Colin Powell: War Criminal

Yesterday, August 15, 2006, Colin Powell came to Montreal, Canada at the invitation of the Jewish National Fund (JNF) to speak on the following subject: Building a Stronger Israel.

Many peaceful protesters came together to oppose this egregious event without incident. Despite the biased report in the National Post (http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/story.html?id=39837cfd-2330-494c-8fcd-2a3bf53d30cc), which tried to imply that protesters blocked traffic, the demonstration happened peacefully and with the protection, approval and coordination of the Montreal police force. The demonstration was organized by Palestinian and Jewish Unity (PAJU) (http://www.pajumontreal.org/), a group working to secure peace in the Middle East. Attached to this posting are some images of the event – images of people of all colours, races and religions. Notice that the people are well-dressed and of all ages. Never let the media convince you that protesters are not like you and I. I am a protester, I dress well, I have a top Ivy League education. Please make your voices heard at every opportunity.

The Jewish National Fund is a self-described charitable organization devoted to raising funds to build forests on desert land in Israel. In fact, the JNF raises funds to plant trees on destroyed Palestinian/Arab villages thus erasing the evidence of this ethnic cleansing. The president of the JNF is Ronald Lauder, who also heads up his mother’s Estee Lauder cosmetic empire. The JNF proudly declares that it was “created with the singular task of reclaiming the Land of Israel” and has “been instrumental in this process of realizing the Zionist dream.” (source: http://www.jnf.org/site/PageServer?pagename=workinisrael). Helping realize this Zionist dream is the former Secretary of State, Mr. Colin Powell.

In fact, this is not the first time that Colin Powell has invested his energies into raising money for the State of Israel, a state that has bulldozed Palestinian homes with people still inside of them.

http://www.eutopic.lautre.net/coordination/article.php3?id_article=635.

http://www.jnf.org/site/PageServer?pagename=workinisrael

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/4612560.stm

Since stepping down as Secretary of State with the Bush regime, Colin Powell has made a career out of raising money for Israel. Why? This is a key question because I don’t believe for a second that Colin Powell cares a damn about ordinary Jews. Colin Powell loves war – war is all he knows. He kills and he supports killing. He has done se in Korea, in Vietnam and in the Middle East. He brought false evidence to the UN trying to marginally more honest nations to invade Iraq. He works overtime to convince people that others should be terrorized and slaughtered to avenge the American people against ghost enemies. Where is this mysterious Osama bin Laden? Why doesn’t he devote himself to catching this supposed terrorist who no longer seems to interest the US administration as much as does the danger of ordinary civilians forced to defend themselves against expansionist invaders.

I wonder, however, if he has the time to raise funds for the poor people of the United States, including the poor white, black and Hispanic people left for dead in New Orleans after Katrina. Why is Colin Powell traveling the world to raise funds for Israel? Colin Powell is the most disgusting type of warmongerer – the kind who loves war for war’s sake. Powell made a huge show of stepping down from the Bush administration. Many assumed that he had been hesitant to back the Iraq war and had stepped down to avoid appearing complicit in future war crimes. Well, we know this is not true because Colin Powell has not hesitated to raise even more money for a state that already officially receives 3 billion dollars a year in US taxpayer money to wage war. Israel should not have invaded Lebanon. The Israeli army, the IDF, should not have slaughtered over 1000 Lebanese civilians, should not have injured thousands more and should not have forced over 1 million citizens to flee. And, Colin Powell should not endorse these horrific war crimes! What state has attacked either the US or Israel? Who has a right to self defense if not peoples whose homes have been bulldozed and whose families have been murdered by the fifth largest military in the world with the endorsement of the world’s largest military superpower? Who is David and who is Goliath in this scenario? Why should Palestinians and other Arabs sit silently and pray while guns are pointed at their heads and while Western nations rain money and praise down on the state of Israel? We are complicit in these war crimes and we must stand against them. We must not allow people to call us anti-Semites and claim that we oppose Jews or Judaism. We oppose this farce of a claim to self-defense when children are forced to throw stones at tanks and ah hoc militias are forced to take up arms to defend their homes and their people. Self-defense means that you are under attack! Self defense does not mean that you punish people for defending themselves against you!

If Colin Powell comes to your city to raise funds for the JNF, please make yourselves heard and protest his appearance actively. We must appeal to Colin Powell’s conscience as vigorously as war criminals appeal to his wallet.