Monday, June 21, 2010


Hawaii delegation split on support for Israel’s flotilla massacre

by Larry Geller

Hawaii’s Congressional delegation is split on signing letters to President Obama supporting Israel’s blockade of Gaza and approving of the raid that resulted in nine deaths, including one American.

No, they didn’t say they support the massacre, but that doesn’t change what happened.

Representative Charles Djou signed on. Rep. Mazie Hirono did not.

Senator Daniel Inouye signed on, Sen. Daniel Akaka did not.

The Senate letter is here, and this is the list of signatories.is here. The House version is here and here are the signatures.

It is a measure of the extent of discontent with Israel’s actions and policy that more signatures could not be obtained, especially in an election year when incumbents have their eyes on attracting campaign contributions.

A lot of the meaning of the AIPAC-endorsed letter is between the lines. It doesn't exactly say the Gaza blockade is smart policy, but it says it was "instituted to stop terrorists from smuggling weapons into Gaza to murder innocent civilians."  It doesn't explain how coriander is turned into bombs.  [Jewish Week, In Congress, J Street, AIPAC fight over Gaza flotilla letters, 6/21/2010]

Between the lines, though, is also that it’s ok for Israel to murder innocent civilians.

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Back in 1941, there was this foreign nation, Japan, which was illegally occupying other peoples' lands in China and Indonesia.

There were Americans in close proximity to that foreign nation, in the then-territory of Hawaii, and even though the Americans had not actually done much of anything, that foreign nation decided it had the right to attack and kill Americans just on the off chance that somewhere down the road, they might be in inconvenience.

Thus came about the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Now, just for a moment imagine that instead of declaring immediate war on those who attacked Americans, President Franklin D. Roosevelt had rushed over to the League of Nations to explain why Japan's attack on Americans was really no big deal, and that Japan had good reason to attack and kill Americans! Imagine if Roosevelt, instead of the "Day of Infamy" speech, had made countless excuses why Japan was perfectly right to attack and kill Americans. Imagine that the US Congress, instead of voting war against the nation that attacked Americans decided to punish those who criticized the nation that attacked Americans?

Quite an amazing fantasy isn't it? Yet this is exactly what we have seen the present government do over the last few weeks.

Israel, citing grounds of national security, occupies the lands of Palestine, just as Japan, citing national security, occupied China. The Americans in the aid flotilla had not actually done anything to threaten Israel, just like the Americans sitting in Pearl Harbor had done nothing to threaten Japan.

1941 Japan attacks Americans in the middle of an ocean and the US goes to war againstJapan.

2010 Israel attacks Americans in the middle of a sea and the US Government protects the attacker.

In 1904, American businessman Ion Perdicaris was taken prisoner by Mulai Raisuli. Now, from Raisuli's point of view, he had good reason to take Perdicaris prisoner as Raisuli was fighing against foreign occupation of his homeland. Even Perdicaris conceded that Raisuli was acting from what Perdicaris considered justifiable motives.

But President Roosevelt did not view the affair from Raisuli's point of view. He viewed it from the point of view of a President of the United States. Under the slogan "Perdicaris alive or Raisuli dead!" Roosevelt sent 7 US Battleships with orders to destroy Morroco if Perdicaris was not released. Perdicaris was sent home.

Today is different. Today we have a President and a Congress that, even as the United States crumbles around them, are obsessively concerned with protecting Israel, no matter what it does.

Israel attacked foreign flagged ships in international waters (the very activity the 6th fleet is killing Somali coastal patrol crews for), hijacked a US-flagged ship, and kidnapped 12 Americans, shooting one of them in the head 4 times.

A real President, who remembers that his job is to take care of America and Americans, would not rush to the UN to protect the nation that just attacked Americans.

A real Congress, who remembers that their job is to take care of America and Americans, would not hand Israel a license to murder more Americans anywhere in the world Israel decides they are an inconvenience!


A friend to Israel is no friend of America.


Could it be called treason, putting another country before America???? Thanks, Larry, for posting where others in Hawai'i evidently dare not go. The new Star-Advertiser is worthless as are the TV/radio media.

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