Saturday, August 2, 2008
Obsessive. The Somerville News reports: Anti-Israel group returns to ballot
The Somerville Divestment Project is back. The polarizing group that has brought hundreds to City Hall to protest and support Israeli policies in the Middle East, is pushing another non-binding ballot question to city voters in November.
The resolution would direct State Rep. Denise provost, D-Somerville, to "vote in favor of a non-binding resolution calling on the federal government to support the right of all people, including non-Jewish Palestinians of Israel, to live free from laws that give more rights to people of one religion than another." Provost's district covers roughly two-thirds of the city.
A similar measure calling for the "right of all refugees, including Palestinian refugees to return to their land of origin," failed with 45 percent of the vote in 2006, according to SDP organizer Ron Francis. Another 2006 question called provost to support "all governmental entities of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to sell any investments they hold either in Israel Bonds or in companies that supply Military equipment to Israel." That measure failed with 31 percent of the vote...
Ron Francis seems to be taking a back seat this year. This year's front man for the SDP is inveterate Israel-hater and unapologetic Communist (or is that Marxist...or Anarcho-Syndicalist...or...I lose track) John Spritzler.
The group is not just sponsoring one resolution, they are sponsoring two. They not only are going for the overtly anti-Jew resolution, but they have a second, seemingly unrelated question they're pushing for -- to have the state legislature replaced by 100 randomly selected individuals. Koo...koo. Fortunately, Spritlzer explains: My speech to the SDP: "Defeating Zionism Requires Winning Democracry"
Last night the Somerville Divestment Project, a group I belong to, had its annual meeting, and announced that it will have two questions on the ballot in November this year. One question asks, "Shall the state representative from this district be instructed to vote in favor of a non-binding resolution calling on the federal government to support the right of all people, including non-Jewish Palestinian citizens of Israel, to live free from laws that give more rights to people of one religion than another?"
The other question asks if the representative should "vote in favor of a proposal to amend the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to replace the state Legislature with 100 randomly selected adult residents of the Commonwealth each serving just a one year term, designated the Commonwealth Jury, that will have all the legislative and other powers of the current state Legislature?"
I gave a short speech about why we were behind the second question as well as the first, even though it seems on the surface to have nothing to do with fighting Zionism. Here's what I said...
Let me bottom line the thinking for you. Spritzler believes that the majority of the American people actually secretly agree with the views of the SDP -- or would if you-know-who didn't control the media -- therefore, what we really need is "real, genuine democracy" so the people can express their true will. SDP is attempting to show that, in contrast to the corporate establishment (aka The Man), they're really on the people's side (in spite of the fact that they continue to annoy the hell out of them every year). Hence, a "democracy" question (as though the average guy would actually enjoy being picked to serve in the legislature -- it somehow sounds worse than jury-duty which is, after all, only a one day obligation), coupled with their usual anti-Jew tripe.
You can read the whole thing at the link. Yes, this philosophical brain-stew does make sense to the radical obsessives of the SDP.
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You are clearly not in tune with what most americans are thinking about the situation in the middle east. Numerous polls have indicated that 70% of our population believes our government should be a neutral actor in negotiating a peace agreement, rather than its current stance as an almost unequivocally supportive ally of Israel.
You should check your facts before you make broad assertions about how the American populous is leaning on a particular issue. You don't have to agree with everything SDP says or does (I voted no on the democracy question); but ignoring their issues, and simply berating their radical politics, proves you don't have the knowledge or guts to debate the actual issues of religious discrimination and military occupation in Israel.
guy, 2008 is the 40th anniversary of the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy, by a "palestinian".
If you think that defending palestinianism and islamofascism wins you points with Americans, you have a bit to learn about America.