The global boycott movement has passed an important marker...

I definately agree with John Pilger, the boycott movement against the Apartheid state of Israel is on a roll, and is not looking back.

Excerpts of his recent article below (I recommend reading the whole article):

And yet, what Nelson Mandela has called "the greatest moral issue of the age" refuses to be buried in the dust. For every BBC voice that strains to equate occupier with occupied, thief with victim, for every swarm of emails from the fanatics of Zion to those who invert the lies and describe the Israeli state's commitment to the destruction of Palestine, the truth is more powerful now than ever. Documentation of the violent expulsion of Palestinians in 1948 is voluminous.

The ethnic cleansing of Palestine is as much America's crusade as Israel's. On 16 August, the Bush administration announced an unprecedented $30bn military "aid package" for Israel, the world's fourth biggest military power, an air power greater than Britain, a nuclear power greater than France. No other country on earth enjoys such immunity, allowing it to act without sanction, as Israel. No other country has such a record of lawlessness: not one of the world's tyrannies comes close. International treaties, such as the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, ratified by Iran, are ignored by Israel. There is nothing like it in UN history.

But something is changing. Perhaps last summer's panoramic horror beamed from Lebanon on to the world's TV screens provided the catalyst. Or perhaps cynicism of Bush and Blair and the incessant use of the inanity, "terror", together with the day-by-day dissemination of a fabricated insecurity in all our lives, has finally brought the attention of the international community outside the rogue states, Britain and the US, back to one of its principal sources, Israel.

The swell of a boycott is growing inexorably, as if an important marker has been passed, reminiscent of the boycotts that led to sanctions against apartheid South Africa. Both Mandela and Desmond Tutu have drawn this parallel; so has South African cabinet minister Ronnie Kasrils and other illustrious Jewish members of the liberation struggle. In Britain, an often Jewish-led academic campaign against Israel's "methodical destruction of [the Palestinian] education system" can be translated by those of us who have reported from the occupied territories into the arbitrary closure of Palestinian universities, the harassment and humiliation of students at checkpoints and the shooting and killing of Palestinian children on their way to school.

Read on at newstateman.com

Alkalima and World Domination

Muslim Students Want to Take Over the World?
by Marya Bangee

Well, they've done it again.

And this time, even I'm surprised at how ridiculous their accusations are. It's not smearing an innocent Muslim student activist, like when they went after Zahra. It's not calling the Shahada a slogan for Hamas, like when they attacked the Muslim Student Union at UC Irvine for their graduation stoles. It's not even inviting premier Islamophobe Daniel Pipes to tour California campuses because they sense they are losing the "battle on school campuses."

Nope, this time our local Zionists have decided to accuse Alkalima Magazine - the quarterly publication produced by Muslim students at UCI - with aspiring to world domination.

And how, exactly, did this new hysteria come about?

Bassem Shama, editor of the Magazine, created a video awhile back for the staff at Alkalima, in order to encourage their efforts and promote a difficult task for any student publication: distribution. This video was meant to be humorous - the Zionists response...was also humorous.

Alkalima's response can be found here. While you're there, check out the video too.

I thought it was funny.

Here's the usual line-up:
(feel free to leave fun comments on their sites)

Zionist #1
Zionist #2
YouTube Video (they took the Alkalima video without permission and posted it)

An Obession with MisInfromation

Or we can call it by what it is-

"Obsession: The Zionist Propaganda Machine"



Have you tuned into KROQ in the past month or so? KROQ happens to be my fall back radio station when I am depressed about the Iraq horror story and the Bush governments ineptitude- he's in South America with an olive branch, except all his speeches are about Hugo, can we call it an obsession? I was disturbed to hear a commercial on KROQ by the American Jewish Committee (AJC) sponsoring "Obession: Radical Islam's War Against the West".

Lets leave the fact that this advertisement was coming from the AJC- a staunchly Pro-Israel, before American Interest organization sponsoring something like this and look at what exactly this documentary is all about.

This so called documentary, according to the official website (from now on referenced as a Mockumentary)

compares the threat of Islamism with that of Nazism before World War II, and observes the parallels between Islamists and the Nazi Party during the War, specifically Adolf Hitler's relationship with the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem as an inspiration for radical Islamic movements in the Middle East today.

Now that in itself is a lot to digest. But wait, here is a list of individuals who are the "experts" that are interviewed:

Nonie Darwish (the daughter of a Fedayeen terrorist), Alan M. Dershowitz, Steven Emerson, Brigitte Gabriel, Martin Gilbert, Caroline Glick, Alfons Heck, Glen Jenvey, John Loftus, Salim Mansur, Itamar Marcus, Khaleel Mohammed, Daniel Pipes, Tashbih Sayyed, Walid Shoebat, Khaled Abu Toameh, Robert Wistrich

Plus it seems that the Israeli government/military had no problem opening up their torture cells to suspect "terrorists"- I am surprised they didn't bring the women and children they hold in the prison to be interviewed as well- for mockumentary- read the wikipedia entry. Read this blog and you will get an idea of how you can make some major bank these days.

I think I will leave the analysis of the movie once I watch it but you can read about a Muslim experience here. However, it is important to focus on this aspect for those of you not familiar because this sets up the tone of where this mockumentary is coming from which allows you to understand why this is no bona fide documentary but rather a propaganda piece.

Honest Reporting is the responsible party- they produced this mockumentary. But is Honest Reporting really what it says it is- honest implies unbiased, neutral, fact driven reporting? Or does it imply one version, one side, one perspective? Here is some information that will help your understanding of Honest Reporting.

First- Honest Reporting was cited by the London Guardian as an Israeli Propaganda mouth piece. Ouch. If you read the article, you will see that Honest Reporting was calling the Israeli bombing of a Red Cross Ambulances in the recent Lebanon war a "hoax"- imagine something that grave and serious being called a hoax and Honest Reporting championing that mantle.3

Human Rights Watch issued this report to rebut the claims made and then propagated by Honest Reporting-here.

Second- What is Honest Reporting? Well according to Honest Reporting they area a media watchdog group that monitors the media for negative portrayals of Israel. So that must be some slant to this right?

Third- If you think Honest Reporting passes as a legitimate honest broker on negative Israeli reporting then its worth checking out how Honest Reporting got it start. Honest Reporting was founded by Aish Ha Torah- they take pride in creating this media monster. But see Aish Ha Torah, in their own bubble, believe that Honest Reporting is legitimate. Aish Ha Torah is a radical, fringe right wing extremist movement in Israeli society. They are not entitled to represent any sort of "objectivity" since the founder of this group felt that "20,000 Jews were being lost" due to them marrying outside of the Jewish race- is that such a bad thing to marry outside one's race, I tell my mom the benefits of this all the time? But basically they are racial elitist that view Israel as a sacred cow that is beyond criticism and Zionism and Judiasim being one and the same- which is not the case!

Obsession the mockumentary really is just another propaganda piece being put out by right-wing extremist!

Going back to KROQ. For a main stream, all access media outlet to take advertisements on such a propaganda piece is disturbing, but understandable. The advertisement department isn't looking into what this is about but rather how much money it will bring in. So it was nice to have Muslims call in and complain about this. The best description of such a conversation is as follows*:

KROQ- You know this is a Freedom of speech issue, you say one thing they say another.

Muslim- I understand that but as KROQ you have listener from all strips.

KROQ- Whats wrong with them paying for the spot, technically its not our message, they paid for the air space.

Muslim- Okay, so let me get this straight, if i pay for an ad, you would play it regardless of content?

KROQ- Yes and no, we have to follow FCC guidelines.

Muslim- I understand but if i pay you will play it meeting FCC guidelines?

KROQ- yes

Muslim- Okay i will pay you money to make an ad that says slavery was good for America and that it would solve our immigration problem and that Jews were responsible for most of the social ills today. The organization sponsoring it is Americans for a Clean America. That's what AJC and the movie Obsession is to me.

Case closed.

*this is not me, I wish I thought of it but it isn't me. Also the conversation didn't occur precisely this way, this just how i remember it.

All Along the Watchtower

...Palestinian kids play, while crooks and racists justify their imprisonment.

The song holds true in Apartheid Israel. Bob Dylan wrote this wonderful song, with Jimmy Hendrix, Pearl Jam and Dave Mathews Band doing some amazing covers.

Enjoy the lyrics, enjoy reality- because outside "in the distance a wildcat did growl, two riders were approaching, the wind began to howl."


All Along the Watchtower

"There must be some way out of here," said the joker to the thief,
"There's too much confusion, I can't get no relief.
Businessmen, they drink my wine, plowmen dig my earth,
None of them along the line know what any of it is worth."

"No reason to get excited," the thief, he kindly spoke,
"There are many here among us who feel that life is but a joke.
But you and I, we've been through that, and this is not our fate,
So let us not talk falsely now, the hour is getting late."

All along the watchtower, princes kept the view
While all the women came and went, barefoot servants, too.

Outside in the distance a wildcat did growl,
Two riders were approaching, the wind began to howl.


It speaks wonders to the situation in Israel. During this time of Dylan's life he faced being cheated out of what was his- "Businessmen, they drink my wine, plowmen dig my earth" the same way Zionist settlers usurp Palestinian lands and Israeli soldiers tear apart Palestinian farms. "None of them along the line know what any of it is worth" speaks to how the systematic destruction of the Palestinian people has not destroyed or swayed their deep seated desire to return to their homes and have a nation of their own all the while only marginalizing and creating hatred and resentment and fueling the fires of violence among the next generation of children.

Its not what the Palestinian teach their kids, its rather what the Israeli's teach all Palestinian generations- ethnic superiority- Israeli peace over Palestinian justice, Israeli sovereignty over Palestinian ability to have a functioning future independent state and Israeli future over that of Palestinian past, present and future.