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Corries continue to look for answers
A long piece from Alternet:
For Craig and Cindy Corrie, the death of their daughter in Israel was the start of a new mission in life: continuing her campaign for human rights in Palestine.
[snip]
In the past two years, the Corries have created a foundation in their daughter's name to fund peace and justice work; given countless presentations on the issue of home demolition in Palestine; sued the Israeli government for the wrongful death of their daughter; and even launched a boycott and lawsuit against Caterpillar, Inc., the maker of the bulldozer involved in Rachel's death, accusing the company of complicity in "war crimes."
[snip]
Another project they are pushing is a sister-city project between Rafah and Olympia. While the status has not been officially recognized, the Corries did take a letter of introduction from Olympia's mayor on a recent trip to Palestine, and have helped non-profit groups in both cities forge connections and share information. Cindy notes that in a speech last August even Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice gave tacit approval to their efforts. "She said there needed to be responses other than military responses to terrorism, and said we needed things like sister-city relationships."
The Corries' obvious sincerity helps defuse some of the heat that usually accompanies discussion about the Middle East. Craig even declares his compassion for the IDF. "I have an affinity for the Israeli military," says Craig. "I know how much that militarization and being out of control takes away your humanity."
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Comments
You know it has to be very sa
You know it has to be very sad for the Corrie's to lose their daughter. It would be heartbreaking for us to lose one of our children.
But we need to remember, Rachel was a terrorist sympathizer and a traitor to this country. She was a casualty of war. She learned a valuable lesson, if only momentarily, and hopefully the other Greener types will be able to benefit from her passing. Other countries don't play nice like we do here in America, or more so Olympia.
Her attempting to protect those that strap bomb belts on their waists and blow up innocent Israeli citizens, she might as well harnessed up herself.
Finally, the Profs at TESC share in her death. They most certainly filled her head with liberal idealogical garbage that got her killed. Although, after reading several statements by her parents, they too share in her poor decision making.
That is the most hateful, unc
That is the most hateful, unchristian thing I think I've ever heard anyone say. Please, think about your words before you speak.
First, not all Palestinians are terrorists. Most of the houses that the IDF blows up belong to innocent families -- it's called collective punishment.
Second, you forget that this country was founded on protest. Protest is the essence of being American, and what Rachel Corrie did was very patriotic -- protest against the powerful to protect the powerless. Sounds like a christian value to me. Israel is bordering on fascism, and it is right to try to stop it.
Third, as her parents make clear, no one supports bombers. Read the article.
Finally, it is a cheap and disingenuous ploy to try to impugn her parents or Evergreen because of this tragedy. I have no doubt that the community supports Rachel Corrie's work and shares her values (as I do). All I have to say is: "Blessed are the peacemakers."The following comment about the hostages now being held summarizes how I feel:
Beware the terrible simplifiers.
Jacob Burckhardt
I'm going to preclude my post
By stepping into the conflict and, more specifically, in front of the bulldozer, there were only two possible outcomes:
1. The bulldozer would stop
2. The bulldozer wouldn't stop.
Ms. Corrie made the decision and, was probably operating under the belief, that the bulldozer would stop. She made the wrong selection and paid with her life.
Now, regarding "collective punishment." Israel does a better job than most of keeping their dilemma to a minimum. The only responsibility Israel has, and any country for that matter, is to their own people. If "collective punishment" is what is necessary to keep their people relatively safe from danger, so be it.
About placing blame on TESC professors. I'm in the same camp Deep Diver is. I have no doubt those giving lectures at TESC have done little, if anything, to discourage this type of behavior. These kids need to be aware that when you go into another country, just like the TESC students who were shown the door from Mexico, you aren't in the US anymore. You have to abide by their laws if you want to make it out alive, or at least in the same condition you came in.
When you go into countries which have been battered by decades of conflict, idealism doesn't work. You have to begin thinking practically and realistically.
I just wonder at the fact tha
I just wonder at the fact that a peace activist like Rachel Corrie gets so completly under the skin of you guys. I'm sure that she understood that she was doing a risky thing. This only attests to the courage that it must have taken to do so.
Why is it so intolerable to you two (DD & TFI) that people should devote their lives (literally in the case of R. Corrie) to peace? Is this not the embodiment of the faith that you both have professed to hold?
Beware the terrible simplifiers.
Jacob Burckhardt
Actually, I support people wh
That doesn't mean I think it's a smart decision.
The people I don't respect are those who lob criticism from afar without ever leaving the comfort of their own community.
I so wish people would stop b
Having been raised in Olympia
I base them on what I can see with my two eyes and hear with my two ears.
If I am reading you right, yo
That is not my experience. We are so much more than the either-or dynamic.
As for Rachel Corrie, worth reading her e-mails. She was awake, aware, alive. Practical, realistic, and walking her talk.
Concerning Professor Dan Leahy and students being expelled from Mexico, some info here, I know he also wrote a statement but I've not yet found it online.
There is more to know and learn about than what is already in the box of opinion. By closing TESC up in a tidy box of assumptions, we miss out on a lot.
Sarah: If I am reading you ri
The Fire: Impractical and ungrounded, yes. Ignorant? I think many choose to ignore the reality on the ground and are heavy into idealism, yes.
I'm not trying to paint a broad brush and label every single person in this way but I'm more than comfortable in saying the vast majority do.
Rachel Corrie e-mail: what with the difficulties the Israeli army would face if they shot an unarmed US citizen
The Fire: I retract what I said in another post about Ms. Corrie being aware that death was a possibility. Looking at this comment it would seem she was under the misconception that her status as a US citizen would, for the most part, prevent death by the IDF.
I don't think it works to pic
I'm uncomfortable with all of this, not yet sure how to put that discomfort into words.
As for TESC, I'm not going to even try to defend the community, at least at this moment. We can agree to disagree on this. My teachers there (including David Whitener, Rainer Hasenstab, and Hiro Kawasaki) were distinctly not impractical and ungrounded. Or ignorant or lost to airy idealism.
For what it's worth, remember
Some of their more memorable moments, from running around the Capitol building prior to the first Gulf War, having Mumia speak via video at commecement, and clogging up Black Lake Boulevard during the first May Day didn't exactly rub me the right way.
Factoring in that I disagree with most of them ideologically to begin with and yes, my opinion is going to be a bit harsh when it comes to the TESC community.
Rationalize, rationalize, rat
When I said she made the "wro
msjo: Furthermore your assumptions that TESC students are innocent children who need to be coddled out of making their own decisions is straight ridiculous.
msjo: The point is that they are individuals who make their own decisions. You may not get it, but the decisions are valid.
The Fire: Sorry, but the education taking place at TESC isn't some cryptic message. It's not too difficult to understand the thought process going into the decision making.
And, in the event I can't understand, I simply find some people who go to TESC and ask them their thoughts about a given situation. I sit and listen, they talk and explain. It's not too hard to learn the mindset of a given person or community.
msjo: TESC student's come to town dissenting, protesting, educating, and making changes.The Fire: I never said they didn't. I think their actions, however, are largely misguided.
msjo: What do you sacrifice?
The Fire: I sacrifice absolutely nothing on a day-to-day basis. I live a fairly comfortable life, the same as nearly every other college student.
As I said before, I respect Rachel Corrie for standing up for what she believes in. Do I agree with it? Nope, not a bit. I can, however, respect it.
Deep Diver, you need to di
Military shells generally are
It is not accurate to say tha
Actually, Rachel Corrie was protecting a house, that a law-abiding family, much like yours or mine I'm sure, lived in. They had no bombs or guns.
I have a question for you: Do you believe that neo-conservatism is just as bad (dangerous) as neo-liberalism? Anybody?
Interesting that your wrote t
It sounds to me like there is some disinformation being spread. Thanks to those who are clearing it up. Rachel was a peace activist, she was committed to non-violence, in stark contrast to the oppressive forces, which she had the courage to confront.
"Problems can never be solved by using the same pattern of thought which created them." - Albert Einstein
Rick, Trust in the fact th
Rick,
Trust in the fact that I did pick my words carefully to convey how I feel about what Rachel did. I believe she was wrong. She was wrong to protect those that had been killing the innocent. She was wrong to think she could protest freely in that area like she can here. And she was wrong for trying to take on a bulldozer. Here in America, the dozer would stop, there it won't. Being the product of great intellect from TESC, you would think she would have stepped out of the way. Yes many Palestinians are not terrorist and want peace. It just happens that the house Rachel was protecting was associated with the terrorists, so say the Israelis. And I stand by my comments about TESC and continue to question where her parents may come from in their raising Rachel. Obviously they are in lockstep with the liberal view of not holding the appropriate people responsible. Heck, they filed suit against CAT for Rachel's death, pitiful.
RR
Israel says it was a house associated with terrorists.
msjo, you suggest I'm a racist. But if you support Rachel's actions, you must be Anti-Semite. Your suggestion that I'm a racist is off base. Rick, you better spank msjo, he/she is playing the person not the ball. ;-)
Sarah
Yes, Rachel walked her talk, and I give her credit that she did. But she was wrong, for all the reasons I mention above, and more. And she either went to TESC because she was misguided, or she became misguided because of TESC, regardless she paid with her life and TESC and her parents (mostly her parents) have ownership in that, more so than CAT.
"Trust in the fact that I did
Those whom she was protecting were not "killing the innocent."
Not even on an indirect level
Speaking only from a US scenario, I firmly believe we should deal with those who both directly and indirectly harm the US and its citizens so long as that citizen has been harmed without provocation.
Besides, I encourage and chal
Also, the question deserves to be asked. Are all Palestinians guilty of terrorism? If not, which ones are?
Does the practice of Islam condemn people to the label of terrorist?
RW, Yup, the death toll is
Yup, the death toll is high on both sides. But also, Israel reacts to the attacks, rarely are they the aggressors.
Islam is not a religion of peace. Read the Quran. The fundamentalists exploit the violent directives of the Quran. But with that said, no only the minority are terrorists.
Have you read the Quran, deep
Rob W: Does the practice of I
The Fire: In this day in age, yes, it does. Since the 1970s international terrorism, by and large, has stemmed from one group of people.
RW, Israel says they were
Israel says they were involved.
Is there any proof? If they
Taking something that Israel
RW Read it yes, deep no.
RW
Read it yes, deep no. More like a magazine. But I got enough out of the read to know why where the Islamic Fundamentalist get their justification.
Have you read it? Deep?
Deep, I haven't read the K
I haven't read the Koran. I am impressed that you've read it, where did you learn to read Arabic?
I haven't read the Christian Bible either (old or new Testaments.) I haven't gotten around to learning the Hebrew, or Latin for that matter.
RR, And like Hezbollah, Ha
And like Hezbollah, Hamas, Islamic Jihad, et al, are sooo truthful.
No argument from me on this.
I think you need a healthy ba
I don't think everything coming from a government/organization is a lie. In fact, I try to at least give the benefit of the doubt (for the most part) until it can be proven otherwise.
Now, is everything slanted? Oh yeah, definately. It's the whole "fuzzy numbers"-idea.
I was in no way speaking abso
I think the line between fact and fiction has become so fuzzy at this point that it's hard to know what to believe. This is why I read so much from so many sources.
RW, Believe it or not, the
Believe it or not, they have actually translated it to english, imagine that!
The Fire Inside says: Some
Some of their more memorable moments, from running around the Capitol building prior to the first Gulf War, having Mumia speak via video at commecement, and clogging up Black Lake Boulevard during the first May Day didn't exactly rub me the right way.
Deep Diver says:
Precisely