Tasini: Our Political Leaders Are Responsible for the Deaths in Qana >

[Stephanie]

Jonathan Tasini is running for the U.S. Senate from the State of New York. He is challenging Hillary Clinton in the primary. This is from Kos:

Our Political Leaders Are Responsible for the Deaths in Qana
by Jonathan Tasini
Mon Jul 31, 2006 at 08:23:10 AM PDT

Let's get one thing straight: the killing of dozens of children in Qana was an inevitable result of an aggressive aerial bombing campaign. Last week, I tried to warn our political leaders that our country could not stand by idly as Israel launched a massive attack that was sure to cause heavy civilian casualties. I was one of the few candidates for political office who called for an immediate ceasefire and condemned the violence on both sides: the firing of missiles by Hezbollah and the dropping of bombs by Israel. Instead of calling for restraint or a ceasefire, however, my opponent, Hillary Clinton, tried to Swift-boat me, dispatching her political operatives to lie about what I had said.

In a sense, I understand why my opponent has to try to silence the truth. She, and a broad segment of our political leadership, bear responsibility for the deaths of these children. They gave cover for what many rank-and-file Israeli citizens (and some Israeli politicians) are now calling a moral and military debacle. The Bush Administration stood by while a large part of infrastructure of Lebanon was reduced to rubble. Rather than call for restraint, Hillary Clinton stopped just short of declaring "let the bombs fall" with a one-sided statement that only helped fan the flames of violence.

So, I am not backing down. I am repeating what I said before: we must end the violence. Our country must reverse its one-side policy in the Middle East and push aggressively for a strong, independent, economically viable Palestinian state existing along side a strong, independent, economically vibrant Israel. It is the only solution that will bring peace to the civilians who now live in fear of death raining down from above.

I remind people that my father was a proud fighter in the Israeli underground in 1948 and fought for its founding. Half my family lives in Israel. Indeed, a cousin of mine was killed in 1973 war and my step-grandfather was murdered by a Palestinian, for the simple reason he was a Jew. I know what it is like to sit in a bomb shelter or touch the body of a person killed by war. Has Hillary Clinton or other so-called "friends of Israel," who have cheered for armed conflict and death and destruction, ever spent one night in fear from war or sobbing in sorrow because of the death of a loved one in war? For them, it is all about political calculations, pandering and votes.

<more at link>

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/7/31/112310/082

www.tasinifornewyork.org

[Stephanie]

1. Is any other candidate speaking out like this?

.

[readmoreoften]

2. That's my senator. Good luck Jon!

Senator Tasini, Senator Tasini... visualize and the miracle might come.

One can always hope...

[Stephanie]

3. He's at 13%, but 88% don't know who he is.

Once they learn, watch out. Lamont was at 13% when he started out too. Tasini just got on the ballot. Spread the word.

[readmoreoften]

4. Can I get a T-shirt?

/nt