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MARIN COUNTY'S NEWS MONTHLY - FREE PRESS
(415)868-1600 - (415)868-0502(fax) - P.O. Box 31, Bolinas, CA, 94924

March, 2009


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Letters To The Editor
BY You & Me

Two Locals Attack Press Freedom
If an article in my paper turns me off, I don't need to finish it. If my paper keeps printing articles with which I disagree, I can cancel my subscription, but I can't go next door, pick up my neighbor's paper and throw it away because he might read something which turns me off. If we really believe in democracy, we understand that our freedom depends on our support for others' freedom of expression, even for ideas with which we may strongly disagree.
Unfortunately, here in Marin, we have a few who, to control criticism of Israel's misbehavior, are trying to close down a paper they don't want their neighbors to read.

The Marin paper under attack is the COASTAL POST, offered by subscription or as a freebee, and published in Bolinas by Don Deane. It is by far the best small paper in Marin and has some 20,000 devoted readers.

The COASTAL POST covers local news, and politics, but international issues, the environment, labor, and even the Mideast. It is the latter category where some ideas expressed have upset some of our Jewish friends, whose angry letters Don Deane has never failed to print.

Israel, whose militant colonialism with a fascist flavor has cost American taxpayers $1 trillion dollars over the past half-century, presently occupies land in four of her neighboring countries. During the past three weeks her savage and genocidal invasion of Gaza, the most densely populated slum in the world, has killed 1600 civilians, including 430 children, and bombed over 20,000 homes, five hospitals, two UN shelters and the Gaza University.

This genocidal savagery created massive demonstrations against Israel in cities across the world. Israel's Zionists for 50 years have been yelling: "Anti-Semitic " to suppress criticism of their criminal behavior.

One of these enemies of free speech is Dr. Michael J. Franzblau, who, as minutes of the San Rafael City Council on Monday, JULY 07, 2008, note: "Dr. Michael J. Franzblau, requested that the Coastal Post Newspaper be prohibited from being distributed at City Hall, as its editorial policy was anti-Semitic, anti-Israel and anti-Zionist."

Mayor Boro and members of our City Council, who understand freedom of the press as one of the pillars of democracy, had their lawyer write to Franzblau, denying his request.

The second enemy of free speech is Gerardo Joffe, a San Francisco businessman, whose full-page lies about the Mideast and Israel, first published under the title: CAMERA and more recently, FLAME, have been rejected by such magazines as THE NATION.

Joffe has been writing to local business owners who advertise in the COASTAL POST, saying Don Deane prints "anti-Semitic" stuff, and demanding they withdraw their ads.

Those attacking Don's paper have also been stealing papers from distribution points in stores and other public buildings. Some 250 copies of the paper were stolen from our Civic Center on December 1st, and several stores in Fairfax have likewise lost their papers through theft. This anti-democracy campaign is costing Don Deane and may shut down a paper on which thousands of Marinites depend to keep up with the real world. I encourage all who value freedom of speech and admire the Paper's excellent and even-handed coverage of the news, to subscribe, and if you own a business, advertise. We can't afford to lose this great little paper.

Edward W. Miller, MD
San Rafael

Overpopulation?
The recent birth of octuplets after already bearing six children, all through vitro fertilization, by this deranged and unmarried So California mother underscores the urgent need for regulation of vitro fertilization and excessive child bearing. These infants will require special care for much, if not all of their lives, while this woman will now collect enormous welfare benefits for their care.

The fertility staff that exercised such blatant disregard for the infants' health, as well as overpopulation and related world hunger should be prosecuted for their crimes. The zealots who have waged war against family planning, which is the most essential element in our quest for preservation of our planet, must also assume blame for such dreadful events.

Robert Settgast
San Rafael

Support The President!
There is no upside to the Iraquistan wars and the Thelma and Louise economy President Obama inherited from George Bush and his do-nothing Congress.

The Obama Administration is stuck with the most difficult task of keeping situations that turned out to be wrong from turning out wrong. What a mess!

The least we can do is support the President and wish his Administration well.

Art Liebrez
Portland, OR

Opposing Methamphetamine In Bolinas
We the people of Bolinas wish to rid our community of methamphetamine, an extremely powerful, addictive stimulant that causes severe and long lasting changes in the brain, mood disturbances and compulsive drug seeking behavior. Intravenous use leads to heightened danger of AIDS, Hepatitis B and C (from needle sharing) as well as serious malnutrition, muscle wasting and skin infections that disfigure the face. It is highly addictive and very difficult to cure.

Meth use in Bolinas has caused violent behavior and at least one death from overdose. It is manufactured in small labs throughout the country and in some areas of West Marin. We are particularly concerned about its availability to our local youth.

Please sign this letter as it circulates through Bolinas to say you want to get rid of methamphetamine manufacture, dealing and use in Bolinas and West Marin.

Bolinas Peacemakers Circle

Personal Emission Tax
Judy, immensely enjoy your years of wonderful articles for the local newspapers.

However, I caution you to stop making suggestions such as a tax on cows for farting. Someone in higher offices seems to be taking note of your suggestions, and the next thing you know, we will have a tax proposed for our own emissions, even though they were uncontrollable, and done in the privacy of our own homes. If that happens, we will hold you personally responsible, and maybe explore your connections with large government, in order to expose same.

Keep up the great columns; you're a jewel.

Chip

Actual History Gets Left Out
The recent devastation in Gaza, with over 1,300 dead, including 400 children, has demonstrated yet again that the U.S. and Israel are partners in crime in uprooting and occupying a people that have had a grave historical injustice committed against them. This illegal bombing of an occupied people, being starved and deprived of necessities, is yet another sad tragedy in a long list of acts of aggression by the Israeli state. We as U.S. citizens are complicit in these acts because we are funding them and they are being carried out with many weapons made in the USA. It is our duty to speak out and openly debate this difficult and emotional issue. The media does a great disservice by censoring and confining the debate. Usually what is left out is the actual history of Palestine.

We read again and again the Zionist rewriting of history that says when the state of Israel was declared in May of 1948, five Arab armies attacked it. Rarely do we read or hear about the first phase of this war when over 700,000 Palestinians were terrorized off their native lands in what is known as the Catastrophe. We hear that the UN partition of Nov. 1947 was rejected by the Arabs, but we rarely hear that Israel had already taken 20% more of Palestine than even this Western land grab mandated. This first phase of Israel's war of Independence is crucial if we as U.S. citizens are to understand the legitimate rights of the Palestinians. The right of Palestinians to return to their native lands and homes is ingrained in international law. The problem is that Israel and its mighty sponsor, US, have a long track record of blocking the rule of law when it comes to the occupation of Palestinian lands and rights.

Ace Thelin
Forest Knolls

Swindler of Marin Elder Makes Out Like A Bandit

RE: "Tiburon man guilty of swindling father, widow, others". The writer attended the People v. McVickar Sentencing hearing at Marin Superior Court on 2/4/09 and the Restitution hearing on 2/6/09. Both hearings were in Judge Kelly V. Simmons Court.

As a Marin attorney who works with families of elder abuse victims, I am astounded by the common belief that law enforcement can protect the victims of elder financial abuse. Crime against the elderly does pay and in the recent case of People v. McVickar, it is apparent that such financial crimes can pay very well.

For six counts of grand larceny Malcolm McVickar was sentenced to 9 years in the penitentiary. As a result of Governor Arnold's early release initiative for non-violent property offenders, McVickar may serve only a small fraction of this sentence.

McVickar was also ordered to pay over $557,000 in restitution to several different victims. Unless McVickar wins the lottery no one seriously expects to receive a dime in restitution. In fact no one including the Sheriff, the District Attorney, and the Court could make McVickar divulge what he actually did with the stolen money! There is no indication of gambling or drug use. Quite likely he has the stolen money stashed somewhere. Even while sitting with his attorney at the restitution hearing on Friday morning, McVickar continued to conceal where the money was and in effect continued to commit his crimes while in court!

It is of vital importance to Marin Baby Boomers to stay in touch with their parents and to keep close tabs on their parents' finances. The embezzlement from the 85 year-old, legally blind, Kentfield woman was discovered accidentally by her son. At the time he discovered the crime, $474,000 had been taken. It was his discovery that ended the ongoing swindle. Only after the son reported the matter did the sheriff get involved. Then and only then were several other cases of unreported theft by McVickar discovered by the Marin County Sheriff Department.

The lesson of this case is that early discovery by family members is the first and sometimes only defense against elder financial abuse. Law enforcement, the DA and the Courts have their hands tied. And with the budget crunch, look out! McVickar may be back on the streets doing what he does best in a year or two.

Joe Reich
Tiburon

Letter To President Obama
Re: Contested Lands
All over the world, opposing groups of humans are selfishly fighting over pieces of land that they both claim, neither group willing to give in to the other. Kashmir and the West Bank in Israel are two examples that come to mind. It seems to me that there is a simple, equitable solution, which I have never heard proposed, although probably every mother has used it on children fighting over a toy: both groups should withdraw, and give the land back to the wildlife they stole it from!

Human beings think that we own, and have the right to dominate, every square inch of the Earth. That, besides being an absurd idea, is the basic reason why we are losing, worldwide, about 100 species per day. Habitat loss is at the top of every list of the primary reasons why species have become extinct or are in danger of becoming extinct. Although we all know from basic Biology that we are totally dependent on other species, we still refuse to give those species the right to live in their own habitat, unmolested by humans.

What better way to get bickering humans to forget their petty differences and live in peace, than to ask them to come to the aid of a third party of even greater need?! Remember the song "We are the world"? People from all over the globe came together in the service of the world's children. The world's wildlife is in even more need than those children! I can't think of a more appropriate or important gesture than to start giving back some of the habitat that we so arrogantly took from them.

Don't you agree?
Sincerely yours,
Michael J. Vandeman, Ph.D.
San Ramon, CA

Get Rid Of Two-Thirds Majority

Tyranny of a tiny minority - a miniscule segment of the political spectrum held California and its annual budget hostage for 106 days. Year after year, anti-tax Republicans in their ideological zeal, stymie the budget process.

Californians can no longer accommodate extremists like the GOP anti-tax activists who game the state's archaic two-thirds majority requirement needed for the passage of the annual budget.

This annual sham will continue to happen unless the two-thirds majority requirement is eliminated.

California is the state of initiatives; let's get rid of this faulty piece of legislation.

Ron Lowe
Nevada City

USS Liberty's Missing Point
I enjoyed your article on the attempted sinking of the USS LIBERTY by Israel, but think you missed something entirely. It is common knowledge that the LBJ administration knew of the attack on the USS LIBERTY within minutes of the first hit. Aid to the USS LIBERTY in the way of air support from the 6th carrier fleet were called off twice, once just minutes before the planes reached their intended destination. LBJ was quoted as saying "I want that ship at the bottom of the gulf".

You see the reason Israel attacked the USS LIBERTY was a joint collaboration between the US government and Israel, if they could sink the ship they could blame it on Egypt and thus the US government would be justified in backing Israeli military strikes on Egypt. The Israeli's failed to sink the ship that made it impossible for the plan to see fruition. It is reminiscent of the Tonkin Gulf event that paved the way for the US military to enter the conflict in Vietnam, only this time there was an actual attack on a US military vessel.

The ship sat alone dead in the water for 16 hours after the attack before it received aid from other ships in the US navy. It is also reported that the Israeli ships were not flying the flag of Israel and the persons on board said vessels were not wearing Israeli naval uniforms.

Eric Carlion
West Marin

Republican Part In Name Only
Republicans continue to seek the lowest common denominator, reach out to the extreme segments of society. Nothing has changed in the GOP camp even after the scathing loses of the fall elections. The Republican mantra remains " Ask not what you can do for your country," but, ask what is right for the GOP.

A Republican Party in name only, that has been hijacked by anti-abortionists, anti-tax advocates and the fundamentalist right, has lost control of the White House, Congress and the Senate, yet, politics of fear, lies and obstruction still season every move of the Grand Old Party. Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity have become the pointmen for the Republican Party as it plays to weak minds and pushes its revolution of ignorance.

Ron Lowe
Nevada City

Law To Require Neutering Dogs
Kudos to State Sen. Dean Florez for proposing SB 250, which would require dogs in California to be spayed or neutered unless their guardians obtain an unaltered dog license, and requires guardians of unaltered cats to keep them indoors.

Every year, about one million cats and dogs enter our state's animal shelters. More than half of them are euthanized, simply because there aren't enough good homes for them. This bill would help reduce those numbers, by encouraging people to do the responsible thing and have their animals spayed or neutered.

Even people who don't give two cents about animals should support this bill, because our state's companion animal overpopulation crisis affects every taxpayer: It costs more than $250 million to shelter and euthanize homeless animals every year.

Please choose what's best for the animals and our state: Support SB 250 and have your cats and dogs spayed or neutered.

Barry Kipperman, DVM, DACVIM
Veterinary Emergency & Specialist Care Center

Dublin

Apologetic Disgrace
Your apology to readers who were offended by Israel Shamir's excellent column, "Carter And The Swarm-Daring The Wrath Of The Jewish Lobby," is a disgrace. Why the extraordinary deference extended to Marin "progressives" who can detect racism in subtle turns of phrase, but not in a Jewish apartheid state?

You claim that Mr. Shamir's politics and terminology were "muddled" and "confusing," failing to distinguish good Jews from bad Jews. This is not, in fact, true, but what if it were? Since when has it become obligatory to grovel before readers who take offense at political views that differ from their own?

When the issue is Jewish supremacy and racism, since forever. In point of fact, Mr. Shamir explicitly stated that in criticizing "the Jews, "he meant "the organized Jewish community," but this is apparently not good enough. One must also state that there are many good Jews who feel just awful about the predictably murderous consequences of maintaining a Jewish supremacist state in the heart of the Arab world, as though their feelings were of the slightest relevance in rescuing the victims from their horrifying plight.

You compound the problem in an accompanying article, "Troubling Times For Palestine And Progressive Jews," where you deem it fit to mention "the grief and angst of progressive Jews" in the same breath as you condemn the "genocidal aggression" the Jewish state has unleashed against the Gazan civilian population. How can genocide be merely "troubling" to its victims? And how can the psychological distress of "progressives" possibly rise to the status of a serious concern in the context of genocide?

Stop listening to Marin's ideology police, and keep publishing the wonderful work of Israel Shamir and others who understand that mincing words about racism merely helps perpetuate it.

Michael Smith
Marin

Desalination Plants For California
The Central Valley in California grows most of the country's fruits and vegetables in normal times, but it is currently in a severe drought and farmers are abandoning their farms. Farmers in Fresno County, CA will only plant half the acreage of lettuce grown in 2005.

A permanent partial solution to the lack of irrigable water might be the construction of large scale desalination plants along the California coastline. The desalinated water could supply the fresh water needs of heavily populated urban and some suburban areas, and free up sources of surface water and groundwater for irrigating farmland. It might be possible to transport some of the desalinated water via pipelines to farming regions.

The desalination technology is proven and is extensively employed in the Middle East. In this country Tampa, FL produces 10% of its fresh water requirements from a desalination plant. Some states in the south might want to evaluate the construction of desalination plants to help alleviate their drought conditions.

The power for the desalination plants could possibly be generated by on site wind turbines if the plants are located in windy areas.

And, as an added benefit, maybe we could put to good use the projected rise in ocean waters caused by global warming of the ice caps.

Donald A. Moskowitz
Londonderry, NH


The Mess Left Behind
The Republicans are describing the trillion-dollar stimulus saying, "If you started the day Jesus Christ was born and spent $1 million every day since then, you still wouldn't have spent $1 trillion." True enough. But let's look at the bigger picture. The reason we are in this mess is because of the Republican spending under Bush where they took the position that "Reagan proved deficits don't matter".

So if you applied the same calculation to the Republican's spending it wouldn't be one million dollars a day, it would be over five million dollars a day. Yes, the Republican/Bush deficit is at least 5 times bigger than the stimulus package and the reason we have to do it is to fix the mess the Republicans left behind. It's time for Republicans to get out of the way and let the grownups fix the problem.

I'm Marc Perkel - And I approved this message!

Marc Perkel
San Bruno, CA.

Reduce Property Taxes
Now that the value of homes and commercial properties has gone down, why aren't property taxes being reduced too?

Lowering property taxes would relieve millions of Americans of an economic burden.

Could this be a solution to the homeowner mortgage crisis and even the commercial property crisis?

Many homeowners and commercial owners have property taxes impounded.

That means the mortgage company is taking extra funds to cover the property tax, which they, the mortgage lender, then pay for the homeowner or commercial landowner. The mortgage company even takes a percentage more, in case they underestimate the taxes. More than likely, they are using our money to make interest, profit, for them and not us.

But are they taking too much? Shouldn't the mortgage companies be taking less money for our impounds since property prices are down, and property taxes should also be going down?

Or are they playing with our money and our interest?

There are companies on the Internet who will, for a fee, help both homeowners and commercial owners reduce their property taxes. This company and others like it can be used to file a protest about property taxes on your home here in California and other states. See http://www.cutmytaxes.com/property_tax_overview_california.asp

You can also request your property be reassessed by the local authority. Many local governments assess properties only every three years or more, so it is not surprising that many assessments are too high, given the recent fall in value.

There should be no delay in adjusting these taxes. Properties have gone down in value. There is no dispute about that.

President Obama should sign an executive order for property tax assessors nationwide to revalue and devalue all properties. This will lower the tax burden on homeowners and commercial landowners.

It should be effective immediately.

The mortgage companies should also be compelled to lower their additional take on mortgage holders immediately, thus lowering the tax bills of homeowners and commercial owners.

If property taxes are based on the value of the property, isn't adjusting the tax rate the honest thing to do?

This definitely would make homeowner and commercial landowners mortgage monthly payments drop immediately.

People should be paying less in property taxes, which would give them more money to spend on disposable items, which is exactly what they need and what the U.S. economy needs.

Now, that's stimulus.
Steve Mozena
Carson

It's Just Outrageous.
Certain Bushwhacked politicians are starting a disinformation campaign to undermine Obama's move to close Guantanamo. According to the ACLU, they are claiming that a) releasing terrorists from prisons will endanger Americans b) our prisons and our justice system are not able to handle terrorists.

FACT: According to the Red Cross, more than 75% of Guantanamo "terrorists" are innocent. The Center for Constitutional Rights echoes, and the ACLU's attorney Ben Wizner blogged that more than 99% of those "Terrorists" in captivity are as innocent as you or I.

FACT: According to the Center for Constitutional Rights and the ACLU, the Military Commissions Act (torture bill) a) will not allow "Terrorist" detainees access to their own trials, in violation of the Bill of Right's guarantee that "all persons" are entitled to a "fair" and speedy trial. B) Further, alleged terrorists in captivity have no access to legal counsel. C) Waterboarding pales in comparison to other "interrogation" techniques: Electrocution from the inside when hooked to a generator, being whipped with steel cables two inches thick....squealed-up "evidence" coerced under such conditions is, in the Military Commissions Act, "legally" considered burden of proof. D) Is a mere newspaper photograph ample burden of proof? Wake up Americans!

So, the guilty walk free while the innocent are tortured: Is the Military "justice" handling "terrorists" better than our courts? Talk about literally Beating Around the Bush!

No Crime on My Dime, please.
Close Guantanamo now, overturn the unconstitutional Military Commissions Act, and give alleged terrorists a fair trial to legitimately prove innocence or guilt. Our international status depends on it. Please write Congress!

Drina Brooke
Novato

Anti-Israeli Rants
Mr. Deane had written twice before, THIS is last. Your anti-Israel rants are based on questionable information, ignorance of history, biased judgment, and a funk borne of some personal experience most likely a Jew stepped on your toe and failed to apologize. Enough already! It's booooring, totally inappropriate. Why don't you set your sights on Michael Wiener, aka MICHAEL SAVAGE, vicious and self obsessed "conservative" on KNEW. Just today (2/5/09) referred to Supreme Court Justice Gingsburg as the most corrupt Marxist Supreme Court Justice in US history. in the past referred to Former Israel Prime Minister a "whore", President Obama the most socialist President in US History, people in the press "vermin". I had written him a critical letter and he complained to the Police. (I have info on this guy. you want it?).

John Salz
Mill Valley

Buy Time
Lev Luis Grinberg*
In 1998, I lectured at UCLA on the subject of the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin. After the talk, a visiting professor from Iran came up and spoke to me of how the assassination had damaged Iranian democratic prospects. After Bill Clinton's election and the mutual Israeli-Palestinian recognition in 1993, liberal Iranian political forces were empowered to oppose the extremist anti-Western religious fundamentalists. The assassination, however, changed the political climate entirely. I was reminded of this conversation several days ago, while listening to a visiting Nigerian Catholic pastor in the Jerusalem Van Leer Institute. He told the audience that as part of his work towards internal Nigerian peace, he prays for peace between Israelis and Palestinians. "When you sneeze here we catch cold in Nigeria", he said. "Muslims identify with the Palestinians and Christians with Israel, and war here results in immediate tensions in Nigeria".

These are but two examples of the many global repercussions of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and not only for neighboring Arab countries. Bush's war against the "axis of evil" and Israel's central role in it only exacerbated the situation. Clearly, one of Obama's most urgent tasks in changing the tensed global atmosphere is to calm the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. If he fulfills his promise to pull US forces out of Iraq but fails to calm down the tensions in Israel-Palestine, the most extremist and violent Islamic groups will be encouraged to continue fighting against the US allies in the region. Why? We can learn from the Israeli unilateral withdrawals, from Lebanon in May 2000 and from Gaza in August 2005, that provoked escalating violence since then: the second Intifada in October 2000, the second Lebanon war in July 2006, and the recent events of January 2009.

Unilateral withdrawals without previous political agreements are interpreted as a success of violent resistance - rather than as the fruit of political recognition, dialogue and compromise-, therefore they provoke new violent confrontations. The withdrawal from Iraq cannot be negotiated solely with Iraqi politicians; it must be part of a broader vision of the Middle East due to the influence of the US in the whole area. This vision must include Iran, Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and, above all, Israel and Palestine. Without a new US vision of peace for our region, the withdrawal from Iraq may be disastrous and provoke escalating violence, just as Israeli withdrawals did. The lesson from Israel is that the US troops must leave Iraq. The crucial question is how.

There is a debate between two schools within the new administration over the chances for success of US mediation between Israelis and Palestinians at the present political juncture. The more pessimistic school (recently presented by Robert Malley and Hussein Agha http://www.nybooks.com/articles/22230) wisely argue that internal politics in Israel and Palestine and regional changes in the last eight years make a historical compromise impossible now, while a more optimistic approach (published by Richard Haass and Martin Indyk, in the last issue of Foreign Affairs) strongly recommends US mediation of an Israeli-Palestinian two states solution agreement, in addition to negotiations with Iran. Both diplomatic efforts are necessary, according to Haass and Indyk, in order to prevent the dangers of a unilateral withdrawal from Iraq. In my opinion both schools are partially right. The optimistic school is right that without an Israeli-Palestinian agreement the US withdrawal from Iraq is dangerous, and the pessimistic school is right that there are not many chances for a peace agreement in the present political situation.

Regardless of the outcome of the upcoming elections in Israel, none of the large political parties are ready to recognize the elected Palestinian government led by Hamas, neither to negotiate with it nor to compromise. In addition the Palestinians are divided physically and politically, with no likely prospects for national reconciliation. Without massive international intervention the tension may be easily reignited, leading to further death and destruction. However rushing to send Senator Mitchell to the area and accepting the Israeli boycott of Hamas seems to be a bad signal. The important question is not if something urgent should be done, but what.

At the present juncture, any push for direct negotiations on permanent settlement of the conflict and the creation of a Palestinian state is doomed to fail. If, however, Israel continues to rule the Palestinians, expropriate their lands, control their movement and prevent entry of commodities, the resumption of Palestinian resistance is but a matter of time. In this situation the Middle East needs time until peaceful negotiations can be resumed. A significant period of non-violence is necessary to do politics, facilitate reflexive thinking, open minds to new ideas and visions, and consolidate pro-peace coalitions on both sides. In order to do so, a cease-fire (tahadya) is not sufficient; a two-three year non-belligerence agreement (hudna) is necessary. During this period many things must be accomplished: a "Marshal plan" for the reconstruction of Palestine must be designed, a new economic protocol to allow Palestinians independent import of commodities must be implemented, Israeli building of settlements and Walls in the Palestinian territories must he halted, and full disarmament of the territories must be agreed on to facilitate the entrance of international peace keeping forces.

Without allaying the feelings of fear, hate and revenge no recognition and compromise are possible. Obama needs to buy time for the Israelis and Palestinians in order to help them heal from eight years of violence, death and despair.

Lev Luis Grinberg
Lev Luis Grinberg is Professor of Political Sociology at Ben Gurion University, Author of Politics and Violence in Israel/Palestine (Routledge, July 2009)



Dear Hal et al,
Pro-coal climate skeptic falsehood and irresponsible ignoring of warnings from top climate scientists has permitted the Australian Federal Government to commit World leading per capita greenhouse gas (GHG) polluter Australia to an annual 2% increase in Domestic and Exported GHG pollution despite expert UK assessment that an annual 6-8% decrease in GHG pollution is needed to avert catastrophic climate change and a 10 billion-victim (and substantially Muslim) Climate Genocide. [1]

Similarly, egregiously false, anti-Arab anti-Semitic, Zionist propaganda hides continuing US Alliance and Apartheid Israeli atrocities. Thus an Australian Zionist-Muslim row has erupted over distribution of a photographic montage comparing crimes of the Nazis in the Jewish Holocaust with Zionist Apartheid Israeli crimes in Gaza (generated by outstanding Jewish American scholar Professor Norman Finkelstein, the son of Jewish Holocaust survivors and recently forced out of De Paul University through virulent defamation by Zionists). Comparisons between any racist mass murder atrocities are valid and necessary. [2]

The Jewish Holocaust (5-6 million dead, 1 in 6 dying from deprivation) was part of a much larger, Zionist-ignored European Holocaust (30 million Slav, Jewish and Roma dead) and an even wider, Zionist-ignored WW2 Holocaust that also involved 35 million Chinese deaths under the Japanese and 6-7 million Indians deliberately starved to death in the man-made Bengali Holocaust in British India (the Bengal Famine, 1943-1945; substantially Muslim victims of an ignored WW2 Muslim Holocaust). [3]

The Palestinian, Iraqi and Afghan Genocides have so far involved 0.3 million, 2 million and 4-6 million post-invasion excess deaths; 0.2 million, 0.6 million and 2.1 million under-5 year old infant deaths (90% avoidable and due to war criminal Occupier violation of Articles 55 and 56 of the Geneva Convention Relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War); and 7 million, 6 million and 4 million refugees, respectively - Genocides as defined by Article 2 of the UN Genocide Convention. [4]

Peace is the only way but silence kills and silence is complicity - please inform everyone you can.

Dr Gideon Polya
Macleod, Melbourne,
Victoria 3085, Australia





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