A Request
My friends, I apologize, for this is neither silly nor light-hearted. It certainly belongs on A CiviL Union and not here, but, well, almost no one actually reads that and a fair number read this one. At any rate, I'm requesting that you call your Senators. I called both of mine and it took all of 3 minutes - for the Washington residents I'll cut a full minute off of that by giving you their phone numbers.
Now what am I asking you to call you Senators about? It's certainly well-known that I have many opinions relating to politics. But I ask you today to call and urge your senators to hold the state of Israel accountable for its actions against Palestinian civilians. I think most all of us can acknowledge that while Israel has the right to pursue those who have done it harm, that does not extend to destroying the power source of over 500,000 civilians, nor does it extend indiscriminately shelling open spaces in areas inhabited by civilians. In international law terms, the key words here are "proportionality" and "collective punishment." In this case, hundreds of thousands are suffering for the actions of a handful. Learn more here. Keep in mind, of course, that U.S. gives Israel significant military aid (according to AIPAC, up to $2.4 billion annually - a number they evidently consider inadequate), which is then used to carry out various actions, including actions that affect Palestinian civilians.
I fear this whole situation will get worse before it gets better, but already innocent people suffer. Here are the numbers for the Washington State senators:
Sen. Murray - (202) 224-2621
Sen. Cantwell - (202) 224-3441
Learn more about this situation and then call and share your thoughts. Be sincere, thoughtful, and respectful. Ask what the Senator is doing to hold the state of Israel accountable. The more phone calls they receive the more seriously they take it. If you do call, please add a comment as to anything they said in response or methods for making the phone call more effective.
Now what am I asking you to call you Senators about? It's certainly well-known that I have many opinions relating to politics. But I ask you today to call and urge your senators to hold the state of Israel accountable for its actions against Palestinian civilians. I think most all of us can acknowledge that while Israel has the right to pursue those who have done it harm, that does not extend to destroying the power source of over 500,000 civilians, nor does it extend indiscriminately shelling open spaces in areas inhabited by civilians. In international law terms, the key words here are "proportionality" and "collective punishment." In this case, hundreds of thousands are suffering for the actions of a handful. Learn more here. Keep in mind, of course, that U.S. gives Israel significant military aid (according to AIPAC, up to $2.4 billion annually - a number they evidently consider inadequate), which is then used to carry out various actions, including actions that affect Palestinian civilians.
I fear this whole situation will get worse before it gets better, but already innocent people suffer. Here are the numbers for the Washington State senators:
Sen. Murray - (202) 224-2621
Sen. Cantwell - (202) 224-3441
Learn more about this situation and then call and share your thoughts. Be sincere, thoughtful, and respectful. Ask what the Senator is doing to hold the state of Israel accountable. The more phone calls they receive the more seriously they take it. If you do call, please add a comment as to anything they said in response or methods for making the phone call more effective.