The Nakba: Before and After

Stephen Lendman

May 15 marks Israel's 64th independence day. This year's Jewish calendar commemorated it on April 25.

For Palestinians, May 15 represents 64 years of Nakba suffering. Survivor testimonies bare witness. No words adequately explain their catastrophe. An unnamed Jew said:

"I am writing through tears. I wept when I saw the photo of the ruined village of al-Sanbariyya because it was my former brother-in-law who helped destroy the village and the lives of those who lived there."

"My now deceased brother-in-law was born in Los Angeles and after World War II decided he wanted to live in Palestine. He met his wife-to-be at a training camp somewhere in the midwest."

"While at the camp many of the people decided they wanted to build a kibbutz in then Palestine. I am not sure that they gave a thought to the fact that they would be taking the lands of others. But then, I don't know. I wasn't there."

"As a Jew who was raised to believe in justice for all peoples, I believe that it is my obligation to speak out about Israel and to try in whatever way possible to bring about a better life in Palestine for the people who belong there... The people who were so cruelly evicted from their lands."


US/Israeli Special Relationship

Stephen Lendman

Growing numbers of Jews oppose Israeli policies. American ones want a relationship this destructive ended. So do millions of people worldwide.

Strategic interests largely benefitting Israel, not shared values, are at issue. Washington doesn't provide the Jewish state more aid than all other nations combined because of historic binding ties.

On March 25, 1948, Harry Truman met secretly with Chaim Weizmann (Israel's first president). He pledged support for the future Jewish state. Minutes after midnight on May 15, 1948, America was the first country to extend recognition.

A special relationship began. Thereafter it's grown financially, politically, militarily, diplomatically, and counterproductively. Israel clearly benefits. America loses more than it gains. Serious reassessment is long overdue.

On many issues mattering most, the Israeli tail wags the US dog, whether or not Washington's interests are served.

Both countries threaten world peace. United they endanger humanity. On February 9, 2010, an Intelligence Squared debate resolved: "The US should step back from its special relationship with Israel," saying:

"Israel believes America’s special relationship is vital. It is, certainly, to Israel. But what about for the US? Israel has no oil, enemies in many places, and a tendency to defy Washington when it perceives its own interests to be threatened, which is not infrequently."

Does America's relationship do more harm than good? Is it time to step back and reconsider? These and related issues weren't resolved. Raising them publicly served a purpose.

A packed New York University student union showed people want answers they haven't gotten. Together these pariah states menace humanity. Breaking up is long overdue.


No Expectation of Privacy

Kenny's Sideshow

Homeland Security money rolling into the coffers of local police buys a lot of toys and the expectation of loyalty when the feds may need a favor.

Although not new, they are being used in other states and in foreign countries, it is just now being reported that law enforcement departments across middle Tennessee...

"are using high-tech cameras to create a detailed picture of the whereabouts of thousands of cars, regardless of whether they are suspected of any link to criminal activity." "Police say that this ability to capture license plates is among the most powerful new crime-fighting tools at their disposal."

This surveillance is not only being done on public streets but in parking lots of apartments and condos and even on cars parked in one's own driveway. Police cruisers mounted with the cameras are just the beginning. Fixed locations are being added and unlike red light cameras, these record every vehicle going by. It's all in the name of catching the bad guys and of course protecting the children but if a few parking ticket offenders and yes, even tax dodgers are caught, so much the better. The locals and the feds need a return on investment.

The information goes into a database of time, date and place and sits there until someone takes action on it. The potential for hackers to use or manipulate data is real and mistakes are going to occur. A stolen license plate at a crime scene could result in a SWAT team knocking an innocent person's door down. It happens.


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