[pjw] REPORT BACK: happy anniversary: Friday rally #242 since stay-at-home orders

[Peace and Justice Works]

Hello peaceful people

We had an unusual Friday Rally for Peace and Justice last night as we 
celebrated 23 years of the weekly event. At one point we had 10 people at 
the rally, including a long time participant who's been out for over 4 
months with health issues, a welcome return! Another longtime friend of 
the movement was there but not holding a sign. One occasional 
attendee wandered by deliberately to hear the news headlines and 
then left. In all, before and/or as we started the march, 5 people left. 
Then one person broke off from the march early and another near the end 
trying to catch the MAX. So five on the march ended up as three. There 
were also two people, at least one of whom was smoking a joint (which 
technically though marijuana is legal in Oregon is a Bozo no-no) who came 
along for the last 6 blocks of the march but never asked for signs to 
carry.

We had a lot of supportive comments from pedestrians and motorists. "Yeah, 
free Palestine!" and "I agree with your message!" are two that I remember. 
We were able to hand out perhaps a dozen fact sheets. Though the 
"forecasters" predicted constant rain yesterday it was a mild 55 degrees 
and pretty much dry for our event.

As I mentioned earlier this week, this was the 1201st rally. My mind bends 
on this math but it was 1200 weeks since the first one, that's because 
we're counting up from #1 and not #0 that it was the 1201st. If you follow 
the logic, you're in better shape than I am.

After I recounted the history of how Portland Peaceful Response Coalition 
started the rally on November 4, 2001, about a month after the invasion of 
Afghanistan, and how the Iraq Affinity Group took over in March 2020 when 
the pandemic hit, here's what we talked about:

--Israel is preventing 50,000 Palestinians from returning to their north 
Gaza homes, claiming that anyone who remains there is considered to be 
part of Hamas and a legitimate target. This sounds like an accusation from 
pro-Palestinian activists but was in an official Israeli paper.

  https://archive.ph/oUPly
  https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2024-10-30/ty-article/.premium/under-political-pressure-israeli-forces-staying-in-north-gaza-to-block-residents-return/00000192-de94-d6c4-adfe-fed6ccb90000

---About 100 Palestinians were killed on Monday by US-backed 
Israeli Defense Forces airstrikes on homes in North Gaza, while people 
were sleeping.

  https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/war-gaza-israeli-strike-kills-nearly-100-palestinians-sleeping-homes

---Iran has revealed that the Israeli airstrikes last Friday killed five 
people. They have filed a complaint with the United Nations that the 
strikes were illegal. And asserted their right to respond in "self 
defense." Let's hope things don't escalate more.

  https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2024/10/29/736217/Iran-defense-Israel-attack-Gaza-Lebanon-budget-

---In Lebanon, the IDF killed six paramedics in airstrikes.

  https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/10/31/israeli-strikes-in-southern-lebanon-kill-six-medics-as-truce-talks-continue#ixzz8qGbEb0no

--I bet you think I was about to say what Israel did in Syria this week. 
I'll get to that. But first, the US killed 35 people in airstrikes in 
Syria, claiming the dead were from the Islamic State. Why is the US in 
Syria? Were Oregon National Guard members involved? Deep questions.

  https://news.antiwar.com/2024/10/30/us-military-says-it-killed-35-isis-operatives-in-syria-airstrikes/

---For their part, Israel killed 10 people in Syria in airstrikes near the 
Lebanon border.

  https://www.newarab.com/news/israel-strike-syria-weapons-depots-kills-10-monitor

--In another giant conflagration of a war, Ukraine is complaining that the 
US and other allies are not doing anything to stop North Korean troops 
from helping Russia. This article indicates that if the troops are going 
to be used in combat, it will be to get Ukrainian troops out of Russian 
territory-- recognized Russian territory that Ukraine took over earlier 
this year. So technically not unlike, I dunno, NATO/US helping Ukraine?

  https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/ukraines-zelenskiy-blasts-allies-zero-response-nkorean-deployment-2024-10-31/

--Iraq also filed a complaint with the United Nations about Israel's 
attack on Iran because it violated their airspace. I wonder if someone on 
the Security Council might veto anything condemning this blatant crime 
(*cough* the US *cough*).

  https://www.newarab.com/news/iraq-lodges-un-complaint-over-israel-using-its-airspace-attack-iran

In local news, Police Chief Bob Day was on OPB's Think Out Loud yesterday. 
Host Dave Miller pressed him for how the Bureau is planning to deal with 
"civil unrest" and violent protests after the election-- which plays into 
the narrative that such violence will be the protestors' doing and NOT THE 
POLICE. Day talked about new training and weapons and then at the end said 
they are not actually expecting anything to happen. MAYBE NEXT TIME LEAD 
WITH THAT?

  https://www.opb.org/article/2024/11/01/portland-police-share-security-measures-and-preparation-for-possible-civil-unrest-on-election-day-and-after/

Along the march route when there were still four of us, I talked about how 
in two different West Bank refugee camps, Israeli troops killed three 
people on one day and assassinated a Hamas leader on another. Probably 
with US-supplied weapons.

  https://www.palestinechronicle.com/assassination-in-tulkarm-israel-kills-three-palestinians-including-child/

For the "money for human needs not war" commentary I repeated what I wrote 
earlier in the week about how the 2001 military budget was $333 Billion 
(or $593 billion in 2024 dollars), but added that number actually went 
down from 2012-2019 and is now up to $880 billion. Why aren't we instead 
investing in health care, housing and education? War pays profits.

  https://www.macrotrends.net/global-metrics/countries/USA/united-states/military-spending-defense-budget

Once again I was able to "check my watch" outside the Apple Store while 
the Ann Huntwork Peace Memorial Sign ran through all three of its 
messages (US Out, Justice 4, Gaza ceasefire). I am not sure anyone saw 
it. When the march returned to that block the sign went out again at the 
Mystery spot. It may have frozen up just before that but I was distracted 
by the cloud of pot smoke.

Thinking back on our 4.5 years running the Rally, I'm always thinking 
about how the world came together because humanity was threatened by the 
COVID virus. Now that tuberculosis has returned as the top killer I guess 
it's to be expected that countries are at each others' throats again. ???

  https://www.foxnews.com/health/tuberculosis-has-overtaken-covid-worlds-deadliest-infectious-disease

(yes that story was posted on Fox News... and elsewhere)

Please join us if you can and stay safe.

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