U.S. Thwarts U.N. Demand for Gaza Cease Fire

Aren't you proud of your country when you find out that we're only one of two that refused to sign a treaty calling for a halt in production of cluster bombs, and when you hear that the U.S., effective tonight, stands in the way of a United Nations call for an immediate end to the Israeli ground, and air, assault of Gaza.

As the Associated Press reports, U.S. deputy ambassador Alejandro Wolff is cynical about the prospects of Hamas sticking to any agreement to stop the killing. In light of this, Wolff issued a statement saying that any cease fire "would not be adhered to and would have no underpinning for success, would not do credit to the council." Maybe so, but it would do a huge credit to the world community as indicated by the overwhelming support for an end to the violence from the 15 member nations present at the meeting.

But, we the solipstistic war merchants, the cannibals of international law, the vandals of history, progenitors of the Bush doctrine of preemption, a country in which 80% of its people believe in some kind of God, we think it a waste of time to condemn a mindset that justifies mass murder in the name of self-defense?

No one is sanctioning the rocket attacks by Hamas on southern Israel which continue even as I write, but to send ground forces into an area occupied by 1.5 million people, and to claim the lives of hundreds of civilians, as well as create the kind of upheaval last seen in Beirut in the name of protecting one's sovereignty, what kind of twisted logic is this? When we speak of so-called collateral damage, we must first ask---whose collateral, and what's damaged?

While some might argue that it's unsafe to send journalists into a war zone where their very survival is threatened, why have we heard so little, in the U.S., of the humanitarian crisis that has been taking place in Gaza for months now, and has been allowed to escalate to the point of explosion? Where is our concern for the stifling of information, and a preemptive war on dissent?
Clearly, the Bush doctrine involves only selective preemption, and information is this administration's largest casualty.

There are no good guys here. The politics of divide and conquer which has led to American-backed civil war in Latin America, Iraq, Pakistan, and now in Gaza, must end. America must get out of the business of state-sanctioned murder.

Neither Israel nor Hamas is innocent when even one civilian dies. Palestine has a right to exist as does Israel. Palestinians, who live within Israel, have as much a right to live freely, with dignity, and equal opportunity, and not to live as second class citizens.

All world leaders, the United Nations, men and women of conscience must come forward, call for an immediate cease fire, and for Israel to withdraw its troops from Gaza at once.