Letters to the Editor, November 27, 2004

DEDICATION TO PATRICK NEWTON

1957-2004

It is with great sadness that Canada Palestine Association brings you the news that Pat Newton passed away early this morning in his sleep. Pat had fought a difficult battle with brain cancer for the last nine months. Pat personified the meaning of international solidarity, and supported the struggle of the Palestinian people for the last 20 years. He was the secretary of the Canada Palestine Association and a founding member of the Voice of Palestine www.voiceofpalestine.ca. He was the technical operator for the Voice of Palestine radio show for the entire 17 years it has been on the air. Pat was also active in the trade union movement, and was a shop steward with CUPE Local 15 at Vancouver City Hall for many years.

His memory is an inspiration to all those who value global justice and a better world.

The November 26th film night organized by Canada Palestine Association will be dedicated to the memory of Pat Newton. www.cpavancouver.org

Hanna Kawas

Ukrainian election

Dear Editor,

I'm responding to the article: Ukrainian Election Dispute (Al-Jazeerah, November 24, 2004):

Ukrainian Election Dispute: A New US-Russian Cold War Operation

I would like to remind the readers of the following points. Yushenko had a small lead over Yanukovich after the first round. The socialists and nationalists went over to Yushenko, while a much smaller contingent of communists went over to Yanukovich.

The opinion polls prior to the election had Yushenko in the lead by 8 to 11%. The exit polls showed that Yushenko had defeated Yanukovich.

Surprise! The Electoral Commission (largely appointed by Kuchma/ Yanukovich) declares Yanukovich to be the winner.

One doesn't have to be a rocket scientist to see that there has been chicanery. The allegations of fraud will now have to be dealt with by the courts. We will have to wait and see how things play out.

My guess is that the courts will invalidate the result.

Peter Lewycky

Israeli Occupation Soldiers Arrested Two 15-Year Old Palestinian Girls Aseel Al-Hendi and Majd Al Kokhen, in Nablus

Hi,

I am sorry for my question, but, WHY are Palestinian children being held in prisons??!!

Children?!

Does everybody know this but me? I have always been on the side of the Palestinians, yet I did not even know this! What are the excuses given for this horror?

Thank you,

Suze

Editor: There's no reason for killing, injuring, or arresting people, including children, who are under military foreign occupation except the continuation of the occupation by any means.

When a nation allows itself to occupy another nation, it also allows its soldiers to commit crimes against a civilian population, without regard to age or sex. It's a human tragedy that is unfolding before the world on daily basis without provoking any reaction to stop it.

Israel Carves Up the Remains of Palestine

By Genevieve Cora Fraser

Non-Semite

Zionist Israel

Carves up

The remains

Of Palestine

Into bite-sized bits

Swallowing hard

Line rhetoric

As justification

For selfish

And bestial

Behavior

Non-Semite

Zionist Israel

Craves the remains

Of whatever

Was not taken

In their first

Assault

On the decency

And sanctity

Of non-Jewish life

Slaughtered

What was not

Them

The Goy

The Others

Were assailed

In their homes

In their shops

In their fields

In the streets

Of idyllic villages

Towns and cities

Hunted down

Raped and robbed

Massacred

To build

A better life

For themselves

Not content

To accept equality

Non-Semite

Zionist Israel

Thrust it’s sword

Down the throats

Of the Palestinian

People who had

Lived in Pre-Zionist

Palestine in peace

With Semite

And non-Semite

Jews

Christians

Muslims

With Jerusalem

As the Sacred

Symmetry

A Sanctuary

For the Many

Non-Semite

Zionist Israel

Sank its teeth

Into the tender

Moments

Of a pastoral

And scholastic

And sacred

Heritage

Claiming

All

In the name

Of messianic

Fervor

In the wait

For a savior

In the Holy Land

They condemned

Themselves

As liars

Thieves

Rogues

Forever

Hungering

Thirsting

Not for justice

But for all

Their eyes

Could see

There will

Never be

Peace

In hearts

Unquenchable

In desires

Unmitigated

Turmoil

Internal

Eternal

The living

Breathing Hell

Of the Zionist Quest

For Total Domination

And Control roils

And rumbles

Across Palestine

And Iraq

With an eye

To Syria, Iran

Anything Arabic

Or Islamic

In a never

Ending

Sea of pain

Remorseless

Destruction

Self-serving

Angst

With America

In tow

And bankrolling

The agenda

The eternal

Victim

Eternally

Victimizes