Free Gaza Movement: "This project is more like a military campaign than a typical voyage"
The Free Palestine Movement may be down to zero boats, according to this baffling whine appearing on their website:
June 20, 2011
"Nothing is so sure as uncertainty.
In the last month or so, several attempts by our partners in the International Committee to Break the Siege of Gaza to purchase a ship have failed, and so we are still officially without one. However, the funding is still very much available, and so they are not giving up, and say that they will continue trying until the actual departure date.
Not the projected departure date, mind you. Past experience tells us that the actual date has a tendency to recede. And while we may have no way of knowing how far off it might be, the best counsel seems to be to try to remain flexible. Although we are nonviolent, this project is more like a military campaign than a typical voyage, and needs to always have contingency plans.
When we bought air tickets for our delegation, we failed in this regard, because those tickets commit us to a specific time. However, we did so on the basis of the best information we had at the time, and we believe it was necessary to demonstrate our good faith and serious intentions to our delegation.
We will continue our best efforts to get our delegation on the Flotilla, and will not abandon our effort until it actually sails. However, we will not unnecessarily send them to their embarkation point until there is good reason to do so.
The best thing we can do, therefore, is to try to remain as ready as we can, to make sure that our information and preparations are current, and to keep our options open. If we need to change the air tickets, we will probably wait until the last minute, because that is when we are most likely to have the best information about any revision in the sailing date.
We thank you for your patience, understanding and support."
The FPM Team
I suppose this is what happens when a team of anarchists, communists and aging stoners try and organize anything.
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ReplyDeleteIn April, the ISM said they had 2 large boats, and were expecting a a minimum of thirty and possibly twice that number of activists. Now they are down to 5.
ReplyDeleteor perhaps that's what happens when governments around the world realized after the Mavi Marmara incident that there were only really two things that were prevented from coming in to Gaza: weapons of mass destruction and jihadists. (OK, well, let's add anarchists, communists and aging stoners but nobody gives a shit about them). So the purpose of "breaking" the nonexistent "siege" (it is a naval blockade, something very different-- Leningrad was a siege. Sarajevo was a siege)is clearly to bring in one of those two types of cargo. Even Turkey realizes that this is not in the interests of any type of "peace".
ReplyDeleteThe full passenger list on the US boat to Gaza is Nic Abramson, Johnny Barber, Medea Benjamin, Greta Berlin, Hagit Borer, Regina Carey, Gale Courey Toensing, Erin DeRamus, Linda Durham, Debra Ellis, Hedy Epstein, Steve Fake, Ridgely Fuller, Megan Horan,Kathy Kelly, Kit Kittredge, Libor Koznar, Melissa Lane, G. Kaleo Larson, Richard Levy, Richard Lopez, Ken Mayers, Ray McGovern, Gail Miller, Carol Murry, Robert Naiman, Henry Norr, Ann Petter, Gabe Schivone, Kathy Sheetz, Max Suchan, Brad Taylor, Len Tsou, Alice Walker, Paki Wieland, Ann Wright
ReplyDeleteFrom the Bay area: Henry Norr (ISM), Kathy Sheetz- airhead married to Steve Greaves, also airhead) and Regina Carey, would -be Marin politican and political activist- any others?
Such a pity Robert from Emeryville (‘Odd Job Bob’?) ain’t on board.
ReplyDeleteThe other passengers would get so sick of him they’d jump overboard of their own volition.
Conversationally, he’s a walking disaster.
Dull as a plank.
I know this.