to all that my Dad must have been party to during his years both at the NSC and the CIA. Ray asked what had triggered my disillusionment and I said the first Gulf War. I described the three weeks I spent in solitude during that war, at which time I finally faced the demons of my Dad's complicity in such horrors as the assassination of Lumumba in the Congo and others.
That's when Ray gave me back my Dad. He took the time to describe the ideals under which the analytical branch of the CIA--the branch he and my Dad had been part of--operated, and how different, and actually cut off, it was from the operative side of the Agency, the undercover agents who can commit pretty horrible crimes. He assured me that, even when my Dad was working with the NSC, he would never have even heard about plans for any assassinations. Such things would have been spoken to the president in private and never written down.
Do you have any idea how it felt to hear this from a man who obviously knows what he's talking about? It was as if the weight of the world had been lifted from my shoulders. I think I'd felt that I had to expiate my father's guilt by the strength of my own commitment to peace. Now that work can be free of past agendas and be MY work not my father's. It's like I can breathe again. And I can also respect my Dad again, which means the world to me.
So that was the inner shift that occurred today; the outer shifts were less profound but still had meaning.
I marched with the Pink Poodles for awhile and was enjoying the sense of solidarity. At least I enjoyed it until the chants turned sour, for me anyway. There's a chant that often comes up about "How many kids did you kill today?" that just doesn't sit well with me. I know there's reality to it, but, in my opinion, it feeds into the violence it's decrying. So I did as I'd done when that chant was started at the big rally in front of the Israeli Embassy on Tuesday night: I scooted away from the crowd. In this case, I scooted farther along the White House fence and began another of my solitary vigils.
That meant I wasn't there when four of the Fasters sat down blocking the White House gate, and were subsequently arrested. By the way, this was an intentional act of civil disobedience, not police brutality. I gather the police--with whom they've developed a good relationship during their weeks in front of the White House--treated them fine. I just hope they were released within a couple of hours instead of having to spend the weekend in jail. Some of our weakest Fasters--Diane and Fr.Louie--were among them.
Soon afterwards, the police not only blocked off the sidewalk and street directly in front of the White House as we've become accustomed to their doing when someone special enters or leaves the White House, they also closed the sidewalk on the park side of the street and even that half of the park. This was new.
I saw it as a success for the Pink Poodles because it seemed clear that they were embarrassing Blair, but my views were not shared by some of my sister activists. They actually looked at me like I was crazy when I said it. They just saw it as another example of their right to protest being taken away.
You know, my own personal ideas of effective activism are changing dramatically here. I'm coming to believe that one-to-one dialogue is where it's at. When individuals take the time to speak and listen to their own and another's truth, that's when minds and hearts can change. I'm now less inclined to see marches, rallies, chants, even being arrested, as the most effective ways to promote change. I know many would disagree, but all I can go on is my own personal experience.
For nine days I've held up a sign that has provoked both positive and negative responses from all kinds of people. And sometimes these individuals have stopped to share their thoughts and feelings with me. If I can keep my mind and heart open to what they are saying, then there's a good chance we can find a place where we can meet. Isn't that what we wish our world leaders would do? Isn't that a path to peace? Whereas when we chant or make speeches AT people, how can we expect them to hear us without getting defensive? Especially if they disagree with our position.
Now, you need courage to do this solitary work for peace. And I do think it's more effective if you can be out there on your own rather than in a group. People feel intimidated if there are even two people, much less a crowd. But if you can have a peaceful demeanor, then folks feel safe approaching you. I'm finding that I am being changed more than anyone, not necessarily my opinions but definitely my way of being in the world. Could it be? Am I finally becoming a peacemaker? Oh, may it be so.
The day offered wonderful opportunities to get to know people like Joan, a spiritually evolved woman who is currently staying in a shelter here in DC. We spent a good long time talking and she told me the story of when she was 12 and met Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. here in her hometown of DC. Do you know her first question to him? "How are your children?" He really warmed to her then. She took him by the hand and walked him a block away to meet her parents. She described him as having a deeply spiritual aura. Well, so does she. I'm hoping she'll come back so we can get to know one another better.
I also met Jill of the UK while the park was closed. She'd come over during her lunch hour to see Tony Blair whom she describes as being terribly out of touch with what the people of the UK want. She said they'd had such hopes for him at the beginning but that he'd turned into a bit of a monster, especially in relation to Bush.
My final new friends of the day were Marian and her Iranian friend, Sahar. We met and went to an excellent bellydance perfomance together at a performance space near Chinatown. Marian is the woman who had contacted me in response to my wanting to sell my Michigan Womyn's Music Festival ticket. She tickled me by saying she's going to make a T-shirt to wear at festival with "DARTPatricia's ticket" printed on it. When womyn ask her about it, she'll tell them about my vigils here in DC for peace in Lebanon.
And now I must go to bed. But first, here are today's pictures:
Now that might seem like a strange thing to say, especially since he's been dead since 1987. But if you've followed my life through my blog or web site, you've probably heard me speak of my father's career as a founder of the CIA and Executive Secretary of the National Security Council under Presidents Truman and Eisenhower. What I might not have mentioned was that he left the NSC in 1960 shortly after John Kennedy became president, and went to the CIA where he was the Executive Secretary of the United States Intelligence Board until his retirement in 1971. The CIA was very important in our lives. I worked there for one summer during college, and the Director of the CIA at the time, Richard Helms, came to Ed's and my wedding in 1966.
All this as background for what happened today.
The Code Pink/Bring Troops Home Fasters organized a street theater-type of demonstration to welcome Britain's Prime Minister Tony Blair to his meeting this morning with GW Bush at the White House. The theme was "Pink Poodles" because the media in the UK refers to Blair as Bush's poodle. I decided to join them. So I got to their spot under the tree across from the White House at 9 AM. Martha and others prepared the poodle-decorated pink parasols while Ann gave us an introduction to the day's actions. Among those attending was Ray McGovern, the former longtime CIA analyst who has been writing and speaking about how the Bush administration doctored the CIA reports prior to attacking Iraq to make them look like they supported his assertion that Saddam Hussein was a threat to the US. Ray has become a well respected voice in the antiwar movement.
So I introduced myself and told him how much I appreciated all he was doing to replace the lies we'd been fed with the truth. Ray is a modest fellow who quickly turned the conversation from himself to me, so in no time at all we were talking about my father and his connection with the CIA. He remembered having seen my Dad's name on many documents he'd received in his work as a CIA analyst. The conversation then turned to the disillusionment Id felt when I'd awakened to all that my Dad must have been party to during his years both at the NSC and the CIA. Ray asked what had triggered my disillusionment and I said the first Gulf War. I described the three weeks I spent in solitude during that war, at which time I finally faced the demons of my Dad's complicity in such horrors as the assassination of Lumumba in the Congo and others.
That's when Ray gave me back my Dad. He took the time to describe the ideals under which the analytical branch of the CIA--the branch he and my Dad had been part of--operated, and how different, and actually cut off, it was from the operative side of the Agency, the undercover agents who can commit pretty horrible crimes. He assured me that, even when my Dad was working with the NSC, he would never have even heard about plans for any assassinations. Such things would have been spoken to the president in private and never written down.
Do you have any idea how it felt to hear this from a man who obviously knows what he's talking about? It was as if the weight of the world had been lifted from my shoulders. I think I'd felt that I had to expiate my father's guilt by the strength of my own commitment to peace. Now that work can be free of past agendas and be MY work not my father's. It's like I can breathe again. And I can also respect my Dad again, which means the world to me.
So that was the inner shift that occurred today; the outer shifts were less profound but still had meaning.
I marched with the Pink Poodles for awhile and was enjoying the sense of solidarity. At least I enjoyed it until the chants turned sour, for me anyway. There's a chant that often comes up about "How many kids did you kill today?" that just doesn't sit well with me. I know there's reality to it, but, in my opinion, it feeds into the violence it's decrying. So I did as I'd done when that chant was started at the big rally in front of the Israeli Embassy on Tuesday night: I scooted away from the crowd. In this case, I scooted farther along the White House fence and began another of my solitary vigils.
That meant I wasn't there when four of the Fasters sat down blocking the White House gate, and were subsequently arrested. By the way, this was an intentional act of civil disobedience, not police brutality. I gather the police--with whom they've developed a good relationship during their weeks in front of the White House--treated them fine. I just hope they were released within a couple of hours instead of having to spend the weekend in jail. Some of our weakest Fasters--Diane and Fr.Louie--were among them.
Soon afterwards, the police not only blocked off the sidewalk and street directly in front of the White House as we've become accustomed to their doing when someone special enters or leaves the White House, they also closed the sidewalk on the park side of the street and even that half of the park. This was new.
I saw it as a success for the Pink Poodles because it seemed clear that they were embarrassing Blair, but my views were not shared by some of my sister activists. They actually looked at me like I was crazy when I said it. They just saw it as another example of their right to protest being taken away.
You know, my own personal ideas of effective activism are changing dramatically here. I'm coming to believe that one-to-one dialogue is where it's at. When individuals take the time to speak and listen to their own and another's truth, that's when minds and hearts can change. I'm now less inclined to see marches, rallies, chants, even being arrested, as the most effective ways to promote change. I know many would disagree, but all I can go on is my own personal experience.
For nine days I've held up a sign that has provoked both positive and negative responses from all kinds of people. And sometimes these individuals have stopped to share their thoughts and feelings with me. If I can keep my mind and heart open to what they are saying, then there's a good chance we can find a place where we can meet. Isn't that what we wish our world leaders would do? Isn't that a path to peace? Whereas when we chant or make speeches AT people, how can we expect them to hear us without getting defensive? Especially if they disagree with our position.
Now, you need courage to do this solitary work for peace. And I do think it's more effective if you can be out there on your own rather than in a group. People feel intimidated if there are even two people, much less a crowd. But if you can have a peaceful demeanor, then folks feel safe approaching you. I'm finding that I am being changed more than anyone, not necessarily my opinions but definitely my way of being in the world. Could it be? Am I finally becoming a peacemaker? Oh, may it be so.
The day offered wonderful opportunities to get to know people like Joan, a spiritually evolved woman who is currently staying in a shelter here in DC. We spent a good long time talking and she told me the story of when she was 12 and met Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. here in her hometown of DC. Do you know her first question to him? "How are your children?" He really warmed to her then. She took him by the hand and walked him a block away to meet her parents. She described him as having a deeply spiritual aura. Well, so does she. I'm hoping she'll come back so we can get to know one another better.
I also met Jill of the UK while the park was closed. She'd come over during her lunch hour to see Tony Blair whom she describes as being terribly out of touch with what the people of the UK want. She said they'd had such hopes for him at the beginning but that he'd turned into a bit of a monster, especially in relation to Bush.
My final new friends of the day were Marian and her Iranian friend, Sahar. We met and went to an excellent bellydance perfomance together at a performance space near Chinatown. Marian is the woman who had contacted me in response to my wanting to sell my Michigan Womyn's Music Festival ticket. She tickled me by saying she's going to make a T-shirt to wear at festival with "DARTPatricia's ticket" printed on it. When womyn ask her about it, she'll tell them about my vigils here in DC for peace in Lebanon.
And now I must go to bed. But first, here are today's pictures:
Thursday, July 27, 2006
Day 8 of my Lebanon Peace Initiative
People are so kind. Yared, the Ethiopian host at my favorite restaurant here in my DC neighborhood--The Elephant & Castle--wouldn't let me pay for my dinner tonight. While I was eating my fish & chips, we'd talked about my work here in Washington to raise awareness of the plight of the Lebanese people. I guess my story touched him because when I asked for the check, the waiter said my dinner was free.
I'm finding this kind of family-feeling everywhere I go in DC. Whether it's the police checking to be sure I'm OK, strangers offering to get me water, people helping me open doors and getting out of the way so I can use the curb cuts, or simply being met with smiles even when I suspect they're not real fond of my message, I am feeling taken care of wherever I go. Although I'm alone most of the time, I do not feel lonely. Besides, I feel very strongly the support and loving thoughts of you, my faithful readers. Your support means more to me than you can imagine.
I got a late start this morning after needing to catch up on my sleep. The only trouble with having an evening activity like yesterday's film at the Women's Museum, is that I still need/want to put up my blog before going to bed. Last night that translated into a 3 AM bedtime! So I let myself sleep in this morning until 10:30 AM.
I started out at the Code Pink/Troops Home Fasters' tree across from the White House. I'd read on Democracy Now! that Code Pink's founder, Media Benjamin, had been able to get into the joint session of Congress for yesterday's speech by the Iraqi Prime Minister, and had interrupted it by standing and yelling, "Iraqis want the troops to leave. Bring them home now!" She'd been arrested for disturbing the peace, and she and Diane Wilson, who's in her 24th day of a water-only fast, had been interviewed by Amy Goodman and Juan Gonzalez on today's Democracy Now! show. I wanted to hear the story from the source.
Well, Media wasn't there, but Diane was. And so was Fr. Louie who had his own stories to tell.
A number of Code Pink/Troops Home Fasters were doing their best to get into the hearings on Captiol Hill being held to consider renewing John Bolton's nomination as US representative to the United Nations. In everyone's opinion that I know, Bolton is a disaster, a one-man promoter of ever more anti-American attitudes worldwide. I have my own personal issues with him. It was John Bolton who single-handedly squashed any attempts to pass a UN resolution censuring Israel for "disproportionate use of force" against Lebanon. And he, with the help of Ms. Condi Rice, also destroyed any international calls for a ceasefire. John Bolton is an enemy of peace, in my humble opinion.
But the Congressional police apparently saw not John Bolton, but Franciscan priest Fr. Louie Vitale, as a "dangeous enemy" this morning. Louie has spent up to six months at a time in federal prisons for civil resistance actions against nuclear weapons at the Nevada Test Site. They held and questioned him for an hour after he'd tried to get into the Bolton hearings, which were supposedly open to the public. The only way he got free of them was to ask that they call Congresswoman Pelosi's office where he had an appointment, and have her OK him. After meeting with an aide in Pelosi's office, Father Louie walked over to the Korean War Memorial where he'd heard VP Dick Cheney would be speaking. He managed to yell out a few words about bringing the troops home before he was ordered to leave.
Now, I don't know how Louie had the energy for all this--he's been on a juice-only fast for 24 days and is a skinny as a brown-robed serpent. What a sweet, deeply commited man of peace.
After checking-in with the fasters, I scooted up to Capitol Hill to do my work. I chose to spend the day in front of the House Office Buildings because there seems to be more activity over there. Besides tomorrow is their last day in session before the August summer recess.
As I said to my friend Dorothy in a phone call during a break, holding a sign for hours at a time is quite meditative. It becomes timeless time, but the key is to stay totally present and engaged. I try to catch people's eyes and smile, so that even if we don't agree, we've made a connection.
The vast majority of responses today were positive. I sense people are waking up and not liking what they see. Of course there are still those who see Hezbollah as the #1 Enemy, but their numbers are decreasing day-by-day. Rarely do these folks stop to speak to me, so I just smile and let them go on their misinformed way.
As always, I had wonderful conversations with passersby. Andrew Bestor was the first. He is focused on the CIA's role in just about everything and has a web site that you might find interesting.
Next it was Eva from Toronto and Tenzin from Connecticut. They've been in DC for months working with the International Campaign for Tibet. Tenzin is Tibetan and was born in a refugee camp in India, so this is work about which she feels passionate. And Eva impressed me as a deeply compassionate woman, one who longs to bring peace and justice to the world. She offered to help publicize my work for the Lebanese people, and asked me a lot of probing questions. Our time together was like a cool shower in the middle of this hot muggy day.
And for me it was a special delight to reconnect with Tammara of the Miltary Families Speak Out whose Operation House Call was set up not far from where I parked with my sign today. I'd gotten to know Tammara when the Midwest Bring the Troops Home Now Bus Tour came to Detroit last September. I was their driver/liason from Camp Casey Detroit. Earlier today, Al and Stacey of the MFSO group had given me fresh cut-up fruit. A real treat!
As I say, I received lots of positive feedback for my cause today. More thumbs up--literally--than ever, even one from a high-level Navy officer dressed in his whites. Many people thanked me for doing this, often God-blessing-me too. I appreciate all forms of blessing, especially when I know it goes directly to the people for whom I stand.
I took a different way home and found a hidden treasure along the way: the Bartholdi Park at the corner of Indpendence Avenue and Washington Street. It's run by the Botanical Gardens and offers an oasis of peace in the midst of the city. It soothed my soul just to be there. Like yesterdy when I realized how much I'd missed music, toay I saw how much I've missed flowers. But now I know where to find them again.
So, here are today's photos:
Photo #1 is of Andrew Bestor.
Photo #2 is of Eva and Tenzin of the International Campaign for Tibet.
Photo #3 is f Tammara of the Military Families Speak Out.
Photo #4 is of a number of the MFSO volunteers who are keeping Operation House Call going.
Photo #5 is to show you the monstrously big guns the Congressionsl Police now carry.
Photos #6-12 are of the Bartholdi Park.
I'm finding this kind of family-feeling everywhere I go in DC. Whether it's the police checking to be sure I'm OK, strangers offering to get me water, people helping me open doors and getting out of the way so I can use the curb cuts, or simply being met with smiles even when I suspect they're not real fond of my message, I am feeling taken care of wherever I go. Although I'm alone most of the time, I do not feel lonely. Besides, I feel very strongly the support and loving thoughts of you, my faithful readers. Your support means more to me than you can imagine.
I got a late start this morning after needing to catch up on my sleep. The only trouble with having an evening activity like yesterday's film at the Women's Museum, is that I still need/want to put up my blog before going to bed. Last night that translated into a 3 AM bedtime! So I let myself sleep in this morning until 10:30 AM.
I started out at the Code Pink/Troops Home Fasters' tree across from the White House. I'd read on Democracy Now! that Code Pink's founder, Media Benjamin, had been able to get into the joint session of Congress for yesterday's speech by the Iraqi Prime Minister, and had interrupted it by standing and yelling, "Iraqis want the troops to leave. Bring them home now!" She'd been arrested for disturbing the peace, and she and Diane Wilson, who's in her 24th day of a water-only fast, had been interviewed by Amy Goodman and Juan Gonzalez on today's Democracy Now! show. I wanted to hear the story from the source.
Well, Media wasn't there, but Diane was. And so was Fr. Louie who had his own stories to tell.
A number of Code Pink/Troops Home Fasters were doing their best to get into the hearings on Captiol Hill being held to consider renewing John Bolton's nomination as US representative to the United Nations. In everyone's opinion that I know, Bolton is a disaster, a one-man promoter of ever more anti-American attitudes worldwide. I have my own personal issues with him. It was John Bolton who single-handedly squashed any attempts to pass a UN resolution censuring Israel for "disproportionate use of force" against Lebanon. And he, with the help of Ms. Condi Rice, also destroyed any international calls for a ceasefire. John Bolton is an enemy of peace, in my humble opinion.
But the Congressional police apparently saw not John Bolton, but Franciscan priest Fr. Louie Vitale, as a "dangeous enemy" this morning. Louie has spent up to six months at a time in federal prisons for civil resistance actions against nuclear weapons at the Nevada Test Site. They held and questioned him for an hour after he'd tried to get into the Bolton hearings, which were supposedly open to the public. The only way he got free of them was to ask that they call Congresswoman Pelosi's office where he had an appointment, and have her OK him. After meeting with an aide in Pelosi's office, Father Louie walked over to the Korean War Memorial where he'd heard VP Dick Cheney would be speaking. He managed to yell out a few words about bringing the troops home before he was ordered to leave.
Now, I don't know how Louie had the energy for all this--he's been on a juice-only fast for 24 days and is a skinny as a brown-robed serpent. What a sweet, deeply commited man of peace.
After checking-in with the fasters, I scooted up to Capitol Hill to do my work. I chose to spend the day in front of the House Office Buildings because there seems to be more activity over there. Besides tomorrow is their last day in session before the August summer recess.
As I said to my friend Dorothy in a phone call during a break, holding a sign for hours at a time is quite meditative. It becomes timeless time, but the key is to stay totally present and engaged. I try to catch people's eyes and smile, so that even if we don't agree, we've made a connection.
The vast majority of responses today were positive. I sense people are waking up and not liking what they see. Of course there are still those who see Hezbollah as the #1 Enemy, but their numbers are decreasing day-by-day. Rarely do these folks stop to speak to me, so I just smile and let them go on their misinformed way.
As always, I had wonderful conversations with passersby. Andrew Bestor was the first. He is focused on the CIA's role in just about everything and has a web site that you might find interesting.
Next it was Eva from Toronto and Tenzin from Connecticut. They've been in DC for months working with the International Campaign for Tibet. Tenzin is Tibetan and was born in a refugee camp in India, so this is work about which she feels passionate. And Eva impressed me as a deeply compassionate woman, one who longs to bring peace and justice to the world. She offered to help publicize my work for the Lebanese people, and asked me a lot of probing questions. Our time together was like a cool shower in the middle of this hot muggy day.
And for me it was a special delight to reconnect with Tammara of the Miltary Families Speak Out whose Operation House Call was set up not far from where I parked with my sign today. I'd gotten to know Tammara when the Midwest Bring the Troops Home Now Bus Tour came to Detroit last September. I was their driver/liason from Camp Casey Detroit. Earlier today, Al and Stacey of the MFSO group had given me fresh cut-up fruit. A real treat!
As I say, I received lots of positive feedback for my cause today. More thumbs up--literally--than ever, even one from a high-level Navy officer dressed in his whites. Many people thanked me for doing this, often God-blessing-me too. I appreciate all forms of blessing, especially when I know it goes directly to the people for whom I stand.
I took a different way home and found a hidden treasure along the way: the Bartholdi Park at the corner of Indpendence Avenue and Washington Street. It's run by the Botanical Gardens and offers an oasis of peace in the midst of the city. It soothed my soul just to be there. Like yesterdy when I realized how much I'd missed music, toay I saw how much I've missed flowers. But now I know where to find them again.
So, here are today's photos:
Photo #1 is of Andrew Bestor.
Photo #2 is of Eva and Tenzin of the International Campaign for Tibet.
Photo #3 is f Tammara of the Military Families Speak Out.
Photo #4 is of a number of the MFSO volunteers who are keeping Operation House Call going.
Photo #5 is to show you the monstrously big guns the Congressionsl Police now carry.
Photos #6-12 are of the Bartholdi Park.
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
Day 7 of my Lebanon Peace Initiative
This was a day where I thanked my lucky stars that I was in the right place at the right time.
I'd known that the Iraqi Prime Minister Al-Maliki would be speaking to a joint session of Congress this morning, so I scooted up to my usual spot in front of the Senate Office Building in hopes of their being more foot traffic than usual.
For the first time, a guard--Officer Mike O'Malley--came up to speak to me. He was just checking to be sure I was doing OK in the heat and to tell me, if I didn't already know, that the Senate Office Building was public and I could go in there anytime I wanted to cool off or use a restroom. As he said, "It's your building."
During our conversation he received a message and left quickly saying, "I've got to go now. I'll come back later." That's when I began to suspect something was up. When I saw two police cars with blinking lights at the far corner, and Officer Mike in the middle of the street stopping pedestrians from crossing over to the Capitol side of Constitution Avenue, then I KNEW something was up. And I guessed it had to do with Prime Minister Maliki. Maybe his motorcade was coming our way. But no, that wasn't it. Actually, as an activist with a sign, to whom visibility is everything, it was even better than that.
Instead of a convoy of official limos buzzing by, what should I see but 100 individuals leaving the side door of the Capitol and proceeding on foot directly toward us but across the street. When they got close enough to identify, I saw men and women in dress clothing from every corner of the earth: it was obviously the foreign dignitaries who had been invited to attend Iraqi Prime Minister's speech to Congress. And they couldn't miss seeing my signs because I parked my scooter right on the corner facing them.
An activist's dream come true!
There were two chartered buses waiting for them, so as they completed their boarding I scooted to the middle of the block right across from the buses. Oh my, was I excited! For persons from around the world to see that at least one American was not taking Israel's atrocities against Lebanon lying down filled me with gratitude. It made everything worthwhile.
Actually, except for a couple of nasty comments made by American tourists over in front of the House Office Buildings where I went later on, most of the responses I received today were positive. A good number of people said, "Good for you!", and one Senate staffer stopped to say how he admired my staying out on such a scorching hot day. He said that spoke highly of my deep commitment to what I believe.
And, as always, there were opportunities to meet and talk more in depth with interesting individuals.
The first opportunity came as I was parked in front of the House Office Buildings, holding up my sign. A woman interviewer and male cameraperson who were going into the building, saw me, stopped and asked for an interview. They identified themselves as being from Latin American TV. The woman asked excellent questions about my views on what is happening in Lebanon, and also about the U.S.-Israeli alliance that is fueling it. After the filming, they said this will be shown in countries all over Latin America, including Cuba.
Shortly after that, I heard a voice crying, "Patsy Lay!" It was Luke O'Hara, a classmate from high school! He was with a young man from Ireland and they were on their way to give a presentation on an American-Irish program that Luke has worked on for years. He applauded me for what I was doing.
Next I met John, an American teacher of English in a Beirut school who had just been evacuated from Lebanon 52 hours before! He spoke of the horrible conditions there, how much he loves the children and the country, and how he plans to return in September.
I then met Ross from Boston. After he'd taken a picture of me and my sign, I asked him to take one with my camera. We got to talking and I found he knew a great deal about the history of the longstanding Israeli aggression in the southern part of Lebanon. He also knew exactly what was happening now. When I asked where he got his news, he said he reads The Economist out of London and finds much in that publication that Americans never hear about.
While Ross and I were talking, Rudy, whom I think works as a staffer in the House Office Buildings, joined us. She and her husband had just returned from Jordan where he has family. Rudy, who is of Palestinian descent herself, said she'd seen me at last night's demonstration. The three of us had a lively discussion about what's happening in Lebanon and Palestine. It was good to be with individuals who see things similarly to me. Quite relaxing actually.
I completed today's vigil a little after 5 PM and scooted over to Gifford's Ice Cream Parlor--my new favorite--for a lemon/coconut milkshake. It was a delight to sit in air conditioning, sipping on a nice cold drink, and listen to mellow music being sung by folks like Judy Garland and Frank Sinatra. It made me realize I had not heard any music since last Thursday! I was as hungry for music as for that cool milkshake.
I then scooted over to the National Museum of Women In the Arts to attend a film directed by Maya Angelo and called "Down in the Delta." I'd seen it publicized in a store window on the way home. It was a perfect way to end the day.
In addition to photos of the stories, people and places I've mentioned, I also took pictures of the park beside the Senate Office Building where I go to restore myself. Here are today's photos:
I'd known that the Iraqi Prime Minister Al-Maliki would be speaking to a joint session of Congress this morning, so I scooted up to my usual spot in front of the Senate Office Building in hopes of their being more foot traffic than usual.
For the first time, a guard--Officer Mike O'Malley--came up to speak to me. He was just checking to be sure I was doing OK in the heat and to tell me, if I didn't already know, that the Senate Office Building was public and I could go in there anytime I wanted to cool off or use a restroom. As he said, "It's your building."
During our conversation he received a message and left quickly saying, "I've got to go now. I'll come back later." That's when I began to suspect something was up. When I saw two police cars with blinking lights at the far corner, and Officer Mike in the middle of the street stopping pedestrians from crossing over to the Capitol side of Constitution Avenue, then I KNEW something was up. And I guessed it had to do with Prime Minister Maliki. Maybe his motorcade was coming our way. But no, that wasn't it. Actually, as an activist with a sign, to whom visibility is everything, it was even better than that.
Instead of a convoy of official limos buzzing by, what should I see but 100 individuals leaving the side door of the Capitol and proceeding on foot directly toward us but across the street. When they got close enough to identify, I saw men and women in dress clothing from every corner of the earth: it was obviously the foreign dignitaries who had been invited to attend Iraqi Prime Minister's speech to Congress. And they couldn't miss seeing my signs because I parked my scooter right on the corner facing them.
An activist's dream come true!
There were two chartered buses waiting for them, so as they completed their boarding I scooted to the middle of the block right across from the buses. Oh my, was I excited! For persons from around the world to see that at least one American was not taking Israel's atrocities against Lebanon lying down filled me with gratitude. It made everything worthwhile.
Actually, except for a couple of nasty comments made by American tourists over in front of the House Office Buildings where I went later on, most of the responses I received today were positive. A good number of people said, "Good for you!", and one Senate staffer stopped to say how he admired my staying out on such a scorching hot day. He said that spoke highly of my deep commitment to what I believe.
And, as always, there were opportunities to meet and talk more in depth with interesting individuals.
The first opportunity came as I was parked in front of the House Office Buildings, holding up my sign. A woman interviewer and male cameraperson who were going into the building, saw me, stopped and asked for an interview. They identified themselves as being from Latin American TV. The woman asked excellent questions about my views on what is happening in Lebanon, and also about the U.S.-Israeli alliance that is fueling it. After the filming, they said this will be shown in countries all over Latin America, including Cuba.
Shortly after that, I heard a voice crying, "Patsy Lay!" It was Luke O'Hara, a classmate from high school! He was with a young man from Ireland and they were on their way to give a presentation on an American-Irish program that Luke has worked on for years. He applauded me for what I was doing.
Next I met John, an American teacher of English in a Beirut school who had just been evacuated from Lebanon 52 hours before! He spoke of the horrible conditions there, how much he loves the children and the country, and how he plans to return in September.
I then met Ross from Boston. After he'd taken a picture of me and my sign, I asked him to take one with my camera. We got to talking and I found he knew a great deal about the history of the longstanding Israeli aggression in the southern part of Lebanon. He also knew exactly what was happening now. When I asked where he got his news, he said he reads The Economist out of London and finds much in that publication that Americans never hear about.
While Ross and I were talking, Rudy, whom I think works as a staffer in the House Office Buildings, joined us. She and her husband had just returned from Jordan where he has family. Rudy, who is of Palestinian descent herself, said she'd seen me at last night's demonstration. The three of us had a lively discussion about what's happening in Lebanon and Palestine. It was good to be with individuals who see things similarly to me. Quite relaxing actually.
I completed today's vigil a little after 5 PM and scooted over to Gifford's Ice Cream Parlor--my new favorite--for a lemon/coconut milkshake. It was a delight to sit in air conditioning, sipping on a nice cold drink, and listen to mellow music being sung by folks like Judy Garland and Frank Sinatra. It made me realize I had not heard any music since last Thursday! I was as hungry for music as for that cool milkshake.
I then scooted over to the National Museum of Women In the Arts to attend a film directed by Maya Angelo and called "Down in the Delta." I'd seen it publicized in a store window on the way home. It was a perfect way to end the day.
In addition to photos of the stories, people and places I've mentioned, I also took pictures of the park beside the Senate Office Building where I go to restore myself. Here are today's photos:
Why I'm doing what I'm doing...
If you want a clear, concise idea of why I am here in Washington, DC, mounting a solitary vigil with my signs--"Israel OUT of Lebanon!!!" and "Who Suffers In War?" with a picture of my Lebanese family--for hours every day in 90+ degree weather, spending more money than I care to think about staying at a DC hotel for at least two weeks, and dialoguing with anyone who cares to engage positively or negatively with me on this issue, just read Wednesday's entry on Juan Cole's blog, "Informed Comment."
If you recall, Juan Cole is a University of Michigan professor of history who specializes in the Middle East. This is no fly-by-night radical blogger, but an educated, informed, analytical individual who also speaks, reads and writes Arabic.
When I read Prof. Cole's entry for today, I saw that I must not lose heart, I must continue to do ALL that I can to raise awareness among the American people and their elected representatives to the horrors being perpetrated on the Lebanese and their country by an Israeli military machine gone mad.
Not just Israel either, but my own country, the United States, that is aiding and abetting this massacre and seige against an innocent people. How Condi Rice and John Bolton are doing everything they can to stymie any efforts by the UN or the International Community to call for a ceasefire in Lebanon. How, last Friday, the Bush adminstration expedited a shipment to Israel of "bunker buster" bombs--like those used by Israel to deliberately target and kill the 4 UN observers yesterday--knowing full well these monstrous bombs would be used against Lebanon.
As long as Israel, with United States' support, continues their murderous attacks on and seige of Lebanon, I will stay here doing whatever I can do to stop them. To heck with the money, to heck with the heat, to heck with the long hours alone, I cannot sit back and let this go on without doing something to help those whom the world seems to have forgotten!
If you recall, Juan Cole is a University of Michigan professor of history who specializes in the Middle East. This is no fly-by-night radical blogger, but an educated, informed, analytical individual who also speaks, reads and writes Arabic.
When I read Prof. Cole's entry for today, I saw that I must not lose heart, I must continue to do ALL that I can to raise awareness among the American people and their elected representatives to the horrors being perpetrated on the Lebanese and their country by an Israeli military machine gone mad.
Not just Israel either, but my own country, the United States, that is aiding and abetting this massacre and seige against an innocent people. How Condi Rice and John Bolton are doing everything they can to stymie any efforts by the UN or the International Community to call for a ceasefire in Lebanon. How, last Friday, the Bush adminstration expedited a shipment to Israel of "bunker buster" bombs--like those used by Israel to deliberately target and kill the 4 UN observers yesterday--knowing full well these monstrous bombs would be used against Lebanon.
As long as Israel, with United States' support, continues their murderous attacks on and seige of Lebanon, I will stay here doing whatever I can do to stop them. To heck with the money, to heck with the heat, to heck with the long hours alone, I cannot sit back and let this go on without doing something to help those whom the world seems to have forgotten!
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
Day 6 of my Lebanon Peace Initiative
This was a day full of media interviews, lots of activity in front of the White House, an organized protest opposing Israel's wars on the Lebanese and the Palestinian people, and a heart-connecting encounter with a young American soldier recently returned from fighting in Iraq. A BIG day!
It started with an 11 AM appointment at my post in front of the White House with Cristina Ramirez, a reporter with the Scripps Howard news service. She'd heard about me and my vigil through a sister Michigan Womyn's Music Festival festi-goer who had read my post on the MWMF online bulletin board about needing to sell my festival ticket. Cristina expressed the desire to write a "profile" on me, so we had a long, wide-ranging interview as I held my sign in front of the White House fence. She'll let me know if/when/where it is published.
For several hours there were more "suits" (Washington's power people) and media folks going in and out of the White House than I've ever seen. The CodePink/Troops Home Fasters were also out in full force with banners, bullhorn, chants and cameras following their every move. Iraqi Prime Minister al-Maliki was visiting President Bush and everyone wanted a piece of it...myself included. My agenda was visibility for my sign, and there was plenty of that.
Just as Cristina had finished taking her last picture, a man came up and asked if he could interview me too. This was Alec Russell, Washington Bureau Chief of The Daily Telegraph of London. He wanted to know why I was the only person out there with a sign about Lebanon. He said the people in the UK are terribly upset about what is happening there, yet he sees little concern being expressed by the American people. We discussed my countrymen and women's tendency to accept the sound bites fed them by such media sources as Fox News, and I shared a bit about why I was doing what I was doing. He took notes as we talked but I don't know if anything will come of it. It was interesting for me to hear his perspective. I'm learning by standing in this spot where the world converges, that Europeans, as a rule, are MUCH better informed and more critical thinkers than their American counterparts.
I then got my meal of the day--I've gotten into the habit of eating just once a day--and went back to my hotel room for a little time out.
At 4 PM I was on the road again, this time off to Metro Center to take the train over to the Van Ness/UDC stop where I planned to join a "funeral" protesting Israel's concurrent wars against the Palestinians and Lebanese. It was sponsored by the Arab American Anti-Discrimination Committee, the Arab-American Institute, and a coalition of other organizations. It promised to be large.
On the way over I received a call from Walid, a filmmaker whom I'd met in front of the Senate Office Building on Friday. He'd been trying to hook up with me to film me as part of a documentary he was doing on peace. We agreed to meet at the demonstration.
When I scooted out of the Metro elevator at Connecticut & Van Ness, I found dozens of black cloth-draped cardboard coffins being constructed by a willing crew of volunteers. I also met up with Walid, his two sons and their black lab named Princess.
Walid and his youngest son filmed an interview with me before turning their cameras on the growing crowd of participants and media from around the world. I guess that's one of the perks of being an activist in the nation's capitol--when you get media attention, it is worldwide not just local.
We marched down Connecticut Avenue, and then through shady residential streets to the Israeli Embassy, a huge complex on Van Ness Street. On the way, I met two Lebanese-American women with whom I resonated deeply. We talked as we walked/scooted. When we stopped in front of the embassy for a rally, Rula introduced me to her two daughters. I've invited them to bring signs and their friends to the White House one day this week and join me at my vigil in front of the White House. They seemed taken with the idea.
I must admit I was turned off by some of the chants, and am discovering that I might have outgrown the mass protest mentality. It seemed more for the cameras than for us, and was appealing to the lowest common denominator of our humanity. I did not feel uplifted or effective as I do when I'm dialoguing with individuals, or even just sitting silently with my sign. Nothing against this demonstration, the organizers and participants: it's just that I've changed.
On the way back to the Metro, I scooted with Danielle, an activist sister I'd first met at the Saturday vigil in front of the White House. On the way we met three young Palestinian men. One of them, Mohammed, gave me his card and asked that I email him my blog address. They expressed profound gratitude for all that I am doing here in DC.
What happened next is what I will not forget.
After I'd gotten back to my neighborhood, I decided a little ice cream would go good. I'd seen a Gifford's ice cream shop a block from my hotel, and had wondered if their ice cream was as good as I remembered from my growing-up days in Falls Church, Virginia.
I soon found that it is. But it was not the ice cream that I'll remember; it was the young man I met and ended up spending time with as I ate it.
Joey had asked me about my sign when I'd first come into the shop. After I'd gotten my cup of lemon and coconut ice cream and scooted over to an empty table, he came up and started talking about war, in his case, the Iraqi war. I invited him to sit down.
For the next hour, this 21 year-old American soldier opened my mind and heart to the realities of what it's like for our young men and women over in that hellhole George W. Bush and his folks have created.
This was Joey's first night off the psych ward at Walter Reed Army Hospital where he's been since returning to the U.S. last Thursday. He told me it is crazy over there and it made him crazy. We talked at length and depth about his experiences in Iraq, his buddies who were killed, the commanding officers who didn't give a damn about him or his buddies, the Iraqi people who scared him to death, his assessment of Mr. Bush's disaster, a bit about his earlier life in Kentucky, and his young wife who worries.
For an anti-war activist who says she wants the troops home but has never even talked to one of them before, it was a moment of truth. For the first time I saw that these young men and women we're putting into harm's way, and sometimes turning into murderous monsters, are tender shoots who are being yanked from the soil where they were meant to grow and tossed aside like rubbish. They do not deserve this any more than the Iraqi innocents deserve what happens to them.
After awhile I invited Joey to join me for a walk. I took him over to the White House. It was obvious that he was much impressed. When he asked if I thought George Bush would meet with him, a returning soldier in the war he had begun, I said, "Why don't you go ask."
So Joey walked up to the guard desk at the West Gate. A young White House staffer was there saying goodbye to a couple who were leaving the grounds, and Joey asked her if he could talk to the president. He said he'd just gotten back from fighting for our country in Iraq and thought he should have the right to see the man who had sent him there. He was respectful but firm in his request. She smiled, thanked him for defending his country, and said he'd have to call a certain number to request an appointment. Joey didn't even write it down.
As we left he said, "I should think I'd have the right to see the man who made me crazy." But of course, he didn't.
I ask you to hold in your hearts Joey and all our young men and women whose bodies, minds and spirits are being damaged and, in some cases, destroyed, by Mr. Bush's war on Iraq. They deserve better than this.
My photos follow. From having read my entry, I think you can figure out who is who.
It started with an 11 AM appointment at my post in front of the White House with Cristina Ramirez, a reporter with the Scripps Howard news service. She'd heard about me and my vigil through a sister Michigan Womyn's Music Festival festi-goer who had read my post on the MWMF online bulletin board about needing to sell my festival ticket. Cristina expressed the desire to write a "profile" on me, so we had a long, wide-ranging interview as I held my sign in front of the White House fence. She'll let me know if/when/where it is published.
For several hours there were more "suits" (Washington's power people) and media folks going in and out of the White House than I've ever seen. The CodePink/Troops Home Fasters were also out in full force with banners, bullhorn, chants and cameras following their every move. Iraqi Prime Minister al-Maliki was visiting President Bush and everyone wanted a piece of it...myself included. My agenda was visibility for my sign, and there was plenty of that.
Just as Cristina had finished taking her last picture, a man came up and asked if he could interview me too. This was Alec Russell, Washington Bureau Chief of The Daily Telegraph of London. He wanted to know why I was the only person out there with a sign about Lebanon. He said the people in the UK are terribly upset about what is happening there, yet he sees little concern being expressed by the American people. We discussed my countrymen and women's tendency to accept the sound bites fed them by such media sources as Fox News, and I shared a bit about why I was doing what I was doing. He took notes as we talked but I don't know if anything will come of it. It was interesting for me to hear his perspective. I'm learning by standing in this spot where the world converges, that Europeans, as a rule, are MUCH better informed and more critical thinkers than their American counterparts.
I then got my meal of the day--I've gotten into the habit of eating just once a day--and went back to my hotel room for a little time out.
At 4 PM I was on the road again, this time off to Metro Center to take the train over to the Van Ness/UDC stop where I planned to join a "funeral" protesting Israel's concurrent wars against the Palestinians and Lebanese. It was sponsored by the Arab American Anti-Discrimination Committee, the Arab-American Institute, and a coalition of other organizations. It promised to be large.
On the way over I received a call from Walid, a filmmaker whom I'd met in front of the Senate Office Building on Friday. He'd been trying to hook up with me to film me as part of a documentary he was doing on peace. We agreed to meet at the demonstration.
When I scooted out of the Metro elevator at Connecticut & Van Ness, I found dozens of black cloth-draped cardboard coffins being constructed by a willing crew of volunteers. I also met up with Walid, his two sons and their black lab named Princess.
Walid and his youngest son filmed an interview with me before turning their cameras on the growing crowd of participants and media from around the world. I guess that's one of the perks of being an activist in the nation's capitol--when you get media attention, it is worldwide not just local.
We marched down Connecticut Avenue, and then through shady residential streets to the Israeli Embassy, a huge complex on Van Ness Street. On the way, I met two Lebanese-American women with whom I resonated deeply. We talked as we walked/scooted. When we stopped in front of the embassy for a rally, Rula introduced me to her two daughters. I've invited them to bring signs and their friends to the White House one day this week and join me at my vigil in front of the White House. They seemed taken with the idea.
I must admit I was turned off by some of the chants, and am discovering that I might have outgrown the mass protest mentality. It seemed more for the cameras than for us, and was appealing to the lowest common denominator of our humanity. I did not feel uplifted or effective as I do when I'm dialoguing with individuals, or even just sitting silently with my sign. Nothing against this demonstration, the organizers and participants: it's just that I've changed.
On the way back to the Metro, I scooted with Danielle, an activist sister I'd first met at the Saturday vigil in front of the White House. On the way we met three young Palestinian men. One of them, Mohammed, gave me his card and asked that I email him my blog address. They expressed profound gratitude for all that I am doing here in DC.
What happened next is what I will not forget.
After I'd gotten back to my neighborhood, I decided a little ice cream would go good. I'd seen a Gifford's ice cream shop a block from my hotel, and had wondered if their ice cream was as good as I remembered from my growing-up days in Falls Church, Virginia.
I soon found that it is. But it was not the ice cream that I'll remember; it was the young man I met and ended up spending time with as I ate it.
Joey had asked me about my sign when I'd first come into the shop. After I'd gotten my cup of lemon and coconut ice cream and scooted over to an empty table, he came up and started talking about war, in his case, the Iraqi war. I invited him to sit down.
For the next hour, this 21 year-old American soldier opened my mind and heart to the realities of what it's like for our young men and women over in that hellhole George W. Bush and his folks have created.
This was Joey's first night off the psych ward at Walter Reed Army Hospital where he's been since returning to the U.S. last Thursday. He told me it is crazy over there and it made him crazy. We talked at length and depth about his experiences in Iraq, his buddies who were killed, the commanding officers who didn't give a damn about him or his buddies, the Iraqi people who scared him to death, his assessment of Mr. Bush's disaster, a bit about his earlier life in Kentucky, and his young wife who worries.
For an anti-war activist who says she wants the troops home but has never even talked to one of them before, it was a moment of truth. For the first time I saw that these young men and women we're putting into harm's way, and sometimes turning into murderous monsters, are tender shoots who are being yanked from the soil where they were meant to grow and tossed aside like rubbish. They do not deserve this any more than the Iraqi innocents deserve what happens to them.
After awhile I invited Joey to join me for a walk. I took him over to the White House. It was obvious that he was much impressed. When he asked if I thought George Bush would meet with him, a returning soldier in the war he had begun, I said, "Why don't you go ask."
So Joey walked up to the guard desk at the West Gate. A young White House staffer was there saying goodbye to a couple who were leaving the grounds, and Joey asked her if he could talk to the president. He said he'd just gotten back from fighting for our country in Iraq and thought he should have the right to see the man who had sent him there. He was respectful but firm in his request. She smiled, thanked him for defending his country, and said he'd have to call a certain number to request an appointment. Joey didn't even write it down.
As we left he said, "I should think I'd have the right to see the man who made me crazy." But of course, he didn't.
I ask you to hold in your hearts Joey and all our young men and women whose bodies, minds and spirits are being damaged and, in some cases, destroyed, by Mr. Bush's war on Iraq. They deserve better than this.
My photos follow. From having read my entry, I think you can figure out who is who.
Monday, July 24, 2006
Day 5 of my Lebanon Peace Initiative
It was so strange tonight to hear a well-known progressive writer/speaker say that there was no anti-war movement worth speaking of in America today. This was at a fundraiser for a powerful new play called "Fear Up" based on the words of Riverbend, the Iraqi woman who keeps the blog "Baghdad Burning", the Tipton Three from Quantanamo Bay, wives of American soldiers stationed in Iraq, highlevel US officers who question the Iraq war policies enacted by the Bush administration, and other voices of persons who are feeling firsthand the wars and torturous conditions our country is imposing on their own and others around the world. And a good part of the audience for this event were the Code Pink Troops Home Fasters! Besides that, Cindy Sheehan had just arrived in town and had come directly to the Busboys & Poets Coffee House to join her sister and brother fasters before tomorrow and Wednesday's Code Pink events planned around the visit of the Iraqi Prime Minister to the White House and Congress.
Talk about an inopportune time to make a critical remark about the anti-war movement!
I was stewing in my juices and muttering to myself as I listened to this man whose writings I have read and admired for years "dis" the work so many of us are dedicating our lives to. But then Andy, the owner of this marvelous coffee house, brought Cindy up to the microphone to respond.
She was cute. She started out by smiling as she said, "Well, I guess I'm one of the leaders of this anti-war movement that doesn't exist." And she went on to point out how much further along we are in fighting this war than we were during the early years of the Vietnam War that the writer/speaker was holding up as such an achievement in movement organizing. She spoke of our numbers growing all the time, of our commitment, and willingness to keep up the struggle even when it seems to make little difference to our leaders in government. She said, in essence, that we are not going away.
As you can imagine, we activists--a good number of whom are on their 21st day of a fast to bring our troops home from Iraq--enthusiastically cheered Cindy's brief but strong remarks.
As for me, I'd seen evidence all day long of individuals daring to stand up for what they believed.
First it was Lois whom I passed in front of the Supreme Court Building as she mounted her weekly solitary vigil against the death penalty.
Then it was Al and Stacy of the Military Families Speak Out whom I saw at their "Operation House Call" station in front of the House of Representatives Office Buildings where they have been since June 22 and plan to remain until August 9. I'd gotten to know these faithful warriors for peace last September when they'd stopped at Camp Casey Detroit on their Bring the Troops Home Now tour of the US. Standing with them in the photo is Kesh, a DC area resident who has been helping them during their stay.
And finally it was the Code Pink hunger strikers whom I met up with in front of the Iraqi Embassy around 6 PM this evening. They'd been there since holding a press conference at 3 PM as they'd awaited the arrival of Iraqi Prime Minister Al- Maliki. They'd also established what they called Camp Al- Maliki in front of a church just around the corner from the embassy.
So is the American anti-war movement just a figment of our imaginations? I'll let my photos speak for themselves:
Talk about an inopportune time to make a critical remark about the anti-war movement!
I was stewing in my juices and muttering to myself as I listened to this man whose writings I have read and admired for years "dis" the work so many of us are dedicating our lives to. But then Andy, the owner of this marvelous coffee house, brought Cindy up to the microphone to respond.
She was cute. She started out by smiling as she said, "Well, I guess I'm one of the leaders of this anti-war movement that doesn't exist." And she went on to point out how much further along we are in fighting this war than we were during the early years of the Vietnam War that the writer/speaker was holding up as such an achievement in movement organizing. She spoke of our numbers growing all the time, of our commitment, and willingness to keep up the struggle even when it seems to make little difference to our leaders in government. She said, in essence, that we are not going away.
As you can imagine, we activists--a good number of whom are on their 21st day of a fast to bring our troops home from Iraq--enthusiastically cheered Cindy's brief but strong remarks.
As for me, I'd seen evidence all day long of individuals daring to stand up for what they believed.
First it was Lois whom I passed in front of the Supreme Court Building as she mounted her weekly solitary vigil against the death penalty.
Then it was Al and Stacy of the Military Families Speak Out whom I saw at their "Operation House Call" station in front of the House of Representatives Office Buildings where they have been since June 22 and plan to remain until August 9. I'd gotten to know these faithful warriors for peace last September when they'd stopped at Camp Casey Detroit on their Bring the Troops Home Now tour of the US. Standing with them in the photo is Kesh, a DC area resident who has been helping them during their stay.
And finally it was the Code Pink hunger strikers whom I met up with in front of the Iraqi Embassy around 6 PM this evening. They'd been there since holding a press conference at 3 PM as they'd awaited the arrival of Iraqi Prime Minister Al- Maliki. They'd also established what they called Camp Al- Maliki in front of a church just around the corner from the embassy.
So is the American anti-war movement just a figment of our imaginations? I'll let my photos speak for themselves:
Sunday, July 23, 2006
Day 4 of my Lebanon Peace Initiative
Whenever I have a minute to think about where I am and what I'm doing, it fills me with wonder. How could it be that the sign I made to use at Tuesday's Dearborn, Michigan demonstration opposing Israel's aggression against Lebanon is now being seen in front of the White House by persons from all over the world? How could it be that I am the only on-the-street presence for the Lebanese people in this city where behind-the-scenes machinations between Mr. Olmert and Mr. Bush are determining their collective destiny? Why me? Why not persons of Lebanese descent? Where are they?
Ah well, it is given to me to do it and I'm honored to be the one who said yes. I feel privileged to represent my Lebanese sisters and brothers whom I love so deeply, and to try to raise awareness of their suffering among my countrymen and women who, as so often happens, just don't get it. Part listener, part teacher, part historian, part griever, part global citizen, I sit in my scooter and receive positive and negative responses to my signs, while always looking for points of commonality where we can agree to meet. Even with the Israeli soldier and his companion whom I met and talked with at length this morning. Even with the Israeli families--a dozen individuals crowded around me--with whom I managed to converse compassionately an hour and a half into today's vigil. Even with the Jewish American woman who strongly objected to my "Israel out of Lebanon" sign. Never was there a moment of violence, in word or deed. We did not see things the same way but we all agreed that we want our loved ones to be safe. The means we would use to keep them safe may be different, but the end result we want is the same.
Today I had more positive responses than negative, by far. People from Uganda, the Sudan, Korea, China, Mexico, Chile, Poland, Lebanon, Kuwait and more countries than I can remember took pictures, gave me the thumbs up, wanted their pictures taken with me, stopped to talk, or just nodded their heads in agreement. Even some Americans.
I was comforted by having Katie and Allison from the Code Pink/Hunger Strikers come join me for awhile with their banner. It was good to be in community. These women and men are a haven for me when things get tough. After talking with my Israeli sisters and brothers early this afternoon, I was grateful to scoot over to the Troops Home Fasters' tree and be soothed by their understanding and support. They are such a powerful presence for peace!
I depend on your support too, my dear readers. This can be lonely work but with your loving thoughts, I can do it! Thank you for all the energy I feel you sending me. It means more than you can know.
And now for today's photos.
Photo #1 is of Diane Wilson who is on Day 20 of water-only fast to bring the troops home from Iraq. It was Diane who gave birth to the idea of what is now a worldwide fast in which 4,117 people have participated for one or more days.
Photo #2 is of Code Pink's own Katie and Allison standing with me in front of you-know-where.
Photo #3 is of me with a wonderfully supportive family from the Sudan.
Photo #4 is of me surrounded by the love of an extended family from Kuwait, the same country where Sulaima and the kids went to visit her sisters and father after escaping from Lebanon through Syria.
Photo #5 is of Tyler of the Troops Home Fasters talking to a visitor to their headquarters under the tree in Lafayette Park across the street from the White House.
Photos #6-8 are of the community at their daily 5-7 PM discussion. Today Travis Morales and some of his fellow organizers presented "Why the World Can't Wait to Drive Out the Bush Regime." Their web site is www.worldcantwait.net
Ah well, it is given to me to do it and I'm honored to be the one who said yes. I feel privileged to represent my Lebanese sisters and brothers whom I love so deeply, and to try to raise awareness of their suffering among my countrymen and women who, as so often happens, just don't get it. Part listener, part teacher, part historian, part griever, part global citizen, I sit in my scooter and receive positive and negative responses to my signs, while always looking for points of commonality where we can agree to meet. Even with the Israeli soldier and his companion whom I met and talked with at length this morning. Even with the Israeli families--a dozen individuals crowded around me--with whom I managed to converse compassionately an hour and a half into today's vigil. Even with the Jewish American woman who strongly objected to my "Israel out of Lebanon" sign. Never was there a moment of violence, in word or deed. We did not see things the same way but we all agreed that we want our loved ones to be safe. The means we would use to keep them safe may be different, but the end result we want is the same.
Today I had more positive responses than negative, by far. People from Uganda, the Sudan, Korea, China, Mexico, Chile, Poland, Lebanon, Kuwait and more countries than I can remember took pictures, gave me the thumbs up, wanted their pictures taken with me, stopped to talk, or just nodded their heads in agreement. Even some Americans.
I was comforted by having Katie and Allison from the Code Pink/Hunger Strikers come join me for awhile with their banner. It was good to be in community. These women and men are a haven for me when things get tough. After talking with my Israeli sisters and brothers early this afternoon, I was grateful to scoot over to the Troops Home Fasters' tree and be soothed by their understanding and support. They are such a powerful presence for peace!
I depend on your support too, my dear readers. This can be lonely work but with your loving thoughts, I can do it! Thank you for all the energy I feel you sending me. It means more than you can know.
And now for today's photos.
Photo #1 is of Diane Wilson who is on Day 20 of water-only fast to bring the troops home from Iraq. It was Diane who gave birth to the idea of what is now a worldwide fast in which 4,117 people have participated for one or more days.
Photo #2 is of Code Pink's own Katie and Allison standing with me in front of you-know-where.
Photo #3 is of me with a wonderfully supportive family from the Sudan.
Photo #4 is of me surrounded by the love of an extended family from Kuwait, the same country where Sulaima and the kids went to visit her sisters and father after escaping from Lebanon through Syria.
Photo #5 is of Tyler of the Troops Home Fasters talking to a visitor to their headquarters under the tree in Lafayette Park across the street from the White House.
Photos #6-8 are of the community at their daily 5-7 PM discussion. Today Travis Morales and some of his fellow organizers presented "Why the World Can't Wait to Drive Out the Bush Regime." Their web site is www.worldcantwait.net
a poem
I called my friend MorganRose last night and shared with her the story of the Israeli mother, grandmother and little boy. This morning I received the following poem she'd written based on that painful encounter:
Had I not been here
choosing to gulp large
torn pieces of death
into my narrow throat
who would have heard
the Israeli woman
telling her side of the story,
screaming her unrest
until every Lebanese lay dead
in the streets.
That wish, her only hate
since the Holocaust took her family.
She gathers her permission
from a worn sack of revenge,
bringing its promise
that only then will she and God
bed down in peace and love.
who would have heard
her nine year old son
feeling the flood of his mother's hate
filling him with good-wiggles
that he too
could hold his mother's righteous pride
over his head like a torch
that illumined all weakness
as he turned to the woman
who had come in peace
but who would not could not run
and opened his mouth to spit
out the rage that scratched
the inside of his tender mouth
as he shouted
"That's why you're in that chair!"
"That's why you're in that chair!"
copyright 2006 MorganRose
Had I not been here
choosing to gulp large
torn pieces of death
into my narrow throat
who would have heard
the Israeli woman
telling her side of the story,
screaming her unrest
until every Lebanese lay dead
in the streets.
That wish, her only hate
since the Holocaust took her family.
She gathers her permission
from a worn sack of revenge,
bringing its promise
that only then will she and God
bed down in peace and love.
who would have heard
her nine year old son
feeling the flood of his mother's hate
filling him with good-wiggles
that he too
could hold his mother's righteous pride
over his head like a torch
that illumined all weakness
as he turned to the woman
who had come in peace
but who would not could not run
and opened his mouth to spit
out the rage that scratched
the inside of his tender mouth
as he shouted
"That's why you're in that chair!"
"That's why you're in that chair!"
copyright 2006 MorganRose
Saturday, July 22, 2006
news of Lebanon
University of Michigan History professor and longtime Iraq news blogger Juan Cole is doing an excellent job of giving true accounts and links to articles from around the world about what is really happening in Lebanon. His blog is called Informed Comment. Amy Goodman's Democracy Now! is another excellent source of news and interviews that tell the truth. And, believe me, truth is getting harder and harder to find. The mainstream media and press cannot be trusted. They are very biased towards Israel.
Change of plans
Last night before going to bed, I checked The New York Times web site to see the latest headlines. When I saw the article titled, "US Speeds Up Bomb Delivery for Israel,"
my heart sank. And the bombs my country are speeding off to Israel so that they can kill more of my Lebanese sisters and brothers and further demolish their country are not just any bombs: they're 5000 pound laser-guided bombs intended to destroy concrete bunkers, otherwise known as "bunker busters." They incinerate people alive. At that moment I knew I cannot leave Washington, DC next week. No, I must remain as a voice for the voiceless Lebanese people whom my country is in the process of helping Israel to destroy.
After working things out in my head during a short night's sleep, I awoke knowing what I had to do. Cancel my plans to go to the Michigan Womyn's Festival on August 6-14, sell my ticket, see if I can extend my stay in this wheelchair-accessible room at the Hotel Harrington, check in with Eddie, and prepare myself for two weeks of being a public witness for peace. As always happens when you're following your heart, everything fell into place. Ed's response surprised me the most. He said, "Go for it. That's a better place for you now than the festival."
So here I am, ready to keep on keepin' on until at least August 3. Please hold me and my work for peace in your hearts. May I be of benefit to those who suffer. May this horrible war end quickly. And may all those who hold hatred in their hearts be healed.
my heart sank. And the bombs my country are speeding off to Israel so that they can kill more of my Lebanese sisters and brothers and further demolish their country are not just any bombs: they're 5000 pound laser-guided bombs intended to destroy concrete bunkers, otherwise known as "bunker busters." They incinerate people alive. At that moment I knew I cannot leave Washington, DC next week. No, I must remain as a voice for the voiceless Lebanese people whom my country is in the process of helping Israel to destroy.
After working things out in my head during a short night's sleep, I awoke knowing what I had to do. Cancel my plans to go to the Michigan Womyn's Festival on August 6-14, sell my ticket, see if I can extend my stay in this wheelchair-accessible room at the Hotel Harrington, check in with Eddie, and prepare myself for two weeks of being a public witness for peace. As always happens when you're following your heart, everything fell into place. Ed's response surprised me the most. He said, "Go for it. That's a better place for you now than the festival."
So here I am, ready to keep on keepin' on until at least August 3. Please hold me and my work for peace in your hearts. May I be of benefit to those who suffer. May this horrible war end quickly. And may all those who hold hatred in their hearts be healed.
Day 3 of my Lebanon Peace Initiative
Such learnings! The most important learning of the day was about cycles of violence. Not just in war but in words. Words can heal or inflame, explain or blame, connect or disrupt. The choice is ours. I was given many opportunities today to choose how to use words in peaceful, nonviolent ways, or to be part of the cycle of violence.
The most powerful moment came when an Israeli mother, her 9 year-old son and elderly mother took issue with my sign, "Israel Out of Lebanon." I had already learned to simply ask tourists from Israel if they had family they were worried about back home. Then I would show them the other side of my sign, the one with the picture of my Lebanese family, and say that I was worried about them too. I'd say I was sure we all wished for peace and safety for our loved ones. This met with positive responses most of the day. But one time it didn't.
The mother started by yelling that she was glad the Lebanese were dying; she wanted them all dead. The granny told me she had lost family in the Holocaust and talked about how proud she was of her country and what it was doing to Lebanon. I responded by offering her my sympathy and saying I wish I could be proud of my country, but I wasn't. She said I could easily take care of that by moving someplace else. The saddest moment of this exchange came as they were leaving. The little boy yelled out, "THAT is why you're in a wheelchair!", pointing to my sign. He repeated it several times as his mother continued her tirade against the Lebanese.
This experience filled me with profound sadness, especially for the little boy who is being taught to hate. But it also helped me see where so much of the violence in this region comes from--it is deep within people who have turned their own suffering into hatred towards others. Such a poison can destroy one's sense of humanity. Their words didn't hurt me as much as they hurt them. May they find peace.
My other learnings had more to do with my fellow demonstrators than with the people we were hoping to awaken with our signs.
There's a faithful group of peace folks here in DC who meet every Saturday to hold signs up in front of the White House. This location is a true global village with tourists from all over the world and the United States. I joined this group two different times during the afternoon, but each time I had to leave because of the way one of the men was responding to negative comments about his sign. His, like mine, dealt with the current crisis involving Israel. His sign read: "Stop Israeli Militarism." Instead of doing as I've been trying to do, and attempting to enter into peaceful dialogue with those who were open to the possibility, and simply not responding to those who just wanted an argument, this fellow entered into arguments with everyone who expressed disagreement with his point of view. I did not want to be associated with such negativity, so I went off and found a spot by myself.
I'd tried standing next to Concepcion, whom I've admired and stood with for years, but had to leave her side too when she started screaming anti-Israeli things at a young couple from Israel who had respectuflly disagreed with her signs about equating Zionism with terrorism. Fortunately I saw them later and was able to apologize for how they'd been treated.
If we who say we want peace can't learn to relate respectfully with persons who hold opinions different from ours, what hope do we have for peace between nations?
As I say, I am learning A LOT!
But, except for those few challenging woments, the day was good. I was able to enter into helpful--to me anyway--dialogues with all kinds of people. And the gratitude I received from persons from all over the world and the US, gave me food for my soul. One family was even Lebanese, but living in Spain. I feel like I traveled across the globe in four and a half hours! And can you believe it? One of the best dialogues I had all day was with a woman from the Metro Detroit area!
Here are photos from the day. #1 is of the Saturday peace demonstrators; #2 of Concepcion with peace-loving folks from Spain; #3 of me with a family from Saudi Arabia; and #4 with the Lebanese family who now live in Spain.
The most powerful moment came when an Israeli mother, her 9 year-old son and elderly mother took issue with my sign, "Israel Out of Lebanon." I had already learned to simply ask tourists from Israel if they had family they were worried about back home. Then I would show them the other side of my sign, the one with the picture of my Lebanese family, and say that I was worried about them too. I'd say I was sure we all wished for peace and safety for our loved ones. This met with positive responses most of the day. But one time it didn't.
The mother started by yelling that she was glad the Lebanese were dying; she wanted them all dead. The granny told me she had lost family in the Holocaust and talked about how proud she was of her country and what it was doing to Lebanon. I responded by offering her my sympathy and saying I wish I could be proud of my country, but I wasn't. She said I could easily take care of that by moving someplace else. The saddest moment of this exchange came as they were leaving. The little boy yelled out, "THAT is why you're in a wheelchair!", pointing to my sign. He repeated it several times as his mother continued her tirade against the Lebanese.
This experience filled me with profound sadness, especially for the little boy who is being taught to hate. But it also helped me see where so much of the violence in this region comes from--it is deep within people who have turned their own suffering into hatred towards others. Such a poison can destroy one's sense of humanity. Their words didn't hurt me as much as they hurt them. May they find peace.
My other learnings had more to do with my fellow demonstrators than with the people we were hoping to awaken with our signs.
There's a faithful group of peace folks here in DC who meet every Saturday to hold signs up in front of the White House. This location is a true global village with tourists from all over the world and the United States. I joined this group two different times during the afternoon, but each time I had to leave because of the way one of the men was responding to negative comments about his sign. His, like mine, dealt with the current crisis involving Israel. His sign read: "Stop Israeli Militarism." Instead of doing as I've been trying to do, and attempting to enter into peaceful dialogue with those who were open to the possibility, and simply not responding to those who just wanted an argument, this fellow entered into arguments with everyone who expressed disagreement with his point of view. I did not want to be associated with such negativity, so I went off and found a spot by myself.
I'd tried standing next to Concepcion, whom I've admired and stood with for years, but had to leave her side too when she started screaming anti-Israeli things at a young couple from Israel who had respectuflly disagreed with her signs about equating Zionism with terrorism. Fortunately I saw them later and was able to apologize for how they'd been treated.
If we who say we want peace can't learn to relate respectfully with persons who hold opinions different from ours, what hope do we have for peace between nations?
As I say, I am learning A LOT!
But, except for those few challenging woments, the day was good. I was able to enter into helpful--to me anyway--dialogues with all kinds of people. And the gratitude I received from persons from all over the world and the US, gave me food for my soul. One family was even Lebanese, but living in Spain. I feel like I traveled across the globe in four and a half hours! And can you believe it? One of the best dialogues I had all day was with a woman from the Metro Detroit area!
Here are photos from the day. #1 is of the Saturday peace demonstrators; #2 of Concepcion with peace-loving folks from Spain; #3 of me with a family from Saudi Arabia; and #4 with the Lebanese family who now live in Spain.
Friday, July 21, 2006
Day 2 of my Lebanon Peace Initiative
I learned a lot today, the most significant being that the American people are terribly misinformed about what is happening in Lebanon. Why does this surprise me? I have seen this kind of media misinformation for over four years regarding Iraq, so why should Lebanon be any different?
I stood with my sign in front of the Senate Office Building from 10 a.m. to noon and, after a break, I went over at 1 p.m. to the House Office Buildings to do the same. But, once there, I learned that the Representatives had taken off after yesterday's shameful vote in support of Israel's attacks on Lebanon. Before going back over to the Senate Office Building, I had a very challenging dialogue with a former State Department employee who not only believes that Israel has every right to "defend itself against terrorists" but, when I recommended he go to al-Jazeera.net to find more complete news coverage of the conflict--from both the Lebanese and Israeli perspectives--he said, "Oh great, so you get your news from terrorists too!" Oh dear, we were definitely not on the same page.
Before coming to DC, I'd imagined that the American people would be horrified by what Israel is doing to Lebanon. Instead I find that the media has encouraged them to identify with the Israeli people who are being attacked by terrorists (Hizbollah), and to see Israel's attacks on Lebanon as totally justified. I get the feeling they see it as similar to what happened here on September 11, 2001--unprovoked attacks on innocent civilians.
They seem to have no awareness of the history of the region, that southern Lebanon has been under attack by Israel since 1982, that it was militarily occupied by Israel for 18 years, and that, even after Israel "left" the region in 2000, the people of southern Lebanon have been subject to relentless bombing raids and military incursions conducted by the Israeli military. It has been a war zone for decades.
Hizbollah initially emerged in resistance to Israel's occupation of southern Lebanon. And Israel has been holding thousands of Palestinian prisoners in terrible conditions for decades. So Hizbollah's incursion into Israeli territory on that fateful Wednesday did not come out of the blue. Their killing and capturing Israeli soldiers was an attempt to have bargaining chips in a prisoner exchange. Stupid, violent, misguided, wrong though it was, this was not a surprising tactic in the lowgrade war they'd been part of for years.
But the American people know none of this. I wonder if George W. Bush does. It seems to me that the Israeli bias in our media and government is playing this for all it's worth. And they're meeting with success on every level except one: truth.
As I said a few times today, what we're seeing is Israel using F-16 bombers to kill a mosquito. And who suffers? Not Hizbollah; only a handful of them have been killed. It is the Lebanese people--330 of whom have been killed as of today--and their entire country that suffers. A beautiful country. At least it was beautiful when I was there eight months ago. A half million out of 3.8 million Lebanese are homeless, and over 100,000 have been chased out of their country into Syria. Many from the south have fled into Beirut which now resembles a refugee camp. But even central Beirut is now being bombed by Israel. A humanitarian crisis is looming, as reported on al-Jazeera:
Meanwhile, the UN and Red Cross have said that the humanitarian situation in Lebanon is deteriorating rapidly as the country becomes more isolated because of damage to roads, bridges and other structures.
Because of the destruction and the danger of being hit, people have been afraid to go out, and relief has been difficult to provide, officials from the UN said.
Although supplies are stockpiled, ready to be sent in, moving them has been delayed because of destroyed infrastructure.
The World Health Organisation says it is very concerned about the lack of electricity in hospitals, safe passage of ambulances and access to people in the south of the country.
Does this really sound like Israel is attempting to gain the release of two captured soldiers, or is their intention to utterly destroy the entire country of Lebanon? I leave it to you to answer for yourself.
I have answered that question by coming here to Washington, DC to do what I can to raise awareness of what is really happening in Lebanon. I will continue to take my message to the streets of our nation's capitol and in so doing, engage others in dialogue. Believe me, being a Raging Granny was way easier than this! Demonstrating with any group of like-hearted folks is always easier than being out there by yourself. But I'm coming to see that this individual approach may be more beneficial in the end because it encourages interaction between persons who hold different points of view. I'm grateful to be able to be do it.
Let me add that not everyone was criticizing my perspective during my four and half hours of demonstrating today. I got a lot of "Thank you's", often from people who identified themselves as being of Lebanese descent. And I also had a most interesting conversation with a representative from the Arab American Institute, who, with his colleagues, went into the Senate Office Building today to try and get support for a ceasefire in Lebanon. I'm afraid their efforts did not meet with success.
Another positive experience was encountering a wonderful group of young activists who were doing a street theatre protest out in front of the Carlyle Group headquarters on Pennsylvania Avenue. Came to find out they are students from around the country who are in Washington DC as part of a six-week program called the Summer of Resistance. Sponsored by the DC Peace Center, this is its first year. My friend Mkawasi is one of the organizers. After seeing them, I called Mkawasi and we met for dinner. Such a lifegiving way to end a rather tough day! How I appreciate all that that woman does. I am so grateful for her in my life.
Here's a picture of the Summer of Resistance activists doing their Carlyle Group street theatre:
I stood with my sign in front of the Senate Office Building from 10 a.m. to noon and, after a break, I went over at 1 p.m. to the House Office Buildings to do the same. But, once there, I learned that the Representatives had taken off after yesterday's shameful vote in support of Israel's attacks on Lebanon. Before going back over to the Senate Office Building, I had a very challenging dialogue with a former State Department employee who not only believes that Israel has every right to "defend itself against terrorists" but, when I recommended he go to al-Jazeera.net to find more complete news coverage of the conflict--from both the Lebanese and Israeli perspectives--he said, "Oh great, so you get your news from terrorists too!" Oh dear, we were definitely not on the same page.
Before coming to DC, I'd imagined that the American people would be horrified by what Israel is doing to Lebanon. Instead I find that the media has encouraged them to identify with the Israeli people who are being attacked by terrorists (Hizbollah), and to see Israel's attacks on Lebanon as totally justified. I get the feeling they see it as similar to what happened here on September 11, 2001--unprovoked attacks on innocent civilians.
They seem to have no awareness of the history of the region, that southern Lebanon has been under attack by Israel since 1982, that it was militarily occupied by Israel for 18 years, and that, even after Israel "left" the region in 2000, the people of southern Lebanon have been subject to relentless bombing raids and military incursions conducted by the Israeli military. It has been a war zone for decades.
Hizbollah initially emerged in resistance to Israel's occupation of southern Lebanon. And Israel has been holding thousands of Palestinian prisoners in terrible conditions for decades. So Hizbollah's incursion into Israeli territory on that fateful Wednesday did not come out of the blue. Their killing and capturing Israeli soldiers was an attempt to have bargaining chips in a prisoner exchange. Stupid, violent, misguided, wrong though it was, this was not a surprising tactic in the lowgrade war they'd been part of for years.
But the American people know none of this. I wonder if George W. Bush does. It seems to me that the Israeli bias in our media and government is playing this for all it's worth. And they're meeting with success on every level except one: truth.
As I said a few times today, what we're seeing is Israel using F-16 bombers to kill a mosquito. And who suffers? Not Hizbollah; only a handful of them have been killed. It is the Lebanese people--330 of whom have been killed as of today--and their entire country that suffers. A beautiful country. At least it was beautiful when I was there eight months ago. A half million out of 3.8 million Lebanese are homeless, and over 100,000 have been chased out of their country into Syria. Many from the south have fled into Beirut which now resembles a refugee camp. But even central Beirut is now being bombed by Israel. A humanitarian crisis is looming, as reported on al-Jazeera:
Meanwhile, the UN and Red Cross have said that the humanitarian situation in Lebanon is deteriorating rapidly as the country becomes more isolated because of damage to roads, bridges and other structures.
Because of the destruction and the danger of being hit, people have been afraid to go out, and relief has been difficult to provide, officials from the UN said.
Although supplies are stockpiled, ready to be sent in, moving them has been delayed because of destroyed infrastructure.
The World Health Organisation says it is very concerned about the lack of electricity in hospitals, safe passage of ambulances and access to people in the south of the country.
Does this really sound like Israel is attempting to gain the release of two captured soldiers, or is their intention to utterly destroy the entire country of Lebanon? I leave it to you to answer for yourself.
I have answered that question by coming here to Washington, DC to do what I can to raise awareness of what is really happening in Lebanon. I will continue to take my message to the streets of our nation's capitol and in so doing, engage others in dialogue. Believe me, being a Raging Granny was way easier than this! Demonstrating with any group of like-hearted folks is always easier than being out there by yourself. But I'm coming to see that this individual approach may be more beneficial in the end because it encourages interaction between persons who hold different points of view. I'm grateful to be able to be do it.
Let me add that not everyone was criticizing my perspective during my four and half hours of demonstrating today. I got a lot of "Thank you's", often from people who identified themselves as being of Lebanese descent. And I also had a most interesting conversation with a representative from the Arab American Institute, who, with his colleagues, went into the Senate Office Building today to try and get support for a ceasefire in Lebanon. I'm afraid their efforts did not meet with success.
Another positive experience was encountering a wonderful group of young activists who were doing a street theatre protest out in front of the Carlyle Group headquarters on Pennsylvania Avenue. Came to find out they are students from around the country who are in Washington DC as part of a six-week program called the Summer of Resistance. Sponsored by the DC Peace Center, this is its first year. My friend Mkawasi is one of the organizers. After seeing them, I called Mkawasi and we met for dinner. Such a lifegiving way to end a rather tough day! How I appreciate all that that woman does. I am so grateful for her in my life.
Here's a picture of the Summer of Resistance activists doing their Carlyle Group street theatre:
Thursday, July 20, 2006
...in the belly of the beast
I'm here in the belly of the beast, where politicians who are bought and paid for by Israeli money continue to sit on their hands while the Lebanese people are being massacred and their country destroyed.
Even in this city where arrogance, greed and corruption are so common they're not even commented upon, there are courageous, committed, radiant persons of Truth, Justice and Peace, persons who are not giving in to the double-edged sword of despair and hatred. A few, like Concepcion and Thomas have been faithful to this work amd witness 24/7 since 1981. Others, like the women and men of Code Pink have just completed Day 17 of a fast to bring the troops home from Iraq.
These individuals give me all that I need in order to do what I have come here to do, and that is to stand as a physical reminder of the Lebanese people who are so obviously being forgotten by Washington's powers-that-be.
This afternoon I stood in front of The White House; tomorrow I plan to stand in front of the House and Senate Office Buildings. I don't expect to change any minds but I do hope to remind these so-called representatives of the people that the Lebanese are humans too and deserve as much care and concern as the Israeli people and the lobbyists who obviously have the ear of these fine folks on Capitol Hill.
Yes, it was a long drive but I'm glad I came. At least here I'm able to do more than just stew in my juices.
Even in this city where arrogance, greed and corruption are so common they're not even commented upon, there are courageous, committed, radiant persons of Truth, Justice and Peace, persons who are not giving in to the double-edged sword of despair and hatred. A few, like Concepcion and Thomas have been faithful to this work amd witness 24/7 since 1981. Others, like the women and men of Code Pink have just completed Day 17 of a fast to bring the troops home from Iraq.
These individuals give me all that I need in order to do what I have come here to do, and that is to stand as a physical reminder of the Lebanese people who are so obviously being forgotten by Washington's powers-that-be.
This afternoon I stood in front of The White House; tomorrow I plan to stand in front of the House and Senate Office Buildings. I don't expect to change any minds but I do hope to remind these so-called representatives of the people that the Lebanese are humans too and deserve as much care and concern as the Israeli people and the lobbyists who obviously have the ear of these fine folks on Capitol Hill.
Yes, it was a long drive but I'm glad I came. At least here I'm able to do more than just stew in my juices.
Wednesday, July 19, 2006
news of the family
I just talked with Sulaima at her sister's in Kuwait. Her voice sounds happy and full of life even though she told me about the hard times she and the kids suffered in Syria. Being dropped off a mile from the airport by a surly taxi driver, having to carry all their luggage themselves even though Sami was deathly ill at the time. Almost missing their plane because a stupid customs official wouldn't let her show him where the necessary stamp was on one of the kids' passports. Lots of tears. But they made it with a minute or two to spare. And once on the Kuwaiti plane, all was well. As the kids say, "Civilization again!" They are having a grand time with family and are now looking towards the next chapter, which is Qatar! Rabih's work is headquartered there and Qatar has opened its doors to all Lebanese refugees with no visa requirements at all. So Rabih is on his way to Qatar to find them an apartment. Sulaima laughed and said, "So we start all over AGAIN!"
A minor note is that they lost the suitcase with all of Sulaima's deceased mother's jewelry and clothing, but not all is lost. She had given me a ring of her mother's and one of her beautiful dresses to bring home after I visited them. These are all that are left. And of course, I will return these to Sulaima as soon as they get settled. But she has things very much in perspective. "My children are safe and we're not being bombed: that's all that matters."
A minor note is that they lost the suitcase with all of Sulaima's deceased mother's jewelry and clothing, but not all is lost. She had given me a ring of her mother's and one of her beautiful dresses to bring home after I visited them. These are all that are left. And of course, I will return these to Sulaima as soon as they get settled. But she has things very much in perspective. "My children are safe and we're not being bombed: that's all that matters."
off to DC
Yesterday's protest/solidarity march and rally in Dearborn were awesome. Lots of love, family feeling and tremendous concern for loved ones in Lebanon. About 10000 people, many of them children! I took many photos but will have to wait until I can post them on my blog.
I just read that GW Bush is allowing another week for Israel to finish destroying Lebanon and I cannot in conscience sit by and do nothing. So I'm driving to Washington, DC starting this afternoon and will stand in front of the White House for that week protesting their complicity in the massacre. There is already a community of fasters there who are calling for an end to the US war/occupation of Iraq, so I will not be alone. I will be taking Rabih, Sulaima and the kids with me in my heart and pictured on my sign. May there be peace!
Tuesday, July 18, 2006
links to important articles
To read what is really happening in Lebanon, I have been going to the Al Jazeera/English web site several times a day. It's helpful to note that Lebanon is seven hours ahead of our Eastern Time Zone here in the US. The most recent article--"Lebanon Toll Passes 230"--repeats some of what Rabih spoke of in his email but elaborates further.
Israel is obviously guilty of war crimes in targeting civilians, ambulances, humanitarian aid convoys bringing food and medicines into the country, and systematically destroying any means for residents to escape the carnage by crossing the border into Syria. And targeting a country's civilian infrastructure is in violation of the Geneva Convention and all international rules of law. Yet Israel goes ahead with America's blessing.
Not only did the US single-handedly block any attempts by the UN to call for a ceasefire in Lebanon, but some neo-cons are calling for the US to enter the war by attacking Syria and/or Iran. Are they mad??!! Do they really want World War III? It sure sounds like it.
And I want everyone to note how New York Senator, Presidential Wannabe Hillary Clinton sees Israel's war on Lebanon. Is this really what we want in the White House in 2008? I am sickened by what I read. Check it out for yourself at http://www.commondreams.org/headlines06/0718-03.htm
I am now off to Dearborn--home of the largest Lebanese community outside of Lebanon--to join in what will surely be a mammoth, emotional march and rally protesting Israel's war on Lebanon. I will carry a two-sided sign I made last night. On the front is an enlarged photo of my family in Beirut with the words "Who Suffers In War?", and on the back the words, "Israel OUT of Lebanon!!!"
I carry my family with me.
Israel is obviously guilty of war crimes in targeting civilians, ambulances, humanitarian aid convoys bringing food and medicines into the country, and systematically destroying any means for residents to escape the carnage by crossing the border into Syria. And targeting a country's civilian infrastructure is in violation of the Geneva Convention and all international rules of law. Yet Israel goes ahead with America's blessing.
Not only did the US single-handedly block any attempts by the UN to call for a ceasefire in Lebanon, but some neo-cons are calling for the US to enter the war by attacking Syria and/or Iran. Are they mad??!! Do they really want World War III? It sure sounds like it.
And I want everyone to note how New York Senator, Presidential Wannabe Hillary Clinton sees Israel's war on Lebanon. Is this really what we want in the White House in 2008? I am sickened by what I read. Check it out for yourself at http://www.commondreams.org/headlines06/0718-03.htm
I am now off to Dearborn--home of the largest Lebanese community outside of Lebanon--to join in what will surely be a mammoth, emotional march and rally protesting Israel's war on Lebanon. I will carry a two-sided sign I made last night. On the front is an enlarged photo of my family in Beirut with the words "Who Suffers In War?", and on the back the words, "Israel OUT of Lebanon!!!"
I carry my family with me.
chilling news
An email from Rabih dated 12:38 p.m. EDT:
Timing is everything!
Ever since this madness started on Wednesday I've been glued to AlJazeera. Thank God they have it here in the hotel in Istanbul. Today they announced that the road Sulaima's bus took yesterday to the Syrian border was destroyed by Israeli shelling this morning. It was the last working route to the Syrian border. Lebanon is now completely cut off and on the verge of a humanitarian disaster of preposterous magnitudes. The Israeli terrorism knows no bounds! They bombed a relief convoy today carrying desperately needed food and medicine.
Thank you G.W., your bed-fellow is proving beyond a shadow of a doubt who is the true axis of evil in the world!
Timing is everything!
Ever since this madness started on Wednesday I've been glued to AlJazeera. Thank God they have it here in the hotel in Istanbul. Today they announced that the road Sulaima's bus took yesterday to the Syrian border was destroyed by Israeli shelling this morning. It was the last working route to the Syrian border. Lebanon is now completely cut off and on the verge of a humanitarian disaster of preposterous magnitudes. The Israeli terrorism knows no bounds! They bombed a relief convoy today carrying desperately needed food and medicine.
Thank you G.W., your bed-fellow is proving beyond a shadow of a doubt who is the true axis of evil in the world!
Safe in Kuwait!
An email from Rabih dated 5:40 a.m. EDT:
They are now with family in Kuwait!!
At 3:40 am today I received a phonecall that allowed me to breathe a final sigh of relief. It was the voice of Sulaima telling that she's calling from her sister's house in Kuwait. Soon inshallah we'll be re-united! I'm praying.
Rabih
Well, I am praying too even though that is a word I have not used in years. For me it means I am seeing this dear family together again, just as I was privileged to see them during our ten days together last November. So you can do the same, I offer photos of my beloved family at home:
They are now with family in Kuwait!!
At 3:40 am today I received a phonecall that allowed me to breathe a final sigh of relief. It was the voice of Sulaima telling that she's calling from her sister's house in Kuwait. Soon inshallah we'll be re-united! I'm praying.
Rabih
Well, I am praying too even though that is a word I have not used in years. For me it means I am seeing this dear family together again, just as I was privileged to see them during our ten days together last November. So you can do the same, I offer photos of my beloved family at home:
Monday, July 17, 2006
ruminations on the situation in Lebanon
It's always the innocents who suffer. I think of the people I know in Lebanon--my family, yes, but also their extended families, friends and neighbors. I think of their kindness to me when I visited there last November. Are they all right? Have they fled to Syria like my family or are they trying to stick it out? Have their neighborhoods been bombed? Are their children terrified?
I think of my children. How traumatized are they by all of this? As if they hadn't already been traumatized enough in their short lives! Can we imagine what it would be like to have to flee our homes within hours, leaving behind the people and things we love? Can we imagine hearing explosive bombs, the drone of bomber planes and seeing skies red with flames and black with smoke? And then having to travel by bus or taxi on roads that could be bombed at any minute. How would that feel?
We here in America know so little of what the rest of the world suffers on a daily basis. We think the attacks on the World Trade Centers and the Pentagon were the worst thing in the world. How naive! That was ONE day, not day-after-day, week-after-week, month-after-month, year-after-year like it is for other peoples. Palestinians come to mind as just one example.
And I'm afraid we're much like our current president, seeing complex international situations in simplistic terms, as if there were "good guys" and "bad guys." George Bush's unguarded comments to Tony Blair at that G8 dinner show the superficiality of this man's grasp of what is happening in Lebanon.
"See," he said, "the irony is what they need to do is get Syria to get Hizbollah to stop doing this shit and it's over."
As if Syria is running the show. As if Israel has nothing to do with it. As if Hizbollah would stop firing its rockets and Israel would stop destroying the infrastructure of Lebanon, blockading the country's borders, and bombarding areas dense with civilians if Syrian President Bashar al-Asad said to.
It's chilling that a man with such a black-and-white view of things has so much power.
What's happening in Lebanon is as gray as anything could be. There is a long history of armed conflict between Hizbollah and Israel at Lebanon's southern border. The problems didn't start last Wednesday when Hizbollah killed and captured Israeli soldiers. Israel has been killing and capturing Hizbollah militia and Lebanese civilians for decades. Heck, they occupied South Lebanon militarily for 18 years. But even since Israel left in 2000, the conflict and armed confrontations have continued.
I personally have no love of Hizbollah. Their current leader, Hasan Nasrallah, is a hot head who is doing everything he can to incite Israel to even more violence. He obviously does not have the best interests of the Lebanese people at heart. But his rockets are no real threat to Israel. Yes, since Wednesday 24 people have been killed in northern Israel--half of them civilians--but compare that with 200 in Lebanon, only 7 of whom were soldiers. And Hizbollah is not destroying Israel's infrastructure, blockading its ports, air space and borders. It is not mounting relentless aerial attacks on the entire country. If Hizbollah had the capacity to do so, they probably would. But they don't.
The United States with George W. Bush as president is the ONLY country in the world not condemning Israel for its current attacks on Lebanon. I don't need to remind anyone of our longstanding support of Israel, militarily, financially, economically and politically. In American eyes, Israel can do no wrong. And the media mouths the same line.
For instance, have you noticed that when Israelis are killed, they are described as "a woman and her 5 year-old daughter," whereas Lebanese casualties are simply numbers? The New York Times is a #1 offender in terms of a bias towards Israel. The only editorial to date blamed Hizbollah for the entire thing. In their opinion, Israel is simply responding to Hizbollah's act of aggression. Whatever are they thinking? As if the death of eight soldiers and the capture of two justifiy destroying the whole of Lebanon!
This all makes me so sad. I remember the beauty of Lebanon. Beirut was such a vibrant, cosmopolitan city. And they'd worked so hard since the end of the civil war to rebuild the city. When I was there, construction cranes covered the skyline. There were very few buildings that still showed the effects of those fifteen years of intense fighting. Tourists were again flocking to Beirut and the Lebanese economy was on the upswing. And now, how will this end? With Lebanon torn apart and their economy a mess. And maybe even a political power vacuum in which extremists can come to power. It sickens me to consider their future.
War. What is it good for? Not the people, that's for sure. And not the planet. It serves the interests of the few in power. War is a tool used to dig the roots out of the soil of life.
Let me show you some photos of Beirut before last week's carnage began. I will start with southern Beirut, an area that is currently under intense bombardment by Israel. This was the neighborhood where we dropped Sana off to visit her friend from school. I wonder if she and her family were able to escape before the attacks. I hope so.
I think of my children. How traumatized are they by all of this? As if they hadn't already been traumatized enough in their short lives! Can we imagine what it would be like to have to flee our homes within hours, leaving behind the people and things we love? Can we imagine hearing explosive bombs, the drone of bomber planes and seeing skies red with flames and black with smoke? And then having to travel by bus or taxi on roads that could be bombed at any minute. How would that feel?
We here in America know so little of what the rest of the world suffers on a daily basis. We think the attacks on the World Trade Centers and the Pentagon were the worst thing in the world. How naive! That was ONE day, not day-after-day, week-after-week, month-after-month, year-after-year like it is for other peoples. Palestinians come to mind as just one example.
And I'm afraid we're much like our current president, seeing complex international situations in simplistic terms, as if there were "good guys" and "bad guys." George Bush's unguarded comments to Tony Blair at that G8 dinner show the superficiality of this man's grasp of what is happening in Lebanon.
"See," he said, "the irony is what they need to do is get Syria to get Hizbollah to stop doing this shit and it's over."
As if Syria is running the show. As if Israel has nothing to do with it. As if Hizbollah would stop firing its rockets and Israel would stop destroying the infrastructure of Lebanon, blockading the country's borders, and bombarding areas dense with civilians if Syrian President Bashar al-Asad said to.
It's chilling that a man with such a black-and-white view of things has so much power.
What's happening in Lebanon is as gray as anything could be. There is a long history of armed conflict between Hizbollah and Israel at Lebanon's southern border. The problems didn't start last Wednesday when Hizbollah killed and captured Israeli soldiers. Israel has been killing and capturing Hizbollah militia and Lebanese civilians for decades. Heck, they occupied South Lebanon militarily for 18 years. But even since Israel left in 2000, the conflict and armed confrontations have continued.
I personally have no love of Hizbollah. Their current leader, Hasan Nasrallah, is a hot head who is doing everything he can to incite Israel to even more violence. He obviously does not have the best interests of the Lebanese people at heart. But his rockets are no real threat to Israel. Yes, since Wednesday 24 people have been killed in northern Israel--half of them civilians--but compare that with 200 in Lebanon, only 7 of whom were soldiers. And Hizbollah is not destroying Israel's infrastructure, blockading its ports, air space and borders. It is not mounting relentless aerial attacks on the entire country. If Hizbollah had the capacity to do so, they probably would. But they don't.
The United States with George W. Bush as president is the ONLY country in the world not condemning Israel for its current attacks on Lebanon. I don't need to remind anyone of our longstanding support of Israel, militarily, financially, economically and politically. In American eyes, Israel can do no wrong. And the media mouths the same line.
For instance, have you noticed that when Israelis are killed, they are described as "a woman and her 5 year-old daughter," whereas Lebanese casualties are simply numbers? The New York Times is a #1 offender in terms of a bias towards Israel. The only editorial to date blamed Hizbollah for the entire thing. In their opinion, Israel is simply responding to Hizbollah's act of aggression. Whatever are they thinking? As if the death of eight soldiers and the capture of two justifiy destroying the whole of Lebanon!
This all makes me so sad. I remember the beauty of Lebanon. Beirut was such a vibrant, cosmopolitan city. And they'd worked so hard since the end of the civil war to rebuild the city. When I was there, construction cranes covered the skyline. There were very few buildings that still showed the effects of those fifteen years of intense fighting. Tourists were again flocking to Beirut and the Lebanese economy was on the upswing. And now, how will this end? With Lebanon torn apart and their economy a mess. And maybe even a political power vacuum in which extremists can come to power. It sickens me to consider their future.
War. What is it good for? Not the people, that's for sure. And not the planet. It serves the interests of the few in power. War is a tool used to dig the roots out of the soil of life.
Let me show you some photos of Beirut before last week's carnage began. I will start with southern Beirut, an area that is currently under intense bombardment by Israel. This was the neighborhood where we dropped Sana off to visit her friend from school. I wonder if she and her family were able to escape before the attacks. I hope so.
an update & some perspective
An email from Rabih dated 1:30 PM EDT said:
SAFE AT LAST!!
Sulaima just called me from Damascus. They made it and are now resting at a hotel waiting for a flight to Kuwait. Oh what a beautiful, wonderful sense of relief!
An email from Rabih's brother Bassem dated 3:23 PM EDT said:
Patricia,
Thank you for the kind words. It seems like our government has a disregard for any Arab life that is lost. The bias that our government is exhibiting will only strengthen the hardliners in those areas.
I have spoken with my mother and uncles, I have not been able to contact my aunt and Suliema. Mazen on the other hand has been able to contact both, so far physically everyone is ok, mentally you can only imagine. It would be easier on me to be there with them than over here listening to the garbage that I hear on TV and from our news media.
Thanks,
Bassem
PS: call and write your representatives, here is what I have communicated to them.
I am an American citizen of Lebanese descent. I am very disturbed at the bias that the US Government is showing in the conflict between Lebanon and Israel in particular and the Arab-Israeli conflict in general. The cause of this war is not important at this time, what is important is to spare the lives of innocent people that is rising by the minute. With family members and friends in harms way it is very distressing to hear the official US stance that Israel is defending itself. The destruction of civilian infrastructure will only aid in increasing the anger and frustration of the Arab world at the US. I believe we need to look out for the interests of the United States and not those of Israel. As an American citizen I am coming to the belief that our senate and congress have been bought by the Israeli lobby (AIPAC), consequently, any decision that comes out of those bodies is biased towards Israel.
I hope that our government starts working towards a cease fire and show the Lebanese people that we are truly their friends and we will not abandon them in their time of need.
SAFE AT LAST!!
Sulaima just called me from Damascus. They made it and are now resting at a hotel waiting for a flight to Kuwait. Oh what a beautiful, wonderful sense of relief!
An email from Rabih's brother Bassem dated 3:23 PM EDT said:
Patricia,
Thank you for the kind words. It seems like our government has a disregard for any Arab life that is lost. The bias that our government is exhibiting will only strengthen the hardliners in those areas.
I have spoken with my mother and uncles, I have not been able to contact my aunt and Suliema. Mazen on the other hand has been able to contact both, so far physically everyone is ok, mentally you can only imagine. It would be easier on me to be there with them than over here listening to the garbage that I hear on TV and from our news media.
Thanks,
Bassem
PS: call and write your representatives, here is what I have communicated to them.
I am an American citizen of Lebanese descent. I am very disturbed at the bias that the US Government is showing in the conflict between Lebanon and Israel in particular and the Arab-Israeli conflict in general. The cause of this war is not important at this time, what is important is to spare the lives of innocent people that is rising by the minute. With family members and friends in harms way it is very distressing to hear the official US stance that Israel is defending itself. The destruction of civilian infrastructure will only aid in increasing the anger and frustration of the Arab world at the US. I believe we need to look out for the interests of the United States and not those of Israel. As an American citizen I am coming to the belief that our senate and congress have been bought by the Israeli lobby (AIPAC), consequently, any decision that comes out of those bodies is biased towards Israel.
I hope that our government starts working towards a cease fire and show the Lebanese people that we are truly their friends and we will not abandon them in their time of need.
And the worries continue...
I've just emailed Rabih's brothers, Mazen and Bassem, both of whom live in the US, to try to get news about their mother, grandfather, aunts and uncle in Beirut. The most recent news that Israel has started bombing downtown Beirut makes my worries more acute. Rabih's grandfather is 95 and in frail condition. Evacuating him would be a tremendous risk, yet staying where they are might be even worse. I HATE war and what it does to the weakest and most innocent among us! Please hold Rabih's family in your hearts.
Here are photos of 1) Rabih with his mother, 2) the kids with Tata, 3) Rabih, his grandfather, mother and uncle (his mother's brother), and 4) his mother and her sister, Rabih's aunt:
Here are photos of 1) Rabih with his mother, 2) the kids with Tata, 3) Rabih, his grandfather, mother and uncle (his mother's brother), and 4) his mother and her sister, Rabih's aunt:
Great news!!!
Sulaima and the children are safe in Damascus!!!
Now we just need to get Rabih and the family reunited. He's currently in Istanbul and they are in Damascus. But I'm sure they will find a way. I keep wondering if they might decide to go to Kuwait where Sulaima's father and sisters live. She has a Kuwaiti passport, as does at least one of the children. Time will tell. But at least they're all out of Lebanon!
Thank you for your prayers, good thoughts and wishes. We are in this together, you know. All members of one family.
Now we just need to get Rabih and the family reunited. He's currently in Istanbul and they are in Damascus. But I'm sure they will find a way. I keep wondering if they might decide to go to Kuwait where Sulaima's father and sisters live. She has a Kuwaiti passport, as does at least one of the children. Time will tell. But at least they're all out of Lebanon!
Thank you for your prayers, good thoughts and wishes. We are in this together, you know. All members of one family.
They're at the border!
Rabih has just emailed telling me that Sulaima and the kids have reached the border into Syria! Now we have to get them in. Apparently three of the kids have expired passports and could not renew them because of the chaos in Lebanon. He said they took a bus to the northern border of Syria, a trip that normally takes, at the most, an hour and a half. Today it took almost six. As you know, the main Beirut to Damascus highway has come under repeated bombardment and is closed. So everyone has to find alternative routes.
We will likely have to wait a number of hours before we hear that they are safe inside Syria's borders--inshallah--as the lines are horrendous.
Hold them safe and please see them INSIDE Syria and reunited with Rabih, who is, as you can imagine, worried sick.
We will likely have to wait a number of hours before we hear that they are safe inside Syria's borders--inshallah--as the lines are horrendous.
Hold them safe and please see them INSIDE Syria and reunited with Rabih, who is, as you can imagine, worried sick.
news from Rabih
I was going to write about my lovely day of swimming, rest, time together with Pat my friend, a change of heart about my non-peaceful response to the situation in Lebanon, and an evening spent in community with my sister and brother Detroiters at the Concert of Colors, but one email changed all that. It was from my brother Rabih.
He says that solitary confinement was easier than what he's going through now. At least then he didn't have to worry about the safety of his family. He's stuck in Istanbul because Israel has cut Lebanon off from the outside world and he can't get back in.
What he said next sent chills down my spine. Sulaima and the children will be leaving their mountain home today (Monday) to go to Syria.
Oh, dear friends, we must all hold Sulaima, Sana (16), Sami (13), Rami (11), Oussama (8) and Ibrahim (2) in our hearts as they undertake this perilous journey. May they be held safe by Allah, God, Goddess or whatever you call Divinity . May the children not be frightened and may Sulaima be given all the strength, resiliency, courage and peace that she needs to accomplish this task. They are not alone in seeking refuge in Syria: it is where most Lebanese nationals and foreign tourists have gone for safety. And Syria is welcoming them.
Rabih also sent me an article he has written called "Terrorism is Spelled I-s-r-a-e-l". At his request I have just posted it on his blog, Enduring Mercy. It bears reading.
I'm posting a selection of photos showing their probable route to Syria. The final photo shows the Syrian mountains beyond which they will finally be safe.
He says that solitary confinement was easier than what he's going through now. At least then he didn't have to worry about the safety of his family. He's stuck in Istanbul because Israel has cut Lebanon off from the outside world and he can't get back in.
What he said next sent chills down my spine. Sulaima and the children will be leaving their mountain home today (Monday) to go to Syria.
Oh, dear friends, we must all hold Sulaima, Sana (16), Sami (13), Rami (11), Oussama (8) and Ibrahim (2) in our hearts as they undertake this perilous journey. May they be held safe by Allah, God, Goddess or whatever you call Divinity . May the children not be frightened and may Sulaima be given all the strength, resiliency, courage and peace that she needs to accomplish this task. They are not alone in seeking refuge in Syria: it is where most Lebanese nationals and foreign tourists have gone for safety. And Syria is welcoming them.
Rabih also sent me an article he has written called "Terrorism is Spelled I-s-r-a-e-l". At his request I have just posted it on his blog, Enduring Mercy. It bears reading.
I'm posting a selection of photos showing their probable route to Syria. The final photo shows the Syrian mountains beyond which they will finally be safe.
Sunday, July 16, 2006
Concert of Colors
I am one cranky lady. At Detroit's Concert of Colors diversity festival yesterday my attitude towards other people was too often short and abrupt. I had little patience, especially when it came to issues of accessibility. Nights of too little sleep and too many worries are taking their toll. Twice during the day I almost left the festival; I just couldn't get into it. That is until a Senegalese hip hop/rap group came on and turned things around for me. Daara J's fabulous energy and sound carried me--and hundreds of others--on waves of delight. My first moments of pure joy since Lebanon came under attack on Wednesday.
After they'd helped clean some of the toxins out of my system, I was freer to enjoy the rest of the day. I was still not the nicest person to be around--just ask my friend Pat Kolon--but I saw lots of people I know and made a couple of new friends, so that was sweet. I also heard some terrific music. The Grammy award-winning banjo artist Alison Brown comes to mind, and, of course, the Indigo Girls. By the time Ladysmith Black Mambazo came on around 10 PM, I'm afraid I was nearing the end of my depleted store of energy. I should have gone home but didn't want to miss the opportunity to see these icons of South African freedom. To my tired ears their songs didn't have the power and energy I'd expected. But as I say, it was probably just me.
This morning I again woke up earlier than I would have liked. I haven't had a good night's sleep since Tuesday. But I'm up now. Maybe I'll catch a nap later on. One thing for sure--I want to get in a good long lap swim this morning. That should help.
Here are some pictures I took today at the Concert of Colors. I may have been cranky but obviously most folks weren't!
After they'd helped clean some of the toxins out of my system, I was freer to enjoy the rest of the day. I was still not the nicest person to be around--just ask my friend Pat Kolon--but I saw lots of people I know and made a couple of new friends, so that was sweet. I also heard some terrific music. The Grammy award-winning banjo artist Alison Brown comes to mind, and, of course, the Indigo Girls. By the time Ladysmith Black Mambazo came on around 10 PM, I'm afraid I was nearing the end of my depleted store of energy. I should have gone home but didn't want to miss the opportunity to see these icons of South African freedom. To my tired ears their songs didn't have the power and energy I'd expected. But as I say, it was probably just me.
This morning I again woke up earlier than I would have liked. I haven't had a good night's sleep since Tuesday. But I'm up now. Maybe I'll catch a nap later on. One thing for sure--I want to get in a good long lap swim this morning. That should help.
Here are some pictures I took today at the Concert of Colors. I may have been cranky but obviously most folks weren't!
Saturday, July 15, 2006
a rant
Many otherwise-informed people are seeing Israel's attack on Lebanon as justified. After all, Hezbollah--the radical militarist gang that has controlled southern Lebanon since Israel left the area after occupying it for 18 years (1982-2000)--made an incursion into northern Israel on Wednesday, killed eight Israeli soldiers and captured two more. Doesn't that justify a military response from Israel?
Maybe, but what is currently happening in ALL of Lebanon, not just the Hezbollah-controlled south, is much more than a contained response to unprovoked aggression: it is an attempt to destroy the entire country. Israel is methodically attacking the infrastructure of Lebanon with massive aerial bombardments of airports, power and water treatment facilities, fuel stations and tanks, bridges (at least 30 so far) and highways, especially those leading in and out of the country. They have imposed a blockade by air, land and sea so that no vital goods can past through.
Can you see the humanitarian crisis just ahead? Since Wednesday, 79 Lebanese civilians have been killed, and now Israel is bombing highrise apartment buildings in a densely-populated poor section of southern Beirut. This morning, flyers were dropped over the American University of Beirut in the center of the city, that said, "The Lebanese people protect Hezbollah and will face consequences."
Is this a justified response to Wednesday's raid by Hezbollah? Does this mean that downtown Beirut, a city that holds a million people, a third of Lebanon's entire population, is going to be bombed? For what? So that the two captured Israeli soldiers will be returned?
Who does Israel think they're kidding? Israel's PM Olmert has an agenda a mile wide and as large as the whole of Lebanon. What this agenda is has many interpretations, the most commonly held being to wipe Hezbollah off the face of the earth and in the process to show Syria and Iran that Israel is the BOSS of the region and they'd better not mess with the boss.
So who suffers? As always, the people. The innocents. The ones who have no voice, no power and everything to lose.
You may notice that I haven't yet mentioned the suffering of the Israeli people in this conflict. So far, four Israeli civilians have been killed by Hezbollah's rockets. The residents of northern Israel towns and cities are frightened. I gather many of them are spending most of their days and nights in bomb shelters. They don't deserve this either.
But, I ask you, who has the power here? A radical fringe with rockets or a highly sophisticated military with the best weapons that money can buy...although most of those weapons are given free of charge by Israel's best ally, the USA. My tax dollars are paying for the bombs that are destroying a country I've grown to love. My tax dollars forced my beloved family to leave their home and flee into the mountains. My tax dollars are killing innocent people.
How does that feel? It feels like crap. It enrages me. It makes me feel utterly impotent, with blood on my hands. And I haven't even mentioned what Israel is doing to the Palestinian people, their ongoing carnage in Gaza.
No, I am NOT anti-semitic, but I am becoming more and more anti-Israel. These are NOT the same thing. All Jews do not support what Israel is doing either. Many Israeli residents are appalled and disgusted at what their government is doing to other peoples. Just as I am appalled and disgusted at what my country's leaders are doing across the globe, but especially in countries like Iraq and Afghanistan where our military might has already destroyed ancient cultures and killed hundreds of thousands of innocent people. I am anti-American too if being American means supporting the actions of people like George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, Karl Rove and Donald Rumsfeld. I will NEVER support their violence and arrogance and greed.
Gosh, I didn't know all this was sitting inside me today, but I'm not surprised. It has been a very hard few days and I don't see things getting better anytime soon. At least not for my friends and family in Lebanon or for the beleagured people in Palestine.
As the song says, when will they ever learn...
Maybe, but what is currently happening in ALL of Lebanon, not just the Hezbollah-controlled south, is much more than a contained response to unprovoked aggression: it is an attempt to destroy the entire country. Israel is methodically attacking the infrastructure of Lebanon with massive aerial bombardments of airports, power and water treatment facilities, fuel stations and tanks, bridges (at least 30 so far) and highways, especially those leading in and out of the country. They have imposed a blockade by air, land and sea so that no vital goods can past through.
Can you see the humanitarian crisis just ahead? Since Wednesday, 79 Lebanese civilians have been killed, and now Israel is bombing highrise apartment buildings in a densely-populated poor section of southern Beirut. This morning, flyers were dropped over the American University of Beirut in the center of the city, that said, "The Lebanese people protect Hezbollah and will face consequences."
Is this a justified response to Wednesday's raid by Hezbollah? Does this mean that downtown Beirut, a city that holds a million people, a third of Lebanon's entire population, is going to be bombed? For what? So that the two captured Israeli soldiers will be returned?
Who does Israel think they're kidding? Israel's PM Olmert has an agenda a mile wide and as large as the whole of Lebanon. What this agenda is has many interpretations, the most commonly held being to wipe Hezbollah off the face of the earth and in the process to show Syria and Iran that Israel is the BOSS of the region and they'd better not mess with the boss.
So who suffers? As always, the people. The innocents. The ones who have no voice, no power and everything to lose.
You may notice that I haven't yet mentioned the suffering of the Israeli people in this conflict. So far, four Israeli civilians have been killed by Hezbollah's rockets. The residents of northern Israel towns and cities are frightened. I gather many of them are spending most of their days and nights in bomb shelters. They don't deserve this either.
But, I ask you, who has the power here? A radical fringe with rockets or a highly sophisticated military with the best weapons that money can buy...although most of those weapons are given free of charge by Israel's best ally, the USA. My tax dollars are paying for the bombs that are destroying a country I've grown to love. My tax dollars forced my beloved family to leave their home and flee into the mountains. My tax dollars are killing innocent people.
How does that feel? It feels like crap. It enrages me. It makes me feel utterly impotent, with blood on my hands. And I haven't even mentioned what Israel is doing to the Palestinian people, their ongoing carnage in Gaza.
No, I am NOT anti-semitic, but I am becoming more and more anti-Israel. These are NOT the same thing. All Jews do not support what Israel is doing either. Many Israeli residents are appalled and disgusted at what their government is doing to other peoples. Just as I am appalled and disgusted at what my country's leaders are doing across the globe, but especially in countries like Iraq and Afghanistan where our military might has already destroyed ancient cultures and killed hundreds of thousands of innocent people. I am anti-American too if being American means supporting the actions of people like George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, Karl Rove and Donald Rumsfeld. I will NEVER support their violence and arrogance and greed.
Gosh, I didn't know all this was sitting inside me today, but I'm not surprised. It has been a very hard few days and I don't see things getting better anytime soon. At least not for my friends and family in Lebanon or for the beleagured people in Palestine.
As the song says, when will they ever learn...
Friday, July 14, 2006
an informed analysis of the crises in Palestine and Lebanon
Amy Goodman and Juan Gonzalez had Noam Chomsky on "Democracy Now!" this morning to discuss what is happening in Gaza and Lebanon. Here is the link to the rush transcript. I find it quite telling.
I finally got through!
I just got through to Sulaima! She sounds tired but OK. They got up to Hammana last night (Thursday) around 8 PM Lebanese time, just before the fuel tanks at the Beirut airport were bombed. She was grateful that the taxi driver had a friend who could drive Rabih's car up too, so it is there with them at the mountain home.
She said the kids are handling things well: Sana who is sixteen is like another mother to her little brothers, and Sami (13 yrs old) and Rami (11) are helping her tremendously with their strong muscles. She'd told me the other night that the mountain house needed a lot of work to get it ready after the winter, so I guess that's their task now. We had to get off the phone because she'd just gotten a call on her cell phone from a workman who was coming right over, even though it's now 9:30 p.m. in Lebanon.Rabih is stuck in Turkey. There is no way for him to get into Lebanon. All routes--by land, sea and air--are shut down. Israel has successfully blockaded the entire country.
When I asked about the kids, she said the sounds of bombs going off are hard for them all, but they're managing. Apparently they can even hear the bombing attacks in Beirut. Although they're miles up Mount Lebanon, sounds carry from the valley below, and that is where Beirut lies on the coast to the west of Hammana.
She told me that I had seen a number of places that have been bombed--the small Lebanese military base on the coastal highway right under their apartment balcony, the Beirut-Damascus highway, and the airport.
Although she's been in touch with the Kuwait embassy--Sulaima is Kuwaiti by birth--and they are trying to make arrangements for Kuwait nationals to be evacuated back home, she's decided to stay put. As she said, "They can't guarantee anything." So she and the children will stay in the Hammana house for the rest of the summer, and hopefully, Rabih will join them soon. They would have been doing that anyway, just as soon as the boys had completed their summer sports programs; it just happened sooner, that's all. Actually, they usually spent the entire summer up in Hammana, but had postponed going this year because the boys wanted to be part of a summer sports camp.
I feel SO RELIEVED. I can see them in my mind's eye up in the mountains, and it feels as safe as anyplace in Lebanon right now. By the way, Sulaima was grateful that I'm sharing their story here on my blog. The more people who can hold all of the Lebanese people in their hearts, the better. So that's OUR task. May our loving thoughts and protective prayers benefit all the people who are suffering in this war. And may those who hold the power to stop the suffering, do so without delay!
Good news!
From my sister in Egypt I received an email dated 11 a.m. EDT. In it she says:
I just hung up with Sulaima. By Allah's grace they are all fine alhamdullilah. Rabih is not back yet. However she said Sami and Rami are now big boys. She took a taxi to Hammana and had another driver drive Rabih's car up to the mountain. I told her we heard of air raids and she said that they are hitting specific targets on the mountains like radar and the such but not civilians. The sound is loud but other than that they are doing well. Masha Allah they are survivors and insha Allah this too will pass.
Oh yes, my sister Sulaima is a survivor: strong, resilient, intelligent and courageous. She is also a fierce mama bear when it comes to protecting her five children. I learned this about her during Rabih's imprisonment. Whatever needs to be done, she will do...even if the man she calls her "beloved hubby" isn't there to help her. Although I'm sure she and Rabih are in close touch by phone and are working everything out together. They're a great team.
Can you imagine how it must be for Rabih to be away from his family during this crisis? I'm sure he is doing everything he can to get back to them as soon as possible. But this will not be easy with the international airport being bombed every day and now closed indefinitely, and the main Beirut-Damascus highway under attack and also closed. There are other mountain roads that could get him from Syria--if he can get into Syria--and over to Hammana. Please send him well wishes and good energy as he tries to reunite with his family.
I'm still doing my best to get through by phone to Sulaima. No luck so far, but I'll keep trying. Thank you all for your prayers and thoughts on behalf of my family. That means a lot.
an update
I just received the following email from a friend of Sulaima's who now lives in Egypt:
I talked to Sulaima last night. The lines have been busy or out of order but after a day long trial I got her alhamdullilah. They were on their way to Hammana as they were asked to evacuate within 48 hours. I am not sure if Rabih was with them. Sulaima told me to make extra duaa ( prayers) for others who have no other place to turn to.
However,the latest news is that the Arabic Aljazeera reported a few minutes ago that there were strikes on Hammana. It was not a full story ..just the moving headline said "Israel strikes Hammana". I have been trying to call them all morning but I get a recording that the number cannot be reached at this time.
All we can do now is intensify the prayers and ask Allah to keep them safe.
I've had no luck trying to call Sulaima myself, even though I'm trying the home number, the number at their mountain home in Hammana, and Sulaima's cell phone number. I'll keep trying. At least they're out of Beirut. May they stay safe.
touching peace
As I wait until it's time that I can call Sulaima I'm calming my spirit by spending time with flowers and plants. May they prove restful to you too.
Thursday, July 13, 2006
It just gets worse
I wish I knew Beirut's districts better. In the latest Al-Jazeera article, they pinpoint a southern suburb of Beirut called Haret Hreik as the center of Hezbollah's political base. I don't know how close that is to Aramoun where Rabih, Sulaima and the kids live. But I do know the main highway to the airport and points south because it was right outside our balcony.
Here is the latest news from Al-Jazeera, none of it good:
Israeli-Lebanese attacks intensify
Thursday 13 July 2006 10:43 PM GMT
At least 55 people have been killed in Israeli air raids in Lebanon, including several strikes in the southern suburbs of Beirut where Hezbollah has its political headquarters.
Residents of southern Beirut heard the impact of at least four Israeli missiles early on Friday and the Lebanese army responded with anti-aircraft fire.
Hezbollah's Al-Manar TV and other local stations said a bridge in the area was hit. Security sources said the main highway to the airport and the south was also hit.
Sheik Hassan Nasrallah, the Hezbollah leader, has his office and residence in the district of Haret Hreik in south Beirut. Hezbollah's Shura Council, its decision-making body, and their TV station are also located nearby.
Israeli jets dropped leaflets on Thursday warning people to stay away from Hezbollah offices.
Police said a fuel storage tank at a power station on the coast was destroyed during the strikes.
Hezbollah targets on the outskirts of Hermel, near the border with Syria, were also targeted by Israeli planes, police said.
Rocket attacks
The Israeli army said Hezbollah fighters fired more than 100 rockets on northern Israel on Thursday, killing two people, wounding 92 others and hitting Israel's third largest city, Haifa.
Hezbollah, a Shia group backed by Iran and Syria, denied it had fired on the port city.
Israel tightened its blockade of Lebanon by launching seven air raids over a 20km stretch of the highway between Beirut and Damascus, the Syrian capital.
The road was closed as a precautionary measure, the authorities said.
The road across the border from Syria was the only major entry point into Lebanon still operating after Israel blockaded ports and destroyed the runways at Beirut's airport on Thursday.
More targets
A senior Israeli officer said the blockade would be maintained throughout what he said would be a prolonged offensive against Lebanese resistance group Hezbollah.
At least 55 civilians have died in Israeli raids since Hezbollah captured two Israeli soldiers in a cross-border raid on Wednesday.
Ehud Olmert, the Israeli prime minister, ordered the army to continue with operations in Lebanon after meeting his defence minister and army chief of staff.
"The government has authorised the army to press on with its operation in Lebanon and hit more targets," a government official said.
The violence is the fiercest since 1996 when Israeli troops still occupied part of south Lebanon.
Riyadh blames Hezbollah
On Thursday, Saudi Arabia blamed "elements" inside Lebanon for the situation, seemingly criticising Hezbollah and Iran.
"A distinction must be made between legitimate resistance and uncalculated adventures undertaken by elements inside [Lebanon] and those behind them, without recourse to the legal authorities and consulting and co-ordinating with Arab nations," a statement on the official news agency SPA said.
"A distinction must be made between legitimate resistance and uncalculated adventures undertaken by elements inside [Lebanon] and those behind them"
Saudi statement on official news agency SPA
"These elements should bear the responsibility for their irresponsible actions and they alone should end the crisis they have created," the statement said.
Meanwhile, Iran warned Israel against attacking Lebanon's neighbour Syria.
"If Israel commits another act of idiocy and aggresses Syria, this will be the same as an aggression against the entire Islamic world and it will receive a stinging response," Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Iranian president, said in a telephone conversation with his Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad.
Ahmadinejad also told Emile Lahoud, the Lebanese president, that "Iran would put all its potential at the service of Lebanon".
"Iran will stay by the side of the Lebanese in the delicate circumstances in their homeland," he said in a separate phone conversation, according to a statement from the Lebanese government.
Iran denies getting soldiers
Iran also rejected claims that the two Israeli soldiers captured by Hezbollah on Wednesday were being moved there.
"The Lebanese government calls upon the United Nations Security Council to issue a ... resolution to establish a ceasefire and to lift the siege on Lebanon in all its forms"
Beirut's UN mission
On Thursday, Israel said it had information that Hezbollah were trying to transfer them to Iran in an apparent move to prevent them from being rescued.
Mark Regev, an Israeli foreign ministry spokesman, did not disclose the source of his information.
Hamid Reza Asefi, the Iranian foreign ministry spokesman, said: "This regime (Israel) is trapped in its homemade crisis and these sort of accusations are simply nonsense."
UN emergency session
On Friday, the United Nations Security Council is holding an emergency session to discuss the Israeli offensive.
Lebanon has asked the UN to adopt a resolution demanding a ceasefire and an end to the Israeli attacks.
"The Lebanese government calls upon the United Nations Security Council to issue a firm, comprehensive and immediate resolution to establish a ceasefire and to lift the siege on Lebanon in all its forms," Beirut's UN mission said.
Israel told the UN on Wednesday that it held Lebanon responsible for the capture of the two soldiers, which it termed an act of war.
You can find this article at:
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/BA71E74E-2DBE-4D2E-A704-83869E4679B9.htm
I won't even comment on what George Bush and his pro-Israel UN flunky John Bolton are saying about this nightmare. They don't even deserve to be acknowledged. Suffice to say that France, Russia and the European Union have condemned Israel's attacks on and blockade of Lebanon as "disproportionate." The U.S. is the ONLY country supporting Israel's brutal war on Lebanon and Gaza.
"Actions, which are contrary to international humanitarian law, can only aggravate the vicious circle of violence and retribution," the EU presidency said in a statement.
In harm's way
Each piece of news coming out of Lebanon fills me with more dread and anxiety. Is my family safe today? Will they be safe tomorrow and the next day and the day after that? When will this madness end?
The latest news reports are that Israel has bombed the international airport near my family for the second time today, this time setting the fuel tanks ablaze. From an article on Al-Jazeera I learned that:
Police said 52 Lebanese civilians, including 15 children, were killed in attacks on Hezbollah targets in Beirut's southern suburbs and across southern Lebanon.
That's when I realized that my family is under threat because they live in a suburb south of Beirut. Another article describes the state of anxiety among those who live in Beirut, and how many summer visitors--a blogger even mentions those from Detroit--are trying to flee the country through the border with Syria. This means the kids I know from the K-5 school in East Dearborn where I've helped with art for five years, are also at risk. Dozens of them went to Beirut to visit family for the summer.
In that article it was also reported that
The government has ordered the evacuation of the southern suburbs of Beirut, where Hezbollah is considered to be most active among the largely poor Shia. This came after an Israeli missile hit Hezbollah's Al-Manar television station.
Now I wonder if my family has been evacuated from their apartment. If so, I'd guess they would go stay with Rabih's mother, aunts, uncle and grandfather in central Beirut. Rabih must be beside himself with worry. Sulaima didn't say where he is, simply that he was out of the country. He's been traveling a lot in his work of late. They say the Beirut airport will be closed for at least 48 hours, and when it reopens, not all the runways will be operating. I gather some of them are terribly damaged.
A Lebanese blogger I read wrote:
Israel is dropping Arabic leaflets in the Southern suburbs that state (rough translation): "Out of our concern for your safety, we advise you to not be around any areas where Hezbollah is known to operate." Basically, evacuate the southern suburbs of Beirut immediately!
All these places are vivid to me. I flew in and out of the Beirut airport last November. I stayed at Rabih and Sulaima's apartment for ten days in a suburb that, it appears, is now at risk of attack. We drove on the Beirut to Damascus highway that Israel also bombed today. That highway, which is the primary way out of Lebanon into Syria, is now closed.
How is Rabih going to get back to his family? How I wish he were with them now. Sulaima doesn't even have a Lebanese driver's license, neither does Sana. I'm assuming Rabih's aunts and uncle will come pick up Sulaima and the kids if need be. The only other way of getting into Beirut from where they live is by taxi. I would guess it is next to impossible to get a taxi now.
For the first time in my life, war is touching me directly. My family is in danger and there's nothing I can do. I grasp at any bit of information--innuendo?--I can find. I don't know how what I read about is affecting those I love. I can only guess. And worry. They seem so vulnerable, and they are. The Lebanese people are not in control of decisions that bring life and death. It feels like madmen are--those of both Hezbollah and Israel.
I am finding out how people live the world over. Wars and fears of war. It's about time I learned from the inside what it feels like.
Please hold Rabih, Sulaima, Sana, Sami, Rami, Ossama and Ibrahim in the palm of your heart. And all the other innocents too.
Robert Fisk on what's happening in Lebanon
In my opinion, the Independent UK journalist Robert Fisk, who has lived in Beirut for 30 years, is the best informed, most analytical and historically aware Western observer of Middle Eastern affairs in general, and Lebanon in particular. Here is an intervew with him that was conducted after this morning's Israeli attack on the Beirut International Airport:
ABC Online (Australian Broadcasting Company)
PM - Israeli missiles hit Beirut airport
[This is the print version of story http://www.abc.net.au/pm/content/2006/s1686289.htm]
PM - Thursday, 13 July , 2006 18:14:00
Reporter: Mark Colvin
MARK COLVIN: When I spoke to the London Independent's correspondent Robert Fisk from Beirut a short time ago, I asked him how many bombs had fallen on the Lebanese capital in the last few hours?
ROBERT FISK: Well, very few in Beirut itself, we've had two missile attacks on the runways at the international airport just after six o'clock. An S-16 sprayed rockets onto the main new runway at the airport and effectively closed the facility to international traffic. There were still two aircraft, A310 airbuses, waiting to go to London and Paris and their passengers marooned at the terminal.
Certainly those runways can't be used for quite a while, they've ripped up about 20 meters, 60 feet of the runway and chucked hundreds of tonnes of concrete and tarmac into the sky.
So in this steadily escalating attack on Lebanon's infrastructure, which is precisely what the Israelis threatened to do, we've now got ten bridges in south Lebanon, which have been blown up and made roads pretty impassable to traffic.
We've now lost the use of the international airport, bombing continues, the most tragic of which, and the most terrible of which, was a bomb on a house near Nabatea, dropped from the air, containing a family of the local Imam, the local Shi'ite priest and his wife an eight children, all of whom were killed.
We have reports of two more people killed in the southern Beka'a, possibly two Hezbollah killed, we have no more reports to increase the number of Israeli military casualties, the soldiers who've been killed, from nine yesterday.
MARK COLVIN: There was also a report of a rocket attack or possibly a bomb in one of the southern suburbs of Lebanon.
Do you think that was aimed at Al Manar television, because it seems to have struck at least a glancing blow at the Hezbollah television station?
ROBERT FISK: Yes, that's quite possible, I was actually quite close to it when that bomb was dropped, but didn't manage to get down the street. I wouldn't be at all surprised, because the Israelis see Al Manar as being the propaganda wing of Hezbollah, which it is, and Manar's own spokesmen regularly go on television, including British television, to explain the Hezbollah's point of view.
I've always thought that Al Manar - it means "lighthouse", by the way - I'd always thought that building was rather sleek and glassy and probably was on an Israeli target list, but they are still broadcasting at the moment so far as I know, I had a look just now.
But we are going to see more attacks like this and of course the great Lebanese theory is that the power stations are somewhere down the list, because this is a broiling hot summer and that means no electricity, no fridges, no air conditioning, but again, there seems to be no chance of Hezbollah giving up its two Israeli prisoners and most people think that in the long-term there will be a ceasefire, and there will be negotiations for a prisoners swap.
MARK COLVIN: The Lebanese government has said that it's nothing to do with the Hezbollah attacks, but the Israeli government has been quite contemptuous of that statement.
ROBERT FISK: I think we all know, and the Israelis know too, that no Lebanese minister in this contentious, cantankerous, powerless government in Beirut can stop a single Hezbollah from doing what he wants.
That's just an excuse to justify these constant attacks on what after all civilian targets, the infrastructure of the state, that the real country that lies behind the Hezbollah is Syria, and this is Damascus, this is the hand of Damascus, trying to push back its claim to the return to the occupied Golan Heights and to step forward into the limelight of Middle East politics and the whole power games of the Middle East after its very humiliating military retreat from Lebanon last year.
MARK COLVIN: Well, we saw only about a week ago Israeli jets flying very low and very fast over the Syrian President's residence. Do you think they'll do much more than kind of sabre-rattling?
ROBERT FISK: I don't know at the moment, this is at the centre of sabre-rattling, this area of the Middle East.
You know, I think what people are asking themselves, and I'm asking myself this too, when we had this previous crises and the Israeli bombardments and the bombing of power stations and bridges and the killings of innocents, we've always found that in Syria lived a man called President Hafez al-Assad, and while he was a very ruthless man, he also was a man of great wisdom and intelligence when it came to knowing when to switch a crisis on and off...
MARK COLVIN: Now it's his son Bashar...
ROBERT FISK: ... But he died, and now we have President Bashar al-Assad and I'm wondering and a lot of other people are, whether he has his father's wisdom or whether Syria is going to go way out too far and find that it gets, to use an Arabic expression, its nose chopped off. This I don't know.
MARK COLVIN: So what is likely to happen as regards Robert Fisk's suggestion there about Syria? Anthony Bubilo is a research fellow at the Lowy Institute for International Policy in Sydney. I asked him that question a short time ago.
ANTHONY BUBILO: Look, I think it is a very good question. So far the record is not a good one, I don't think he has been able to measure up to his father.
We've seen the Syrian regime make a number of mistakes, a number of critical mistakes, not least of which was the assassination of Rafiq Hariri in Lebanon, so it really is an open question whether he'll be able to deal with this issue in the same manner that his father very effectively dealt with these things in the past.
MARK COLVIN: How able is the Syrian military to stand up against a really determent onslaught from the Israelis, should they bring one on?
ANTHONY BUBILO: Look, the Syrian military is not in particularly good shape. They haven't been modernised for a number of years now, they of course, when the Soviet Union collapsed, lost their major military sponsor.
There's been some kind of marginal military modernisation, some equipment that they've bought from the Russians, but basically they are in no real state to stand up to the Israelis or to any other regional powers.
MARK COLVIN: We saw the Israeli air force not very long ago buzzing Bashar al-Assad's palace or his residence, setting off a sonic boom, apparently completely unopposed by the Syrian Air Force. Presumably the Israeli Air Force is greatly superior to the Syrians'?
ANTHONY BUBILO: No, that's right. The Syrians did claim that their radars were able to track the Israeli aircraft, but I think there is very... it's quite clear that they don't pose much of a threat to the Israeli Air Force.
MARK COLVIN: On the other hand, if the Israelis did decide to take on the Syrians, or if it just came to that anyway, the Israelis would then be fighting on three fronts, and they are already mobilising reserve brigades. How capable is Israel at the moment of fighting on three fronts?
ANTHONY BUBILO: Look, I think Israel is in fact capable of fighting on three fronts. The bigger questions are not the military ones, but the political ones.
What would they've been looking to achieve in terms of taking the Syrians on? Who would replace Bashar al-Assad, were the Israelis able to seriously damage the Syrian military to a point where the regime became unstable?
The Israelis would be asking themselves, well, would we prefer someone else? Is it better to have Bashar, the devil you know, in place, rather than, for example, the Muslim brotherhood in Syria in power?
So the bigger question is not so much, can they do this militarily, but what are the political ramifications of taking on the Syrians?
MARK COLVIN: But if they don't, what can they do about Hezbollah, which continues to be... well, it's been an irritant for quite a long time, now it's turning out again to be much more that that for them.
ANTHONY BUBILO: I think in fact the indication of what they are going to do lies in Israeli Government statements, which have pinned the blame for the attack on Israel's border very firmly on the Lebanese Government.
What I think the Israelis will try to do will be to demonstrate to the Lebanese Government and to the Lebanese people that they are going to pay an economic cost for Hezbollah's independence in the south and its continual military activity against Israel.
MARK COLVIN: We've just heard Robert Fisk being absolutely dismissive of the idea that the Lebanese Government can do anything about Hezbollah.
ANTHONY BUBILO: It's true, but look, at the same time, within Lebanon you have already seen a small number of Lebanese who've been asking the question, well, at a time when Israel is out of southern Lebanon, does Hezbollah still need to maintain its militia at a time when other militias have been disbanded?
So there is a nascent movement there arguing for Hezbollah's disarmament. Now, of course initially, there will be a great deal of solidarity with Hezbollah within Lebanon across political fractions, but once the dust has settled I think people will ask the question, what is this costing us, and why are we getting ourselves involved in the Palestinians' fight with the Israelis.
Now, this is also why Hezbollah has been very careful to say that its attack in part is a function of solidarity with the Palestinians, but it's also a function of trying to retrieve Lebanese still sitting in Israeli jails. So I think there are some risks there for Hezbollah as well.
MARK COLVIN: Anthony Bubilo, Research Fellow at the Lowy Institute for International Policy in Sydney.
copyright 2006 Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Copyright information: http://abc.net.au/common/copyrigh.htm
Privacy information: http://abc.net.au/privacy.htm
ABC Online (Australian Broadcasting Company)
PM - Israeli missiles hit Beirut airport
[This is the print version of story http://www.abc.net.au/pm/content/2006/s1686289.htm]
PM - Thursday, 13 July , 2006 18:14:00
Reporter: Mark Colvin
MARK COLVIN: When I spoke to the London Independent's correspondent Robert Fisk from Beirut a short time ago, I asked him how many bombs had fallen on the Lebanese capital in the last few hours?
ROBERT FISK: Well, very few in Beirut itself, we've had two missile attacks on the runways at the international airport just after six o'clock. An S-16 sprayed rockets onto the main new runway at the airport and effectively closed the facility to international traffic. There were still two aircraft, A310 airbuses, waiting to go to London and Paris and their passengers marooned at the terminal.
Certainly those runways can't be used for quite a while, they've ripped up about 20 meters, 60 feet of the runway and chucked hundreds of tonnes of concrete and tarmac into the sky.
So in this steadily escalating attack on Lebanon's infrastructure, which is precisely what the Israelis threatened to do, we've now got ten bridges in south Lebanon, which have been blown up and made roads pretty impassable to traffic.
We've now lost the use of the international airport, bombing continues, the most tragic of which, and the most terrible of which, was a bomb on a house near Nabatea, dropped from the air, containing a family of the local Imam, the local Shi'ite priest and his wife an eight children, all of whom were killed.
We have reports of two more people killed in the southern Beka'a, possibly two Hezbollah killed, we have no more reports to increase the number of Israeli military casualties, the soldiers who've been killed, from nine yesterday.
MARK COLVIN: There was also a report of a rocket attack or possibly a bomb in one of the southern suburbs of Lebanon.
Do you think that was aimed at Al Manar television, because it seems to have struck at least a glancing blow at the Hezbollah television station?
ROBERT FISK: Yes, that's quite possible, I was actually quite close to it when that bomb was dropped, but didn't manage to get down the street. I wouldn't be at all surprised, because the Israelis see Al Manar as being the propaganda wing of Hezbollah, which it is, and Manar's own spokesmen regularly go on television, including British television, to explain the Hezbollah's point of view.
I've always thought that Al Manar - it means "lighthouse", by the way - I'd always thought that building was rather sleek and glassy and probably was on an Israeli target list, but they are still broadcasting at the moment so far as I know, I had a look just now.
But we are going to see more attacks like this and of course the great Lebanese theory is that the power stations are somewhere down the list, because this is a broiling hot summer and that means no electricity, no fridges, no air conditioning, but again, there seems to be no chance of Hezbollah giving up its two Israeli prisoners and most people think that in the long-term there will be a ceasefire, and there will be negotiations for a prisoners swap.
MARK COLVIN: The Lebanese government has said that it's nothing to do with the Hezbollah attacks, but the Israeli government has been quite contemptuous of that statement.
ROBERT FISK: I think we all know, and the Israelis know too, that no Lebanese minister in this contentious, cantankerous, powerless government in Beirut can stop a single Hezbollah from doing what he wants.
That's just an excuse to justify these constant attacks on what after all civilian targets, the infrastructure of the state, that the real country that lies behind the Hezbollah is Syria, and this is Damascus, this is the hand of Damascus, trying to push back its claim to the return to the occupied Golan Heights and to step forward into the limelight of Middle East politics and the whole power games of the Middle East after its very humiliating military retreat from Lebanon last year.
MARK COLVIN: Well, we saw only about a week ago Israeli jets flying very low and very fast over the Syrian President's residence. Do you think they'll do much more than kind of sabre-rattling?
ROBERT FISK: I don't know at the moment, this is at the centre of sabre-rattling, this area of the Middle East.
You know, I think what people are asking themselves, and I'm asking myself this too, when we had this previous crises and the Israeli bombardments and the bombing of power stations and bridges and the killings of innocents, we've always found that in Syria lived a man called President Hafez al-Assad, and while he was a very ruthless man, he also was a man of great wisdom and intelligence when it came to knowing when to switch a crisis on and off...
MARK COLVIN: Now it's his son Bashar...
ROBERT FISK: ... But he died, and now we have President Bashar al-Assad and I'm wondering and a lot of other people are, whether he has his father's wisdom or whether Syria is going to go way out too far and find that it gets, to use an Arabic expression, its nose chopped off. This I don't know.
MARK COLVIN: So what is likely to happen as regards Robert Fisk's suggestion there about Syria? Anthony Bubilo is a research fellow at the Lowy Institute for International Policy in Sydney. I asked him that question a short time ago.
ANTHONY BUBILO: Look, I think it is a very good question. So far the record is not a good one, I don't think he has been able to measure up to his father.
We've seen the Syrian regime make a number of mistakes, a number of critical mistakes, not least of which was the assassination of Rafiq Hariri in Lebanon, so it really is an open question whether he'll be able to deal with this issue in the same manner that his father very effectively dealt with these things in the past.
MARK COLVIN: How able is the Syrian military to stand up against a really determent onslaught from the Israelis, should they bring one on?
ANTHONY BUBILO: Look, the Syrian military is not in particularly good shape. They haven't been modernised for a number of years now, they of course, when the Soviet Union collapsed, lost their major military sponsor.
There's been some kind of marginal military modernisation, some equipment that they've bought from the Russians, but basically they are in no real state to stand up to the Israelis or to any other regional powers.
MARK COLVIN: We saw the Israeli air force not very long ago buzzing Bashar al-Assad's palace or his residence, setting off a sonic boom, apparently completely unopposed by the Syrian Air Force. Presumably the Israeli Air Force is greatly superior to the Syrians'?
ANTHONY BUBILO: No, that's right. The Syrians did claim that their radars were able to track the Israeli aircraft, but I think there is very... it's quite clear that they don't pose much of a threat to the Israeli Air Force.
MARK COLVIN: On the other hand, if the Israelis did decide to take on the Syrians, or if it just came to that anyway, the Israelis would then be fighting on three fronts, and they are already mobilising reserve brigades. How capable is Israel at the moment of fighting on three fronts?
ANTHONY BUBILO: Look, I think Israel is in fact capable of fighting on three fronts. The bigger questions are not the military ones, but the political ones.
What would they've been looking to achieve in terms of taking the Syrians on? Who would replace Bashar al-Assad, were the Israelis able to seriously damage the Syrian military to a point where the regime became unstable?
The Israelis would be asking themselves, well, would we prefer someone else? Is it better to have Bashar, the devil you know, in place, rather than, for example, the Muslim brotherhood in Syria in power?
So the bigger question is not so much, can they do this militarily, but what are the political ramifications of taking on the Syrians?
MARK COLVIN: But if they don't, what can they do about Hezbollah, which continues to be... well, it's been an irritant for quite a long time, now it's turning out again to be much more that that for them.
ANTHONY BUBILO: I think in fact the indication of what they are going to do lies in Israeli Government statements, which have pinned the blame for the attack on Israel's border very firmly on the Lebanese Government.
What I think the Israelis will try to do will be to demonstrate to the Lebanese Government and to the Lebanese people that they are going to pay an economic cost for Hezbollah's independence in the south and its continual military activity against Israel.
MARK COLVIN: We've just heard Robert Fisk being absolutely dismissive of the idea that the Lebanese Government can do anything about Hezbollah.
ANTHONY BUBILO: It's true, but look, at the same time, within Lebanon you have already seen a small number of Lebanese who've been asking the question, well, at a time when Israel is out of southern Lebanon, does Hezbollah still need to maintain its militia at a time when other militias have been disbanded?
So there is a nascent movement there arguing for Hezbollah's disarmament. Now, of course initially, there will be a great deal of solidarity with Hezbollah within Lebanon across political fractions, but once the dust has settled I think people will ask the question, what is this costing us, and why are we getting ourselves involved in the Palestinians' fight with the Israelis.
Now, this is also why Hezbollah has been very careful to say that its attack in part is a function of solidarity with the Palestinians, but it's also a function of trying to retrieve Lebanese still sitting in Israeli jails. So I think there are some risks there for Hezbollah as well.
MARK COLVIN: Anthony Bubilo, Research Fellow at the Lowy Institute for International Policy in Sydney.
copyright 2006 Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Copyright information: http://abc.net.au/common/copyrigh.htm
Privacy information: http://abc.net.au/privacy.htm
my family in Lebanon is OK
It's 1:24 a.m. my time--8:24 a.m. in Lebanon--and I just got off the phone with Sulaima in Beirut. I called as soon as I read on Al-Jazeera's web site about Israel's air strikes two hours ago on the Beirut Airport. That airport is only five minutes from my family's apartment.
Sulaima said the kids were still asleep, and she hoped they'd stay asleep for at least a couple more hours. Apparently Rabih is out of the country but hopes to get home again as soon as they reopen the airport. Sulaima said the kids were each reacting in their own distinctive ways last night when they went out on the balcony and saw the skies lit up red to the south of them. My family lives south of Beirut, only two hours from the Israel border. She said they could also hear the sound of bombs going off last night, and this was before this morning's attack on the airport.
But, as always, Sulaima is staying calm so that she can help the children handle this latest stressful situation. It seems to me this family has had more than their fair share of stress in their lives. May they be kept safe. Please hold them in your hearts.
Wednesday, July 12, 2006
Success!
I guess there's often more than one way to solve a problem. For instance I discovered today that a memory card reader would take care of all my downloading problems. And it turns out that this way of downloading photos has the advantage of not using up your camera's batteries, as well as accomplishing the task faster by far.
As you may have guessed, I made another trip out to the camera store this afternoon. Which makes me think this may become a habit! Today I bought a few items: the card reader, a rainproof camera case (especially needed for my August weeklong camping at the Michigan Womyns Music Festival), another lithium ion battery--the battery grip holds two--and a hand strap for my camera.
This last item was suggested by Susan, the wonderful art teacher with whom I work during the school year. She read the blog entry in which I shared my discomfort with the heft of my new camera, and found this hand strap being sold on eBay. She was right that my camera store--Adray Cameras in Dearborn--would probably carry them.
What a help it is already! Using the strap not only makes the camera easier to hold, but it places my index finger in exactly the right position to depress the shutter release button. During tonight's photo shoot, I successfully snapped pictures almost every time I tried. This was a BIG improvement over my earlier efforts. Thanks, dear Susan.
So now that I can download my memory card, I can show you some of the photos I took of my friend MorganRose and her grandson Brock during their visit on Monday.
As you may have guessed, I made another trip out to the camera store this afternoon. Which makes me think this may become a habit! Today I bought a few items: the card reader, a rainproof camera case (especially needed for my August weeklong camping at the Michigan Womyns Music Festival), another lithium ion battery--the battery grip holds two--and a hand strap for my camera.
This last item was suggested by Susan, the wonderful art teacher with whom I work during the school year. She read the blog entry in which I shared my discomfort with the heft of my new camera, and found this hand strap being sold on eBay. She was right that my camera store--Adray Cameras in Dearborn--would probably carry them.
What a help it is already! Using the strap not only makes the camera easier to hold, but it places my index finger in exactly the right position to depress the shutter release button. During tonight's photo shoot, I successfully snapped pictures almost every time I tried. This was a BIG improvement over my earlier efforts. Thanks, dear Susan.
So now that I can download my memory card, I can show you some of the photos I took of my friend MorganRose and her grandson Brock during their visit on Monday.
Tuesday, July 11, 2006
Things we're unlikely to hear about in the American media
When I recently read an editorial in The New York Times blaming Hamas for what is happening in Gaza right now, I realized the truth about Israel's escalated war on the Palestinian people will be spun by American media to suit their own purposes. For that reason I have been spending my time at the Al-Jazeera/English web site trying to piece together what is really happening there. And what I read is filling me with horror and revulsion. Israel's PM Olmert is obviously using this excuse--the capture of one Israeli soldier and retaliatory rocket attacks--to put into motion a long-planned major attack and invasion of Gaza. In my opinion, his actions have the feel of genocide.
And who is supporting his every move with advisors, money (8 million dollars a day), guns, tanks, bombs and what now appear to be chemical weapons? The US of A. My own country. How can we live with our shame?
Here is an excerpt from an article published today on Al-Jazeera:
Palestinian medics said on Tuesday that patients treated in Shifa hospital in Gaza and bodies at the mortuary presented unusual burns, raising concerns that Israel was using chemical weapons.
Meanwhile, Israeli defence sources said the government had given the military the green light to continue and, if necessary, intensify the so-called Summer Rain offensive with infantry and armour poised to carry out "in depth" incursions.
The approval was granted during consultations late on Monday between Ehud Olmert, the Israeli prime minister, and the defence minister, Amir Peretz, who faced their biggest test since the new Israeli government took office on May 4.
Olmert is due to hold talks with military commanders on Tuesday with a view to continuing the offensive, the largest operation since Israel pulled out of the Gaza Strip in September.
Chemical weapons?
In Shifa hospital, Dr al-Saqqa said most of the dead bodies taken to the facility were torn apart and completely burnt.
"Even bodies of the injured have been almost completely burnt. They have been deformed in a very ugly way that we have never seen before," he told Aljazeera channel.
Al-Saqaa, who heads the hospital's emergency service, said relatives had been unable to identify the dead victims.
"When we try to X-ray dead bodies, we find no trace of the shrapnel that hit the person killed," he said, adding that the bodies seemed to have been chemically burnt.
"We are sure that Israel is using a new chemical or radioactive weapon in the new operation. More than 25% of the injured are children, aged under 16."
Four teenagers playing football were among the dead on Monday.
At least 51 Palestinians have been killed since the operation started two weeks ago. An Israeli soldier also died as a result of "friendly fire", according to the Israeli military.
A bit different from what the American media is telling us, isn't it?
And who is supporting his every move with advisors, money (8 million dollars a day), guns, tanks, bombs and what now appear to be chemical weapons? The US of A. My own country. How can we live with our shame?
Here is an excerpt from an article published today on Al-Jazeera:
Palestinian medics said on Tuesday that patients treated in Shifa hospital in Gaza and bodies at the mortuary presented unusual burns, raising concerns that Israel was using chemical weapons.
Meanwhile, Israeli defence sources said the government had given the military the green light to continue and, if necessary, intensify the so-called Summer Rain offensive with infantry and armour poised to carry out "in depth" incursions.
The approval was granted during consultations late on Monday between Ehud Olmert, the Israeli prime minister, and the defence minister, Amir Peretz, who faced their biggest test since the new Israeli government took office on May 4.
Olmert is due to hold talks with military commanders on Tuesday with a view to continuing the offensive, the largest operation since Israel pulled out of the Gaza Strip in September.
Chemical weapons?
In Shifa hospital, Dr al-Saqqa said most of the dead bodies taken to the facility were torn apart and completely burnt.
"Even bodies of the injured have been almost completely burnt. They have been deformed in a very ugly way that we have never seen before," he told Aljazeera channel.
Al-Saqaa, who heads the hospital's emergency service, said relatives had been unable to identify the dead victims.
"When we try to X-ray dead bodies, we find no trace of the shrapnel that hit the person killed," he said, adding that the bodies seemed to have been chemically burnt.
"We are sure that Israel is using a new chemical or radioactive weapon in the new operation. More than 25% of the injured are children, aged under 16."
Four teenagers playing football were among the dead on Monday.
At least 51 Palestinians have been killed since the operation started two weeks ago. An Israeli soldier also died as a result of "friendly fire", according to the Israeli military.
A bit different from what the American media is telling us, isn't it?
camera woes & delights
OK, so new digital equipment comes with its share of problems. I should expect it, but I never do. It always catches me up short.
My new camera has been performing admirably. Yes, it's taking me time to learn exactly where the shutter release button wants my finger to be in order to depress completely. But every day we get better acquainted. Yesterday's visit by MorganRose and her seven year-old grandson Brock gave me lots of opportunites to practice. And I ended the day with a good number of photos I liked. At least I liked what I could see of them on the LCD screen on the back of the camera. Unfortunately I have yet to see them on my computer because, as of last night, the camera and its downloading software decided not to recognize one another. All I kept getting when I'd try to download this batch of photos was the message: "No camera is found." It's still saying that today.
When I Googled this message, I found evidence that I'm not the only one who has encountered such a problem. After trying several suggestions given--like reinstalling the Canon photo software and using a different USB port on my computer--I called Vince at the camera store. He recommended I just use my Mac iPhoto software instead. Of course, now that I want it, I can't find iPhoto anywhere on my computer. Add to that the fact that my Apple techie, Donte, is off for the day, and you can see why I'm feeling a bit frustrated. But not as much as usual. Maybe I'm finally realizing that if you want to walk in the world of computers, digtal cameras and such, you'd better learn not to react too strongly when they mess up. 'Cause they're ALWAYS going to mess up sometime!
It can wait, for I still have photos to share. These were taken at the park, on a scoot, and on our screened-in porch last Friday, Saturday and Sunday. As you can see, for many of us it was a lovely, lazy summer weekend.
My new camera has been performing admirably. Yes, it's taking me time to learn exactly where the shutter release button wants my finger to be in order to depress completely. But every day we get better acquainted. Yesterday's visit by MorganRose and her seven year-old grandson Brock gave me lots of opportunites to practice. And I ended the day with a good number of photos I liked. At least I liked what I could see of them on the LCD screen on the back of the camera. Unfortunately I have yet to see them on my computer because, as of last night, the camera and its downloading software decided not to recognize one another. All I kept getting when I'd try to download this batch of photos was the message: "No camera is found." It's still saying that today.
When I Googled this message, I found evidence that I'm not the only one who has encountered such a problem. After trying several suggestions given--like reinstalling the Canon photo software and using a different USB port on my computer--I called Vince at the camera store. He recommended I just use my Mac iPhoto software instead. Of course, now that I want it, I can't find iPhoto anywhere on my computer. Add to that the fact that my Apple techie, Donte, is off for the day, and you can see why I'm feeling a bit frustrated. But not as much as usual. Maybe I'm finally realizing that if you want to walk in the world of computers, digtal cameras and such, you'd better learn not to react too strongly when they mess up. 'Cause they're ALWAYS going to mess up sometime!
It can wait, for I still have photos to share. These were taken at the park, on a scoot, and on our screened-in porch last Friday, Saturday and Sunday. As you can see, for many of us it was a lovely, lazy summer weekend.
Monday, July 10, 2006
more photos from Friday
Sunday, July 09, 2006
She was 14 years old...
I intended to put up more photos but something I just read has made that impossible.
The girl who was raped and murdered by U.S. soldiers in Iraq was just 14 years old. Abeer Qasim Hamza al-Janabi was born on August 19, 1991 in Baghdad, according to the identity card, provided to Reuters by a relative.
A copy of her death certificate, dated March 13, gives the same birth date.
Please think of any girl you know, perhaps your daughter, granddaughter, sister or niece, who is 14 years old. We can no longer stick our heads in the sand and pretend it didn't happen. And you can be sure that Abeer is not the only girl or woman to have been raped and murdered in this horror that our president says we must continue until when? When he says so, the "Great Decider"? When Iraq is no more? What is he waiting for? God only knows.
All I know is that the longer the U.S. war and occupation go on, the more little girls will spend their last moments in terror and pain beyond our imagining, the more families will be murdered to cover up the rapes, the more monsters we will create of our troops. It is not their fault they're there: it is ours. All of us who allow this man George W. Bush and his father-figures, Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld, to continue to destroy the soul of our nation and the lives of the people of Iraq.
Sorry to bring you down on such a lovely summer day, but we can't keep going on as if nothing is happening. Believe me, every Arab Muslim man, woman and child knows about this rape and murder of Abeer, and the murders of her mother and father, and six year-old sister. You think they hated America before? This is like a knife in the heart of every Muslim the world over. I've already received an email about this from a Muslim man I met in Beirut when I visited Rabih and Sulaima last November. He addressed it "from a Muslim who is father to the girl in Iraq." Americans may be going on with their summer vacations as if nothing has happened, but our brothers and sisters are not. We've got to stop this madness!
The girl who was raped and murdered by U.S. soldiers in Iraq was just 14 years old. Abeer Qasim Hamza al-Janabi was born on August 19, 1991 in Baghdad, according to the identity card, provided to Reuters by a relative.
A copy of her death certificate, dated March 13, gives the same birth date.
Please think of any girl you know, perhaps your daughter, granddaughter, sister or niece, who is 14 years old. We can no longer stick our heads in the sand and pretend it didn't happen. And you can be sure that Abeer is not the only girl or woman to have been raped and murdered in this horror that our president says we must continue until when? When he says so, the "Great Decider"? When Iraq is no more? What is he waiting for? God only knows.
All I know is that the longer the U.S. war and occupation go on, the more little girls will spend their last moments in terror and pain beyond our imagining, the more families will be murdered to cover up the rapes, the more monsters we will create of our troops. It is not their fault they're there: it is ours. All of us who allow this man George W. Bush and his father-figures, Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld, to continue to destroy the soul of our nation and the lives of the people of Iraq.
Sorry to bring you down on such a lovely summer day, but we can't keep going on as if nothing is happening. Believe me, every Arab Muslim man, woman and child knows about this rape and murder of Abeer, and the murders of her mother and father, and six year-old sister. You think they hated America before? This is like a knife in the heart of every Muslim the world over. I've already received an email about this from a Muslim man I met in Beirut when I visited Rabih and Sulaima last November. He addressed it "from a Muslim who is father to the girl in Iraq." Americans may be going on with their summer vacations as if nothing has happened, but our brothers and sisters are not. We've got to stop this madness!
Saturday, July 08, 2006
my new camera
Like a wizard, this new camera has me under its spell. I eat, sleep, think photography. And once I start taking pictures, I'm a goner. Take yesterday for instance.
My day started with a good hard workout at the gym. This time we focused on resistance more than repetitions. Three instead of two weights on the quad machine, lifting the #6 hand weights instead of the #5 for my biceps curls, setting the elliptical trainer at a higher resistance level than usual. Tough stuff, I tell you.
But then, instead of going home, I set off in my scooter on a photo shoot. Well, let me back up a minute.
I first went to the library where I copied some documents to send in for my $100 rebate on the camera, and took out one of the "dummy" books on how to use a SLR (single lens reflex) digital camera. After watching my friend Laura's baby Mac for a few minutes while she went inside to get a book, I scooted over to Eddie's office to say "hi." Then I was off with camera in hand. Let me speak a little about what that phrase, "camera in hand" means for me.
Of course I have a neck strap that I ALWAYS put on for safety, but when it comes to taking pictures, I've got to hold this rather heavy, bulky piece of equipment up to my eye, look through the viewfinder, adjust the depth of field, and depress the shutter release halfway down to automatically focus. When the image looks crystal clear though the viewfinder, I must finish pressing the button completely down to take the picture.
For able-abled folks, that probably sounds easy. For me, it is a real challenge. My fingers and hands are not what I'd call agile or strong. Yes, I can hold a steering wheel to drive. Yes, I can two-finger type on my computer keyboard. Yes, I can hold a pen to write and a brush to paint. But don't ask me to turn a key 100% of the time, open a bottle, flip a flip-top off a can, or even hold onto anything without the very good chance of its falling to the ground. As Ed says, I prove the law of gravity several times a day. And after dropping things, it can be a real exercise in patience and luck for me to pick them up again.
All this to say that I am really pushing the envelope to expect my fingers and hands to do all that a photographer's fingers and hands must do. With my old lightweight, easy-to-handle Fujifilm FinePix 2800 digital camera it wasn't much of an issue, but now? Oh yes, this is a very big deal. And to be honest, I got quite discouraged about it on Thursday.
I'd driven down to Toledo, Ohio--about an hour and a half drive if you go the speed limit--to see my new friend Morgan Rose AKA Kathleen. She and I had met and forged a strong connection at the self-directed women writers retreat at Leaven Center in April. A couple of weeks ago she came and spent a day and a night with us. That was the Friday night when I first saw Osadia, the duo who "did my hair" on Saturday at the Detroit Festival of the Arts.
So I picked Morgan Rose up at her house in East Toledo around 1 PM on Thursday, and we drove over to the warehouse district for lunch. There's a fabulous coffeehouse where her book group meets, one that has delicious food. We had a leisurely meal with lots of conversation, and on our way out the door I asked if she'd mind if I took a few pictures of the interesting old buildings in this neighborhood.
She was not only fine with the idea but led me down the street to see the dragon she'd told me breathes fire every night at 8 PM, a magical creature that had played a starring role in a story Morgan Rose had told me earlier.What a frustrating experience! I couldn't get the shutter release button to depress, at least that's how it felt. But in my usual bulldog fashion, I just kept trying and trying until it would finally work. Morgan Rose was patient, but I was getting more disheartened by the minute. It took 20 minutes of frustration before I realized that I'd activated the self-timer button by mistake, and that was why there was such a delay between the time I'd press the button and the shutter would release. By then my fingers were exhausted from all the effort and I'd lost heart in my ability to use this camera. I didn't share that with Morgan Rose, but it was a very active feeling within me.
That's when The Universe--or whatever you want to call the Unknowable Energy that offers help when you need it--came into play.
After I'd gotten home from Toledo, had dinner and taken a walk/scoot with Eddie, I sat down to watch a DVD I'd rented last week from the library: "Music of the Heart" with Meryl Streep. This 1999 film is based on the true-life story of Roberta Guaspari-Tzavaras, a violin teacher in the East Harlem public schools who runs a program that turns ordinary K-5 students into violinists extraordinaire. The climax of the movie is the benefit performance where she and her students performed with Itzhak Perlman, Isaac Stern and other violin/fiddle luminaries at New York's Carnegie Hall. "Fiddlefest" was Roberta's and the parents of her students' successful effort to fund her program after school budget cuts had threatened its existence. Talk about inspiring! This was a film that showed the power of believing in yourself and never giving up. Just what I needed.
That night I spent time reflecting on other challenges I've met and conquered. Like finding in June 2000 that I had completely lost my former ability to swim, and how I took water aerobics twice a week that entire summer just so I could regain some sense of comfort in the water. Then how the two laps I managed to swim at the end of that summer have now become 20-30 laps 2-3 times a week winter and summer. I also remembered my first day of exercising with Matt at the gym in March 2004, and compared my abilities that day with what I can accomplish now. And all it took in both cases was believing in my capacity for improvement and enacting that belief day after day, week after week, month after month, and year after year by simply doing whatever it was I wanted to do.
So that's what I started doing yesterday. I took photo after photo--probably 60 in all--and had a blast doing it! By the end of the day my fingers and hands were tired but they had done pretty much all that I'd asked of them. Now I'm realizing that this work with the camera will be strengthening my fingers and hands so that I will probably regain some of the abilities I thought I'd lost.
Oh yes, here I go again...The Little Engine That Could. "I think I can, I think I can, I think I can." Until the day I say, "I thought I could."
Friday, July 07, 2006
Eddie
I have lots to say and even more photos to post but not tonight. I am sleepy, sleepy, sleepy. Let me just show you my sweetie. Can't you see the kindness in his eyes? One of our world's gentle spirits.
Thursday, July 06, 2006
more pictures from Wednesday
Although I have some new photos from today's visit in Toledo, Ohio with my friend Morgan Rose, I want to share a few more from yesterday's batch. I'll just lay them right on top of one another. Enjoy!
Wednesday, July 05, 2006
a new world opens up...
Look at these colors! Both flowers are blue, but with my new camera they look completely different.
I am beside myself with glee! Everything in the world looks new to me today. Things I've taken photos of many times before now feel like I've never seen them before. And I managed to take these pictures just minutes after I got home from the store!
And that is thanks to Vince who spent three and a half hours with me at the camera store today. It helped that I knew what I wanted, but that was all I knew. Talk about an uneducated photographer! Yes, over the past five years I've taken hundreds of thousands of digital photos, but it was all "point and shoot." Well, not anymore.
I am now using a camera that is described as a model for advanced amateurs. It'll be a goodly while before I fit that description, but I'm on my way. And, by the way, I didn't end up getting the Pentax after all.
At the Taste Fest last weekend I asked two professional photographers for their recommendations on which SLR digital camera would best suit me. They both independently recommended the same camera: the Canon Rebel XL. So that's what I bought.
Of course then you have to buy lenses, a memory card, and I also bought a monopod to use for close-up and low-light photos. But today I just took hand-held pictures. And I was surprised to find myself comfortable using both the automatic and manual functions. Yes, it still feels awkward: after all it is a pretty good sized camera with a hefty lens, but I'm getting the hang of it.
But I couldn't have done it without Vince having coached me and set up my camera so it was ready to use. He even helped me find new ways to manage the controls when my not-so-agile hands had trouble doing things in the "normal" way. Such a nice guy. And obviously a very knowledgeable photographer. I sure was lucky.
I feel today--July 5, 2006--is the start of a new chapter in my life. I plan to take lessons so as to maximize my use of this fine instrument. One of the professional photographers I talked to at the Taste Fest is a terrific fellow I've known to say "hi" to for years. He's offered to start me out with private lessons, and then I intend to take photography classes in September. A new world is opening up and I wonder where it will take me. Adventures await!Tuesday, July 04, 2006
fasting for peace
There's something cleansing about a fast. And I don't know about you but whenever I fast, I don't get hungry. Mind over matter? Maybe. The strength of my intention allows my tummy to take a back seat.
And so on this July 4th holiday I joined the nationwide fast to bring our troops home from Iraq. I chose the water-only version, and, except for drinking more water than usual and having to be close to a bathroom, my day was pretty much what it would have been anyway.
This morning I took a shorter swim than usual--only 14 lengths of the 50 meter pool at our community park--and then spent much of the day reading the most recent issue of "The Nation" magazine out on our screened-in porch. Pat came over for a long-overdue visit about 7 PM. She'd already eaten dinner so that made it easy for me. But even when we visited with Ed in the kitchen as he ate his dinner, I was OK with it. As I say, I had no feelings of hunger all day.
It felt like an appropriate way to spend this day that makes me remember the high ideals upon which our nation was founded. The reality has fallen so short--especially of late--that it feels more a day to grieve than to celebrate. I suspect a lot of people feel that way. When I went out for a scoot later in the afternoon, I did see some American flags hanging beside front doors, but not as many as on past July 4th holidays.
Of course, the headline story in today's New York Times would have given even the most fervent patriot pause. How can we celebrate when we read about the arrest of a 21 year-old former soldier who has been charged with raping and murdering an Iraqi girl and murdering her family? Even though the official White House line is that this young man had a "personality disorder" and is just one bad apple in a barrel of otherwise good apples, recent history proves otherwise. In the past few months we've seen report after report of military investigations into the alleged murders of innocent Iraqi civilians by our troops.
When will we learn that if you train young men and women to kill, they will. And if these youngsters are pushed beyond their limits in terms of the horrors they encounter, committing atrocities can be their way of responding. Let us not consign these young people to lifetimes of regret and mental instability. Let us bring them home NOW!
And so on this July 4th holiday I joined the nationwide fast to bring our troops home from Iraq. I chose the water-only version, and, except for drinking more water than usual and having to be close to a bathroom, my day was pretty much what it would have been anyway.
This morning I took a shorter swim than usual--only 14 lengths of the 50 meter pool at our community park--and then spent much of the day reading the most recent issue of "The Nation" magazine out on our screened-in porch. Pat came over for a long-overdue visit about 7 PM. She'd already eaten dinner so that made it easy for me. But even when we visited with Ed in the kitchen as he ate his dinner, I was OK with it. As I say, I had no feelings of hunger all day.
It felt like an appropriate way to spend this day that makes me remember the high ideals upon which our nation was founded. The reality has fallen so short--especially of late--that it feels more a day to grieve than to celebrate. I suspect a lot of people feel that way. When I went out for a scoot later in the afternoon, I did see some American flags hanging beside front doors, but not as many as on past July 4th holidays.
Of course, the headline story in today's New York Times would have given even the most fervent patriot pause. How can we celebrate when we read about the arrest of a 21 year-old former soldier who has been charged with raping and murdering an Iraqi girl and murdering her family? Even though the official White House line is that this young man had a "personality disorder" and is just one bad apple in a barrel of otherwise good apples, recent history proves otherwise. In the past few months we've seen report after report of military investigations into the alleged murders of innocent Iraqi civilians by our troops.
When will we learn that if you train young men and women to kill, they will. And if these youngsters are pushed beyond their limits in terms of the horrors they encounter, committing atrocities can be their way of responding. Let us not consign these young people to lifetimes of regret and mental instability. Let us bring them home NOW!
reflections on July 4, 2006...
"We need to assert our allegiance to the human race, and not to any one nation."
Howard Zinn in "Put Away the Flags" published by The Progressive, July 3, 2006
How can we sing our national anthem, salute our flag and celebrate our 230 years of independence on this July 4th with any kind of enthusiasm? What about the American-initiated destruction of Iraq, the horrific treatment of our prisoners in Quantanamo Bay, and the coldblooded murders by members of our military of children, women and a wheelchair-bound old man in Haditha? And more horrors come to light every day, the most recent being the alleged premeditated rape and murder of a fifteen year old Iraqi girl and the murder of her parents and seven year old sister by at least three soldiers from the 502nd Infantry Regiment in Mahmudiya near Baghdad.
How can one feel proud of a country that has such blood on its collective hands?
Some Americans--at least three of them in my immediate family--say they are patriots, that they love their country, that dissent is un-American and voting is the only patriotic way to express dissatisfaction with how your elected officials are governing your country. Others simply don't give a damn. They're more concerned about the TV show American Idol than the lies told by their president to justify attacking a country that was no threat to any of us.
But there are millions of Americans who have voiced their opposition to what is being done in their name by taking to the streets in massive demonstrations of dissent. Some, like Cindy Sheehan, the women of CodePink and New York's Grandmothers Peace Brigade, have been arrested and jailed for taking nonviolent actions to protest the war on and occupation of Iraq. On this July 4th holiday, Cindy and CodePink are in front of the White House spearheading a Troops Home Fast that all persons of conscience are invited to join wherever they live.
I believe these individuals are the true patriots. But their patriotism is not nationalistic: it reflects their sense of themselves as members of the human race, or, if you will, citizens of the world.
Is there any benefit to nationalism in today's world? Doesn't it, like religious fundamentalism, lead to conflicts and wars? How could thinking you're better than anyone else be helpful? Yes, we can love our region but that doesn't mean it's better than anyone else's region. It's simply where we happened to be born or chose to live. As Carolyn McDade's song says, we are "one among many." Isn't that attitude more conducive to peace?
Howard Zinn in "Put Away the Flags" published by The Progressive, July 3, 2006
How can we sing our national anthem, salute our flag and celebrate our 230 years of independence on this July 4th with any kind of enthusiasm? What about the American-initiated destruction of Iraq, the horrific treatment of our prisoners in Quantanamo Bay, and the coldblooded murders by members of our military of children, women and a wheelchair-bound old man in Haditha? And more horrors come to light every day, the most recent being the alleged premeditated rape and murder of a fifteen year old Iraqi girl and the murder of her parents and seven year old sister by at least three soldiers from the 502nd Infantry Regiment in Mahmudiya near Baghdad.
How can one feel proud of a country that has such blood on its collective hands?
Some Americans--at least three of them in my immediate family--say they are patriots, that they love their country, that dissent is un-American and voting is the only patriotic way to express dissatisfaction with how your elected officials are governing your country. Others simply don't give a damn. They're more concerned about the TV show American Idol than the lies told by their president to justify attacking a country that was no threat to any of us.
But there are millions of Americans who have voiced their opposition to what is being done in their name by taking to the streets in massive demonstrations of dissent. Some, like Cindy Sheehan, the women of CodePink and New York's Grandmothers Peace Brigade, have been arrested and jailed for taking nonviolent actions to protest the war on and occupation of Iraq. On this July 4th holiday, Cindy and CodePink are in front of the White House spearheading a Troops Home Fast that all persons of conscience are invited to join wherever they live.
I believe these individuals are the true patriots. But their patriotism is not nationalistic: it reflects their sense of themselves as members of the human race, or, if you will, citizens of the world.
Is there any benefit to nationalism in today's world? Doesn't it, like religious fundamentalism, lead to conflicts and wars? How could thinking you're better than anyone else be helpful? Yes, we can love our region but that doesn't mean it's better than anyone else's region. It's simply where we happened to be born or chose to live. As Carolyn McDade's song says, we are "one among many." Isn't that attitude more conducive to peace?
Monday, July 03, 2006
Detroit's Taste Fest 2006, continued...
What could be better than being with people of all ages, races and backgrounds listening and dancing together to all kinds of live music, walking shoulder-to-shoulder through the streets of your city, eating food as diverse as Polish dill pickle soup and Ethiopian cooked greens, and smiling at one another like old friends, even if you've never met before? Isn't this an image of the peace we think is so elusive? It's not impossible, but it must be free. Everyone must be invited to the party, including our homeless friends on whose streets we're walking and dancing.
We activists work so hard for peace but maybe it's there already, just waiting for us to recognize it. And I bet music is essential to its coming into being.
We activists work so hard for peace but maybe it's there already, just waiting for us to recognize it. And I bet music is essential to its coming into being.
Saturday, July 01, 2006
A quiet day...instead of what I'd planned
I ran out of steam! Can you hear the incredulity in my voice? It happens so rarely that I'm surprised when it does. But that's what happened today. Of course when I look back on yesterday, I now see that something had to give.
Friday had started with a VERY hard workout at the gym where I'd used the elliptical trainer with impressive results in terms of revolutions per minute, followed by the quad machine where I did a total of 150 repetitions, way more than ever before. In all, I did 36 solid minutes of aerobic-type exercise that raised my heart rate significantly. After "marching" where I try to lift my legs--not an easy thing for me--while holding onto the bar for support, Matt completed the session by stretching out my hamstrings and quads while I lay on the table. I then scooted home, read the front section of the New York Times, did some work on the computer, took a short nap, and drove down to the Tast Fest at 5:30 PM. Once there I had a yummy East Indian dinner--except for a fitness bar at the gym, this was the first thing I'd had to eat all day--and then I got up on my feet at the techno music stage where I kept on dancing, with just a few sit-down breaks, until things closed down at 10:30 PM. I didn't get to bed until 2 AM.
Long and short is that I woke up this morning with a headache that I couldn't shake...and that is just not my style. I made it down to the peace community picnic on Belle Isle in the early afternoon, with the intention of going on to the Taste Fest afterwards. But by 4:30 PM I was totally wiped out. Did I mention it was 90 degrees here today? Anyway, I came home, went right to bed and didn't wake up until 6:45 PM.
But the sweet part was that Ed and I were able to have dinner and a walk together. Another sweet part was seeing our neighbor Claire and her friend Rachel drawing what they called The Ultimate Hopscotch on the deadend street across from our house. When I first scooted over to check it out, they'd already drawn 378 squares. I dared them to jump every square and by damn, they did! That's youth for you! By the time Eddie and I had returned from our walk, it had grown to 487 squares! They then jumped the remaining squares just to prove they could.
Another sweet thing about staying home tonight instead of going downtown was that I got to watch our annual community fireworks display. It's really quite good! And the coolest part is I just have to scoot a block and a half down to the lake to get an excellent view. There's a grassy lot at the corner of our street and Lakeshore Rd. where folks from all over the east side of Detroit bring their blankets and lawn chairs to watch the fireworks. It's lots of fun!
I plan to get a good night's sleep tonight, take a swim in the morning, and then head down to the Tast Fest later tomorrow afternoon. Got to do some more dancing!
Friday had started with a VERY hard workout at the gym where I'd used the elliptical trainer with impressive results in terms of revolutions per minute, followed by the quad machine where I did a total of 150 repetitions, way more than ever before. In all, I did 36 solid minutes of aerobic-type exercise that raised my heart rate significantly. After "marching" where I try to lift my legs--not an easy thing for me--while holding onto the bar for support, Matt completed the session by stretching out my hamstrings and quads while I lay on the table. I then scooted home, read the front section of the New York Times, did some work on the computer, took a short nap, and drove down to the Tast Fest at 5:30 PM. Once there I had a yummy East Indian dinner--except for a fitness bar at the gym, this was the first thing I'd had to eat all day--and then I got up on my feet at the techno music stage where I kept on dancing, with just a few sit-down breaks, until things closed down at 10:30 PM. I didn't get to bed until 2 AM.
Long and short is that I woke up this morning with a headache that I couldn't shake...and that is just not my style. I made it down to the peace community picnic on Belle Isle in the early afternoon, with the intention of going on to the Taste Fest afterwards. But by 4:30 PM I was totally wiped out. Did I mention it was 90 degrees here today? Anyway, I came home, went right to bed and didn't wake up until 6:45 PM. 
But the sweet part was that Ed and I were able to have dinner and a walk together. Another sweet part was seeing our neighbor Claire and her friend Rachel drawing what they called The Ultimate Hopscotch on the deadend street across from our house. When I first scooted over to check it out, they'd already drawn 378 squares. I dared them to jump every square and by damn, they did! That's youth for you! By the time Eddie and I had returned from our walk, it had grown to 487 squares! They then jumped the remaining squares just to prove they could.
Another sweet thing about staying home tonight instead of going downtown was that I got to watch our annual community fireworks display. It's really quite good! And the coolest part is I just have to scoot a block and a half down to the lake to get an excellent view. There's a grassy lot at the corner of our street and Lakeshore Rd. where folks from all over the east side of Detroit bring their blankets and lawn chairs to watch the fireworks. It's lots of fun!
I plan to get a good night's sleep tonight, take a swim in the morning, and then head down to the Tast Fest later tomorrow afternoon. Got to do some more dancing!
Detroit's Taste Fest 2006
When Detroit parties down it is the greatest city in the world! And this weekend's Taste Fest is one of our BEST parties of the year. From Friday night, June 30, through Tuesday, July 4, the New Center area will be full of people, music, food, drinks and smiles...and EVERYONE is invited. Yes, you have to pay for the food and drinks, but everything else is free. There are four stages with continuous music that appeals to most every taste.
Last night I hung mostly at the stage that featured electronic music, but I also dipped into some funky blues at the Blues & Jazz stage. But wherever I was, I was on my feet dancing! And, as at the Electronic Music Festival over Memorial Day weekend, the young people couldn't stop grinning when they saw this old white-haired disabled woman boogying down to the music their parents complain about! Many of them remembered Pat and me from the EM Fest.
When I went up to thank the fabulous DJ Josh Wink after he'd spun a terrific set for two solid hours, he even said he'd seen me dancing. This morning when I was telling Ed all about it, he laughed and said, "When are you ever going to grow up?" Never, I hope!
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