I emailed Noam Chomsky for advice...
I emailed Noam Chomsky for advice, and this is what he said to me. I'm sure he wouldn't mind me sharing his advice with everyone...
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From: Noam Chomsky
Reply-To: Noam Chomsky
To: "me"
Date: Jul 22, 2006 12:21 AM
Subject: Re: Where to get reasonable news about Israel/Palestine/Lebanon
Deluged with mail about this topic, so have to be very brief.
I'm very pleased to learn of your interest in becoming involved in these matters. The US is participating crucially in hideous war crimes, and the only way to stop it is from within.
What can we do? Anything we want. That's the great advantage of living in a free country. In much of the world there isn't a lot that one can do without severe punishment. We have a legacy of freedom and privilege, won by hard struggle over centuries, which gives us enormous opportunity, unparalleled in history in fact.
You're quite right that we have to begin by informing ourselves. The sources you mention have very valuable information, however caught up they may be in doctrinal orthodoxies. Take Ha'aretz. Readers of the English language edition would know that hysteria in the West about captured soldiers is pure, cynical farce. The US-UK-media-etc. think that even kidnapping of civilians -- a far more serious crime -- is perfectly fine, as long as it is done by us or our clients. Ha'aretz provided the definitive proof, when it reported that the day before the capture of Cpl. Shalit, which set off the current wave of violence, Israel kidnapped two civilians in Gaza -- again, a far more serious crime. That has to be suppressed in the Western mainstream, because it gives the game away. But it's possible to find out, even from major journals like Ha'aretz, and from the "alternative" (that is, independent) media. Like Democracy Now! on radio.
But informing ourselves, and discovering that the US-Israel (and their allies) are engaged in monstrous war crimes without credible pretext is just the beginning, and not worth much until it leads to action. That means "spreading the word," and finding organizations to which you can contribute and participate in. I don't know where you are, but they are all over. Small, but they can become larger and more effective.
There's never been a magic key, whatever the cause. Just hard work, easier for us than I suppose anyone on the planet or in history.
Noam Chomsky
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From: Noam Chomsky
Reply-To: Noam Chomsky
To: "me"
Date: Jul 22, 2006 12:21 AM
Subject: Re: Where to get reasonable news about Israel/Palestine/Lebanon
Deluged with mail about this topic, so have to be very brief.
I'm very pleased to learn of your interest in becoming involved in these matters. The US is participating crucially in hideous war crimes, and the only way to stop it is from within.
What can we do? Anything we want. That's the great advantage of living in a free country. In much of the world there isn't a lot that one can do without severe punishment. We have a legacy of freedom and privilege, won by hard struggle over centuries, which gives us enormous opportunity, unparalleled in history in fact.
You're quite right that we have to begin by informing ourselves. The sources you mention have very valuable information, however caught up they may be in doctrinal orthodoxies. Take Ha'aretz. Readers of the English language edition would know that hysteria in the West about captured soldiers is pure, cynical farce. The US-UK-media-etc. think that even kidnapping of civilians -- a far more serious crime -- is perfectly fine, as long as it is done by us or our clients. Ha'aretz provided the definitive proof, when it reported that the day before the capture of Cpl. Shalit, which set off the current wave of violence, Israel kidnapped two civilians in Gaza -- again, a far more serious crime. That has to be suppressed in the Western mainstream, because it gives the game away. But it's possible to find out, even from major journals like Ha'aretz, and from the "alternative" (that is, independent) media. Like Democracy Now! on radio.
But informing ourselves, and discovering that the US-Israel (and their allies) are engaged in monstrous war crimes without credible pretext is just the beginning, and not worth much until it leads to action. That means "spreading the word," and finding organizations to which you can contribute and participate in. I don't know where you are, but they are all over. Small, but they can become larger and more effective.
There's never been a magic key, whatever the cause. Just hard work, easier for us than I suppose anyone on the planet or in history.
Noam Chomsky
posted by Laurelle St. Laurent at 11:03 a.m.
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