JVP ATTACKS MIDDLE AGED DISABLED WOMAN

Jewish Voice for Peace attack news
http://grantpatel.blogspot.com/2010/11/jewish-voice-for-peace-attack-news.html
Excerpt: "Fellow bloggerstress Balabusta in Blue Jeans also weighs in on the cruel assault on a pro-Israel activist by the ever-venomous and vile Jewish Voice for Peace soldiers. She says: "The Balabusta will add that she has met this lady many times, and that she has also seen JVP's choice of 'nonviolent' friends at a number of demonstrations. Given JVP's inability to notice threatening and violent behavior carried out by those they choose to like, I'm not surprised they also fantasize violence by those they attack." "


Jewish Voice for Peace and bully tactics
http://proisraelbaybloggers.blogspot.com/2010/11/jewish-voice-for-peace-and-bully.html
Excerpt: "Yesterday evening there was a fracas at a Jewish Voice for Peace event, in which a middle-aged woman was victimized by several people. Jewish Voice for Peace has already come out with a press-release in which they desperately seek to put their spin on matters.
Truth, as is so often the case when JVP and similar groupings are involved, is not part of their narrative."

Jewish Voice for Peace and bully tactics
http://grantpatel.blogspot.com/2010/11/jewish-voice-for-peace-and-bully.html
Excerpt:
"Here’s the victim’s account:

"Jewish Voice for Peace" has issued a press release that I attacked several people attending one of their events with pepper spray. They also go on to make absurd allegations regarding my politics and intentions at the meeting.

This is completely bizarre. I am a DISABLED WOMAN (see the legal notice on my car). I carry pepper spray as my only means to defend myself. It IS true that on the evening of November 14, at a JVP meeting, I needed to defend myself. I was physically attacked.

The JVP meeting at Berkeley Senior Center was advertised to the public. I attended this meeting as an individual and not as a member of any organization, in order to deepen my understanding of their perspective on the Middle East conflict.

Ironically, a stated goal of the meeting was to HONOR activists that had recently PHYSICALLY DISRUPTED a speech by Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu. Perhaps I should have understood that as a warning.

THE ATTACK: Around 20 minutes into the meeting, I tried to photograph a woman speaking in support of Israel. Almost immediately, several JVP members surrounded me and tried to take my camera from me. Then they attacked me. They took hold of my arms and would not let me go. They also pushed their chests into me many times and knocked me against a wall. I yelled at them 20 to 30 times to let go of me. They refused to let go of my wrists and forearms and continued to bang their chests into me. They banged me into the wall over a dozen times. Their faces were red from hatred and exertion. As a result of their violence, my wrists and arms are bruised and I am currently suffering serious pain in my lower back. I am unable to work this afternoon and I must take medication for pain relief.

I am a large woman but I am physically frail. As I said, I am disabled.
- I see a pain management physician regularly for chronic back pain. I am unable to move without severe back pain. I have had major surgery on my back. I am unable to stand for more than a couple of minutes without unrelenting back pain and sciatica pain.
- I also have had nine surgeries on my knees which are another main source of pain.
- I have asthma, and I use inhaled steroids daily; the anti-Israel activists’ attack on me exacerbated my asthma and I had to take medicine while at the senior center.
- I also have a serious blood disorder that weakens me. I am currently under treatment by a hematologist/oncologist, and I am on daily chemotherapy.

I am 58 years old. I have a Disabled Person’s license plate for my car. I am physically incapable of overpowering or attacking anybody! The people who attacked me were physically fit and at least 20 years younger than I;

While pleading with the attackers to let me go, I tried to get away but they followed me and kept grabbing my arms. At one point they knocked my camera out of my hand. I bent down to pick it up and tried to walk away. They followed me and continued to grab my arms and shove me into the wall. They isolated me from the rest of the crowd. Because they were beating me up and because I am disabled and could not defend myself otherwise, I sprayed pepper spray into one woman’s face. As soon as I did that, they all backed off from me and let me go.

I resorted to the pepper spray because I feared for my safety and my life!!! I believe that had I not used pepper spray, I would be in the hospital today suffering far more serious injuries. Pepper spray causes extreme discomfort but is unlikely to cause permanent injury. The purpose of pepper spray is to temporarily disable an attacker, to allow time for escape. It worked.

The JVP press release is an outright lie. I cannot and did not attack anyone. I was attacked!

[END CITE]

Jewish Voice for Whaaaa? Again?
http://balabustabluejeans.blogspot.com/2010/11/jewish-voice-for-whaaaa-again.html
Excerpt: "Over at Pro-Israel Bay Bloggers, the irrepressible Grant Patel writes up a recent encounter between the poorly named Jewish Voice for Peace and a local pro-Israel activist who was physically attacked and continues to be attacked in words by JVP."


Self-Loathing Jews & Leftists Assault Jewish Woman at JVP Meeting
http://brandishingbeets.blogspot.com/2010/11/self-loathing-jews-leftists-assault.html
Excerpt: "This is a repost from my fellow San Franciscan's blog, Pro-Israel Bay Bloggers:
Monday, November 15, 2010
Jewish Voice for Peace and bully tactics ... "


JEWISH VOICE FOR PEACE VIOLENCE
http://deathbynoodles.blogspot.com/2010/11/jewish-voice-for-peace-violence.html
Excerpt: "On Sunday night in Berkeley, members of Jewish Voice for Peace displayed all their worst character flaws, and ganged up on a middle-aged handicapped woman."


Jewish Voice for Peace - lies, distortion, and spin
http://infectiousasian.blogspot.com/2010/11/jewish-voice-for-peace-lies-distortion.html
Excerpt: "The following is an example of the lies told by Jewish Voice for Peace, which once again shows that ethical considerations and truth are not any part of their agenda."


JVP ASSAULT WITNESSED
http://atthebackofthehill.blogspot.com/2010/11/jvp-assault-winessed.html
Excerpt: "One of the people who was there witnessed the assault on Robin by the JVP’ers Sunday evening in Berkeley very clearly. This is what he wrote:
"I witnessed the assault on Robin Dubner on 11-14-10. I heard a fracas to my left and behind me. I turned and saw a blonde woman with short hair and a man with glasses pushing Robin backwards, toward a wall of windows and a plaster wall-- a corner, essentially. Robin had both hands above her head and the two JVPers were shoving her backward and grabbing at Robin's hands. Another two persons were behind the two assailants, all moving forward on Robin, who was retreating backward from them. Robin was screaming words to the effect of: "Don't touch me; let go of me." I didn't catch the JVPers' words, but several people were yelling at Robin at once.

I saw Robin's camera fly out of her hands and the attack on her let up for a moment. When Robin picked up her camera from the floor, the attack started again, with more pushing, grabbing and screaming at Robin by multiple people. Robin took out her pepper spray and sprayed the blonde woman; I didn't notice her spray the man but I understand he was also sprayed. At that time, Robin was able to move away.

I can testify in court that this was a brutal attack by multiple cowards on a disabled person (Robin) and that Robin was justified in protecting herself with pepper spray. The spray was used solely in self-defence. Even I feared for Robin's safety at the hands of these thugs who unjustifiably, physically attacked Robin."

[END CITE]


Another witness writes:

The chairs in the room were arranged in a big circle. We began by introducing ourselves and discussing our plans for Thanksgiving. Lots of JVP'ers are spending Thanksgiving day on Alcatraz. It was oh so very very Berkeley.

Someone (a pro-Israel person?) began taping. They actively tried to stop her. A spirited discussion ensued about if it was legal or not to tape in a public venue. Were they planning to engage in any illegal activity? Was that why they objected to taping?

Then JVP introduced the students who interrupted Netanyahu. Rae Abileah from Code Pink, Matthew Taylor, 3 others. Oh, they were so proud of their brave, brave, young people!

They set up the video from their disruption. And that is when a pro-Israel person started reading from Chaim Herzog's 1975 speech to the UN on Zionism. Someone else asked Matthew Taylor about the psycho-sexual nature of his (Matthew Taylor's) foreskin restoration crusade. Had he tried any of the do it yourself procedures?

Two loudly angry JVP'ers attempted to prevent someone else taping. I think they were waving their fists at her and trying to push her. It looked very threatening. The victim of the JVP bullying was shoved into a corner, a wiry blonde thing grabbed her wrist, and the camera fell to the group.
And at that point, the shit hit the fan. Chaos and screaming.

Cecilie Shuransky had brought her little boy to the meeting . The turmoil just fascinated him - I suspect he said to his mom on the way home "It wasn't as boring as it usually is".

Rae whined "it's not the same. We interrupted the head of a state. You are interupting...us...powerless young people."

I really hate sinking to their depths.

[END CITE]

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

PLEASE ALSO NOTE MENTIONS ELSEWHERE OF JVP'S TENDENCY TO BEND THE TRUTH BEYOND ALL RECOGNITION, HERE AS WELL AS ON OTHER BLOGS.

STATEMENT OF PRINCIPLES ON THE PLACE OF JEWS WITH A HOMOSEXUAL ORIENTATION IN OUR COMMUNITY

Follows the full text plus signatories of the statement, which was originally posted here: SOPOTPOJWAHOIOC!

http://statementofprinciplesnya.blogspot.com/

---------------------------------------------------

Statement of Principles on the Place of Jews with a
Homosexual Orientation in Our Community

We, the undersigned Orthodox rabbis, rashei yeshiva, ramim, Jewish educators and communal leaders affirm the following principles with regard to the place of Jews with a homosexual orientation in our community:

1. All human beings are created in the image of God and deserve to be treated with dignity and respect (kevod haberiyot). Every Jew is obligated to fulfill the entire range of mitzvot between person and person in relation to persons who are homosexual or have feelings of same sex attraction. Embarrassing, harassing or demeaning someone with a homosexual orientation or same-sex attraction is a violation of Torah prohibitions that embody the deepest values of Judaism.

2. The question of whether sexual orientation is primarily genetic, or rather environmentally generated, is irrelevant to our obligation to treat human beings with same-sex attractions and orientations with dignity and respect.

3. Halakhah sees heterosexual marriage as the ideal model and sole legitimate outlet for human sexual expression. The sensitivity and understanding we properly express for human beings with other sexual orientations does not diminish our commitment to that principle.

4. Halakhic Judaism views all male and female same-sex sexual interactions as prohibited. The question of whether sexual orientation is primarily genetic, or rather environmentally generated, is irrelevant to this prohibition. While halakha categorizes various homosexual acts with different degrees of severity and opprobrium, including toeivah, this does not in any way imply that lesser acts are permitted. But it is critical to emphasize that halakha only prohibits homosexual acts; it does not prohibit orientation or feelings of same-sex attraction, and nothing in the Torah devalues the human beings who struggle with them. (We do not here address the issue of hirhurei aveirah, a halakhic category that goes beyond mere feelings and applies to all forms of sexuality and requires precise halakhic definition.)

5. Whatever the origin or cause of homosexual orientation, many individuals believe that for most people this orientation cannot be changed. Others believe that for most people it is a matter of free will. Similarly, while some mental health professionals and rabbis in the community strongly believe in the efficacy of “change therapies”, most of the mental health community, many rabbis, and most people with a homosexual orientation feel that some of these therapies are either ineffective or potentially damaging psychologically for many patients.

We affirm the religious right of those with a homosexual orientation to reject
therapeutic approaches they reasonably see as useless or dangerous.

6. Jews with a homosexual orientation who live in the Orthodox community confront serious emotional, communal and psychological challenges that cause them and their families great pain and suffering. For example, homosexual orientation may greatly increase the risk of suicide among teenagers in our community. Rabbis and communities need to be sensitive and empathetic to that reality. Rabbis and mental health professionals must provide responsible and ethical assistance to congregants and clients dealing with those human challenges.

7. Jews struggling to live their lives in accordance with halakhic values need and deserve our support. Accordingly, we believe that the decision as to whether to be open about one's sexual orientation should be left to such individuals, who should consider their own needs and those of the community. We are opposed on ethical and moral grounds to both the “outing” of individuals who want to remain private and to coercing those who desire to be open about their orientation to keep it hidden.

8. Accordingly, Jews with homosexual orientations or same sex-attractions should be welcomed as full members of the synagogue and school community. As appropriate with regard to gender and lineage, they should participate and count ritually, be eligible for ritual synagogue honors, and generally be treated in the same fashion and under the same halakhic and hashkafic framework as any other member of the synagogue they join. Conversely, they must accept and fulfill all the responsibilities of such membership, including those generated by communal norms or broad Jewish principles that go beyond formal halakhah.

We do not here address what synagogues should do about accepting members
who are openly practicing homosexuals and/or living with a same-sex partner.
Each synagogue together with its rabbi must establish its own standard with
regard to membership for open violators of halakha.
Those standards should be applied fairly and objectively.


9. Halakha articulates very exacting criteria and standards of eligibility for particular religious offices, such as officially appointed cantor during the year or baal tefillah on the High Holidays. Among the most important of those criteria is that the entire congregation must be fully comfortable with having that person serve as its representative. This legitimately prevents even the most admirable individuals, who are otherwise perfectly fit halakhically, from serving in those roles. It is the responsibility of the lay and rabbinic leadership in each individual community to determine eligibility for those offices in line with those principles, the importance of maintaining communal harmony, and the unique context of its community culture.

10. Jews with a homosexual orientation or same sex attraction, even if they engage in same sex interactions, should be encouraged to fulfill mitzvot to the best of their ability. All Jews are challenged to fulfill mitzvot to the best of their ability, and the attitude of “all or nothing” was not the traditional approach adopted by the majority of halakhic thinkers and poskim throughout the ages.

11. Halakhic Judaism cannot give its blessing and imprimatur to Jewish religious
same-sex commitment ceremonies and weddings, and halakhic values proscribe individuals and communities from encouraging practices that grant religious legitimacy to gay marriage and couplehood. But communities should display sensitivity, acceptance and full embrace of the adopted or biological children of homosexually active Jews in the synagogue and school setting, and we encourage parents and family of homosexually partnered Jews to make every effort to maintain harmonious family relations and connections.

12. Jews who have an exclusively homosexual orientation should, under most circumstances, not be encouraged to marry someone of the other gender, as
this can lead to great tragedy, unrequited love, shame, dishonesty and ruined
lives. They should be directed to contribute to Jewish and general society in
other meaningful ways. Any such person who is planning to marry someone of
the opposite gender is halakhically and ethically required to fully inform their
potential spouse of their sexual orientation.


We hope and pray that by sharing these thoughts we will help the Orthodox
community to fully live out its commitment to the principles and values of
Torah and Halakha as practiced and cherished by the children of Abraham, who
our sages teach us are recognized by the qualities of being rahamanim
(merciful), bayshanim (modest), and gomelei hasadim
engaging in acts of loving-kindness).



(as of 7/23/10)
Rabbi Yosef Adler
Rabbi Elisha Anscelovits
Rabbi Hayyim Angel
Rabbi Marc Angel
Rabbi Maurice Appelbaum
Mrs. Nechama Goldman Barash
Rabbi Avi Baumol
Rabbi Benjamin Berger
Rabbi Dr. Shalom Berger
Rabbi Dr. Joshua Berman
Rabbi Todd Berman
Rabbi Yonah Berman
Dr. David Bernstein
Rabbi David Bigman
Rabbi Yitzchak Blau
Rabbi Nasanayl Braun
Dr. Erica Brown
Rabbi Yuval Cherlow
Ms. Yael Diamond
Rabbi Mark Dratch
Rabbi Ira Ebbin
Rabbi Rafi Eis
Mrs. Atara Eis
Rabbi Yitzhak Etshalom
Rabbi Dr. Shaul (Seth) Farber
Ms. Rachel Feingold
Rabbi Jeffrey Fox
Rabbi Aaron Frank
Rabbi Aharon Frazier
Rabbi Avidan Freedman
Rabbi Shmuel Goldin
Rabbi Mark Gottlieb
Rabbi Barry Gelman
Rabbi Uri Goldstein
Rabbi Benjamin Greenberg
Rabbi Zvi Grumet
Rabbi Alan Haber
Dr. Aviad Hacohen
Rabbi Tully Harcsztark
Rabbi Nathaniel Helfgot
Rabbi Josh Hess
Dr. Daniel Kahn
Rabbi Yosef Kanefsky
Rabbi Jay Kellman
Rabbi Aryeh Klapper
Mrs. Judy Klitsner
Rabbi Shmuel Klitsner
Rabbi Jeff Kobrin
Dr. Aaron Koller
Rabbi Barry Kornblau
Dr. Meesh Hammer Kossoy
Rabbi Binny Krauss
Mrs. Esther Krauss
Rabbi Dr. Benny Lau
Rabbi Zvi Leshem
Rabbi Daniel Levitt
Rabbi Dr. Martin Lockshin
Rabbi Dr. Haskel Lookstein
Rabbi Asher Lopatin
Rabbi Chaim Marder
Rabbi Joshua Maroof
Rabbi Dr. Adam Mintz
Rabbi Jonathan Morgenstern
Rabbi Dr. Yaacov Nagen (Genack)
Mrs. C.B. Neugroschl
Rabbi Yossi Pollak
Dr. Caroline Pyser
Rabbi Daniel Reifman
Rabbi Avi Robinson
Rabbi Chaim Sacknovitz
Rabbi Noam Shapiro
Rabbi Yehuda Seif
Rabbi Hanan Schlesinger
Rabbi Adam Schier
Ms. Lisa Schlaff
Rabbi Yehuda Septimus
Rabbi Yair Silverman
Rabbi Jeremy Stavitsky
Rabbi Adam Starr
Rabbi Chaim Strauchler
Rabbi Yehuda Sussman
Rabbi Joel Tessler
Rabbi Mordechai Torczyner
Rabbi Jacob Traub
Rabbi Zach Truboff
Mrs. Dara Unterberg
Rabbi Michael Unterberg
Rabbi Dr. Avie Walfish
Dr. Dina Weiner
Ms. Sara Weinerman
Rabbi David Wolkenfeld
Rabbi Elie Weinstock
Rabbi Alan Yuter
Rabbi Josh Yuter
Dr. Yael Ziegler
Rabbi Dr. Stuart Zweiter

---------------------------------------------------

SOURCE LINKS:

http://statementofprinciplesnya.blogspot.com/

http://statementofprinciplesnya.blogspot.com/2010_07_01_archive.html

http://statementofprinciplesnya.blogspot.com/2010/07/for-last-six-months-number-of-orthodox.html

---------------------------------------------------

SAN FRANCISCO ANTI-ISRAEL WINDBAGGERY

As the charming miss Chou noted yesterday, San Francisco supervisors John Avalos, David Campos, Chris Daly and Sophie Maxwell introduced a resolution savagely condemning Israel’s interdiction of the Gaza Flotilla, and calling for President Obama to work to end the "siege on Gaza".

It is, as to be expected, a long and pompous screed.


FULL TEXT OF RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, San Francisco is the birthplace of the United Nations (UN), an international institution founded on the cooperation of all nations and dedicated toward lasting world peace; and

WHEREAS, San Francisco’s legal status as a City of Refuge is based on the recognition and understanding of our population’s unique relationship to international struggles and the overall principle that human life, whether here or abroad, has value and dignity; and,

WHEREAS, The San Francisco Bay Area is home to many people with ties to Israel and Palestine; and,

WHEREAS, People have a responsibility to speak out against oppression and historically, the San Francisco Bay Area communities have been at the forefront of speaking freely against injustice, taking part in humanitarian actions, and joining in solidarity with global movements for peace and justice; and,

WHEREAS, Since June 2007, the Israeli government, maintaining the need to protect its southern region against rocket attacks from Gaza, instituted a military blockade on Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, one of the most densely populated regions in the world; and,

WHEREAS, The blockade, carried out by Israel and Egypt, collectively deprives the entire population of Gaza of adequate provisions of food, medicine and medical equipment, fuel, building material, and other supplies necessary for basic necessities and free mobility into and outside of the Gaza Strip; and,

WHEREAS, According to Amnesty International “rather than targeting armed groups, the blockade mainly hits the most vulnerable, such as children, who make up more than half of the population in Gaza, the elderly, the sick and the Gaza Strip’s large refugee population;” and,

WHEREAS, The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) states that the number of refugees living in abject poverty in the Gaza Strip has tripled since the blockade began; and,

WHEREAS, The UNRWA further states that these families lack the means to purchase even the most basic items, including soap, school materials, and clean drinking water and, according to the UN, more than 60 percent of households are currently “food insecure;” and,

WHEREAS, on January 8, 2009, the United Nations Security Council at its 6063rd meeting adopted Resolution 1860, on file with the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors in File No. , which is hereby declared to be a part of this resolution as if set forth fully herein, which emphasized “the need to ensure sustained and regular flow of goods and people through the Gaza crossings” and “calls for the unimpeded provision and distribution throughout Gaza of humanitarian assistance, including of food, fuel and medical treatment” and “welcomes the initiatives aimed at creating and opening humanitarian corridors and other mechanisms for the sustained delivery of humanitarian aid;” and,

WHEREAS, John Ging, the Director of the UNRWA Operations in Gaza in an interview with Norwegian newspaper Aftenposten, called on the international community to take responsibility of the blockade and pursue “practical ways to break the siege” and Director Ging urged the world to send ships to the shores of Gaza, stating “We believe that Israel will not intercept these vessels because the sea is open, and human rights organizations have been successful in similar previous operations proving that breaking the siege of Gaza is possible;” and,

WHEREAS, The international human rights community headed by the Free Gaza Movement and The Foundation for Human Rights and Freedoms and Humanitarian Relief (IHH), a Turkish nongovernment organization, organized the Freedom Flotilla consisting of six ships, including the MV Mavi Marmara, in an attempt to bring much needed aid to Gaza and provide pressure to break the blockade; and,

WHEREAS, The Freedom Flotilla carried approximately 800 international civilians from 40 different countries, five of whom were San Francisco Bay Area residents, representing all ages, genders, and religions. Notable people aboard the flotilla included an elected member of the Israeli Parliament, the Knesset Haneen Zoubi; internationally renowned Swedish novelist Henning Mankell; a number of parliamentarians from European and Arab national legislatures; Nobel Peace Prize laureate Mairead Corrigan; and former UN Assistant Secretary-General Denis Halliday, who were aboard the MV Rachel Corrie; and,

WHEREAS, The Freedom Flotilla is the ninth vessel voyage of its kind to make its way to the blockaded Gaza Strip since 2008; and,

WHEREAS, The Israeli Defense Force (IDF) operating from warships and attack helicopters in the vicinity forcibly boarded the Freedom Flotilla in international waters on May 7 31, 2010, resulting in the loss of at least nine lives and injuries to over 50 other civilians; and,

WHEREAS, International law prohibits the interdiction of vessels in international waters 9 and a violation of this may be considered an act of war; and,

WHEREAS, On Friday, June 4, 2010, The Guardian (UK) reported nine Turkish men aboard the MV Mavi Marmara were shot a total of 30 times and five were killed by gunshot wounds to the head, according to Dr. Haluk Ince the vice-chairman of the Turkish Council of Forensic Medicine, which carried out the autopsies for the Turkish Ministry of Justice, and among those killed was a 19 year old United States citizen;” and,

WHEREAS, Members of the Freedom Flotilla included five San Francisco Bay Area activists, Iara Lee, a filmmaker from San Francisco; Katherine Ellipt Sheetz, a registered nurse from Richmond; Gene St. Onge, a civil engineer, and Janet Kobren, a retired school teacher, both of Oakland; and Paul Larudee of Richmond, co-founder of the Free Palestine Movement who told the Associated Press that he was beaten six times by the Israeli Defense Forces, receiving multiple bruises and a black eye; and,

WHEREAS, The Elders, a group started in 2007 by Nelson Mandela including six Nobel peace prize winners, former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, former Finnish President Martti Ahtisaari, former US President Jimmy Carter, detained Burmese leader Aung 1 San Suu Kyi, and former Archbishop Desmond Tutu, released a statement condemning the attacks as “completely inexcusable” further stating, “this tragic incident should draw the world’s attention to the terrible suffering of Gaza’s 1.5 million people, half of whom are children under the age of 18,” and describing the treatment of the people of Gaza as “one of the world’s greatest human rights violations” and that the blockade is not only “illegal, it is counterproductive” because it empowers extremists in the Palestinian territories; and,

WHEREAS, In a statement by the President of the United Nations Security Council, on file with the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors in File No. , which is hereby declared to be a part of this resolution as if set forth fully herein, released after the attack on the Freedom Flotilla, he “stresses that the situation in Gaza is not sustainable… In that context, it reiterates its grave concern at the humanitarian situation in Gaza and stressed the need for sustained and regular flow of goods and people to Gaza as well as unimpeded provision and distribution of humanitarian assistance throughout Gaza;” and,

WHEREAS, The Israeli government has attempted to control the information about the IDF attack on the Freedom Flotilla in such a way that a thorough and accurate accounting is extremely difficult; and, WHEREAS, The IDF’s claims that they were the victims of an attack even though it was the IDF who forcibly boarded the Flotilla ships from attack helicopters and warships in international waters at 4:30 a.m.; and,

WHEREAS, The United Nations Security Council has also referenced the IDF’s handling of the media surrounding the event as follows: “Given that those who had been on-board the ships were now in Israeli custody, including reporters who were travelling with the convoy, and had had their transmission equipment confiscated by the boarding Israeli forces, further information from the organizers of the convoy had been minimal since this morning. We have no independent information on what transpired;” and,

WHEREAS, As reported on Democracy Now on June 4, 2010, the Israel Defense Forces issued a press release two days after the assault saying that approximately forty flotilla passengers “are mercenaries belonging to the Al Qaeda terror organization;” and,

WHEREAS, Despite inquiries by independent journalist Max Blumenthal and other press colleagues to the Israeli military press office to substantiate these claims, no evidence was provided to back up these statements and the IDF has since modified their original headline “Attackers of the IDF Soldiers Found to be Al Qaeda Mercenaries” to “Attackers of the IDF Soldiers Found Without Identification Papers;” and,

WHEREAS, United States Senator Dianne Feinstein, Chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, has called for an impartial inquiry on the Israeli raid on the Freedom Flotilla and the easing of the Gaza blockade; and,

WHEREAS, At least 50 countries have officially condemned or protested Israel’s actions against the Freedom Flotilla; several countries, including South Africa, Ecuador, Nicaragua, and Turkey, have recalled their Ambassadors in protest; and international organizations, including the UN Human Rights Commission and the European Union, have condemned Israel’s attack; and,

WHEREAS, On June 7, 2010, Egypt announced that it would leave its border with 1 Gaza open for humanitarian aid and restricted travel, thus ending Egypt’s part in the blockade of Gaza; and

WHEREAS, 50 members of Congress have signed a letter authored by Congressman Keith Ellison, on file with the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors in File No. , which is hereby declared to be a part of this resolution as if set forth fully herein, to President Obama expressing concern about the conditions in Gaza and urging his leadership in addressing the situation; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the City and County of San Francisco denounces all forms of violence against civilians and encourages nonviolent solutions to humanitarian crises in the aforementioned region, and globally; and urges all San Francisco residents to engage in full and open communication and education about this issue; and therefore

FURTHER RESOLVED, That the City and County of San Francisco hereby joins the global community including international human rights organizations, The Elders, over 50 nations, and thousands of Bay Area residents in condemning the Israeli Defense Forces’ military attack on the Freedom Flotilla on May 31, 2010 that resulted in the death of at least nine people including a United States citizen; and, be it

FURTHER RESOLVED, The City and County of San Francisco expresses our condolences for families of those killed in the raid on the Flotilla and wishes a speedy recovery for those injured; and, be it

FURTHER RESOLVED, That the City and County of San Francisco urges President Barack Obama and Congress to strengthen their ongoing diplomatic efforts to create lasting peace in the region and call for an independent investigation into the events surrounding the 1 raid on the Freedom Flotilla and, in particular, into the raid itself, the use of force and rules of engagement by the Israeli Defense Forces; and, be it

FURTHER RESOLVED, That the City and County of San Francisco urges President Barack Obama and Congress to continue their work addressing the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, actively seek an end to the blockade, and work towards genuine peace and security for all peoples in the region.

SOURCE:
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=76796
[Please note that the San Francisco Sentinel supports Israel, and frequently condemns the puffed-up pretentiousness that so often informs public discourse in Baghdad by the Bay.]


WRITE!

Feel free to let the supervisorial windbags know your opinion. Their contact information can be found on miss Chou's eloquent post, here: http://proisraelbaybloggers.blogspot.com/2010/06/condemn-israel-yet-another-san.html


The other supervisors, of course, also need to be advised. Their contact info likewise is available. Let them know that you oppose so fractious and divisive a resolution, and feel that in a city with major budget issues and societal problems there are far more important things that should occupy their time - that's why they were elected.

HAMAS HOLLAND CHIEF SEIZED BY... JEWS

What the Dutch SHOULD have done years ago, the Israelis did this past weekend; they arrested a dangerous terror-supporter. A Dutchman. A financier of terrorism. A notorious Netherlander of Palestinian ancestry, who moved in the same circles as many "exemplary" Dutch citizens like Gretta Duisenberg, former prime minister Andreas (Dries) van Agt, parliamentarians Anja Meulenbelt and Harry van Bommel.


Here's the Telegraaf article:


Hollandse Hamasleider was erbij
Door Bart Olmer
AMSTERDAM - De Nederlander Amin Abou Rashed (43), die door Israëlische commando's is gearresteerd aan boord van de 'Vrijheidsvloot' voor de kust van Gaza, is volgens inlichtingendiensten een kopstuk van terreurorganisatie Hamas.

[Dutch Hamas leader was there - By Bart Olmer
Amsterdam - The Dutchman Amin Abou Rashed (43), arrested by Israeli commandos on board of the "Freedom Flotilla" in front of the coast of Gaza, is, according to intelligence services, a head of the Hamas terror-organization.]


SOURCE: http://www.telegraaf.nl/binnenland/6841211/__Hollandse_Hamasleider_was_erbij__.html?p=36,1


QUOTE:
Gisteravond laat maakte Israël bekend dat alle opgepakte zeshonderd buitenlandse actievoerders binnen twee dagen zullen worden vrijgelaten. Onder hen zijn twee Nederlanders: Rashed en Anne de Jong (29).

[Yesterday evening Israel announced that all arrested foreing activists will be released within two days. Among them are two Dutch people: Rashed and Anne de Jong (29) .]


QUOTE:
De van oorsprong Palestijnse Rashed heeft een Nederlands paspoort en opereert vanuit Rotterdam.
In zijn strijd tegen Israël verloor de Nederlandse activist eerder een arm. De Nederlander wordt aangewezen als een van de organisatoren achter de 'vredesvloot' door de officiële website van de Moslimbroederschap, een beweging die strijdt voor islamdominantie.

[The originally Palestinian Rashed has a Dutch passport and operates out of Rotterdam. In his fight against Israel the Dutch activist earlier lost an arm. The Dutchman is identified as one of the organizers behind the "Freedom Flotilla" on the website of the Muslim Brotherhood, an organization that battles for Islamic domination.]


NOTE: Rotterdam is one of the bastions of the European Arab community as well as the radical pro-Hamas activists in the Netherlands. The Muslim Brotherhood has been implicated in numerous terror attempts, terror attacks, and the financing and material support of terrorists and terror organizations. Tariq Ramadan, grandson of the founder, is the frequent apologist for their activities, although he maintains that he is not a terror supporter - many Europeans passively (or passionately - depends on their politics) allow him his plausible deniability. The Muslim Brotherhood is funded by rich Arabs in the Gulf, politicians and businessmen in many Arab countries such as Egypt and Jordan, and sluiced proceeds from the drug trade in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Turkey.


QUOTE:
"Rashed is de leider van de Hamas in Nederland", zegt een inlichtingenbron. "Hij komt onder een alias, namelijk Amin Abou Ibrahim, voor in meerdere inlichtingenrapporten. Hij werkte voor de beruchte Nederlandse stichting al-Aksa, die werd verdacht van fondsenwerving voor de terreurorganisatie Hamas. Hij is ook zeer actief in de Stichting Palestijns Platform voor Mensenrechten en Solidariteit (PPMS)", aldus de inlichtingenman.

["Rashed is the leader of Hamas in the Netherlands", says a source. "Under the alias Amin Abou Ibrahim he shows up in a number of intelligence reports; he worked for the notorious Dutch Al Aqsa Foundation, suspected of raising funds for the Hamas terror-organization. He is also very active in the foundation 'Palestinian Platform for Human Rights and Solidarity", according to the intelligence spokesman.]


QUOTE:
Hamas heeft als financieringsbron wereldwijd islamitische 'liefdadigheidsinstellingen'. De Nederlander Amin Abou Rashed wordt genoemd in relatie tot de Holy Land Foundation, een beruchte liefdadigheidsorganisatie die in Amerika werd opgerold voor het financieren van Hamas.

[Hamas has, as their source of funds, numerous Islamic "charitable foundations" around the world. The Dutchman Amin Abou Rashed is named in connection with the Holy Land Foundation, a notorious charitable organization that was terminated in the United States because of their financing of terror.]


Unfortunately, the "tolerant" Dutch harbour many more people like him. According to many people in that country, such folks enrich Dutch society and provide a refreshing alternative point of view.

[All quotes above from this article: http://www.telegraaf.nl/binnenland/6841211/__Hollandse_Hamasleider_was_erbij__.html?p=36,1]



In other news, from that same estimable source (De Telegraaf), we find out that some member of the Hamas Flotilla wished to die a martyr's death.


Turken Gazakonvooi wilden martelaar worden
ANKARA - Drie Turkse mannen die in de nacht van zondag op maandag omkwamen bij een Israëlische aanval op een scheepskonvooi, streefden ernaar te sterven als martelaar. Dat hebben hun nabestaanden woensdag gezegd tegen Turkse media.

[Three Turkish gentlemen who perished between Sunday night and Monday morning during an Israeli boarding of a ship convoy yearned to become martyrs. That is what their relatives told Turkish media.]

SOURCE: http://www.telegraaf.nl/buitenland/6845765/__Turken_wilden_martelaar_worden__.html?p=7,1


One of them prayed for years to become a martyr, according to his wife. The second was an adherent of a radical Islamic organization, the third worked for terrorist-linked IHH and reportedly had ties to AlQaeda.

I am so happy for them that they succeeded. Kudos. Many more. Dude.

GRETTA DUISENBERG

Anja Meulenbelt and her ilk are not the only anti-Semitic cretins in the Netherlands
Surely you remember Mrs. Gretta Duisenberg?

Let me refresh your ire by quoting that woman.


Gretta, talking about the abduction of the soldiers:
"Ik keur die ontvoeringen goed. Dit is hun (Hezbollah) enige manier om gevangenen vrij te krijgen. Wat me razend maakt is dat Nederland nu geen troepen wil sturen omdat ze bang zijn een jood te raken."
[Translation: 'I approve of the abductions, this is the only way to get prisoners released. What infuriates me is that the Netherlands doesn't want to send troops now because they're scared of hitting a Jew'.]


Gretta, talking about Hamas notable Osama Hamdan:
"Wat een vriendelijke man, hè? Je hoort gewoon dat hij meent wat hij zegt. Israeli’s daarentegen liegen altijd. Dat zie je aan die koppen. Schoften zijn het."
[Translation: 'What a friendly man, eh? You can just hear that he means what he says. Israelis, on the other hand, always lie. You can tell that from their heads - they're scum. ']


Lest you think that it is only neurotic swamp-trull gorgons getting their soiled knickers in a twist or spewing slime, here's ex-ambassador Jan Wijenberg talking about the recent conflict:
"...Israel is een terreurstaat en dit is het bewijs".
[Translation: 'Israel is a terrorist state, and this is proof'.]

That's a diplomat? Sheesh!


Both Mrs. Duisenberg and ambassador Wijenberg are leaders in the PPMS, a Dutch pro-Palestinian organization.

======================================================

ADDENDUM

There's a picture of human rights activist and Jew-hater Gretta Duisenberg together with Dutch Hamas leader Amin Abou Rashed and the Dutch ambassador in Cairo last year here:
http://www.telegraaf.nl/binnenland/6841211/__Hollandse_Hamasleider_was_erbij__.html?p=36,1

The caption reads:
Amin Abou Rashed (rechts) zat vorig jaar in Cairo aan tafel met Gretta Duisenberg en de Nederlandse ambassadeur.
Foto: Floris Scheplitz

[Amin Abou Rashed (right) around the table with with Gretta Duisenberg and the Dutch Ambassador in Cairo last year.]

Looks cozy, doesn't it?

DUTCH REFORMED

CALVINISM

In 1533 Jean Cauvin (John Calvin, 1509 - 1564), an argumentative student of theology and law at Paris, fled for his life, eventually ending up in Geneva. His weltanschauung was influenced by much of the theological ferment then current in Europe at that time, including Lutheranism and Anabaptism.
Two basic themes that he developed were Biblical authority as opposed to Church authority in matters of the faith, and praedestinationism.

Two major ethno-denominational groupings eventually formed that were based on Calvin's thought: Scotch Presbyterianism, and Dutch Reform.
The less said about Scotch Presbyterianism the better - those people never had to fight a super-power for freedom for their faith, and in consequence have a self-satisfied priggishness wich is quite unstomachable.



DUTCH REFORMED

At the same time as Calvin was contemplating his navel in Switzerland, Netherlandish cities and nobles were getting steamed over Philip the Spaniard's attempts to unify the Netherlands into one coherent legal and administrative system.

The Netherlands which Philip had inherited were a loosely unified mess of conflicting law codes and civic privileges, sporadically called to order by a grand meeting of the States General in Brussels. While all territories were represented in the States General, not all played along with its decisions, and even fewer had any intention of doing so in any consistent manner. Other than in name, their unity lay in resisting Philip and disagreeing with each other.

The situation exploded in 1567 when Philip sent the Duke of Alva (may his name be erased!) into the Netherlands to eradicate dissent and destroy heresy. In 1568 Alva had two of the grande seigneurs of the Netherlands (counts Egmont and Hoorne), executed in the Grande Place in Brussels.
Their crime was not disloyalty or treason, but that they had been too permissive of religious dissidence, even though they themselves had remained Catholic.

The executions may have been pointless. But they did serve as tinder.

For the next four years, Alva savagely suppressed all dissent, political and religious, throughout the Netherlands, painting a swath of blood and murder across all the provinces. The tide turned in 1572 when the Sea Beggars captured Briel in 1572, gaining a foothold along the coast. Within the next few years the rebellion gained strength and territory, eventually unifying all of the northern provinces. Protestants, who faced certain death in the south, fled north in large numbers, and contributed their skills and their lives to the cause of the rebel republic .

The war between Spain and the Dutch lasted until 1648, by which time Protestantism, in it's rather severe Dutch Calvinist form, had become entrenched in the north. Thenceforth Netherlandish quarrelsomeness would have the perfect medium in which to manifest itself - religion.
[Not until twentieth century politics would another so perfect vehicle for petty dispute and despicion come along (and how the Dutch enthusiastically jumped on that bandwagon is another story).]

Among the first actions that the Calvinists theocrats took was the banning of Catholicism in Protestant cities (and permitting Judaism).
Thereafter they started fighting among themselves.

Not only in the Netherlands.



DUTCH CALVINISTS IN AMERICA

The first Dutch Reformed church in the new world was established in New Amsterdam in 1628, and the first church was built in 1633 on what is now Pearl Street in Manhattan. The Brits eventually seized the property for military purposes, and a new church was built in 1693 on Exchange Place. By the end of the century Dutch Reformed congregations had arisen all over New York and New Jersey, including areas which are now Hareidi strongholds such as Brooklyn, Flatbush, Hempstead, Monsey, Paramus, etcetera. By 1792 the Dutch American churches split off from the Dutch churches, at which time they already consisted of various splinter groups on both sides of the Atlantic.



MY CHURCH, HIS CHURCH, AND THE ONE NEITHER OF US WOULD BE CAUGHT DEAD VISITING

In 1816 Dutch government meddling created even more splinter groups, all disunited in opposition to the official approved Dutch Reformed denomination. In 1822 more seceders split off from the Reformed Church in America to form the True Dutch Reformed Church, while in 1834 dissidents left the Reformed Church in the Netherlands to form two new denominations, the Christelijk Afgescheiden Kerk (Christian Separatist Church - CAK) and the Gereformeerde Kerk onder het kruis (Reformed Church under the cross, aka the Cross Churches).

It gets worse.

In 1841 pastor Ledeboer and his group in the Netherlands set up shop separately, along with others (forming the Ledeboerian faction). A number of these people headed for the U.S. in 1846 under the leadership of Pastor Albert Van Raalte, becoming the second group of people to immigrate to North America to get away from religious freedom (the Puritans having been the first). They established the settlement of Holland, Michigan (gosh what an imaginative name for a settlement of Dutchmen!). By 1850 they had more or less united with the Reformed Church in America.

Shortly thereafter, a group of dissenters split off from the Second Reformed Church (in Grand Rapids) and the Fourth Reformed Church (in Pella) to form the Christian Reformed Church. The True Dutch Reformed Church joined with the Christian Reformed Church in 1890, forming their own classis within the movement - Classis Hackensack. In 1908 most of Hackensack withdrew from the Christian Reformed Church in a dispute over the faithful joining civic lodges or fraternal organizations.

Second Christian Reformed is actually a term for split-offs from the Fourth Christian Reformed church (Pella), which itself is a split-off variant of Dutch Reformed.
Second Christian Reformed should not be confused with Third Christian Reformed or First Christian Reformed, even though most Christian Reformed Churches adhere to the same source documents: The Apostle's Creed, the Nicene Creed, the Heidelberg Catechism, the Belgic Confession, and the Canons of Dort.

Many Christian Reformed Churches in America, when they still worshipped in Dutch (in some places up until the nineteen-seventies or eighties!) still held to the Psalter of Petrus Datheen (1531 - 1588), though some "Reformed" Churches held instead to the Psalter of Marnix Van St. Aldegonde (Philip van Marnix, lord of St. Aldegonde, 1538 - 1598), and a few sick deviants had long since switched to either the first or second Statenberijming ("State's Rhyme" - the official version of the psalter), which dates from governmental meddling in church affairs starting in 1816 under William I.

In the Netherlands, several of the congregations of the Christelijk Afgescheiden Kerk and the Cross Churches combined to form another denomination - the Christelijk Gereformeerde Kerk (Christian Reformed Church, but not the same as the Christian Reformed Church in the American Midwest).
In 1886 Doctor Abraham Kuyper and his followers split off from the official Dutch Reformed Church to unite with Christelijk Gereformeerde Kerk.

The Ledeboerian churches in the Netherlands joined with the remaining Cross Churches in 1907, forming a denomination which called itself the Gereformeerde Gemeenten (Reformed Congregations).
The remaining Ledeboerians in America had meanwhile formed the Netherlands Reformed Church in Michigan in 1877.



RECENT HAIRSPLITTING

In 1924, Reverend Herman Hoeksema of the Eastern Avenue Christian Reformed Church in Grand Rapids refused to agree to the teaching of the doctrines of common grace and presumptive regeneration, and left the church with most of his own congregation, plus a congregation in Kalamazoo, and other dissidents. In 1926 they organized the Protestant Reformed Churches. Their unity lasted less than thirty years, nearly half of the members splitting off in 1954 to form the Orthodox Protestant Reformed Churches - which joined up with the Christian Reformed Church in 1961.

During WWII a new denomination arose: Gereformeerde Kerk Nederland - Vrijgemaakt (Reformed Church Netherlands - disassociated). By the nineteen fifties, this new denomination was also present in the U.S. and Canada.

A group seceded from the Gereformeerde Gemeenten (Reformed Congregations) over a doctrinal point that is totally incomprehensible, and became the Gereformeerde Gemeenten in Nederland (Reformed Congregations in the Netherlands). Their American branch is called the Reformed Congregations in North America.


Naturally, the recent mega-merger in the Netherlands of the Nederlandsch Hervormde Kerk, the Gereformeerde Kerk Nederland, and the Dutch Lutheran Church has of course resulted in even more break-aways.


The end is not in sight. Dissidence is a sign of health.

================================================


FURTHER NOTES

1. If at this point you are reminded of that scene in Life of Brian where they discuss the differences between the People's Front of Judea, and the Judean People's Front, that is perfectly appropriate. They are SPLITTERS, and it is entirely unknown whether they support your RIGHT to have children even if you are biologically incapable of it.

2. Decades ago I ceased believing that the Messiah already came, and I am skeptical that he will ever come. I await his first coming, even though he may tarry.
No, I don't particularly feel like dealing with 608 more commandments. Why do you ask?


================================================

This description was originally the appendix to this post:
http://atthebackofthehill.blogspot.com/2009/08/i-despise-protestants.html

It seemed like it might be useful to park it here as a separate piece.