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January 1, 2010 at 11:13 am (Activism, Gaza, Guest Post, Humanitarian Aid, International Solidarity, Palestine)

The following is an urgent appeal that originally appeared at Irish 4 Palestine

DANGEROUS DAYS AHEAD FOR CONVOY

NOTE I’m reposting this because it is an urgent situation

We have friends on both the Code Pink Gaza Freedom March (stranded and protesting in Egypt) and also on the Viva Palestina Convoy waiting for boats to go to Al Arish. Because of the volatile situation in Egypt we have devoted more time to monitoring that situation than reporting on our Irish boys from Derry. So we plan to do some catching up on the Viva Palestina convoy now because they are about to face a trying and dangerous time. More one that in a minute.
Jonathan “JJ” Crockett, (pictured in the centre of the photo above) is a teacher at St Brigid’s College in Derry. He and the team are delivering an ambulance filled with medical aid donated by Altnagelvin Hospital in Derry. Also, students at St. Brigid’s College have donated a lot of educational supplies which can be given to children there. Yesterday JJ had this to say:
So let us introduce the “Derry to Gaza” team; Danny Doyle, Edward McBride, Derek McChrystal, Eanna O’Donaghaile and Jonathan Crockett:

” Thank you to the people at home in Derry and further afield for your support on this all important humanitarian mission; your support is the fuel which keeps us going.
” We returned the 500 kms to Damascus which was forced upon us, and now we are going to make our way to the nearby port of Latakia. “We hope to get the ferry to Egypt which takes 20 hours, and arrive into El Arish, only 25 km from Gaza.
“The Turkish government is paying for our ferry to go to Egypt and fair play to them, although the Egyptian government remains hostile to our mission.
“If we are turned away at the Bay of Egypt, or even worse, if we can’t get on the ferry, then we will have to face more serious challenges put in our way… of delivering this life saving aid. Either way the next few days are crucial.”

UPDATE: We are just in from a vigil for the victims in Gaza and a rally in support of the “Derry to Gaza” lads. As you well know the convoy is facing great obstacles at the moment. At the rally today Marty Crockett, brother of JJ Crockett, one of the drivers, read out an update he’d received from JJ today. The rally had a great turnout and it was grand to hear from our boys who are in Syria via text messages, calls and emails. IMPORTANT INFO AFTER THIS:

Marty Crockett reading message from Convoy

Sinn Fein Clr and former Deputy Leader of the “Hope Convoy” to Gaza in May 2009, Gerry MacLochlainn, reading out names of children murdered by Israel.

SDLP Clr Colum Eastwood reading names of children murdered by Israel
Sinn Fein MLA Raymond McCartney with Steve Crockett in support of the “Derry to Gaza” five.
After the rally ended, we were speaking to Steve Crockett, also JJ’s brother, who gave us the latest on the convoy. They have now arrived in Syria and are currently waiting for the boat to take the vehicles to Al Arish. Another problem they have faced is the cargo ship cannot take the people, only the aid and vehicles. The convoy personnel do not want to leave their vehicles, but are forced to do so and were expected to take other boats to Al Arish which would leave the cargo alone for some time at the Egyptian port. This was immediately deemed as unacceptable and turned down. They then decided the best option was to fly the convoy members into Egypt on charter planes so as to quickly get back to their vehicles. Another problem, how to pay for this. Thankfully the Great and Good Government of Turkey has offered to pay for the cargo ship to Egypt. Turkey is to be commended for this humanitarian act of kindness to the convoy and the people of Gaza who will receive the aid. BUT THEY NEED DONATIONS FOR THE CHARTER PLANES TO EGYPT, link to donate at end of post. MORE:
So, where it stands now is they are in the process of having the vehicles go by boat and the people by plane. Should all things go according to “plan” the convoy should arrive in Gaza in 4-7 days. However, what worries me is one dangerous situation looms in the distance, and that danger is Israel. For the Israeli pirates who only a few months back boarded, seized and confiscated a boat of dignitaries bound for Gaza, then jailed Mairead Corrigan, Cynthia McKinney and many others, could make an attempt to seize the cargo boat.
To all our readers: We have made arrangements to be in contact with the “Derry to Gaza” team and will post personal updates here as we get them, along with any photos as well.
And to the “Derry to Gaza” Team, if you see this post, your families all say “We are so proud of you, best of luck” and the whole of Derry support you!!
URGENT VIVA PALESTINA APPEAL BELOW:

On 6th December 2009 the third Viva Palestina international aid convoy set off from London. Over the next few weeks it traveled almost three thousand miles through 9 countries gaining support as it went. By 24th December, Christmas Eve, when it reached the post of Aqaba in Jordan it had grown to almost 500 people in 250 vehicles – carrying much needed medical aid for the besieged people of Gaza.

And there it’s journey could have come to an end. The convoy was refused passage across the Red Sea to the Sinai by the Egyptian authorities – gatekeepers of the Rafah crossing into Gaza. The convoy would only be allowed to enter Gaza if it landed at the port of Al-Arish on the Mediterranean coast.

The convoy was forced to turn around and head back through Jordan and Syria to take ship from there to Egypt. But this solution, imposed by the Egyptian authorities, has come at a cost. Viva Palestina and our partners will need to charter three ferries and a plane to move our vehicles and convoy members from Syria to Egypt. And we need to raise the money to pay for this.

So we are asking our friends and supporters to dig deep in their pockets and make an emergency donation towards the costs now facing the convoy. With your help we will once more deliver aid to the people of Gaza – and once more demand the end to this in human siege.

Thanks you for your support and may we wish everyone a Happy New Year.
Viva Palestina

Please forward this email to your friends, family and contacts
——————————————————————————–
You can donate below by credit or debit card in a variety of currencies – please follow the links below or visit the website at http://www.vivapalestina.org/emergency.htm
If you have a paypal account you can send directly to use using the ’send money’ option to our email address at donations@vivapalestina.org
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River to Sea
 Uprooted Palestinian

Published Dec 31st, 2009 at 11:14
on Palestine Think Tank

(VIA Redress) Egyptian ruler Mubarak torpedoes international voluntary aid to Gaza
Stuart Littlewood considers the predicament of the Viva Palestina international humanitarian convoy – the culmination of voluntary work by thousands of supporters, fund-raisers and donors in the UK, Europe and internationally – whose journey to besieged Gaza was thwarted by Egypt’s ruler, Husni Mubarak, just four hours before it reached its destination.

The Viva Palestina convoy is being given the run-around by Egypt’s President Husni Mubarak and his “Awkward Squad”.

My heart goes out to the 500 or so dedicated people from 17 different countries who brought their convoy of 200 vehicles almost to the gates of Gaza, only to be stranded at Aqaba just four hours short of their destination.

And not only the 500 driving with the Viva Palestina convoy but the thousands of supporters, fund-raisers and donors back home who have worked for months to provide the medical supplies, the food, the transport and the countless other humanitarian items.

These 500 “salt of the earth” were kicking their heels in Aqaba, and threatening a hunger strike while their precious cargoes spoiled in the heat, because the Egyptian authorities wouldn’t allow them to enter Egypt through the port of Nuweiba. The reason appeared to be that the road across the Sinai from Nuweiba to Rafah ran close to the Israeli border and the 250 trucks and ambulances of the convoy might have caused “a big infiltration problem”.

Why the Egyptian army couldn’t have provided an escort to ensure that no trucks left the column, wasn’t explained. The convoy had already taken great trouble and gone many hundreds of extra miles to avoid Israel.

To have come so far and given so much – in time, effort, money and other resources – and to be thwarted at the last minute, was very hard to take.

However, Egypt is perfectly entitled to lay down rules and its Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying: “The Egyptian government welcomes the passage of the convoy into the Gaza Strip on 27 December, on condition that it abides by the mechanisms in place for humanitarian aid convoys to the Palestinian people, including most importantly the entry of convoys through the port of El-Arish.”

In February 2006 the British MP George Galloway, who leads today’s convoy, was refused entry into Egypt. The last Viva Palestina convoy was pelted with stones and vandalised at El-Arish, which is about 28 miles from the Rafah border crossing into Gaza, after Galloway reportedly called President Mubarak uncomplimentary names and urged the country’s armed forces to overthrow him.

We all know what Mubarak is, but how sensible was it for Galloway to broadcast his opinion to the world when he wanted easy passage for his convoy through the guy’s territory?

There’s clearly no love lost here, and I heard the Egyptians had imposed three conditions if the convoy wished to reach Gaza through Egypt:

It must hand all its vehicles and aid over to UNWRA.
It must drive 500 miles back to Syria, then take ship from Latakia to the port of El-Arish.
It must ask Israel’s permission to cross from Egypt to Gaza.
This information came from members of the convoy, not the organizers. Conditions number 1 and 3 are unthinkable, surely. But this evening the organizers announced that the convoy, after mediation by Turkey, would indeed turn around and head back to Syria and embark from Latakia to El-Arish. Nothing has been said about complying with the other two conditions.

The voyage should take them under the noses of the trigger-happy and piratical Israeli gunboats who think nothing of opening fire on Gazan fishermen. Will the Royal Navy be dispatched to provide an armed escort?

The question remains: did the organizers know all this beforehand – especially the El-Arish stipulation – or was it suddenly sprung on them? Was clearance given for the southern route via Aqaba, then rescinded, or was it left to chance?

The convoy’s organizers are not answering basic questions and the full picture has still not emerged.

“This is a very determined convoy and we’re not going anywhere except to Gaza,” says George Galloway.

God speed you to the Gates of Hell then, George. But next time you should maybe consider going by sea, sailing 200 boats though international waters and demanding that the Western powers guarantee the freedom of the high seas. That way you don’t need to bow to the likes of Mubarak.

And you could become an admiral.

    I’m not going to argue statistics, or what politician did the worst because statistics and history are not exact sciences and can be manipulated by those making them and telling it. Glenn Beck said on his show that the average income of those in the private sector is $27,000 a year. I believe this amount to be closer to the truth because of what I see and hear in society….
   What I see and hear on the streets, in the work place, and in the homes I’ve visited is how I filter out the truth from the facts. If reality and fact don’t mesh then I throw it out as pure B.S….
   This is what I’ve been able to put together from my studies: 85% of all small business fails within the first year in our country as the result of the big hole left in our economy from big business, industry, manufacturing, small and mid-size farms, being wiped out by global corporations and big Govt working together in unison to empower and enrich each other….
   5/6 of all business revenues going through our communities ends up in the hands of the top 1-2% of our population. So, if your given stats stating that there are so many small businesses in our country at a certain point in time, don’t you believe it, it is a shell game and a lie!
   The American people pay for the business in this country going bankrupt, or getting shipped overseas, through high taxation, loss of jobs, loss of investments, FDIC insurance, IMF corporate welfare, more social programs, and the hiring of more Govt workers to control the unemployed.
   On the other hand, the global, corporate, Govt, socialists have stuffed trillions of our money into off shore bank accounts. This is how we got a hidden deficit of $65-trillion and an overt deficit of $12-trillion; this representing our jobs and investments that use to circulate in our communities keeping our economy strong and vibrant for our security and our children’s future. According to the Zogby poll there are now a known 1000 billionaires, or multi-billionaires I should add, in our country alone. Talk about greed and corruption!!!!
   The powers that be are in control of us, our institutions, resources, and they call all the shots; I call them: The Global, Corporate, Govt, Socialist party. The Democrat and Republican parties have not existed for a very long time. Almost everything you hear or see from this entity and its collaborators is based upon lies and deception because the stakes are so tremendous, and anyone that thinks otherwise is in for a rude awakening….
   The US can not compete with communist and socialist dictatorships that do not believe in a free anything, and never will. This is where our powers that be are taking us all globally: The ruling political body and their hired henchmen own and control the corporations, wealth, resources, weapons, and people. This is how these dictatorships are able to kill their people and work their people to death in prison complex societies (we have a few of these already) for little or nothing; and thereby take control of, or wipe out, our business, our jobs, our real estate and, our country. All I can say to you is welcome to the USSA….
   My economics professor who was a retired corporate exec. said he did not have a clue as to why the economy kept going without completely collapsing. I stated that The corporate/govt crooks were using the deficit money machine to keep things going until they have completely stripped the real wealth and power away from the American people in order to control everything on a global scale. Once the crooks feel as though they have damaged us enough the economy will either completely collapse and the people revolt or a new totalitarian system will emerge. He agreed….
   One of my main concerns with all the networks and their personalities is that they all avoid the topic about the flood of legal immigrants into our country. Our Govt has allowed, and assisted, large segments of third world populations to be transplanted into our already over-crowded and bankrupt communities. In my lack of private job sector community, up to 90% of the people receive some sort of Govt subsidies to keep a roof over their heads.This is not the American way of life, and all the crooks in our Govt, along with their global, corporate, socialist, masters are responsible for where our nation is today….
   All this creates a need for bigger Govt to control and police us all. It’s pretty pathetic when a toll collector makes eighty-grand a year, and that is about 12% higher than the highest paid private sector union worker (what’s left of them). Govt is the biggest employer, with the biggest unions today, and that is unconstitutional.
   Don’t forget about the millions of so-called recent or modern legal immigrants (those with visas and commonwealth status) who are flooding across all our borders from all around our country, at will, with full support from our Govt, at our expense. We already had an established culture and population until our Govt saw fit to implement an all out domestic foreign invasion against us, to bankrupt us, undermine us, our religion, and our Democratic Republic….
   Now our cities, smaller communities, schools, hospitals, job market, jails, and prisons are over-crowded and morally and financially bankrupt, turned into socialized third world ghettos over night; boiling pots of cultural conflict and subversion.
   Instead of immigrants being let into our country in a very controlled and moderated manner, and assimilated into our culture and way of life, as was intended by our Founding Fathers; However, we have a corrupt Govt using immigration to rob us, gain full control of us, or destroy us. We should take our borders and our Govt back, if it is not too late?
   Many of these modern or recent immigrants should be returned to their own countries so they can fight to make their home country their own, like we had to do against King George III and his henchmen. It is said that history repeats itself….
   People confuse necessary social functions that are beneficial to the overall society with that of the un-constitutional concentration of wealth, power, resources, and control, into the hands of the top 1-3% of our population. I’m sorry if you missed the seriousness in the plot and theme. I will break it down even more for you, and maybe you can get yourself a RED STAR….
   Let me find out your one of those monkey people who worship and serve the monkey gods and those in the monkey-god Govt. If you serve and worship hard enough the monkey-god administrators will give you back some of the bananas they stole from you, your family, and the rest of the monkey society. In the monkey kingdom you can kill all the monkeys you want without any real consequence, you can kill your monkey babies, after all, they are just monkeys, or you can kill any monkey the monkey gods tell you to kill. And hey, you can really monkey around with any monkey you want, any way you want. Just be careful you don’t get caught by the monkey police and end up in a monkey jail. Just imagine what they could have you do on the monkey bars. If it gets over-crowded the monkey guards will send you to their monkey heaven…. Get the picture Mr. Liberal?
   We the American people have to make the real change happen at voting time. In the mean time we all need to shut down the big liberal, fascist, media machine that tries to keep people voting for either a Democrat or a Republican; when in reality they are both one and the same in implementing their agenda upon the American people and our Democratic Republic; don’t let them fool you again….
   On the other hand, I really do not trust third-party candidates who are switch-overs from either of the so-called two parties, I call them ringers used to undermine the third parties and their efforts. Recently, in our local elections, all the same old candidates were running on all party tickets, it was strange to say the least, they just should have had one party listed for us to vote from. The stranger yet, was that no one said a word about it! Yep! not one peep! It goes to show just how brainwashed and controlled people really are by the current dark regime controlling our country and its institutions….
   It is also apparent that comprehension among many Democrats and Republicans of what they hear and read is not one of their stronger traits. Their Democrat/Republican lens that they view the world through clouds their higher cognitive ability, affecting their ability to be objective towards things that run contrary to their Democrat/Republican indoctrination. Higher cognitive functionality is also found to be lacking in about 30-40% of the entire adolescent and adult population. So they are not alone….
   Corporate, Govt, Socialists: All we need to do is take back Our Govt, Country, and Our Borders from these Fascist, Global, Pirates before all is lost. This means that the, actual, American people need some good old fashion community organizations with a strong leadership network (I’m not referring to Barak Hussein Obama and ACORN) in our communities….
   In a supposedly free country like ours, we can’t even get our Supreme Court to uphold or enforce our Constitution and honestly serve the best interest of the majority its people: one good example of this lies in the fact that the Supreme Court refused to honestly prove to the citizens of our great nation the true immigrant status of our new president, Barak Hussein Obama, and his true anti-American activities, and /or affiliations, the list goes on….
   I’m sorry that so many are so defensive of Obama that they miss the all out attack on, and challenge to, our overall, corrupt, US political body who are lining their pockets right along with their corporate, socialist, masters who are hell-bent on the complete destruction of our way of life and country. Barak Hussein Obama just happens to be at the head of the serpent at this point in time wherein the historical bringing down of our Democratic Republic has been greatly excelled. It is sad that some people feel as though the American people need to trade-off their jobs, religion, freedom, and way of life, for dependency on big Govt social programs that are morally and financially bankrupt. You can’t eat an I.O.U….
   Our Govt, along with their corporate, socialist, masters have devised, and implemented, unconstitutional, illegal, trade agreements and policies that are dead against the best interests of the American people, and are being used (like immigration, and wars of attrition for population control) to completely rob, control, or destroy us and our unborn. All wars can be won if they are fought to be won….
   The nobel prize is now a joke and a farce right along with the people who issued it solely to promote their own political bias and agenda; and that does not bode well for the American people or their way of life. I never thought that anyone could get a nobel prize for sophistry, except for maybe the devil himself….
   I also want to note that Govt employee unions are the biggest unions in our country today. Big elements of these unions are healthcare companies, food service companies, super markets, and many other affiliated companies or businesses. Keep in mind the many different types of governmental agencies that are also a part of these unions and their affiliates…. I do know that these Govt unions contribute millions to both of the so-called political parties. They gave Bill Clinton about $22-million during his last campaign run at a dinner they held for him in Washington; Mr. Clinton stuffed it all into his bank account….
   The problem with the shifting of taxes to the 98% of us is that the Govt employees, and those working in companies and jobs supported by Govt subsidies, are paying in most of the taxes, (outside of the top 1-2%) since Govt is now the biggest employer on all levels. So, how would you classify this type of trickle effect? Unconstitutional maybe?
   It is apparent that our supreme court and our other vital institutions have all been infiltrated by perverts, baby killers, and other nefarious fringe elements who are attempting to legislate their will upon us and our children. Even modern-day television shows are all about how to be the perfectly normal, everyday, liberal thinking citizen; American role models as to how to think, act, and live out your every day liberal life. Might as well take a gun and blow your brains out all over the sidewalk. There is no God, so what difference would it make, anyway? Were all just a bunch of earthworms, monkeys, anti-christian, anti-America, and anti-God freaks from hell….
   Our constitution needs to be enforced to protect our nation of people and our way of life. You can go to Russia with all the mis-guided liberal reasoning and see how it will fly over there? It is the will of the majority that dictates the function of our Govt to maintain civil rest. If a minority chooses to usurp the will of the majority to claim rights that never existed and were never meant to exist then social unrest will ensue. So, here we are….

PIC

[ 21/12/2009 - 05:07 PM ]

GAZA, (PIC)– Bülent Yıldırım, president of the IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation, has said that his Foundation would buy five boats with the intent of sending relief material to the beleaguered Gaza Strip.

Yildirim in a statement to alresala.net website on Monday said that the boats would be launched in March or April 2010 and would be carrying food, medicine and construction material. He added that a senior Turkish delegation would be aboard those ships.

Asked about possible Israeli interception or piracy, he said that the sea is open for all and Israel has no right to intercept those boats according to the international laws.

Yildirim disclosed that his Foundation was under pressure by Israel and those supporting it in Turkey to stop aiding Gaza and the Palestinian people, “but they failed because the Turkish people sympathize with the Palestinian people”.

IHH works in 120 countries to help the poor and the needy along with orphans and widows and is allocating a major portion of its assistance to support the Gaza people.

Yildirim stayed in Gaza for 20 days during the latest Israeli war.

 Uprooted Palestinian

PIC

[ 21/12/2009 - 05:07 PM ]

GAZA, (PIC)– Bülent Yıldırım, president of the IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation, has said that his Foundation would buy five boats with the intent of sending relief material to the beleaguered Gaza Strip.

Yildirim in a statement to alresala.net website on Monday said that the boats would be launched in March or April 2010 and would be carrying food, medicine and construction material. He added that a senior Turkish delegation would be aboard those ships.

Asked about possible Israeli interception or piracy, he said that the sea is open for all and Israel has no right to intercept those boats according to the international laws.

Yildirim disclosed that his Foundation was under pressure by Israel and those supporting it in Turkey to stop aiding Gaza and the Palestinian people, “but they failed because the Turkish people sympathize with the Palestinian people”.

IHH works in 120 countries to help the poor and the needy along with orphans and widows and is allocating a major portion of its assistance to support the Gaza people.

Yildirim stayed in Gaza for 20 days during the latest Israeli war.

 Uprooted Palestinian

This video demonstrates the ongoing cultural, ethnic, racial and religious persecution of the First Nations people. In the wealthiest country in the world, this should not be allowed to happen!

Please sign the online petition…

http://www.petitiononline.com/CrowCrek/petition-sign.html

For more information on how you can help…

http://twincities.indymedia.org/2009/dec/call-action-crow-creek-land-not-sale

Live video from the horseback ride protest…

http://issueswire.com/releases/CAN-DO/CROWCREEK/prweb3310674.htm

Egypt has a ‘Wall of Shame’ & a ‘pyramid of honor’ …

A Free Mind for Free Palestine called Viva Palestina and Gaza Freedom March to apologize to Egypt in a public press conference.  

His lawyer accused me, not him, for  ”seeking to foment wars between activists and Palestinians”   Shame on my non free mind. “you can’t argue with UP, he will turn it into a public smear war to discredit other activists”.

Gaza Freedom March activists target Egypt’s complicity

Sayed Dhansay, The Electronic Intifada, 31 December 2009

It was another eventful day here in Cairo at the inaugural Gaza Freedom March (GFM). On Tuesday night, organizers informed the 1,362-strong delegation that only 100 of them had been selected to travel to Gaza yesterday morning, Wednesday 30 December. After several hours of heated debate with organizers over whether this was an appropriate strategy, the meeting concluded without a consensus.

As of Tuesday night, only the South African, French, Canadian and Swedish delegations had decided to boycott the 100-person convoy. Although an incredibly tough decision to make, the groups adopted this principled stance because they felt that the offer was divisive and betrayed the very aim of the march — to break the siege imposed on Gaza.

These delegations refused to further legitimize and reinforce the Egyptian government’s policy of occasionally allowing small aid convoys into the besieged Gaza Strip. They view the Gaza Freedom March as a political, rather than humanitarian effort, designed to pressure the Egyptian government into opening the Rafah crossing permanently.

The groups saw the acceptance of this offer by organizers as a betrayal to the original mission statement, and a dangerous compromise with the Egyptian government, allowing it to only perpetuate its inhumane policy of closure at the Rafah border with Gaza.

There was also the fear that the Egyptian government would use this 100-person convoy as a public relations ploy, deflecting attention from the fact that the siege on Gaza is only tightening, as evidenced by recent reports of the construction of an underground steel wall, designed to block Gaza’s only lifeline to the outside world — its underground system of tunnels.

As the 100 delegates boarded their busses in downtown Cairo yesterday morning, 85-year-old Hedy Epstein, a Holocaust survivor and participant in the march, arrived and made an unexpected announcement. Echoing the sentiments of the dissenting delegations, she also publicly rejected an offer to join the convoy. “This is one of the most difficult decisions I’ve made in my life. But 1,400 Palestinians were killed in the massacre in Gaza last year, and all 1,400 of us need to go” she said.

Shortly thereafter, local march organizers in the Gaza Strip also reversed their initial support for the convoy. In a letter addressed to the Gaza Freedom March steering committee and participants, Dr. Haider Eid and Omar Barghouti — two of the main organizers — called on supporters to “boycott the deal reached with the Egyptian government.”

“We are unambiguous in perceiving this compromise as too heavy, too divisive and too destructive to our future work and networking with various solidarity movements around the world,” they said.

After news of these two crucial statements spread, some of the 100 delegates got off the busses and decided against going to Gaza. Those present at the bus depot reported that Egyptian police began reloading these individuals’ luggage and attempting to force them back onto the busses.

Rumors circulated throughout the day that only 40 people ended up departing Cairo for Gaza. Late on Wednesday evening however, CODEPINK, one of the main organizers, reported that 87 persons had reached the Rafah crossing and were waiting to be processed.

Following these events, the Gaza Freedom March international steering committee also issued a press release on Wednesday officially rejecting Egypt’s proposal.

“We flatly reject Egypt’s offer of a token gesture. We refuse to whitewash the siege of Gaza. Our group will continue working to get all 1,362 marchers into Gaza as one step towards the ultimate goal for the complete end of the siege and the liberation of Palestine” said Ziyaad Lunat, a member of the march’s steering committee.

However, there remained the awkward situation where the organizers had sent 87 delegates to Gaza, while hours later “rejecting” Egypt’s offer.

Separately on Wednesday, the South African delegation spearheaded a joint international effort to hammer out the beginnings of a universal anti-apartheid declaration aimed at reinvigorating the global Palestine solidarity movement.

The document, which is still under construction, aims to identify practical steps, including the endorsement of boycotts, divestment and sanctions (BDS), which global civil society can utilize to pressure Israel to abide by international law and respect Palestinian human rights.

The document is undergoing tweaks, and once endorsed by Palestinian civil society, will be issued as a joint declaration by the various nations who were represented at the Gaza Freedom March.

Thursday, 31 December

This morning, Thursday 31 December, hundreds of Gaza Freedom March participants left their various protest sites across Cairo and converged outside the Egyptian Museum of National History, one of the city’s most visible and central landmarks.

To avoid the detention and harassment experienced at the hands of Egyptian security forces over the last few days, delegates travelled clandestinely to the venue in small groups and pretended to be tourists. Despite these efforts, a hotel housing a large contingent of the march participants was barricaded early this morning by Egyptian police. Nobody was allowed to leave for several hours, causing many to miss the protest.

Outside the Egyptian National Museum, the hundreds of small groups waited for a secret signal and instantly swarmed together, forming one large group, and began marching down the road. This tactic had to be adopted because any large gathering of people before the march would have been broken up by police.

After marching for approximately 20 meters, hundreds of Egyptian riot police rushed toward the crowd and encircled them. In an effort to peacefully hold their ground, marchers sat on the ground. In what was a surprisingly heavy-handed response to foreigners, the police began pulling, beating and kicking protestors to get them out of the road.

While rows of riot police shoved the group from behind, police at the front and sides pushed back, causing panic and hundreds of individuals to fall to the ground. Several women were punched, kicked and dragged out of the road, while many elderly persons were pinned beneath others who had fallen on top of them. Fortunately, there were no serious injuries beyond a few bloody noses and people who had sustained cuts and bruises.

After approximately 15 minutes of this, police managed to corral the entire group into an area just off the road, where the protest continued peacefully for the rest of the day. Although unable to march, the group held a loud and emotional protest in support of those besieged in the Gaza Strip.

The crowd sang, chanted, hung flags and banners from trees and called on the Egyptian government to end its complicity in the siege imposed on the people of Gaza. Representatives of each of the dozens of countries present gave short but moving speeches, demonstrating the truly international show of solidarity for the people of Gaza in this march.

River to Sea
 Uprooted Palestinian

Egypt has a ‘Wall of Shame’ & a ‘pyramid of honor’ …

A Free Mind for Free Palestine called Viva Palestina and Gaza Freedom March to apologize to Egypt in a public press conference.  

His lawyer accused me, not him, for  ”seeking to foment wars between activists and Palestinians”   Shame on my non free mind. “you can’t argue with UP, he will turn it into a public smear war to discredit other activists”.

Gaza Freedom March activists target Egypt’s complicity

Sayed Dhansay, The Electronic Intifada, 31 December 2009

It was another eventful day here in Cairo at the inaugural Gaza Freedom March (GFM). On Tuesday night, organizers informed the 1,362-strong delegation that only 100 of them had been selected to travel to Gaza yesterday morning, Wednesday 30 December. After several hours of heated debate with organizers over whether this was an appropriate strategy, the meeting concluded without a consensus.

As of Tuesday night, only the South African, French, Canadian and Swedish delegations had decided to boycott the 100-person convoy. Although an incredibly tough decision to make, the groups adopted this principled stance because they felt that the offer was divisive and betrayed the very aim of the march — to break the siege imposed on Gaza.

These delegations refused to further legitimize and reinforce the Egyptian government’s policy of occasionally allowing small aid convoys into the besieged Gaza Strip. They view the Gaza Freedom March as a political, rather than humanitarian effort, designed to pressure the Egyptian government into opening the Rafah crossing permanently.

The groups saw the acceptance of this offer by organizers as a betrayal to the original mission statement, and a dangerous compromise with the Egyptian government, allowing it to only perpetuate its inhumane policy of closure at the Rafah border with Gaza.

There was also the fear that the Egyptian government would use this 100-person convoy as a public relations ploy, deflecting attention from the fact that the siege on Gaza is only tightening, as evidenced by recent reports of the construction of an underground steel wall, designed to block Gaza’s only lifeline to the outside world — its underground system of tunnels.

As the 100 delegates boarded their busses in downtown Cairo yesterday morning, 85-year-old Hedy Epstein, a Holocaust survivor and participant in the march, arrived and made an unexpected announcement. Echoing the sentiments of the dissenting delegations, she also publicly rejected an offer to join the convoy. “This is one of the most difficult decisions I’ve made in my life. But 1,400 Palestinians were killed in the massacre in Gaza last year, and all 1,400 of us need to go” she said.

Shortly thereafter, local march organizers in the Gaza Strip also reversed their initial support for the convoy. In a letter addressed to the Gaza Freedom March steering committee and participants, Dr. Haider Eid and Omar Barghouti — two of the main organizers — called on supporters to “boycott the deal reached with the Egyptian government.”

“We are unambiguous in perceiving this compromise as too heavy, too divisive and too destructive to our future work and networking with various solidarity movements around the world,” they said.

After news of these two crucial statements spread, some of the 100 delegates got off the busses and decided against going to Gaza. Those present at the bus depot reported that Egyptian police began reloading these individuals’ luggage and attempting to force them back onto the busses.

Rumors circulated throughout the day that only 40 people ended up departing Cairo for Gaza. Late on Wednesday evening however, CODEPINK, one of the main organizers, reported that 87 persons had reached the Rafah crossing and were waiting to be processed.

Following these events, the Gaza Freedom March international steering committee also issued a press release on Wednesday officially rejecting Egypt’s proposal.

“We flatly reject Egypt’s offer of a token gesture. We refuse to whitewash the siege of Gaza. Our group will continue working to get all 1,362 marchers into Gaza as one step towards the ultimate goal for the complete end of the siege and the liberation of Palestine” said Ziyaad Lunat, a member of the march’s steering committee.

However, there remained the awkward situation where the organizers had sent 87 delegates to Gaza, while hours later “rejecting” Egypt’s offer.

Separately on Wednesday, the South African delegation spearheaded a joint international effort to hammer out the beginnings of a universal anti-apartheid declaration aimed at reinvigorating the global Palestine solidarity movement.

The document, which is still under construction, aims to identify practical steps, including the endorsement of boycotts, divestment and sanctions (BDS), which global civil society can utilize to pressure Israel to abide by international law and respect Palestinian human rights.

The document is undergoing tweaks, and once endorsed by Palestinian civil society, will be issued as a joint declaration by the various nations who were represented at the Gaza Freedom March.

Thursday, 31 December

This morning, Thursday 31 December, hundreds of Gaza Freedom March participants left their various protest sites across Cairo and converged outside the Egyptian Museum of National History, one of the city’s most visible and central landmarks.

To avoid the detention and harassment experienced at the hands of Egyptian security forces over the last few days, delegates travelled clandestinely to the venue in small groups and pretended to be tourists. Despite these efforts, a hotel housing a large contingent of the march participants was barricaded early this morning by Egyptian police. Nobody was allowed to leave for several hours, causing many to miss the protest.

Outside the Egyptian National Museum, the hundreds of small groups waited for a secret signal and instantly swarmed together, forming one large group, and began marching down the road. This tactic had to be adopted because any large gathering of people before the march would have been broken up by police.

After marching for approximately 20 meters, hundreds of Egyptian riot police rushed toward the crowd and encircled them. In an effort to peacefully hold their ground, marchers sat on the ground. In what was a surprisingly heavy-handed response to foreigners, the police began pulling, beating and kicking protestors to get them out of the road.

While rows of riot police shoved the group from behind, police at the front and sides pushed back, causing panic and hundreds of individuals to fall to the ground. Several women were punched, kicked and dragged out of the road, while many elderly persons were pinned beneath others who had fallen on top of them. Fortunately, there were no serious injuries beyond a few bloody noses and people who had sustained cuts and bruises.

After approximately 15 minutes of this, police managed to corral the entire group into an area just off the road, where the protest continued peacefully for the rest of the day. Although unable to march, the group held a loud and emotional protest in support of those besieged in the Gaza Strip.

The crowd sang, chanted, hung flags and banners from trees and called on the Egyptian government to end its complicity in the siege imposed on the people of Gaza. Representatives of each of the dozens of countries present gave short but moving speeches, demonstrating the truly international show of solidarity for the people of Gaza in this march.

River to Sea
 Uprooted Palestinian

I couldn’t have said it better than Christie Carden, TPP AL State Coordinator, so I won’t.  Please read.

Leverage your power locally to change your party.

“All Politics is Local” by Capitol Confidential at biggovernment.com

TEA Parties nation-wide have found that calling, writing, and showing up in person in D.C. has the same impact as a hiccup in a hurricane. After turning out thousands of citizens at rallies, overwhelming the Senate phone lines and crashing Congress’ e-mail system, our elected representatives are poised to enact the greatest expansion of government in history. The TEA Parties followed the direction of national organizations and associations. They answered the call, but were sent over the trench-line without an actual plan or support. (See, for example, Somme, Battle of) It is time for the TEA Party movement to turn inward. In the words of the age-old adage, “ All politics is local “.

Stories like the ACORN tapes have massive national legs, yet they do not destroy the local farm team of tax-and-spend big government. Fighting for Liberty and the ability to live the American dream requires getting your hands dirty far closer to home.

For the TEA party and 9-12 groups to become effective, they must evolve again, and this time the Gadsden Flag will be a marker laid down to far more personal targets. People find the mundane of daily life and local news forgettable, yet this is how the TEA party can enact meaningful change.

To end the progression of large intrusive government and the progressive agenda, the TEA party must neuter the left’s farm team. City Council, County Board, Park Districts, and School Boards may not have the flash of State Representatives, State Senators or their federal partners, but, they are, indeed, perhaps more the important .

The progressives and Big Government-types have entrenched themselves into local power bases. They have expanded the role of government from the garbage man to the kindergarten teacher. They are taking us over from within, yet we can push back.

Until the last year, our side has been busy with our personal and professional lives. We have looked past machine politics and the local aspects of our lives. We have ignored the corruption in our hometowns. We have chosen to overlook the police state that has grown. We have chosen to allow the nanny state to encroach on smoking in taverns or trans-fat in our doughnuts, to name just two recent examples. We have allowed an extra $.05 sales tax for “insert public good here” after another, without protest or outrage.

In our slumber, we have allowed our liberties to be encroached. We have allowed the will of the State to be imposed on us. In places like Missouri, we have allowed no more than 30 hardened progressives to dictate the tempo of the debate. (Fortunately, we do know who you are and will be outing you here.) We have allowed this to happen because we have not paid attention to the minor league ball game.

We choose instead to protest in Washington, D.C. We chose to show outrage to the political class that is not listening. They won’t listen; they do not have to . They have showered their districts in pork and bribed us with our own money. They can freely come back home from the Beltway bubble to their local farm team and act like they conquered Gaul.

A local mayor and a rogue’s gallery of other officials will hold a press conference with the Representative or Senator and the lamestream media will re-broadcast their talking points. These local co-conspirators will treat the federal officials as Caesar, yet the arch they march through is a fake. These people have only accomplished one thing; they have retained power. They hold power by controlling the means of political production. They control us by controlling our cities, counties, parks, and schools. They have turned us into a class of serfs begging for scraps from the table that we fill. (That’s actually unfair to serfs. In Medieval times, serfs only had to hand over 1/3 of their income to the feudal lords. Add up federal, state and local tax levies, we may much more than serfs ever paid. So, what does that make us?)

Now is the time for the TEA party to show it’s real colors and longevity. Now it is time for us to stop the rallies and start the process of running for election and holding our current officials directly accountable. Now is the time for the plumber, the electrician, and the Joe Six-pack American to end this madness.

No more will we go quietly into that long night. Now, we must fight. We must take back the system and make our elected officials fear “we the people”. This is the battle our forefathers saw many years ago.

This is the time for the Tea Party to seize the day and make a difference. Which party you decide to run on doesn’t matter. Republican or Democrat matters little, as the national leaders of both have lost touch. What matters is we destroy the go-along-to-get-along farm team. It also matters that we pick a party…the Republicans and Democrats have together gamed the system against third parties. Creating a TEA Party isn’t a serious solution. Leverage your power locally to change your party.

Make a pledge to not vote to tax and spend the people’s money. Make a pledge to quit after “x” amounts of terms in office. The people are waiting for a leader; they are waiting for a Captain. Be that Captain. March to the sound of the guns, and seize the day.

With TEA party people in every position of government, the political class in Washington will listen. They will no longer have the political cover of pork-hungry Mayors doing tricks for the political elite. There will no longer be days of staffers blowing people off to vote for their party line.

A carpet-layer has more experience to lead than any political hack. An insurance man has more ability to look at regulations than a risk-adverse lawyer. A veteran has more understanding of what it takes to support our men and women in harms way.

It is time to break the mold of what looks good to get elected. Now is the time to become involved. Now is the time to hear the sounds of battle and join. The Government teat must be turned off. The system needs to be rebooted.

Help start the process and run for office. The great sleeper that is America has woken up. 2010 is not the end game, neither is 2012. The end game is when we level the playing field and make America once again the land of opportunity.

Fly that Gadsden flag high and fly it proud. But, that isn’t enough. It is time to leave your fields and join the battle. March to the sound of the guns.
http://biggovernment.com/2009/12/21/code-tea-tea-parties-go-home-all-politics-is-local/

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

Thank you,
Christie Carden
Huntsville Tea Party Movement
Founder/Event Planner
www.huntsvilleteaparty.com
AL State Coordinator w/ teapartypatriots.org

“The people are the only sure reliance for the preservation of our liberty.” – Thomas Jefferson

“Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.” – Corrie Ten Boom

All Politics is Local: http://wp.me/pzfHB-p9

Jewish Voice for Peace sent out a newsletter highlighting key points in action alerts surrounding the Gaza Freedom March. I’d like to take this opportunity to reiterate and link to important information.

1.) Tell the Egyptian Consulate that it is urgent to allow the Gaza Freedom March to pass into Gaza and demand the unhindered passage of the Viva Palestina ship of humanitarian aid. If you so desire, call the embassy at 202-895-5400 and ask for Omar Youssef.

2.) Call the American Media out on their abyssmal news coverage of the march.

To remember the victims of the conflict in Gaza one year ago today, and to encourage the lifting of the blockade on Gaza, a group of 50,000 Palestinians and their international allies will lead a peaceful march in Gaza on New Year’s Eve. Peace Action West is joining with groups around the world to encourage Gaza Freedom March events in local communities between December 27^th and 31^st to call for the end of a blockade that Amnesty International calls a”form of collective punishment of the entire population of Gaza, a flagrant violation of Israel’s obligations under the Fourth Geneva Convention.”

Read more about the events here.

And most of all, join one in your area by going here.

I sent this as an email to all my co-Patriot friends.  Feel free to do the same.

Fellow Patriots,
 
In a stunning move, Harry Reid is looking to change this country forever… and not for the better.  He’s put in a provision to stop us from ever changing it in the future!
 
In the latest post at TaxDayTeaParty.com, we bring light to the fact that Reid is now starting to include language in his healthcare bill that would ban future lawmakers from changing the legislation.
 
In other words, once they get this thing passed, we’ll be slaves to it forever. And there will be nothing we can do about it within the constraints of our current system of government.
 
This blatant violation of his oath for office could not be more clear.  This is against our Constitution—the standard by which we judge those who work for us!
 
Is that the kind of news you want to hear?

Well, what have you done to change politics-as-usual in Illinois?

Sure, you can vote. Remember, for every one of your votes there is a gravestone in Cook County with an absentee ballot on it.

Sure, you can attend rallies in freezing weather that the press ignores and politicians use for comic relief. Doesn’t that just make your blood boil?

Sure, you can make phone calls to your elected so-called representatives.. How’s that working out for you?

Sure, you can sign petitions, fill out surveys, and fill up your friends’ in boxes with political flotsam and jetsam. How does preaching to the choir change the other voters’ minds on election day?

Or, you can put information about candidates’ positions, minus the spin, on important issues in the hands of actual voters on election day.

So which is it? Politics as usual? Or a tsunami that starts in the Mississippi valley and spreads to all three coasts that sweeps the corruption-addicted politicians out-of-office?
 
Illinois is the first primary in the country. What the embattled people of Illinois say in February at the polls will be louder than anything that you individually can hope to say. How do you influence voters that don’t pay attention to the din of politics on the Internet and cable news and traditional media?

So what can you do?

First listen to this recording Teleconference Audio – Candidate Research – from 2009-12-06. Then go to the Tasks page, pick a legislative district, do the research described in the recording and on that page, and post the results of your work. (At Abigail Adams Project – see link below)

DO IT TODAY!

There is no tomorrow!

The universe (creator, God, etc.) rewards people who take action differently than those who do not.
 
Visit Illinois Abigail Adams Project at: http://illinois-abigail-adams.ning.com/ or Visit Liberty Movement Social Network at: http://www.thepatriotcaucus.net/

We need to be thinking about this, and we need to be ready to confront it in 2010.
 
Enjoy a blessed and comfortable week with your family, but be ready for the political fight of your life shortly thereafter.
 
For Liberty,

~ Lisa
____________________________________________________    
“Every generation needs a new revolution.” ~ Thomas Jefferson

What To Do? IL Primary Can Be Tsunami: http://wp.me/pzfHB-oF