[Peace-discuss] [OccupyCU] sleepwalking into the drone age - "I Met a 16-Year-Old Kid. 3 Days Later Obama Killed Him"

[Karen Medina]

Eleanor wrote: >  Instead of waving banners that are often violent
sounding go to Africa or Palestine and work on bringing people
together.

In response to this particular comment, I like a tee-shirt I bought
for Stuart at the anti-NATO demonstration that said, "Existence is
Resistance"

It was a pro-Palestinian group selling the shirt. I bought it because
every Palestinian IS performing non-violent resistance every moment of
their lives.  [Watch the movie, Budrus.]

But how often does the non-violence make the news?

There are numerous groups in Israel and Palestine working together,
not just for understanding but for inclusion in society and equal
rights and basic human rights. How often do we hear of these? Can you
even name one group?

I am not promoting violence in any way. I am just saying that, damn
it, we should know about the non-violence! The average person in the
Unites States only hears what the U.S. media gives them. Wake up and
see the non-violent movements and the overwhelming number of
non-violent individuals. But we are not going to find them unless we
go look for them. LOOK for THEM.

As for the idea of going to Palestine, don't go to the area, unless
you really want to. We need to do so many things here to change the
United States' policies that allow (and encourage) the Israeli
government to continue their abuses*.

At the very least, become a part of the Urbana-Champaign Peace
Initiative, see the film, Budrus. Listen to Mark Braverman. See the
film, Fatal Embrace. It is a great group. They take the non-violent
road very seriously and I believe they are a route for mutual
understanding.

Personally, I take the road that Martin Luther King Jr. took in his
Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech (and several times after that as
well).

Each U.S. citizen that does not take a stand is committing violence by
allowing the U.S. (a democracy) to continue to support Israeli
violence.

-karen medina
* A short list of the abuses the U.S. supports Israel in doing:
bulldozing Palestinian homes, taking over more and more Palestinian
land, using resources (like water) from Palestinian land for luxuries
(like swimming pools), restricting trade of the Palestinians, using
weapon of mass destruction on civilians, restricting movement on
Palestinian land, sending troops into Palestinian territories, just to
name a few.

---
[I picked up on the Palestine idea, mostly because the point about
Africa is way too broad to even start a conversation. Are you talking
about South Africa, the Congo, Ethiopia, ... where to even begin to
know what you are trying to indicate????]