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The twins in Canada!!

Friday, December 8th, 2006

Good-oh-my-gosh-it’s-cold-here-evening from Canada:

So the twins have safely arrived in Toronto!!!! We had quite a
flight to say the least!! Maria managed to get her visa for Canada
exactly 6 hours prior to take-off. Check-in became a complete debacle
when the ground staff told us that two of our boxes were .5 kilograms
over and would need to be repacked. Luckily the pilots for our flight
were checking in at the counter beside us…and offered to carry onto
the plane…the seven packages of Pokari Sweat powder and the one book
that was causing the extra weight. It wasn’t until we were well in
the air that Maria decided to tell the pilot…he had just carried
seven packages of white powder onto an international flight for a
Colombian…we all had a good laugh about that ….later!!!

Anyway…we arrived to Canada to minus 1 weather ..and light
snow…it all looked so pretty until the doors of the airport opened
and Maria refused to leave. To make a long story short I did manage
to get her out of the airport, into the car and at my new house.

Yesterday we went to go out for a walk and I could see Maria
struggling with her winter jacket..and then she informed me…”I’m not
sure how to manage this system (aka- the zipper)….after she took off
her three pairs of gloves…”the system” worked much better!! But
then she informed me that it was difficult to see all her curves under
so many layers…I told Canadians have never been known for their
sex-appeal…and to add another layer!!! She’s getting better day by
day!!!

Anyway..just a quick note to say hello to everyone and that we have
arrived safely. This cold Canadian weather has been a bit of a shock
to our systems….but the Baileys and hot chocolates are working
wonders!!!

Love and hugs and peace and icicles,
Carla and Maria

Posted in Carla, guest writer | No Comments »

Pirates of the Mediterranean

Tuesday, October 3rd, 2006

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/30/opinion/30harris.html?ei=5087%0A&en=17f2c99ae7254bfa&ex=1159761600&pagewanted=all

September 30, 2006
Op-Ed Contributor

Pirates of the Mediterranean

By ROBERT HARRIS
Kintbury, EnglandIN the autumn of 68 B.C. the world’s only military superpower was dealt a profound psychological blow by a daring terrorist attack on its very heart. Rome’s port at Ostia was set on fire, the consular war fleet destroyed, and two prominent senators, together with their bodyguards and staff, kidnapped.The incident, dramatic though it was, has not attracted much attention from modern historians. But history is mutable. An event that was merely a footnote five years ago has now, in our post-9/11 world, assumed a fresh and ominous significance. For in the panicky aftermath of the attack, the Roman people made decisions that set them on the path to the destruction of their Constitution, their democracy and their liberty. One cannot help wondering if history is repeating itself.

Consider the parallels. The perpetrators of this spectacular assault were not in the pay of any foreign power: no nation would have dared to attack Rome so provocatively. They were, rather, the disaffected of the earth: “The ruined men of all nations,” in the words of the great 19th-century German historian Theodor Mommsen, “a piratical state with a peculiar esprit de corps.”

Like Al Qaeda, these pirates were loosely organized, but able to spread a disproportionate amount of fear among citizens who had believed themselves immune from attack. To quote Mommsen again: “The Latin husbandman, the traveler on the Appian highway, the genteel bathing visitor at the terrestrial paradise of Baiae were no longer secure of their property or their life for a single moment.”

What was to be done? Over the preceding centuries, the Constitution of ancient Rome had developed an intricate series of checks and balances intended to prevent the concentration of power in the hands of a single individual. The consulship, elected annually, was jointly held by two men. Military commands were of limited duration and subject to regular renewal. Ordinary citizens were accustomed to a remarkable degree of liberty: the cry of “Civis Romanus sum” — “I am a Roman citizen” — was a guarantee of safety throughout the world.

But such was the panic that ensued after Ostia that the people were willing to compromise these rights. The greatest soldier in Rome, the 38-year-old Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus (better known to posterity as Pompey the Great) arranged for a lieutenant of his, the tribune Aulus Gabinius, to rise in the Roman Forum and propose an astonishing new law.

“Pompey was to be given not only the supreme naval command but what amounted in fact to an absolute authority and uncontrolled power over everyone,” the Greek historian Plutarch wrote. “There were not many places in the Roman world that were not included within these limits.”

Pompey eventually received almost the entire contents of the Roman Treasury — 144 million sesterces — to pay for his “war on terror,” which included building a fleet of 500 ships and raising an army of 120,000 infantry and 5,000 cavalry. Such an accumulation of power was unprecedented, and there was literally a riot in the Senate when the bill was debated.

Nevertheless, at a tumultuous mass meeting in the center of Rome, Pompey’s opponents were cowed into submission, the Lex Gabinia passed (illegally), and he was given his power. In the end, once he put to sea, it took less than three months to sweep the pirates from the entire Mediterranean. Even allowing for Pompey’s genius as a military strategist, the suspicion arises that if the pirates could be defeated so swiftly, they could hardly have been such a grievous threat in the first place.

But it was too late to raise such questions. By the oldest trick in the political book — the whipping up of a panic, in which any dissenting voice could be dismissed as “soft” or even “traitorous” — powers had been ceded by the people that would never be returned. Pompey stayed in the Middle East for six years, establishing puppet regimes throughout the region, and turning himself into the richest man in the empire.

Those of us who are not Americans can only look on in wonder at the similar ease with which the ancient rights and liberties of the individual are being surrendered in the United States in the wake of 9/11. The vote by the Senate on Thursday to suspend the right of habeas corpus for terrorism detainees, denying them their right to challenge their detention in court; the careful wording about torture, which forbids only the inducement of “serious” physical and mental suffering to obtain information; the admissibility of evidence obtained in the United States without a search warrant; the licensing of the president to declare a legal resident of the United States an enemy combatant — all this represents an historic shift in the balance of power between the citizen and the executive.

An intelligent, skeptical American would no doubt scoff at the thought that what has happened since 9/11 could presage the destruction of a centuries-old constitution; but then, I suppose, an intelligent, skeptical Roman in 68 B.C. might well have done the same.

In truth, however, the Lex Gabinia was the beginning of the end of the Roman republic. It set a precedent. Less than a decade later, Julius Caesar — the only man, according to Plutarch, who spoke out in favor of Pompey’s special command during the Senate debate — was awarded similar, extended military sovereignty in Gaul. Previously, the state, through the Senate, largely had direction of its armed forces; now the armed forces began to assume direction of the state.

It also brought a flood of money into an electoral system that had been designed for a simpler, non-imperial era. Caesar, like Pompey, with all the resources of Gaul at his disposal, became immensely wealthy, and used his treasure to fund his own political faction. Henceforth, the result of elections was determined largely by which candidate had the most money to bribe the electorate. In 49 B.C., the system collapsed completely, Caesar crossed the Rubicon — and the rest, as they say, is ancient history.

It may be that the Roman republic was doomed in any case. But the disproportionate reaction to the raid on Ostia unquestionably hastened the process, weakening the restraints on military adventurism and corrupting the political process. It was to be more than 1,800 years before anything remotely comparable to Rome’s democracy — imperfect though it was — rose again.

The Lex Gabinia was a classic illustration of the law of unintended consequences: it fatally subverted the institution it was supposed to protect. Let us hope that vote in the United States Senate does not have the same result.

Robert Harris is the author, most recently, of “Imperium: A Novel of Ancient Rome.”

Posted in airplane day, guest writer, terror | No Comments »

Rochelle update from oaxaca

Monday, September 18th, 2006

Hello family and friends…

I am sorry it has been awhile since I sent an e-mail. I have been able to
get a few pieces published and have been focusing on writing for those.
I have thought about sending them out to this list but I fear they would
be repetitive. There is so little information out there that each piece I
write has a lot of the same background information. One piece can be
found on Common Dreams at
http://www.commondreams.org/views06/0910-23.htm

This weekend has been full of independence day celebrations here in
Mexico. The Governor of Oaxaca usually does the “grito” or cry of
independence on the 15th in the main square. Since the governor has been
banished from the state, APPO organized the celebration and an indigenous
man did the cry. This had to be a first. Governor Ulises had planned to
do it from another town in Oaxaca but the popular struggle was not going
allow that and in the end he didn’t show his face. Odd similarity to the
national situation where President Fox, too, was unable to give the
“grito” in the Mexico City main square because of Obrador and his
supporters so he had to do it in another town.

Below is the latest article I have written, the background info is
repetitive for you all but there is some up to date info and some broader
analysis. Keep in mind this will be published in slingshot, an anarchist
newspaper, so this one is not written for a mainstream audience.

I do fear the movement may be facing some more repression soon so please
pass this info on to folks who might be interested, we have a lot of power
to stop such repression from the states if people are aware…

Graffiti calling for the ousting of the Governor of the state covers
almost every blank wall in the historic district of Oaxaca City. The
Zócalo, or main square, and the 50 blocks that surround it have become the
home of the statewide teachers strike since the end of May. The
encampment is surrounded by makeshift blockades of metal sheeting and
barbed wire, large pieces of concrete and in some cases reclaimed
government cars and buses keeping traffic of these streets. Multicolored
tarps cover blankets and cardboard used at night to sleep on by the
thousands involved in the struggle, community kitchens gather donations
and prepare large pots of beans and rice, a clinic is set up by supportive
workers in the medical field to serve those who have left their villages
and homes and are living in the encampments. Many teachers embroider,
read the latest movement communiqué, and gather in circles holding
meetings. Banners from unions and municipalities from all over the state
supporting this popular struggle hang between trees and light posts.
Stencils depicting Mexico’s revolutionary heroes, calling for the people
to rise up and demanding the release of political prisoners are
everywhere. This encampment in the main square marks where the movement
began last May, but it has since expanded and encampments can now be found
throughout the city. They now surround all government buildings in the
city and protect the four radio stations and their transmitters that have
been taken over and are currently held by the movement. These four
channels air march and meeting announcements, discussions, alerts and
calls for backup at the scenes of government repression of the movement.
This is just within Oaxaca City. At least 200 villages in the state have
joined in and reclaiming their town halls.

How the Movement Began
Seventy percent of the 3.5 million people who live in the state of Oaxaca
are indigenous. Over half live in abject poverty, 35 percent do not have
piped water in their homes. The Mexican constitution demands that all
children have the same access to education. And yet today in Oaxaca the
average person spends only 5.6 years in school, two years less than the
national average. The conditions in the rural schools are extremely poor,
with a lack of basic infrastructure. Children often come to school hungry,
barefoot and are without desks, books and pencils. For the past 26 years
Section 22 of the National Union of Education Workers has held an annual
statewide strike. Some of the demands this year included raises, basic
supplies and breakfast for the students. Each year the teachers camp out
in the main square of Oaxaca city until an adequate compromise is reached.
This year things played out a little different. At 4:30 am on June 14th
while teachers and their families were sleeping, 3000 police raided the
encampment, a helicopter fired teargas from the sky, cops beat people,
burnt their belongings leaving over 100 people injured. The teachers
resisted with sticks and rocks, reclaiming the square later the same day.
And they have remained ever since.

Construction of the Popular Assembly
Immediately after the government repression a mega march was held where
400,000 people came to show support for the teachers. A new entity was
formed of the 350 organizations that mobilized alongside the teacher
strike called the Popular Assembly of the People of Oaxaca (APPO).
Through hours of meetings this organization has come to represent not just
the voice of the striking teachers but also the voice of all those in the
state who face oppression and injustice. According to Florentino, a
member of the press committee, “APPO does not set out to impose any
decisions, what we set out to do is to integrate all the people so that
together we can organize and govern the state.” Without leaders and using
collective decision making, APPO advances daily with announcements of new
actions and strategies. The indigenous people of the region have a long
history with this type of organizational structure; many municipalities
are still run by the general assemblies under the traditional native
customs of usos y costumbres. These assemblies are not affiliated with
political parties and select the municipal presidents who then lead by
following, accountable to those who selected them.

On August 16th and 17th APPO held a forum entitled “Building Democracy and
Governability in Oaxaca,” with sessions covering the design of a new
state constitution, creating democracy from below, movement inclusion and
respect for diversity. Since the formation of APPO, a clear consensus
decision was made to change the primary demand from those of the teachers’
to the resignation of the Governor of Oaxaca, Ulises Ruiz Ortiz. Not only
because of his responsibility in the violent repression of their
democratic teachers’ strike but because he was brought to power through
fraud, and since the beginning of his term he has favored corporate
interests and undermined social organizations.

Corrupt Governments and their Development Plans
Corrupt exploitive governments are nothing new to Oaxaca or to Mexico. In
fact the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), made up of the
conservative right, light skinned, wealthy class, has held the position of
governor of Oaxaca for the past 80 years and all of Mexico for over 70
years, previous to the current President Vicente Fox’s rule. There were
hopes for Fox to step out of the traditional exploitive role but his
party, the National Action Party (PAN), has carried on the PRI legacy of
neoliberal expansion, corruption and repression of social organizations.

With help from the leaders of the Central American countries, Fox
initiated Plan Puebla Panama, PPP, a neoliberal development mega project,
praised by the United States. This project, claiming one of its main
goals is to improve the conditions for the people of the region, in
actuality is stealing land from indigenous people for infrastructure
projects to move resources more quickly into the hands of multinational
corporations and commodifying their culture for the tourist industry. One
of the projects with huge implications for Oaxaca is the creation of a
super highway at Mexico’s skinniest point, the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, in
order to move resources more readily across the land from the Atlantic to
the Pacific. This transportation corridor will be surrounded with
sweatshops, maquiladoras, free of labor and environmental laws. “For all
of these objectives, the government of Oaxaca is key to the realization of
the project,” explained Florentino.

Ulises Ruiz Ortiz is a carbon copy of the most corrupt PRI leadership
which exploits and represses the majority indigenous population to serve
the interests of foreign corporations and maintain nationwide PRI control,
a perfect match to prepare the region for the implementation of the PPP.
Unable to be elected democratically, Ulises was forced to steal his
position through vote buying, ballot box tampering and computer fraud. On
December 1st 2004, his first day as Governor, 40 armed men including PRI
municipal leaders with police support occupied the Noticias, a major
newspaper for the region which covered illegitimacy of the election. The
newspaper has been operating out of a different location ever since. In
the 21 months that Governor Ulises Ruiz Ortiz has been in power 37 people
have been killed for political reasons. With this record his response to
the democratic teachers strike on June 14th comes as no surprise.

Government Repression Continues
The repressive tactics against the movement have continued since June
14th. Arrest warrants have been issued for at least 80 movement “leaders”
including members of the teachers union. Four have been abducted from the
street by unmarked vans, photos of one, a biologist, severely beaten were
seen in the local news. The faces of the four political prisoners and a
strong call for their freedom can be seen wheat pasted throughout
downtown. In response to that repression a march was held on August 10th,
20,000 attended with one days notice. Half way through the march
government goons shot into the crowd killing José Jimenez Colmenares, a
mechanic and the husband of a teacher. Yet the movement remains dedicated
to not taking up arms. Instead APPO has used the main strategy of
creating a situation of ungovernability in Oaxaca preventing the state
government from meeting, orchestrating state wide strikes, blockading bank
and wealthy business, and controlling transportation through highway
stoppages.

In late August the federal government finally agreed to negotiations with
APPO and 28 representatives, half teachers, went to Mexico City. These
negotiations are not likely to go anywhere because the federal government
refuses to back down and the movement is unwilling to compromise on the
resignation of Ulises Ruiz Ortiz. A teacher living in an encampment
outside one of the radio stations explained “Some compañeros want to
accept the crumbs that the federal government is offering us and say that
maybe we better return to class so that this can end peacefully, as if
nothing has happened, but there are a lot of us that say no, because this
would imply forgetting the reality that we have been living until now. I
insist this type of repression before has not been seen in Oaxaca and if
we allow it, believe me when I say, that we would condemn the state of
Oaxaca to live like this. Something that would not only affect the
teachers but every social group that would want to rise up in the
future.”

Power of Community Radio
Radio has played a very significant role in this movement, giving new
voice to the voiceless. A radio station, created by the striking teachers
with community support was destroyed by the police during the June 14th
repression. In response, students from the Autonomous University of
Benito Juarez reclaimed their radio station, Radio Universidad, and it
became the means of communication for the movement. It too was shot into
by government goons and acid was poured on the transmitter, destroying the
station. On August 1st a 3000 strong women’s march moved through downtown
clanging pots and pans, in the spirit of the march of “cacerolas” in
Chile, and calling for the resignation of the state governor of Oaxaca,
Ulises Ruiz Ortiz. Leila, a member of the women’s coordination committee
of APPO explained, “The pots and pans reflect that in Oaxacan homes, there
is no food. In a country where there is no justice, no equality, where
there is no respect for human rights, these pans are not only empty of
food but also of these basic principles.”

After the march ended in the main square, a contingent of 500 women
decided to take over Channel 9 CORTV, a state wide television station and
its two affiliated radio stations. After a few hours the women got the
channel back on the air. They began to express many reasons for the
takeover, to continue the pressure for the governor’s resignation, to
reclaim the space for the community, to air the news that is not getting
covered and to use the mode of communication for organizing and spreading
word of the needs of the movement. On August 21st police and government
goons attacked the transmitter control room for Channel 9 taking it and
two affiliated radio stations off the air. A contingency plan had been
created and within hours 11 radio stations were under the control of
movement members, many of them women from Channel 9.

Encampments and street blockades were set up protect the new stations from
plain clothed cops and paramilitaries who appear at night and fire into
the encampments. One movement member guarding radio station was killed
bringing the total deaths to eight. This repression has had the opposite
effects of its apparent goals to disable the movement with fear, instead,
more and more people can be found sleeping in the encampments outside the
radio stations and the determination of the people seems stronger and
stronger. On September 3rd APPO declared the Governor banned from the
state and have essentially taken over control of the state. Florentino
explained, “For us the process of destruction of the government and the
resignation of Ulises has already ended so that a phase of construction
can begin, of creating governability, of showing that we are capable of
governing ourselves.”

In this National Climate the Winds of Oaxaca Reach Far and Wide
While the people have managed, at least for the time being to reclaim
Oaxaca from the hands of the corrupt and repressive leadership, on the
national level Felipe Calderon, with the help of the conservative Federal
Election Commission (TRIFE), has managed to fraudulently steal the
national presidency. On September 6th TRIFE unanimously handed the
presidency of Mexico to Calderon even though he had only half a percent
lead out of 41.6 million votes over the left PRD candidate Manuel Lopez
Obrador amidst an immense amount of evidence pointing to fraud. Obrador,
who some on the left have criticized as a moderate, has campaigned on
helping the poor and is refusing to back down, mobilizing millions against
the fraud in Mexico City.

In preparation for the his final State of the Union address on September
1st, President Fox planned to keep the Obrador supporters at bay with 10
foot tall metal barricades, thousands of armed federal police, water
cannons and military snipers stationed on rooftops of surrounding
buildings. He did not foresee the 155 senators and congress members who
felt the election was fraudulent and who prevented the speech from the
inside by taking over the podium. Fox ended up giving a televised
address. On September 16th at a National Democratic Convention for the
people voted Obrador as President of a “parallel government” with plans to
prevent Calderon from taking office on December 1st. Those in power
continue to try and carry on with business as usual. According to a White
House spokesperson, two days after Calderon was handed the presidency,
George Bush expressed the desire to “meet at the earliest mutually
convenient opportunity” especially to move forward on Plan Puebla to
Panama. Try as they might, they can not continue to ignore what is being
created in the poor and indigenous communities in Oaxaca and throughout
Mexico.

“The worry that is maybe the biggest of all is the fear of being
repressed, the fear of being incarcerated, the fear of being harshly
beaten, and of course, the fear of dying because that is what we are
exposed to,” states a teacher afraid to share his name. Yet the dignity
and courage in his eyes and in the eyes of so many suggests to me that
perhaps the strength of this mass mobilization of people with justice in
their hearts and a clear understanding of the roots of their exploitation
in their minds can withstand this brutal repression. The largest defense
against this repression is international solidarity as we have seen
throughout the Zapatista uprisings in Chiapas. APPO has recently called
for international solidarity, for actions at Mexican consulates throughout
the world. This struggle for human rights and self determination is not
new and what they are resisting is clearly not confined to Oaxaca. In
fact Oaxaca is simply another front in this global struggle for social
justice. And we, in the belly of the beast, where it is the easiest to
carry on and maintain the status quo, we must stand tall and not let a
single casualty in this struggle go unnoticed. We gain strength with each
exploitive act and development plan that increases the distance between
the very rich and the growing poor. Throughout the Americas things are
changing. In South America the grass roots movements are expanding,
electing left leadership. And in the states the immigrant rights
movements are on the move. The potential for solidarity is endless. The
Former Chiapas Bishop Samuel Ruíz García, a long time advocate for the
poor and indigenous communities, attended an APPO forum. In the closing
ceremonies he stated, “…it might be that we are standing in two time
dimensions, the past and the future. In these days we are living something
that we are leaving, and cement is being placed beneath something that
doesn’t come automatically but is the result of working together, of our
construction.”

Posted in Rochelle, guest writer, news, oaxaca, terror | No Comments »

Dude on airplane day being an inside job:

Sunday, August 27th, 2006



 
 
I do not buy that 911 was an inside job by the government. I can buy that the Neocons in the Bush admin potentially knew something was up and did nothing in order to create public sentiment that would rally behind the flag and agree to their extreme foriegn policy agenda, but that’s a far cry from orchestrating the event and attacking your own nation with missiles, etc. I don’t believe that this happened, but I see the motivation that they may have had.
I heard James Fetzer, the co-founder of the Scholars for 9/11 Truth on a radio interview. The guy claimed that some of the hijackers are still alive and living in Europe. He claimed that the BBc had interviewed them on TV. The radio host (of a liberal talk show) felt obligate dto follow-up on that point and googled for signs of this and could not find one orginal article on the BBC website. So then he wanted to make sure that he tried hard enough to research the claim, and he called the BBC and tried to find a producer over there that knew anything about this. The BBC producers laughed at him and hung up on him.
Furthermore, from listening to this guy, I truly believe that these people are just letting their emotion get the best of them. This Fetzer guy claimed that he has experts that say that as few as 10 trips to the WTC could hav ebeen made prior to 911 to strategically place explosives, and because its such a small number of trips, that we should believe that no one saw anyone preparing the building for demolition. I heard this and thought it was outrageous on its face. If yo’ve ever watched a documentary on demolitions of this type, they have to drill into the structural supports of the building with giant hammer-drills that pound away at the concrete like a jack-hammer while they are drilling. On top of that, even if they only made 10 trips, as he says, they’d have to carry at least a couple huge packages of explosives into the building. So my question is “you don’t think that ***anyone** who worked in the WTC would have seen a guy walking around with a dufflebag full of explosives and a giant hammer-drill? …and these guys would not have been simply walking down the stairwells. from what i understand about these buildings, the main structural supports were (1) the center shaft of the building that housed the elevators/electrical/plumbing, and (2) the outter skin of the building. How could someone access these parts of the building, drill into cement with a hammer-drill, place a whole bunch of explosives at key points, and still not have anyone notice???!!!??? Its simple common sense to me. It just could not have happened.
Secondly, and much more damming to their assertion, is the fact that no one from within the conspiracy has come forward. Something like a dozen people have left the Bush administration on bad terms and many have written tell-all books that the administration has been furious about. The list is long and distinguished: Colin Powell, Christie Whitman, Richard Clarke, Paul O’Neil, Thomas White, Eric Shenseki, Lawrence Wilkerson. …and all these people were let go for telling the truth. …and many of them have said on the record that the Bush administration wante dto go to war with Iraq from day one. If 911 was an inside job, why wouldn’t any of these people, who already have been fire for telling the truth, come forward and spill the beans? But what’s even a more obvious question is: a plan like this would have to be comprised of at least dozens of people and potentially hundreds of people; why has not one person surfaced and said “I know the whole story and it was an inside job”. You simply cannot keep a secret like this. Its impossible. For crying out loud, people leak less important stuff nearly everyday. Surely, there would be a leaker if this were true. But there isn’t.
Sorry for the rant, but there is simply no evidence that 911 was an inside job and I am getting tired of explaining this to people. I hate what Bush has done to the country more than anyone and I’d love to get him out of office, and I think he deserves to go to jail for some of the things he’s done, so I am not some salute-the-president happy republican here. I think that two things contribute to people’s willingness to buy these conspiracy theories (1) peoples’ hatred for Bush, and (2) people’s understandable feeling that they don’t want to believe that a few simpletons with box cutters could take down an American icon. These two factors cloud people’s ability to see things objectively.
Lastly, I am not saying that there are not unanswered questions. I think that the 911 commission was way too easy on alot of people. The mere fact that the president got a brief titled “Bin Laden Determined to Attack USA” on 08/06/2001 is evidence that these clowns were goofing around in the white house when they should have been protecting America. At least when Clinton was getting head in the oval office, no one attacked the country. Bush took a 6 week vacation right before both Katrina and 911!!!

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Oaxaca struggle persists

Thursday, August 24th, 2006
from Rochelle:
hello all!
The teachers and their supporters continue to remain strong in the face of
nightly acts of repression. The police and government goons shot up the
transmitter for channel 9, shutting down the state tv that the the women
from the movement had controlled since the 1st of August. Immediately
stations all over the city were taken over. In the last two nights two
teachers have been killed by government forces while protecting those
stations. We have continued to post photos at…
http://www.flickr.com/photos/72025498@N00/

Below please find words from two of the teachers here…
hope everyone is well…
rochelle

“I received your message and wanted to write that the situation within the
teacher’s union is really difficult. We are living a terrible repression
under Ulises Ruiz Ortiz’s government. Today at 12:30 a.m. a concerted
attack was launched against the teachers who were guarding the radio
stations. 40 pickups full of police leveled their guns at our companions
and fired without regard for who might be wounded or killed. During the
attack one teacher (male) was killed and another (woman) wounded.

“We are placing guards at each of our camps and in reality we are armed
only with our conscience, reason and right. We ask anyone who can help
us to please let others know about the situation we are living by any
means at their disposal.

“The daily reality that we live through in Oaxaca should be told,
despite the media curtain that makes it difficult for even other
Oaxacans to know the truth.

“I would like it if [the university where I study] would raise its voice
and let the world know about the situation, I would hope that their
understanding of social problems would press them to help us, but it
seems that the one-time leaders of social struggle have lost their
voice.”

“In truth after last night we are afraid even though we don’t say so. No
one wants to be exposed but we are aware that we have to go forward until
this is finished. The consensus without a doubt was that we go together
to the end. We are all saddened by the attitude of Governor Ulises Ruiz
Ortiz. Our leaders wanted us to participate in the strike in a limited,
representative fashion in order to keep us safe, but we voted to strike
as a group, to keep together. At this time there are very few around us
who remain quiet and indifferent and we are aware of this. I can assure
you that most have consciousness and awareness of what is happening. With
respect to our personal security no-one, absolutely no-one is safe in the
camps, but after our consensus decision I can assure you that we will
continue to the end.”

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Rochelle in Oaxaca

Sunday, August 13th, 2006

Hello all…

So things in Oaxaca are intensifying and fast.

Last week there was a 2000+ womens’ march of the Popular Assembly of the
State of Oaxaca (APPO). A quick recap, this is the organization that
formed after the June 14th police repression of the striking teachers
union SNTE Section 22. APPO is made up of the teachers as well as a huge
variety of social organizations who support the teachers. Since APPO’s
formation the main goal has been to force the resignation of the
right-wing corrupt governor of Oaxaca State, Ulises Ruiz Ortiz. The main
method being used to acheive this is to use nonviolent tactics to stop the
state government from functioning. The state Government House, the State
Congress and the Oaxaca Superior Tribunal of Justice, the Department of
Finances, the General Attorney’s office, the penal tribunals, and other
facilities have all been blockaded.

So back to the women, after marching for five miles they nonviolently took
over the state tv station and have controlled it ever since. It took them
a few hours to get it up and running but since then they have been playing
the footage of the June 14th repression, the march of 400,000 teachers and
growing number of supporters 2 weeks later, and other indymedia style
documentaries of class struggles going on throughout Mexico. They even
played a documentay on the oppression faced by the Palestinians. The
media here is controlled by the wealthy and those in power, like in the
states, so these things had never made it on to television. The televison
station also has two affilited radio stations which the women now control
as well.

The movement has truly been growing, the largest mass movement I have ever
witnessed. It is spreading throughout the whole state of Oaxaca. 40
municipalities and towns around the state have made changes to those in
power, 20 municipal town halls are currently occupied. Nineteen
municipalities have joined APPO and have sent people here to Oaxaca city
to further the struggle. APPO has set up road blockades through out the
state and have taken over 6o public buses and 18 government cars.

Last week it was clear that APPO was acheiving its goals. The movement
was growing and its voice was loud and clear through the women on the
television and radio stations and the university radio station. Then on
the night of August 6th, although denied by President Vicente Fox, 300
officers of the Federal Preventive Police arrived in the city. On the
8th, 30 police men dressed in civilian clothing tried to disperse one of
the blockades in front of an occupied public building with tear gas and
gunfire. One woman was shot in the leg. Then the repression began to
show up all over the city in a series of events which I will list below to
keep it short…

August 7th
Two men start a bus on fire outside the university radio station as a
distraction, they then proceed to throw acid on the transmitter. Radio
Universidad is shutdown.
A NGO leader is disappeared.
A university professor is shot dead in his car.

August 8th
A leading indigenous rights advocate and active in APPO, who is wheelchair
bound from past police torture, is picked up by masked men in an unmarked
car and disappeared with two men who were with him.
Two men enter the state newspaper, Noticias, which has been sympathetic to
the struggle and shoot into the air.

August 10th
The government of Oaxaca announced arrest warrants for 50 leaders of APPO,
including many NGO leaders and leaders within the teachers union Section
22. According to the Secretary of Public Security, this is to “guarantee
the safety” of the state.

Also yesterday, a march was called by APPO against this repression and for
the release of those who have been disappeared. At least 20,000 people
marched through the streets. From the sidelines of the march shots were
fired killing one man, the husband of a teacher. The house that the shots
came from was rented by the police and a federal police badge was found
inside. Today APPO held a huge procession for the man who was killed
during the march into the center square, thousands attended the funeral
and chants that the struggle will continue were repeated for hours.

I believe the movement in Oaxaca has become a strong and diverse class
struggle against the corrupted officials and business-people who have been
in power in Oaxaca for decades. The state of Oaxaca is 70 percent
indigenous and has a long history of resistance and struggle. Those in
power have begun a dirty war against the movement and I fear for these
brave people who continue to take a strong stand against extreme injustice
and corruption even as they see their fellow compañer@s fall.

The photos I took at yesterday’s march can be seen at
http://www.flickr.com/photos/72025498@N00/
And I encourage any of you that are able to make a call or write to
Vicente Fox and others to demand an end to this repression and respect for
human rights in the state of Oaxaca. Contact info to follow…

with love,
Rochelle

Vicente Fox Quesada
Presidente Constitucional de los Estados Unidos Mexicanos
Teléfono: (55) 52777455
Fax: (55) 52772376
radio@presidencia.gob.mx
presidencia@gob.mx
vicentefox@presidencia.gob.mx

Carlos M. Abascal Carranza
Secretario de Gobernación, México, D.F.
Fax: (00 52) 5 55 546 5350,
(00 52) 5 55 546 7388
segob@rtn.net.mx

Jesús Enrique Jackson Ramírez
Presidente de la Mesa Directiva
del Senado de la República
Teléfono 53.45.30.00 Ext: 3165, 3274
Fax 53.45.30.00 Ext3164
ejackson@senado.gob.mx

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It's a fucking bus

Saturday, August 12th, 2006

the civilized hijackings of the seventies are over. if guy says he has a bomb, you’re all going to die anyway–bum rush him. problem solved, just like on united 93. no need for extra security, we can take care of things ourselves.

That is from a thread between me, Dude and my brother after the announcement that we can’t bring drinks onto planes anymore:

From: American Embassy Tokyo
Date: Aug 11, 2006 10:57 AM
Subject: Public Announcement

<snip>

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is implementing a series of security measures, some visible and some not visible, to ensure the security of the traveling public and the nation’s transportation system.

NO LIQUIDS OR GELS OF ANY KIND WILL BE PERMITTED IN CARRY-ON BAGGAGE. SUCH ITEMS MUST BE IN CHECKED BAGGAGE.

This includes all beverages, shampoo, suntan lotion, creams, tooth paste, hair gel, and other items of similar consistency

Exceptions: Baby formula and breast milk if a baby or small child is traveling and medicines, which must be presented for inspection at the checkpoint.

<snip>

————————————————————————-

From: Dude

what’s crazy is that they are still allowing each person to carry two books of matches!!! I really do not get this. You cannot smoke on planes and in most airports. Smoking is not vital to national security, and its a horrible public health problem. oh yeah…. the tobacco lobby gives alot of money to politicians. Now I get it.

————————————————————————-

From: Rob

It’s infuriating! (ed. note: I am a genius!)

————————————————————————-

From: Fred

the whole thing is a pile of shit. chertoff is a complete idiot. he is fourth on my list of people to hate after karl rove, dick cheney, and donald rumsfeld. oh, and speaking of karl rove, i want to kick robert novak in the nuts for protecting him, and then patrick fitzgerald for giving rove immunity. whatever company novak works for, i am never giving them money ever.

but back to air travel. i mean, the system *worked*! the bad guys got caught! the us/uk cops could have intervened weeks ago, but they decided to wait until the shit was going down before arresting anybody, and now look at what’s happened: water is the new terrorist threat.

recall that idiot who tried to light his shoes on fire. everyone now knows the score: the civilized hijackings of the seventies are over. if guy says he has a bomb, you’re all going to die anyway–bum rush him. problem solved, just like on united 93. no need for extra security, we can take care of things ourselves. but what’s happened? we still have to take off our shoes or get the wand, even years later! it’s completely stupid, and it’s a health risk.

people, people. it’s a fucking *bus*. get on, sit down, and shut up.
there is no magic any more. it is not a luxury cruise. you cannot be “secure.” you fly a plane cause it’s *faster*, not because it’s cheaper or safer.

i am writing a letter to my congressman telling him that he’d better get it in gear or i’m not voting for him. no incumbents. fuck you guys.

————————————————————————-

From: Dude

amen!!! I totally agree that any MF who tried anything on a plane would get bum-rushed and killed by passengers. I know I’d be one of the people kicking the guy’s ass. I’d let out all of the anger I have at the bush administration on that dude. he’d be toast. hahaha.

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Fred on 4D coaster

Wednesday, July 26th, 2006
Dude:
Rob - Fred called from magic mountain.  he said that the 4-D coaster was kick ass.  he said that he waited in line for 2.5 hrs and that the ride itself was 3 minutes long, and that it took 4 minutes just to swap seats when the coaster is done (only one coaster per track).  he said that the top speed was 70-ish MPH.  sounds kick ass, but 2.5 hrs is a long time to wait.  :-)))
Rob:
I’m guessin’ the wait time at the new 4D coaster here is longer than that….
Thanks for the update!
Fred:

yeah. basically, it was worth the wait, in the end.  the ride is very well designed, smooth as a baby’s bottom, no jostling, no sudden changes from one element to the next (recall XLR-8), and very natural changes from, say, facing backward, flying inverted, track sideways, low-ish g’s, to facing forward, scooping down and back up through a very high-g valley.

but i don’t recommend trekking all the way to fuji-q just yet; wait a while, so the line will be less and they might be running more trains.  for instance, x has no braking sections, giving a maximum of 2 trains (3 if you can have one on the lift hill?) (see below).  yesterday, they had only one train of 7 cars, 4 per car, and a total turnaround time of 7 minutes, perhaps longer.  so while the published capacity is 1600 riders per hour, magic mountain was getting maybe 400, max. idiots.  one of the operators said there was only one train available! i pointed out the six cars sitting on the ground behind the station, and he said they were just parts.

i was unimpressed with magic mountain.  i have never seen a park more empty, nor more inefficiently run.  i mean, they had only one train on the damn track, despite the “getting off” place being different from the “getting on” place.  that is only one of several examples. another: they had a “fast pass” for $15 per 4 passes, where you go in the out door, and skip the line.  at some rides (tatsu) no one was even checking cause there were almost no “fast passers”, yet four
whole rows were reserved for “fast pass” only.  at one ride (psyclone?) the operator let in the passers (a 30-45 second delay) after the cars were full, but before she had checked the safety harnesses.  so every fast passer caused a thirty second delay for every single person in line.  this happened basically every train.
also, she wouldn’t let me just go sit in an empty seat.

if i had it to do again, i would have ridden X first, before the park had time to fill, instead of saving it for last, and i would have gotten up sooner, in order to have had time to ride riddler’s revenge, which, i think is a duplicate of one of my favorite rides, raptor, at cedar point.  (when i stopped by the first time, it was having trouble, and after i’d waited so long for X, i couldn’t wait for riddler’s revenge.)

a final note: maybe it was the shitty park food, and maybe it was the lack of water, but i kind of felt increasingly nauseated during some of the rides. am i getting old, or out of practice?

oh yeah: if you ride tatsu, or a ride like tatsu, do not wear glasses.
but you probably knew that.

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Gaza Departure by Serena

Friday, January 6th, 2006

By now you may be aware that I am in Jerusalem with the four other delegates from the Olympia-Rafah Sister City Project, and Cindy and Craig Corrie. We chose to leave Gaza Wednesday morning after two men came to our apartment late Tuesday night asking us to go with them under the false pretense that we would be safer staying in their home. Our host in Rafah recognized this as an attempt to kidnap us and cautiously navigated the situation resulting in the bizarre scenario of the men shaking each of our hands and leaving. Though this experience was nerve-wracking at no point did I feel I was in any physical danger.

Kidnapping of foreigners has become increasingly common throughout the past month as the upcoming legislative elections get closer. The past week and a half in Rafah much of our time was spent discussing our safety. Our Palestinian friends in Rafah were very attentive and aware of the developing situation. Together with their support and guidance we attempted to navigate these unfortunate circumstances. Earlier on the day this incident occurred, our friends in Rafah strongly recommended that we leave for our own safety. Based on their concerns we had agreed to leave earlier than expected, though our rapid good-byes came more quickly than anticipated after our attempted kidnapping.

I meant to send out this report before this incident took place, but as circumstances in Gaza have become increasingly unstable and our situation shifted daily I found myself constantly having to update this report. I have decided to send it now as I think it contextualizes our attempted kidnapping in this pre-election period.

Last week as I sat in the Internet café a block from my apartment in Rafah reading the latest news from throughout Gaza and the West Bank I was left feeling vulnerable and uncertain. I was struck by how chaotic and unruly it all sounded, yet sitting there quietly reading and writing, being served free cups of hot tea by the young men who run the café, the stories on the screen felt distant and unrelated to my reality.

It had been difficult for me to write these past few weeks. I think it had to do with the fact that I felt more settled in, more at home. I had my routine. Each morning I woke up, stretched, made a pot of Turkish coffee on our one electric stove and headed out to a meeting, presentation, or some other sort of social gathering. The ability to create a routine in the midst of an uncertain, potentially dangerous situation grounded me. At the same time I was left feeling disoriented and disconnected from the events surrounding me.

I know the work I am doing, helping establish various cross-cultural projects, for example creating a network to sell women’s fair trade embroidery in Olympia or facilitating the connection between an elementary school class in Rafah and a school in Olympia, is a part of a larger vision. I know that this work is one project of many designed to educate people in the US about Palestine and the role the US government plays in continuing the occupation here. And as my friends in Rafah emphasize, educate people in Palestine about the American people and those of us who oppose the actions of the US government. But it is hard sometimes to feel that all of these things are in any way related to the daily realities of life in Gaza.

Daily I saw or heard second hand about the latest unrest in Gaza. The almost nightly bombings that have taken place over northern Gaza, the targeted assassinations, the implementation and blatant redeployment by the Israeli military of a “no-go zone” stretching 1.5 miles inside of Gaza on the northern and eastern boarders. The daily take-over of Palestinian electoral offices by various Palestinian factions angry over broken promises of jobs and positions of authority with in the PA (Palestinian Authority). Last week’s news of two men killed by the IOF (Israeli Occupation Force) for being within the “no go zone”. News of two Islamic Jihad members killed by an apache helicopter air strike as they were driving in Gaza City one evening. The events taking place in Gaza are endless, one follows the other faster than I can learn about what is taking place.

Two weeks ago, as we drove out of Rafah heading towards Gaza City I looked out the window of the taxi and saw armed Palestinian police in their blue uniforms surrounding a group of masked men leaning against a near-by wall. I later learned that the men were demanding space on the ballot of the upcoming legislative elections scheduled to take place January 25th. With the run up to the elections tension mounts daily as gun fights and election office take-overs are increasingly common.

Even as I see glimpses of the reality, laying in bed reading while listening nightly to the shelling and bombing over Gaza City. Holding in my hand the one notice of warning Israel has given to those living and working inside the area Israel has declared a “no go zone”. It reads: “Residents of Northern Gaza, terrorists are launching missiles from beside your houses. The IDF (Israel Defense Force) is working to defend the security of Israel and they will continue pursuing the terrorists. You must leave this area. Staying will put your lives in danger. IDF Leadership.” Or walking through downtown Rafah as a parade of Palestinian police cars and trucks crammed full of police men with guns occasionally shooting into the air in an attempt to clear the traffic from their path as they mourned the loss of a fellow police officer earlier in the week. I still felt on the periphery of all that was taking place.

But every now and again an experience or story would jolt me back into what it really meant to be living Gaza. I felt this more strongly in the past few days, as the unstable situation in Gaza has resulted more and more frequently in the kidnapping of foreigners.

Last Wednesday three Brits were kidnapped as they entered Gaza from Rafah Crossing. I am relieved to say that on Friday they were released unharmed and the woman who was kidnapped and has been working in Gaza for the past year will continue her work here. I breathed a sign of relief upon hearing this news. But almost a quickly as my concerns were dispelled news of another kidnapping surfaced. The man, Italian, was released unharmed in a matter of hours after the PA took an active role in securing his release. These incidents heightened our awareness of our surroundings and sparked many conversations and concern from Palestinians regarding our safety.

Listening to the concerns and advice from our friends in Rafah, we had made the decision Tuesday afternoon to leave Gaza by the end of the week. Our remaining time in Rafah was shortened even further after the attempted kidnapping we experienced Tuesday night. As we said rapid good-byes to the few friends who were able to see us off I still could not process that we were leaving. Our time in Rafah was cut short and it was painful to leave all the people I have come to know and love, yet the two months we were able to spend there were amazing.

We accomplished many of the goals we began with and laid the foundation for continued cooperation and cross-cultural connection to take place. Continuing this work is extremely important and sends a strong message of our commitment to solidarity with the Palestinian people in spite of the action of a small sector of the population carrying out the kidnappings. The act of kidnapping foreigners will not deter us from our commitment to the Palestine people, and the people of Rafah in particular.

We will continue to work in solidarity with Palestinians as stopping sets a precedent for internationals to discontinue their work in Gaza. Such actions would send the message that the acts of a few have the potential to dismantle years of energy put towards building trust and understanding between Palestinian’s and internationals in Gaza. We will continue to foster the friendships we made during our two months in Rafah and find creative ways to carry out the projects we began despite our rapid departure.

I feel incredibly supported by the friends we have made in Rafah. They gave all their spare time to accompanying us when we traveled and constantly checked in with us wanting to know that we were okay when they were not around. As one friend put it, “We will provide you with security not with weapons, but with our friendship and love”

The kidnappings taking place in Gaza are different and unrelated to the kidnappings taking place in Iraq. They are a part of the internal power struggle in Gaza. The majority of kidnappings have been used to pressure the PA for jobs within the Authority, or to secure the release of friends or family jailed by the PA. In Iraq kidnappings are employed to release prisoners held by the US or to demand an end to the Occupation. In Iraq kidnappings are used as collateral to pressure an external power whose control is not affected by the kidnappings. Yes, it represents the sense of chaos and lack of control the US maintains over Iraq, but the media uses it to justify the continued occupation under the guise of achieving security before leaving. The US will not give in to the demands of the kidnappers as they feel it will display a weakness in US foreign policy.

Kidnappings in Gaza are primarily used to put pressure on the internal power players, namely the Palestinian Authority. In the eyes of the international community these acts do not benefit the PA in any way, but rather undermine their legitimacy. The media is more than willing to uses the kidnappings to discredit the PA. Saying such things as “mayhem in the Gaza Strip….has embarrassed Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, threatening to undermine his Fatah Party…”

It doesn’t take much thought to determine that the rationale of kidnapping foreigners to be used as bargaining chips in Gaza are borrowed from Iraqi resistance to the US occupation, but the goals and politics behind them differ. The phenomenon of kidnapping in Gaza is new. It had been the topic of conversation everywhere we went in Rafah and without fail the people we met condemn these acts. My analysis about this is in no way comprehensive but having spent countless hours with dozens of Palestinians discussing this I feel I should share some of what I heard.

Many people I have spoken with see the kidnappings as a sign of unrest due to the upcoming elections. It is one aspect of the larger climate that has developed here during the election season. This is a phase, growing pains that Palestine is experiencing as it attempts to hold its first legislative elections since 1996. People have hope that post-election the situation will change, as a governmental structure will take shape challenging the unruly atmosphere that currently exists. There is still talk of the elections being canceled though people remain optimistic that they will take place.

Last summer’s Israeli disengagement, or rather, redeployment left a power vacuum leading various political factions jockeying for control. The PA has been weakened and the Palestinian public views it with skepticism because of internal corruption as well as Israel successfully undermining their credibility through such policies as unilateral decision making. Despite Israel’s redeployment it has continued to exploit the daily lawlessness in Palestine and Gaza in particular. With threats to prohibit Palestinians in East Jerusalem from voting due to Hamas’ participation in the elections, with the creation of a “no go zone”, targeted assassinations as I mentioned earlier, and on and on the occupation of Gaza and the West Bank undoubtedly play a role in the ensuing state of unrest in Gaza.

To expect that Palestine, lacking status as an independent country, can effectively hold elections while under military occupation is unrealistic. I hear criticism of the PA for not controlling the unfolding events taking place in Gaza but the inability of the PA to govern Gaza is not purely a home grow problem. Yes, there is corruption within the PA contributing to its ineffectiveness, but one cannot deny the role Israel has played in undermining its ability to establish any sort of credible and therefore effective government. Due in large part to the continued Israeli occupation the PA is unable to provide basic services and meet the needs of the people. This has ripened the playing field for others to step up to bat. In this pre-election season we see these power struggles playing out in the streets, in electoral offices, and in the use of foreigners to pressure the PA to acknowledge the interests of individuals and groups.

It is an intense but fascinating time to be in Palestine. In spite of the kidnapping attempt I am thankful that I was able to experience some of what it is like to be in a place where people feel passionate about their lives, their hope for freedom and for a better future. I do not agree with many of the tactics employed by various Palestinian factions but I cannot deny that there is much more participation in the political process in Palestine than in the United States.

As the international media continues to portray the instability in Gaza as solely the fault of the PA and armed militant groups we must recognize the role our government and the Israeli government’s policies have played in creating the events now unfolding. In this globalized world we have the ability to witness and support grassroots movement for justice taking place all over the world. Building relationships with those whom our government categorizes as “terrorists” or “communists” breaks down these generalizations and lays the foundation for trust to be fostered. I have experienced the strength and power this work holds and have see the positive impact of even the simplest acts of solidarity.

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Rafah Crossing by Serena

Monday, November 28th, 2005

Below (save for the AP quote) was written by Serena, serene@riseup.net

RAFAH TERMINAL, Gaza Strip - It was a smooth debut Saturday for the first
Palestinian-run border crossing. Hundreds of travelers zipped through
passport control without having to submit to Israeli security checks,
savoring their new freedom after 38 years of military occupation.

(Written 27 November 2005 By Ibrahim Barzak, Associated Press)

Reading the headline news on Rafah Crossing one would conclude that Palestinians are free to come and go as they please with minimal control by Israel over Gaza in general, nothing significantly impeding them from creating a prosperous economy, controlling their borders, air space and sea ports. The AP news wire with such titles as “Palestinians zip across border” and “Speedy passage from Gaza” conjure up images of anyone being able to leave Gaza as they please, with a snap of their fingers.

At the ceremony held at the crossing last Friday, Nov. 25th, Abbas stated “I think every Palestinian now has his passport ready in his pocket; let them come to cross at this terminal whenever they want,”. Despite the opening of the crossing and the majority of control being handed over to the PA, Egypt and the EU, stating that Rafah crossing is open for all to come and go freely is misleading.

Talking to people in Rafah I get the impression that the feeling on the street is not necessarily reflected in the statements of Abbas and other officials. “Sure I can cross” they tell me, “If I had a visa”. Men between the ages of 15-55 cannot cross without one. Or I hear “If I had a passport I could pass”. Men over the age of 55 must have this ID to legitimize their passage. Not only is the bureaucracy to obtain these documents astounding, taking anywhere from 2 weeks to 3 months, but it costs more money then most people here can afford to fork over.

Abu K has been talking for weeks now about finally being able to visit his parents in Egypt, he has not seen them since the Intifada broke out. We have gone with him, visiting various governmental offices and a lawyer as he attempts to renew his ID card. This process is slow, weighted down with bureaucracy. It could take him up to 3 months before he gets approval. At the same time he has been hoping that his parents would be able to come visit him in Rafah with the opening of the crossing. He kept saying, “I will see my parents soon Insha’allah”. As the crossing officially opened he learned that his parents will have to obtain passports, beyond the ID they already hold. This process as well can take up to 3 months. His hopes of seeing them, like those of so many others rose with the hype of Rafah crossing opening. Time and time again the rhetoric does not materialize, the reality of everyday life does not change.

Another friend, Ahmed, has t-shirts of Rachel Corrie and Tom Hurndall that need to be mailed to the states. Mailing anything in and out of Gaza is extremely unreliable, exemplifying the occupation of Gaza in its current form. Ahmed is my age, 24, meaning he needs a visa issued by the PA before being able to cross in to Egypt. Again visas not only take months to process, particularly now as hundreds of people are applying for them, they are also extremely expensive, limiting access even more so to those who’s income is above average, or those who patiently save enough to buy their way through. Ahmed’s strategy is to send his father who is over 55, thus not needing a visa, merely a valid passport, to mail them from Egypt.

We attended the private ceremony of the opening of the crossing. Being that we are here in Rafah we decided to see if it was all that it was cracked up to be. As we drove toward the crossing the road was lined with Palestinian security guards, after all it was a ceremony for government officials, foreign dignitaries and politicians. When we arrived at the first gate there was no shortage of people crowded outside trying to enter. Those with press passes were allowed to pass through freely, as were the fancy cars carrying men in suits, businessmen, and politicians. We pushed our way through the crowd Rochelle and I and two Palestinian friends, Ahmed and Mahmoud. Standing in the midst of the crowd we waited not knowing what was happening. Mahmoud called to us and the next thing we knew security guards were ushering us through the gate. On the inside of the gate Palestinian police and military personnel dressed in blue fatigue swarmed the area. We began walking and were quickly escorted into a van with other journalists. Wondering how we made it in passed all the security I had the suspicion that being two white women carrying video equipment may have had something to do with it. Mahmoud later confirmed this was true. He told the security guards that he was escorting two journalists. This gave us a good laugh, but also clearly exemplified the power we hold as Americans here. Had Mahmoud and Ahmed attempted to come to the ceremony alone they would still be waiting outside the gate. Staring through the barbed wire fence while those who represent them pass by without a glance in the direction of the people they speak for.

Just entering this ceremony the division between the people and the politicians was starkly clear. Hearing Abbas tell the 1,500 guests “Now every one of you can submit your passport and cross freely with no limitations,” I thought, yeah, everyone here at the ceremony can do that, what about those watching from the other side of the barbed wire fence surrounding us, isolating the people from those representing them on the world stage.

I never held the illusion that the Palestinian Authority represented completely the will and voice of the Palestinian people, just as I know the American government does not represent the will and voice of the American people. What I witnessed there solidified in my mind the kind of lives politician lead, shuttled from one place to another, constantly surrounded by armed guards, isolated from society. It makes it difficult to see how they could ever fully know the peoples needs or understand their dreams and hopes for the future enough to implement changes that will benefit the people who know suffering they can only imagine.

I realize this is harsh. People may disagree but what I experienced at this media stunt, men in suits surrounded by international media, Palestinian and Egyptian politicians thanking Condoleezza Rice, thanking Israel. The Egyptian Intelligence Minister Omar Suleiman, and the European Union special envoy to the Middle East peace process, Mark Otte calling this a new era and Abu Mazen (Mahmoud Abbas) summing it all up as a historic day left me feeling empty. The hollowness of their words we have all heard before, watched it on TV. This was simply first time I heard it standing on a red carpet filming Abu Mazen while Palestinians who live on this border, who’s flesh and blood know the pain and fear of this military occupation are made to stand outside this ceremony and listen while others portray their life’s through political rhetoric. I believe equality and peace will not be borne out of this hierarchical power structure by which we live. Peace requires the creativity of us all to dream up a system of equality and sustainability, for the benefit of everyone, not simply a few.

I recognize the limited ability the PA has to make positive change. I understand the pressure from the US and Israel, the demands they make in return for any concessions to the PA. This is not a black and white situation, I am just beginning to understand the complexity of it all. Day by day I gain insight into the intricacies of internal Palestinian politics.

We spent Saturday interviewing adults and children asking them to talk about their lives under occupation, their thoughts on the disengagement, their hopes and dreams for the future, etc. They shared with us the pain and suffering they have experienced and still experience. As I sat, listening and watching I could see so clearly the trauma everyone here lives with. Their voices were strong but watching their eyes and their shaking hands I knew they were re-living experiences I could never understand and things they can never forget.

As I sit here thinking of all the dignitaries and politicians fenced off from the community around them, deciding the fate of millions of people, thinking about the stories I have heard of explosions in the night, the constant gunfire, refusing to leave ones home despite the danger of staying I can’t help but feel they are two different worlds. I can’t help but wonder if we, ordinary people, took our fate into our own hands, beyond the control of governments what we would create. Surely, having experienced the horrors of war, the pain life brings, we would come together and find someway more successful then all the peace processes, accords and summits held to “win the peace” as Bush so elegantly puts it. Being here, getting to know people, hearing their stories and sharing them with you all I feel a part of this process of change, this resistance, and knowing this is taking place all over the world I can still find faith in humanity despite the atrocities we are capable of committing.

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