Rain and the Rhinoceros

As many of you probably know, a controversy has recently broke out at my school, the University of St. Thomas, over a decision to not invite Archbishop Desmond Tutu to speak at the annual PeaceJam event. Evidently, the St. Thomas administration thought Tutu was too controversial because of his statements in opposition to Israel’s treatment of Palestinians. Our Justice and Peace program has been at the center of the controversy. In fact, the faculty member who initially got Tutu to agree to coming, recently lost his grant to continue working for the university. And, of course, the Director of the program lost her job over the controversy.All of this is strange considering that I saw Ann Coulter speak a couple years ago at St. Thomas. In her speech before a full auditorium, Coulter made dozens of racists comments. Unfortunately, she received a standing ovation.As we anticipated, last week the City Pages featured an article on the controversy. Many other newspapers from around the country and the world picked up the story. It was one week ago today that the piece was published in the City Pages and I just received an email from the president of St. Thomas addressed to faculty, staff, and students. In the email, Dennis Dease says that he had made a mistake and decided to change his mind on the issue. In the letter he extends an invitation to Tutu to speak at a forum that addresses the Israel-Palestine conflict. He explained that two Jewish groups have already agreed to sponsor the event.As you might have guessed, this controversy has stirred things up a bit at St. Thomas, but not as much as one might have hoped. Of course, all the faculty from the theology department and Justice and Peace program are freaking out, but the student body doesn’t seem too upset by the whole thing. Yesterday, during the lunch hour, a few people were protesting and holding up a sign that said, “Let Tutu Speak.” I spoke with my friend and legendary activist Marv Davidov about it. He was determined to get the New York Times to cover the story. As I lit his cigarette for him he said, “They thought this thing would blow right over, but they were wrong, cause we’re not going to let it.” If you know Marv, you know that he’s serious.Well, evidently, it didn’t take too long for the University to reverse its decision about Tutu. Although I am happy to hear that Dease recognizes his mistake, I am not confident that this really marks a significant change in the administration. The larger issues have to do with the future of a fairly radical Justice and Peace program at aconservative Roman Catholic institution. Unfortunately, it appears that the future of the program is in jeopardy. As a graduate of the university and someone who was actively involved in the Justice and Peace program, I am deeply saddened by all of this, but I’ve been trained to not go down without a fight.

How do I as a pacifist respond to the mass demonstratoins of Hizbollah in Lebanon? Many Lebanese Christians and Muslims have united to support the cause against Israeli repression and the complicit Lebanese “US-backed government.” Israeli state terrorism breaks my heart. I hate to see houses bulldozed and children murdered. Israel’s latest offensives in Gaza and Lebanon were disastrous. Hizbollah gained massive support for their actions, but were their actions effective? Will a violent revolution gain the respect of Western powers. If Hizbollah leaders take over the Lebanese government, they will most certainly attack Israel. We all know what happens when you attack Israel, whether it be with pebbles, rocks, or homemade bombs – the Israeli military fires back unproportionately and kills thousands of innocent men, women, and children, while displacing hundreds of thousands of others from their homes.Is the answer to Israeli oppresion a violent revolution in Lebanon? No. Israel will respond and the results will bring further damage to Lebanon and Palestine. The attacks on the Lebanon this past year brought them back 50 years. The environmental damage alone will take decades to clean up. Lebanon and Palestine cannot afford another attack.

It is sad that we sit and watch desperate Lebanese people form a revolution that will be demolished by Israel. They feel that this is their only hope. The United States government is responsible. The people of the United States must put pressure on the government to stop their support for Israeli terrorism. This is the only way forward. I am not hopeful, but I’m not prepared to watch Lebanon go up in flames again.

Aerial view photos of the destruction of Lebanese cities. Indiscriminate bombing? Decide for yourself.

Over 250 people have been massacred by the Israeli militrary machine. Thousands and thousands have fled there homes fearing more indiscriminate bombing of infrastructure and civilian homes. Against international law Israel is not bombing militrary targets but civilian infrastructure and homes. The US-UK administrations have pledged full support for Israel, along with future Democratic Presidential candidate, Hilary Clinton. Clinton speaking at a UN gathering spoke of our undying support for Israel for their American values and principles. It seems Hilary is right. The US funded Israeli military reflects the targeting techniques and tactics of the US military, indiscriminate bombing on innocent civilians. Hizbullah like Al-Qaeda is a group created and sustained by US foreign policy and Israeli cooperation. Blair and Bush have given an Israel a one-week window (after a whole of week of Israeli bombing) to demonstrate the breadth of the US-Israeli military establishment in the middle-east. It is the latest episode of dispropotionate military action in the Middle East. In Iraq, against an unorganized loosely formed group, popularly known as Al-Qaeda, the US justified blowing to shreds cities and infrastructure to establish US permanent military bases around oil reserves. Hizbullah like Al-Qaeda was allusive, weak, and relatively tame, until Israel invaded Lebanon. After the attack on innocent civilians Hizbullah will grow and become more militant, more organized, and more adament against Israel. A direct parallel can made with the growth of Al-Qaeda in the past three to four years.

The argument of the Bush-Blair team is that Hizbullah must be taken out because they are “the root” of the problem in the area. Hizbullah is not the root of the problem. This group, like Al-Qaeda was created out of the US-Israeli oppressive forces in the Middle East.

The international community has had a slow and inadequate reaction to the Israeli invasion.

Since the people of Palestine democratically elected Hamas, in one of the most fair and clean elections ever, liberal democracies around the globe have denied Palestinian people food and water. Now, with over 80% of the Palestinian people living in poverty and as the Red Cross reports on the verge of a “humanitarian disaster” liberal democracies continue to stand by there oppressive policies against Hamas and more accurately against the Palestinian people. Again and again the liberal democracies around the world show their true colors. Democracy, when it suits the interests of the elite, is required or you’ll be bombed. However, when the people respond to injustices and overwhelmingly elect an administration that is perceived to be violent, the elitist liberal democracies of the world cut off life lines so civilians suffer and die, make assassination efforts, and develop secret coups to overthrow governments. As a result, more and more groups like Hizbullah and Al-Qaeda come out of the woodwork. Who is violent?

As a pacifist I reject the violence of Hizbullah. As a pacifist I reject the oppressive and coercive force of Israel and its war on the poor. Israeli occupation is violence and creates Hizbullah. I am against Hizbullah, but we must confront the root of the problem. We must confront the Israeli military machine and the government who supplies them and funds their actions, the US.

Listen to the song here

Billy Bragg
Tuesday March 28, 2006
Guardian

Rachel Corrie went to Gaza to draw attention to the plight of the Palestinians, whose voice is seldom heard in her country, the US. That she herself should be silenced – first by an Israeli bulldozer, next by a New York theatre cancelling a play created from her words – is a testimony to the power of her message. This song was written on a plane on March 20 and recorded at Big Sky Recordings, Ann Arbor, Michigan on March 22. The tune is borrowed from Bob Dylan.
An Israeli bulldozer killed poor Rachel Corrie
As she stood in its path in the town of Rafah
She lost her young life in an act of compassion
Trying to protect the poor people of Gaza
Whose homes are destroyed by tank shells and bulldozers
And whose plight is exploited by suicide bombers
Who kill in the name of the people of Gaza
But Rachel Corrie believed in non-violent resistance
Put herself in harm’s way as a shield of the people
And paid with her life in a manner most brutal

But you who philosophise disgrace and criticise all fears,
Take the rag away from your face.
Now ain’t the time for your tears.

Rachel Corrie had 23 years
She was born in the town of Olympia, Washington
A skinny, messy, list-making chain-smoker
Who volunteered to protect the Palestinian people
Who had become non-persons in the eyes of the media
So that people were suffering and no one was seeing
Or hearing or talking or caring or acting
And the horrible math of the awful equation
That brought Rachel Corrie into this confrontation
Is that the spilt blood of a single American
Is worth more than the blood of a hundred Palestinians

But you who philosophise disgrace and criticise all fears,
Take the rag away from your face.
Now ain’t the time for your tears.

The artistic director of a New York theatre
Cancelled a play based on Rachel’s writings
But she wasn’t a bomber or a killer or fighter
But one who acted in the spirit of the Freedom Riders
Is there no place for a voice in America
That doesn’t conform to the Fox News agenda?
Who believes in non-violence instead of brute force
Who is willing to confront the might of an army
Whose passionate beliefs were matched by her bravery
The question she asked rings out round the world
If America is truly the beacon of freedom
Then how can it stand by while they bring down the curtain
And turn Rachel Corrie into a non-person?

Oh, but you who philosophise disgrace and criticise all fears,
Bury the rag deep in your face
For now’s the time for your tears.

· My Name Is Rachel Corrie, co-edited by Alan Rickman and Guardian features editor Katharine Viner, opens at the Playhouse theatre tonight. Telephone 0870 060 6631. Listen to an exclusive download (MP3) of the song here.

Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2006