Israel/Palestine
Related: About this forumSeattle City Councilmember Kshama Sawant writes Obama, condemning attack on Gaza
http://jewishsound.org/seattle-city-councilmember-kshama-sawants-letter-to-the-president/
King_David
(14,851 posts)Scootaloo
(25,699 posts)She's a member of Socialist Alternative, and was a major pusher for the increase of Seattle's minimum wage.
oberliner
(58,724 posts)I know making foreign policy statements is among their top priorities.
kjones
(1,053 posts)but if you're going to make a deal about it, what exactly are your
foreign policy credentials?
Then again, I'm not someone to make a deal of that.
oberliner
(58,724 posts)I just think it's odd that the Seattle City Council is taking this up and wondering if they do that with respect to other international conflicts.
kjones
(1,053 posts)It's hard to believe, but even politicians are people. No, serious!
But for serious, serious, it makes sense for people to share there
opinions. Probably, many other people have written similar letters,
op-eds, etc. Higher chance of it to be heard though, it you are
"somebody."
Nobody can speak out about everything, so I kind of see whether
they speak out on other international conflicts to be irrelevant in
the context of this letter. Even if it's the only time they've done so,
I usually judge things by their own merit. In this case, I don't see
anything in the letter objectionable.
oberliner
(58,724 posts)I'd be curious to know what response is received, if any.
kjones
(1,053 posts)but it's not about getting a response (well, unless it's a
figurative "response"...meaning action)
It's about sending a message.
Ken Burch
(50,254 posts)Local governments everywhere have spoken out, for decades, on issues such as apartheid, the Contra War, the nuclear arms race, the Vietnam War, the exploitation of workers and municipal investment in companies that engage in it, and as many other international issues as you can think of.
Nothing new here, and I'm surprised you haven't heard of this.
Ken Burch
(50,254 posts)You don't just deal with your own back yard. You remember that you're part of the world.
How is that a bad thing?
Dems to Win
(2,161 posts)The Bernie Sanders of a new generation, unafraid of the S-word (socialism).
A powerful voice for worker rights and a livable minimum wage. I was thrilled when she won her seat on the council.
Sawant's been a guest on Thom Hartmann's show a couple of times. She's good people.
Jefferson23
(30,099 posts)Councilmember Kshama Sawant shared a link.
August 6 · Edited
TONIGHT 7:30PM - Ron Dermer, Israel's Ambassador to the US, responds to my open letter to Obama condemning the violence in Gaza. I go live at 8pm to discuss the need for elected officials to take a stand and publicly speak out against this humanitarian crisis.
Live stream at http://player.liquidcompass.net/KIROFM
Councilmember Kshama Sawant shared a link.
August 7
Today, the Seattle chapter of Jewish Voice for Peace wrote to Seattle City Councilmembers asking them to join me in calling on Obama and Congress to issue a formal statement denouncing Israels siege and blockade of Gaza, along with the occupation of the West Bank, and calling for an end to all U.S. government military aid for Israel.
I am very grateful for their activism, and for taking this courageous moral stand against violence. This shows that people who care about social justice can stand together against it, regardless of ethnicity, race, creed and culture.
Letter of Support from Jewish Voice for Peace
sawant.seattle.gov
As the Seattle chapter of Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP), we want to express support for Councilmember Sawants letter calling on Obama and Congress to condemn both Israels ongoing collective punishment of the people of Gaza and
https://www.facebook.com/cmkshama