Proposal: We propose that Occupy Oakland support the rally and protest against AIPAC – the American Israel Public Affairs Committee – on Monday night December 5. Occupy Oakland can support this rally/protest against the 1% by encouraging participation and sending strong contingent. Rally starts at 5:30 pm in front of the Marriott Hotel, 11th and Broadway, Oakland.
WHY.
1) AIPAC is the most powerful political lobby in the United States, actively opposing peace and justice and lobbying for the 1%.
2) AIPAC’s policies result in ethnic cleansing and discrimination against Palestinians. This is bad for peace loving and all peace loving people of the world, including Israelis.
3) AIPAC aggressively promoted the disastrous invasion of Iraq which has resulted in over one million unnecessary deaths and the waste of hundreds of billions of dollars
4) AIPAC policies encourage collaboration between police/military forces in Israel and police forces in the US. Israeli military/police were involved in collaborative training with Oakland police as recently as this past October.
5) AIPAC policies consistently justify the excess and criminal use of police force against nonviolent demonstrators. This has resulted in the tragic wounding of Oakland resident Tristan Anderson in Palestine and the very similar tragic injury to Scott Olsen in Oakland.
6) AIPAC consistently opposes efforts toward a just resolution of the Palestian Israeli conflict to the detriment of both people.
7) AIPAC represents greed, discrimination and war. It represents the 1%. When they celebrate two blocks from Occupy Oakland they need to hear from us.
Here is yet another proposal that makes me feel unwelcome. I’m quite tired of people who choose to blame Israel for everything. When you really listen to people who talk endlessly about the horrors of Israel it sounds too much like old fashioned anti-semitism. As an American Jew, I have a very big problem with the anti-semitic tone here and in other activist circles. Oh, I know. Someone will claim the problem is with Israel and not with Jews. To that I’ll just tell you that my experience living here in the Bay Area has exposed me to more anti-semitic attacks to my person than when I lived in any other place I’ve lived.
From what I understand this didnt reach a vote today? Or did it? If not that is a dman shame as it is pointless to cote on tomorrow.
I have to confess I am a friend (from a while ago) of Tristan. So I am not without conflict on this. Damn AIPAC has way too much influence on US politics. But then hey, so do the banks right?