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Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, December 2004, pages 40-42 Southern California Chronicle “War on Iraq Still Won’t Be Over on Nov. 3,” Says Dead Soldier’s Mom at RallyBy Pat and Samir Twair
EMOTIONS WERE high Oct. 17 in the landmark Hollywood United Methodist Church, where superstar Cher headlined a roster of speakers. It was as if the more than 300 people assembled there knew they were making history in launching the latest incarnation of the anti-Iraq war movement. “Tour of Duty: Americans Speak Out,” a project under Peace Action, arranged Los Angeles-area programs Oct. 16 and 17 featuring Cher and Lila Lipscom, the military mom in Michael Moore’s film “Farenheit 9/11.” In the ensuing week, Tour of Duty would stage programs in seven East Coast cities headlining Joan Baez, Lipscomb, Tim Robbins, Martin Sheen and Rickie Lee Jones. “Isn’t this really like Vietnam déjà vu?” commented Cher. “This is probably the only time I will speak from a pulpit,” she quipped, before turning serious. “This is the most heartbreaking time of my life,” she explained, “and I’ve experienced 11 presidents. It’s been a long time since I talked to wounded ’Nam troops but I met a lot of soldiers at Walter Reed Hospital and saw the human cost of war. I let them tell me their stories about how they lost their arms and legs.” The superstar described the administration’s cover up of Iraq war dead and wounded as Orwellian. Their reasoning, she theorized, is that the bigger the lie, the better the chance we can get away with it. “I wish people would speak their minds like they did in the Vietnam days,” she continued. “I’ve been quiet until now because I saw what happened to the Dixie Chicks—they got cut off at the legs [for criticizing George Bush]. They [the administration] wrap themselves in the flag and if you dare to disagree with them in public, you’re called a traitor.” Noting that she had just returned from Europe, Cher said, “Everyone over there hates us. They don’t understand why we don’t do something. They are more afraid of the U.S. than they are of terrorism.” Cher then introduced Lipscom, the Flint, MI mother of Sgt. Michael Pederson, who died in Iraq when his Blackhawk helicopter was downed in April 2003. “People have called me courageous, but you need to keep going, and now there are 1,074 mothers who are going through what I have,” stated Lipscom, who has become much more articulate than when she spoke to Moore. She recalled her son’s last letter, in which he apologized for having to send his will and stated that his last wish was for a regime change in the U.S. that had led us into an unnecessary war. “The powers that be have spent time disconnecting us,” Lipscom said. “Now it’s time to wake up—we who were so arrogant and allowed our government to go into someone else’s country. “I will not shut up,” the grieving mother vowed. “And on Nov. 3 when we wake up, the war still will be on in Iraq.” It was this pledge to stop a war that neither Bush nor Kerry see an end to that permeated the program. Tour of Duty executive director Jeff Norman said that dissent should move to the level of resistance, whether it’s a platoon in Iraq refusing to drive poorly protected supply trucks or National Guardsmen protesting that they do not receive health insurance. Patricia Foulkrod introduced her 30-minute documentary, “The Ground Truth: The Human Cost of War,” which interviews maimed and wounded soldiers. Nearly each hospitalized soldier in the film complains of the disconnect, of the military’s refusal to ease them back into civilian life. Some National Guardsmen have lost their limbs and can no longer return to their former jobs, others are homeless, and 22 have committed suicide since returning to the U.S. What’s more, the documentary points out, 27 have committed suicide in Iraq, 1,100 are dead, 7,500 are maimed, disfigured by burns or psychologically impaired, and the death rate hovers at 20 fatalities daily. “The government tries to keep death out of the news,” Foulkrod stated. “There are no body counts, nor mention of the 30 to 40 military personnel wounded daily. We should be on the tarmac every day at Dover Air Force Base to greet the wounded.” Singer Michelle Shocked sang a ballad she wrote about a 21-year-old war widow with two infant daughters and, thank God, no son to give to the military. Comedian Ahmed Ahmed delivered a hilarious routine on what it is like to be a male Arab-American Muslim in the post-9/11 world. Information on the documentary is available at <www.thegroundtruth.org> and on Tour of Duty at <www.ustourofduty.org>. The Los Angeles programs were co-sponsored by CODEPINK and the Levantine Cultural Center. CAIR Celebrates First DecadeMore than 2,100 people turned out Oct. 9 in California’s largest banquet facility at the Anaheim Convention Center to mark the 10th anniversary of the Council on American-Islamic Relations/Southern California. Prof. David Cole of Georgetown University Law Center was keynote speaker for the event, the theme of which was “Restoring the American Dream.” Cole stressed the importance of challenging post-9/11 policies which unfairly target American Muslims with the PATRIOT Act, which permits ethnic profiling, preventive detention, and mistreatment of foreign nationals. State Attorney General Bill Lockyer, who co-wrote anti-hate crime legislation AJR 64, averred that any hate crimes against members of any faith community will not be tolerated. “As California’s top cop, I will not allow it,” he vowed. Other VIPs on hand included Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca, Orange County Sheriff Michael Corona, State Rep. Gary Miller (R-42), Anaheim Mayor Curt Pringle, Judge James Gray and State Assemblywoman Judy Chu. All Phone Sponsors Hate Messages
When the Progressive Alliance of Santa Monica College learned that All Phone Wholesale, located at 2919 Pico Blvd., a few blocks away from the campus, had racist signs plastered on its storefront, students decided to give All Phone notice that their neighborhood is a racist-free zone. All Phone is an outlet for Samsung products; its proprietor is Bunnie Meyer, who has filled her storefront with signs calling Palestinians and Muslims “rag head Arab pigs,” “a violent cult of freaks started by a pedophile, misogynist pig” and “scumbag cockroaches descended from the bowel movements of pigs.” On Sept. 28 students, members of Women In Black, Santa Monica Councilman and Mayor Pro Tem Kevin McKeown, and the president of SMC Associated Students met on campus and proceeded toward All Phone. Chanting “All Phone is All Hate” to the beat of a drum, individuals carried signs reading: “It Ain’t Funny Bunnie” and “Zero Tolerance to Racism.” When they reached Allphone, the students continued their chants while a woman inside (Bunnie?) locked the door and screamed at them. Students have launched a letter-writing campaign to Jeong Han Kim, president of Samsung Telecommunications, 1301 E. Lookout Dr., Richardson, TX 75982. They are asking Samsung to take action against an outlet that spreads racist messages. So far, a satisfactory response has not been received. As late as Oct. 8, the shades were pulled on All Phone’s storefront, but Meyer still was answering the phone at (310) 399-7500 by using her name as the speaker. Meyer told City Beat reporter Jennifer Hahn that she is just beginning her war against Palestinians and Islam. Her next goal is to strip the 501(c)(3) status from mosques in the U.S. SMC students say they will launch a boycott of Samsung products if the hate signs don’t come down. Councilman McKeown notified the Anti-Defamation League of All Phone’s hate signs. ADL associate director Tessa Hicks wrote to Meyer, asking her to take the community’s complaints seriously. As of Oct. 18, the window shades on All Phone’s storefront were up, and the hate signs as prominently displayed as ever. Gaza Protest at Israeli ConsulateAs the death toll mounted to 75 on Israel’s latest assault on Gaza, 10 local organizations called for an emergency protest Oct. 17 in front of the Israeli Consulate. Some 50 demonstrators carried signs stating: “Stop Use of U.S.-Supplied WMDs on Civilians,” “Allow Food, Water and Medicine into Jabaliya Camp” and “Stop Terror Against Palestinians in Gaza.” Among the speakers were Dr. Yael Korin and Elana Golden, who had returned days earlier from Palestine, where they had frequently joined Machsom Watch, an Israeli women’s organization that monitors Israeli treatment of Palestinians at checkpoints. Dr. Korin, the daughter of Holocaust survivors, said she doesn’t want anyone to do to another people what was done to her parents. Speaking into the microphone in a louder voice, she shouted, “My audience is that counterdemonstration across the street. I am speaking to you and I demand that you wake up.” Kan Zaman Marks 10th Year
For the past decade the Southern California ensemble Kan Zaman has performed classical and folkloric Arabic music under the baton of Wael Kakish. At its summer concert and 10th anniversary performance, a special soloist was Musa Nasser, who played a medley of Jordanian folk songs on the bagpipe. The audience stood and cheered as Nasser, wearing a white galabiyeh and red and white keffiyeh, moved back and forth across the stage while the pipes shrilled familiar tunes in an eerie fashion. Although most people aren’t aware of it, bagpipes originated in Mesopotamia, and were played in the Balkans long before Celts in the British Isles adopted the wind instrument. Nasser, who is Kan Zaman’s oud player, said he runs five miles daily to keep his lungs in condition to play the bagpipe, and must practice every day to master the unusual instrument. There are only two other Arab bagpipers in the region, and Nasser said he took up the instrument because he wanted to surprise his son and play the bagpipes at his wedding. Nasser studied intently for six months, learning to transform natural notes into quarter-tone notes for the Arab scale. After he underwent an emergency appendectomy, the surgeon told him there was no way he could play the bagpipes for the impending wedding. The stubborn musician, however, did surprise his physician son, Musa Jr., and has been performing ever since. Another star performer at the summer concert in Barnsdall Park was Michael Kamel, who sang Abdel Halim Hafiz’ signature song, “Kamel al-Awsaaf.” He again charmed the audience at Pasadena’s Lake Avenue Church with “Yalli T’ibna Sneen.” More information about the ensemble can be obtained at <kzaman@kanzaman.org>. AFSC Hosts Palestine Program”Introducing Palestine” was the title of a Sept. 18 mini-concert, art exhibition and slide presentation at the American Friends Service Committee in Pasadena. After three members of the Kan Zaman Arab folkloric ensemble opened the program, Lisa Volta and Soo Mi Kil were introduced as curators of the “Introducing Palestine” exhibition. Volta, who spent August and September of 2003 in Palestine, said she accessed the Internet to locate 20 artists throughout the world who have created works about the struggle and culture of the Palestinians. “I believe the struggles endured by the Palestinian people are a very raw example of the human struggle against oppression, where money, military and power occupy and destroy land, homes and ordinary people,” stated the Philadelphia-based artist. “Our intention in this exhibit,” she explained, “was to bring artists from different walks of life, from different countries, with different levels of understanding concerning the situation in Palestine, together to share their stories with each other and with the public.” Two large rooms at the AFSC establishment displayed more than 40 photos, prints, collages, mixed media works and a conceptual sculpture. A favorite piece was Volta’s artistic interpretation of a nine-stanza poem, entitled “Fifty Years On,” by Lisa Suhair Majaj. The Palestinian poet was born in Iowa, grew up in Jordan, attended university in Lebanon and resides in Cyprus. Volta used enamel, marker, ink and acrylic to write the poem on window shades of various widths and lengths. Another Volta creation was a striking collection of photos of women’s backs covered with hennaed designs. Her models were women from Philadelphia who sat for up to five hours as she applied images to their backs. After each sitting, the women’s backs were covered with gauze overnight, then a second application was made. The designs on each back were from Volta’s memories of Palestine: a long-haired woman; a demolished house; a horse; and Hebron. The evening ended with a slide presentation of Shady Hakim’s July 26 to Aug. 7 trip to Palestine with the Fellowship of Reconciliation Interfaith Peace Builders. Images of the apartheid wall and the devastating effect it is casting on Palestinian society dominated his talk. He showed slides of Hebron and how settlers have all but made the Palestinian market in the Old City a deserted area because of physical attacks and trash thrown into the shopping area. Hakim’s slides of Sam Bahour’s modern shopping center, which is thriving and prosperous in al-Bireh, added a note of optimism to the otherwise devastating presentation. Pat and Samir Twair are free-lance journalists based in Los Angeles. |
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