We Americans Are Sick and Tired of Israel

As I browsed through the heavily propaganda laden MSNBC web site, which is known as an Israeli mouthpiece, I noticed Newsweek released an article today declaring that the last time Israel was isolated it committed some pretty crazy acts. My take on the whole article was that if Israel isn’t treated with kid gloves, in other words, if Israel isn’t treated differently than we treat the rest of the world who commits outrageous acts, then they will commit more outrageous attacks and it will be our fault for isolating Israel.

Now, Iran has been isolated for awhile. They have decided to pursue nuclear weapons, counter to what the world had requested, or at least to enrich uranium to a level higher than necessary for power production, and do we treat them with kid gloves or give them special treatment, because we know that when Iran is isolated, they do some pretty crazy stuff too.

In further reading the article, it goes on the explain how Israel buddied up to the apartheid regime in South Africa, a common brother in a minority running a country where the majority is not of your race or religion. Beyond shared tactics, the Israeli’s pumped a billion dollars into the apartheid regime that eventually fell.

In an attempt to scare the populace, the author claims that Israel has the money and desire to align themselves with a rogue regime and with their desire to attack Iran, it could prove to be disastrous. Tell me again, how a war between Israel and Iran, with the US on the sidelines, stands to hurt anyone but Israel. The author is obviously trying to manipulate the reader to believe that if we think that Iran is a rogue regime, piss off Israel and see what you get.

That is hardly the reasoning a sane person uses to establish diplomatic ties between two countries. The same outrageous behavior we condemn and criticize every Muslim nation in the world for enacting, we now give carte blanche to Israel to appease them and not act like a lunatic, pariah state. Isn’t this where we say that the crazy people are running the insane asylum?

Granted, Obama has done nothing to endear himself to any side in this conflict. That is what happens when you have to straddle a fence, because what is right, is not what is putting money in your campaign coffers. I mean, if we could get as many wealthy Arabs funding campaigns in the US as we have Jews, then the Arabs would have a much greater say in what happens, but as we know, Obama is owned by the Israeli lobbies, like much of the US government, and therefore he can not do what is right, he is stuck doing what is politically prudent. As such, he aggravates the Israeli’s because unlike Bush, he actually had the audacity to stand up to Netanyahu on the settlement issue, which prompted right wing protests in Israel calling Obama everything from the “N” word to a Muslim extremists.

Of course, Obama irritates the Muslim world, because even though he actually stood ground on the settlement issue, he eventually backed off enough to give Netanyahu and escape route without losing face. In addition, Obama continues to call Israel an ally to the end, regardless of their actions, when allies should be determined specifically on their actions, not on how much money they put in the bank for you.

For over 60 years the US has provided coverage for Israel for every action from Sabra and Shatilla, to Beit Hanoun, from the Gaza beach massacre to the Operation Cast Lead massacre. From Rachel Corrie being run over by a bulldozer to British journalist Thomas Hurndell being shot by snipers, from children in Gaza being used as sniper targets to 12 year old Dua abd al Qader, who was shot in the head because she was playing too close to the wall. This not only angers the Muslim community, I am an American born citizen in America, and I can only see rage when I think of those things. Especially the last, with Dua Abd al Qader, who was shot while I was there, and as a reporter, I was the one to report it, to announce it on Palestinian radio. It was hard to not hear my voice quiver with sadness and ire. It is hard not to think crazy thoughts myself when I rethink that day.

The Israeli propaganda machine is running full speed after this latest incident and they have called in their boys from all over the US to start the rumor and innuendo mill so that they can start to manipulate the American opinion on this latest attack. Unfortunately, Israel has overplayed the propaganda card, and even Americans no longer believe what is written in their own papers. Americans are now smart enough to check the BBC, (news.bbc.co.uk) and other international papers, where we know, that our government and the Israeli media conglomerate in the US, has not put their dirty little hands on articles and redacted anything that is negative about Israel.

Undoubtedly, Israel has crossed the line, and the world knows it. The question is, is the US going to continue to ignore what Israel is doing, regardless of the damage it does to the US, regardless of how it targets the US, regardless of how it makes US citizens targets around the world, regardless of how it makes US business targets overseas, regardless of how it hurts the US to continue to support Israel, or…

Is the United States actually going to stand up and say, we have reached the end of the siege on Gaza, we are no longer going to allow Israel to treat the Palestinian population as less than human. We are no longer going to allow indiscriminate arrests of Palestinians without due cause or process. We are no longer going to allow the detention of Palestinians without due cause or process. We are no longer going to issue Israel a blank check to close roads, build roadblocks, and restrict the flow of the Palestinians. We are going to make Israel treat the Palestinians with dignity and respect, the type of dignity and respect that we Americans demand on a daily basis, the type of dignity and respect that Palestinians have to beg for and are denied.

America is paying lip service to what is right in the Middle East and Americans are getting tired of putting our children on the line to fight Iraq for Israel, we are tired of putting our children on the line to threaten Iran for Israel. We are tired of taking our tax dollars, when many of us are barely making ends meet and provide those dollars to Israel so they can violate international law, and thumb their noses at the world, because they have the backing of the world’s superpower. We are tired of reading in the papers, day after day, about more Israeli attacks, more people killed by Israel, we are tired of reading about how Israel stole passports and killed a man in Dubai, we are tired of reading about civilians being killed by a heavy handed, brutal violent regime, and stamping “Made in the US” on these actions.

Quite frankly, we Americans are sick and tired of Israel.

No More, No More, Boycott Israeli products.

No more. No more. That is what I told myself this morning. When I realized the extent and horror of what the Israeli government had authorized against an unarmed, convoy of peace activists, is tantamount, clearly surpassing the 1970 Kent State riot shooting in the US, which in conjunction with Watergate brought down then President Nixon. In talking with James Reston, aide to Frost and main player in crafting the interview that brought us “I am not a criminal”, it was clear that the Kent State shootings played heavily on his mind and was a driving factor in bringing down that president. In a presentation that he did, in which I assisted him with on the A/V side, he added a slide picture of the shootings in conjunction with Neil Young’s popular song “Ohio”, relating to that shooting. Clearly, the imagery and the music, brought the message forward about just how inhumane shooting innocent civilians can be.

I have written literally thousands of articles, went to the occupied territories and did humanitarian aid work, I have lobbied, protested and screamed at the top of my lungs, but I just haven’t found that magical word, that magical phrase that hits home with my fellow Americans that these are people, first and foremost, people who like ourselves have very little to say about what their government does. They have as much control over Hamas as I do over Obama and his support for Israel. I know the frustration of the people, but like the Serbian people who stood on bridges with targets on their shirts challenging the United States Air Force, what are they supposed to do, show love for their captors, for the people who have caged them inside walls, from individuals who support those people who commit these crimes against these people.

After this last attack on an Aid Ship heading for Gaza, Israel expanded its war against the Palestinians to now include 32 nations represented in that flotilla. And as Turkish Prime Minister Erdoggan stands up against Israel, the silence from other countries represented in that flotilla is deafening. I think Nicaragua is one of the only other countries who has withdrawn their ambassador, not Egypt, not any of the other countries in the world who have relations with Israel. It is sad to think that Nicaragua is leading the world in doing what is right, but from my point of view, I only know I have a much deeper respect of the Nicaraguan government than my country would like me to have.

So, no more, no more, what does that mean? Well, I have been an avid proponent of the Palestinian peoples for almost a decade now. I became supportive of them because I had the chance to sponsor a Muslim child in the occupied territories and that led me to research and understand a lot more. The trip I took 4 years ago cemented it in my mind, what is happening there is wrong and why is my government supporting it. As I said earlier, I have tried everything I can think of to changed the situation except what everyone else has suggested and I have always thought as a waste of time. In addition, I like a lot of the things I am going to have to give up, but I think the time has come.

Boycott Israel. That is what I am talking about. And I don’t mean don’t do major business with and Israeli company, I mean not supporting anyone who supports the Zionist regime in charge in Israel. I am the first to admit that if I need a tube of caulk or a good price on wood, I am going to Home Depot, no more, no more. When my girlfriend wants that new Estee Lauder perfume, no more, no more. I love my soft drinks and my Coke products, but for my friends in Palestine, no more, no more, and actually, it is probably better for my health.

So no more, no more, means no more supporting any Israeli products no matter how much I enjoy them, knowing how much suffering is going on in Palestine and I am supporting the companies that support a Zionist regime. Will they miss my money, probably not, but with this blog, I am hoping that I can convince a number of you to join me. If you feel as though this was an unjust act, even if you think Israel is correct in its blockade, but crossed the line on this. If you are Jewish and you feel the Israeli government is not listening to your desire to have peace with the Palestinians, or if you are like me, an American who has seen more bad things with his own eyes against the Palestinians that I don’t need another reason to boycott, join me. Lets change the world, one product at a time.

I have included some of these products in this blog and a link to the website that has its own reasoning for why you should join.

KIMBERLY-CLARK 
In 1998 Mr. Robert P. Van der Merwe, chairman of Kimberly-Clark Europe received the Jubilee Award by the Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu. This is the highest tribute ever awarded by the "State of Israel" in recognition of those individuals and organizations, that through their investments and trade relationships, have done the most to strengthen the Israeli economy.
COCA-COLA 
From 1966 onward Coca-Cola has been a staunch supporter of Israel. Recently the Government of Israel Economic Mission honored Coca-Cola at the Israel Trade Award Dinner for its continued support of Israel for the last 30 years and for refusing to abide by the Arab League boycott of Israel.
NESTLE 
Swiss food giant Nestle will set up a global research and development center for snack foods next year in Sderot, a town in Israel's Negev desert, the Maariv newspaper reported on Sunday. Nestle owns 50.1 percent of Israeli food maker Osem Investments and the two together produce snack foods at a plant in Sderot.
INTEL 
Intel is one of the biggest supporters of Israel. Their very first development center outside the US was opened in Haifa in 1974. Since then they have continued pouring investment in to Israel. By year 2000 they employed over 4000 Israelis. Exports from their Lachish-Qiryat Gat plant in israel total $3 million a day at peak capacity - approximately $ 1 billion a year. The Intel plant at "Qiryat Gat" is built on land Israel confiscated from the Palestinian villages of Iraq al Manshiya. Iraq al Manshiya was a village of 2000 people living in 300 houses with two mosques and one school. The original Palestinian inhabitants were terrorized out of the village and then the whole village was razed to the ground to prepare the way for the new Israeli settlement of Qiryat Gat. Today the remaining population from Iraq al Manshiya is still not allowed to return.
SARA LEE 
In 1998, Mr. Lucien Nessim of Sara Lee Personal Products received the Jubilee Award by the Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu. This is the highest tribute ever awarded by the "State of Israel" in recognition of those individuals and organizations, that through their investments and trade relationships, have done the most to strengthen the Israeli economy
DISNEY 
The Disney Company is owned by Jewish Mogul Michael Eisner. He owns a vast media empire that includes the ABC television network, numerous news dailies, national magazines, Hollywood film companies and a large number of radio stations. One radio station in Los Angeles, KABC 790 AM recently broadcast comments by Jewess Gloria Alred to the effect that the Islamic prisoners at Guantanamo should be tortured by having their "balls" extracted with pliers in order to make them talk. The news and commentaries made through Michael Eisner's media octopus are extremely Islamophobic and anti-Palestinian.

Click on the blog title to take you to the a website that lists more labels and products to boycott.

Shalom, Shukran and thank you and please join me in no more, no more!!!

Israel: Obama's Master

Gaza. That word evokes so many feelings from so many people, on both sides of the spectrum, that it has become more important a piece of ground than New York City. Only in New York City, terrorism led to the failing of 7 buildings and the lives of 3000+ people. A tragedy by all accounts. But let us relate this to Gaza.

Gaza has had virtually every government building destroyed. Israel even destroyed the UN buildings. Granted they paid the UN for them, but they haven’t been rebuilt, and therefore no longer provide services, exactly what Israel wants. No one, any where should be allowed to provide any support to any person in the Gaza strip. Plain, straight up, that is what the Gaza blockade is. Virtually every building in Gaza is not suitable for habitation yet they are not allowed any supplies to rebuild.

As far as civilian losses, several Israeli massacres can account for the 3000+ dead in Gaza alone. Not to include those civilians killed while Israel was carrying out its ongoing incursions, not to count the people who are dying of starvation daily, not to mention those who die on the border, because they can’t cross and get medical treatment. This to me is a tragedy and this to me is terrorism. And to me, it is a far worse act than Al Qaeda exacted on the US. Israel makes Al Qaeda look like a pre-school for terrorists. If you followed the Dubai murder, that will show you the number of people, the type of people and how the Israeli government operates. If we don’t like you, you are dead, our big brother Obama told us it was ok. Did we ever find out where that other passport came from, you know, the one they wont tell us what country it came from, my guess, the US.

When we can upturn the world with our military and kill millions of people over what happened in New York, what does that say about the people of Gaza. For every 3000 Palestinians killed there were a million Israeli’s killed, then we would have a fair playing surface. But that is not the case, and more and more Palestinians and civilians are dying the fewer Israeli’s are dying. That could say that it is working, but all it is saying is that the Palestinians have chosen a new path of resistance, however, Israel can not lose it’s violent response even to peaceful protests.

I think the world has a new tragedy on it’s hands. Someway or other, Obama will deflect himself from this, even though it was from his own lips that we were going to start anew with the Muslim community. Oh that is right, the Muslim community that Israel tells them it is ok to negotiate with. That is right, we were never going to negotiate with Iran, yet we did, why does Hamas scare Obama so much? They don’t, but Obama has been paid by the Israeli lobby to isolate Hamas and our cowardly President who started out with a lot of talk, has taken to the bully pulpit like his predecessor and his main supporter, Israel. Not only that, but Obama is a coward, unable to fight his battles with anything other than a foul mouthed Jew who is his main confidant. Could that say more. The Jews put your minority butt in the White House and we can take it out, that is what Israel believes and I believe they have Obama on a short leash. Absolute power corrupts absolutely, and we hoped Obama was different, but he is not. As soon as the Jewish lobby waved the Presidency and the money under his nose, he was a good boy and followed along two steps back and to the left like we knew he would.

What does it take to bring to the ears of the President the truth of Palestine? Not that he doesn’t already know, but what could make it mean something to him? What is more powerful than the Israeli lobby, because every American knows that what the Israeli’s are doing, have been doing and continue to plan on doing, is immoral, unjust and wrong.

Unfortunately, until we can determine the answers to those previous questions, we can most assuredly be certain that nothing will change. As long as Obama continues to believe that Israel can do no wrong, as long as Obama is bought and paid for by the Israeli lobby, until we can have the American media tell the truth about what happens in the occupied territories, it won’t change. I would love to have the ear of the President for about 15 minutes on this subject. Having researched this subject, been to Palestine, continued to be actively involved, I believe I could make him see different.

I believe Obama knows the truth, yet is too scared to pursue it. He knows Israel spit in his face on the settlement issue, that Obama looked like a fool, that he is now excluding himself from this process, because he doesn’t have the fortitude or the testicles to stand up to Israel, it’s lobbies, and its ownership of the Senate. This job would take a real man, who we thought we got when we elected Obama, but not the case. Just another American President who knows where the money comes from and knowing how to walk two steps back and to the left and call Israel “Master”.

Obama Chooses Israel Over Scientific Advances

Obama Chooses Israel Over Scientific Advances
Mike Mullenix

At a time when settlement freezes, war crime accusations against Israel, their subsequent refusal to investigate the claims, and their ongoing removal of families from East Jerusalem, Obama continues to refuse to bring Israel to the negotiating table by tying US funds to a settlement freeze. On the contrary, the President has chosen to eliminate many scientific programs, including the NASA Constellation program, but yet is still sending funds to Israel.

NASA has only spent 9 Billion dollars on the project over a 2 year period, which to most Americans seems like a tremendous amount, and it is. However, the benefits the space program has brought to us over the years has generated far more dollars in the economy than are spent, and was cut from this years budget. At first glance, people would agree that this is a waste of money in a tight economy with a huge deficit, until you look at where other dollars are going.

Over the past two years, the same two years that NASA spent 9 billion dollars in, we have just given, handed over the Israel with no intent to repay, the same 9 billion dollars. In addition to those 9 billion, since 1974, Israel has received nearly $100 billion in assistance from the US (Jewishvirtuallibrary.org). As an American taxpayer who is concerned about our debt, I am also concerned about giving away our future, to help another country, who is being a bully and thug to its neighbors in the region.

In the early 1970’s, I can see where Israel played some strategic importance, like the Mujahadeen in Afghanistan did in their time, or Noriega in Panama did in his time, or Saddam Hussein did in his time, these are all people and groups we, as Americans, supported at one time or the other, because of the intelligence value they had. But like the others, Israel also has come to an end of it’s usefulness to Americans. Just like all the others who went from being an asset to being a liability, to which we then eliminated from the payroll. Israel no longer provides any strategic importance or provides any value to us.

We can no longer say that Israel is our only friend in the Middle East, that is just not true. Jordan, Egypt, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, hell, even Iran has provided more strategic intelligence regarding the war on terror than Israel has provided. After 9/11/2001 Iranians were on the streets, Palestinians were on the street, not celebrating but showing support FOR the US, carrying candles and crying. Netanyahu was quoted as saying that it was the best thing to happen for Israel. Israel is self-serving and Israel assists the US when it serves their interest, but attacks the US when it does not serve their interests, (see USS Indepedence). As US relationships amongst Arab countries continue to improve, the value of the US-Israeli relationship is less and less important.

At some point in time, we will need to have a President who has the courage to stand up to the Israeli lobbies, to do what is morally right, to stop the justifications of Israel being our friend and we will stand with them, and stop this unceasing flow of money to Israel unless they want to play the peace card. Israel has not been a friend of the US since we halted their expansionism during the 1973 war with Egypt, which caused the Israeli attack on the USS Independence.

Some would say anti-Semitism has a role to play in my articles, except that most of my well-educated American Jewish friends, are repeating what I say. There is a disconnect between the state of relations between Israel and the US and reality. When we start acting as we have professed, we will have no reason to support the government in Israel which is standing now, which is forcibly relocating Palestinians from East Jerusalem, from deporting peace activists, from attacking innocent women and children, from disregarding the UN Goldstone report, from using phosphorous bombs on infants, to using children and human shields. This is not what I pay taxes to support, this is not what I morally espouse and is not what I was raised as an American to believe we support. Peace will come when Israel wants it, but we as Americans should not subsidize their desire to ignore peace, in exchange for stealing land, resources, and committing genocide on the Palestinian peoples.

Mitchell is Writing Checks He Can’t Cash

Where I come from, we have a saying. Don’t write checks with your mouth that your butt can’t cash. In other words, don’t promise things that you don’t have the power, authority, clout, or ability to produce.

George Mitchell, Obama’s shuttle diplomat, continues to tell President Abbass that the US views the settlements in the West Bank and the appropriation of Jerusalem as illegal. Of course, the US and the international community, has viewed every settlement as illegal and then turned around and said that we just can’t move this many people out of an area, so we have to recognize it as part of Israel. So Mitchell can scream “illegal” all he wants, the whole time giving the false impression the US will fix it in the end, when in the end, Mitchell is just creating falsehoods in his own mind. Every inch that Israel builds on now, will be part of Israel, either by annexation or because there will never be a Palestinian state. And Mitchell has the audacity to pressure Abbass and suggest he is missing “another chance.”

Another chance at what?

I, as an American, have been taught that any forced relocation of people to satisfy another group of people, is not democracy, is not in line with American principles, reduces security and is plainly morally reprehensible, yet the US continues to send over 4 billion dollars in direct aid to Israel, and another 7 or so billion in military contracts, grants, agreements, etc… When the US does what is counter productive to its own security, then continues to provide billions of dollars to that entity that puts it’s security at risk, that isn’t only a lack of security, that isn’t a lack of governance, it is a lack of sanity.

We, as Americans, are less secure, the more settlements that get built. We Americans are less secure every time a patient dies on the Gaza border, because they can not get past a checkpoint to get treatment. We are less secure every time a home in Jerusalem is destroyed or a Palestinian is relocated to move in a Jewish family. Al Qaeda continues to cite the unfair, one-sided treatment of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict by the US as its main reason for attacking the US. So tell me how we are more secure by maintaining that one-sided approach?

Obama, just this past week described that he didn’t realize what an intractable problem the peace process was. What he was saying between the lines was that he didn’t realize that he would actually have to have some backbone, have some ethics, have some morality, not be one-sided, and make Israel do what it promised. That definitely is a problem for Obama.

George Mitchell, under the direction of President Obama, is risking the security of those in Washington for those in Tel Aviv. They are risking the lives of those in Los Angeles over those in Haifa. Our government is placing the lives of the people of the Israeli state above the lives of those people in the United States, because they do not have the political will or backbone to do the right thing and demand that Israel stop building settlements, stop annexing land and property, and come to the negotiating table without preconditions, and demands of land. They do not have the backbone to stand up against the Israeli political action thugs, risk ruining their political careers (and dollars), and stop all funding to Israel until they are serious about peace.

What Israel’s strategy is, and you don’t have to be an Iranian nuclear scientist to figure it out, is to continue to make half measures, defy the US initiative, continue to drag their feet, the whole time Israel is ignoring the possibility of a settlement freeze, continuing to build, continuing to expand their footprint in Jerusalem, knowing full well, when confronted by an angry Israel, the US will roll over like a puppy and allow them to keep whatever they have stolen.

Israel does not want peace, they want the land.

The American government and its leaders are too worried about their political futures, the money they will make from Jewish campaign donors and their next election to office to be worried about doing what is morally correct and in the best interest of America at the same time.

The Palestinians, unfortunately, are stuck with a whole bunch of nothing but George Mitchell who has a bunch of empty promises, a hand full of checks, no ass, no courage, no guts and no backing from the President of the US ,to do what everyone in the world knows is the right thing to do, demand Israel stop settlements or stop sending US dollars to Israel.

Iranians like Americans Part II (based on Iranian election article I wrote in 2007)

Two years ago, I wrote an article for the International Middle East Media Center regarding the 2007 elections in Iran (‘Iranians like Americans show their discontent in Elections’ http://www.uruknet.info/?p=29163). The article took a look at how both Americans and Iranians had, through the ballot box, started to change their government. In both countries, the governments were in their “off” election years where the presidents were not up for elections, but their policies and actions, were on trial at the polls, based on the results of the local elections.

On the American side, that mid-term election signaled that Americans were through with the Bush-Cheney mentality of might means right. Americans started looking at how racist and unfair we were treating the Muslim community, took a new look at Israel and Palestine and our role in that conflict, and realized that as far as being on the side of right, we were on the wrong side. We took a good hard look at our foreign policy and those things our government was doing in this world in our name, and decided that the actions of the government did not represent the people. When democratic governments no longer have the support of the people, then we have a way of handling that. Not that our election process is perfect, far from it. With contributors, and lobbyists of all shapes and sizes, and minimized turnouts, the best person does not always get elected, but we were not to be denied this time.

In the presidential election in the US, it was a hands down, no brainer, that Obama was going to walk away as President of the United States. It was clear that this was the sentiment of the majority of voters in the US, and any attempt to put McCain and Palin in the White House, would have led to a situation far worse than we saw in Iran. BUT, that did not happen in America, because the electoral process was relatively fair and the person who was elected by the majority of the people is serving their time in office, as should be in a republican style of government.

On the Iranian side, the mid-term election showed that Iranians did not view the government and their pursuit of nuclear technology and the ongoing isolation of Iran as the way to go. In 2007, the Iranians, as stated in my previous article… “In a surprise embarrassment to the Iranian leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the political opponents of the president made a very strong showing in local and community elections, according to CNN.com. Moderate conservatives in the Iranian political structure flexed their muscles in the local election and former President Hashemi Rafsanjani, collected the most votes to a key Tehran Assembly position.” I could not have said it better myself, even though I was the one who said it. It is clear to see now, but the voters were already choosing sides.

In the 2007 Iranian election, the hard-liners, and Revolutionary Guard members obviously saw the writing on the walls. In 2007, they started laying the ground work, appointing their individuals to key spots, and putting into place the framework necessary to steal the election in 2009, should they actually lose. I don’t truly think we will ever know who won that election, I don’t believe the votes were really counted, but I do believe that everything from the announcement of Ahmedinejad as president to the round up of political opponents was pre-ordained by the individuals who had the power in 2007 to make sure they didn’t lose power in 2009. It also finally gave them the opportunity to eliminate those who had too much power to stop them from running for office, as opposed to those they just did not give permission to run.

Here in America, we are now just crawling out from under the international disaster and national economic turmoil left by our previous administration. Every country in the world, Iran included, has to admit that the US has made a huge about face, changed the way they deal with individuals of the Islamic faith, and stopped the biggest bully on the block mentality and used their power and resources to assist any and all countries who wish to deal with America in a fair and honest manner based on mutual respect and dignity. I was raised to believe that this is how we are in America, and thank goodness that the majority of Americans feel the way I do and therefore, we were able to create CHANGE.

In Iran, sadly it is a different story. They are heading down the same road to confrontation that their people did not want. They ignored their own election results, reined in power from those who would change the way Iran deals with other nations, and how transparent they should be with their nuclear program. Ahmedinejad continues to ratchet up rhetoric regarding the Holocaust, America, Israel, his opponents and everyone else he desires to hate (which happens to be quite a number of people these days).

I think the biggest disappointment for myself and most Iranians is the Supreme Leader. Supposedly above the fray, supposedly as honest in dealings and actions as the prophet Mohammad (PBUH), and the ultimate authority in finding common ground and the right path to follow for Iran’s people regardless of the external forces upon him. Unfortunately, the external forces upon him are the infrastructure of the Revolutionary Guard that has taken over every aspect of the average Iranians life, and he did not have the backbone to resist. From running the country, its economy, its defense, its judicial systems, the Revolutionary Guard Council has its finger in every part of the Iranian pie. The Supreme Leader, under incredible pressure from the Guard, announced Ahmedinejad’s presidency before the votes could have even been physically counted. He has given tacit authority to destroy the lives, families, and allow torture to death to be committed on his watch. He has allowed men and women to be raped in prison to death without his protection and he has allowed his own brothers, who stood with him, beside Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, to be completely stripped of power and authority, tortured, beaten and put on a show trial within the Iranian Republic. He has even forced the family of the Revolution’s leader, its force for right, out of Iran because they refuse to go along with the corruption.

Like America, Iran had the opportunity to reinvent itself in the world. Just as every nation reached out it’s hand at President Obama’s invitation, just as every country walked the walk with America and said, we were wrong and we want to fix it, just as every country embraced the new America knowing we would never return to that kind of leadership again, Iran could have and should have done the same thing. However, absolute power corrupts absolutely, it doesn’t matter if you declare yourself a Jewish state, an Islamic state, a democracy, a theocracy, a republic or whatever you want to call it.

Absolute power has turned the Iranian revolution upside down and all the reasons for overthrowing the Shah have been exhibited by those in power in Iran right now. Unlike in America, Iran can not be fixed at the ballot box, and those in power do not want it fixed at the present time. But every person in the world, every person in Iran, knows that Iran is no longer true to its revolutionary values, it no longer abides by Islamic law, it does not espouse the values of a republic and that the nation of Iran was just stolen from its people by people who are just like the Shah, but in different clothes.

The Quran teaches it is right to fight and die to take back that which has been taken from you. It is the right and duty of every Muslim and Iranian to do as the Prophet (PBUH) would have done, and to fight and die to get back the country that the Revolutionary Guard has stolen from the average Iranian. Just as it took the last time, just like in America, when those in power rule without honor, dignity, respect for and a mandate from its people, the will of the people will overrule absolute power.

What are we in America fighting for in this war on terror if what we support is worse than that which we are fighting against?

Israel has been at it again. In today’s report on niacINsight, a web page dedicated to representing Iranian-Americans, quotes Reuters as saying Mohamed ElBaradei, in an interview, says Iran is not close to a bomb, does not have the ability to produce a bomb, has not indicated it is trying to create a bomb. Are you getting the point?

In the last 60 years, Israel has blamed everyone, but themselves, for the situation they are in. The holocaust was truly a tragedy and the Jewish people (not Israeli’s) suffered terribly and they were horrendous victims of unfathomable pain, torment and death. No one can honestly deny that. However, every second, every hour, every day, every ongoing year after year, Israel has cried wolf, has screamed the sky was falling, wailing that the only place a Jewish person is safe is in a Jewish homeland, yet starting from day one of their occupation of Palestine, they have used groups such as the Stern gang and the Irgoon to terrorize Palestinians into moving, giving up land, bombing of their buildings and killing of innocent women and children, and that was 50 years ago.

In the 70’s it was every Arab country in the world who wanted to push them off the map. Crying deeply and loudly enough that not only did the US provide equipment, intelligence and ammunition to Israel, trained American pilots flew Israeli jets and supported the poor victim, Israel,

Since then it has been the PLO, now they are friends, next it was Islamic Jihad and various other groups. Then Hezbollah, next Hamas, we were told that every Palestinian man, woman and child were suicide bombers, to the point where we have allowed them to jail over 10,000 Palestinians with no trials, no evidence, including over 100 children under the age of 15.

Now that the world knows the truth about all those groups that the Israeli’s hated and we now know that they just are not the huge threat that the 4^th largest nuclear power in the world has tried to convince us they are. Now the huge threat is Iran. Now we have all the spin, all the hype, all the same old same old Israeli tactics that quite frankly are getting a little stale.

No longer do we believe the garbage that Israel puts out. No longer do we support our government supporting the apartheid, racist regime, that Israel has become, so much so that their poster boys are Avigdor Lieberman and Benjamin Netanyahu. An avowed racist and a war criminal. This is the face of Israel, and we in America are now wondering, what in the hell did our government create. Like the monster in the mountains of Afghanistan and Pakistan has risen to bite the hand that fed it, so too will the denizens of hatred, the two-faced, back-biting, government we call Israel.

Already Americans have been confronted with Israeli’s burning American flags, insulting the American President by referring to him with a long hated slur to Black Americans, by throwing our partnership into the fire, because we won’t let them steal land, kill innocent people and commit genocide. What are we in America fighting for in this war on terror if what we support is worse than that which we are fighting against?

The time has come for Israel to be treated like South Africa, Zimbabwe and other countries who have or still do espouse a racist and apartheid mentality. The time has come… The time has come…

If I Had the Heart of an Iranian

If I Had the Heart of an Iranian…

If I would have had the heart of an Iranian, when George W Bush stole the election from Al Gore, Bush would have never been President.

Without Bush in the White House with his hands off attitude in the Middle East and his provocation of Islamic Nations the World Trade Centers might still be standing.

Afghanistan would still have been the place where the Russians got beat.

Iraq would have never been invaded.

Iran would have never become a regional superpower

Iran and Iraq would still be fighting in one form or another.

We would not have had to look at Dick Cheney and his sneer, not even one time.

Water boarding would still be a sport where you get pulled behind a boat and do flips and stuff and it would be fun.

Abu Ghraib wouldn’t exist in our vocabulary.

Habeus Corpus would still be one of those things lawyers talk about

Guantanamo Bay would be an empty military base in Cuba

Global warming would have already been addressed.

But most of all

If I Had the Heart of an Iranian…

At least ONE MILLION Americans, Afghani’s, Iraqi’s, etc… would have never died. Mothers without children, children without fathers, and soldiers without arms and legs.

If I Only Had the Heart of an Iranian…