Politix

[lady_karelia]

Why, oh why is Israel attacking innocent people? I'm not interested in politics in general, but a friend sent me this. I have friends all over the world, including Lebanon. Including Israel. Why are there wars?

US:  House overwhelmingly backs Israel in vote

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060720/ap_on_go_co/us_mideast

 

We need to seriously start prodding these people. Clare Short and Chris Mullins (members of parliament in the UK) stood up and spoke for Lebanon...

http://news.aol.co.uk/article.adp?id=20060720115809990010

Not that it will make any difference today - but we need more to speak up.

 

A letter in Daily Star, Lebanon for people to use to send to their government representative:

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=1&article_id=74072

in the UK we have a site called www.faxyourmp.com which makes it very easy to do this (copy and paste the following then edit as you wish).

 

 

Dear [insert name of the deputy, congress man or government official who represents you],

 

I am writing you in relation to the events in Lebanon. Today and luckily for humanity the world is increasingly connected and forming a global village. So, despite biased media reports for the benefit of Israel, we as citizens of the world have a clear idea of what is happening in that part of the world and [insert name of the country you come from].

 

Israel is destroying Lebanon and any economic viability that it has been struggling to build over the past 16 years. Before that it was unleashing its terror and destruction on the people of Gaza. They are killing children, women and innocent civilians. Israel has been displacing families from their homes in villages ever since its establishment in 1948. In six days since July 12, 2006, it displaced over 70,000 people in Lebanon alone. It also pounded to the ground Lebanese people’s homes and infrastructure: roads, bridges, airports, ports, highways, energy plants and communication networks. These are all structures that we may have paid for with our tax money through international aid projects as we know that Lebanon’s post-war reconstruction was partly possible because of foreign aid to the then war-torn country. Israel has torn it away again, an entire country. It has no right to do so.

Israel is carrying out the same, if not worse, collective punishment that some of its people suffered during the first half of the 20^th century.

 

We are constantly being told that we should appreciate the fact that we live in democracies, in the free world, where freedom of speech and _expression are not an issue. We are also being told that our governments are waging a war against terror to protect us. But today we wonder whether such violent actions carried out by states, which use unrestrained and disproportionate force, clearly breaching international law and justice, are not but exasperating the problem by creating more angry people who are willing to bomb themselves in train stations and skyscrapers in an attempt to turn attention to the injustice they are enduring.

 

Based on our concern for our own security and based on the fact that we live in democracies where an individual’s freedom of _expression holds the power to change and improve, we write to you today requesting the following:

 

Mobilize all diplomatic efforts to:

1. Stop the Israeli attacks on Lebanon and Gaza
2. Pressure the United Nations Security Council to meet immediately and issue a Chapter 7 Resolution condemning the Israeli attacks and imposing sanctions on the Jewish state in an attempt to prevent it from repeating these attacks in the future. The international community’s failure to treat Israel like any other belligerent state has led to its recurrent resorting to violence. Ten years ago, it committed the Qana Massacre in South Lebanon at a UN base. As it remained unpunished for its unlawful acts in Qana, Jenin, Sabra and Shatila etc. Israel allowed itself to commit the mass genocide in Gaza and Lebanon in 2006 using the same argument and justification “self-defense,” “fighting against terror” etc. But killing children and innocent is far from self-defense and fighting against terror unless it is the intention. Israel should face the same treatment as Saddam did when he invaded Kuwait and if it does not, we as citizens of [insert name of the country you come from] need to understand clearly why. Our country pays membership fees to be part of the UN, I presume it is our tax money. We expect and we have the right to request that this money is used effectively. No nation should enjoy the privilege over others to kill and the UN should be able to implement its charter the first article of which is “to Maintain Peace and Security.”
3. Pressure Israel through the UN or any other effective means to pay compensation for all the destruction it has caused at least since July 12, 2006.

 

I as a citizen of [insert name of the country you come from], and the free world, the policies of which supposedly rest on the sum of individual votes of choice, count on you to take my request into consideration and forward to action. Together officials and citizens can make this a better world for all races to enjoy.

 

Thank you in advance.

 

Best Regards,

 

 

 

 [Insert your name]

 

Comments

[ellaselenelupin.livejournal.com]

Do you know that you can't read your post at your LJ because it's all black? LOL!

Politics. Yes, well, I always had/have problems understanding politics. PW was one of my weakest subjects in school. And to be honest I gave up understanding this conflict as well as some other.
The more people try to explain it to me the more problems I have understanding it.

I know that's not a very good attitude.

[lady-karelia.livejournal.com]

I don't know if it's a good attitude. I don't understand them either. I don't understand how governments can revel in the misery of people, and yet, they do it all the time. Lives mean nothing to them, and the more bloodbaths the happier they seem. I don't get it at all.

[ordinary-magic.livejournal.com]

I can't say that I live in the free world, as stated in that letter. My country is not free, and citizen rights are being abolished.
I live in the United States of America.

[lady-karelia.livejournal.com]

I agree. Personally, I think anyone who believes s/he lives in a "free world" lives an illusion. Citizen rights have been gradually abolished in all western countries for years, not only in the US. It's just unfortunate that people are content being sheep, following the herd, even self-policing the herd, just so they can be good citizens. *shrugs*

[atlantel.livejournal.com]

What is going on in Lebanon is a shame. There's no war there, since Lebanon army isn't attacking. I don't know what to think about it, of course Hezbollah is a terrorist organization, but it's not a reason to destroy a country like this (and meanwhile people are forgetting what is going on in Palestine which isn't better either).

[lady-karelia.livejournal.com]

Yes, there are so many countries that are war-torn, for no reason other than one government or another needing a war for whatever reason. It's awful.

Yes, Hezbollah is a terrorist organisation, but the action of the Israel government scream as much terrorism. They've been attacking - yet again - a country, and innocent people die as a result.

[juli-min.livejournal.com]

My politics course did something along the lines of the letter. We got some 1000 people to sign it in less then three days but I don't really think it helps much.

I know all about having friends in endangered regions. A good friend is from Pakistan and I worried sick every time something happens in the region.

Even as a politics student I can't quite comprehend what they do and why. The Lebanon's gouverment tried to force the Hesbollah out of the country for years now.

It's so stupid that innocent people have to die because of this. There are other ways (infiltration/assassination)they are just much more expensive.

My biggest fear is that Bush gets even more involved in the whole mess and we'll again see night shots from American bombings.

[lady-karelia.livejournal.com]

It's the fact that so many lives are taken for no reason that I find really upsetting. I don't care about politics, in fact, I don't even think any country needs them.

Yes, I'm with you on them getting involved. I don't want to see or hear bombings. *sigh*