Saturday, September 23, 2006
If you can believe it, last Sunday the 17th, Grace Ross of the Green-Rainbow Party of Massachusetts accepted a breakfast invitation to speak at a local Jewish Temple. Considering the GRP's blatant anti-Semitism and their record on Israel, extensively documented here, some may consider her acceptance the very definition of chutzpah.
The Temple issued invitations to all the candidates, but Ross and one Independent candidate for Lt. Governor were the only ones to accept. Even when informed of the Ross's record, the Temple refused to cancel the invitation, claiming the law required them to treat all the candidates equally, even though the GRP candidate was not invited to an interfaith event the same day due to low polling numbers. So it appears there would have been an out had they truly wished to cancel.
Temple organizers were well aware of the problematic nature of Ross's party as activists have been contacting them since the invitation became known. When the day came, members of the Jewish Community and friends were there, ready to greet those coming to see Ross. While many members were interested in what they had to say, the Temple "authorities" were less than cooperative. One of those who was there says:
Grace Ross showed up with a photographer to make sure to get the most bang and most spin out of this invitation and her being hosted by a respectable Temple
While the group of protesters were told to leave the premises, they stayed on just off the property. Another attendee reports:
For the record, only those cars that stopped and rolled down their windows did we approach to alert them of GRP's anti-Israel record and ask if they wanted our materials. The vast majority of visitors to the shul that morning, as there were other events, were unaware of the GRP's hateful record on Israel and many thanked us for the info...
Another:
Somebody, a woman (the Exec Director?) would not let the good guys leave fliers at Emunah, leaflets that simply quoted some of the GRP's vile statements...
Two people did enter the event itself, including our Pest, Seva Brodsky, ready to ask tough questions. The organizers did their best to suppress them. Why they felt they not only had to invite Ross, but cover for her and provide a congenial welcome on top of it is anyone's guess. Questions were only submitted in written form, and the tough questions submitted were condensed into one rather milquetoast question on the GRP's stand on divestment (they support it, locally and nationally) which Ross dodged and obfuscated like a pro.
That lead to our Seva's standing up and demanding answers and refusing to stand down even when the organizer called the proceedings to a close. Now, I don't necessarily agree with Seva's manner, but I certainly understand his outrage at a Temple playing gentle host to an anti-Semite while a bunch of Jews trying to educate people on what they were doing were left out on the sidewalk like trash.
Adding to the astounding nature of the day, and multiplying the shame of those Jews who would give a pleasant platform to the GRP is the fact that that very same evening, Ross attended a fund-raising event to support terrorists: In memory of Black September. [photo: Ross arrives at terror event.] 
The Green-Rainbow's paper, The Bridge, brags about a successful event, here: Solidarity event raised funds for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel
The fund-raising event for the "resistance" took place on the fifth floor of a place in Chinatown, and our Mr. Seva Brodsky was there, camera in hand, as usual. He was not allowed in the door of the event. In fact, our boy Seva was manhandled by the terror-supporters and "escorted" back into the elevator, shirt ripped, but otherwise none the worse for wear, fortunately.
Here is the audio of Seva entering the building and then being tossed out. (approx 3 minutes)
Worry not, however, freelance operatives were present inside the fundraiser and have reported back, despite the fact that one of the organizers (Robin Long of the NECDP) stated that everything was off the record, members of the press were to identify themselves immediately, as were any members of federal, state or local law enforcement or other agencies and no photos were allowed (nice company you keep, Miss Ross).
Don't take my word for any of this, though, let's look at what a recent email from NECDP itself says:
...Pacifism, human rights, and feminism are often co-opted to attack anti-colonial resistance and deny its legitimacy. Always bombarded by colonial propaganda, we sometimes echo that anti resistance language disguised as progressivism, as if it were some universally held truth.
In the case of Puerto Rico, the American "leftists" who swoon over the Cuban revolution, quote Che Guevara, and supported the Sandinistas, argue that armed struggle would be a bad option for us, because it would alienate the American "working class;" a working class that has always been complicit with the U.S.'s colonial projects.
In the case of Palestine, the "Israeli" and American left reject armed struggle, because they see the settlers as "innocent" "civilians;"...
...Who are the left Zionists? They're the people who fill books and give long speeches about the suffering of the Palestinians, and don't mention a word about the absolute legitimacy of armed resistance to the colonizers who caused this suffering...
Reports from the event tell me that it was made clear by more than one speaker that a model lesson could be taken from Hizballah and Hamas with regard to how to free "political" prisoners here in America. Chilling.
Temple in the morning, terror in the evening. Ain't we got fun?
Update: A reliable witness claims they saw Andover High School teacher and recent GRP co-chair, Ron Francis at this event as well.
"Reports from the event tell me that it was made clear by more than one speaker that a model lesson could be taken from Hizballah and Hamas with regard to how to free "political" prisoners here in America. Chilling."
I believe that saying that the same methods (kidnapping and exchange), learned from Hamas and Hizballah, ought to be used here, in the U.S., where there are local "political prisoners" languishing in American jails, is illegal, as it crosses the boundary of protected free speech, and into incitement to violence.
This incitement was illegal and punishable, as was the whole event, due to its material support of banned terrorist organizations.
I hope that the local and state police, the FBI, the DHS, et al. are paying close attention.
Seems they were AFRAID that people would know what was being said there.
Was it illegal? The planning of a crime? Traitorous behavior?
Apparently so.
They even had their Brown Shirts manhandle people.