FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE<\/p>\n
Charleston VT<\/p>\n
Brown Condemns Israeli Attack on Gaza
\nBy Marina Brown
\nJuly 21, 2014<\/p>\n
I unequivocably condemm the vicious bombing and millitary actions against Gaza.
\nAttacking a civilian population with bombs cannot be justified, furthermore the
\nuse of flechette rounds in cannons is criminally indiscriminate. I reject
\nthe empty argument from the Israeli government that this attack is self defense.
\nBombs and indescriminate weapons are not self defense weapons. The fact that
\nmore than 500 Palestinians, mostly civilian non-combattants have been killed as
\ncompared to the 2 IDF soldiers killed shows the deceptive nature of these claims<\/p>\n
While i deplore warfare, the Palestinians do have an credible claim to self
\ndefense. As Matthew Andrews of the Liberty Union Party writes.<\/p>\n
“Farmers and fisherpeople risk being shot at by Israeli soldiers as they
\nwork. Checkpoints make getting the sick to hospitals and regular
\ncommerce impossible. Israeli soldiers raid Palestinian homes and
\nimprison thousands of Palestinians who struggle to defend their homes.
\nWhat remains of Palestine today is effectively the world’s largest open
\nair prison.” — Matthew Andrews <\/p>\n
The brutality of the IDF in the occupied territories rivals or exceeds the
\nbrutality of the most vicious police forces in the world. It is understandable
\nthat Palestinians fight back. Gazans in particular have nowhere to go. They
\ncannot leave. Egypt won’t allow them in. Israel will not allow them in and
\nstops ships briging aid into Gaza or moving refugees to safety. It is
\nunderstandable that Palestinians fight back. Gazans litterally have their
\nbacks to the wall. Condemming them for fighting back is senseless and inhuman.<\/p>\n
In the world scene, these crimes are enabled and funded by the US government
\nwhich is guided by powerful Israeli lobbying groups like AIPAC. Few politicians
\nwill criticize anything Israel does no matter how callous or brutal for fear
\nof loosing AIPAC support. This includes every member of the Senate that voted
\nunanimously to support the bombing and ground campaign against Gaza. It is
\ndelusional to argue that the Democrats are the peace party. Their hands are
\ndrenched in the blood of innocents.<\/p>\n
Only 79 senators actually signed the resolution supporting the attacks on
\nGaza but Sanders, Leahy and Barbara Warren were signatories. The fact they
\nsigned a should erase any doubts that these politicians are peace candidates.
\nThey speak the language of the peace movement but when the chips are down they
\nsupport the slaughter anyone who resists colonialism. Even the Israeli Knesset
\nhas members that oppose this horror, but not the US Senate.<\/p>\n
We must reject the claims that the conflict in Palestine is over religion. It
\nis not. The issue is land. The Palestinians were removed from their land and
\nhomes to make space for Israelis. There is little room for Palestinians in
\nIsrael so the Palestinians are packed like sardines into Gaza or the West Bank.
\nIn a world ruled by nations displaced people without official nationality have
\na very hard time. <\/p>\n
Many people of good will support Israel in the mistaken notion that they are
\nsupporting oppressed people. They are not. Israel is the beachhead for Western
\nimperialism in the Mideast. We must reject calls to kill people because of their
\nnationality, religion or race and we must reject the goals of western
\nimperialism whether it is wrapped in anti-terrorist language, supporting Israel,
\nor protecting “National Interest”. It’s all the same and it is wrong.<\/p>\n
As citizens of an aggressive country the best advice we can follow is from i
\npoint 11 of the Liberty Union Party platform.<\/p>\n
11. Declaration of Independence from Government Dictation of CONSCIENCE:
\nNOW, More than ever, in the midst of the nuclear war race
\nWE must raise the standard of WORLD-WIDE human love and SOLIDARITY.
\nWE MUST REFUSE to burn and kill each other NO MATTER WHO \u2018orders\u2019 us to, or
\nunder whatever pretext. WE must REJECT the situation ethics and moral
\nrelativism which claim that \u2018The end justifies the means,\u2019 and that \u2018we must
\nkill them before they can kill us.\u2019 THIS SELF-RIGHTEOUS, SELF-SERVING
\nrationalization and nationalization of conscience in No way cancels our
\nRESPONSIBILITY to REFUSE to be used or coopted by any of the bloody wars and
\nempires whether \u2018Democratic,\u2019 or \u2018Marxist,\u2019 or otherwise. Worse wars will come,
\napparently. But WE must bear witness against them, and against war preparations,
\nwhich are part of the wars. We cannot do everything, especially in view of our
\nindividual limitations. But we CAN and MUST SPEAK OUT for peace and
\nNON-VIOLENCE\u201dNOW. A war to end war is a snare and a delusional \u201dlike our
\ndestroying a village in order to save it. There is no way TO peace
\n\u201dPEACE IS THE WAY. Even our gun-shooting forebears, for the support of THEIR
\nDeclaration of Independence, said We mutually pledge to each other our lives,
\nour fortunes, and our sacred honor. DARE WE DO LESS THAN THIS?<\/p>\n
—————————————————-
\nMarina Brown Bio
\n—————————————————-
\nMarina Brown is a long time activist who has been involved in left wing
\npolitics since the 1980’s. She has been active with the Vermont Liberty
\nUnion Party since 1987 when she helped get Herb Lewin in the presidential
\nprimaries. She has worked as a labor activist, housing activist and occupier.
\nShe likes to make the job of NSA spies harder by teaching encryption to anyone
\nwho asks. Marina struggles with poor health but when she wins out against
\nhealth issues she likes to run or walk ultramarathon distances.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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