OT: Social Media Advocacy Does Work, Just Ask the Susan G. Komen Foundation

Every once in a while I get cynical and depressed and think Twitter, Blogging etc. serve as little more than a pointless exercise- an echo chamber for people who already agree (or not) about certain things. Sometimes it seems that no matter what one does or how loud one yells, so long as the monied […]

How The Israel Lobby Stifles Debate and Dissent on Campus

This is an interesting article over at Al Jazeera and it gives some insight into why the Israel Lobby is so effective at stifling dissent on college campuses. The media largely ignores these efforts, presumably because it is unseemly and flies in the face of academic freedom and freedom of speech. Also, it is interesting […]

Call Senator Leahy to Thank Him for Taking a Stand on the IDF’s Human Rights Abuses

Finally, someone in Congress who is willing to take a stand: U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy is promoting a bill to suspend U.S. assistance to three elite Israel Defense Forces units, alleging they are involved in human rights violations in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Leahy, a Democrat and senior member of the U.S. Senate, […]

Woo Hoo! Elizabeth Warren May Run for the Senate!

If she runs, I will gladly volunteer for her campaign as she will be challenging Tea Party dunce Scott Brown of Massachusetts (where I live). It would be so nice to have faith in a politician again. From Huffington Post: ormer Obama adviser and longtime consumer protection advocate Elizabeth Warren is moving toward a Senate […]

Canada: Criticism of Israel is Anti-Semitism

So much for free speech: Nearly two years after the first hearings were held in Ottawa, the Canadian Parliamentary Coalition fto Combat Anti-Semitism (CPCCA) released a detailed report on July 7 that found that anti-Semitism is on the rise in Canada, especially on university campuses. While the CPCCA’s final report does contain some cases of […]

Why the Israeli Anti-Boycott Law is a Slap in the Face to Democracy

Israel’s right-wing government passed a law which penalizes any Israeli who engages in, or speaks about, boycotting Israel or the Occupied Territories. For example, if an Israeli urges artists to not have a concert in Jerusalem, that individual could be sued in civil court and under the law, the person bringing the suit does not […]

A Great Example of How the NYT Shapes the Debate About Israel

Someone just passed on this link on Twitter and although it’s a few days old, it’s really a perfect example of how the NYT’ Jerusalem bureau tilts it’s coverage towards Israel, even if only in very subtle ways. This is important because most people have only the most basic knowledge of the conflict. I’m not […]

Rep. Gary Ackerman Wants You To Know That All Disagreement with Israel is Antisemitism

Yup, that’s the low bar that’s been set by our government when it comes to debate about the policies of our closest ally. From J-Post: …Our gathering is focused on the twin challenges of delegitimization and regional change. Despite the rhetoric, I don’t believe that increasing attacks on Israel’s right to exist and efforts to […]

I Hope the US Government Stands Firm Against This New Threat to Israel’s Existence!

Now that Israel, Greece and the U.S. have bullied the Flotilla activists to such a degree that some have been arrested and it appears the Freedom Flotilla will simply not happen this year, Israel is on to the next big threat to its existence- pro-Palestinian activists flying into Ben Gurion airport and announcing they want […]

Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting Calls out Ethan Bronner. Again.

The folks at the media watchdog group FAIR have their hands full with Bronner. Keeping an eye on his stenography could be a full-time job. One of Bronner’s frequent themes is that there is no humanitarian crisis in Gaza. He “reports” this frequently. What/who are his primary sources? The Israeli government. Bronner does his best […]

How Israel Uses It’s Total Control of Access Points to Prevent Palestinian Rallies

We’ve often discussed the impact it would have if Israeli Arabs began to rally in support of their rights in Tel Aviv or Jerusalem. I’ve asked some Palestinians about this and their general sense is that this doesn’t happen for several reasons including a) more than 10 Arabs standing in a group will get arrested […]

Official IDF Website Says Alice Walker Poses Grave Threat to Israel

Ok, not just Alice Walker, but they are particularly focused on the big names who signed up to sail to Gaza. Somebody really needs to help these guys with their propaganda. This is a screenshot of the IDF webpage: Now, I don’t know about you, but even if I totally disagreed with the methods used […]

Shut Up Already, You WON

This J-Post editorial is the perfect example of the peace rejectionist, perpetual victim mindset. The faux hysteria over the Flotilla is long past tedious. The U.S. and Israeli response to the Flotilla shows how Israel is incapable of dealing with anything without blowing it totally out of proportion. Every act, no matter how minor and […]

Is the US Response to Mass Rapes and War Crimes in the Democratic Republic of Congo Driven by Politics?

NY Times columnist Nick Kristoff is right- the crimes taking place in the DRC are among the most under-reported in the world. It’s almost as though the DRC doesn’t exist. When was the last time you heard a story about the never-ending conflict there? Probably the last time was when Secretary Clinton bravely went to […]

Greek Commandos Prevent US Boat to Gaza from Leaving Greece

Apparently Greece has caved to Israeli and U.S. pressure and will not be allowing the Flotilla to leave Greece. One of the activists on board the Audacity of Hope just tweeted that the Greek Coast Guard has taken over the ship and it’s been impounded. I am so disgusted. Here is a photo from earlier […]

Former Israeli Air Force Pilot on Flotilla Responds to Israeli Propaganda

This is an interesting interview by Democracy Now, which is one of the few media outlets providing the other side of the story. Of course, Democracy Now isn’t part of the MSM. Today, Bibi Netanyahu came up with some clever new names for the Flotilla, while making totally un-subtantiated charged against the Flotilla participants. Yesterday […]

The Battle for Hearts and Minds on Twitter

Most of the information I’m getting about what’s going on with the Flotilla2 (Freedom Flotilla) is from Twitter for several reasons: 1) it’s a good way to get info. directly from people who are on the boats; 2) the U.S. mainstream media is largely ignoring the story at this point; 3) it’s nice to get […]

Another Flotilla Ship Likely Sabotaged *updated*

**See update below** The crew and activists on the Irish ship the “Saoirse” have said that they have propeller problems and they believe it has been sabotaged. In addition, it appears that the U.S. and Israel have been quite successful in preventing the Flotilla from setting sail as a result of lawsuits, cancellation of insurance […]