[Peace-discuss] Fw: Rachel Corrie

[Margaret E. Kosal]

More on Rachel Corrie - this is an email written by a native Illinois man 
(Dreg Sha is the name he choses to go by while in Rafa) who is another one 
of the International Solidarity Mission activists in Gaza.

Namaste,
Margaret

> >===== Original Message From "Dreg Sha" <iisanother at whoever.com> =====
>Hello
>
>I think that by now most of you have probably heard of the death of Rachel
>Corrie.
>
>Rachel was a great person.  She was intelligent, artistic, creative.  She had
>a great sense of humor, a love of life and was incredibly beautiful both
>inside and out.
>
>During the past month that i have been here in Rafah i had formed a very
>strong personal friendship with her.
>
>What happened to her was a tradgedy and a murder.
>
>It was a complete waste of life.  pointless and tragic.
>
>Obviously what myself, Rachel and the other internationals have been doing
>here was incredibly risky.  I have rarely gone through a day here without the
>fear that i would be struck by a stray bullet because the IDF shoots 
>regularly
>and randomly throughout the city.
>
>But i never expected that any of us would be killed by one of these slow
>plodding bulldozers.
>
>Rachel was standing in front of the house of a family which she had a close
>personal relationship with.  She had spent several nights sleeping there and
>there had been one or another european or american staying there almost every
>night for the past three months.
>
>Rachel was cleary visible to the bulldozer driver.  There is no possibilty
>that he did not see her.  She was wearing an orange florescent vest.  There
>were eight of us there in total.  Four from the U.S. and four from Britian.
>
>There were two bulldozers and one tank.
>
>Our group was spread out because the bulldozers were attacking a large area
>which included three homes occupied by families.
>
>Rachel stood her ground alone because she cared for that family and because
>she believed that she was right.
>
>The actions of the bulldozers in destroying those houses was and is illegal.
>
>As the bulldozer approached Rachel it began to push the ground up beneath her
>feet.  She scrambled to stay on top of the rapidly growing mound of dirt.  At
>one point she was quite high up, nearly on top of the blade.  Close enough 
>for
>the driver to look her in the eyes.
>
>She then began to sink down becoming sucked into the mound of earth and
>beneath the dozer's blade.
>
>It did not stop or even slow down.  It continued forward with its blade to 
>the
>ground until it had driven over her completely.
>
>It then reversed with its blade still low and drove back over her.
>
>Throughout this exercise in horror the remaining seven of us were yelling and
>screaming, "stop" and running to the scene.
>
>Rachel was lying on the ground contorted and partially buried.  Her upper lip
>was lacerated and bleeding heavily.
>She said only one thing "I broke my back"
>After that she could not say her name or even speak.  We held her and told 
>her
>to relax.
>I asked her to grip my hand and she did.  Showing that she could hear us.
>I asked her to breath with me and she did In, Out , in, out.
>We all told her that we loved her.
>
>but we could see that she was deteriorating rapidly.  Signs of internal
>bleeding in her cranium began to show themselves.
>
>After about fifteen minutes the paramedics arrived and she was taken to the
>hospital.
>
>
>Some people will say and are saying that what we have been doing here is
>exceedingly dangerous and foolish.
>
>I agree.
>
>Nothing would be worth more to me right now than to see Rachel alive again.
>
>However,
>that doesn't change the fact that this was a murder.
>
>The Israeli army commited the crime of murder while in the midst of commiting
>the crime of illegal home demolition.
>
>Rachel didn't commit any crime whatsoever.
>
>The IDF has already attempted to spin this story by saying that she 
>slipped in
>front of the bulldozer, and that there was heavy resistance shooting in the
>area, hence the need to behave aggresively.  These things are untrue.  There
>are seven international eyewitnesses and pictures to confirm the truth.
>
>Personally i am in a state of shock and grief.  I have learned more than i
>ever wanted to know about what it feels like to be a Palestinian.
>
>most of my friends here have professed a conviction to stay, and more people
>are coming to join us.
>
>My main conviction now is to tell Rachel's story.
>
>Beyond that i plan to leave this place soon (if i'm able to) because i don't
>think i can personally take any more.
>
>All this on the eve of Iraq War II,  coming soon to a propagnda machine near
>you.
>
>Love
>Dreg