Jefferson Corner

Senator Kerry. I read with much interest and amazement your article in today’s “Outlook” section of the Washington Post. Yes, I do agree there is nothing wrong with changing one’s mind if one discovers that assumptions made in support of the war, in the first place where wrong. However you and your Democratic colleagues who voted and supported the war, knew the assumptions were not only wrong, but also an absolute lies. You and your colleagues in the Senate were in the best position to seek the truth and have an independent source of finding out the lies of the Chaney-Bush team. We the citizens in the US do not have access to classified information and intelligence reports and we as citizens are not in a position to second-guess the administration, but you and your Democratic colleagues were in such a position. Yet you voted for and supported the war, knowing it was not only wrong but also was based again in lies.
Though I voted for your ticket, you were not my favorite candidate. You simply were too arrogant and too condescending to be the Democratic leader on the presidential ticket. Your arrogance and your flip-fop did lose the Democratic the presidency and with that you are to share with Chaney-Bush the responsibility for the War on Iraq. Not only that but I never imagined that someone who served in combat will allow someone who hid in Texas to claim valor and patriotism and win the election on national security issues. Yes, Mr. Kerry, I believe the Democratic Party did not do us, Democrats and did not do America a favor with it nominated you as the candidate to stand against the Chaney-Bush ticket. There is nothing wrong with changing one’s mind, but there is something wrong when someone does not stand up to what they believe in and go along with the wind.
As an Arab-American I was never convinced that Saddam Hussein when he started his war on Iran was defending the “Arab” nation. Saddam was a coward in the face of the late Shah and did engage in his war on Iran in support of US policy in isolating the new Khomeni regime in Iran. Saddam did engage in his long and bloody and costly war consistent with his part as “stooge” for the Republican administration. He killed millions of people and destroyed his country and its wealth as a “favor” to this country and its long time support for his “Ba’athist” criminal regime. No one wanted to see Saddam go more than I. I spoken out against Saddam when the “Arab streets” where cheering for him in his war on Iran and was against Saddam when he invaded Kuwait, and sad to say again, to the cheers of millions of people on the “Arab streets”. However the Arab street forgot that Saddam was America’s boy carrying out it wrong policies in the Middle East.
The US should have gone to Baghdad at the end of routing Saddam’s Republican Guard, yanking him out of his palace and hanging him from the nearest tree for his crimes against the Iraqis, the Iranians and the Kuwaitis. I am afraid the Democratic Party will lose the next presidential election if it continues to be on the fence, not standing up to issues of great concerns to our people such as the War on Iraq. The Democrats need to make sure that our national security issues are not decided by the Republican chicken hawks and their “Think Tanks”. We in the Democratic Party must shape the debate on national security issues and not allow the alliance between weapon makers and evangelical Christians to succeed in forming the nature of the debate. There are many within the Democratic Party with military service and who are well qualified to speak and lead the discussions. The Democratic Party need a major surgery on its spinal cord and needs a ‘titanium” rod in its place. It is too bad that you failed us all and failed the nation as well. At least you are now on the right track.

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On page 11 of Friday’s (December 22, 2006) Washington Post, Secretary Rice is quoted as saying the Iraq War “ Worth the Investment” and this is the entire quote from the Washington Post “ Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, said yesterday that Iraq is “worth the investment “ in American lives and dollars” and I continue to quote the Washington Post “When asked whether throwing $100 billion the Pentagon wants for the Iraq and Afghanistan might amount to throwing good money after bad in Iraq, she replied ‘ I don’t think it’s a matter of money. Along the way, there have been plenty of markers that show that this is a country that is worth the investment”.
Now who could ever accept such an absurd statement to come of the Secretary of State, when she and her Boss and all their friends are not the one that has to pay for the this war, not in their lives and certainly not by their money.
One has to wonder what criteria does Secretary Rice used when she describe wasting the lives of more than 3,000 of our men and women, wasting the lives of some 700,000 Iraqi, and of course not counting the hundreds of billions of dollars wasted down the drain on this war. Of course, if Secretary Rice thinks that giving the opportunity to many contractors to steal, rob and waste taxpayers money is worth it, then she is right. I am not so sure this can be the case of the lives of those lost. I am sure their families may think other wise.
The late president Johnson got us in the Vietnam War on false pretenses and lies and now president Bush is doing the same thing, and the those in the military have to pay with their lives for such lies and false pretenses. Yes, those of us who served in the military do expect to fight for and defend the USA. No one can disagree on that, but no one should go to war and fight personal wars and fight and die for wars that are totally based on false pretenses and lies.
Perhaps Secretary Rice needs to travel around this country, to states in the South like Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia, South Carolina, Mississippi, and travel to states in the North West and Mountain States like Idaho and Wyoming to check and see what are the “markers” and indicators she sees that these states and their citizens are worth the investment. I am sure few hundred billion dollars invested in housing, education, medical care, environmental protection and preservation, child care, job training and job creations will also be worth while in these states and in the rest of the country. One has to wonder how many hospitals and clinics and how many elementary, grade and high schools can be build with these wasted billions. One has to wonder how many universities and job training program that can give the people the opportunity for a decent living and decent lives can these wasted billions for our citizens and taxpayers. The only beneficiaries out of this war are the many contractors and subcontractors who are robbing the Pentagon and the taxpayer’s blind. Of course giving the money to the military industrial alliance may be worth the investment, but I think that our people and our tax payers are more worthy than corporations with big fat checks to their managers and shareholders. Perhaps we the citizens should incorporate and seek contracts from the federal government to send our kids to decent schools and give them the kind of education that at least give them the chance to have a decent job in a changing work environment. No, Dr. Rice, the decision to go to war is not worth the investment. Perhaps you can come back again in few days and says that the US and Israel decision to drop more than 5 million cluster bombs on Lebanon was also worth the investment.

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Unable to search the linage of Congressman Virgil Goode (R-7VA), to learn of when his ancestors arrived in this country, but from what I read he is popular in his district not because of the outstanding job he’s done for this constituents but because he is the son of Virgil Goode, Sr. a very popular politician. However I assume he is not of an American Indian origin and his ancestors did not arrive before Columbus and certainly not before the Muslims who arrived here from Spain and West African centuries before Columbus. As such it is safe to assume that Congressman Goode comes from an immigrant family, as such he and Congressman Keith Ellison have something in common, both are sons of immigrants to the US.
It seems that Congressman Goode is living to the good old tradition of the South and is living up to the good old traditional Christian values that allowed the lynching of Leon Frank, an innocent Jew, who was kidnapped from prison and was lynched in 1915 by a group of prominent White and no doubt devote Christian in Marietta, Georgia.
Those same good old American values that he and the like of Prager and Beck speak of that was responsible for the hanging and lynching of thousands of Blacks and it was the same values that also discriminated against the Irish, the Italian, the Jews and of course now the Muslim. I salute the Anti-Defamation League for taking on the bigots of this country and for taking on the a long tradition of anti-Semite, way before White, Christian Hitler came to power and introduced the massive killing and murder of Jews and million others. Yes, the old traditional American values of the time past there is nothing to be proud of, as it was full of hate, full of bigotry, full of anti-Christian values that we those who immigrated from the Middle East. Certainly these values that Congressman Goode, Prager and Beck talks about are not the one taught by Jesus Christ and are not the values that are inscribed in the Bible and in the Old Testament. These are no relations and no connections between the Christian values of the Bible and those taunted by the likes of Congressman Goode, CNN and the Prager Report.
It is an insult to both Christian and Jewish values when someone like Prager claims that Congressman Keith Ellison decision to swear the oath of office on the Quran “undermines American civilization”. Now I do understand Western Civilization, but American civilization this is the first time. I am sure the American civilization that Prager talks about is not the one that lynched Leon Frank and hundreds of Blacks and certainly is the not the one that discriminated against the newly arriving immigrants from Ireland, and Italy. Prager continues to say “ But, Mr. Ellison, America, not you, decides on what boos its public servant take their oath” My question is who appointed and anointed Prager as the cardinal of American values and patriotism. I have read the US Constitution many times and have read many history books by the founding fathers, and have done some research, but I did not see where Prager, Beck and Congressman Goode have been appointed the guardians of America’s value and tradition, let alone America’s civilization and certainly not the guardians of the America’s Christianity. These days, every Tom, Dick and Harry claim to be the guardian of America’s value and civilizations. Somehow all of these “guardians” fail to read the US Constitution and failed to read the many letters exchanged between the Founding Fathers, were such values and traditions were discussed at length and where the true value of freedoms and democracy are clearly pronounced. I am sure if the Prager, Goode and Beck were the Founding Fathers, this country will not even exist. This country is a great country, because it has giants, not midgets, as the founding fathers, and is has great believers in the human worth and respect for the rights of people, and not bigots who falsely claim they are the guardian of our freedom and civilizations. Yes, some of America’s history of slavery, bigotry and anti-Semitism is best to be forgotten, nothing to be proud of.
The Muslims of this country should learn well from the Anti-Defamation League that made the costs of any anti-Semitic or bigoted statement very costly for any one, and made sure that those who defame the Jews pay well for their behavior. Again, I do salute and tip my hat” turban” to the Anti-Defamation League. It shut up the bigots and racists and rendered them irrelevant to America’s values and “civilization”.

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Back in 1978 while working in NY City, I used to meet for lunch and on regular basis with my good friend Jonathan Kuttab, a very bright and successful Palestinian lawyer who left a very promising career with one of the top Wall Street law firm to return home to Palestine. Jonathan a devout Christian always starts his lunch with a prayer and blessing of the food and as a decent Muslim, I followed his model and kept it that way.
The interesting thing about Jonathan is that he was a committed “peace maker” and committed to non-violence as a way to solve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. It was at that time that I was first introduced to Jonathan friend, Mubarak Awad, a leading pacifist and long time advocate of non-violence. My wife hosted a large group of peace activists at our home in Virginian and Mubarak and his brother were among them. This note is a salute to Mubarak and to my old friend Jonathan Kuttab for their persistent and long-term vision for peace between Palestinians and Israelis. Below is a statement issued by Mubarak as he was exiled from his town by an Israeli court. Of course for being Palestinian. I got this message today from our friend Mark Braverman.

“I am a Palestinian in an enemy court.I am a Christian in a court of Jewish justice.I am from occupied Jerusalem in an Israeli High Court.I accepted coming to court knowing all the odds. I gave you legitimacy andrecognized your High Court of Justice because I am searching for true peace.Only peaceful means can achieve peace. If peace is the sign of victory,victory has to be for both Palestinians and Israelis. Both must be winners;there can be no losers. This would be the great measure of justice.Moral and judicial responsibility is not a historical or religious debate.It is the reality that I face today with the rest of the Palestinian people.You have the power, the law and the gun pointing in my face. I am armed withhope, truth and nonviolence pointing toward your conscience. If the uprisingwill not open your eyes and soul to tell you we need freedom I don’t knowwhat will.I am here to fight my deportation order. Uprooting me from my family, land,friends and culture is a disgrace. As a government Israel is doing all itcan to rid Palestinians from their land. It is deliberate,, through unjustlaws that we can’t change, with tricks and unfair practices. You aredepriving me of my basic human and religious rights.As a Palestinian I never hated you. I don’t hate you now. And I will neverhate you.But as a Jerusalemite I am telling you — I will be back.”

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Secretary Rice is taking her cue from Tel-Aviv Ehud Olmert and is refusing to open talks with both Syria and Iran. It seems that the Secretary of State of the most powerful country is not her one boss, and is waiting for instruction to come not from the White House but from Tel-Aviv.
It is difficult to understand why Secretary Rice is insistence on not talking with Iran and Iraq if that will help this country and will help stabilize Iraq and perhaps if not putting an end to the mayhem in Iraq, at least slow the bloodshed in the street of Baghdad. Saving the life of one single American soldier should be worth all the efforts, but not for Secretary Rice and her masters.
As Secretary of State she is able to open talks with so many enemies of the US, especially with North Korea, but to open talks with countries in the Middle East and especially countries that are odd with Israel is another story. The interest of the US always takes a second seat to that of the State of Israel. Not talking with the enemy does not solve the problems at hand.
While I have been consistent with my outspoken critic of Syria and the Ba’athist regime sitting in Damascus for the last 40 years, not opening dialogue with the enemy is an absolute wrong. It is an absolute wrong for Israel not to open channel of discussions with Arab countries, and it is wrong for Arab countries not to open dialogue with Israel if such a dialogue will help in one way or the other break the impasse in peace talks between the Arabs and Israel. The same is true of the failure of Secretary Rice to open a dialogue and a channel of communications between Washington and Damascus and Teheran. I know that Conservative Republicans and AIPAC will go into frenzy and mental seizures if such a channel of communications is open, but the question is what is wrong with that. There is absolutely nothing wrong with talking with the enemy. Absolutely nothing.
For the last few years, Secretary Rice action and decisions has proved the country is much better off with her at some academic instructions where her decisions do not affect the lives of American or for that matter any human being, and it is time for her to retire.
More troubling is her philosophy of building democracies under occupations where people lives are threatened by the occupiers every day and where people not only lose their dignity at check points but their lives as is the case in Occupied Palestine, but she also promoted and sponsored the dropping of over 5 million cluster bombs over Lebanon so that she can force Hizballah to talk of disarming. While she was supporting the Lebanese government of Fouad Sinyoura, she was prompting Israel to drop more bombs and kill more civilians and destroy more building and infrastructures. Never one could understand such a policy and decision maker. Rice is nothing but trouble for American and for the world. American and the world will be much safer if she was in some class room, where she can talk of politics but not make decisions that results in death and destruction of American, Arabs and Israeli lives. He attitude toward talking with the enemy does not serve any one. President Bush is making a big mistake following Secretary Rice refusal to open a dialogue with both Iran and Syrian if such talks can help bring our troops home and if such dialogues will bring an end to the bloodshed that claimed the lives of over 650,000 Iraqis.
Perhaps the families of the brave American soldiers who lost their lives in Iraq due to fraudulent case for war should travel to Tel-Aviv and lobby Rice masters to giving her the green line to open dialogue with both Syrian and Iran.
I have to conclude with the caveat, that I was never a great fan of these two nations. Perhaps American and the world are safer with Rice in the classroom.

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Once a while I sit down and do some “googling” sound like George Bush’s “Internets”. Tonight I did just that and I ran into a posting where someone by the name of Cliff Kincaid, who present himself as editor of AIM, Accuracy in Media made the false and in-accurate statement that I in one of my bloggs in support of Al-Jazeera International denounced him and quote” A pro-Arab blogger named Sami Jadallah has denounced me as “the appointed and anointed cardinal on patriotism” for opposing Al-Jazeera. …” Read the rest of this entry »

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