New book- 'suicide terrorism due to occupation'. Go figure. And Israel's child abuse.

Wow. Accounts of Israel electrocuting children and threatening them with rape. Some people can't fathom why people would commit a suicide bombing. I'd submit that it could start there. I mean, when you're brutalized (beaten, threatened with rape, family's home vandalized, etc) by a foreign military power from the age of 12 for waving or throwing stones or walking down the "wrong road," one could easily get a sense that there will be no hope and no justice. Ever. Doe this treatment automatically get better when they turn 18? No, it's worse. Since they're adults, Israel can get away with some degree of mistreatment. They get away with it for the kids, so one can only imagine what happens to adults.

http://sjlendman.blogspot.com/2010/10/israel-shooting-and-electric-shocking.html


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And on a related note, here is a guy who now has evidence for the theory I bought into ("It's The Occupation, Stupid" as the saying goes) rather than the "Muslims want to kill us all" explanation for terrorism.

Understanding Suicide Terrorism and How to Stop It
NPR, Talk of the Nation, October 11, 2010
http://news.wvpubcast.org/templates/transcript/transcript.php?storyId=130492404

You Made Your Bed, You Should Have to Lie In It

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8524723.stm


Israel is deporting East Asian and African migrant workers who have had children while in Israel. It seems like the same sort of mess we are dealing with in the US with the enforcement of immigration law.

Same sorry attitudes:

"Look around this part of town," he says, listing to me dozens of nationalities who hang out here, especially at night.

"This is an Israeli street, a Jewish street, but I feel the stranger here."

They have made it rather easy to exclude people, though, since it's hard to get residency unless you are Jewish. They don't just have it in for Palestinians, don't let the home demolitions and special place of hatred for them fool you. The children of Mexican illegal immigrants are often US citizens by birth. I think that's the way it should be.

I think, if I understand this correctly, that in Israel's case, the parents are legal foreign workers, but their children who were born there aren't legal workers (obviously) or citizens and can't or won't be given any sort of legal status temporary or otherwise. They don't want to look like jerks for deporting children. They should have to allow the children at least temporary legal status according to their parents' documents; at most, they should be citizens. Their insistence on this Jewish state where non-Jews don't get certain rights and benefits is what brought them this flood of foreign workers who dare to have babies on their soil.

Israel increased the number of work permits it issued to South East Asian workers in particular after the start of the second Palestinian uprising.

They've taken the place of Palestinian workers; Israel's government severely restricts their permits and presence in Israel for security reasons, it says.

If Palestinians filled this need for workers as in the past, they could just hop on over the border (assuming it took 15 min instead of half a day to cross...) to go home instead of them having "illegal" babies inside their borders. But then, there's the effect and resentment of the Occupation to think about. End the Occupation. Stop arresting, killing, destroying, starving the people who could do you a favor- if you really don't want those East Asian babies hanging around. Whatever. Israel's wrong on both counts.

End the Occupation. Problem solved. Make it one state for all. More problems solved.

kids say...

I should really write more of the kids' sayings down. I'm going to forget all of it. I guess this and emailing myself stuff is the best I can do now. I hope it will end up in a baby book one day.

I should really submit this one to Parents or something. Classic.
I took my daughter potty at a bridal shower I went to recently and was busy keeping her "on task" and trying to keep her from snooping around. As she poked her head in the shower, she asked when Lori was going to take her shower or if she was going to take the shower after she opened the presents or something like that. My kids' language have always been really good for whatever reason, but you forget sometimes how hard it must be to get some of the meanings we take for granted. Just makes you wonder when you say things and they are silent what mental image they are getting.

She recently slammed the door on her finger and the nail came off. She told her Grandma that she'd grow a new one and show it to her.

My son calls dryer sheets, 'dryer sheeps'. That one's so cute that I haven't corrected him yet. I wonder if he thinks of sheep when he says it.

He also alerts us to dirty diapers with an unsolicited "I not pooping!" if you look at him.

The kids both "call" their aunt on play phones and sometimes we let them do the real thing. A week or so before his 2nd birthday, my husband let him do this and he held an entire little conversation. He sounded so grown up. He'd say, "I'm going to be 2, Ginger," and answered questions like a big boy.

And pay attention when they say they are going to "play deal." It means they are going to shred a piece of paper or preferably (for them) tissues (or an entire box worth).

Playing "I know" is fun for all- yell at the top of your lungs when the vacuum is on. My husband used to do that, so that one may be genetic.

Reactions to Obama's Middle East Peace Plan and Settlements

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8242387.stm

So, Israel is again made an announcement to build/expand settlements around the time of talks with the US on a settlement freeze. We are supposed to be a superpower or something, but little Israel sure knows how to make us look like a superfool! We need to boycott, divest and sanction if we want results. Clearly, the decades of asking nicely and ignoring the violations of law aren't inducing them to comply.

In the article, telling it like it is:

"Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is trying to have it both ways."

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http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8241247.stm

I have used a variety of metaphors to explain this, but here it is in plain terms. In the above article, Hanan Ashrawi telling it like it is:

"What Netanyahu is doing is clearly at the scale of a grand deception," said Fatah spokesperson Hanan Ashrawi.

"He thinks that he can deceive the rest of the world... but what he is doing under a variety of pretexts is the continuation of settlements and at the same time demanding a price in return."

Edit: Sept 10, 2009- 2 quotes below are from the article-
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8246434.stm

Obama's ready to cave and give Israel what it wants in return for its doing nothing, but the EU's standing firm...for now:

The European Union expressed "serious concern" over Israel's latest moves to expand settlements.

"The European Union reiterates its call on Israel to immediately end settlement activities, including in East Jerusalem," the EU said in a statement.

And a profound truth from Erekat:

"If you could not convince the Israelis to stop settlement activity, will anybody in the Arab and Islamic world believe you can make Israel return to the '67 borders or withdraw from settlements?" he said.

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Israeli troops 'ill-treat kids'

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8186905.stm

Seeing this, it reminded me of folks who have sent me pics of dead Israelis, Palestinian kids in suicide bomber gear, and other images to "see what I think." They ask how could I criticize Israel, why am I "anti-Semitic," why do I side with them- given the gruesome video or picture they forwarded to me. I could return the favor and send them an equally gruesome picture or video of Israelis beating, killing, and maiming Palestinian kids (there are plenty out there), but for the fact that I can't stand looking at these pictures and it makes me sick to see them used to prove whatever messed up, sane, or other point you may be trying to make.

Why I "side with them" is more likely due to my ability to state the obvious, my shock at the entity with the biggest advantage crying victim...and being believed (at least by Americans), a sense of (lack of) justice and shock at the fact that we aren't fighting for it- we're siding with the oppressor. No, I don't like the sight of dead Israelis. Nor do I think empathy for the oppressed should be the basis for accusations of bigotry.