Global

RECRUITING TO KILL - IT IS NOT JUST AN ISRAELI WAR ON GAZA

To some, US secretary of state John Kerry may have appeared to be a genuine peacemaker as he floated around ideas during a Cairo visit on 25 July about a ceasefire between Israel and resisting Palestinian fighters in Gaza. But behind his measured diplomatic language, there is a truth not even America’s top diplomat can easily hide. His country is very much involved in fighting this dirty war on Gaza that has killed over 1,050, injured thousands more, and destroyed much of an already poor, dilapidated space that is barely inhabitable to begin with. US economic and military aid to Israel is measured annually in the billions, and the US government continues to be Israel’s strongest and most ardent ally and political benefactor. In fact, the US-Israel “special relationship” is getting more “special” by the day even though Israel is sinking further into the abyss of a well-deserved isolation. True, there are some, even in the justice for Palestinians camp, who oddly speak of how exceptional and fair the Barack Obama Administration has been in comparison to its predecessors.

IDF Jets to the Top of Google News

 

 

The State of Israel's propaganda machine soared to new heights this morning as Google News featured a Google Plus post strait from the State of Israel in its news aggregate feed about the the war in Gaza.

The post was rapped in a hash tag that gives us a glimpse into what is motivating Israel's aggressive military campaign in Gaza – #terrortunnels. Each war gives us a new language of spin, as each side in a conflict try to win the battle for “hearts and minds,” through the use of propaganda. #terrortunnels is fast becoming this war's meme. And it was this meme that greeted me this morning in my Google news feed, presented as news.

“Israel 10 hours ago  -  Google+ Who builds Hamas' terror tunnels? The children of Gaza. Hamas uses child laborers to build their terror tunnels because, “much as in Victorian coal mines, they are prized for their nimble bodies”. According to Hamas officials, at least 160 children have been killed in the tunnels. #humanshields #hamasterrorists #israelunderfire #terrortunnels

UN against War Crimes, US not so much

 

U.S. alone in vote against investigation of crimes against humanity  

Is there any doubt that Israelis and Palestinians have been committing war crimes and crimes against each other’s humanity for decades?

Objectively, that seems to be a plain fact, with particular relevance to Israel, whose existence was made possible by, among other things, acts of terror. Nowadays Israel objects, with no apparent sense of irony, when Palestinians seeking their own state also resort to acts of terror. Terrorism is a tactic of the relatively weak (as is non-violence) that sometimes seems to produce the desired result, as did Irgun’s bombing of the King David Hotel in Jerusalem in 1946 that left 91 dead.

If We Dislike War Like We Dislike Cancer

 

 

War and cancer are among our leading causes of human death around the world.  They can't be strictly separated and compared since war is a major cause of cancer, as is war preparation.  (And a small fraction of the U.S. budget for war preparations could fund cancer research well beyond all the money raised by public and private funding and by all the 5-K races for a cure and other activities we've become familiar with.)  War and cancer, by their nature, also can't be addressed with the same sort of responses. 

Fifty Years Later: Access to Education as an Avenue out of Poverty

 

 

President Lyndon B. Johnson saw education as a critical way out of poverty. On April 11, 1965, he signed into law an often unrecognized but core component of his War on Poverty: the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA. Not only was this legislation intended to give poor children educational access but also to ensure that they would receive a quality education.

While many Americans are aware of LBJ’s War on Poverty, most probably do not know that he started out as a teacher at the Welhausen School in Cotulla, Texas – a Mexican-American school where he would become the principal. Long before he was a politician, he learned how important educational opportunity was for low-income and minority families. Toward the end of his presidency, he stated unequivocally his commitment to the value of education for all: “We believe, that is, you and I, that education is not an expense. We believe it is an investment.” (October 16, 1968).

Crew Place Two on All Star Squad

 

 

Columbus Crew Sporting Director and Head Coach Gregg Berhalter hopes backup goalkeeper Matt Lampson and midfielder Wil Trapp provide inspiration to the other players currently in the Columbus Crew Academy program. Lampson and Trapp are among 20 players selected for the 2014 Chipotle MLS Homegrown Game 10 p.m. Aug. 4 at Providence Park in Portland, Ore.

The Crew is one of seven teams that placed two players on the all-star squad, which will play the Portland Timbers’ Under-23 side in a game that will be streamed live on WatchESPN.com and MLSsoccer.com.

“We’re excited for Wil and Matt to have this opportunity,” Berhalter says. “Their selection is a testament to the hard work and success of the Crew Youth system, and specifically our Academy program. We’re pleased to be among the MLS leaders in Homegrown Player development. We’re proud of all seven of our current Homegrowns and their contributions to our organization.”

 

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