February 2019 Gaza and the Anti-Boycott Law
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
forsooth: (adverb, archaic) in truth, in fact, indeed. Volume 30, No. 1 A publication of the Louisville Chapter of the Fellowship of Reconciliation www.LouisvilleFOR.org FEBRUARY 2019 GAZA AND THE ANTI-BOYCOTT LAW By Russ Greenleaf The Palestinians are protesting because stones or Molotov cocktails at the fence, but Amnesty International reports: “Israeli Israel is making their lives unbearable. they are no threat to the Israeli soldiers who soldiers are using high-velocity military What if we held a nonviolent protest in Israel is enforcing a blockade on Gaza that are a hundred feet away on the Israeli side weapons designed to cause maximum harm front of the Federal Building downtown, prevents adequate food, water, and medical of the fence while firing at the protesters. to Palestinian protesters who do not pose but this time they sent soldiers with assault supplies from an imminent threat to them.” rifles. How would you feel if the soldiers entering. Israel’s told us to move 300 feet away from the frequent bombing Israeli snipers have been taking careful building or they would open fire? Imagine has destroyed Gaza’s aim and shooting people even if they are how you would feel if they began firing on sewage treatment much farther than 300 feet from the border our demonstration and killed many of us system, and it cannot fence. They shot a medic in the chest while just because we were within 300 feet of the be repaired because she was treating a wounded protester. They building. Now you know how the Palestin- of Israel’s blockade. shot journalists while they were reporting on ians in Gaza feel. Ninety-seven the protest. They shot children. An Israeli percent of the water sniper killed a four-year-old boy while he Following the example of Mahatma in Gaza’s aquifer is was walking with his father over 600 feet Gandhi, Palestinians in Gaza have been now undrinkable. from the border. (Google: Ahmed Abu continuing their unarmed protests on their The medical care Abed; Razan al-Najjar; Tarek Loubani.) own land near the border between Gaza system is collapsing. and Israel. The UN says Gaza Israel’s appalling behavior is enough to will be uninhabitable make many of us want to boycott Israel. And Israeli snipers have been continuing by 2020. But now we are being prevented from to fire live ammunition across the border at doing that. The Israel Lobby has quietly the unarmed protesters. Israeli snipers have The Palestin- gotten laws and executive orders passed now killed over 200 Palestinian protesters ian protests have in 26 states to punish American citizens for and gravely wounded over 5,000. Many been overwhelm- boycotting Israel. of the wounds have required amputations. ingly nonviolent. There is no other treatment, because Israel Most protesters are A few months ago, a young speech is preventing adequate medical supplies entirely peaceful pathologist named Bahia Amawi was fired from entering Gaza. and are over 300 from her job with the Texas public school feet from the border. system because she refused to sign an oath Israel claims it has a right to shoot anyone Sometimes youth pledging to not boycott Israel. The state of who comes within 300 feet of the border. will disobey the Four-year-old Palestinian child, Ahmed Abu Abed, killed by an Israeli International law says it has no such right. organizers and throw sniper in December 2018. Photo courtesy of Milwaukee DSA (see GAZA, page 7) VIOLENCE AND NON- PAID VIOLENCE INTENSIFY Louisville, KY U.S. Postage Permit No. 962 Non-Profit Org. Non-Profit IN AMBAZONIA By Matt Meyer to the pattern of attacks on Ambazonian students, activists, and community leaders The Central African country of which have worsened over the past year. Cameroon—whose tourist slogan for Three days later, ten more unarmed Amba- years was “all of Africa in one country”— zonians and one Ghanaian pastor who was presents itself as a unifier of diverse envi- working with them were slaughtered in the ronments, languages, and culture in this town of Batibo. nation located in the middle of the continent. The last summer in Cameroon, however, Though this news may never have suggest the worst of conflict, corruption, surfaced if not for the connection to clergy and colonialism, primarily relating to the in Ghana, organizations such as the Network country’s intensifying repression against the (see AMBAZONIA, page 4) English-speaking minority in the region of Ambazonia, little-known even to Africanists Call F.O.R. at (502) 609-7985 and anti-colonial academics from the Global North. Despite the efforts of Ambazonian Fellowship of Reconciliation Louisville Chapter 2146 Lakeside Drive 40205 Louisville, KY ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED scholars based in the U.S., and a trickle of not-always-helpful information from Amnesty International and the BBC, the escalation of military violence over the past CONTENTS | FEBRUARY 2019 few months, and especially a new “scorched earth” burning of entire villages since last GAZA AND THE ANTI-BOYCOTT LAW|Russ Greenleaf .....................................1 May and several massacres in the first half VIOLENCE AND NON-VIOLENCE IN AMBAZONIA | Matt Meyer ...............1 of July, have gone largely unnoticed even by human rights experts. ON THE ORIGIN OF DENIAL |Adam Khayat ................................................2 On the evening of July 11, 2018, five HOST HOMES: A SOLUTION TO END YOUTH HOMELESSNESS | Liza Smith ... 3 students were separated during a round-up WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT IN THE 116TH CONGRESS | Gracie Lewis ..........4 by government military forces at the Univer- sity Center in the town of Bambilli, allegedly PROSPECTS OF LOUISVILLE ECONOMY IN 2019 |Thomas E. Lambert ..........5 for not having identification cards. Bambilli is a college town north in the Ambazonian Third Thursday Luncheon ...............................................................................5 territory. Though BBC reported on the The Ambazonian Territory in Cameroon. FORward Radio Schedule .............................................................................6 incident, they did not make the connection Map courtesy of FOR National. Regular Meeting Times for Area Organizations ..........................................7 Like this newspaper? Help keep it alive by donating Calendar for Peacemakers ..........................................................................8 See details on page 3 >> 2 | FEBRUARY 2019 - FORsooth ON THE ORIGIN OF DENIAL: AMERICA’S TURBULENT RELATIONSHIP WITH DARWINIAN EVOLUTION (PART 1) By Adam Khayat and evidence; contrarily, religion involves a claimed that the deductions propagated the Advancement of Science; after a pre- method that incorporates revelation, faith, in “Origin” were reasonable and based on sentation that referenced Darwin’s theory, This is Part 1 of a 3-part article that will continue and sanctity. The strong opposition between ample evidence. This dispute is best epito- Owen claimed that he had found sufficient in the March issue. these two entities is best represented by mized by the debate between Thomas Henry evidence that directly negated the founda- the histories of Nicholas Copernicus and Huxley and Richard Owen in the “Great tion of Darwin’s theory. In response, Huxley The notion of evolution has been met Galileo Galilei. Hippocampus Question.” blatantly denied Owen’s assertion. Later, with persistent resistance and renunciation Huxley published articles in the United States since the publication of In “On the Revolu- that directly negated Darwin’s foundational text, “On the Origin tions of the Heavenly Owen’s theories; though of Species.” Authenticated by an abundance Bodies” (1543), Coper- acknowledging the dif- of experimental evidence and substan- nicus indirectly posited ferences in size, propor- tiation, the idea of variation in the genetic heliocentrism: that the tion, and complexity, characteristics of biological populations Sun is at the center he proposed that these over successive generations has become and the Earth revolves distinctions were not a widely accepted concept in scientific around it while rotating very significant. This discourse. Nonetheless, American opposi- on its axis daily. At feud between Huxley tion to its validity is a unique phenomenon the time, this contra- and Owen continued for among developed nations; generally, this dicted the teaching and multiple years, in which occurrence is a reflection of various social values of the Church, numerous articles were and psychological structures that have which espoused a literal published in journals mitigated the development and diffusion interpretation of holy and newspapers; other of empiricism in the United States. Fur- scripture. Neverthe- notable scientists such as thermore, these psychosocial paradigms less, due to Copernicus’ William Henry Flower, have had profound anthropological effects ensuing death, Revolu- Willem Vrolik, and upon the development of modern thought. tions avoided prohibi- Jacobus Schroeder van At their nexus, extreme religiosity and con- tion for many years and der Kolk participated comitant entrenched values have played an eventually influenced as well. Consequently, integral role. Galileo, who perpetuated this argument began to and refined this theory. In garner attention by the This struggle between the conceptions of 1610, Galileo published public, and the notions creationism and evolution in the American “The Starry Messenger,” of evolution and the public psyche warrants careful analysis; which argued that the descent of humans from such