Congress gave Netanyahu an easy ride during his speech to them today in Washington. They were clearly happy to egg him on with his delusions that Israel is a bastion of freedom and democracy within a sea of Arab evil and anti-Americanism.
Of course, the reality is that Israel has always propped up dictatorships that it thought were helpful, and bombed and undermined the only Middle Eastern states to hold free and fair elections, Palestine and Lebanon. And ask a Palestinian living under Israeli occupation how 'free and democratic' Israel is, and you'll get a very different perspective.
Netanyahu's determination to define the scale of the stump state of Palestine, and refuse to allow debate on returning the borders to the 1967 lines, is entrenching Israel into permanent conflict (which I believe the Israeli Government has decided it can live with.)
Watching congress give Netanyahu 30 standing ovations, including one after he stated that Jerusalem will never be a shared capital, was simply frightening. Their is no 'give' in this stance, merely 'take'.
With the US military might behind it, Israel can do whatever it wants, and it knows it. If Obama really is serious about forcing a peace agreement, he has as much work to do facing up to the Zionists in the US Congress as with the warmongers in the Israeli Government.
Tuesday, 24 May 2011
Tomlinson's killer must be brought to justice
In my book, I warned of the 'criminalisation of protest' and that the police seemed to be able to treat peaceful protestors as if they had less rights than others. A culture of antagonism had evolved in the police that allowed some of them to treat us as if we were scum. Whilst this is not true of all officers, it is a dangerous phenomena indeed.
The decision that PC Simon Harwood is to face manslaughter charges is an important one. If he is held to account, it may stem the tide of police violence during demonstrations and protest. It will also help those good police officers who are often sickened by some of the behaviour they witness from their colleagues, but feel unsupported in the process of speaking out.
I witnessed some of the violence on that fateful day in April in 2009, and also on some of the more recent protests in the capital. We must promote a ethos of non-violence in both the police and the protest movement if we are to be successful in struggling against the devastating policies of this government.
The decision that PC Simon Harwood is to face manslaughter charges is an important one. If he is held to account, it may stem the tide of police violence during demonstrations and protest. It will also help those good police officers who are often sickened by some of the behaviour they witness from their colleagues, but feel unsupported in the process of speaking out.
I witnessed some of the violence on that fateful day in April in 2009, and also on some of the more recent protests in the capital. We must promote a ethos of non-violence in both the police and the protest movement if we are to be successful in struggling against the devastating policies of this government.
Obama, the 'King of Spin' at Buckingham Palace
If I lived in London, I'd be outside Buckingham Palace at 5.30pm today, joining the Stop the War protest at Obama's visit. It was easy to get people riled up over George Bushes visits, why is it so hard to rile people up when Obama comes to town?
Do people still feel he is a progressive president? The evidence against is overwhelming. He has doubled the war effort in Afghanistan, still is the occupying force in Iraq, has escalated and prolonged the suffering of the Libyan people by going way beyond the UN mandate to protect civilians. He has overseen the deadly increase in drone attacks throughout the Middle East from Pakistan to Yemen.
He talk about non-violence and building democracy - but it only applies to everyone else, not the US empire, which can pick and choose its enemies at will. Venezuela, but not Colombia, North Korea, but not China, Libya, but not Saudi Arabia. The blatant execution of criminal bin Laden showed that Obama believes he is above the law.
If we think he has made progress in the Israel Palestine struggle, it certainly has not manifested itself on the ground. US still arms the Israeli occupation to the hilt.
If in London, why not go and protest against this king of spin. Obama may enjoy looking and sounding progressive, but he is still letting US imperialism do its thing.
Do people still feel he is a progressive president? The evidence against is overwhelming. He has doubled the war effort in Afghanistan, still is the occupying force in Iraq, has escalated and prolonged the suffering of the Libyan people by going way beyond the UN mandate to protect civilians. He has overseen the deadly increase in drone attacks throughout the Middle East from Pakistan to Yemen.
He talk about non-violence and building democracy - but it only applies to everyone else, not the US empire, which can pick and choose its enemies at will. Venezuela, but not Colombia, North Korea, but not China, Libya, but not Saudi Arabia. The blatant execution of criminal bin Laden showed that Obama believes he is above the law.
If we think he has made progress in the Israel Palestine struggle, it certainly has not manifested itself on the ground. US still arms the Israeli occupation to the hilt.
If in London, why not go and protest against this king of spin. Obama may enjoy looking and sounding progressive, but he is still letting US imperialism do its thing.
Chile: Will Allende's exhumation reveal US foreign policy skeletons?
The official line was that Salvador Allende took his own life on Sept 11 1973, as Pinochet's fascist soldiers stormed the presidential palace during US backed coup in Chile. Perhaps the exhuming of Allende's body will reveal more information, but I suspect not.
But let there be no doubt about it - Allende was murdered by a US foreign policy that could not stand the threat of another successful socialist state in South America. The US were deeply involved in supporting the military coup, and the subsequent detention, torture and murder of thousands of Allende supporters.
We must not hold onto the idea that this could not happen again, South America's history is sadly full of such events. The US certainly was involved in the unsuccessful coup against Chavez in 2002, and in 2009 stood idly by as a coup deposed the elected left wing leader of Honduras.
May God let Allende rest in peace, and disturb the skeletons of US imperialism in South America
But let there be no doubt about it - Allende was murdered by a US foreign policy that could not stand the threat of another successful socialist state in South America. The US were deeply involved in supporting the military coup, and the subsequent detention, torture and murder of thousands of Allende supporters.
We must not hold onto the idea that this could not happen again, South America's history is sadly full of such events. The US certainly was involved in the unsuccessful coup against Chavez in 2002, and in 2009 stood idly by as a coup deposed the elected left wing leader of Honduras.
May God let Allende rest in peace, and disturb the skeletons of US imperialism in South America
Sunday, 22 May 2011
Twitter - where will it all end?
I swear I did not join twitter to find out the sexual habits of premier league footballers - I really couldn't care less about them. I joined twitter today so that I had a chance of keeping tabs on my wife, who uses it all the time, for work and pleasure.
I like the idea of keeping thoughts short - quick poems of consciousness - perhaps revealing the true undercurrents of the zeitgeist. However - my initial reaction to it all is one of bewilderment and annoyance. it is hard to keep all the thoughts in order. I've not worked out what is private or what is public; when you reply to one person, apparently everyone can see and follow that conversation. How dull might that be?
I think I prefer facebook, and I absolutely love blogging - the ultimate in therapy. But Twitter might be a step too far for me - but I'm prepared to give it a shot, especially for during large demos. If the revolution will not be televised, perhaps it might get tweeted!
I like the idea of keeping thoughts short - quick poems of consciousness - perhaps revealing the true undercurrents of the zeitgeist. However - my initial reaction to it all is one of bewilderment and annoyance. it is hard to keep all the thoughts in order. I've not worked out what is private or what is public; when you reply to one person, apparently everyone can see and follow that conversation. How dull might that be?
I think I prefer facebook, and I absolutely love blogging - the ultimate in therapy. But Twitter might be a step too far for me - but I'm prepared to give it a shot, especially for during large demos. If the revolution will not be televised, perhaps it might get tweeted!
In my fathers house there are many dwelling places..
SoulSpace was a real delight today - the contributions from the congregation were helpful, thoughtful and varied, reflecting on the passage from John 14, verse 1 - 14. We made use of the whole space of the building, with different lines from the biblical passage on the walls and windows of the many rooms in the German Church.
I came out of the service feeling really hopeful and joyful - partly from singing the great South African song 'Sizohamba', but mostly the joy of feeling part of such a loving community. SoulSpace has always been special to me, but just recently it has resonated with the Holy Spirit. I'm so grateful to the contributions that everyone makes to the service - the word 'communion' is rarely used so appropriately.
Jesus begins by saying to his worried comrades, 'Let not your hearts be troubled', despite their obvious fear of death and betrayal. (the story takes place on the evening of the last supper) Even in the midst of fear and worry, Jesus longs for us to remain trusting in God, and trusting in the way of truth, justice, peace and life.
I came out of the service feeling really hopeful and joyful - partly from singing the great South African song 'Sizohamba', but mostly the joy of feeling part of such a loving community. SoulSpace has always been special to me, but just recently it has resonated with the Holy Spirit. I'm so grateful to the contributions that everyone makes to the service - the word 'communion' is rarely used so appropriately.
Jesus begins by saying to his worried comrades, 'Let not your hearts be troubled', despite their obvious fear of death and betrayal. (the story takes place on the evening of the last supper) Even in the midst of fear and worry, Jesus longs for us to remain trusting in God, and trusting in the way of truth, justice, peace and life.
Saturday, 21 May 2011
Bradford Pride - Wow!
Bradford Pride is getting bigger and better every year. This year I wore a dog collar with a rainbow, and enjoyed the ambiance, before and after the Bishop's enthronement taking place on the other side of 'the hole'. I was the only collar there, and many were so surprised to see me! I did attract the occasional person who really wanted to have a go at the church, but most were really pleased to see a member of the clergy about, and I even got chatted up!
If I had been offered a chance to speak on stage, I would have begun by apologizing for all the bad experiences many gay people have had from the Church and from homophobic Christians. I would have reminded them that we have a God of love who blesses all that find love, gay or straight. I would have reminded people that the Bible may be inspired by holy people, but that it not written by God, and is flawed and full of historical beliefs. God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit is inclusive and welcoming to the LGBT community.
I would have said that in our church, we are blessed by the presence of gay Christians. They are simply amazing, because, despite the fact that each and everyone of them has horror stories about how they have been treated by the church, they have not given up their search for holiness - they have never abandoned their faith in God.
May God bless all the Pride events taking place throughout the world, a relatively new phenomenon, heralding a new world of tolerance, openness and love. Pride gives new hope for a better, more inclusive stage of humanity.
If I had been offered a chance to speak on stage, I would have begun by apologizing for all the bad experiences many gay people have had from the Church and from homophobic Christians. I would have reminded them that we have a God of love who blesses all that find love, gay or straight. I would have reminded people that the Bible may be inspired by holy people, but that it not written by God, and is flawed and full of historical beliefs. God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit is inclusive and welcoming to the LGBT community.
I would have said that in our church, we are blessed by the presence of gay Christians. They are simply amazing, because, despite the fact that each and everyone of them has horror stories about how they have been treated by the church, they have not given up their search for holiness - they have never abandoned their faith in God.
May God bless all the Pride events taking place throughout the world, a relatively new phenomenon, heralding a new world of tolerance, openness and love. Pride gives new hope for a better, more inclusive stage of humanity.
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