FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Charleston VT
Brown Condemns Israeli Attack on Gaza
By Marina Brown
July 21, 2014
I unequivocably condemm the vicious bombing and millitary actions against Gaza.
Attacking a civilian population with bombs cannot be justified, furthermore the
use of flechette rounds in cannons is criminally indiscriminate. I reject
the empty argument from the Israeli government that this attack is self defense.
Bombs and indescriminate weapons are not self defense weapons. The fact that
more than 500 Palestinians, mostly civilian non-combattants have been killed as
compared to the 2 IDF soldiers killed shows the deceptive nature of these claims
While i deplore warfare, the Palestinians do have an credible claim to self
defense. As Matthew Andrews of the Liberty Union Party writes.
“Farmers and fisherpeople risk being shot at by Israeli soldiers as they
work. Checkpoints make getting the sick to hospitals and regular
commerce impossible. Israeli soldiers raid Palestinian homes and
imprison thousands of Palestinians who struggle to defend their homes.
What remains of Palestine today is effectively the world’s largest open
air prison.” — Matthew Andrews
The brutality of the IDF in the occupied territories rivals or exceeds the
brutality of the most vicious police forces in the world. It is understandable
that Palestinians fight back. Gazans in particular have nowhere to go. They
cannot leave. Egypt won’t allow them in. Israel will not allow them in and
stops ships briging aid into Gaza or moving refugees to safety. It is
understandable that Palestinians fight back. Gazans litterally have their
backs to the wall. Condemming them for fighting back is senseless and inhuman.
In the world scene, these crimes are enabled and funded by the US government
which is guided by powerful Israeli lobbying groups like AIPAC. Few politicians
will criticize anything Israel does no matter how callous or brutal for fear
of loosing AIPAC support. This includes every member of the Senate that voted
unanimously to support the bombing and ground campaign against Gaza. It is
delusional to argue that the Democrats are the peace party. Their hands are
drenched in the blood of innocents.
Only 79 senators actually signed the resolution supporting the attacks on
Gaza but Sanders, Leahy and Barbara Warren were signatories. The fact they
signed a should erase any doubts that these politicians are peace candidates.
They speak the language of the peace movement but when the chips are down they
support the slaughter anyone who resists colonialism. Even the Israeli Knesset
has members that oppose this horror, but not the US Senate.
We must reject the claims that the conflict in Palestine is over religion. It
is not. The issue is land. The Palestinians were removed from their land and
homes to make space for Israelis. There is little room for Palestinians in
Israel so the Palestinians are packed like sardines into Gaza or the West Bank.
In a world ruled by nations displaced people without official nationality have
a very hard time.
Many people of good will support Israel in the mistaken notion that they are
supporting oppressed people. They are not. Israel is the beachhead for Western
imperialism in the Mideast. We must reject calls to kill people because of their
nationality, religion or race and we must reject the goals of western
imperialism whether it is wrapped in anti-terrorist language, supporting Israel,
or protecting “National Interest”. It’s all the same and it is wrong.
As citizens of an aggressive country the best advice we can follow is from i
point 11 of the Liberty Union Party platform.
11. Declaration of Independence from Government Dictation of CONSCIENCE:
NOW, More than ever, in the midst of the nuclear war race
WE must raise the standard of WORLD-WIDE human love and SOLIDARITY.
WE MUST REFUSE to burn and kill each other NO MATTER WHO ‘orders’ us to, or
under whatever pretext. WE must REJECT the situation ethics and moral
relativism which claim that ‘The end justifies the means,’ and that ‘we must
kill them before they can kill us.’ THIS SELF-RIGHTEOUS, SELF-SERVING
rationalization and nationalization of conscience in No way cancels our
RESPONSIBILITY to REFUSE to be used or coopted by any of the bloody wars and
empires whether ‘Democratic,’ or ‘Marxist,’ or otherwise. Worse wars will come,
apparently. But WE must bear witness against them, and against war preparations,
which are part of the wars. We cannot do everything, especially in view of our
individual limitations. But we CAN and MUST SPEAK OUT for peace and
NON-VIOLENCE”NOW. A war to end war is a snare and a delusional ”like our
destroying a village in order to save it. There is no way TO peace
”PEACE IS THE WAY. Even our gun-shooting forebears, for the support of THEIR
Declaration of Independence, said We mutually pledge to each other our lives,
our fortunes, and our sacred honor. DARE WE DO LESS THAN THIS?
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Marina Brown Bio
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Marina Brown is a long time activist who has been involved in left wing
politics since the 1980’s. She has been active with the Vermont Liberty
Union Party since 1987 when she helped get Herb Lewin in the presidential
primaries. She has worked as a labor activist, housing activist and occupier.
She likes to make the job of NSA spies harder by teaching encryption to anyone
who asks. Marina struggles with poor health but when she wins out against
health issues she likes to run or walk ultramarathon distances.