Day 268- BDS? Droid Does.

Dear Mr. President,

I got a smartphone because it seemed like a good idea at the time. After owning it for a few weeks, I realized that my already troubling addiction to the internet was getting completely out of hand. I still haven't figured out a reasonable balance, or summoned the self-restraint to limit my usage. Despite my mixed feelings about this technology, I had to smile when I saw the story of the Israeli bloggers against illegal settlements who developed an app to let consumers find out if their purchases come from West Bank settlements.

President Abbas has already warned Israel that the negotiations will fall apart without the continuation of the settlement freeze. These Israeli bloggers are acting responsibly to demonstrate their objection to these illegal settlements by changing the way they spend their money (and by helping others to do the same.) I think a theme of my political philosophy, almost surely lifted shamelessly from your own writing, is that the way we spend our money reflects our values as individuals and as a society. The BDS (boycott, divest, sanction) campaign against the Israeli occupation is an effective, non-violent strategy for expressing opposition to injustice. These same settlements are officially opposed by your administration. Economic sanctions have been used by the US to nonviolently oppose the human rights abuses of unjust regimes around the world. The US should officially adopt a policy making it illegal to import or purchase goods produced by Israeli West Bank settlements, or to provide material support to these settlements which are illegal under international law and a major roadblock to our stated foreign policy goal of a viable, sustainable peace between Palestinians and Israelis.

I was pretty reluctant to type that last sentence. Not because I don't believe it. Not because I don't think you already know it's the right thing to do. I think that if we are serious about our foreign policy goals we ought to write laws and spend our money in a way that reflects this. My reluctance comes from my general preference to leave that choice up to the consumer. I don't enjoy being told where I can and cannot spend my own money, and it isn't something I'd want to impose upon another person, no matter how convinced I am of the necessity of such an imposition. Unfortunately, the difficulty faced by the average consumer trying to determine the origins of their purchases is significant enough to prevent all but the most conscientious from doing so. Official policy is the only way to ensure that consumers are aware of what they are buying and what those purchases support. I call for such a policy without the faintest hope that the political will exists to implement it. Even encouraging consumers to makes this decision on their own would be an act of political suicide. But until your administration is prepared to do more than gently discourage settlement activity, it will continue and it will dismantle any hope of real peace for Palestinians and Israelis. For those of us who aren't willing to wait for our leaders to find the moral courage such a stand would require, well, at least now we've got an app for that.

Respectfully yours,

Kelsey

Day 162- Is it a stomach bug, or is Chuck Schumer talking agin?

Dear Mr. President,

Senator Schumer has inspired me. Instead of just a tepid boycott of Arizona, let's close off the borders, (I'm sure we can get Mexico's cooperation on this from the South.) We can keep out all but the most essential medical supplies and some food. (No potato chips though, at least not until we get some heat from the international community.) We'll allow a few Arizonans out, if they need medical treatment, but they'll need to apply for permits and not be on any lists of registered voters. You see, I think their immigration law is indicative of a dangerous trend of radicalized, religiously-based extremism, and, as Sen. Schumer propses, we ought to "strangle" them, (economically, of course,) until the population can be made to see the error of their votes.

If it works in Arizona (and, I'll admit, the obesity rates might mean it will be years before the blockade has any real effects,) we can put this into use anywhere we see these dangerous trends; if Carly Fiorina wins a Senate seat, we should definitely do the same to California, though obviously the coastline will make it more difficult. What about Massachusetts? The people electing Scott Brown should definitely be punished for their poor decision making skills. If we don't really have the troops to keep these rogue states in check, or to effectively restrict travel in and out of them, maybe we could consider building a few more walls? After all, many Arizonans have family living in other states, and it's important that we make sure they don't become agents of their radical relatives.

I know many of your legislative proposals have been controversial, but I'm confident this would satisfy at least 98 members of the Senate (and John McCain really shouldn't count, anyway. He's never satisfied with sanctions, he'll be calling for a regime change.) It can even be spun as a jobs bill! Imagine all the employment opportunities for construction workers to build a wall around an entire state! I know, Arizonans might devise a tunnel system to smuggle Ensure in from Mexico, but we've got bombs for that, I'm sure. Knock down a few retirement centers, and once they realize no building materials will be forthcoming, they'll be scrambling to vote for whoever you tell them to.

Anyway, Mr. President, I'm sure that Senator Schumer will not be worried about the White House calling his words reprehensible, but you might want to reassure him, just in case.

Respectfully yours,

Kelsey

Day 13

Dear Mr. President,

I really love hummus. I tried it for the first time at a small falafel shop near Damascus Gate in Jerusalem. Much to my dismay, this has made me kind of a snob about the hummus I buy here in the states. Recently, I gave up on my favorite brand of hummus, after finding out it was produced by an Israeli company.

Voicing my objection to US policy in Israel is never as simple as voting. Almost never is there a "pro-Palestine" option on my ballot. Usually, when considering the foreign policy position of a candidate, I find myself faced with "Pro-Israel" and "More Pro-Israel than you, so HA" and "So pro-Israel I will get the flag tattooed on my face." I believe that, in this instance, voting with my dollar tends to be more effective than any literal vote I might cast. It may not be easy to avoid shopping in the stores or buying the products that would contribute to sustaining the occupation, but it is a minor inconvenience compared to the suffering inflicted on both the occupied and occupiers by those that profit from the status quo.

While in Palestine, we encountered a few young Palestinians working on an awareness campaign to help their neighbors identify and boycott. One of my Palestinian companions later that day announced that he, too, was swearing off Israeli products. I returned home, determined to commit to boycotting Israeli products until the situation changed. This determination was empowering, for a few hours, until I remembered that I could buy all the non-Israeli products I wanted, but so long as I was paying taxes, I was supporting Israel in a big way. In Palestine, it is not uncommon to hear the occupation referred to as the "American-Israeli occupation", and one look at our foreign aid budget explains why. So while I may love my country, love the schools and other public services my tax dollars fund, I can't ignore the fact that my money is also spent arming the oppressors of my Palestinian friends. I could stop paying my taxes, practice a little civil disobedience, but I'd probably have to quit working to do so.

So I can't vote to change our policies, and I can't keep my money from supporting those same policies, either. This is maddening. I feel so powerless. At least the Tea-Party hacks could vote for John McCain and call their consciences clear. What is my alternative? The more I think about it, the only conclusion I can reach is that I have to leave the country, eventually. Have I lost my, once unshakable, faith in our capacity to change? I don't know. I hope I come up with a better plan before the demands of my conscience outweigh the obstacles to expatriation. I haven't given up trying. Writing you all of these letters is probably a last-ditch effort to come up with some shred of evidence that my voice in opposition might be enough.

I apologize if this tedious, if my persistence on this same issue, especially in the face of the catastrophic tragedy in Haiti, makes for very boring reading tonight. I have the luxury of single-mindedness, something that your office cannot possibly afford you. I might ignore other issues, other injustices, in hopes of others taking up the fight, but you cannot. Every crisis is in front of you, in briefing books, on the wall of the situation room, demanding your immediate action and attention. But, then, you knew what you were getting into when you ran for office, while I am just trying to feel OK about the daily way I live my life. I don't know. Maybe it is just tonight, maybe tomorrow I will think of something I haven't yet. Until then, I'm learning to make my own hummus and hoping that your own conscience will lead us toward a foreign policy I can feel proud of.

Respectfully yours,

Kelsey