My friend, CTuttle, alerted me to this today. It is the MV Rachel Corrie, being fitted out to run the totally illegal and incredibly immoral Israeli blockade of Gaza:On March 31, 2010, the Free Gaza Movement bought her at auction for €70,000 and will send her to the imprisoned Palestinians of Gaza loaded with cement, paper, and medical equipment, all banned by Israel from this battered and bruised slice of the Mediterranean.
ITF Inspector and Union organizer Ken Fleming was ecstatic: “We are pleased to announce that this vessel which was used to subject workers to modern day slavery, will now be used to promote human rights for the people of Palestine”.
Added Derek Graham the bidder for Free Gaza and one of the organizers of the flotilla, "We are doing this to show the people of Gaza that they are not alone. There's nothing going into Gaza, no aid. We are prepared to run the blockade to try and get aid in. We have done it before. Out of eight previous attempts, five were successful.”
The Free Gaza Movement along with the Turkish humanitarian organization, IHH, the European Campaign to End the Siege of Gaza and the Greek and Swedish Boat to Gaza organizations will sail 8 boats loaded with building supplies as well as taking 600 passengers and journalists at the end of May.
As the people from the town of Dundalk work on her every day, painting her, guarding her and collecting cargo, they have a vested interest in what was once a lonely and abandoned vessel, now slowly coming to life under their care. The ship has been renamed the MV Rachel Corrie, in memory of the 23-year-old solidarity activist crushed to death in 2003 by an Israeli military bulldozer as she attempted to prevent the demolition of a Palestinian home in Gaza.
On May Day weekend, a mini convoy of vans loaded with medical supplies from eight different cities in Ireland and England will be delivering and loading these badly-needed supplies on the ship. The people of Norway have donated more than 6 tons of paper and school supplies with a goal of 25 tons to be loaded as cargo. Israel refuses to allow paper and supplies in for the children.
One of Free Gaza’s organizers, Caoimhe Butterly, stated, " The public response to the cargo ship has been immense, and we hope that in the remaining three weeks before we set sail, communities across Ireland will continue to mobilize and gather supplies. The humanitarian crisis in Gaza is a symptom of Israel’s siege and Occupation, and this flotilla will spot-light the devastating collective punishment that is being imposed on Palestinians in the Gaza Strip."
With everyone’s help, the MV Rachel Corrie will be painted, outfitted, then filled with cargo and ready to leave shortly after May Day, a testimony to civil society doing what governments have refused to do…alleviate the suffering of the people of Gaza. Your donations for supplies are still vitally needed. You can earmark your donation for cement or school books and send through our donate page at http://www.freegaza.org/en/donate.
I want to sign on as a deckhand. More photos here.
23 comments:
thanks for the link,
Pay pal worked.
I like Pay pal, it's quick and easy.
I really admire the guts shown by whoever it is who will chooses to take the boat up against the blockade.
Hell, around here it's hard to find anyone who'll even sign their name to a piece of paper and send it off.
I noticed your poll urging Obama to pressure Israel to join the NPT is currently sitting at 121 yes to only 16 no.
That's encouraging.....
Mahalo, ET...! ;-)
You should take a gander at this Majlis post
Did Netanyahu reject an East Jerusalem freeze?
Free Republic K-Street Lobbyist (AKA "Freeper")
Thanks for your malicious comments.
K Street Boy:
Sign your name to a piece of paper and send it off to the FBI.
I'd comment that jim has regressed even further than his last iteration he's created for himself,
...but it's likely there isn't anywhere further down for him to fall.
For jim, every thread is an open thread on the subject of jim's insecurity.
It's all he's offering in any and every thread.
It's all he's got.
..
haa haa.
As you're old name no longer works so good for you, let me suggest another: Satan.
Have a nice day, Satan
jim hasn't the capacity to learn,
in jim's fantasy, he's an imaginary action hero with powers that don't materialize in the real world.
jim can continue to demonstrate his irrelevance. retreat into his fantasies all he wants.
It's nothing to me...
Other than his fantasy, he's got nothing....
....
Hmm . . .
Not seeing the name Freeper around here anymore-- wonder why?
Bye Bye Freeper toast.
I doubt we'll ever see "Freeper" ever again in this neck of the woods. Your bare bottom got spanked hard, wimp boy. You've succumbed to anonymity, You've lost your identity, you anonymous coward.
right here, jim...
...now you're going to administer corporal punishment in that fantasy world of your's now ?
I'm saving all the scary fantasies in case you need to remember should you ever wish to follow through.
see ya, can't imagine being ya....
..
Palinista:
Still not seeing the name Freeper showing up. Guess he's stuck in a cave. You must be his secretary. Bye bye.
Would you two like to go start your own blog or stay on topic, or something...?
Attempts to address context are obviated by a certain camper intent on interjecting only their insecurity into every thread regardless of context or topic.
I've attempted to address the topic of your post, but someone with severe delusional problems demands attention at every turn.
He's under the belief that you think he's 'tangible'.
Personally, I've seen little evidence of that judging by his offerings here, but maybe you know something that no one else could ascertain by viewing his posts.
..
Beyond that, ....
I would be interested in whether you might wish to address some portions of a few of your own posts. I've posted several questions, either concerning follow up to posts that seem never to be heard of again, or clarification of specifics within a post or two.
Any chance of that ?
Discussing something besides someone's manifestations of their neurotic psychosis would be a refreshing change.
..
Phil: You have been totally infested by right wingers how have no good intentions for you. You have really been wiped out. For example, regarding the name "freeper:"
"Free Republic is a moderated Internet forum, activist, and chat site for self-described conservatives, primarily within the United States.[1] It presents articles and comments posted pseudonymously by registered members, known as "Freepers,"
I got to tell you, Phil, I strongly doubt that name is a coincidence. You've been had.
hey jim, how are you ?
care to address the context of the thread ?
or do you think anyone cares about your insecurity but you .....
freeper,
..
The acronym for Free Gaza Movement is FGM, which is also the acronym for Female Genital Mutilation. Change your name, so it results in a different acronym.
I wish you the best.
That's some seriously disturbed psychosis there...
Issues, ...some seriously demented issues...
Yep, they walk amongst us...
..
freeper,
To get back on topic...
- Hamas is the legitimately elected government of Gaza, chosen by the people in 2006.
- Hamas has repeatedly called for a "no-compromise" stance with respect to Israel. Their charter excludes any accommodation with any sort of Jewish state. Some of their leaders deny the holocaust even happened, and the charter claims that the Jews started WW2 for their own benefit. While some of their officials have hinted recently that some compromise may be possible, this is not a formally accepted position of the organization.
- In 2005, Israeli unilaterally withdrew from Gaza. After Hamas was elected in 2006 and consolidated power in 2007 by driving out Fatah, Israel closed their border (as did Egypt). I think we would close the border with Canada if a government that called for "America Delenda Est" was elected there, too. The restrictions were tightened substantially in reaction to rocket attacks from Gaza into southern Israel.
- If the PA in Gaza (governed by Hamas) was a sovereign state, it could reasonably be called to be in a state of war with Israel. Hamas has called for Israel's destruction and launched armed attacks on Israeli civilians and soldiers. No enduring bilateral cease fire is in place. Israel correspondingly labels Hamas as "hostile."
- A blockade is a tool of war. The Union did it to the Confederacy. The Germans tried to do it to the Brits. The Israelis are doing it to Gaza. Blockades which by nature are indiscriminate and target broad civilian populations have historical precedent.
- War is not clean or surgical. The capabilities of modern precision guided munitions cause many to think that war is something that can be controlled, that zero civilian casualties is the new standard for proportionality. Moreover, while international law generally requires that the principles of distinction, proportionality, and military necessity be applied to conflict, it does not require that one force adopt tactics that expose their own forces at great risk in order to prevent suffering to the enemy.
- In my opinion, Hamas is not advancing the position of the Palestinian people. Hamas has no chance to win an armed conflict with Israel. What Hamas can do is get Palestinian human-shields and civilians killed in Israeli air strikes, which makes great TV out of tragedy. Call me cynical, but I do not believe that Hamas or many leaders in other Arab countries have any desire to advance the interests of the bulk of the Palestinian people. After all... This blockade wouldn't work without Egypt's participation, would it?
- Both sides have behaved in a questionable manner. Hamas targets civilian populations and utilizes human shields. Israel has killed civilians (generally by accident) and their blockade is indiscriminate.
- Israel is left in a hard spot. What can they do?
-- Full scale war with IDF boots on the ground. They've tried this, and it is costly in terms of blood and treasure for limited results. They cannot physically remove every last Gazan and they don't want to occupy the area and deal with a constant insurgency, so there is no end-game with this strategy.
-- Blockade and occasional airstrikes. This is much less costly to the IDF but is, in general, an indiscriminate strategy. Blockade hits all Gazans, not just the militants. However, there is a potential end-game in that the pressure may force Hamas to collapse or be thrown out. Plus, Israel prefers the negative PR they have to deal with in this option to dead IDF troopers.
-- Give Hamas what they want. The Israelis already unilaterally withdrew from Gaza, so I suppose this means that they should just start dismantling their government, getting into boats, and heading somewhere else?
Honestly, I think Hamas is very lucky that they are not considered to be a country. If they were considered to be a sovereign nation, the Israelis would be fully justified in going to full scale war with them. Right now they get treated with kid gloves. The Israelis are fully capable of much more devastating military action (shelling of Beirut in the 80s, anyone?).
This is a tough situation. While I have sympathy for the plight of the Palestinian people, I remember that they chose this leadership. They knew what they were getting when they voted for Hamas. In theory, they can remove Hamas from power as well, either via political process or armed uprising (just like Fatah eliminated Hamas from the West Bank). The US pushed for democracy and self-determination; the downside of that is that sometimes people vote for something other than what we "think" they should. Maybe the Palestinian people truly prefer a Stalingrad-esque stand to accommodation or peaceful coexistence.
The whole MV Corrie thing is a nice thought. I am sure that these people are genuinely trying to do good and I think they have a lot of personal courage, as well as the willingness to act on their ideals. However, on a practical level, I'm not sure that a vessel that size can deliver enough supplies to make a dent in the need in Gaza.
This looks like a photo-op to me. If Israel detains the vessel, then the group gets photos of Zionist Thugs (tm) confiscating humanitarian supplies. If the vessel gets through, then the group gets the photo-op of delivering some supplies to poor Palestinians (even though it isn't enough stuff to make much of a dent).
I don't see any positive endgame for the Palestinian people here unless Hamas either is removed or collapses. MV Corrie may help that along, because one way Hamas gets votes is by providing social services and aid. If outside aid can be provided directly rather than by being funneled through Hamas, then it may prove to the people that they have options other than dependency on a violent extremist government that can promise them nothing but endless conflict with a much stronger adversary.
Revisionist history is often touted to justify factional extermination and policies of genocide.
Rather than be misinformed by Chris's biased notional half-truths and misrepresentations, it would do anyone well to look at the reality instead of the conjured revisionist legerdemain of soap box orators.
http://www.mideastweb.org/briefhistory.htm
http://mideastweb.org/briefhistory-oslo.htm
The history of the conflict or it's reality is hardly represented in amongst the burbling found above.
freeper,
..
p.s. If you read the history, see if you can spot the misconceptions and the erroneous presented above.
The Perfect Storm...part two
Did the 'Son of the Mighty' wish to offer his own revisionist history ?
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