Mars Melt Hints at Solar, Not Human, Cause for Warming, Scientist Says

Kate Ravilious
for National Geographic News
February 28, 2007

Simultaneous warming on Earth and Mars suggests that our planet's recent climate changes have a natural—and not a human-induced—cause, according to one scientist's controversial theory.

Earth is currently experiencing rapid warming, which the vast majority of climate scientists says is due to humans pumping huge amounts of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

Mars, too, appears to be enjoying more mild and balmy temperatures.
In 2005 data from NASA's Mars Global Surveyor and Odyssey missions revealed that the carbon dioxide "ice caps" near Mars's south pole had been diminishing for three summers in a row.

Habibullo Abdussamatov, head of space research at St. Petersburg's Pulkovo Astronomical Observatory in Russia, says the Mars data is evidence that the current global warming on Earth is being caused by changes in the sun.

"The long-term increase in solar irradiance is heating both Earth and Mars," he said.

Solar Cycles

Abdussamatov believes that changes in the sun's heat output can account for almost all the climate changes we see on both planets.

Mars and Earth, for instance, have experienced periodic ice ages throughout their histories.
"Man-made greenhouse warming has made a small contribution to the warming seen on Earth in recent years, but it cannot compete with the increase in solar irradiance," Abdussamatov said.
By studying fluctuations in the warmth of the sun, Abdussamatov believes he can see a pattern that fits with the ups and downs in climate we see on Earth and Mars.

Abdussamatov's work, however, has not been well received by other climate scientists. "His views are completely at odds with the mainstream scientific opinion," said Colin Wilson, a planetary physicist at England's Oxford University.

"And they contradict the extensive evidence presented in the most recent IPCC [Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change] report."

Amato Evan, a climate scientist at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, added that "the idea just isn't supported by the theory or by the observations."

Planets' Wobbles

The conventional theory is that climate changes on Mars can be explained primarily by small alterations in the planet's orbit and tilt, not by changes in the sun.

"Wobbles in the orbit of Mars are the main cause of its climate change in the current era," Oxford's Wilson explained. (Related: "Don't Blame Sun for Global Warming, Study Says" [September 13, 2006].)

All planets experience a few wobbles as they make their journey around the sun. Earth's wobbles are known as Milankovitch cycles and occur on time scales of between 20,000 and 100,000 years.

These fluctuations change the tilt of Earth's axis and its distance from the sun and are thought to be responsible for the waxing and waning of ice ages on Earth.

Mars and Earth wobble in different ways, and most scientists think it is pure coincidence that both planets are between ice ages right now.

"Mars has no [large] moon, which makes its wobbles much larger, and hence the swings in climate are greater too," Wilson said.

No Greenhouse

Perhaps the biggest stumbling block in Abdussamatov's theory is his dismissal of the greenhouse effect, in which atmospheric gases such as carbon dioxide help keep heat trapped near the planet's surface.

He claims that carbon dioxide has only a small influence on Earth's climate and virtually no influence on Mars.

But "without the greenhouse effect there would be very little, if any, life on Earth, since our planet would pretty much be a big ball of ice," said Evan, of the University of Wisconsin.
Most scientists now fear that the massive amount of carbon dioxide humans are pumping into the air will lead to a catastrophic rise in Earth's temperatures, dramatically raising sea levels as glaciers melt and leading to extreme weather worldwide.

Abdussamatov remains contrarian, however, suggesting that the sun holds something quite different in store.

"The solar irradiance began to drop in the 1990s, and a minimum will be reached by approximately 2040," Abdussamatov said.

"It will cause a steep cooling of the climate on Earth in 15 to 20 years."

Anonymous Bloggers

When Internet poker rooms were first opened a few years ago one of the things players immediately noticed was the level of disrespect happening in the public and viewable “chats” going on during the games. Insults were hurled by players at each other who are anonymous behind their “user” names, just like the phenomena now seen with anonymous blog posters. Insults and slander put out by some anonymous players at the games would have gotten those same players most likely killed if their targets were in the same room with them.

I've noticed now that the degree of repulsive insults at online poker tables has now diminished a great deal. Perhaps it is a matter of time before the same thing happens with the blog comments which are currently experiencing the anonymous hidden sadist syndrome—bloggers with electronic hoods and robes on as it were.

Psychological experiments have shown that when people think they are anonymous they will do things that they would never do if their identities were known. With their identities concealed experimental subjects found it easier to administer electric shocks to a victim when they couldn't be seen.

It is the same phenomena that allows the local Southern doctor and police chief to participate in Klan rallies and for other “good citizens” to join in mob lynchings. Maybe it's just human nature but whatever it is, it sure takes a toll on community relationships not to mention being a pillar of racists and bigots of all stripes.

With the opening up of “blogs”, personal opinion websites allowing reader comments, the anonymous sadist syndrome has been given new legs for those feeling a strong need to inflict social injury on those they do not like. One women reacting to blog comment insults of her son who died questioned the ethics of blog sites that allow such demeaning anonymous postings.

I've been on Internet religious talkboard forums for over a decade and have yet to see the level of personal attacks as one can find on any given day on our local blogs. The issue always comes back to one of “free speech” but there's little question from all familiar with the problems that the lines of public abuse of blog comments has been thoroughly crossed by anonymous posters.

Without the anonymous protection, anonymous blog commenters vilifying their political or personal targets would find themselves in court for defamation of character lawsuits, but as it is, they now are free to do their damage without fear of reprisal.

Even blogsite owners have joined in the anonymous trend. One local popular blogster came out recently with his real identity which has put pressure on other blog site owners to “come clean” with who they are. I think most local blog sites are going for the “transparency” trend except one particular blog site keen on the Palco bankruptcy proceedings that is still flying under false colors in order to continue manipulating public opinion.

I had to laugh when blog comments trotted out a supposed similarity between anonymous bloggers and the founding Fathers of our nation who wrote anonymously in order not to be arrested for treason. The nasty blog comments seen around here are a far cry from anything so noble. They are more what you'd expect if adults never grew up and remained permanently stuck as mean nine-year old boys shooting the neighbor's cat from behind a fence and running away before anyone catches them.

Nobel prize winner is shot in leg at protest in Israel

Monday, April 23, 2007

By Ashleigh Wallace

A Nobel Peace Prize winner from Belfast who was shot by a plastic bullet fired by Israeli troops was last night recovering from her ordeal.
Nobel laureate Mairead Corrigan was shot in the leg during a protest in the West Bank on Friday.
Mrs Corrigan also inhaled a large amount of tear gas during confrontations between security forces and protesters opposed to a barrier being erected between Israel and the Gaza Strip.
The Belfast peace activist, who was presented with her Nobel Prize in 1976 during the height of the Troubles, had been staying in the Palestinian village of Bilin after being asked to speak at an international conference.

The village has been at the centre of a series of protests held over the past fortnight against security fences being erected by Israel.

Mrs Corrigan was among a group of 24 protesters injured by Israeli troops during the protest march.

One eyewitness claimed troops fired between 30 and 50 canisters of tear gas before discharging plastic bullets into the crowd.

Speaking after being treated in hospital for a wound to her leg, Mrs Corrigan said: "This wall, contrary to what the Israelis say, will not prevent attacks and violence.

"What will prevent attacks and violence is a peace agreement between the two peoples," she said.

"I am sure the Israeli people, like the Palestinian people, want peace. "

New blog site: The Canaanite Club

Notice to blog viewers:

All anti-Zionist articles and op ed pieces will now also be posted on the Canaanite Club blog site at: http://canaaniteclub.wordpress.com/

This opens the discussion group to members of the one-democratic-state yahoo group and individual activists to participate in.

Thank you for your interest and hopefully, more discussion of Israeli policies, Palestinian nationhood strategies and our part in these events as American citizens footing the bill for the I-P conflict.

Stephen

International delegations and visitors must not normalize with Israel

Statement, PACBI,
16 April 2007

Statement by the Palestinian Campaign for the Academicand Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI) on Visits ofInternational Delegations and Individuals to the OPTand Israel, 15 April 2007:

At a time when the international movement to isolateIsrael is gaining ground in response to the escalationof Israel's colonial and racist policies, werespectfully urge conscientious academics, artists andintellectuals from around the world, including thosewho visit the occupied Palestinian territory (OPT), to refrain from visiting Israel to participate in anyevent or encounter that is not explicitly dedicated toending Israel's illegal occupation and other forms ofoppression. Regardless of intentions, such visits onlycontribute to the prolongation of injustice bynormalizing and thereby legitimizing it, andinadvertently support Israel's efforts to appear as a"normal" participant in the "civilized" world ofscience, scholarship and art while at the same timepracticing a pernicious form of apartheid againstPalestinians.

Visits to the OPT by international supporters andadvocates of Palestinian rights have always beenviewed by Palestinians as a source of encouragementand inspiration. These gestures of solidarity are veryimportant to us; they help break down the walls ofisolation imposed by Israel and the global centers ofpower, and also demonstrate to Israel and the worldthat the Palestinians are not alone in their strugglefor freedom. However, a solidarity visit to the OPTshould not be used as an occasion to give lectures atIsraeli universities; organize performances, filmscreenings or exhibits in mainstream Israeli venues;collaborate in any way with Israeli artisticinstitutions; or participate in activities sponsoredor supported -- directly or indirectly -- by theIsraeli government or any of its agencies.

While many of our international supporters in theacademic, artistic and intellectual community haveheeded the Palestinian call for boycott, divestment,and sanctions (BDS) [1], supported by an overwhelmingmajority of Palestinian civil society, there may bethose who are still uncertain about the criteria usedto implement the boycott. We believe that relationswith Israeli institutions that have not explicitlycondemned occupation and oppression lend legitimacy tothese institutions. Such institutions include alluniversities and major research institutions, as wellas the vast majority of cultural and artisticorganizations in Israel.Palestinian calls for boycott of Israel -- until itfully complies with its obligations underinternational law -- are inspired by South Africananti-apartheid appeals of the not-so-distant past.

South African anti-apartheid leaders were among thefirst to expose the underlying common denominatorsbetween the two systems of racial discrimination, evenarguing that Israel's apartheid is in many ways worsethan the one that existed in South Africa, as UN Special Rapporteur for human rights in the OPT, Prof. John Dugard, has stated. Indeed, Israel's oppressionof the Palestinians is three-tiered: militaryoccupation of Gaza and the West Bank, including EastJerusalem, and the extensive colonization of thelatter; denial of the UN-sanctioned rights ofPalestinian refugees, including their right to return;and the system of racial discrimination againstPalestinian citizens of Israel. This underlines theneed for moral consistency from everyone who activelyparticipated in the struggle against South Africanapartheid; we ask them to apply the same standards andnot to make an exception for Israel.

The Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and CulturalBoycott of Israel was launched in Ramallah in April2004 by a group of Palestinian academics andintellectuals to join the growing internationalboycott movement.

Related Links

BY TOPIC:

Boycott, Divestment & SanctionsEnd notes-

In July 2005, the first anniversary of theInternational Court of Justice's ruling on theillegality of the Wall and the occupation regime, more than 170 Palestinian civil society unions andorganizations issued the Call for BDS as a non-violentform of resisting Israel's oppression.

The Call issued by PACBI for academic and cultural boycott of Israelhas also received widespread support from federations of academics, professionals, writers and artists, and from civil society organizations in Palestine. See:and

What the persecution of Azmi Bishara means for Palestine

Azmi Bishara

by Ali Abunimah,

The Electronic Intifada, 16 April 2007

The Israeli state and the Zionist movement have begun their latest assault in their century-long struggle to rid Palestine of its indigenous people and transform their country into a Jewish supremacist enclave: the persecution of Azmi Bishara, one of the most important Palestinian national leaders and thinkers working today. This case has enormous significance for the Palestinian solidarity movement.

Bishara is a Palestinian citizen of Israel, one of more than one million who live inside the Jewish state, who are survivors or their descendants of the Zionist ethnic cleansing that forced most Palestinians to leave in 1947-48. Elected to the Knesset in 1996, Bishara is a founder of the National Democratic Assembly, a party which calls for Israel to be transformed from a sectarian ethnocracy into a democratic state of all its citizens.

On Sunday, Bishara appeared on Al-Jazeera, after weeks of press speculation that he had gone into exile and would resign from the Knesset. He revealed that in fact he is the target of a very high level probe by Israeli state security services who apparently plan to bring serious "security" related charges against him. Censorship on this matter is so tight in "democratic" Israel that until a few days ago Israeli newspapers were prohibited from even mentioning the existence of the probe. They are still forbidden from reporting anything about the substance of the investigation, and Ha'aretz admitted that due to official censorship it could not even reprint much of what Bishara said to millions of viewers on television.

Bishara himself was vague about the allegations. If he even knows all the details, he could place himself in greater jeopardy by talking about them. He said he is still thinking about his options, including when to return to Israel. While he questioned the value of spending years proving his innocence of things he does not consider illegal, such as maintaining broad contacts with the Arab world of which he feels a part, he poignantly reflected that ultimately he faced a choice between prison, exile or martyrdom. These indeed are the only choices Israel has ever placed before Palestinians who refuse to submit to the racist rule of Zionism.

What he was clear about was that he is the target of a campaign, coordinated at the highest levels of the Israeli state to destroy him and his movement politically. He is undoubtedly right about this and there is long precedent. In 2001, Israel's attorney general Elyakim Rubinstein charged Bishara with "endangering the state" because of comments he made during a visit to Syria, and the Knesset voted for the first time in its history to lift the immunity of one of its members so Bishara could be prosecuted. In 2003, the Israeli Central Elections Committee attempted to disqualify Bishara and his party from standing in national elections, on the grounds that the party did not adhere to the dogma that Israel must remain a "Jewish state." Under Israeli law all parties are required to espouse the dogma that Israel must always grant special and better rights to Jews, meaning truly democratic parties are always flirting with illegality. That decision was eventually overturned by the courts. (Though it should be noted that the ban was supported by former attorney general Rubinstein, who is now a Supreme Court judge!). Such persecution against Palestinians in Israel has been the norm since the state was founded. Until 1966, they lived under "military government," a form of internal military occupation similar to that experienced by Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza today. Laws, practices and policies that continue to deny their fundamental human rights are well described in Jonathan Cook's recent book Blood and Religion: Unmasking the Jewish and Democratic State. In recent years opinion polls show that a majority of Israeli Jews consistently support government efforts to force Palestinians citizens out of the country. (In recent weeks, former Israeli prime minister and current Likud leader Benjamin Netanyahu declared that it would be best if Bishara never returned).

Bishara sees Israel's latest gambit as signalling a change in the "rules of the game." If he, an elected official, a well-known public figure can face such tactics, what will the rest of the community face? Indeed, the recent publication by leading Palestinians in Israel of a report calling for mild reforms to the Israeli state prompted Israel's secret police, the Shin Bet (which operates torture and death squads in the occupied territories) to warn that it would "disrupt the activities of any groups that seek to change the Jewish or democratic character of Israel, even if they use democratic means" ("Arab leaders air public relations campaign against Shin Bet," Ha'aretz, 6 April 2007). (There is precedent for such disruption not only against Palestinians, but even against Israel's Mizrahi Jews whose attempts to organize against Ashkenazi discrimination were destroyed by the Shin Bet -- see Joseph Massad's book The Persistence of the Palestinian Question.)

Palestinian solidarity activists must understand and act on the signal Israel is sending by persecuting Bishara. For years, the mainstream Palestinian movement and its allies have buried their heads in the slogan "end the occupation." If it ever was, this vision is no longer broad enough. We must recognize that Israel's war against Palestinians does not discriminate among Palestinians, sparing some and condemning others. It does however take different forms, depending on where Palestinians are. Those in East Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza Strip live under an extreme form of military tyranny now often called "apartheid," though it is increasingly apparent that it is something even worse. Palestinians inside Israel's 1948 borders live under a system of laws, policies and practices that exclude them politically and oppress them economically and socially. Millions of Palestinians outside the country are victimized by racist laws that forbid their return for the sole reason that they are not Jews.In practice this means that the Palestinian solidarity movement needs to fashion a new message that breaks with the failed fantasy of hermetic separation in nationalist states. It means we have to focus on fighting Israeli racism and colonialism in all its forms against those under occupation, against those inside, and against those in exile. We need to educate ourselves about what is happening all over Palestine, not just in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. We need to stand and act in solidarity with Azmi Bishara and all Palestinians inside the 1948 lines who have for too long been marginalized and abandoned by mainstream Palestinian politics. Support for the Palestinian civil society call for boycott, divestment and sanctions is particularly urgent (see http://www.pacbi.org/). In practice we need to start building a vision of life after Israeli apartheid, an inclusive life in which Israelis and Palestinians can live in equality sharing the whole country. If Sinn Fein's Gerry Adams and hardline Northern Ireland Unionist leader Ian Paisley can sit down to form a government together, as they are, and if Nelson Mandela and apartheid's National Party could do the same, nothing is beyond the realm of possibility in Palestine if we imagine it and work for it.

Azmi Bishara is the only Palestinian leader of international stature expressing a vision and strategy that is relevant to all Palestinians and can effectively challenge Zionism. That is why he is in fear for his life, safety and future while the quisling "president" Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah receives money and weapons from the United States and tea and cakes from Ehud Olmert.

Ali Abunimah is co-founder of The Electronic Intifada and author of One Country: A Bold Proposal to End the Israeli-Palestinian Impasse (Metropolitan Books, 2006)

Nakba-deniers; Eyes Wide Shut

Nakba is not a difficult word to educate people about,so let us be wise and make people talk about it,before Israel gets a chance to complete it.

By Tariq Shadid
PalestineChronicle.com

In the West, when advocating the Palestinian cause, weare often told that public perception of the conflicthas ‘come a long way’ in the direction of thePalestinians. This usually refers to the shift peoplemade from believing in the Zionist myth of ‘a landwithout people for a people without land’, toaccepting the Oslo-doctrine of the two-state solution.

It is difficult to disagree with this, but what hasreally been achieved? Basically it only means thatWesterners seem to have discovered that Palestine was,after all, not a land without a people. What now seemslike a painfully overdue observation, must have been areal eye-opener for them somewhere in the recent past.

I can imagine that recovering any bit of eyesightafter having been completely blind, must feel like anabsolute revelation. But does it also mean the personwho has partially recovered his eyesight is now fit toengage in the busy traffic of rush hour? Even if thisperson is convinced he can?

As a Palestinian living in the West, I can assure youthat there are many here who believe their eyes arealready open, while in reality they have deviated muchless away from the ‘land without people’ formula thanthey think. They believe they are sufficientlyinformed in order to have an opinion. And there wehave it: the invisible deadlock that permeates thesocieties of the West, when it comes to Palestine.

This deadlock is caused for the most part by the factthat people in the West have been conditioned on alarge scale to feel deeply guilty about any criticismof Israel. And therein lies the main reason for theattractiveness to Westerners to take the position ofblaming both sides equally. The fact that the Zionistsare the actual invaders, land confiscators, oppressorsand occupiers, is brushed aside, basically because itcauses these conflicting loyalties. The media aidsthis by the skilful dosing of information, and by theuse of language, branding all Palestinian violence asterrorism, and all Israeli violence as retaliation.

It is not so difficult anymore these days to convincepeople that Palestinians are suffering heavily, andunjustly. What seems to be the biggest problem,however, is for these same people to see Israel as thecause of this suffering, despite the overwhelminghistorical facts that prove this. This, of course,includes those facts provided by the Israeli NewHistorians in the nineties. They deny none of the 1948crimes against the Palestinians, but simply assertthat they should have been carried out more thoroughly(Benny Morris).

A mistake often made by those who advocate thePalestinian cause in the West, is to fail to exertpressure on these highly essential issues.Nakba-denial is one of the biggest problems that causethe failure of people to perceive the Zionist crimefor what it really was, namely a vicious andwell-planned act of ethnic cleansing, that displacedaround 800,000 Palestinians from their homes and theircountry in 1948. Also, the over 400 villages they wereexpelled from, were destroyed, and wiped off the map.The majority of people in the West still don’t knowthese hard and brutal facts.

What’s the use of having a discussion, for instanceabout the Israeli Apartheid wall, with a Nakba-denier?The axiom of cause and effect is reversed in hisbrain. A Nakba-denier sees Israel as the beginning,and the Palestinians as the attackers, and no matterhow historically ludicrous this formula is, in themind of the Nakba-denier it is a reality. The onlyuseful thing to talk to him about, is the Nakba -Arabic for ‘catastrophe’- in order to try and open hiseyes, that obviously are ‘wide shut’.

Since the Oslo-period, we also have a new, but quitestrong presence of so-called Palestinian rightsdefenders in the West, who nevertheless hit the brakeswhen one mentions Zionism. They often have similarideas to those of many who were active in the Israeli‘Peace Now’ movement, that rapidly diminished inadherence over the last years – which also sayssomething in itself. As European or Americanself-proclaimed promoters of the Palestinian cause,these people are of no use to the Palestinians, infact they even constitute a significant problem, ifnot one of the main problems faced in creatingawareness in the West, since they act as barriers andgatekeepers against progress.

How can a supporter of the Palestinian cause regardanyone who defends Zionist ideology, which isnational-socialist in origin (this should ring abell), and infested with concepts of racialsuperiority, without suspicion? The presently veryactive Christian form of Zionism is at least asdestructive - and I mean this in the most literalsense - and uncompromising to the Palestinian peopleas its Jewish counterpart.

It is of great importance, to keep Zionism at thecenter of the political discourse about Israel, and tomention it in any discussion about the subject.Oslo-style thinking has indeed weakened this practiceon a large scale, but there is a simple way to reversethis very rapidly: talk about it. Always talk aboutthe Nakba, and always talk about Zionism, when talkingabout Palestine in the West. Without these two issueson the table, what are we really talking about? Andwhose purposes are we serving, by being caught inthose fruitless dialogues about the issues that areonly symptoms of these other two?

One thing is certain: awareness of the Nakba is at avery low level in the West. Yet I firmly believe thatas long as this does not change, the apathy ofWesterners will remain exactly as it is, and they willlook on while Israel continues to encroach uponPalestine acre by acre, and continues to turn lifeinto a living hell for each and every Palestinianinhabitant, person by person. And all they will do, isshake their heads, and repeat the eternal ‘why onearth can’t these people stop fighting each other?’ Astatement of despair, as much as it is one ofignorance.

If only these people knew about the Nakba of 1948, andthat it never stopped but is still going on today …Nakba is not a difficult word to educate people about,so let us be wise and make people talk about it,before Israel gets a chance to complete it.

-The writer is a Dutch-Palestinian activist.

Israel's Message to the Palestinians: Do not use Nonviolence!

[Posted on his blog site on April 14th, 2007 by my Palestinian friend, Sami Awad, director of the Holy Land Trust organization in Bethlehem. Sami spoke in Humboldt County at Beginnings and the Presbyterian Church in Arcata in 2001. Sami's blog is at: http://samiawad.wordpress.com]

As has become a tradition, every Friday we join what sometimes are tens and other times are hundreds of Palestinians, internationals and Israeli nonviolent activists demonstrating against the Apartheid wall that is being build around Palestinian villages in the Southern part of Bethlehem. Once completed, the wall will eat up more than 70% of the agricultural land in this area alone and ultimately destroy villages that have existed for hundreds of years.

This week also included a special occasion; it is the week Palestinians remember those who are imprisoned in Israeli jails. Our call this Friday was not only to release Palestinian political prisoners from Israeli jails but to also stop the building of the big open-aired prisons that the rest of us are being locked in.

The organizing of the direct action for this week’s event was not different than previous events. The commitment was not to engage in any form of violence against the Israeli army or any act that might be interpreted as violence and give the Israeli soldiers the usual "justification" as to why they attack demonstrators –if they wanted to suppress us then let them do it because we engaged in nonviolence.

The nonviolent demonstration began with a march that started in the village of Wadi Nees and ended on the private properties of farmers whose lands are being confiscated for the building of the Wall in the village of Jorat El-Sham’a. In remembering the thousands of Palestinian political prisoners we chained our hands, raised the Palestinian flags and called for their (and our) release. Once we reached the location some of the participants chained themselves to cement slabs being used for the construction of the wall, others symbolically destroyed a section of the wall, and others burned the wood used to build this ugly structure. As the Israeli army approached we gathered in the middle of the road, sat on the ground and declared to the soldiers our commitment to nonviolence.

What happened then was truly a sign of absolute despair and powerlessness by the Israeli army. Every attempt to provoke us to use violence against them failed (pointing their machine guns at us, threatening to use shock grenades, and using foul language and threatening remarks), every attempt to scare us failed; our commitment was to send a message to them and to the world that the power of Understanding how empowered we had become, realizing that their weapons and threats had become futile, and wanting to destroy what we had achieved and scare us from continuing our future protests, the Israeli soldiers were ordered by their commanders to physically attack, beat, and arrest us. Many were physically hurt and one was arrested, but even in that, we never showed any sign of violence. We only shouted "peace and nonviolence."

The soldiers were not ordered to remove us from the site or to dismantle the protest, as is usually the case, the orders were to "teach you a lesson" as one soldier remarked to one of the protestors. The only lesson that can be taught to a group of nonviolent protestors is to never engage in nonviolence again. Nonviolence exposes injustice, nonviolence exposes discrimination, nonviolence threatens established structures, and most of all nonviolence empowers others to move.

Yes, there was brutal and even barbaric force used by the Israeli army against us in order to discourage and even scare us from protesting nonviolently against the construction of the Wall, but at the end of the day only one statement was made by the activists…"We will be back again and the more force Israeli soldiers use, the more powerful our commitment to nonviolence will be."

Fire Wolfowitz from World Bank for corruption

Dear friend,

George Bush's hand-picked president of the World Bank has been exposed as corrupt. Click here to tell the World Bank board to sack Paul Wolfowitz.We will send the petition to the global media and the the World Bank board as soon as we reach 50,000 signatures--and we'll send it again every time we add another 50,000. A huge response could focus the world's attention and end Wolfowitz's career at the World Bank.

Take Action Now

On Friday, Paul Wolfowitz -- President Bush's key architect of the Iraq war, now president of the World Bank and self-styled fighter of corruption -- was caught red-handed in a corruption scandal of his own. He pushed a huge pay raise for his girlfriend, and hid the facts from his organization and the world.He's got to go.The World Bank's board, made up of our governments from around the world, is now deciding whether Wolfowitz should keep his job. An immediate, massive, and global outcry could make the difference. Our petition is three words long: "Sack Paul Wolfowitz." Sign it here:http://www.avaaz.org/en/sack_wolfowitz/

When Paul Wolfowitz was a top official in President Bush's Department of Defense, he was one of the Iraq war's biggest backers. When the war became a fiasco, instead of firing Wolfowitz, Bush gave him a promotion--to president of the World Bank. At the Bank, he vowed to make corruption his top issue--but alienated the world by delaying aid packages to India, Kenya, and other countries without consulting the bank's Executive Board.Now we've learned that he didn't practice what he preached.

Wolfowitz's girlfriend was a senior World Bank employee. When he became president, the Bank's ethics rules would not allow him to keep her on staff under his supervision. So he transferred her to the US State Department--but kept her on the Bank's payroll, and gave her a US$60,000 pay raise. Her salary rose to US$193,590, higher than Condi Rice's. What's more, it appears that Wolfowitz hid the evidence of what he'd done.Fighting corruption is a key to ending poverty. But there can't be one standard for the rich and powerful and a different one for everybody else.

The 24-member board of the World Bank, which uncovered Wolfowitz's corruption through a special investigation, is now deciding his fate. Bush is likely pulling strings to help Wolfowitz keep his job. It's time for global public opinion to weigh in--which means it's all up to you.Click here now to sign the petition, and then send this email to ten friends: http://www.avaaz.org/en/sack_wolfowitz/

Wolfowitz claimed the Iraq war would spread democracy, but it sparked a civil war. He promised to fight corruption, but engaged in it himself.He talks a lot about accountability. It's time to bring some accountability to Paul Wolfowitz.

With hope,

Ben, Ricken, Hannah, Galit, Lee-Sean, Tom, and the rest of the Avaaz team.

Al-Awda Annual Convention: Uniting for Return

Al-Awda Annual Convention: Uniting for Return

Posted by: "Samia Saleh" samiasaleh65@yahoo.com
samiasaleh65 Thu Apr 12, 2007 7:33 am (PST)

Dear Sisters and Brothers,

The Palestinians Refugees Right of Return is theprimary target for liquidation by Israel, the US andArab officialdom. Many Palestinian elites view theRight of Return as a nausence, a hurdle blocking theirquest for Palestinian statehood. As Azmi Bishara notedrecently, it is the other way around: thestatehood-at- any-price project espoused, explicitlyand covertly, in some Palestinian circle is burdenningthe Palestinian refguees' quest for return. Al-Awda's upcoming convention on May 25-27 inRiverside, California represents a space and anopportuntiy to defend the Right of Return in the US(Information below). Al-Awda has been, and willcontinue to be dedicated to full Palestinian return and liberation.

Uniting for the Return: Al-Awda's Fifth AnnualInternational ConventionVENUE: University of California, Riverside, 900University Avenue, Riverside, CA, 92521DATE: May 25-27, 2007Al-Awda's Fifth Annual International Convention willbe held this year in Riverside, California, on the May25-27 memorial day week-end. The theme of this year's convention is Uniting for the Return. The date of the convention commemorates the Nakba, the59th year since the "State of Israel" was declared onstolen Palestinian land, and which led to the Zionistoccupation of all of Palestine.

This year's convention will be hosted at theUniversity of California, Riverside, by Students forJustice in Palestine. The community-based local hostcommittee currently also includes Al-Awda's Riverside,Los Angeles and San Diego chapters, The PalestinianAmerican Women's Association, The Free PalestineAlliance, The National Council of Arab Americans, TheMiddle East Cultural and Information Center, TheMuslim Students Association at Palomar College, TheMuslim Students Association at UCSD, Students forJustice in Palestine at UCLA, The Muslim StudentsUnion at UCR, and The Arab Community Center of theInland Empire.

The Program The Fifth Annual International Al-Awda Conventionpromises to be an amazing three-day event fromspeakers and workshops, a youth program, to aPalestine Cultural Dinner Event. The opening will beheld on the evening of Friday 25 May and include amoving event at which survivors of the Nakba, thegreat catastrophe, share their recollections of theirfirst-hand experience in 1948.

On Saturday May 26, the convention will devote itselfto political assessments, and to developing theongoing work of organizing Al-Awda's Right of Returncampaigns such as refugee support, media work,student, divestment, art/culture, etc., in addition toour recruitment and outreach projects.On Sunday May 27, the convention will arrive at itsresolutions based on the concrete recommendations ofthe various workshops.The Saturday evening Palestine Cultural Dinner Eventwill include keynote addresses as well as Palestinianfolkloric dance, music, a Palestinian Arab fashionshow and readings of children's writings from refugeecamps.Among the confirmed convention speakers are:Dr. Naseer Aruri, former member of The PalestineNational CouncilElias Rashmawi, National Coordinator National Councilof Arab Americans and Samia Halaby, activist, artist and Nakba survivor

INVITATION

We invite all Al-Awda members, and groups andindividuals who support the implementation of therights of Palestinian refugees to return to theirtowns and villages of origin, and to reclaim theirland, to join us in our landmark Fifth AnnualInternational Convention. The convention is asuperlative forum for activists to listen to expertpresentations and to share their own thoughts on howthey would like to see our collective efforts andcampaigns for the rights of Palestinian refugeesdevelop.Like its predecessors, Al-Awda's Fifth InternationalConvention will be one of the largest annualgatherings of Palestinian Arab activists and theirsupporters. We highly encourage out of town guests toplan and make their travel and accommodationarrangements early.

Don't Delay! Reserve Your Place Today!
To reserve, go to:http://al-awda. org/convention5/ reservations. html

The Minority Rights Amendment

MRA

There is a fatal flaw in the United States Constitution. It is the flaw of democracy by majority rule and it becomes increasingly problematical as democratic populations in numbers. This proposal fits the U.S. Constitution position but its principle is a universal solution applicable to every democratic government.

At the time of founding the United States of America and the writing of the U.S. Constitution there were less than seven million people in all the original States. In 1776 democracy by majority rule did not have the severe disenfranchisement problem for minorities within the country as it does now simply because there weren't that many minority populations other than ones already disenfranchised like women and slaves. But today, with the U.S. population at about 270 million, many minority populations are effectively disenfranchised and without voice in the government of their country. A 5% minority population equals 13.5 million people, more people than the populations of many nations of the world and far too many people with no say in the governing of their lives. And this is the situation of most minority populations within the U.S.
Year after year majority populations elect the governing representatives for the whole country and minorities have to abide by whatever decisions are arrived at by the majority's government representatives. What hope can there be for black people, for Latinos, for Native Americans, for gays, for all the minority groups when they only get token representation from a handful of lucky minority leaders elected to office who then still have to rely on their personal powers of persuasion to convince the ruling majority's representatives to agree to minority needs from government.

This is why many minority groups, especially ones that cannot fit into the European-American majority's cultural heritage and economic expectations, have made such little progress in rising out of economic poverty and it's attendant crime statistics. All the rules are written by and for the majority population. Minorities that don't agree with majority decision- makers just do not count. And this situation gets worse every year as minority populations increase, filling our country with millions of effectively disenfranchised people. Only a Minority Rights Amendment can change this situation and save America from increasing crime and violence from minority populations frustrated for decades, even centuries, with no other way out of the political and economic bind democracy by majority rule puts them in.

Amendment 28 to the U.S. Constitution

"Congress shall pass no law that violates the political, economic, cultural and religious rights of minority populations within the United States of America as long as these rights do not interfere with the rights enjoyed by all United States citizens. No State shall pass laws that violate the political, economic, cultural, and religious rights of minority populations as long as these rights do not interfere with the rights enjoyed by all citizens residing within the State. A "minority population" is defined as any group of U.S. citizens that has achieved legal recognition and identity as an ethnic or religious or cultural group within the majority population of the United States."

This Amendment may be the most important one ever to amendment the U.S. Constitution. It will work to destroy cultural prejudice within our country that has kept millions of citizens in poverty and put hundreds of thousands in prison for crimes that have no victims other than the poor minority member who's "crime" is often nothing more than having a darker skin color from the majority populations' or using a different intoxicant such as marijuana instead of the majority's legal intoxicants like alcohol. America stands for Freedom from tyranny and oppression. Without this freedom for all U.S. citizens there is no real freedom for any U.S. citizen.

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