Keeping Up with Gaza

In trying to keep abreast of what’s going on in Gaza, I’ve been reading blogs – mostly sympathetic to the Palestinians, along with some books.  Yesterday I watched Saree Makdisi on C-SPAN’s Book TV. He wrote the book ‘Palestine Inside and Out: An Everyday Occupation.’   His presentation is from May of last year, but is certainly just as timely. (Makdisi’s book is on the way from the library.)  He talks about the one-state solution rather than a two-state solution and presents a convincing argument.

The Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) has an appeal out for funds to help. The BBC and Sky have both refused to air the video.  The DEC is an umbrella organization with the following members: Action Aid, British Red Cross, CAFOD, CARE International UK, Christian Aid, Concern Worldwide, Help the Aged, Islamic Relief, Merlin, Oxfam, Save the Children, Tearfund, and World Vision.

Sky News made the announcement Monday, citing its need to remain objective in its coverage of the conflict, two days after the BBC declined to air the appeal, claiming it would damage its impartiality.

ITV, Channel 4 and Five in Britain will air the video. That video is below.  I didn’t find it political; I found it heartbreaking.

Being a Real War Correspondent

A few days ago, Samuel Wurzelbacher got ‘a taste’ of pseudo-reporting for Pajamas Media with a comment from yours truly:

The saddest thing of all – Joe the Plumber to Gaza to report.   Talk about totally trivialization of what’s going on currently in Gaza.  If Joe, the fucking plumber, can ‘report’ well then, it’s not important.  And then to open his mouth and speak to the media reporting during the ‘time of war’ or conflict.  First off, he doesn’t know the Constitution or the guarantee of knowledge to be available the American people via the press nor does he apparently understand the concept of accountability.

Today, Rick Sanchez of CNN laid into Mr. Wurzelbacher regarding his cojones in the dismissal of the media’s role in government or, ya know, jus’ reportin’ the news.

• Committee to Protect Journalists
• Reporters without Borders

So? What is the Palestian, Jewish ‘Thing’ About, Anyway?

Admittedly I know little of the background of the current crises in Gaza. I find a lot of it wearisome because much of it seems to me be testosterone-driven posturing on both sides.

Up front, I am not a fan of the Israeli government.   I find the fact that our government spends far too much taxpayer money on subsidizing Israeli interests (as with subsidizing any foreign country) wherein the claim is that “Israel’s interests” are our interests.  There’s no problem in Israel’s “right to exist” just as there’s no problem with those whose borders connect with Israel’s having that same ‘right to exist.’  Outside of the role ‘the Holy Land’ plays in the apocalyptic wet dreams of preachers like Hagee, Dobson, and other end-of-times doomsayers, for me, there is not an overt issue of religion, ethnicity or citizenship.

There is no succinct primer for those of us who pay more attention to what goes on locally or nationally or sometimes are just overwhelmed by all the shit going on in the world.