BS: Cynthia McKinney in Israeli prison

Subject: BS: Cynthia McKinney in Israeli prison
From: CarolC
Date: 04 Jul 09 - 12:15 PM

...for trying to bring humanitarian assistance to Gaza.

24 hour a day coverage in the US media about non-violent resisters killed and imprisoned in Iran but not a whole lot about non-violent resisters killed and imprisoned by the government of Israel. I guess we think some people are more deserving of freedom and democracy than others.

Subject: RE: BS: Cynthia McKinney in Israeli prison
From: Bobert
Date: 04 Jul 09 - 12:28 PM

Seems that the folks who have their hands on the levers of power don't want the Palestinain story told... So they divert attention away to the latest victim de joir...

Subject: RE: BS: Cynthia McKinney in Israeli prison
From: EBarnacle
Date: 04 Jul 09 - 12:33 PM

What is the rest of the story? One line does not begin to tell it.

Subject: RE: BS: Cynthia McKinney in Israeli prison
From: Bill D
Date: 04 Jul 09 - 12:41 PM

I can't imagine why they'd arrest her....unless


"Their ship was stopped when they tried to pass through the Israeli Navy's security blockade at Ashdod. The group was taken into custody and their ship was seized. Israel officials promised to deliver by ground all of the humanitarian supplies that were on the boat."

(note,,,this is the same woman who, as a member of Congress, accused the govt. of having prior knowledge of 9/11 and who threw a tantrum when she walked AROUND a metal detector at the House Office bldg. and struck a guard who tried to stop her.)

She pays MUCH more attention to her causes than to rules and reason.....much more zeal than common sense about how to get things done.

Subject: RE: BS: Cynthia McKinney in Israeli prison
From: Bill D
Date: 04 Jul 09 - 12:42 PM

(her story makes good reading on Wikipedia)

Subject: RE: BS: Cynthia McKinney in Israeli prison
From: pdq
Date: 04 Jul 09 - 12:52 PM

She should be sent to Club Gitmo and given a free bathing suit.

Subject: RE: BS: Cynthia McKinney in Israeli prison
From: ard mhacha
Date: 04 Jul 09 - 01:03 PM

Another victim of Israeli terror,

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/8131851.stm

Subject: RE: BS: Cynthia McKinney in Israeli prison
From: CarolC
Date: 04 Jul 09 - 01:17 PM

We're supporting the Iranian resistance's violations of Iranian laws. McKinney broke an illegal blockade of a civilian population, which is quite legal under international law. This shows us how inconsistent we are in our willingness to support human rights. We support human rights when it is politically or economically expedient for us to do so, but not when doing so is counter to our own hidden agendas.

Subject: RE: BS: Cynthia McKinney in Israeli prison
From: CarolC
Date: 04 Jul 09 - 01:19 PM

I should rephrase this part:

McKinney broke an illegal blockade of a civilian population, which was quite legal for her to do under international law.

Subject: RE: BS: Cynthia McKinney in Israeli prison
From: pdq
Date: 04 Jul 09 - 01:26 PM

"We're supporting the Iranian resistance's violations of Iranian laws."

How does anyone get that idea.

Obama claimed, after the fact, that his words in Cairo had led the Iranian people to seek liberty.

After the bodies began to pile out he shut his mouth on that subject and went back to work on nationalizing US health care.

Subject: RE: BS: Cynthia McKinney in Israeli prison
From: bobad
Date: 04 Jul 09 - 02:15 PM

Humanitarian Aid to Gaza increases dramtically
by Dick Becker Thursday, Jun. 04, 2009 at 4:06 PM

   Since the end of the IDF operation in Gaza (18 Jan 2009), about 316,553 tons of aid and over 38.058 million liters of fuel have been delivered to the Gaza Strip.

At the Cabinet meeting of 22 March 2009, the Government of Israel instructed the bodies dealing with the matter, to enable the entry - without restriction - of foodstuffs to the residents of Gaza from all relevant sources, after it has been verified that they are indeed foodstuffs, and this in the framework of the humanitarian efforts. The Government directs that the foregoing be scrupulously implemented.

Note: Gas for domestic use (cooking and heating) is supplied according to Palestinian demand and is not subject to any limitation by Israel.

Weekly summary of the Gaza crossings: 17-23 May 2009
- 711 truckloads (18,546 tons) of food, medicines and hygiene products were transferred to the Gaza Strip via the Kerem Shalom cargo terminal and the Karni conveyor belt.
- 2.203 million liters of heavy duty diesel for the Gaza power station, 100,000 liters of transportation fuel for WHO, and 1,360 tons of gas for domestic use were delivered via Nahal Oz fuel depot.
- 268 Gaza residents entered Israel for medical and humanitarian reasons via Erez Crossing.

Weekly summary of the Gaza crossings: 10-16 May 2009
-675 truckloads (16,930 tons) of food, medicines and other commodities were transferred to the Gaza Strip via the Kerem Shalom cargo terminal and the Karni conveyor belt. Two truckloads of flowers destined for Europe exited via Kerem Shalom.
- 2.215 million liters of heavy duty diesel for the Gaza power station and 1,408 tons of gas for domestic use were delivered via Nahal Oz fuel depot.
- 243 Gaza residents entered Israel for medical and humanitarian reasons via Erez Crossing.

Weekly summary of the Gaza crossings - 3-9 May 2009
-760 truckloads (est. 17,139 tons) of food, medicines and other commodities were transferred to the Gaza Strip via the Kerem Shalom cargo terminal and the Karni conveyor belt. Two truckloads of flowers destined for Europe exited via Kerem Shalom.
- 2.011 million liters of heavy duty diesel for the Gaza power station and 750 tons of gas for domestic use were delivered via Nahal Oz fuel depot.
-176 Gaza residents entered Israel for medical and humanitarian reasons via Erez Crossing.

Weekly summary of the Gaza crossings: 26 April - 2 May
- 438 truckloads (10,130 tons) of food, medicines and other commodities were transferred to the Gaza Strip via the Kerem Shalom cargo terminal and the Karni conveyor belt. One truckload of flowers destined for Europe exited via Kerem Shalom.
- 2.206 million liters of heavy duty diesel for the Gaza power station and 937 tons of gas for domestic use were delivered via Nahal Oz fuel depot.
- 55 Gaza residents entered Israel for medical and humanitarian reasons via Erez Crossing.

Weekly summary of the Gaza crossings - 19-25 April 2009
- 746 truckloads (18,185 tons) of food, medicines and other commodities were transferred to the Gaza Strip via the Kerem Shalom cargo terminal and the Karni conveyor belt. One truckload of flowers destined for Europe exited via Kerem Shalom.
- 2.217 million liters of heavy duty diesel for the Gaza power station, 330,000 liters of fuel for transportation for UNRWA, and 1,149 tons of gas for domestic use were delivered via Nahal Oz fuel depot.
- 80 Gaza residents entered Israel for medical and humanitarian reasons via Erez Crossing.

16-17 April 2009
-253 truckloads (6429 tons) of food and medicines were transferred to the Gaza Strip via the Kerem Shalom cargo terminal and the Karni conveyor belt.
- 829,000 liters of heavy duty diesel for the Gaza power station and 275 tons of gas for domestic use were delivered via Nahal Oz fuel depot.
- 15 Gaza residents entered Israel for medical and humanitarian reasons via Erez Crossing.

Weekly summary of the Gaza crossings - Passover: 8-15 April 2009
- During the Passover holiday, 389 truckloads (9946 tons) of food and medicines were transferred to the Gaza Strip via the Kerem Shalom cargo terminal and the Karni conveyor belt. One truckload of flowers destined for Europe exited via Kerem Shalom.
- 1.394 million liters of heavy duty diesel for the Gaza power station and 380 tons of gas for domestic use were delivered via Nahal Oz fuel depot.
- 25 Gaza residents entered Israel for medical and humanitarian reasons via Erez Crossing.

Subject: RE: BS: Cynthia McKinney in Israeli prison
From: bobad
Date: 04 Jul 09 - 02:17 PM

Weekly summary of the Gaza crossings: 14-19 June 2009
- 674 truckloads (16,323 tons) of humanitarian aid were transferred to the Gaza Strip via the Kerem Shalom cargo terminal and the Karni conveyor belt. In addition to food, medicine and hygiene products, the following were delivered under the auspices of international organizations such as UNRWA: games, basketballs and balloons, trampolines and swimming pools, generators, air-conditioning accessories, clothing, shoes and hats, chairs, mattresses and styrofoam cups; and raw materials for paper production.

- 1.780 million liters of heavy duty diesel for the Gaza power station and 680 tons of gas for domestic use were delivered via Nahal Oz fuel depot.
- 226 Gaza residents entered Israel for medical and humanitarian reasons via Erez Crossing.

Weekly summary of the Gaza crossings: 7-13 June 2009
- 431 truckloads (10,756 tons) of food, medicines, hygiene products, tools and raw materials for essential infrastructures, blankets and mattresses, and grains - wheat, barley, corn, chickpeas, soy beans, carob, sesame seeds, and animal feed - were transferred to the Gaza Strip via the Kerem Shalom cargo terminal and the Karni conveyor belt.

- The Kerem Shalom terminal was closed June 9-11 for construction work on the new fuel pipeline from Israel to the Gaza Strip.
- 1.699 million liters of heavy duty diesel for the Gaza power station and 475 tons of gas for domestic use were delivered via Nahal Oz fuel depot.
- 305 Gaza residents entered Israel for medical and humanitarian reasons via Erez Crossing.

31 May-3 June 2009
- 392 truckloads (10,216 tons) of food, medicines, hygiene products, tools and raw materials, toys, blankets, paper, crayons and coloring books, clothing and shoes were transferred to the Gaza Strip via the Kerem Shalom cargo terminal and the Karni conveyor belt.
- 1.710 million liters of heavy duty diesel for the Gaza power station and 1,015 tons of gas for domestic use, 30,000 liters of gasoline, and 300,000 liters of diesel fuel for transportation were delivered via Nahal Oz fuel depot.
- 149 Gaza residents entered Israel for medical and humanitarian reasons via Erez Crossing.


24-30 May 2009 (week of Shavuot holiday)
- 490 truckloads (12,434 tons) of food, medicines, hygiene products, tools and raw materials for essential infrastructures were transferred to the Gaza Strip via the Kerem Shalom cargo terminal and the Karni conveyor belt.
- 2.116 million liters of heavy duty diesel for the Gaza power station and 1,375 tons of gas for domestic use were delivered via Nahal Oz fuel depot.
- 207 Gaza residents entered Israel for medical and humanitarian reasons via Erez Crossing.

Subject: RE: BS: Cynthia McKinney in Israeli prison
From: robomatic
Date: 04 Jul 09 - 02:31 PM

As Writted above:
"Another victim of Israeli terror,

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/8131851.stm "

I read the article and didn't find any terror in it. Considering that the PLO has imported weapons in this manner (by contract ship) it is understandable that Israel would take an interest.

As far as comparing Cynthia McKinney with Iranians protesting their government in their land, I don't see a meaningful relation.

In Iran, a dictatorial power is attempting to dominate a growing restless youthful population with a true thirst for democracy (or at least a republic) and a growing tolerance for secular freedoms. The band of mullahs who get to pick and choose who wins 'elections' are recognizably detestable from pretty much any humanist perspective.

Attempting to link what's going on in Iran with the Gaza issue serves neither cause. It is more a figment of the poster's imagination. The Gazan tragedy is multi-level. That this poor wretched, disengranchised people with their own hard-line, religiously orthodox terrorist regime would rather finance warfare against their neighbors than consider making the lives of their own people better (and of course this is all done by calculation- they are to be maintained miserable as an eternal goad against the State of Israel).

Subject: RE: BS: Cynthia McKinney in Israeli prison
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 04 Jul 09 - 04:08 PM

I don't recognise that description of the opponents of the Israeli oppression of Gaza.

Subject: RE: BS: Cynthia McKinney in Israeli prison
From: robomatic
Date: 04 Jul 09 - 04:56 PM

The real oppressors of Gaza and the Arabian settlers on the West Bank are the surrounding Arab states.

Subject: RE: BS: Cynthia McKinney in Israeli prison
From: DougR
Date: 04 Jul 09 - 06:38 PM

What robomatic said in his post at 2:31 PM on the fourth day of July.

It may not help your cause, "robo", but I agree with what you wrote 100%.

DougR

Subject: RE: BS: Cynthia McKinney in Israeli prison
From: CarolC
Date: 05 Jul 09 - 01:10 AM

The people of Gaza as well as the people of the West Bank and East Jerusalem are living under military occupation and are in the process of being ethnically cleansed from their homes and land, and are living under apartheid, all of which is imposed on them by the government of Israel. Our news media reports endlessly about the struggles of the people in Iran to have greater freedom and democracy, and about those who are killed and arrested by the government of Iran. The news media in the US and to a somewhat lesser extent in other parts of the West are mostly silent when non-violent protesters are killed by the government of Israel, even when they are British and American. Not terrorists, but non-violent protesters.

Our media sing the praises of protesters in Iran who are photographed and filmed throwing stones, while making excuses for the government of Israel when it kills Palestinian protesters who throw stones. According to our media in the West, if you're an Iranian, throwing a stone is congratulated as a great act of courage. If you are a Palestinian, throwing a stone qualifies you for the death penalty.

When an Iranian is shot to death by the government of Iran during a protest in that country, we treat it as a great tragedy and we endlessly sing the praises of the one killed. When a Palestinian is shot to death by the government of Israel during a non-violent protest, we completely ignore it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9p12QP_-RM

It's definitely true that the situations in the two countries are different. In Iran, the government is certainly repressive, but it nevertheless regards its citizens as human beings with some rights. In the case of Israeli and Western treatment of Palestinians, the Palestinians do not have the status of human being, and they do not have any rights whatever. Their struggle is no less valid or urgent than that of the people in Iran. It is more so, in fact.

The fact that the government of Israel seeks to prevent people from entering Gaza by boat proves the lie that Israel has withdrawn from Gaza. If the occupation of Gaza has ended, that would mean that people could enter and leave Gaza by boat any time they wanted to as long as the Palestinian government in Gaza said they could.


This is what humanitarian organizations have to say about the blockade (as of June 20)...

http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=47302

RAMALLAH, Jun 20 (IPS) - Forty international aid agencies and NGOs have released a joint statement condemning Israel's blockade of Gaza, to mark the second anniversary of the coastal territory being hermetically sealed off from the outside world.

"We, United Nations and non-governmental humanitarian organisations, express deepening concern over Israel's continued blockade of the Gaza Strip which has now been in force for two years.

"These indiscriminate sanctions are affecting the entire 1.5 million population of Gaza, and ordinary women, children and the elderly are the first victims," read the statement, to mark the anniversary Wednesday.

Simultaneously, an increasingly concerned U.S. administration is pressuring Israel to change its Gaza policy and alleviate unnecessary suffering. Three weeks ago U.S. officials sent a diplomatic letter to Israeli government officials expressing alarm at the deteriorating humanitarian crisis in Gaza...

...Israel started a gradual blockade of Gaza's borders when the second Intifadah, or Palestinian uprising, broke out in 2000. The closure was tightened when Israeli corporal Gilad Shalit was captured by Hamas fighters in June 2006.

However, following Hamas's coup in June 2007, when the Islamic resistance organisation routed western-backed Fatah forces affiliated with Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas, Israel hermetically sealed off the coastal territory.

Israel allows in only a bare amount of humanitarian aid. Most food products and other goods, including construction material desperately needed to rebuild Gaza's infrastructure devastated by Israeli bombing during the war in January, are forbidden...

..."The situation is desperate, devastating and unbearable. Each day that passes brings more misery and suffering," said John Ging, head of Gaza's UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), one of the signatories to the joint statement.

When asked what good the statement would do in light of years of complaints falling on deaf ears, Ging told IPS, "We will not give up telling the truth. We have a responsibility to innocent civilians.

"We are convinced that if the policy and decision makers behind the blockade could witness the situation in Gaza first-hand, they would change their minds. Those who don't believe what we are saying, we invite them to come to Gaza and see the situation for themselves first hand."

"We were determined to mark the two-year sealing of the borders with a coordinated effort," said Mike Bailey of Oxfam, another signatory to the statement.

Bailey expressed frustration at the ever-changing list of goods Israel allows in. School textbooks, clothes, shoes, toys, lentils, pasta, pumpkin, fruit juice, chocolate, cigarettes, toilet paper, musical instruments and seedlings are amongst the items banned.

"Every month the list changes, so we are not sure what will and won't be permitted to enter the following month, and this makes it harder to coordinate relief," Bailey told IPS.

A decision by the Israeli government in March to enable unrestricted entry of all foodstuffs provided the source is approved by the Israeli authorities, has not been implemented.

Human rights groups argue that there is no security basis for the list of banned goods. The U.S. administration has taken this argument up and demanded answers from Israel.

A U.S. protest note, sent to Israel's foreign and defence ministries, and to the Prime Minister's office, demanded a more liberal opening of the border crossings to facilitate reconstruction.

The U.S. first wants adequate amounts of food, medicine and cash to be transferred into the territory. It also wants the borders to be opened sufficiently to allow imports and exports to rebuild Gaza's decimated economy.

According to a UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) report released Jun. 15, the number of truckloads of humanitarian goods entering Gaza on a monthly basis now is a quarter of the number that entered prior to Israel's blockade.

In May, 82 drug items in Gaza were at zero level, up from 65 in April. At the same time, 95 disposable items had reached zero level, up slightly from 90 in the previous month.

During May, the World Health Organisation (WHO) coordinated the entry of one shipment of medical drugs or disposables, while another four shipments of materials were put on hold by the Israeli authorities. The latter shipments contain x-ray materials, as well as medical and IT equipment.

Petrol, apart from small quantities for UNRWA, and to operate emergency generators at wastewater treatment plants and hospitals, has been banned since November last year. Gaza is instead relying on deep underground smuggling tunnels from Egypt for both petrol and other essentials. (END/2009)

Subject: RE: BS: Cynthia McKinney in Israeli prison
From: CarolC
Date: 05 Jul 09 - 01:19 AM

I think this part of the article from which I posted an excerpt above deserves to be highlighted also...

Human rights groups argue that there is no security basis for the list of banned goods. The U.S. administration has taken this argument up and demanded answers from Israel.

Subject: RE: BS: Cynthia McKinney in Israeli prison
From: Stringsinger
Date: 05 Jul 09 - 05:42 PM

Cynthia McKinney was the victim of media distortion about her incident in Washington.
I don't really believe that she "threw a tantrum" but I do believe because she is a controversial black woman, she was mistreated and they thought they could get away with it. She, in fact, is a brave and courageous person who stood up for criticizing voting irregularities in Bush v. Gore as well as the faulty voting machines that determine our elections.

Israel is in violation of international law at this point. The abduction of McKinney and
McGuire is reason enough to spark an international incident. The idea that it occurred
in Israeli waters is not accurate but arbitrary on their part.

Naomi Klein suggests that a boycott of Israel is important as it was during the regime
of South Africa. I agree with this.

As to the "common sense about getting things done", ignoring the role Israel plays in
the suppression of Gaza is not the way to do it. The people of Gaza are being oppressed
and one wonders if Israel is a victim of a "Stockholm Syndrome".

In the meantime, the Gaza demonstrations are non-violent. The reaction of oppression
of Israel is not. Brave women like McKinney and McGuire are only denigrated by people
who don't have the facts about Israel's violation of international law.

Subject: RE: BS: Cynthia McKinney in Israeli prison
From: robomatic
Date: 05 Jul 09 - 07:45 PM

Once again I fail to see the symmetry between Iran's internal problems with its non-elected and clergy selected officialdom dominating its own populace, and the Arab-Israeli conflict over peace and security for the people of the region.

One possible parallel that has been overlooked in this thread is the plight of the normal Palestinians under the thumb of their various political parties which are either highlighted by major corruption, or by political fanaticism, to the point that they have gained their power by assassinating their opponents and basically ruling their own people via terror.

So in this sense their is some parallelism.

Subject: RE: BS: Cynthia McKinney in Israeli prison
From: Stringsinger
Date: 06 Jul 09 - 03:55 PM

The political party of the Gazans are reflective of their plight. There is no way that their
rights will be honored by Israel. This is similar to the Ayatollah Chomenei calling the shots in Iran. He will not honor the rights of those who voted for Mousavi.

It is quite apparent that Netanyahu doesn't care about the peace and security of all peoples in the regions, just Israelis. He supports the encroachment of the West Bank settlers and the continued bulldozing and killing in Gaza. This is not peace and security but oppression.

There is a political fanaticism that is engendered by the reactionary forces in Israel that matches that of the Supreme Ayatollah in Iran. Fortunately, there is a dissident group that
you can read about in Ha'eretz but increasingly they are being suppressed by violence.

The courage of McKinney and McGuire expose the propaganda issued by the Israeli government and echoed by the US groups such as AIPAC.

Subject: RE: BS: Cynthia McKinney in Israeli prison
From: Bill D
Date: 06 Jul 09 - 04:15 PM

"I don't really believe that she "threw a tantrum" but I do believe because she is a controversial black woman, she was mistreated and they thought they could get away with it."

   Frank, that's a harsh indictment of the duly appointed guardians of the gate at the House Office building. She got to be "controversial" for more than her opinions...did you read the long article at Wikipedia?
   Cynthia McKinney walked AROUND tthe security checkpoint, not wearing her ID, and was 'insulted' when she was not immediately recognized. Striking the officer who tried to check her ID is one pretty good form of "throwing a tantrum" in my opinion.
   Espousing 'good causes' is no excuse for being petty & pushy.

Subject: RE: BS: Cynthia McKinney in Israeli prison
From: goatfell
Date: 07 Jul 09 - 07:31 AM

aye and then there are people that will say that Israel isn't like that.

Subject: RE: BS: Cynthia McKinney in Israeli prison
From: robomatic
Date: 07 Jul 09 - 12:27 PM

By the way, NPR said she's been released so now the enthusiasts can start a new thread.
she sure shed light on something.