As leaders of the federal and BC Green Parties respectively you've both slammed the BDS movement that has been repeatedly supported by the Green Party membership.
You both complain that BDS is a movement of extremists. Yes, nothing says "extremist" like the United Church of Canada and the Quakers. You can never tell what those terrorist motherfuckers will get up to next.
But wait, there's more. If you don't find the United Church and the Quakers to your taste, how about Lutherans?
In the U.S., the leading Lutheran outfit, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, has passed two resolutions, by a margin of 82% at that, calling for the American government to cut off all funding to Israel and to recognize the state of Palestine. Here are the resolutions:
[8.] To urge this church’s members, congregations, synods, agencies and presiding bishop to call on their U.S. Representatives, Senators and the Administration to take action requiring that, to continue receiving U.S. financial and military aid, Israel must comply with internationally recognized human rights standards as specified in existing U.S. law, stop settlement building and the expansion of existing settlements in East Jerusalem and the West Bank, end its occupation of Palestinian territory, and enable an independent Palestinian state; and
[9.] To encourage this church’s members, congregations, synods, and agencies to call on the U.S. President to recognize the State of Palestine and not prevent the application of the State of Palestine for full membership in the United Nations.
You see, Liz and Andy, this is not just about minding our own business any longer. Israel has descended into right wing extremism. You say you don't want to point fingers but not pointing fingers at the apartheid state, not pointing fingers after all these decades of oppression, looking the other way - well that's nothing short of complicity. You can be as morally vacuous as you like. Just don't expect the Green Party membership to diminish themselves as you would yourselves.
And just to put a fine point on your hypocrisy. If this was South Africa 25-years ago neither of you would hesitate to condemn that country's apartheid state. For reasons you carefully keep to yourselves, you choose to give Israel a pass.
I never would have thought that Elizabeth May would descend into hypocrisy and disingenuousness, Mound. There must be something in the water that all politicians drink.
ReplyDelete.. you really set the table a number of posts back.. the one regarding 'authoritarianism' .. As I explained in a comment this AM at Northern Reflections, I am now looking at Israel.. and the odd outcry against BDS thru a new and sharper lens. The stench of authoritarianism seems prevalent wherever hypocrisy thrives. The smug trait or ideology.. (vapidness?) seems to arrive as a sort of twisted defense mechanism against actually considering or thinking things through.. kind of a deeply flawed autopilot evasion tactic for dolts.. who certainly should know better.. or truly need to know better.
ReplyDeleteA prime example has to be Kellie Leitch.. the wannabe ReformerTory cult leader.. fer gawd sakes, she's a paediatric orthpedic surgeon who sees something great about asbestos, snitch lines, her lord n master Stephen Harper & the wonderfulness of Israel.. among other autorobotic ideological idiocies.. Sorry dear, but would I let you near my child? Those are not 'opinions' she has.. those are either entrenched ideology or 'values' she sells out to, pimps or embraces .. I often call them 'situational ethics' .. Thus the odd inability of her and so many to recognize the obvious regarding Palestine - Israel .. or to think Donald Trump deserves support, or the Presidency..
Good on you for challenging hypocrits .. but good luck with that.. Those same folk likely think Stephen Harper was a strong steady hand on the tiller & Jason Kenney just needs to meet the right woman.. & James Moore's middle name is ride me wilfred.. and Ray Novak is the Harper family nanny
It can take a while, Lorne, to see a person's true colours, especially when you agree on so many things. I'm deeply saddened to see what is now coming out from Elizabeth May and Andrew Weaver. I'm even more troubled by talk that the federal Greens will consider revisiting the BDS motion in response to May's veiled threat to quit. Should the GPC capitulate to May's gambit I'll be finished with them just as, four years ago, I was with the Liberals.
ReplyDeleteAt least I still have my membership in good standing with the Council of Canadians. Maybe their roster should become the foundation for a new progressive Canadian party.
ReplyDeleteThe difficult part about Netanyahu's Israel, Sal, is looking closely at it. The more you see, the more you read, the more you look the more repugnant it becomes. Canada and the U.S. are Israel's enablers. America has always carried Israel's water at the UN Security Council. Without that cover and America's massive financial support, Israel and the Palestinians today would be on a much different footing.
What we rarely hear of are the many brave Israeli citizens that still stand against Netanyahu/Lieberman and their thuggish followers. After the assassination of Rabin, those who dare to speak truth to power are wise to employ bodyguards to defend them against their own fellow Israelis.
Mound
ReplyDeleteTo a certain extent you are now hoist on your own petard ....
Way back in 2015 we had an election. It was important to remove the proto-dictator from power. Those of us who held our noses and voted for the best case-scenario were labeled sell-outs cause we wouldn't vote for potential vote splitter who now reveals herself as a typical calculating politician. (Who is not up to Mound's standards.)
Enjoy the air up there.
ReplyDeleteAs I said, NPoV, it can take a while to discern a person's true colours especially if you agree on a great many things. I differ with May and Weaver on BDS but there aren't many rifts between us on most other issues.
Where there is no rift, so far, is with the party membership which voted to support BDS three times.
All things considered, I'm fortunate not to have supported the Liberals. If I had I would be beyond disappointed in the leader and his key ministers. I would have had a similar degree of disenchantment had I supported the antics of the NDP leader.
Well, good on you Mound to be able to stick to your principals.
ReplyDeleteTo me, all this shows is that the Israeli lobby is very strong. When human rights takes second place to the fear of being labelled "anti-semite" you know there is something wrong.
Support of Israel has replaced common sense and their seems to be a mania that defies all logic. Fuck the Israel government, their propaganda war only underscores that they are murderers and hypocrites.
Our politicians are cowards and enablers.
Well, I see today that Kinsella published one of his screeds today, Aug 16, on Progressive Bloggers giving his usual right wing side of things, and supporting Israel and anti-BDS come what may. Tell me again, why is Kinsella on Progressive Bloggers? I have never seen anything progressive about the man, and in fact you can see how the Liberals are just Harper Lite from his many meanderings - explains JT and how we wuz collectively fooled. Kinsella's arguments pro anti-BDS are the same old tired ones about giving Palestinians employment in Israel, neglecting mention of the crap wages they're paid of course: that would undermine the stance he takes. And the pavlovian moos from his attached right wing commentariat echo the line he takes. All Greenies are whack jobs, you know according to these people.
ReplyDeleteIreland, Netherlands and Sweden refuse to be bullied by the anti-BDS people, but Liz May apparently cannot withstand the onslaught, which of course is backed by our establishment. Why we should have a pro-apartheid foreign policy is beyond me and Desmond Tutu.
What exactly do we owe Israel? Is the memory of the Holocaust supposed to be dredged up as a sop to excuse every nasty thing the state of Israel gets up to these days? Any criticism is branded anti-Semite, completely neglecting the fact that Arabs are a Semitic race as well. That general knowledge would spoil the ease with which they can easily brand anyone who doesn't toe their line as a bigot, when they're the present day bigots and apartheidists. Blows my mind they get away generally scot-free with this upside down take on things.
You have Jewish societies going round here in Canada, the US, UK and France attempting to intimidate people who don't see things their way, and it's a nasty business with few holds barred. Why we allow foreign governments such latitude through their fifth column overseas clubs and associations is beyond me. It's the closure of freedom of speech, but all the big parties and the entire establishment is beholden to this bullshit, and for the life of me I cannot understand why. I'm not having some foreign government telling me how to think anymore than the current bunch of present and past grifters running this country for their own advantage try to.
And that's that.
@ Anon 2:54 - I had the same take as yours when I read Kinsella's rant. He's a curious guy who styles himself "progressive" whenever he gets a chance but seemingly has no idea what that designation means or that it has any meaning at all.
ReplyDeleteI was living in North Vancouver when Kinsella was parachuted in to run for the Liberals during the Chretien era. He was taking on a Kiwi lawn ornament running for the Reform Party. That was my first introduction to the guy. He carried on in such a way that he embarrassed even Liberal supporters such as my then self. Kinsella made us sympathetic to the opposition and, quite honestly, I doubt many minded when Kinsella was rejected at the polls.
Years ago I thought he'd come out of his closet and turn Tory. That does seem his natural fit. Perhaps he's not prepared to risk losing whatever value remains from his Chretien-era past.
Maybe he's just another Fenian.