Unthinkable act by US Senator as Marco Rubio reminded of violation by Ne...
Thank you, Senator Merkley for your frank questioning.
Random RantWoman observation: Israel has been stalling about anything to do with Right of Return for Palestinians for decades. Why should anyone belive Secretary Rubio now?
RantWoman offers a sampling of today's Israel news items. RantWoman does not have energy to pull out every nugget to be had here, but does consider these items rich with points to ponder.
Trump completes Netanyahu’s insult with hostage release, spokesperson lo...
1. MAYBE if you are thoughtful, protestors detained in the recent protests at the UW Interdisciplinary Engineering Building MAY be able to negotiate some way to stay off campus and still finish classes. RantWoman has no opinion beyond that, or rather RantWoman has opinions that probably everyone is going to find problematic. More on that shortly.
2. Some or all of you are likely to face criminal charges. RantWman is not a lawyer and is not going to comment about that beyond the observation that there are plenty of voices demanding criminal consequences.
3. It is never a bad day to condemn the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. There have been abundant opportunities to do that for decades, since long before October7. Again, more on RantWoman's thinking, the role of the academy, job hunting, conscience and more separately..
Now back up a few steps.
Y'all have again aroused eruptions from Protest Curmudgeon. Protest Curmudgeon, aka RantWoman is old enough to be your mother and probably in some cases your grandmother. RantWoman is not up on every detail of student movements at protests at the University of WA, but back in the mists of last century, RantWoman graduated from college on disciplinary probation because of a protest about South Africa. RantWoman is probably taking some risks by putting together all of the comments below; RantWoman hopes the risks are worthwhile.
Say it loud. Say it again.Any day would be an excellent day to keep speaking out loudly and clearly about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. A really clear ask, needed for decades. A clear ask of whoever might make a difference is It's not just that 2 million people starving to death under Israeli watch seems to RantWoman VERY unlikely to lessen the level of anti-semitism in the world. RantWoman also does not understand how chasing campus anti-semitism is supposed to help when the ones braying most loudly are also sitting down to dinner with holocaust deniers and avowed white separatists. RantWoman can though agree that lots of people on many sides of Middle East conflicts are making piles of money in the arms business.
Next, we take massive property damage at a building called the "Interdisciplinary Engineering Building." As someone who spends a lot of time reminding engineers why humanities classes are good for everyone and redefining the scope of projects, the very idea of an Interdisciplinary Engineering Building sounds awesom to RantWoman. In fact, RantWoman has contributed as a community member to a number of different computer-science and transportation related projects at the UW I school. So RantWoman, is definitely not charmbed by the scale of property damage seriously.and definitely does not think the current presidential administration is likely to offer anything good for what RantWoman considers extremely valuable and constructive projects.
RantWoman can imagine--but has NO INTENTION of penning--a manifesto about "Look at this mess! Does it remind you of any place, like say GAZA? Do you want to live in Gaza? Do you want to turn the whole campus into Gaza? How about we find a way to talk and do better?"
RantWoman is NOT volunteering to write any manifesto, butwhat to do? In the current humanitarian crisis, people are likely to starve to death in Gaza long before either Boeing or the U of WA respond to absolutist demands. But people can and should demand an end to the two-month total humanitarian blockade of Gaza. So, say it loud. Say it whenever and whereever you can, End the Total humanitarian blockade of Gaza.
Next, we have numbers. To some extent, RantWoman empathizes with people who just want to study and get a good job." But in the case of the college sit-in RantWoman knows best two things matter. The sit-in happened against a background of more than half the entire campus, undergrads and graduate students signing a petition calling on the university to divest from companies doing business in South Africa. The sit-in RantWoman's senior year was one of several from previous years.
The sit-in RantWoman's senior year was not exactly because of something new about South Africa. The sit-in happened because, after the umpteenth divestment resolution was turned down in the Board of Trustees, the President of the University said something in the campus paper about closing discussion. The campaign asked the President to find a way to restate whatever he meant to say. He said he was misquoted and would not correct that quote out of fear that in the future people go after him about anything that he said that got printed in the campus paper..
Before RantWoman's college sit-in one person involved in the campus campaign called RantWoman to say he supported the demonstration but did not feel able to participate out of concern not to endanger his commissioning due from his ROTC scholarship. That person has probably long retired. If he hadn't, he is the "wrong" color and at risk of being insultingly labelled "#DEIHire,"by a graduate of the same institution now working beyond his depth in the current administration.
The actual demonstration took place during finals week, at the best-known administration building, an edifice that briefly served as the nation's capital. The plan was just to blockade all the doors and not let anyone in until the university divested of its holdings in companies that do business in South Africa.. RantWoman imagines there may have been some chalk art but no other property damage. Also, little impediment to people needing to get around most of the campus.
The university did not of course immediately divest. Instead, 89 students, 49 seniors, out of a total campus of 4800 plus or minus were detained by campus police, delivered to the local police station, processed and sent home facing two charges. RantWoman had a final the afternoon of the sit-in and considers herself VERY fortunate to have gotten processed in time to go home, have lunch and then go to her final.
The sit-in got a lot of publicity including interest from lawyers who offered both legal help and suggestions. One lawyer suggested just having everyone plead guilty. RantWoman was part of the not guilty caucus who thought it was dishonest to plead guilty if one does not feel guilty. That stance let to a group conversation with a local firm. By that time, the protestors had already asked the university to drop charges against anyone who might have visa problems. The firm suggested that protestors could ask that for everyone. That team also noted that no one had any intention of suing the university, that the protest was about South Africa.
Happy ending sort of.
All criminal charges were dropped in fairly short order. At the next Board of Trustees meeting, there was an announcement of a divestment of a small holding which may just not have been doing well.
RantWoman's bottom lines:
The humanitarian crisis in #Gaza is NOW. Address that. End the humanitarian blockade. Peace in the Middle East is going to take longer, so buckle up.
Universities are vital spaces where people can come together and learn. That role must remain even when conversations get difficult.
Actions have consequences. Deal with them. Don't expect consequences to go away just because of more earnest pleas.
RantWoman is by turns deeply saddened, horrified and furious on multiple grounds about renewed college campus protests. The most immediate message RantWoman would like to hear, from as many directions as possible, even before lots of pieces play out further:
Call for Immediate Aid Access to Gaza
The world is at an all-hands-on-deck moment, because of the total blockade of humanitarian aid to Gaza. For more than two months, now, there has been no food, water, fuel, or medicine allowed to reach over 2 million Palestinians and the remaining Israeli hostages. Massive starvation is imminent. The problem is not a lack of food. Aid agencies are poised with 3,000 truckloads of humanitarian aid waiting at the border but barred from entry.
Make a public statement immediately calling for unfettered humanitarian access into Gaza in compliance with international law.
Take action now to save lives.
Just DO IT. Don't get stuck about what Boeing will or won't do or about divestment. Start from the immediate humanitarian crisis.
On religious notes:
RantWoman once attended an event where it took facilitators an hour and a half of back-and-forth discussion to get to enough agreement to have opening prayers. Praying together is not everyone's go-to but prayer seems highly on point for anyone who prays.
RantWoman considers it antisemitic to give anyone a pass about genocide because of their religion. RantWoman does not know of a single religious tradition that does not in some way or another call people to find their better selves and to get along with others.
Also, IT'S NOT COLLEGE if one does not encounter ideas and circumstances that challenge at least one core part of one's identity. Hopefully this results in stronger, wiser, more aware and flexible contributors to the fabric of society!
Enough said, or RantWoman's Dial-a-Tirade will erupt!
"corrupt and feckless ruling class" A framing that in RantWoman's view needs to be interrogated.
RantWoman frankly appreciates the fact that NewsNation does not shy away from provocative opinions--even though RantWoman frequently disagrees with the opinions. RantWoman will interrogate the question of why she is more willing to tolerate NewsNation than Fox news or Sinclair Broadcasting stations.
RantWoman encourages readers to read this article and adopt its recommendations. Sign up for updates. Write your Contgressional representative. Share this article with everyone you know.
Readers may wish to skip the rest of Protest Curmudgeon's rant, but RantWoman needs to get a few things off her chest based on some heated moments from her career as a campus political activist.
The rant can be distilled as
1. Please more about Gaza.
Slogan of the moment: People can't build a future for their children on the mass graves of other children.
2. WHAT THE F were y'all thinking?
Did y'all REALLY mean to generate television footage that can help Sinclair Broadcasting flood the zone or at least RantWoman's YouTube feed with dramatic videos, all the same length, and headlines such as "intense night..." "about 30 students arrested...."
If you're going to set things on fire, MAYBE show that people have learned something from CHOP, be prepared that the Fire Department will, reasonably, want police escort.
Re property destruction inside the engineering building, was that REALLY necessary???? RantWoman will be interested in bodycam footage .BUT if a protest is going to wrack up $1million in damages, perhaps protestors owe the world some kind of manifesto. For examples put the names Daniel and Phillip Berrigan into your search engines. Be as self-righteous as you need to be, but PLEASE try to keep the focus on Gaza instead of making the campus look a little too much like the precursors of Gaza.
3. If RantWoman were going to Make NONVIOLENT Protests great again, here are a whole bunch of observations and suggestions.
If you plan to occupy a building, plan ahead about how to take care of bodily necessities while you are inside..
Do you REALLY need to trash the place?
A clean well-written manifesto is a must to help everyone stay on message.
Is beefing with the authorities really necessary? How does that benefit the cause?
Can you PERHAPS plan an event that does not immediately make police reach for their riot gear???
Messaging as reported feels a little off. That is, RantWoman can imagine describing October 7 as a demonstration of assymetrical warfare: people who literally have no other path to defend their interests confronting a much more powerful counterpart. This terminology might come up in the world of academic political science
But oops, wait. Friends don't let friends commit genocide--or even collective punishment. Alert observers will note that every time there is a hostage exchange, there are a handful of hostages released and dozens of Palestinian prisoners. And so many other details of life as a Palestinian that basically amount to collective punishment. And now President Orange Man with his capricious executive orders is basically inflicting collective punishment on all kinds of organizations because of individuals he does not like. In this case the point is penalizing or even threatening to penalize academic institutions that try to make environments were people can learn and speak of difficult topics from different angles.
Interests: Digital Inclusion, Languages and language access, walkability, accessibility, disaster preparedness.
When in doubt, laugh about something!
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