RE U.S. Press Coverage of American U.N. Veto
(of resolution condemning Israeli 'settlements' as illegal')
First let me say that my heroes are Jewish progressives who stand up for justice in Palestine -and there are MANY MANY of them.
Having said that, it's less about votes per se, and more about deference to AIPAC the moneybags lobby that purports to represent all Jews, but in fact represents its funders -rich right-wing jews bent on completing the West Bank colonization project.
Unfortunately a strong majority of American politicians of both parties are cowed by AIPAC and will support any pro-Israel measure no matter how absurd or how it may go against our own American interests. AIPAC has a history similar to the NRA of going after politicians who don't toe the line and (regrettably) they have a track record of defeating them. Still, History will not look kindly on the multitude of cowardly U.S. politicians who have played along with AIPAC to the detriment of their own country.
ADDENDUM: It should be noted that Christian Zionists, who form a large part of the Republican base, also press their politicians to support Israel in every way -especially in the Colonization of the West Bank (euphemistically called: 'Settlement Construction').”
So much for 'All the News That's Fit to Print'.
The truth is, that in this country, news that reflects badly on Israel is downplayed, white-washed, 'spun' and very very often simply ignored.
Am I saying that the Israel Lobby has a disproportionate control over news in the U.S.A.?
You bet your #!*$)#! _ ss I am!
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Saturday, February 12, 2011
U.S. Aid to Egypt is Really Additional Aid to/for Israel
The U.S. has supported numerous dictators/ autocrats over the years, but its support of Mubarak, and $1.5 billion a year in (primarily ) military aid is driven solely by the interests of Israel and the Israel lobby in the U.S. This was the 'Egyptian payoff' that derived from the 1978 'Camp David' Agreement arranged by Jimmy Carter.
On today's news some Israeli stooge was asked: "What does the U.S. get back for all that money?" His answer: The U.S. gets "priority access to the Suez Canal and Egyptian airspace." ** The REAL answer, of course is that ISRAEL gets a compliant strongman who will suppress Egyptians, (who happen to be sympathetic to Palestinian aspirations) and allow Israel to proceed with its long term colonization project in the West Bank.
I wonder if the U.S. gets an annual 'Thank You' note from the Israelis?
** The U.S. already had complete access to the Suez Canal and Egypt would never dare to cut it off.
The U.S. would have considered that tantamount to an act of war. So what is gained by 'Priority Access'?
Do American ship captains get to visit a VIP lounge alongside the canal? or perhaps Egypt sends belly
dancers to entertain them during transit? $1.5 billion a year for 'Priority Access' is pretty bogus!
George Lally 2/10/11
On today's news some Israeli stooge was asked: "What does the U.S. get back for all that money?" His answer: The U.S. gets "priority access to the Suez Canal and Egyptian airspace." ** The REAL answer, of course is that ISRAEL gets a compliant strongman who will suppress Egyptians, (who happen to be sympathetic to Palestinian aspirations) and allow Israel to proceed with its long term colonization project in the West Bank.
I wonder if the U.S. gets an annual 'Thank You' note from the Israelis?
** The U.S. already had complete access to the Suez Canal and Egypt would never dare to cut it off.
The U.S. would have considered that tantamount to an act of war. So what is gained by 'Priority Access'?
Do American ship captains get to visit a VIP lounge alongside the canal? or perhaps Egypt sends belly
dancers to entertain them during transit? $1.5 billion a year for 'Priority Access' is pretty bogus!
George Lally 2/10/11
Sunday, February 6, 2011
"...'The Queen of Snail Mail', and other Memories..."
Today (2/6/11) I found on my hard drive, a couple of entries from May 2002:
Tina's Death
Thursday May 23, 2002
Tina was put down today.
Tina was my mom's 14 year old cross-breed (shepherd plus
something). Mom got Tina as a pup. She was a stray, all skin
and bones and shivering in the rain when my late father found her.
She had no license and they could not find an owner.
Dad died the next year and it's been just Tina and mom for nearly
thirteen years.
Lately Tina has been falling down frequently and has been in
pain in her spinal column and hips. It reached the point that
mom spent a couple of entire nights awake trying to comfort her
in the past week.
Tina was also having a hard time getting in and out of the house
to do her business. She is (was) a large overweight dog and mom
was endangering herself trying to wrestle Tina up a couple of steps
into the house. (I had built a ramp for Tina a few months ago but
she refused to walk on it so mother, all by heself, tore the ramp
down a few days later!)
Mom has a veterinarian who does home visits. She (the vet) was
at the house Tuesday and told mom that there was nothing to do
for Tina and it was 'her time.' Mom, who lives alone, was
devastated but agreed with the assessment
except she wanted to wait till today so I could be with her.
I arrived at 12:30. The vet was due at 1:30. Tina was lying on
the kitchen floor in front of mom's chair. She barked and wagged
her tail when I arrived but couldn't get up. My mother's eyes
were red from crying for the past two days. Mom had had eight
children but Tina was her 'Baby'.
We patted and comforted Tina until the vet arrived. At 1:30
sharp the vet came with Peggy the next door neighbor right
behind her. Peggy is a vet tech and she and her husband have been
very good neighbors to mom. She herself had been devastated when
her own dog died two years ago. Peggy had volunteered to
transport Tina's remains in her van to a place where they would
be cremated.
The veterinarian first gave Tina a shot to tranquilize her. She
lay there calmly, blinking a little. Then the vet started an IV
of a second drug and within a minute or two the blinking stopped.
Tina was gone.
After tears and hugs Peggy and I carried Tina, wrapped in a
blanket to her van. I stayed till 4:30 helping mom clean up.There
were newspapers all over the floor due to Tina's quite
understandable 'accidents' in recent days.
It will take a week to get the ashes back from the 'Animal
Rescue League.' Peggy says that they, unlike some crematories
this one really does give you YOUR OWN dog's ashes.
Peggy also took a picture of Tina with her digital camera on
Tuesday. She told me outside today that when she picks up the
ashes for mom she's going to bring her a framed 8x10 picture of
Tina. Nice neighbor.
Friday May 24, 2002
I checked in with Mom by phone this a.m.
She's doing ok, doing some cleaning.
I'll be checking in with her daily for awhile.
I've encouraged my siblings to call her too.
Sunday I'll drive back up to Avon and take her
shopping for a new washing machine.
Life goes on.
"The Bustle in a House
The Morning after Death
Is solemnest of industries
Enacted upon Earth--
The sweeping up the Heart
And putting Love away
We shall not want to use again
Until Eternity."
(Emily Dickinson)
Sunday May 26, 2002
I just spoke with my Mom. She says she's 'feeling cold and old'
but she's staying busy. At this point she's quite insistent that
she won't get another dog and she is not really a cat person. I
will do what I can to help her process the loss of course and she
may then reconsider and get another dog.
I have to say that Mom is quite strong, in her way. She doesn't
get immobilized or paralysed by her grief--although the grief is
real.
Next to her dog her other great interest is her birds. Mom buys
and dispenses extraordinary quantities of bird-seed to her
feathered friends (about forty pounds per week!). She has a large
picture window in her kitchen and can watch her cardinals and
sparrows and finches right from her favorite seat at the kitchen
table. She also has her daytime 'soaps' ie. "All My Children" etc
etc and she spends a fortune on postage sending in entries to
contests etc. as well as her prodigious letter writing. Yes, Mom
is of that vanishing breed...she actually writes real letters to
her children, granchildren and others. I guess you'd have to call
her "The Queen of Snail Mail."
In short, Mom is hanging in there and she'll get whatever
support she needs to get through and past her loss.
Tina's Death
Thursday May 23, 2002
Tina was put down today.
Tina was my mom's 14 year old cross-breed (shepherd plus
something). Mom got Tina as a pup. She was a stray, all skin
and bones and shivering in the rain when my late father found her.
She had no license and they could not find an owner.
Dad died the next year and it's been just Tina and mom for nearly
thirteen years.
Lately Tina has been falling down frequently and has been in
pain in her spinal column and hips. It reached the point that
mom spent a couple of entire nights awake trying to comfort her
in the past week.
Tina was also having a hard time getting in and out of the house
to do her business. She is (was) a large overweight dog and mom
was endangering herself trying to wrestle Tina up a couple of steps
into the house. (I had built a ramp for Tina a few months ago but
she refused to walk on it so mother, all by heself, tore the ramp
down a few days later!)
Mom has a veterinarian who does home visits. She (the vet) was
at the house Tuesday and told mom that there was nothing to do
for Tina and it was 'her time.' Mom, who lives alone, was
devastated but agreed with the assessment
except she wanted to wait till today so I could be with her.
I arrived at 12:30. The vet was due at 1:30. Tina was lying on
the kitchen floor in front of mom's chair. She barked and wagged
her tail when I arrived but couldn't get up. My mother's eyes
were red from crying for the past two days. Mom had had eight
children but Tina was her 'Baby'.
We patted and comforted Tina until the vet arrived. At 1:30
sharp the vet came with Peggy the next door neighbor right
behind her. Peggy is a vet tech and she and her husband have been
very good neighbors to mom. She herself had been devastated when
her own dog died two years ago. Peggy had volunteered to
transport Tina's remains in her van to a place where they would
be cremated.
The veterinarian first gave Tina a shot to tranquilize her. She
lay there calmly, blinking a little. Then the vet started an IV
of a second drug and within a minute or two the blinking stopped.
Tina was gone.
After tears and hugs Peggy and I carried Tina, wrapped in a
blanket to her van. I stayed till 4:30 helping mom clean up.There
were newspapers all over the floor due to Tina's quite
understandable 'accidents' in recent days.
It will take a week to get the ashes back from the 'Animal
Rescue League.' Peggy says that they, unlike some crematories
this one really does give you YOUR OWN dog's ashes.
Peggy also took a picture of Tina with her digital camera on
Tuesday. She told me outside today that when she picks up the
ashes for mom she's going to bring her a framed 8x10 picture of
Tina. Nice neighbor.
Friday May 24, 2002
I checked in with Mom by phone this a.m.
She's doing ok, doing some cleaning.
I'll be checking in with her daily for awhile.
I've encouraged my siblings to call her too.
Sunday I'll drive back up to Avon and take her
shopping for a new washing machine.
Life goes on.
"The Bustle in a House
The Morning after Death
Is solemnest of industries
Enacted upon Earth--
The sweeping up the Heart
And putting Love away
We shall not want to use again
Until Eternity."
(Emily Dickinson)
Sunday May 26, 2002
I just spoke with my Mom. She says she's 'feeling cold and old'
but she's staying busy. At this point she's quite insistent that
she won't get another dog and she is not really a cat person. I
will do what I can to help her process the loss of course and she
may then reconsider and get another dog.
I have to say that Mom is quite strong, in her way. She doesn't
get immobilized or paralysed by her grief--although the grief is
real.
Next to her dog her other great interest is her birds. Mom buys
and dispenses extraordinary quantities of bird-seed to her
feathered friends (about forty pounds per week!). She has a large
picture window in her kitchen and can watch her cardinals and
sparrows and finches right from her favorite seat at the kitchen
table. She also has her daytime 'soaps' ie. "All My Children" etc
etc and she spends a fortune on postage sending in entries to
contests etc. as well as her prodigious letter writing. Yes, Mom
is of that vanishing breed...she actually writes real letters to
her children, granchildren and others. I guess you'd have to call
her "The Queen of Snail Mail."
In short, Mom is hanging in there and she'll get whatever
support she needs to get through and past her loss.
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Goodwill
It's a cold, frigid day, and I'm
reflecting:
on the old, the out-of-work the poor,
the laid-off people, some dispirited,
some who hardly struggle anymore,
How are they -today?
one with a car that's broke,
and no money to fix it - walks,
Near my house, is a trailer park,
I watch the trekkers trek a 3 mile stretch
of un-sidewalked highway,
with groceries from WalMart
or to work, in Hardees uniforms,
Winter clothes cost money,
but, there is Goodwill..
Each year in cold spells there are fires,
who is the named culprit?
SPACE HEATERS,
that desperate people sometimes use,
to warm their houses and their bones,
We lucky, think of them-the struggling ones
-the misery that cold inflicts-
from time to time,
though, honestly, our things
concern us most, don't they?
and 'the poor ye always have with ye'
Right?
Perhaps I'll make a Goodwill drop,
after I'm finished with my tea.
that's the thing to do. Isn't it?.
Yes, Goodwill.
-Jorge999
reflecting:
on the old, the out-of-work the poor,
the laid-off people, some dispirited,
some who hardly struggle anymore,
How are they -today?
one with a car that's broke,
and no money to fix it - walks,
Near my house, is a trailer park,
I watch the trekkers trek a 3 mile stretch
of un-sidewalked highway,
with groceries from WalMart
or to work, in Hardees uniforms,
Winter clothes cost money,
but, there is Goodwill..
Each year in cold spells there are fires,
who is the named culprit?
SPACE HEATERS,
that desperate people sometimes use,
to warm their houses and their bones,
We lucky, think of them-the struggling ones
-the misery that cold inflicts-
from time to time,
though, honestly, our things
concern us most, don't they?
and 'the poor ye always have with ye'
Right?
Perhaps I'll make a Goodwill drop,
after I'm finished with my tea.
that's the thing to do. Isn't it?.
Yes, Goodwill.
-Jorge999
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