New Ads on Portland Buses Will Encourage Critical Thinking About Israel

Courage and persistence will finally see the ads opposing support of Israel's military, debut.

This concept was defeated before in several places, but this time the advertisements will hit the streets.

(PORTLAND, Ore.) - Activists in Portland, Oregon say they are optimistic that a powerful new message on public transportation vehicles supporting equal Human Rights in the Israeli occupation of Palestine, will help citizens of Portland become informed and aware of the need for change in American policy with Israel. It is not a distant problem, in fact it is closer to home than it seems, according to Friends of Sabeel – North America.

Oregon along with the rest of the United States is facing financial hardship that causes cutbacks in schools, decreases social services, increases joblessness and poverty, and decreases health care coverage. Not only is U.S. military aid to Israel unconscionable, it contributes to the cutbacks of programs greatly needed here at home.

It is time to stop this unconditional $30 billion of U.S. tax dollars that Israel will receive by 2018. In Oregon alone, taxpayers will give over $28 million per year in federal tax dollars for Israel’s military. It is time to change our unjust policies to productive ones that support justice and equality for Palestinians and the chance of peace for both Israeli Jews and the Palestinian people.

We reported seven months ago, that pro-Israeli groups had threatened officials in Seattle with rioting and violence if they allowed advertisements on buses that were critical of Israeli war crimes.

The 'Zionist' (Nazi-like Jewish and Christians who support ethnic cleansing) threats at the time were serious, but it was outlandish that officials in the state of Washington allowed themselves to be bullied.

In regard to that, I wrote last February in the article Threats of Jewish Violence Canned Seattle Bus Ads...'I think I will organize a group to riot at your bus stops.':

Three dozen angry messages defeated a Seattle bus advertisement about Israeli war crimes. The already approved ads were killed specifically because angry supporters of Israeli politics threatened the Seattle Metro bus line with violence.

Definition of INTIMIDATE

transitive verb

: to make timid or fearful : frighten; especially : to compel or deter by or as if by threats intimidate a witness

Here is one message:

"You are trully (sic) disgusting and despicable...... and just remember 'karma' what comes around goes around!!! Oh and by the way, if you dumb asses at the King County Metro Pull more shit!!!!! We will be on you like stink on a monkey!!! Cause guess what, we Jews are not the same as the Jews of Europe during the Second World War!! We get pissed off. We take action!!!!!"

I can only imagine the havoc that would accompany this story if the tables were turned. If Muslim people had dared to threaten violence over the rejection of a bus advertisement you would have the FBI crawling in every dark corner of people's lives.

As a general rule, Americans have and do generally accept that democracy means having to put up with things we are not always comfortable with. That is the price we pay for free speech. We have to ensure that even our perceived enemies are granted the right to express themselves in a public forum or we're not worth our own salt.

But when Israel's backers threaten violence; actually state that they will harm an American public transportation system, they get their way, goosestepping right over the First Amendment.

The bus ads are very consistent with freedom of speech, how they are not is inexplicable. In the past similar attempts to launch advertising campaigns of a similar nature were attacked by predictable response.

It is very systematic for any criticism of Israel to be labeled as 'antisemitism' by the pro-Israel lobby.

Groups like the Anti-Defamation League are extremely narrow in their interpretation of statements and events and their knee jerk reaction of stating, 'antisemitism' each time Israel comes under the spotlight for Human Rights violations and war crimes, is a defense worn thin.

I can't speak for all Americans, but I assume most would truly seek to end support for Israel if they were to comprehend the enormity of what it means.

If Americans were forced to live a single day as a Palestinian must; waiting hours at needless checkpoints, being disrespected, humiliated, traveling many wasted miles to drive around Israel's separation barrier walls, which tower more than twenty feet in height and are planted across prime Palestinian farmland... they would demand an end to the practice immediately.

Israel is too big for its britches.

Any farmer who comes within a mile of the wall is shot by Israeli snipers, by accepted policy and protocol. Yet in reality people are frequently shot when they are in the supposedly 'safe' zone. Watch the video, a picture is worth a thousand words. Some Israeli soldiers absolutely only served because they are forced to, others arrive in the disputed territories primed to maim and kill, it is a sad, heavily documented fact.

One popular expression in Israel is, "God gave it to me" and how this ever was sold to the public is unclear, but this self-serving claim has no validity and in fact is the basis for the last 63 years of tragedy that has befallen the Palestinians. The Holocaust lasted a little more than ten years.

di Vittorio Arrigoni Guerrilla Radio

I am not disputing the Bible, but as the singer/songwriter David Rovics asked:

"For a long time now, every time I hear an Israeli patriot or apologist
complaining that such-and-such a group or government won't recognize Israel
as a Jewish state, I always wonder -- even if there is a good reason the
Christians, Muslims and atheists of Palestine should live under some form of
Jewish rule, how does one go about recognizing the legitimacy of a state that
itself won't disclose exactly what its borders are? How does that work?
Nobody seems to know. Ask the next Israeli you meet and see what they
say. Where are your country's borders?"
- From: Israeli Geography 101 by Dave Rovics

Another sentiment, more unspoken but none less true, is "Leave or die" and it is an Israeli ethnic cleansing chant, one they really sincerely intend to see through, yet it is tragic as most people in Israel are just ordinary human beings, trying to raise families and see a future exist for their children, but they are represented by a government that has always had apartheid laws for Jews and non-Jews.

Americans should not have to pay for the oppression of other human beings, the Palestinians, with their tax dollars, making sure at the same time that every Israeli is allowed a free college education.

The simple problem is that religions are not meant to be countries or governments of any kind.

There is no chance for equal human rights in a Jewish state, or an Islamic republic, or a Sinhalese Buddhist country. It always leads to one thing: Genocide.

By the same token, Palestinian fishermen and women from Gaza are unable to fish their own waters without being fired upon by Israeli gunboats.

It is so 'far out' and unimaginable that the world does not know more about this, but then that is where the pro-Israel western media comes in, or more specifically, fails to do so.

They (reporters and their staffs at newspapers, TV, radio and Internet groups) absolutely ignore these gut wrenching and tragic stories only because the people being killed and treated inhumanely by Israel, are Muslim.

I am not Muslim, but I love all people equally as my faith tells me to do, and in no way approve of any of Israel's deadly antics, and trust me we are just touching on it, only citing two specific regular illegal acts Israel carries out every day with its U.S. funded military.

For those just gaining an understanding of the situation in Palestine and Israel, just know that you have been 'had' and that one of the significant problems in the United States economy that the subsequent failure of this country is tied to, is a grotesque level of funding for the military, the U.S. domestic war machine is its own problem, but this country is mostly responsible for Israel's arsenal of overkill that is unleashes regularly on its neighbors and the people it occupies.

Those wishing to learn more about the new bus advertisements that will debut shortly in Portland, can contact the Portland campaign at info@auphr.org.

There will be a public event in Portland, Oregon, 31 August 2011 from 5:00-6:30 p.m. at Pioneer Courthouse Square. This will be for the launching of the www.twopeoplesonefuture.org ad campaign.

The ad will be seen on the back of a TriMet bus for 90 days, and will probably be able to extend for another 90 days beyond that based on more donations coming in. The goal is simple: End U.S. Military Aid to Israel.

If you want to know more about what is taking place in Israel, use our key words on the lower right and you will be led to thousands of informative articles and reports.

_________________________________________________________

Tim King: Salem-News.com Editor and Writer Tim King is a former U.S. Marine with twenty years of experience on the west coast as a television news producer, photojournalist, reporter and assignment editor. In addition to his role as a war correspondent, this Los Angeles native serves as Salem-News.com's Executive News Editor. Tim spent the winter of 2006/07 covering the war in Afghanistan, and he was in Iraq over the summer of 2008, reporting from the war while embedded with both the U.S. Army and the Marines. Tim holds awards for reporting, photography, writing and editing, including the Silver Spoke Award by the National Coalition of Motorcyclists (2011), Excellence in Journalism Award by the Oregon Confederation of Motorcycle Clubs (2010), Oregon AP Award for Spot News Photographer of the Year (2004), First-place Electronic Media Award in Spot News, Las Vegas, (1998), Oregon AP Cooperation Award (1991); and several others including the 2005 Red Cross Good Neighborhood Award for reporting. Tim has several years of experience in network affiliate news TV stations, having worked as a reporter and photographer at NBC, ABC and FOX stations in Arizona, Nevada and Oregon. Tim was a member of the National Press Photographer's Association for several years and is a current member of the Orange County Press Club. Serving the community in very real terms, Salem-News.com is the nation's only truly independent high traffic news Website. As News Editor, Tim among other things, is responsible for publishing the original content of 82 Salem-News.com writers. He reminds viewers that emails are easily missed and urges those trying to reach him, to please send a second email if the first goes unanswered. You can write to Tim at this address: newsroom@salem-news.com

Americans for a Stronger Israel

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Portland | Oregon | Israel | War crimes | Civil rights | Most Commented on

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sxhv4 September 1, 2011 1:21 pm (Pacific time)

I think Tim king has been smoking too much medical marijuana!

Tim King: Uh...

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y9mkt September 1, 2011 1:19 pm (Pacific time)

Americans are too smart to be fooled by this Arab propaganda. It is disturbing that this will occur so close to the 10th anniversary the Arab Muslim attacks on our country. The first two comments hit the nail on the head. Or better yet the "nut on the head"

Tim King: Well I can not control your pro-Genocide tendencies, you know what I mean?  I can't control your bigotry or prejudice, I can only relay the truth of what is taking place and do everything possible, in my power, to expose the war crimes of Israel mainly because of the Human Rights violations and suffering children and families, but also because the United States funds Israel's bloodlust and it is more than shameful, more than bad, it is an endless series of unforgivable crimes JUST AS BAD as the Nazis. 

The land thieves apparently think you are better than we 'goyam' but they are not, you are not a superior race, you do not get to violate people and steal their land and have no recourse, it is on its way to you and when it arrives, people like you will deny once having supported it, which is why like a typical coward, you can't even man up enough to state your name. 

Worthless piece of work you are, and ALL OF YOU who support war crimes.  Just look at the clock, and remember it is ticking away and measuring your bigotry, each tick is your hatred being locked in time.  Beyond the Diaspora and the rampant, unwarranted inexcusable violence, you are absolutely terrible for supporting endless checkpoints, the humiliation that the IDF doles out to innocents all day long, and then once in a blue moon they manage to kill an Israeli in some tiny act of retribution, and that is when the headlines light up: "Arab terrorist kills Jew" or whatever, but you do all day long what some occasionally do to you in response. 

You are the enemy of mankind, the enemy of all that is decent or good.  Your religion is no excuse for criminal actions, for constantly violating international law.  Indeed, we will see your leaders in The Hague, and Americans will quickly begin pulling support thank God, due to simple brave acts like the establishment of this bus.  Now have a nice day Nazi. 

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alexjonlin August 29, 2011 4:27 pm (Pacific time)

What an incredibly one-sided story. The answer is for both sides to work together, not for one side to be singled out as "the bad one." This issue is not nearly as simple as this article makes it sound.

Editor: So what would you say if it was Berlin in 1933 and the signs were criticizing the Nazi Party?  I read an interesting quote today: You know what the difference between a Zionist and a Nazi is?  The Nazi isn't pretending to be something he isn't.  Israel's daily sickening war crimes and abuse of children is one thing, the problem with Israel is the indoctrination, the terrorism training, the constant employment of terrorism on a civilian populace, the egregious Human Rights violations, the apartheid laws, the Genocide... You think we should be fair?  You think there are two sides when one is committing Genocide and the other is dying?  There were not two sides to the Holocaust and there are not two sides to this, there is only the truth, I suggest you dial in. 

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ploni August 29, 2011 2:02 pm (Pacific time)

Gee, editor, you sure sound like a bully (re: Dagnola). Neither Israel nor Palestine make me lose faith in humanity. But you do.

Editor: I am a bully when I speak out for injustice, I am pushy when I scream about Genocide, and I will walk right over people who stand for evil, how's that?

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EldRick August 29, 2011 10:20 am (Pacific time)

"War crimes" or not, there is no reason to keep sending billions to the loons who run Israel.
Tell the East-coast political aristocracy to stop wasting our taxes, not Portlanders...

Editor: I think the fact that it is taking place is sufficient, it will take off and keep going from there.

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COLLI August 29, 2011 6:33 am (Pacific time)

Dagnola: Is it possible that equality would do more to bring peace to the area than phosphorous bombs? How would the Israelis respond if they were treated in the same way as the Palestinians have been treated? What would you say or do if you were told that there were certain roads you were not allowed to use because you were an Israeli? Hatred is not eliminated by more hatred Dagnola. Do you think it might be possible for overt acts of kindness toward the Palestinian people over the long term might begin to turn things around? Equality is a necessary good while aggression is NOT a necessary evil.

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Dagnola August 28, 2011 9:20 pm (Pacific time)

Yes, we need to be critical of all parties participating in any acts of violence. I would like to have the group which are using advertising on buses to condemn the Palestinians who have been shelling Israel day and night for years. We need not argue the right of all to be free of threat. And threat comes in all colors and religions and from all sides. Let's, at the least, maturely condemn the Palestinians for their relentless acts of violence.

Editor: Take it somewhere else, that is UNTRUE and there are a few, even increasing attempts of these unguided rocket firings, after all Israel attacks Gaza every day.  Here is the interesting part, and anyone can look this up on Wikipedia or anywhere else; the total number of Israeli citizens killed in these 'rocket attacks' is 28.  All that is happening there is a ruthless slaughter and Israel is behind 99% of the killing.  Sure, sometimes a Palestinian faction whose family members have been murdered and tortured strike a hit, but rarely.  That is because Israel is the bully and Palestine is the victim, period.  There are no excuses for oppression, these buses are an incredible step for humanity and thanks for reminding our readers that only weak make-believe statements are all you guys have left.  It sucks for you that everyone including Americans are having their eyes opened.  You should be ashamed of yourself, stealing land and murdering and acting like the victim, sickening.

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COLLI August 28, 2011 7:25 pm (Pacific time)

Any nation that fears equality is a nation to be feared. One question we should ask is "What would Israel do if it manages to occupy all of the land that is Palestine and still more Jewish settlers come?" Will they seek to steal Egyptian, Jordanian, Syrian, and Lebanese land as well? The neighbors of Israel should be asking that question and should start planning for that possibility soon because GREED is obviously something Israel has an abundance of. Remember, Israel is the only country in that region with nuclear weapons and with their attitude, it is only a matter of time.

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