Last Day of the Year

An elderly man enters the café. He wears an old fashioned hat like my father once wore. He speaks to someone in broken English with a recognizable accent. The atmosphere suddenly saddens.

Ballerinas in the Snow

The Vancouver buses came to a standstill this morning amidst the snow. A walk with a swan and raven seemed like a pleasant alternative.

Soul of an Ancient City

Turning down a narrow alleyway from the crowded, hectic streets of Kathmandu's Asan Market, and I catch a glimpse of the city's ancient sacred landscape.

Manaslu Circuit

Manaslu Circuit: a 200 kilometer trek around Mount Manaslu, the world's eight highest mountain located in the Nepal Himalaya. The route takes one from hot, lowland villages to Larkya La, the dizzying high pass at 5,160 meters above sea level. 2011 was the first year that the entire circuit could be completed as a tea-house trek - meaning that one no longer is required to fuss with tents or arrange to carry food for the entire journey. I hiked the trail in the late 2013 season with my British friend Tony. Fortunately we received  excellent assistance from Buddhi, the mandatory Nepali guide and our extraordinary porter, Sahndip.

What a journey! As it turned out, November was a very fine time to trek around Manaslu. Aside from one apparent diffused bomb that I had no awareness of until miles down the road, we encountered no problems stemming from the electoral process. After the first day's drive from KTM to Arughat - from where we began the actual walking - I was informed that along the way, a bomb intended to terrorize the voting public from casting their votes was dismantled with no incident.

The daytime weather was often shorts and short-sleeves warm, while the evenings were always down jacket crisp and cold.

Along the way we encountered a few unfortunate souls who needed to turn back on account of altitude or microbe-induced illnesses. There were relatively few trekkers doing the Manaslu Circuit and after a few days of hiking, a pleasant sense of comraderie developed amongst our small intrepid community.

 While trying to remain mindfully present-focused, it was difficult not to anticipate the big challenge ahead - namely the crossing of the 5,160 metre high-altitude pass, the Larke La. There were  morale-sapping stories circulating of how the pass had been made impassible due to heavy snow fall and how the stone huts at Dharnashala were eventually overwhelmed with trekkers which in turn lead to food and fuel shortages and an eventual decision by the owner to shut the establishment down entirely. Our guide remained optimistic and shepherded us along. Indeed, the snow subsided and  the place opened up one day before we arrived! The 5 AM start in -17º C was nevertheless  magical with one zillion stars lighting the way. The problems really only began on the way down. The topography on the descent was a treacherous massive skating rink. Everyone was sliding and falling, sometimes dangerously close to the edge. I had one especially harrowing brush with what could have been an "into the void" -type encounter. Bracing myself with my trekking pole, I said a spontaneous prayer of thanks upon hauling myself up.

The Himalayan views were mind-bendingly spectacular. The people we met in the villages were consistently warm, hospitable and gracious. Looking forward to a return visit.

Happy Trails Everyone.

Tridevi Temple

Kathmandu's Tridevi Temple amidst a jumble of wires, seems to capture the city's tussle between tradition and a quest for modernity.

Kathmandu - 15 Years Later

Following a 22 hour journey from Vancouver via Guangzhou, I arrived in Kathmandu late in the evening. Last time I was here, Nepal proudly proclaimed to the world that it was a Himalayan Kingdom. Since then the royal family was elected out - and then killed, under strange circumstances, by the crown prince. As I rode in from the airport, the taxi driver pointed to the Royal Palace and mentioned casually that it was a museum.

Elections are approaching, and transportation-related enterprises are apparently on strike. Violence is brewing amidst the chaos of the Nepali electoral process. Reading the Kathmandu Post this morning, I see articles pertaining to violence in remote mountain villages, grenade attacks, and the possibility of a general strike. The shadow-side of Shangri La.

In addition, as we are getting set to begin a 200 kilometer trek in the remote Manaslu region, I read the following in the warm and pleasant Kathmandu coffee shop where a delicious cup of Himalayan java is unfogging my fuzzy, multiple time zone-induced consciousness: " With mercury plummeting and snowfall starting, thousands of people in the high altitude districts have started fleeing the cold and into the plains." Except a few of us. I picture a scene representative of Tintin and Snowy (Milou) in the Himalayas - Tintin Au Tibet.

Samoan Islands

While I have yet to post travel tales and photos of a recent trip to the Samoan Islands in the South Pacific, my home is already a chaotic scene of  winter gear to be used in a more challenging environment - an upcoming high altitude trek in Nepal - the Manaslu Circuit. Before I embrace my inner Tintin in Tibet, I will put my packing (and unpacking, and re-packing) aside for a while and convey some of my experiences as somewhat of a Johnny Come Lately Robinson Crusoe.

After having attended a psychology conference in Hawaii, I felt a little more adventure was in order, and so I caught a plane from Honolulu to  - and I love to say this town's name - Pago Pago, capital of American Samoa. From there I would later travel to the nearby independent republic of Samoa - what used to be called Western Samoa.

Over the years churches have succumbed to volcanic eruptions and tsunamis, but the spirit of the Samoan people has remained intact amidst natural disasters. Their joyous disposition was evident in all my encounters.

Robert Lewis Stevenson wrote, "In the South Seas" in 1908 in Samoa. Reading his accounts while visiting those very islands a hundred years later, gave me an appreciation of the massive changes effecting island life, but at the same time how significant aspects of this culture  thankfully remain unaltered. The Victorian photographs arranged with traditional local artifacts gives us a peek into Stevenson's home in Apia, Western Samoa.

A Softer Side of the City

 

  Nature has a lovely way of  unexpectedly softening our harsh urban landscape. 

 A web of platinum lace.

 A boundary-blurring misty path.

Guess Who's Coming to Dinner? A War Criminal, That's Who!

"In his most recent tenure as Defense Minister, Ehud Barak has been on the front line facing issues around nuclear proliferation in Iran, Palestinian peace initiatives, and the Arab Spring.

The core of his effort as Prime Minister [of Israel] was devoted to the peace process. Significantly, Barak ordered the withdrawal of Israeli forces from South Lebanon. He led far-reaching efforts to negotiate peace agreements with Syria as well as the Palestinian authority, with the active participation of President Clinton and his administration."   
 
If one's only introduction to Ehud Barak was limited to the above  brief biographic sketch included in the Bon Mot Book Club's copy, it would perhaps be understandable why people would be interested in attending their upcoming gala  dinner-presentation at Vancouver's Four Season's Hotel.  http://allevents.in/vancouver/van-a-conversation-with-ehud-barak/582679258456531

Having interviewed the distraught mother grieving the death of her infant son, along with her little girl with chronic headache pain due to inoperable shrapnel lodged in her brain, I cannot remain silent in face of such a  hyperbolic, one-sided farcical description of a war criminal. Ehud Barak was Israel's Defense Minister when that country's military might  was unleashed on the encaged people of the Gaza Strip. "Encaged" because at the time of the slaughter of 1,400  Palestinians residing in Gaza, they were - as they continue to this day - prevented from enjoying the fundamental human right of freedom of movement. Over one and a half million people are confined into a 350 square kilometer space. The two-week bombardment of the Gaza Strip at the end of December 2008 and  beginning of January 2009 has been declared a war crime by the United Nations and the world's major human rights organizations.  Over-seeing this atrocity is hardly the action of a peacemaker.

The young documentary film maker who showed me around that ravaged urban landscape was forced to live with his family and eighteen others in a UN classroom during this so-called Operation Cast Lead. Thankfully they survived. Those taking refuge in another  school nearby were not as lucky; they perished when those classrooms were destroyed by Israeli fighter jets.

Ehud Barak, while Israel's Defense Minister, did nothing to stop the carnage of innocents. To present this individual as a peacemaker is to debase the concept of peace itself and to disregard those whose lives were either needlessly taken or else traumatized for ever.   

Vancouverites who stand for peace and social justice do not welcome war criminals into their city.

Vancouver Palestine Solidarity Transit Ad Campaign

Upon hearing that the Vancouver Transit  Palestine Solidarity Ad Campaign made its first appearance today, I went down to the Vancouver Centre Canada Line Station at Granville and Georgia Streets this afternoon to see how and where the "shrinking map of Palestine" poster was displayed.

It is downstairs where one boards the train. The location is very prominent and when I was there, many passengers were keenly observing it, discussing it amongst themselves, and photographing it with their mobile phones.

One individual who was standing next to me, asked me in a somewhat irritated voice, what I thought about this?

I saw this as either an invitation for a  potential confrontation or else as an opportunity to dialogue. I tell this story, as I think it is important for us to think through and strategize how to best interact with the ad and the people viewing it.

I told him it was a statement of fact and an important message which needs to be communicated. As such, I was pleased to see it.

He then launched into what might be construed as an attempt to deflect, invalidate and obfuscate. "There are so many other issues in the world, why do they always focus on Israel? What about Syria, Somalia, Iran?" 

At this point I realized it was important to minimize the likelihood of him escalating.

To do this, I  initially "joined" him by agreeing with the part of his message which was true. "You make an important and valid point". Immediately his disposition softened. Without skipping a beat, I then added: "You are right. Every injustice deserves a voice." He further relaxed his oppositional stance, and I could continue. "The existence of other atrocities and human rights violations in the world, however is no reason to remain silent in face of the systematic annihilation of Palestine". 

Bingo.

He was silent. Thought about the message. Looked up again at the maps. And walked away.

This is not to suggest that my answer is the only answer.  I was in fact caught off guard and not anticipating any conversation, as I too was busy taking a photo with my cell phone. There are many  reasons why this social justice campaign is needed. The Canadian government's complicity in the gradual dispossession of Palestine makes the issue immediately relevant to all Canadians who oppose racist, violent human rights abuses. 

The point I wish to share is that this little interaction alerted me to the fact that the message of the ad is indeed a powerful one that will surely elicit strong reactions in many viewers. It's good for us to make sure we maximize the impact by being prepared to shape the dialogue towards the social change message we want to convey.

Italian Mandalas - Portraits of the Self

Mandala is Sanskrit for a circular  representation of the totality of the universe. Traditionally a mandala is a complex, symbolic work of art used as a meditative aid designed to enable one to attain a unitive state of consciousness.

The cathedral ceiling and flower are in a sense, both mandalas. How are they also "portraits of the Self"? A self portrait is a picture of one's individual personality.  If the mandala allows us to peek into a space where distinctions disappear, then we are left with a vision of the One Self.

Korosi Csoma Sandor - The Hungarian Who Walked To Heaven

Yesterday I went to see a play, "The Secret Doctrine", by Patricai Gruben at Simon Fraser University's Woodward's Campus in downtown Vancouver. It was about the life of Madame Helena Blavatsky, the enigmatic 19th century Russian spiritualist and founder of the esoteric group, The Theosophical Society.  Among her gifts, she claimed  an ability to mysteriously channel the Wisdom of the Ages through her psychic connection to a discarnate Tibetan teacher. To this day,  followers of these teachings  can be found worldwide. The international headquarters of the Society is in India. 

It didn't take long for the play to stimulate an earlier interest in Eastern mystical traditions and destinations and forcefully thrust this aspect of my life back into my consciousness. 

The life and travels of the Hungarian mystic, pilgrim and founder of Tibetology, Korosi Csoma Sandor (or as he at times referred to himself to English speakers, Alexander Csoma de Koros ) has played a big role in my imagination over the years. Searching for the origins of the Hungarian People, at the age of 35, in 1819 he set out -  on foot - on an astonishing journey that eventually took him to a remote Himalayan meditation cell where he learned Tibetan, studied Tibetan Buddhism, and wrote the world's first Tibetan-English dictionary. An extraordinary life for a penniless seeker traveling on his own.

In Csoma's footsteps, my travels have taken me to his birthplace in his namesake locale, Koros - a remote village in Transylvania - now a part of Hungarian Romania and to Aleppo, Syria. Later I trekked to where he studied in isolation in monasteries in the Indian Himalaya at Zangla and Phuktal and on to Sikkim in the eastern Himalayas.  Inspired further by Csoma Sandor, I traveled to Xinjiang (East Turkmenistan) in what is now far western China. This is the land of the Uigars - the ancient Turkic people, Csoma believed were the ancestors of the Magyars - the Hungarian people.  My pilgrimage sadly included Csoma Sandor's final resting place in Darjeeling, India - where he tragically died of malaria before completing his final goal of reaching Xinjiang. Years earlier, my father had introduced me to the life of Csoma Sandor, and  as he was unable to make this journey, visiting the legendary pilgrim-scholar's grave had an added significance for me.

Alexander Csoma de Koros' accomplishments are enormous.  Single-handedly he created the scholarly approach that opened the eyes of the West to Tibetan mysticism and established himself in the heart of all Hungarians as their own itinerant mystic hero. 

The selfless quest for knowledge of this legendary pilgrim-scholar continues to inspire seekers to travel further and deeper.      

Portraits of the Self

The magnificent Brazilian giant was irresistible. Cool and yet so very beautiful. This photo was accepted for publication, whereas my shot of Kailash, Tibet's sacred mountain, was not. Curious how Life seems to speak to us. It's almost as though what we are drawn to in Nature is  reflective of an aspect of ourselves yearning to be expressed. Different facet, same Self.

Denouncing Prime Minister Steven Harper

Flying my peace flag on Canada Day, I resist the militarization of this country by the Harper Government.

Rio's Cristo, Closer

 Herman Melville reminds the traveler that a "thousand fibers connect us with our fellow men".

So hot, you can ...

Today's heat reminded me of the day in Gaza, Palestine - when it was so hot, that this inventive guy had no trouble baking pita bread on the hood of his car.

Sunday Afternoon Run - Lost Lagoon, Vancouver

Blue heron resting with three turtles

Raccoon pops in for a visit

Heron notices intruder

Peaceful reverie disrupted

Raccoon decides to leave as well ...

... now that the turtles and heron have all vacated their spot in the sun

Commotion dies down, Heron returns to  perch, I  carry on with my run

Carry on Dismantling Oppression

 

The British Second World War  motivational poster, "Keep Calm and Carry On" also reflects the attitude of the Oslo "Peace Process" between Palestine and Israel. A charade of disingenuous "negotiations" have led to expanding illegal settlements and a deepening Apartheid colonization. I have altered the image to indicate that lasting peace and justice is contingent upon ending the Occupation.

Poor Electoral Choice - Ecocide is Suicide

I feel disappointed in the voting behaviour of the people of BC. The result of yesterday's provincial election points to a selfish short-sightedness. The people chose short term economic gain, while ignoring the long term risks of environmental devastation associated with increased reliance on carbon fuel - fracking in BC, and transporting Alberta tar sands to our pristine coast by tankers and pipelines.

The result of the elections can, at least in part, be interpreted as a shameful nod of support for an outdated and unsustainable model that places mindless consumption ahead of environmental  stewardship. We are intrinsically connected to Nature. Destroying her is destroying us; ecocide is suicide.

The BC vote also appears to reflect the electorate's willingness to establish closer ties to Harper's dangerous and unethical profit-at-all costs agenda that is gradually wrecking this country  and  causing upheaval around the world.

Perhaps it's time to initiate a support group for those afflicted with post-election dysphoria.

Gaza, Palestine

The farmers are harvesting wheat by hand. Although it's April 2013, it may as well be the stone age.  As the occupying forces of the Israeli military control all aspects of life here, these people are prevented from using tools. A scythe may, after all be a terrorist's weapon. As is often the case in Palestine, reality is turned on its head. The aging peasants, some in traditional folk dresses are juxtaposed with armored vehicles, observation blimps, and soldiers in combat gear stationed a mere 150 meters away.

The boys show off their hip-hop dance moves, forgetting for a moment that the view outside the classroom shows evidence of last November's  bombing campaign. For the innocence of childhood to be replaced by the trauma of a cruel and  willful destruction is criminal. 

April 17 is Palestine Political Prisoners Day. The little girl is awaiting the day that her brother will be released from prison. Since 2000 more then 8,000 children have been detained.

Springtime in Budapest

I am visiting relatives in Pomaz, a small and ancient village just outside Budapest. I look out the window upon awakening, and I am stunned to see the results of an overnight massive snowfall. As tomorrow is Easter Sunday, there should be no doubt that human behaviour-induced global climate change is very much upon us.

Aging Gracefully

A Bleak Brussels Spring Morning

The Floor of My Friend's Studio in Brussels

Russell Tribunal on Palestine Provides the Legal Tools to Dismantle Israeli Apartheid

The concluding session of the Russell Tribunal on Palestine took place in Brussels, March 16 -17, 2013. The RToP was launched in Brussels in 2009 in the spirit of British philosopher Bertrand Russell, who established the International War Crimes Tribunal to investigate crimes committed in Vietnam and judge them according to international law.

The Russell Tribunal on Palestine was set up to examine violations of international law that prevent the Palestinian people from exercising their fundamental human rights, including the right to a sovereign state. The aim of the RToP is thus to examine the various responsibilities that lead to the continued occupation of Palestine by Israel and the factors which maintain the ongoing violations of international and humanitarian law that permit the oppression to continue.

Presenters in Brussels included, Pierre Galand, General Coordinator of the Russell Tribunal on Palestine, Belgium; Denis Banks, Co-founder of the American Indian Movement, USA; Mairead Corrigan Maguire, Nobel Peace Laureate, Northern Ireland; Cynthia McKinney, Former member of US Congress, 2008 presidential candidate for Green Party, USA; Roger Waters, Founding Member of Pink Floyd, songwriter, bass guitar player and vocalist, United Kingdom; Leila Shahid, Ambassador of Palestine to the EU, Belgium and Luxembourg, Palestine; Fadwa Barghouti, Activist and lawyer and wife of imprisoned Palestinian political leader, Marwan Barghouti, Palestine; José Antonio Martin Pallin, Emeritus Judge, Supreme Court, Spain; Ronald Kasrils, Writer, anti-apartheid activist, former SNC minister, South Africa; John Dugard, Former Special Rapporteur for both UN Commission on Human Rights and International Law Commission, South Africa; Michael Mansfied, Professor of Law, practicing human rights lawyer, UK; and Angela Davis, Political activist, scholar and author, United States.

The first RToP session took place in Barcelona on March 1-3, 2010 and investigated the complicity of The European Union and it's member states in perpetuating Israel's violations of international law with respect to Palestine. The jury concluded that the EU did not honor it's own laws pertaining to arms exports to Israel and through inaction in face of expanding illegal settlements. The second session was in London on November 20 - 22, 2010 and it examined international corporate complicity in maintaining these human rights violations. Corporations have legal obligations to ensure they do not cooperate with Nations that violate international laws. Many do with impunity. The third session took place in Cape Town November 5 - 7, 2011 and dealt with the question of whether or not Israeli practices were in breach of the prohibition against the crime of Apartheid. After examining the evidence of daily life in Palestine, Israel was found to have created an institutional system that dominates and oppresses one racial group over an other - in breach of the international law against the crime of Apartheid. The fourth session was in New York City on October 6 - 8, 2012. It dealt with presenting evidence of US complicity and continuing failures by the UN that effectively emboldens Israel in its expanding occupation and subjugation of Palestine. The massive unconditional US military aid to Israel and it's reflexive veto of UN sanctions in response to Israel's responsibilities to uphold law was seen as bankrolling and maintaining the ongoing colonial project. The UN's inaction further reinforces a culture of impunity which enables Israel to destroy Palestinian society to further the aggressive expansion of its own State.

In Brussels, The RToP called for the International Criminal Court to investigate Israel for crimes committed against Palestine. It calls further for the reconstitution of the UN Special Committee on Apartheid and a special session of the UN General Assembly on Israeli Apartheid. Importantly, the RToP also recommends the establishment of an international committee of former political prisoners to campaign on behalf of Palestinian political prisoners.

In the spirit of the Stéphane Hessel, recently deceased Honorary President of the RToP, French resistance fighter, Nazi camp survivor, contributor to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and lifelong human rights advocate, the call went out for all members of civil society to redouble efforts to ensure that Israel upholds its responsibilities to the international community of Nations by ending crimes against the Land and People of Palestine. Towards this aim, the Russell Tribunal fully endorsed the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions campaign.

Roger Waters - who has been decrying The Wall for some time now, expressed the next steps succinctly: "We have won the argument and now we, civil society, have to force States, institutions and international organizations to take action."

Or as I cheekily sang to Mr. Waters, a line I improvised from one of his legendary tunes, "We don't need no Occupation."

John Max Soos
Psychologist and Social Justice Advocate based in Vancouver, attended the final session of the Russell Tribunal on Palestine in Brussels. March 16-18, 2013

Canada's Minister of Foreign Affairs Still Stands Shoulder to Shoulder

John Baird, Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs is confirmed to deliver a keynote address at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) annual policy meeting taking place March 3 – 5, 2013 in Washington, DC. His presence there further cements the Harper Government’s uncritical   support of Israel in face of its deteriorating record of massive human rights violations in Occupied Palestine. 

“Canada stands shoulder to shoulder with Israel,” said Mr. Baird in November 2012. His invitation to address AIPAC reflects that this Government’s position has not altered in face of Israel’s widening breaches of international and humanitarian law against the People and Land of Palestine.

AIPAC, according to their own literature, is America's leading pro-Israel lobby working to enact public policy that enhances the US-Israel relationship. In fact, AIPAC wields powerful influence over the US political system to ensure that Israel's illegal, violent and racist human rights violations in Palestine can continue unchecked.

In contravention of international law, segregated, Jewish-only settlements continue to proliferate on stolen Palestinian land in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. The indigenous Palestinians are being forcibly displaced while their homes, olive groves and access to water are severely restricted.  Over 600,000 colonial settlers, under watch of heavily armed Israeli occupation forces ensure that a policy of illegal land theft and population transfer continues unabated. 4 million Palestinians are now living under an illegal, military occupation. Settler violence against Palestinians is increasing alarmingly – up 149% between 2009 and 2011. Just yesterday, February 23, 2013, at least 25 Israeli settlers, some armed with machine guns and escorted by Israeli forces, attacked and injured eight Palestinians including three children in Qasra village, south east of Nablus.

The illegal separation wall continues to divide Palestinian communities, cuts Palestinians off from their agrarian land, and by snaking ever deeper into occupied Palestinian territory, annexes additional Palestinian land and grafts it onto a continually expanding Israel.

Peacefully demonstrating against these internationally condemned assaults on human rights and dignity are routinely responded to with tear gas, live fire and incarceration. Samer Issawi is refusing food and dying in an Israeli prison as he protests his illegal incarceration - held without charges and without a trial under so-called “administrative detention”.  On February 24, 2013, news is surfacing that 30 year-old, Arafat Jaradat died while under Israeli interrogation. He was arrested Monday and preliminary reports shockingly describe signs of beatings on his chest, shoulders, lacerations on the back, broken ribs and a fractured skull.

Palestinians living in Gaza continue to be traumatized by a punishing land and sea blockade imposed by Israel and as a result of regular violent military incursions involving the air force, navy and ground troops. Since the November 2012 ceasefire in Gaza, Israeli forces have injured 74 Palestinians and killed four Palestinians. There have been no Palestinian violations of the ceasefire.

These colonial atrocities continue in large measure because AIPAC helps ensure that the world community remains impotent whenever it wishes to censure Israel and hold it accountable to its international obligations. The US reflexively vetoes UN Resolutions critical of fundamental Israeli human rights violations in Palestine. Canada is significantly complicit on account of it's uncritical support of these policies, which further emboldens Israel’s illegal and aggressive behaviours.

John Baird’s presence at the upcoming AIPAC conference is disturbing in light of comments he recently made about Canada-Israel relations. “Simply put, Israel is worthy of our support because it is a society that shares so many values with Canada – freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law.” While these values may be enjoyed by a segment of Israeli society, they are definitely not extended to Palestinians residing in Israel, East Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza.

For many Canadians, the Harper Government's unconditional acceptance and encouragement of Israel's deepening apartheid practices against the People and Land of Palestine is morally and legally contemptible. It is time for Canada to accept that human rights are universal and uphold them for all people.

We ask that Mr. Baird speak the truth at the upcoming AIPAC policy convention in Washington and raise his voice to demand an end to the illegal occupation and blockade of Palestine, and not just voice the customary racist, Islamophobic, pro-occupation rhetoric.

“Israel has no greater friend in the world than Canada”, says John Baird. In that case – it’s this Government’s duty to ensure that Israel upholds international law and extends human rights equally to all residents of the Holy Land. It is the basis of a just and lasting peace - and a value that Canada can be proud to proclaim. 

Canada's Minister of Foreign Affairs at AIPAC

As of today - February 22, 2013 - a Google News search doesn't show one citation that Mr. John Baird, Canada's  Minister of Foreign Affairs is confirmed to deliver a keynote address at The American Israel Public Affairs Committee's (AIPAC) annual policy conference in Washington, DC, taking place March 3 - 5, 2013.

AIPAC, according to their own literature, is America's leading pro-Israel lobby working to enact public policy that enhances the US-Israel relationship. In fact, AIPAC wields powerful influence over the US political system to ensure that Israel's illegal, violent and racist human rights violations in Palestine can continue unchecked. What is Canada's foreign affairs minister doing there?

In contravention of international law,  segregated, Jewish-only settlements continue to proliferate on stolen Palestinian land in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. The indigenous Palestinians are being forcibly displaced while their homes, olive groves and access to water is severely restricted.  Over 600,000 colonial settlers, under watch of heavily armed Israeli occupation forces ensures that a policy of illegal land theft and population transfer continues unabated. 4 million Palestinians are living under an illegal, military occupation.

The illegal separation wall continues to divide Palestinian communities, and by snaking ever-deeper into occupied Palestinian territory, effectively further annexes Palestinian land and grafts it onto a continually expanding Israel.

Peacefully demonstrating against these internationally condemned assaults on human rights and dignity are routinely responded to with tear gas, live fire and incarceration.

Palestinians living in Gaza continue to be traumatized by a punishing land and sea blockade imposed by Israel and as a result of regular violent military incursions involving the air-force, navy and ground troops.

These colonial atrocities continue in large measure because AIPAC helps ensure that the world community remains impotent whenever it wishes to censure Israel and hold it accountable to its international obligations. The US reflexively vetoes UN Resolutions critical of fundamental Israeli human rights violations in Palestine. Canada is complicit on account of it's uncritical support of these policies.

For many Canadians, the Harper Government's unconditional acceptance and encouragement of Israel's deepening apartheid practices against the People and Land of Palestine is morally and legally contemptible. I hope that Mr. Baird will speak the truth at the AIPAC policy convention in Washington and raise his voice to demand an end to the illegal occupation and blockade of Palestine, and not just voice the usual racist, Islamophobic, pro-occupation rhetoric.

Respectfully,
J Max Soos

On the Way to the Coffee Shop

Some steps are more difficult to take then others.

People are communicating their opposition to Harper in various ways. This has a nice, edgy graphic feel to it.

 It's raining on the West Coast and this little wet dog outside the café must be wondering, "Why is my latte taking so long?"