My philosophy: Our reason for being is to Help ~ Enjoy ~ Learn ~ Love. We are animals who are still becoming civilized. There is no heaven or hell, no immortality, and our fellow creatures have their own lives of pleasure and pain. -- Or, during bad times: Life's a bitch, and then you die.
The National Lawyers Guild Condemns Illegal Israeli Massacre of over 300 Gazans, Calls for Ceasefire and Urges Participation in Protests Monday, December 29, 2008, 01:57 PM
New York. The National Lawyers Guild (NLG) condemns Israel's massive bombardment of the Gaza Strip which has left over 300 dead and 1,400 wounded, with the tolls mounting. The Israeli Air Force dropped more than 100 bombs in dozens of locations throughout the Gaza Strip as children left school on Saturday. The dead include men, women and children in school uniforms.
"International law forbids the targeting of civilians," said Radhika Sainath, a civil rights attorney and member of the Free Gaza Committee of the NLG. "Israel must comply with laws of war and the Fourth Geneva Convention." Today's massacre marks an escalation of Israel's two-year blockade of the Strip which has deprived 1.5 million Palestinians of necessary food, medicine, fuel and other necessities. In November 2008, the United Nations stated that it had run out of food to feed over 750,000 needy Gazans.
Israel claims that the attack is in response to Palestinian rocket fire, which caused no recent Israeli deaths and few injuries. However, Israel's "rolling bombardment" and impending ground invasion is grossly disproportionate in light of the minimal damage caused by Palestinian rockets. “The law of war prohibits collective punishment and the targeting of a civilian population disproportionate to military necessity. Israel has flouted both these prohibitions, that follow its illegal occupation of Palestinian territory and its sealing of Gaza, subjecting Gazans to near starvation,” said Marjorie Cohn, NLG president and a professor of international law at Thomas Jefferson School of Law. “The Human Rights and Security Assistance Act mandates that the United States cease all military aid to Israel, which has engaged in a consistent pattern of gross violations of internationally recognized human rights.”
Israeli military spokesman Avi Benayahu stated that the Israeli bombardment of Gaza was "only just the beginning," showing utter contempt for international norms and the lives of innocent Palestinians. The Guild calls on the entire international community, and the United States in particular, to demand an end to Israel's blockade of the Occupied Territories and its murderous assault on the Palestinian people. We urge everyone to join in the demonstrations planned across the country in opposition to this latest attack on the rule of law by Israel and we call on both sides to immediately reinstate the cease fire.
Founded in 1937 as an alternative to the American Bar Association, which did not admit people of color, the National Lawyers Guild is the oldest and largest public interest/human rights bar organization in the United States. Its headquarters are in New York and it has chapters in every state.
A listing of planned demonstrations and protests in the USA can be found on the NLG site below the press release, here.
Christmas is special to me even though I'm an atheist and wasn't raised in a religious family. My parents were Protestant by default, in a vague kind of way. When I was little, a magical Santa came every year to bring presents. As an adult I view the story of Jesus as a myth and I focus on the aspects of Peace, Hope, and Joy.
This year I was happy to hear The Chipmunks' song again, and the weirdly dark Grinch tune. I like the playfully sexy Santa Baby byEartha Kitt, too. (Sadly, she passed away on the 25th at age 81.) I love the traditional songs as well. About the only ones I truly dislike are Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer, All I Want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth, and Something's Stuck Up in the Chimney (which turns out to be Santa, in case you're lucky enough not to have heard this one). At last I found a version of I Saw MommyKissing Santa Claus that I actually do like, by John Mellencamp! Mostly I listened (for free) to Slacker.com's Seasonal genre, a wonderful source for music of all kinds.
And this year I played with ElfYourself, "brought to you by OfficeMax,"where you could "Turn friends and family into dancing elves!" It was produced by JibJab, which has done some memorable political send-ups. To me at least, the ElfYourself dance videos were hilarious! JCPenney's department store offered a cyberspace punishment for any man not giving his lover JCP diamonds: The Doghouse. The offender's photo could be posted on this handy site.
I appreciate the classic movie It's a Wonderful Life as much as anyone but don't feel the need to see it every December. Instead I enjoyed the warmhearted comedy Elffor the second year. Buddy (Will Ferrell) is a human raised as an elf at the North Pole who goes to New York to find his real dad. An overgrown misfit of an elf, he stands out among other adult humans as much for his childlike sense of wonder as for his bumbling style. The quirky musician Leon Redbone also adds to this movie's charms.
Turning to cold reality, I got my white Christmas, plus a numbing 3° high and enough ice to disable my car for a few days just before the holiday. My ice melt product had no effect when I sprinkled it on the sidewalk. Kids no doubt cheered the school closings! Much of the nation experienced similar weather.
Rev. Fred Phelps, the man who loves to hate, made it into the public eye once again by telling us that believing in Santa Claus is a ticket to Hell for our kids. Phelps is known for picketing the funerals of gays. Is he mentally ill? And James Dobson's Focus on the Family organization made a list to tell us who was naughty and who was nice so we'd all know which merchants to patronize. The criterion? Did they say "Merry Christmas," or did they forget about Jesus and instead say "Happy Holidays"? Seriously!
Overspending and materialism is wrong at Christmas -- or anytime. Children only want more and more if you always indulge them, and will grow into adults who mindlessly consume goods without gaining emotional fulfillment. Those who were raised frugally can be brainwashed by advertising. The entertaining movie What Would Jesus Buy?, which features The Church of Stop Shopping and warns of the coming Shopocalypse, makes this point well.
Every Christmas brings to mind for me a certain passage in the famous children's book, Little House on the Prairie. The author, Laura Ingalls Wilder, based it on her own pioneer life. Little Mary and Laura are ecstatic with their gifts, all of which were in their stockings hung from the fireplace. Each of them receives a tin cup, a peppermint stick, a tiny heart-shaped cake, and a new penny.
I tend to see December 25th as anti-climactic, something of a letdown after all the long, fantasy-laden buildup. Anymore it is a quiet day for me. There is no tree in my house because my dog and cat would demolish it. I feel a bit guilty after that 12 ounce bottle of eggnog with an incredible 750 calories. My holiday is unworthy of the artist Norman Rockwell, or printmakers Currier & Ives, and I can feel really low at times. Yet I know that I'm more fortunate than a great many others. And so my spirits rebound in spite of the frequently frigid weather and the too short hours of daylight. Which is the reason for this holiday, after all.
The Bush administration isn't about to let democracy or the will of the people stop them from further ruining this country before they leave office. Knowing he can't get his long list of favors to his Republican cronies through Congress, Bush is doing a last minute end-run, jamming as many rules through the executive branch as he can during his waning days in power. These so-called "midnight regulations" will allow factories to pollute more, further restrict women's access to abortion services, cut off aid to needy families in the middle of a recession, and much more -- all without Congress' oversight or approval. It's wrong, it's antidemocratic, but, sadly, it's legal.
This Brave New Films video is a parody of The Night Before Christmas, combining a touch of humor and a serious message. Send friends a link to SantaBush.com to use as an informational, Christmasy e-card.
In California a month ago, the majority of the people who went to the polls voted infavor of Proposition 8, a ban on gay marriage. I see it as discrimination, and would have voted against it had I been a resident there.
Some famous names in show business have made a clever, three minute musical to protest the ban. Conceived and written by Marc Shaiman (playing piano), it is a cyberspace hit. The performers include Jack Black (as Jesus), John C. Reilly, Neil Patrick Harris, Kathy Najimy, and Margaret Cho. Enjoy!
