Sunday, December 30, 2007
Cambridge, Massachusetts, the city that banned the Boy Scouts from collecting goods for the troops at polling places, has once again shown where their true political loyalties lie -- with our nation's enemies.
Omar Bandar, a Special Assistant to the Mayor, was a member of the Cambridge Peace Commission's recent trip called the Cambridge-Bethlehem People-to-People project -- in which the visitors sweated it through the Israeli border, and some (or was it all?) hooked up with and took training from the International Solidarity Movement and played push and shove with Israeli soldiers whose time is supposed to spent protecting their people from terrorists, not playing catch and release with geriatric pinkos trying to relive the good old days. Was Bandar on the City's dime or taking vacation time? Was the trip in any way paid for with City funds? Some still sane Cantabrigians would like to know.
Yes, Cambridge has its own "Peace Commission", and its ties with the ISM run far. You may remember this announcement from over four years ago now to come protest the ISM's use of the Commission's office in Cambridge.
The trip was quite, "inspiriting" for Bandar. I'm all for journeys of personal discovery. Self-financed I hope.
The group knew its purpose was illicit, as they had to slither in like sneaks. Readers will again recall my noting JVP's Marty Federman's journal entries home (see: Marty's Adventures in Wonderland and It's Spelled S-O-L-O-M-O-N-I-A) from the trip. At the time it was simply noted as a "Cambridge group," but now more details of the official and organized nature of the trip have come to light.
Imagine, an official delegation from the City of Cambridge skulking into a friendly country like a bunch thieves. Their own consciences belie the peaceful nature of their mission. Delegate Skip Schiel blogged extensively about the trip. Those interested can start with his November archive. Details of crashing at the ISM's place are interesting. In a comment he exposes the delicate nature of much of the information:
you know well how delicate this matter of truth and confidentiality is. the guidelines were fuzzy for me, i tried to adhere to them. i erased some of the more personal and potentially damaging remarks.
Damaging? What are they hiding?
Schiel teaches photography at the Cambridge Center for Adult Education. An upcoming lecture of his is entitled: The Hydropolitics of Israel and Palestine. What photography course would be complete without a little "evil Israelis are dehydrating the innocent Palestinians"-style propaganda? The lecture is overpriced at $2.
Another familiar delegate was Richard Colbath-Hess, one of the organizers, along with Marty Federman, of the recent Israel-Apartheid Sabeel street rally. Video here. Colbath-Hess was apparently quite a hero in the pushing and shoving "peace protest" at highway 443 near Bil'in. According to Schiel's blog:
Rick performed nobly and courageously, using his height and bulk well. I often noticed him in the midst of the action, his red cap, blue jacket, and body size conspicuous. Perhaps his years of work with union organizing has emboldened him.
Here are videos of these brave peaceful Cantabrigians at work. Colbath-Hess is particularly obvious in his red hat and blue shirt (this is ISM stuff -- note their expansive definition of the term "non-violence"):
Here's another:
Schiel has many fine photos as well as a gallery. You must understand what a sad joke this is. Foreigners visit, put themselves under the command of local Arab leaders and involve themselves in provoking and providing cover for those who provoke the Israeli soldiers -- soldiers who are far more disciplined than to treat them as they probably deserve. Even reading Schiel's description shows that what happens amounts to catch and release by soldiers too busy to bother holding self-important activists for any length of time (It plays into the terrorist strategy no matter what happens, because if they arrest and prosecute it burdens the system with legal costs and wasted resources).
The list of delegates I've seen was: Kathy and John Roberts, Richard Colbath-Hess, Grove Harris, Marty Federman, Gail Epstein, Cathy Hoffman, Phyllis Bretholtz, Marla Erlien, Eva Moseley, Skip Schiel, Raymond Bandar and Anthana Luff, Marie-Helene Gold and Omar Bandar, though the total was reported in one place as "15 Delegates including 4 Peace Commission people." The Boston Globe gave the group a mostly puff write-up: In Bethlehem, a bond is born, though the paper did let Nancy Kaufman, executive director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Boston, get a statement in. That left the delegates none too pleased.
This trip was really a disgrace, and the fact that any sort of city resources were used for it is even more disgraceful. Readers here will not need any further reminders of why the wall runs near Bethlehem -- Bethlehem was the launching pad of choice for Palestinian Arab terrorists (CAMERA has a number of articles on the city -- readers are encouraged to use the comments to provide more links to resources). The wall is there to save lives. Period. And it is succeeding. In fact, the violence is down to such an extent that by all accounts, Bethlehem had the best tourist season it had in years this season -- no thanks to the Cambridge Peace Commission.
The group is scheduled to present their report at 6:30 to 8:30 pm, January 16, 2008 at the Cambridge Senior Center.
Update: Welcome Boston.com readers.
Listed below are links to blogs that reference this entry: From the City that Evicted the Boy Scouts -- Cambridge Sends Delegation to Israel to Play with Tear Gas.
TrackBack URL for this entry: http://www.solomonia.com/cgi-bin/mt4/mt-renamedtb.cgi/13904
Cambridge, Massachusetts peaked very early. It's where General George Washington took command of the Continental Army in 1775. As Solomonia (via The Radio Equalizer) points out, it's now known as the place that "that banned the Boy Scouts from collec... Read More
[Joel Kovel, whose extremist and often inaccurate writing in favor of dismantling the Jewish State succeeded in discrediting even the Pluto Press, made a public appearance in support of his new book at the Coolidge Corner Cinema in Brookline, MA... Read More
For some reason I really like Charles Jacobs' Jewish Advocate piece (in full below) this week. Jacobs touches on flour in Gaza, Joel Kovel's recent trip through Boston (for previous video of Kovel: Racist Bard College Professor Joel Kovel Spouts... Read More
Uh oh, the brain trust at the Cambridge Peace Commission is threatening to bring the director of a Palestinian performance group through the area later this month. You know what that means: Watch your children. The Cambridge to Bethlehem group... Read More
Last Thursday evening, a small group of activists stood outside Watertown's New Rep Theater and politely offered material (like this) with further information about the subject of the play, My Name is Rachel Corrie (see my review of the show,... Read More
Leave it to the ACLU to find new ways to stretch the definition of "spying". They are now up in arms over the fact that Harvard University was photographing a public protest, and even accusing them -- horror -- of... Read More
Cambridge City Hall -- A fake but accurate photo. "Some U.S. citizens travel with an unconscious attitude of superiority" "Being openly gay or lesbian is outside the cultural norms of Palestinian life..." "It is best that you n... Read More
The local Jewish Advocate newspaper has done a front page story on the Boston Globe email scandal that Hillel Stavis broke here a couple of weeks ago. See: Emails Reveal: Boston Globe Reporter Sucks Up to the Cambridge Peace Commission.... Read More
Cambridge, Philadelphia and Vermont on one side of me, and Berkeley, San Fransisco, Portland and Seattle on the other side. Help, I'm almost surrounded. Perhaps I should caucus for Ron Paul, so I can get a free tinfoil hat for protection from moonbat radio waves.
Boy Scouts Good
Terrorists Bad
Boy Scouts not so Good
Terrorists not so Bad
OMG - It may be too late even for the Paulista protective headgear. I can feel my IQ draining out of my left ear.
Mmm... never beat up a local (Palestinian, I mean) during my army days, but I swear that my hands fairly itched when encountering one of them "peace" activists. Mind you, not all of them, but some just require a knock on the noggin.
I guess that it's a sad comment that it is more of a surprise to me that I don't read more stories like this one.
BHG
Fabulous blog entry, btw!
I liked the video. It showed two things. First, the professionialism of the Israeli police and soldiers. They employed non-violent techniques in order to control the crowd. Mainly, it appears, by culling the herd of the troublesome of the lot.
Second, ISM and their supporters are idiots. I knew it before but this video illustrates it even better.
Boston has a "peace" commission? Sounds more like terror enablers.
The problem is that the Israelis are way too nice about all this, so in a sense, they invite this kind of idiocy. I have little doubt that if the risk of engaging Israeli soldiers was, say, bodily harm, there would be few takers. Can you imagine if the ISM tried these tactics against, say, TSA agents at the airport? Or any local police SWAT team? Why the Israelis act like such pussies is beyond me. Of course, it's easy for me to carp and comment, living in NYC (and not Israel). Still, it seems a few judicious rifle butts to the knees and head and a few years in an Israeli jail (so they can bond with their fellow terrorists) would be a nice change.
"Why the Israelis act like such pussies is beyond me. "
For the same reason that they refuse to rape Palestinian girls. They are just mama's boys and racist thugs:
http://simplyjews.blogspot.com/2007/12/why-dont-israeli-soldiers-rape.html
I think the IDF would gain more respect if it were to arrest, lockup and then deport those disingenuous "peace activists".
solomonia?
solomoronic?
solomaniacal?
solipsistic?
sloptalk...tell us, please, whether or not public funds were used for this venture NOT that you suppose they might have been.
I guess it's a sign of the times, but that the Globe linked to a site of unsubstantiated slander makes me seriously question their judgment.
Blogs like this make America a dumber and sadder place.
Ah, the peaceniks have arrived. Is the Cambridge Peace Commission funded by the city? Does it use city resources? Does Omar Bandar work for the city? Was he there under Cambridge auspices? Yes, yes, yes, yes. Just follow the links and read the articles.
It's time to step up the scrutiny on the "peace commission." Time to have people at every meeting. Time for FOIA requests and lawsuits if the bastards hold anything back from the public.
I was there for the protest years ago, and saw for myself that the Peace Commission's people are the utmost cowards, and they will slink away with their tail behind their legs at the slightest confrontation. Sunlight is the best disinfectant, and if it's forced on them they will slink into the sewers where they belong.
These "progressives" aren't for Peace.
These "peaceniks" are for peace like Tokyo Rose or Lord Haw Haw or ezra pound were for "peace".
These "anti-war" types work to undermine, demoralize the US and Israel for the benefit of the enemies of the US and Israel.
When was the last time you saw an "anti-war" "progressive" "peacenik" demonstrate outside of a Kassam rocket factory or denounce racist Islamofascist Hamas?
"I was there for the protest years ago, and saw for myself that the Peace Commission's people are the utmost cowards, and they will slink away with their tail behind their legs at the slightest confrontation. Sunlight is the best disinfectant, and if it's forced on them they will slink into the sewers where they belong."
It seems to me I recall seeing some video of that event. Might be time to take another look at it. I'm sure we'll see some familiar faces. In fact, I think I know someone who was videotaping that day.
The videos are no longer available. Someone must have switched on a light in the kitchen, and they scuttled for shelter in darkness.
I'm still seeing them (but I saved them anyway when I put up the post). Happy New Year!
#14 Mitch
That's what I thought at first yesterday when I got that in a Firefox window with too many tabs and things running very slow. Before posting something along the lines of what Mitch said, I tried in IE7, just for jollies. The videos were both there. Still there just now (with Firefox).More likely it was a transient condition (network congestion, clogged YouTube server didn't respond quickly enough, ...) or an issue with Mitch's browser.
#5 Seymour Paine
Noga is onto something. It's not a testosterone deficiency. The Israelis used their heads; their response to these demonstrations is the least bad option. It's the same reason the Boston police let the moonbats demonstrate without a permit at the Israel day events at City Hall Plaza.If the IDF and the border police came down on them like a ton of bricks, they'd be playing into their hands. Stories and images of the brutal occupier oppressing the "peaceful" demonstrators would be all over the news. The next week, they'd be back with a larger contingent and lots of press. ISM might even hit the jackpot and get another Rachel Corrie "martyr" out of it. For the safety of everyone concerned -- including the children ISM and the Pali leaders are all too eager to sacrifice -- tries to keep these demonstrations as low-key and peaceful as possible.
Much better to turn these weekly demonstrations into non-events -- better an annoyance than a high-profile confrontation. On that particular week, the valiant fighters from the People's Republic's "Peace Commission" [sic] got to put up videos of them getting their rocks off confronting the brutalcolonialracist oppressor. (That's not as bad as kids up front throwing rocks and providing cover for armed goons behind them.) So the Palis went through the motions, and the delegation from Cambridge had their group masturbatory experience. Big deal.
The videos document a pretty feeble, pro-forma demonstration that the Israelis were doing their best to ignore but still not letting it interfere with traffic on the highway. (It's for their own good that the soldiers and police kept the Cantabridgian Kooks from playing in traffic). I can only imagine what the Palis said in Arabic, but does anyone care if an Arab provocateur calls Israelis thieves (in Hebrew) and accuses them of stealing their land? (What I'm concerned about is how many believe those lies, how many Arabs have been raised in a culture of hate and how that puts off any real chance of peace.)
Hey, NappyHH,
That was pretty sharp of you.
Some time ago I ruminated upon the subject in another story about which I blogged here:
http://contentious-centrist.blogspot.com/2007/12/argumentum-ad-misericordiam-i-was.html
The idea is not to enable the trouble makers to exploit this "misericordiam" thingy. With you acute precisionm you hit the nail right on the head:
"ISM might even hit the jackpot and get another Rachel Corrie "martyr" out of it."
Much better to turn these weekly demonstrations into non-events -- better an annoyance than a high-profile confrontation.
Same thing for the ISM's silly cloak-and-dagger antics. The IDF has just knocked off over 40 terrorists as they drove down crowded streets without hitting a single civilian. Does anyone really think they're fooled by a bunch of attention-crazed halfwits with no training in covert operations? Of course they know who they're letting in, where they're going and what they're doing.
No matter how it is, history has alaways two sides.
Thanks to all these courageous individuals who put their lives on the line to support the righteous struggle of the Palestinian people against zionist tyranny.
Justice will prevail. Israelis go home.
"Thanks to all these courageous individuals who put their lives on the line to support the righteous struggle of the Palestinian people against zionist tyranny."
This should be the proper title for the videos. Nothing like an ironic juxtapposition to wake up people from their dreams of (vain)glory ..
It is easier said than done "Israelis go home". From history the Israelis come from all over the place. They can go to Iraq?,Turkey?,Egypt? and so on and on...
Were they the Gypsies of the world in the old times? who knows? only the Israelis know these answers. Some day they will decide what is a good place to be in order to have a peacefull life. And the rest of the world won't have to put up with news or videos we have seen today, and yesterday, and many more tommorow.
Peace is the only way love can prosper.
"Some day they will decide what is a good place to be in order to have a peacefull life. And the rest of the world won't have to put up with news or videos we have seen today, and yesterday, and many more tommorow"
What place is that? Auschwicz?
God give me patience to tolerate the sanctimonious hatred that comes from the hearts of these peace loving Tims of the world who haven't got the beginning of a clue about what Israel is dealing with...
To Maria of PaleSWINE, your Islamofascist fiends should return to their homes in Jordan, Egypt, Syria, Iraq.
Too bad for your fiends that Israelis are NOT the dhimmis of yore or the unarmed Jews of WW2 Europe.
#21 Mariapalestina
Amen. Thank you, Maria, for voicing that Zionist sentiment. Yes, how nice it would be if Israelis living here in the US or in Europe did go home to Israel. How much better if more diasporic Jews went back home to Israel. Kibbutz galuyoth (the ingathering of exiles) is the culmination of the Zionist dream.What crazy Maria forgets is that until the late '60s, after another failed attempt by pan-Arabists to annihilate Israel, to be a Palestinian meant being a Jew in the yishuv; the Arabs insisted that there was no such thing as Palestine, that Palestine was a Zionist invention and that the Arabs of Palestine were Syrians (or Egyptians, in the case of Gaza. Muhammed Ali, anyone?)
When the Brits bailed on their Mandate and the Palestinians declared the Jewish State of Israel, Arabs expelled nearly all of the Jews living in Arab countries. Some of these venerable, now decimated, Jewish communities had been around for millenia, since long before Islam appeared on the scene. Until 1948, Jews had been a sizable part of Baghdad's population, perhaps even a plurality; it was in Babylon (now called Iraq), after all, that the Talmud was written -- not all Jews went back home ("It was like we were dreaming!" -- Ps. 126) after the Persian emperor Cyrus the Great defeated the Babylonians in 539 BCE and permitted the Jews to return home to Israel.
Maria and her militant cronies in the "Peace and Justice" camp deliberately ignore the forgotten refugees of Jews from Arab and Muslim lands after 1948. Maria conveniently neglects to mention what Eddie refers to, that many of today's so-called "Palestinians" are descended from Arabs who migrated to Palestine because of the economic opportunities created by the yishuv. Nitwits like Maria fail to see the irony of "Palestinians" (in today's parlance) being confined to "Palestinian refugee camps" in Palestinian areas governed by Palestinians.
Maria wants justice to prevail. Assuming she means real justice, not some perverted or distorted notion concocted to support the dishonest "Palestinian" narrative, we can only hope that the Jewish refugees will finally be compensated for their confiscated property.
Maria and her fellow propagandists practice the art of the big lie, spreading falsehoods such as there is no historic Jewish connection to Israel, there was no unbroken Jewish presence in Israel since long before the Roman conquest and that the illegitimate State of Israel is some kind of compensation prize to assuage European guilt for the Holocaust. What a load of crap!
We pray that more Jews return to places like Hebron, where Arabs massacred the remainder of the ancient Jewish community there in 1929. We hope that more will join the Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria, strengthening our rightful Jewish presence in our homeland.