Is the archive for the blogger formerly known as “Engaged Spectator“.All post from “Engaged Spectator” can be read here.

As of August 22/2008 I have moved to  mediabuzzard.com.

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Despite all the talk about change from the Obama camp seems some things, will not be changing any time soon.

And that is,the U.S governments take on the Israeli/Palestinian issue.

Pretty much confirming  Palestinian doubts…

that Mr. Obama or any other U.S. leader would reverse what they see as Washington’s bias toward Israel.

Indeed,according to Obama its a,”miracle“…

“You have been deeply involved in this miracle that has blossomed and we are extraordinarily grateful not just as Americans but as world citizens for your outstanding service to your country,”

Well that’s one version of Israel history I suppose,and a peculiar one at that.

Obama seems to have over looked the fact that there was a pre-existing indigenous population.

Let’s hand it over to Nelson Mandela,his is a much more accurate assessment of the reality that is Israel. Miracle you say… ?

But then what did anyone expect,change…? Or as Obama likes to say..”change you can believe in” perhaps that should be changed to ,”change you can only hope for“.

After all,Obama also said…

that Jerusalem will be the capital of Israel, but that the issue should be settled through negotiation

So if Jerusalem is to be the Israeli capital,the negotiations are for what….?

Only time will tell whether Obama will be the one to bring real/meaningful change to the U.S and its foreign policy.

In the meantime lets not forget that this is just another political campaign,many politician promise all sorts of things only to disappoint.

That said I am prepared to give Obama the benefit of the doubt.

Perhaps once Mr Obama  gets more involved in the Israeli/Palestinian issue,as promised,his views will change.

We can only hope,for the sake of the long suffering Palestinian people.

But…all said I won’t be holding my breath,particularly when Obama’s past remarks & actions speak more of preserving  the status-quo than changing it.

What better time to re-print Nelson Mandela’s March 28/01memo addressed to Thomas Friedman, than on the occasion of Mandela’s 90th birthday(July 18/08).

Memo to: Thomas L. Friedman (columnist New York Times)

From: Nelson Mandela (former President South Africa)

Dear Thomas,

I know that you and I long for peace in the Middle East, but before you continue to talk about necessary conditions from an Israeli perspective, you need to know what’s on my mind. Where to begin? How about 1964. Let me quote my own words during my trial. They are true today as they were then:

“I have fought against white domination and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.”

Today the world, black and white, recognize that apartheid has no future. In South Africa it has been ended by our own decisive mass action in order to build peace and security. That mass campaign of defiance and other actions could only culminate in the establishment of democracy.

Perhaps it is strange for you to observe the situation in Palestine or more specifically, the structure of political and cultural relationships between Palestinians and Israelis, as an apartheid system. This is because you incorrectly think that the problem of Palestine began in 1967. This was demonstrated in your recent column “Bush’s First Memo” in the New York Times on March 27, 2001.

You seem to be surprised to hear that there are still problems of 1948 to be solved, the most important component of which is the right to return of Palestinian refugees.

The Palestinian-Israeli conflict is not just an issue of military occupation and Israel is not a country that was established “normally” and happened to occupy another country in 1967. Palestinians are not struggling for a “state” but for freedom, liberation and equality, just like we were struggling for freedom in South Africa.

In the last few years, and especially during the reign of the Labor Party, Israel showed that it was not even willing to return what it occupied in 1967; that settlements remain, Jerusalem would be under exclusive Israeli sovereignty, and Palestinians would not have an independent state, but would be under Israeli economic domination with Israeli control of borders, land, air, water and sea.

Israel was not thinking of a “state” but of “separation”. The value of separation is measured in terms of the ability of Israel to keep the Jewish state Jewish, and not to have a Palestinian minority that could have the opportunity to become a majority at some time in the future. If this takes place, it would force Israel to either become a secular democratic or bi-national state, or to turn into a state of apartheid not only de facto, but also de jure.

Thomas, if you follow the polls in Israel for the last 30 or 40 years, you clearly find a vulgar racism that includes a third of the population who openly declare themselves to be racist. This racism is of the nature of “I hate Arabs” and “I wish Arabs would be dead”. If you also follow the judicial system in Israel you will see there is discrimination against Palestinians, and if you further consider the 1967 occupied territories you will find there are already two judicial systems in operation that represent two different approaches to human life: one for Palestinian life and the other for Jewish life. Additionally there are two different approaches to property and to land. Palestinian property is not recognized as private property because it can be confiscated.

As to the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza, there is an additional factor. The so-called “Palestinian autonomous areas” are bantustans. These are restricted entities within the power structure of the Israeli apartheid system.

The Palestinian state cannot be the by-product of the Jewish state, just in order to keep the Jewish purity of Israel. Israel’s racial discrimination is daily life of most Palestinians. Since Israel is a Jewish state, Israeli Jews are able to accrue special rights which non-Jews cannot do. Palestinian Arabs have no place in a “Jewish” state.

Apartheid is a crime against humanity. Israel has deprived millions of Palestinians of their liberty and property. It has perpetuated a system of gross racial discrimination and inequality. It has systematically incarcerated and tortured thousands of Palestinians, contrary to the rules of international law. It has, in particular, waged a war against a civilian population, in particular children.

The responses made by South Africa to human rights abuses emanating from the removal policies and apartheid policies respectively, shed light on what Israeli society must necessarily go through before one can speak of a just and lasting peace in the Middle East and an end to its apartheid policies.

Thomas, I’m not abandoning Mideast diplomacy. But I’m not going to indulge you the way your supporters do. If you want peace and democracy, I will support you. If you want formal apartheid, we will not support you. If you want to support racial discrimination and ethnic cleansing, we will oppose you. When you figure out what you’re about, give me a call.

Source

Now I have no time for excuses whether from Conservatives or Liberals when it comes to the the Khader case.

Despite all the talk here , here and here in regards to the latest comments on the Khadr case by Conservative spokesperson Kory Teneycke….

“This is the process the Liberals chose, and we’re sticking with it,” Mr. Teneycke said in an interview Sunday. Accusing the opposition of “playing politics,” he said recent public revelations about the Khadr file should have been known to the previous government. “This information was in their hands when they made these decisions,” he said.

The elephant in the room that everybody seems to be ignoring…

“The Liberals let this happen and the Conservatives refuse to bring it to an end.”

Both the Con’s and Lib’s dropped the ball in the name of political expedience,flip sides of the same coin the saying goes.

And all hand wringing/excuses  aside,that fact is not going to be changed one iota.

The irony of Libs & Con’s attempting to occupy the moral & political high ground on this issue is laughable.

In hindsight its all just politics….

Both sides could care less that Khadr’s rights were violated,indeed,the actions of both sides have demonstrated as much.

The klaxon blares,damage control,damage control,pass the buck,pass the buck…

If I was to be asked my suggestion to Liberals would be,to put a sock in it, Canadian voters are not stupid.

The best Liberals can hope for,is that…

The continuing  Conservative ineptness,in regards to their handling of the Omar Khadr file,might distract Cnd voter’s attention away from the Liberal’s own ineptness in regards to this issue.

Either that,or show some leadership and admit Liberal actions were wrong,anything less just rings hollow.

Yet  again the do-gooder & busy bodies, backed up by squads of junior “fascists” in red,are on a mission to harass the people of the DTES & the Granville street area.

Their crime,being poor,and daring to walk the public streets & spaces

Security guards in Vancouver are discriminating against the city’s homeless by telling people sitting or sleeping on benches to move along, to stop binning in alleys, and by following and intimidating them.

In response to the tactics of the so called “Goodwill Ambassadors”,an initiative of the Downtown Vancouver Business Improvement Association (DVBIA).

The good people of Pivot legal society & United Native Nations have filed a complaint with the BC human Rights Tribunal.

Laura Track, a lawyer with Pivot, said the Downtown Ambassadors program, which is run by Genesis Security and the DVBIA, under the guidance of commissioner Geoff Plant, singles out street people and impedes their legal access to public areas.

The downtown core and in particular the DTES & Granville street happens to be home to nearly all Vancouver’s 6-7000 SOR’s(single occupancy rooms).Therefore if one is unemployed,disabled,living on welfare,trying to survive on minimum wage etc the chances of one  ending up in the DTES are quite good.

Imagine leaving your room to walk the street or to just sit ,along comes some junior g-man in a dorky red outfit telling you to move on,like you’re some kind of dog.Or worse…

the guards follow and stare at people they find “undesirable” and take photographs and notes for unknown purposes.

Not because you have done anything wrong but because you are poor .Also if you happen to be native you are even more likely to be harassed

To add insult to injury…

The monies being used to fund,what is in affect a  private business program aimed at forcing the poor from Vancouver’s public spaces & streets,are public funds.

Non-Partisan Association councillors “ignored council process and staff recommendations” to force public funding for a private business program through Vancouver City Council, a Vision Vancouver media release has alleged.

Read more here , here, and here

Also be sure to check out ‘Incivilty City‘ over at Creative Revolution.

In this case Canadian Auto Workers(CAW) under Buzz Hargrove.

What’s the point,if the Union leadership refuses to stand before the membership and seek their support through the democratic process ?

Earlier this summer, it looked like the Canadian Auto Workers (CAW) union was about to experience something truly unusual in its history – — a contested campaign for national president.  The last contest for the union’s top Canadian officer was in 1960, a quarter of a century before the formation of the CAW

Particularly at a time when the union is facing many difficulties and the membership is demoralized.

Hargrove quickly moved to prevent such an open contest by calling a meeting of the National Executive Board (NEB) and of the appointed staff for July 8th to “put this thing to bed”.

What’s the point,if the leadership would rather hob knob with the elites rather than with the workers they supposedly represent ?

CAW drifted closer to the corporate and political elite (symbolized by the joint dinner with Canada’s business and political elites in the middle of a CAW Bargaining Convention).

And so it goes….

Union membership continues to declines,union solidarity flounders.While a bureaucratic labor aristocracy,as represented by Hargrove et al,continue to do every thing in their power to remain unaccountable and aloof.

Because it’s not about the spirit of unionism or internationalism,it’s not about workers on the shop floor.It’s about the “leadership” their careers & ego’s.

Dollars to donuts after his successor’s coronation.Buzz will show up either in the Senate or in some other appointed position,dependent on patronage rather than merit.

Read more

I say yes…and the more graphic the better.

In fact imagine if somehow  pictures could also capture the smell of blood,the terror,the grief and the sounds of young lives ebbing away.

Over the weekend, I was reading Susan D. Moeller’s essay on “Media and Democracy”and she pointed out that one of the paramount problems with the mainstream media is that they have failed to show the human costs of war.

From September 1, 2004 to February 28, 2005, 559 American soldiers and Western allies died but not a single picture got published in the seven elite U.S. newspapers. Among these elite: New York Times, Washington Post, Time and Newsweek.

Like the saying goes,only those who have experienced war truly know the horror and senselessness that is war.Indeed those who have experienced war are in most cases the last to call for war or promote war as a solution.

Times have changed. Life magazine published grim pictures of the Spanish Civil War in 1938 with these words:…..

“Once again Life prints grim pictures of War, well knowing that once again they will dismay and outrage thousands and thousands of readers. But today’s two great continuing news events are two wars — one in China, one in Spain… Obviously Life cannot ignore not suppress these two great news events in pictures. As events, they have an authority far more potent than any editors’ policy or readers’ squeamishness. But Life could conceivably choose to show pictures of these events that make them look attractive. They are not, however, attractive events… Americans’ noble and sensible dislike of war is largely based on ignorance of what modern war really is… The love of peace has no meaning or no stamina unless it is based on a knowledge of war’s terrors… Dead men have indeed died in vain if live men refuse to look at them..

Read more,’Young Men Dead‘

Advice I whole heartily endorse…

If I were a left-of-centre party desperately seeking concrete differences with the Liberals, I’d be awfully interested in the case of Omar Khadr, the former child soldier whose abuse at Guantanamo Bay has by now been amply documented.

Indeed the Khadr case is just one more example that illustrates,despite appearances,that the Liberals and Conservatives are basically flip sides of the same coin.

This should, it seems to me, present an opportunity for the NDP, who could say — truthfully — “The Liberals let this happen and the Conservatives refuse to bring it to an end.”

Read more Inkless Wells

No matter what one thinks of the Omar Khadr case,or Khadr as a person.One under lining principle can not be ignored.

The Canadian governments has an obligation to protect and ensure,that the civil/human rights of all Cnd citizens are protected.Indeed it’s shameful that the Harper government continues to ignore the plight of one of its own citizens.

Particularly in light of the fact that even the U.S Supreme court,has ruled against Gitmo,calling it unconstitutional.

The Canadian government can not pick and chose which Canadians are,or not,protected by Cnd law.

The very idea runs contrary to the notion of Canadian democracy and the rule of law,one of it’s most basic tenets.

Also as the much respected Romeo Dallaire points out  we are talking about a child soldier,which entails added responsibilities.

Liberal senator and ex-general Romeo Dallaire says the government is undermining efforts to eradicate the use of child soldiers, by refusing to bring Omar Khadr into the Canadian justice system.

UPDATE;

U.S military lawyer (JAG) Lt.-Cmdr. Bill Kuebler attacked the military commission that will try Khadr in October…

“I hope that the prime minister of Canada finally decides to stand up and act like a prime minister of Canada and protect the rights of a Canadian citizen.”….

“Military commissions aren’t designed to be fair. They’re designed to produce convictions.”

Now there’s a vote of confidence if ever there was one.

Seven years on,hundreds of dead NATO soldiers,thousands of dead civilians,billions spent…

Yet doubt and insecurity remain rampant,while spin,is the name of the game.

And on it goes when & where it ends nobody knows.