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Toronto War Show: Kids Play w/ Weapons, Six Nation's Speech & Hamas Mp interview
| Message Board > Controversy and Quarantine > Toronto War Show: Kids Play w/ Weapons, Six Nation's Speech & Hamas Mp interview |
| Lordpatch User Info... |  Flight by Matthew Behrens - [email protected] photos from the CNE Recruitment Centre and today's protest available at http://www.flickr.com/photos/36969299@N00/sets/72157594269324220/detail/ TORONTO, SEPTEMBER 4, 2006 -- The crowd of artists, actors, and other unionized cultural workers was taken aback when they were stopped by armed police officers from entering the Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) grounds at the end of today's Labour Day parade. They would only be allowed to enter, they were instructed, if they popped the hundreds of colourful balloons they were carrying. Of all the law enforcement duties a police officer must carry out, forcing citizens of Toronto to pop their balloons is surely one of the most vague and inexplicable, as the offence of "unauthorized balloon cartage for nefarious purpose or otherwise" is found nowhere in the Criminal Code nor in the Provincial Offences Act. But Toronto's finest were serving and protecting the United States Air Force, whose war planes were shortly scheduled to take a break from dropping bombs on human beings in Afghanistan and Iraq to roar over the skies of Toronto. The war planes are part of what is billed as an annual family entertainment extravaganza sponsored by the Tim Horton's donut chain and their charitable foundation, whose motto is "helping children gain a positive view of the world." For all of their thunder and "shock and awe" power, however, it appears that these flying angels of death are vulnerable to -- balloons. A particular area underneath war show airspace is thus designated balloon-free, forcing the thespians to entertain a rather Shakespearean moment: "when we prick thee, do you not pop?" And so the sound of many balloons popping was heard before the group was allowed to enter the grounds (though some balloons acted independently and broke free.) But even before the last of the balloons was popped, the sounds of terrorism filled the air: sounds familiar to the people of Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Greece, Iraq, former Yugoslavia, and Afghanistan, among far too many others. How would the people of Lebanon react to this glorification of war? They heard similar roars this summer before bridges and apartment buildings were blown to smithereens, and before thousands of their loved ones were murdered. Would we think it appropriate to have a family fun day celebrating the "awesome aerodynamics" of Katyusha rockets, thousands of which terrorized Israeli citizens this summer? And let us not forget that it may have been screaming war planes that were the last sounds heard by the Canadian soldier killed today in an aerial U.S. "friendly fire" strike in Afghanistan. For many people in Toronto who are refugees from war zones, such sounds must re-create a trauma they had hoped to leave behind when they came here seeking refuge. One wonders how many took cover today, unsure if the shriek of jets would be followed by the sounds of bombardment, the screams of wounded, the silence of the dead. PROTEST COALITION FORMS In an effort to demilitarize the CNE war show and celebrate the many Canadian civil aviation achievements, a new coalition, WING (War is Not a Game Committee) came together this August. The group wrote to the CNE asking that the air show be cancelled, noting that the 1999 Montreal air show was cancelled because organizers felt it was too soon after the horrific bombing of Yugoslavia by Canadian, U.K., and U.S. jets for them to be flying over Montreal as "entertainment." The CNE organizers never responded, and so it was that members of Christian Peacemaker Teams, Homes not Bombs, the Toronto Catholic Worker, and Country Music Fans Against War came together for a prayerful circle at 1 pm in Parkdale today, trying to share a moment of solemn silence amidst the sounds of war. But it was difficult given the man-made thunder that filled the skies. The group then headed out, passing out flyers along the jam-packed streets and trying to dialogue with war show fans and spectators. Some in the audience are the die-hard enthusiasts obsessed with the technical innovation involved in making and flying bombers. That technical detail is all that is presented in air show memorabilia; there's nothing mentioned about the human misery these machines have been used to wreak around the globe. Other spectators view the war show as pure and simple entertainment. And why wouldn't they? From the Toronto Star to the weekly "alternative magazines," the war show is listed in the "entertainment" section, along with concerts and films. So why would anyone give it a second thought? It's a free or cheap way to keep the kids occupied the day before school starts. We hope some of these spectators will be open to our message: that we should not celebrate planes that have recently dropped bombs on people. Some of them do get the message, giving us the thumbs up. Some say they know first-hand what these planes can do, and a number of families, upon reading our leaflets, actually recognize that something is wrong here, pack up their kids, and leave. But for many, as we walk along the boardwalk with our huge banner and colourful placards, we prove an annoyance, a distraction, a receptacle for verbal abuse. We are questioning something we have been taught is sacred, something that we have somehow mixed up with the notion of freedom. And it's no wonder. We are bombarded with patriotic songs that are played as the warplanes fly overhead, constant perky pep talks about our way of life being defended by these monstrous creations, and daily bafflegab from media and politicians alike that drone on about Canada's distinct "values," as if we have something innate about us that no one else possesses. How is it, we ask, that freedom comes by dropping 2,000-pound bombs on defenceless Afghani villages? How can we measure our "freedom" by the number of Afghani people Canadian soldiers kill? SEEKING OUT SMALL GLIMMERS OF HOPE Today is not a day, unfortunately, for lengthy dialogue. Rather, it is a day to seek out hope in the odd conversation with individuals who look at us and, with a curious smile slowly spreading over their face, say something like, "I never thought of it that way." The WING group walks the full length of the waterway, passing by thousands upon thousands of spectators jammed along Lakeshore Boulevard, and holding up banners and placards so those in the VIP seats can see as well. It is one group of VIPs who offer us the most physical threat, jumping like mad dogs at the fence that separates us. One of them grabs a senior's placard and tears at it, leaving a large hole that looks like a shark bite. Both this senior citizen and another of the WING group are then treated to a double dose of phlegm from a couple of angry men who retreat well behind the "safety" of the fence. A barrage of catcalls ensues, from "Why don't you just go join the Taliban?" to "Kill all Muslims." Canadian soldiers staffing the booths from which such catcalls emanate smile but say nothing. We continue our slow walk for close to three hours, receiving many supportive honks as we walk along the Lakeshore away from the central viewing area. We recognize that today's efforts are only a beginning, one that will need to address not only the annual invitation to U.S. war planes that make up the majority of the "show," but also the ugly ground display that served as a recruiting booth at this year's Ex. HEY KIDS: CHECK OUT THE ASSAULT RIFLES! Past war shows have featured an obstacle-course "game" called Kiddie Commando, but this year's CNE featured the real thing: kids were able to pick up, hold, and aim assault weapons, sit on tanks or inside armoured personnel carriers, win dog tags if they show themselves capable of pulling the device that launches mortar fire on an artillery piece, hold mortar rounds, sit inside warplane cockpits, and marvel at guided missiles and a Gatling machine gun. Huge posters advertise upwards of $8,000 in free tuition if they sign up with the forces. What good will those lectures be tomorrow in grade nine classes about not bringing guns to school when the CNE has presented assault weapons as part of the family fun experience? What's the point of teaching elementary kids the benefits of peaceful conflict resolution when they can join an organization that teaches how to kill, and that the one with the most force wins? The effort to civilianize the annual air show and to eliminate military recruiting and other forms of violence-promotion at the CNE promises to be a lengthy one. Anyone interested in working with us can contact [email protected] or (416) 423-5525 (report from Matthew Behrens of Country Music Fans Against War, a founding member of WING) *************** PS: Yesterday in Cleveland, five people were arrested for protesting the war show there. According to the Cleveland Plain Dealer, the group had been protesting "the use of warplanes for entertainment." The article notes that the group held a banner that read, "War is not entertainment, these planes kill." They were standing next to an A-10 Warthog, the same kind of plane that killed a Canadian soldier yesterday in Afghanistan with "friendly fire." For a photo of this action see http://cleveland.indymedia.org/news/2006/09/21693.php - Tue, 5 Sep 2006 11:02pm Edited: Wed, 6 Sep 2006 5:39am | ||
| Lordpatch User Info... | http://radio.indymedia.org/uploads/6_nations_jaqueline.mp3 A speech given in Montreal by Jacqueline House, a representative of Six Nations. audio: MP3 at 26.6 mebibytes http://radio.indymedia.org/uploads/6_nations_jaqueline.mp3 This is a speech given by Jacqueline House, a representative of Six Nations, at an event in Montreal. The event was called "Six Nations: Land Repossession and Resistance", and was held on August 31, 2006, at the Native Friendship Center of Montreal. It was organized by the Indigenous Peoples Solidarity Movement (IPSM). Jacqueline House is one of the women to first reposess what was to be "Douglas Creek Estates". She is also one of the spokespersons for what is now Kanehstaton (the Protected Place). Background on Kanehstaton: On February 28th, 2006, the Haudenosaunee people of Six Nations stood up against further confiscation of their land and set up a camp on a housing development construction site located adjacent to Caledonia, Ontario. Six months later, the people of Six Nations, accompanied by Onkwehonweh people from across Turtle Island, have successfully maintained a presence on the land , confronting, all at once, Canadian colonialism, the criminalization of indigenous resistance and vile settler racism. For further information on the Six Nations Land Reclamation: http://sisis.nativeweb.org/actionalert/index.html#newsarchive http://www.theturtleislandnews.com/ http://www.ckrz.com/index.html http://auto_sol.tao.ca/node/view/2012 http://www.reclamationinfo.com/ http://www.ckut.ca - Wed, 6 Sep 2006 5:39am | ||
| Lordpatch User Info... | 'We know what we want' The Palestinian prime minister, Ismail Haniyeh, talks to Rory McCarthy about his hopes for a national unity government Tuesday September 5, 2006 Guardian Unlimited http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/Story/0,,1865195,00.html Read Rory McCarthy's report on this interview at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/Story/0,,1865010,00.html Q: Do you think there is an agreement coming soon that will see the release of [the captured Israeli soldier] Gilad Shalit? A: There are ideas being talked about between the Egyptians and the Israeli side, but I have no information about that. There are certain efforts going on but nobody has any idea. Q: There have been reports that he might be released. A: They are just rumours. I don't think there is something really serious going on. It will take a longer time. I have no information about what has been published. Q: There is a big economic crisis in Gaza. What is your government doing about this? A: The reason for this is the siege caused by the American and Israeli embargo and the way the Europeans dealt with it. This is because of the democratic choice of the Palestinian people. The government has taken a big effort to solve this problem. We are paying part of the wages for the education ministry; even today we are paying the teachers part of their wages. But the problem is complicated with the embargo and the siege. Q: Many people here and in your movement feel there has been a loss of direction among the Palestinians. Do you feel that? A: We know what we want. We want to liberate our land. At the same time we want a stable economy, natural and open relations with the world, to end all the chaos on Palestinian land. But the problem is not what we want but to have the world standing by us, helping us to achieve that. Q: There are many now who say there should be a national unity government and one minister from your government tried to resign yesterday over this. What happened? A: We are in favour of the creation of a national unity government. This is our choice. But yesterday's resignation had nothing to do with it. I refused his resignation. It is possible that he will come [to the cabinet meeting today]. His resignation is over now. It is not accepted. Q: What is stopping you from forming a national unity government? What are the hurdles? A: We are not talking about problems, only procedures to complete the discussion. I hope this will be completed in a short time. Q: It is said you are going to make an announcement later this week? A: Yes. It will be a comprehensive speech, about the whole thing. That will be one of the subjects. Q: If a national unity government is formed does that mean Hamas will recognise Israel? A: The national government has a programme that relates to the adjusted prisoners document. Q: In that programme will there be a recognition of Israel? A: The programme is the prisoners' document. You can read it yourself. Q: In a new government will you remain prime minister? A: There will not be a problem to select the prime minister. The majority in the parliament will head the government. Q: Hamas will continue to lead the government? A: This is the agreement with the president. Q: Do you think the international community, America and Europe, will accept that and give the money that has been frozen? A: First of all, everybody has to respect the choice of the Palestinian people. The European position is more positive than the American position. Q: But you're confident that even if Hamas remains at the head of a national unity government that the money that has been stopped will come to the Palestinian Authority? A: That's what we talked about with President Abu Mazen [Mahmoud Abbas]. He was optimistic that this would happen. Q: Going back to Gilad Shalit, do you think that the operation to capture him was a mistake considering the damage that has been done? A: It happened. The Israeli aggression was too big for this kind of an operation. The Palestinian people knew the big operation by the Israelis was not about the soldier, it was to eliminate the government. Q: Do you feel that Israel wants to eliminate your government? A: It is very clear, yes. We have $300-400m held by the Israelis and it is our money. What do you think? That would have solved our salary problems here. The taxes and all these imports and exports. Q: Many of your senior politicians from the legislative council, including the speaker of parliament, have been arrested. How badly has that affected your ability to run a government? A: This assures again that Israel is keen to eliminate this government. This has happened for the first time, the arresting of all these people with no excuse whatsoever, bypassing democracy. The danger of all this is to create a political vacuum. That can lead to chaos and a situation even more dangerous than we are in now. It can push people to lose hope in the agenda of democracy and political activities and that is what we don't want. Q: Do you think they might be released under some kind of agreement with the Israeli government? A: They have to be released. They are political prisoners. They are all politicians. These people are elected by the Palestinian people. Q: One year ago when the settlers left Gaza there was an opportunity for Gaza to grow more prosperous. Do you feel that opportunity has gone? A: We cannot lose hope. What kills these dreams is the occupation. Q: There is talk at the UN General Assembly this month that there will be a new peace initiative. Does this have a chance of success? A: There is a proposal already - the Beirut initiative. Nobody told us what's going to be in this new initiative. It all depends on the Israeli position. - Wed, 6 Sep 2006 5:40am | ||
| Suffuckation User Info... | Eat poop. - Thu, 7 Sep 2006 11:10am | ||
| Lordpatch User Info... | Report reveals 1.6 million Israelis living in poverty By Rick Kelly 6 September 2006 Israel’s National Insurance Institute (NII) last week revealed another annual rise in the country’s poverty rate. Nearly 100,000 people fell below the poverty line last year, raising the total number impoverished to more than 1.6 million, 24.7 percent of the total population. At 35.2 percent, Israel now has the highest child poverty rate among advanced capitalist countries. The figures demonstrate the depth of the social crisis in Israel, which will be further exacerbated by the government’s planned cuts to social spending in the aftermath of the war in Lebanon. The NII, a governmental welfare body, attributed much of the rise in poverty to previous government cutbacks, particularly of child allowance payments. After coming to power in 2000, former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and his finance minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, slashed family payments, a policy carried forward by the current Kadima-Labour coalition of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. The NII calculated that in 2005, child allowance cuts reduced the income of large families by 12 percent and families with two children by 6 percent. A total of 58 percent of large families were under the poverty line in 2005, up from 54.7 percent the year before. Similar cuts to unemployment benefits have exacerbated the dire situation facing jobless Israelis. Unemployment is almost 9 percent, and the number of long-term unemployed has rapidly increased. In 2004, a quarter of all those out of work remained unemployed for more than a year, compared to just 6 percent in 1997. Only one in five unemployed people receive benefits, due to government restrictions and deliberately onerous bureaucratic procedures. Many who do receive payments are dragooned into menial “welfare-to-work” job schemes. The NII also revealed the deep regional and ethnic disparities within the Zionist state. Arab-Israelis have a far higher poverty rate than Jews, with 52 percent of Arab families living under the poverty line. Poverty was the highest in Jerusalem, where 42 percent of residents and 56 percent of children were poor. A striking feature of the NII report is the rise of the “working poor”. Poverty in Israel is by no means restricted to the unemployed, elderly, and disabled. As the country has become more closely integrated into the global economy, the wages and conditions of working people have been systematically downgraded. In order to maintain the profit rates of Israeli companies and to attract international investment, successive governments have privatised state industries, removed business regulations and lowered taxes for the wealthy. These measures have had severe consequences for working people. “Despite overall economic growth, the percentage of poor families in which the head of the household was employed increased from 11.4 percent in 2004 to 12.2 percent in 2005, from 160,000 families to 177,000 families,” Haaretz explained. “The percentage of poor families among families with workers increased from 40.6 percent to 43.1 percent. Nearly 60 percent of the working poor held full-time jobs.” A study conducted by the Adva Centre, “Workers, Employers, and the Distribution of Israel’s National Income”, examined recent changes in the social position of the working class. The report found that since 2003, 65 percent of all new jobs were part-time and predominantly low paid. An extraordinary 20 percent of all new jobs created for men in the past five years were generated as a direct result of the Palestinian uprising, in security and other non-productive industries. Despite productivity increases, average wages have declined since 2000 and two-thirds of workers now receive less than $US320 a week. A Haaretz article published September 1 described the situation facing one family, the Vaknins. Chaim Vaknin works as a gardener for 30 hours a week and receives the minimum wage, while his wife Racheli looks after their four children. One-third of their income goes to paying a mortgage on their small two-bedroom apartment. Despite Racheli’s family responsiblities and chronic arthritis, authorities forced her into a “welfare-to-work” program in order to qualify for a small income assistance payment. “We receive charity,” she said. “We get our schoolbags and clothing second-hand. It’s very hard to live on our income.” Proposed budget cuts spark political crisis Israel’s offensive in Lebanon will worsen the poverty rate, both through direct reconstruction costs in the north and through cuts to social spending to fund the Israeli Defence Forces’ rearmament. According to the Israel Institute of Social and Economic Research, an additional 50,000 people will fall below the poverty line this year. The Olmert government has proposed an initial round of budget cuts worth $1.7 billion. The measures advanced by Finance Minister Avraham Hirchson include further reducing child allowances, raising the age of entitlement to unemployment allowance from 20 to 28, increasing university tuition fees by 50 percent, cutting grants for discharged soldiers, firing public service workers and privatising the postal service. The government intends to make the working class pay for the Lebanon war. Shortly after tabling his budget proposal, Hirchson wrote a grovelling letter to the Federation of Israeli Chambers of Commerce, assuring big business that tax cuts scheduled to take effect over the next four years would not be reversed. The budget proposals have sparked uproar and provoked fissures within the ruling coalition. Olmert was forced to delay publication of the budget proposal, and offered to withdraw some of the measures after coalition members threatened to vote against the budget in the Knesset (parliament). The government was already under intense pressure following the political debacle it suffered in the aftermath of the Lebanon war. The general election last March highlighted ordinary Israelis’ opposition to the right-wing economic program advanced by successive Israeli governments. The Labour Party, led by former trade union chief Amir Peretz, performed better than expected after focussing its campaign on reversing previous cuts and raising the minimum wage. Several minor parties, including present coalition partners Shas and the Pensioners Party, ran on similar programs. After Olmert’s Kadima Party won just 29 of the Knesset’s 120 seats, it was forced to accommodate some of the demands of these minor parties to secure its parliamentary majority. While none of the coalition parties in any way represent the interests of Israeli workers, they are now under pressure from their own constituencies. According to an opinion poll conducted last month, 70 percent of the population oppose reducing welfare payments to fund the defence budget. The Pensioners Party and Shas have threatened to leave the government if cuts are made to child allowances and pension payments. A Labour Party Knesset faction seeking to topple Peretz has demagogically accused him of betraying the party’s program. Prominent Labour “rebel” Shelly Yacimovich seized upon the NII’s poverty report. “The children’s condition worsens each year,” she declared. “Due to the brutal and extreme cut in child allowances, Israel ranks as one of the countries where stipends are the lowest... The labour market has turned into a slave market and work-weary parents, especially single mothers who are sole providers, work hard and are being exploited only to raise poor children.” On the proposed budget she stated, “Kadima wants us out of this government. There is no other explanation.” Yacimovich’s protests are little more than an empty posture. The Labour Party is directly responsible for the present situation, having presided over a series of right-wing economic reforms and welfare cuts over the past decade. Personal ambition, rather than principled policy differences, drives Peretz’s opponents. The Labour “rebels” are led by former economist Avishai Braverman and ex-Mossad director Danny Yatom, who resent Peretz for failing to offer them a cabinet position in the government. The political divisions within Labour and the ruling coalition are nevertheless real and reflect the Zionist state’s social crisis. Sections of the ruling elite are aware that mounting poverty and social inequality brings with it the threat that a mass movement will develop against the established parties. “How many slaps in the face can the weak population take?” Labour politician Nadia Hilou warned. “This may lead to a social intifada.” http://www.wsws.org/articles/2006/sep2006/hung-s06.shtml - Sun, 10 Sep 2006 11:05am | ||
| mike. User Info... |  | ||
| Lordpatch User Info... | Fatah steps up provocations against Hamas-led Palestinian Authority By Rick Kelly 11 September 2006 Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and his Fatah faction have stepped up their provocations against Hamas, amid an unprecedented economic and social crisis in the Occupied Territories engineered by Israel and the US. Several senior Fatah spokesmen have indicated that Abbas may overturn the results of January’s legislative elections and sack the Hamas-led Palestinian Authority (PA). Fatah-led public service unions declared an indefinite strike last week, affecting approximately 80,000 Palestinian Authority workers. Half are teachers, who went on strike on September 2 at the beginning of semester. The unions’ declared aim is to secure the payment of wages for workers who have not been paid in six months. The US and European-led international financial embargo of the Palestinian Authority, and Israel’s monthly theft of $50 million of Palestinian taxes and customs revenue, have left the government bankrupt. There is no doubt, however, that the strike is politically driven. The Fatah leadership is exploiting workers’ frustration and desperation to destabilise the Hamas government. full article: http://www.wsws.org/articles/2006/sep2006/pale-s11.shtml - Mon, 11 Sep 2006 7:25am | ||
| Suffuckation User Info... | Go drink diarrhea. - Mon, 11 Sep 2006 12:11pm | ||
| Mofo User Info... | he already does,....just the verbal equivalent, then he regurgiates it on here. - Mon, 11 Sep 2006 2:15pm Edited: Mon, 11 Sep 2006 2:15pm | ||
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