Friday, January 13, 2012

Why I Am Going To Occupy AIPAC. Won't You Come Too?

I am going to occupy AIPAC in solidarity with my sisters who were assaulted last year: Rae Abileah in Congress during Netanyahu's speech, plus four activists inside the AIPAC gala.



What is AIPAC? An acronym for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, a powerful lobbying group that makes sure $3 billion in U.S. aid to Israel (the 5th wealthiest nation in the world) continues every year, pressuring Congress and the White House on various foreign policies by means of campaign contributions and other inducements. AIPAC could be the poster child for the baneful effects of money on government decried by the 99%.
Source: the fabulous artists of Occupy NH Primary.
I am going to occupy AIPAC because a war with Iran would be large scale disastrous for the world.

Move Over AIPAC Demo outside AIPAC Conference in DC
I am going to occupy AIPAC because my government targets people organizing to bring attention to apartheid and injustice in Palestine, harassing activists by means of search warrants, theft of their property, grand jury subpoenas, and terrorism charges; and that makes me scared, but I am inspired to face down my fear.

I am going to occupy AIPAC because I want Congress to bring our war dollars home from Israel. I want U.S. troops to stay out of Israel, and I'll bet you their moms and dads want this, too. The federal government no longer represents the 99%, so I take to the streets.

I am going to occupy AIPAC because I have never been in direct action targeting AIPAC. It's a dirty rotten job, but somebody's got to do it.

Graffiti Wall
Apartheid wall at Move Over AIPAC actions in DC last March.
In solidarity with many inspiring organizers who have made it their life work to witness for the truth of the unholy alliance between NATO and the current regime in Israel, on behalf of the 1%, and to further my own learning, I will occupy AIPAC.

Go here to register, see a schedule of events for Mar 2-6 in Washington DC, and learn more about how to Occupy AIPAC, not Palestine.

1 comment:

chrisrushlau said...

Kathleen commenting at Mondoweiss said it was necessary to "keep hammering". The thing is to think of a hammer of justice, a bell of freedom, a song about love between our brothers and sisters. Not hammering on sound-bites. What does a hammer of justice hammer on? Blacksmithing? What is the molten issue in/on Israel? For me, it is "what happened to the separation of church and state?" Your maps are a strong argument that what happens in this case is genocide.
Or maybe hammering is landmark stakes, staking out a new position.
When a discussion is nothing but hammering the old cliches--in fact, "cliche" is an anamatapoeia, to represent the sound a linotype machine made punching news copy. Speaking in cliches convinces nobody, but warns people that reason is not in residence here today. So it convinces people to walk away.