Day 197- 3 kinds of ironic

Dear Mr. President,

Today you issued a proclamation. I wanted to use today'd letter to comment on this, but I thought I'd let your words speak for themselves. (I think you'll see where I'm going with this.)

For Immediate Release July 16, 2010
Presidential Proclamation--Captive Nations Week

CAPTIVE NATIONS WEEK, 2010

BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

A PROCLAMATION

In 1959, President Eisenhower issued the first Captive Nations Proclamation in solidarity with those living without personal or political autonomy behind the Iron Curtain. Since that time, once-captive nations have broken free to establish civil liberties, open markets, and allow their people access to information. However, even as more nations have embraced self governance and basic human rights, there remain regimes that use violence, threats, and isolation to suppress the aspirations of their people.

The Cold War is over, but its history holds lessons for us today. In the face of cynicism and stifled opportunity, the world saw daring individuals who held fast to the idea that the world can change and walls could come down. Their courageous struggles and ultimate success and the enduring conviction of all who keep the light of freedom alive remind us that human destiny will be what we make of it.

The journey towards worldwide freedom and democracy sought in 1959 remains unfinished. Today, we still observe the profound differences between governments that reflect the will of their people, and those that sustain power by force; between nations striving for equal justice and rule of law, and those that deny their citizens freedom of religion, expression, and peaceful assembly; and between states that are open and accountable, and those that restrict the flow of ideas and information. The United States has a special responsibility to bear witness to those whose voices are silenced, and to stand alongside those who yearn to exercise their universal human rights.

In partnership with like-minded governments, we must reinforce multilateral institutions and international partnerships that safeguard human rights and democratic values. We must empower embattled civil societies and help their people connect with one another and the global community through new technologies. And, with faith in the future, we must always stand with the courageous advocates, organizations, and ordinary citizens around the world who fearlessly fight for limitless opportunity and unfettered freedom.

The Congress, by Joint Resolution, approved July 17, 1959 (73 Stat. 212), has authorized and requested the President to issue a proclamation designating the third week of July of each year as "Captive Nations Week."

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim July 18 through July 24, 2010, as Captive Nations Week. I call upon the people of the United States to reaffirm our deep commitment to all those working for human rights and dignity around the globe.

Mr. President, those were some powerful words. I would very much like to live in a country that could live up to these promises.

Respectfully yours,

Kelsey

Day 160- Apartheid

Dear Mr. President,

Apartheid, like genocide, is not a word to be thrown around. It is too powerful, its history too bloody, to use lightly. It has been invoked quite a bit this week, be it because it's been banned or because the situation in Gaza has drawn the condemnation of Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu, or because Barney Frank's unintentional irony has just gotten downright embarrassing. When President Carter used the word, he was accused of anti-semitism. I'm sure that, were you to use it, you'd be called the same, probably even worse. "Unsustainable" seems to be as provocative as the White House is willing to get.

Unsustainable. This clean, ambiguous term seems to imply that the problem isn't that Israel is abusing its power, depriving people of their rights, and subjugating millions of people based on their religion or ethnicity, but that the system isn't practical. It's not a moral objection, but a pragmatic one. I agree with the White House that the situation is unsustainable. I also agree that it's apartheid. One cannot see the divided roads in Hebron, or the stark loom of the wall and not be moved by the injustice of it all. I'm glad that you met with Mr. Abbas today, and I think the aid package is, at least, a tangible demonstration of good faith, though I think that ending our military aid to Israel would be a better use of our money, and, in the long run, more helpful to the Palestinian people. I suppose, at the end of the day, I don't care what you call the injustices of the world, so long as you act to end them. I want to believe that we are taking steps in the right direction, and that progress, even slowly made, is more important than the words you use to describe the situation.

Respectfully yours,

Kelsey

Day 55- National Heritage

Dear Mr. President,

Sunday's announcement by the Israeli government to include the Ibrahimi mosque on a list of heritage should be strongly condemned by your administration. The city of Al-Khalil, or Hebron, is already suffering because of the 500 illegal settlers and their armed, government-sponsored military escorts who hold the city hostage. I have been to Al-Khalil, Mr. President, and until you can say the same, you cannot imagine the infuriating stranglehold that the settlers have on this city. The roads have endless checkpoints, making driving in the old city almost impossible. The marketplace has to be covered with a net, to catch the garbage thrown down by the settlers. Certain areas are entirely off limits to the Palestinians who have lived there for generations.

The old woman who hosted our group in her home lived on the boundary between H1 and H2, the city, and the settler-only area. She could no longer use her front door to come and go, because it opened on to a settler road. From her home we watched settlers pass along the road, some boys carrying Uzis, along with their books, to school. We could see the IDF camps on the rooftops of shorter buildings, they pointed their guns at us and ordered us off of her roof, where she was showing us the view of the cemetery where her ancestors were buried, not one block from her home, but off-limits to her now, because she is Palestinian.

Mr. President, I understand the contentious nature of Jerusalem, of parts of Israel, of settlements close to the 1967 borders. But Al-Khalil is the largest city in the West Bank and it is no where near the green line. The settler presence there is entirely composed of the most radical elements; the site itself remains scarred by the legacy of a 1996 massacre of 29 innocent Muslims- the killer lies enshrined in a settlement nearby, his headstone praising him for "giving his life for Israel." This is not a gray area. This is a clear violation of law and common decency; an occupation tantamount to apartheid and a city of almost 200,000 terrorized by 500 criminals and the military sent to protect them.

I am certain that the language I use in this letter will be dismissed as hysterical. But let me say very plainly that I am, if anything, understating the disgusting conditions for the residents of Al-Khalil. And stepping in to condemn the Israeli's move to claim an even greater hold on a city that, under any reasonable two-state solution will have to be entirely Palestinian, would only help the US appear reasonable. This is the kind of injustice that we cannot accept, that must be remedied, if peace is ever to exist between the two nations.

Respectfully yours,

Kelsey