When a small delegation from World Can’t Wait, Friends of Sabeel and Veterans for Peace pulled up to the checkpoint at the entrance to Obama’s vacation retreat to protest Israel’s massacre in Gaza, the press corps sequestered in a nearby bus sprang into action and began interviewing. Journalists initially ran out the official line that Obama wasn’t speaking about Israel’s assault on Gaza because he isn’t yet president, and it would be inappropriate for him to give an opinion. However, when protesters pointed out that Obama quickly condemned the bombing in Mumbai, and has spoken out almost daily on the domestic situation in the U.S., the conversation changed. Within an hour, a Reuters story on the protest was picked up by media around the globe. The story was then picked up by MSNBC, CNN and others. Much of the media picked up on Obama’s silence on this issue while speaking out on others, and cited Obama’s earlier support for Israel at AIPAC. The media coverage was in stark contrast to what happened later the same afternoon at a rally called by Friends of Sabeel and World Can’t Wait.
Soon after 4pm more than 100 protesters lined Ala Moana Blvd at the Federal Building holding signs and chanting. Most brought hastily made handwritten signs. Some carried Palestinian flags. It was the first time in recent history that dozens of members from the local mosque were in the streets. An elderly Palestinian spoke out against Israel’s history of genocide against the Palestinian people. People of many faiths and political outlooks stood in solidarity against U.S. support for Israel, and demanded a free Palestine. And yet this very significant outpouring of both rage and solidarity was only seen by the people passing by during evening rush hour, many of whom showed
enthusiastic support by honking, or throwing a shaka, thumbs up, or peace sign.
When the protest began, a single TV station was on the scene. When more than a dozen people showed up to protest he picked up his camera and left. Mainstream media was remarkably absent throughout the 2-hour protest, and instead chose to spend their time soliciting interviews from residents in the up-scale neighborhood surrounding Obama’s retreat to discredit the early morning action.
Well, I for one, am not convinced that this “protest” actually happened. That said, it does not much matter because it was comprised of 100 people according to this article and 100 does not constitute a protest in my book.
The tragedy is two fold:
1) Here is what happened today:Israeli ground troops invade Gaza and US blocks UN Security Council action on Gaza.The United States late Saturday blocked approval of a U.N. Security Council statement calling for an immediate cease-fire in the Gaza Strip and southern Israel and expressing concern at the escalation of violence between Israel and Hamas.
2)There are mass protests all over the world from Europe to the Middle-east and all points inbetween against this US sponsored and supported genocide against the Palistinians, but nothing here in the U.S. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see why. It’s because everyday americans have bought into the same false propaganda that the Israelies buy. Granted it’s been going on for years which denotes extreme stupidity and calousness in america. Americans in general are a war-like people and want nothing to do with peace. If they did, they would be protesting en-mass with their human brothers and sisters all over the globe and yes, that includes the middle-east. Sadly, though that arrogance and superiority complex rampant throughout america gets in the way every time. What’s worse is that the US government loves war because it makes them money which by the way, is stolen from it’s citizens. All that makes us accesories to mass murder at the very least.
Something to think about.