[pjw] REPORT BACK: unrealistic: Friday rally #217 since stay-at-home orders

[Peace and Justice Works]

Hello again peaceful people

On a record-breaking hot day (why does the TV news weather person sound so 
excited about this symptom of climate change? "It was a record today! Oh 
boy!"), ten people rallied last night at the Friday Rally for Peace and 
Justice. Eight of us went on the march.

We had some weird visitors including a pro-Trump heckler from the past who 
hadn't come by in some time and two "bros" who claimed that if they held 
signs with us for just a minute they could bring more attention to the 
rally. Luckily my instincts said this was a bad idea before they even held 
up the open beer cans in their hand and showed they had no interest in our 
cause.

On the other hand there were a lot of honking cars at Pioneer Courthouse 
Square, as we got ready to march one person pretty much leaned on their 
horn to be sure people knew they were supporting us. More scattered 
support along the march route.

So, you've received some of this info already in a different email, but 
here is the news we talked about:

--The UN General Assembly voted 143-9 to grant special rights for 
Palestine, stopping short of granting statehood. Does it surprise you that 
two of the nine opposed were the US and Israel? The others were Argentina, 
Czechia, Hungary, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, the latter 
among Pacific islands whose "protection" by the US leads them to vote 
American regularly.

  https://apnews.com/article/un-resolution-palestinians-membership-rights-us-assembly-875560e897f27d6600090420f36404e4

---I was excited on Monday to read that Hamas agreed to a phased ceasefire 
deal, which would include their releasing Israelis in exchange for 
Palestinians being held by Israel being released...

  https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/5/6/heres-everything-know-about-gaza-deal-hamas-agreed

---... But Israel responded by seizing control of the Rafah crossing (that 
leads from Egypt to Gaza and allows for aid to come in) and beginning a 
low intensity assault.

  https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/5/7/israel-seizes-gazas-vital-rafah-border-crossing

--As previously noted, President Biden said he would not ship Israel 3000 
bombs they ordered if they attack Rafah. The Israelis made angry noises, 
but perhaps not as loud as Congresspeople who were indignant and upholding 
human rights, and human rights activists who say "too little too late."

   https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/israel-fury-biden-threat-weapons-rafah-attack-rcna151221

---Two bills were introduced in Congress this week. One would make student 
protestors arrested for supporting Palestinians do community service in 
Gaza...

  https://www.foxnews.com/politics/college-anti-israel-agitators-sent-gaza-new-house-gop-bill

---... and the other would put such people on the "no fly list." So if 
this passes, expressing First Amendment protected opinions is equivalent 
to "terrorism."

  https://www.blackburn.senate.gov/services/files/D1D258D0-C4A3-4D25-91AB-9B2427DB285D

---For its part, Israel followed through on its threats to shut down Al 
Jazeera, showing they share such contempt for free speech. They claim it's 
for security reasons but it's really for political reasons, AP reports.

  https://apnews.com/article/israel-aljazeera-hamas-gaza-war-eba9416aea82f505ab908ee60d1de5e4

---Meanwhile, while people are focused on Gaza, Israel continues to fire 
missiles at Syria, which shot some down this week leading to damage but no 
casualties on the ground.

  https://sana.sy/en/?p=330440

---... and Israel hit Lebanon several times this week, the last of which 
was an airstrike on a car carrying four people who all perished.

  https://www.timesofisrael.com/israeli-strike-on-car-in-south-lebanon-said-to-kill-four-hezbollah-members/

--Elsewhere, another US ship sailed through the Taiwan strait as America's 
policy of "let's provoke China" continues.

  https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3261969/mainland-china-air-sea-forces-monitor-uss-halseys-taiwan-strait-transit

--And in America, but related to Iraq, the judge declared a mistrial in 
the civil suit brought by Abu Ghraib torture survivors against private 
contractors, so they'll have to start all over again.

  https://www.politico.com/news/2024/05/02/judge-declares-mistrial-abu-ghraib-00155866

In local news, as earlier reported, the School Board voted 4-3 to allow 
JROTC into those individual schools who want to invite career killers to 
indoctrinate their students. This puts organizing against militarism into 
a one-by-one phase rather than trying to get the district to cut it out.

And also, on Monday the Portland Police shot and killed the second person 
this year (and the sixth in 13 months). Richard Shawn Perez was 45. I am 
not pasting in the link to the Oregonian's article which was presenting 
Perez's (nonviolent) rap sheet. To be fair, they can't talk about any of 
the four officers' histories because the Bureau won't release their names 
until somewhere about May 20.

Along the march route, I talked about how right-wing settlers attacked and 
set fire to the UNRWA headquarters in Jerusalem. Not only does that mean 
they were acting on the unproven allegations about UNRWA supporting the 
October 7 attack but kinda puts students setting up tent cities on college 
campuses into perspective.

  https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/unrwa-closing-jerusalem-headquarters-after-israeli-settler-arson

As we got back toward the starting point, I noted there is bipartisan 
agreement growing on Congress-- Senators Tester, a Democrat from Montana, 
and Collins, a Republican from Maine, want to lift they $895 Billion cap 
they put on military spending when they passed the bill to avoid shut-down 
due to the deficit. Nope, sorry, it wasn't to give more money to those in 
need, is that really what bipartisanship is about these days?

  https://www.defensenews.com/congress/2024/05/08/senate-defense-panel-faces-uphill-battle-in-ditching-debt-ceiling-caps/
For the second week in a row, the Ann Huntwork Peace Memorial Sign went a 
couple of yards past the point where some kind of interference often shuts 
it down when we're across the street from the Apple Store.

Join us if you can some Friday at SW Yamhill and Broadway at 5 PM. This 
week's COVID warning: a person we're talking to about doing a livestream 
event had to delay a call they planned with me because they got COVID at a 
conference in Washington DC. It's still out there...

thanks
--dan handelman
peace and justice works iraq affinity group