#71050 by nahida on 5/19 at 9:33 am
(Unregistered commenter)

Excellent comment, Nahida, and a sweet powerful poem; certaily more powerful than their weapons of mass destruction and their hate, fanaticism and racism.

However, your comment fits better under another thread of Truthdig, under the title, “Palestinians’ Hard Choice: An Interview with Sari Nuseibah,” in the Interviews section.

I am taking the freedom to re-post your comment and poem there. Keep up the good work, you the dignified daughter of Beloved Palestine!

Re: #69416 by Douglas Chalmers on 5/11 at 1:13 pm
(270 comments total)
* * *

“That is, of course, all total rubbish!

“Firstly, Israels’ defense capabilities include a nuclear reactor at Dimona and a nuclear weapons production facility in the Negev Desert.

You can see the rest for yourself here http://poetryforpalestine.spaces.live.com/”
--------------------------------------------------
Which part is rubbish?  The part about Israel being in the forefront of science, technology, medicine and art, or the part about the Arabs being in the forefront of brainwashing children to be suicide bombers?  Both are patently, demonstrably true to any reasonable, rational observer, Doug!

Yes, Israel has nuclear weapons. So what?  If Israel were any less responsible, less humanitarian nation with such defense capabilities, under the circumstances, they would have certainly used them by now.  No reasonable observer can say that Israel’s defense against the 60 years of purpetual military and terrorist attacks by nations and brainwashed, psychopathic terrorists, has been anything other than measured and restrained. 

I wouldn’t be so measured.  I would send them a message that they would remember for 25,000 years.  [The half life of plutonium-239].  If the U.S. were similarly attacked, the few attackers, and residents of the nations who supported them, remaining, would most certainly be suffering from radiation poisoning. 

And “poetry for palestine” is supposed to be what, an objective source of information!  If the Arabs calling themselves palestinians can do anything better than the Israelis, that would be propaganda aka lying.

#69340 by Lefty on 5/11 at 6:38 am: “...That’s because the Israelis, whose militaristic existence is necessitated by the purpetual military and terrorist attacks by the barbaric, Arab hordes surrounding them on all sides, are the good guys, and the Palestinian terrorist and suicide bombers, who are supported financially and militarily by the barbarian, Arab hordes, are the bad guys.

Further, despite the fact that Israel continues to be forced to dedicate a tremendous amount of it’s limited resources to it’s defense capabilities........”

That is, of course, all total rubbish!

Firstly, Israels’ defense capabilities include a nuclear reactor at Dimona and a nuclear weapons production facility in the Negev Desert.

You can see the rest for yourself here http://poetryforpalestine.spaces.live.com/

Re: #69100 by Fadel Abdallah on 5/09 at 10:13 pm
(36 comments total)

“Though I agree with the essence of Marie Cocco’s pessimist evaluation of the Republican all-white candidates, I want to add that I am equally disturbed by the Democratic candidates as well. All of them seem to be pandering to and appeasing the Israeli lobby. That’s why all of them traveled to Israel and were hosted by the Israeli militaristic government, and must have been subjected to the Israeli propaganda machine through the long arm of AIPAC.
----------------------------------------------------
Fidel,

That’s because the Israelis, whose militaristic existence is necessitated by the purpetual military and terrorist attacks by the barbaric, Arab hordes surrounding them on all sides, are the good guys, and the Palestinian terrorist and suicide bombers, who are supported financially and militarily by the barbarian, Arab hordes, are the bad guys.

Further, despite the fact that Israel continues to be forced to dedicate a tremendous amount of it’s limited resources to it’s defense capabilities, Israel, nevertheless, finds itself as a world leader and innovator in science, medicine, technology, arts and culture. 

Similarly, the barbarian Arab hordes have shown themselves to be world leaders and innovators in the art and technology of suicide bombing and propaganda of the most laughable kind.

Though I agree with the essence of Marie Cocco’s pessimist evaluation of the Republican all-white candidates, I want to add that I am equally disturbed by the Democratic candidates as well. All of them seem to be pandering to and appeasing the Israeli lobby. That’s why all of them traveled to Israel and were hosted by the Israeli militaristic government, and must have been subjected to the Israeli propaganda machine through the long arm of AIPAC.

In fact, I strongly believe that the American two-party system is a form of “democratic dictatorship,” to coin a new description. If the policies and politics of the Republican party prompted Cocco to describe it as a “road back to the 19th century,” then it would be justifiable to describe the two-party American system as a legacy of the 18th century and before. Even in third world countries, with more homogenous population than the U.S., there are always multiple parties competing for political offices.

One of the most telling signs that the GOP doesn’t represent mainstream Americans is the way the audience looked. Glassy-eyed robots, all neat & shiny in their lock-step look-alike hair & suits, they looked like one of Bush’s contrived town hall get togethers. It’s certainly like they have completely bought into the failed Japanese mantra of, “The nail that stands out gets pounded down”.

Nowhere visible was the American spirit that celebrates individuality, diversity in dress, thinking, or uniqueness. Also missing at the ‘debate’ (gag) was truthfulness and empathy with the plight of the American middle-class.

Since people are supposed to ‘argue’ their point in a debate, and these ten wealthy out-of-touch puppets didn’t seem to be capable of anything other than kissing the ring of their senile saint, Ronald Reagan, this farcical ‘show’ was little more than a photo-op. Too bad someone didn’t have the forethought to fire up the jet and blow these blow-hards off the stage. If these clowns are the best that approximately half the American voting public can come up with then I’m reminded of an Elton John lyric, “It’s a sad/it’s a sad/it’s a sad sad situation”.

About Ron
Brief Overview of Congressman Paul’s Record

He has never voted to raise taxes.
He has never voted for an unbalanced budget.
He has never voted for a federal restriction on gun ownership.
He has never voted to raise congressional pay.
He has never taken a government-paid junket.
He has never voted to increase the power of the executive branch.
He voted against the Patriot Act.
He voted against regulating the Internet.
He voted against the Iraq war.

He does not participate in the lucrative congressional pension program.

Only one of the candidates can hold a candle to Dubya, and that is Sam Brownback, but even he has a vestigal brain, as poorly as he uses it, and as seldom.

George W is a real moron, not a fake one, so don’t think it will be easy to replace him, where he managed somehow to replace Reagan, who was ravaged by Alzheimers and was virtually brain dead in his last years, after being merely a fool and a dimwit in earlier days of his Presidency. I lived in California for 8 years whilst Ronnie was Guv, and he was as dumb as a post in that job, so it was no surprise that he was a fool for a President, but not too bad an actor playing the part of President. No surprise there either, for he played at the part of Governor too . . . he never quite knew what was going on though.

Nixon was MY President, my crook, my liar, my favorite. He had a brain, but I never knew why he didn’t burn the tapes; maybe he couldn’t.

Anyone know where Dan Quayle is today? HE might be able to replace Dubya. Surely no one with a real brain could fit in.

Here’s a factoid for you, since you seem to have missed it over the past 30 years: No Republican President or Congress has ever passed one law or made one attempt to do one single thing for any person who makes less than the 50th percentile in annual wages. Another fact: no Republican candidate could be or has been elected if he or she ever told the voters the truth.

The amazing thing about these facts is that not only the media whores and pimps won’t report them, but neither will the Democratic candidates point them out to the electorate.

It’s great that the Democrats are drawing so much more support than the Republicans. This
really supports the notion that the Democrats are taking on issues that really matter to the
American people. From health care to education and poverty, these issues take precedence over an ever-inflating military budget that seems to bring no resolve for any country involved.

The Borgen Project states that just $19 billion annually can end starvation and $23 billon annually can reverse the spread of Malaria and AIDS. With these issues being so easily addressed, it is no wonder that a war-touting political group that doesn’t believe in humanitarianism isn’t doing well in the polls or with the American people.

19th Century???  Yeah . . . ahhh . . . NOOOO!!! 

The 19th Century was after the renaissance!  More like the 13th Century!

Though the Republican presidential candidates were trying to associate themselves in the debate with Ronald Reagan, not George W. Bush ... the current president remains in the spotlight.

Actions and activities of the Bush-Cheney administration are on the minds of all Americans. And now, in former CIA Director George Tenet’s new book, insight into pre-9/11 activity and inactivity are revealed.

Take a look at the article by Robert Parry:

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/050807E.shtml

The media moguls mean to manage the ‘08 presidential derby (on behalf of the plutoligarchy) for maximum distractive effect....no doubt raking-in record profits along the way.  The field of entries certainly makes-up in quantity what it lacks in quality....with the token exceptions of such as Paul, Gravel, and Kucinich, who are allowed to enter the early time-trials as “teasers.” That way the superficially pampered but cynically pissed-on americanpeople can’t claim they never had a “choice.”

Anybody who still believes there is any business besides “show-business” has to be ignoring the up-coming Republican re-re-re-make of Ronald Reagan’s presidential play-acting (to so many rear-view-mirrored rave reviews these days, at least from “the right").  The Democrats’ Clinton redux epic will certainly be in the same vein....and certainly in-vain, win-or-lose.

Here in Indian Country, seeking “authority” is an automatic disqualification from having any.  “Power” corrupts because it is an illusion....a most seductive one, to-be-sure, but never other than more-or-less lethal (leaving its victim/perpetrators always more-AND-less dead).

Is there some connection, this old savage wonders, between america being a dreamland where “any boy (or, here in these latter days, girl) can grow-up to be president,” and the fact few if any americans ever really grow-up at all?  It looks like they’re coming to some firm and well-founded conclusions about that, finally, in Europe and Asia.

We’ve been four or five hundred years ahead of that curve, here in Turtle and Hummingbird Islands.  Our free wild sisters and brothers in Africa’ve been in-the-know at least as long.  So welcome to our (soon-to-be sixth?) world, all you civilized peoples.

HokaHey!

it is tragic,when people choose to bury their head in the sand and ignore the reality of the world. the democrats are no better. they want power to serve their own personal agenda and the rest of us can go to hell. the demos suck up to right wing groups and i can’t help but wonder how many of them would disavow evolution if they thought it would garner votes.

It’s like watching...what?  A group of sad old men who don’t quite get it.  They woke up one day and the future has left them behind...I would pity them if they weren’t capable of such profound damage to our country and the world.

Buyer Beware!!!!

Obviously, the American dream doesn’t include “...the civil rights movement, the women’s movement, the gay rights movement, the global wave of immigration that has brought millions of Hispanics, Asians and other people of color to the United States...”, etc etc, as far as the Republicans are concerned.

I always did feel that, instead of turning the clock forward at 2YK - 1.01.2000 - many in power simply turned it back to 1.01.1900! No wonder they are trapped in their grandpa suits (especially the men!) and committed to sadly repeating all of history’s past mistakes.

Their howling response to 9/11 seems to have proved it and to continue to blindly follow those fools will only lead to total disaster. Even Arni Swarzenegger has seen that. There is a new world of essential co-operation necessary to survive climate change and grabbing what is left instead of sharing the benefits of industrialisation around the planet would be a serious mistake.

We all live in this world together and we all must share in the work and responsibility to make it a liveable place. The USA no longer has planet Earth to itself for exploitation and plunder. The “playing field” has to be levelled out or no-one else will want to take responsibility - or, more likely, no-one will continue to tolerate the USA’s failure to take responsibility for its own actions.