[adcom] (More responses to our endorsement) Fwd: CONCERNS

Mon Jun 19 23:44:10 EDT 2006

Let's hope this is the trend. One person showing up is worth more  
than two email resignations of those who weren't active to begin with.

- Colby

On Jun 19, 2006, at 11:39 PM, david rolde wrote:

> I'll write more about this on Wednesday - I have to
> get some sleep now and then am busy all day tomorrow.
> But for now I would like to tell you all what happened
> at the Boston/JP GRP meeting on Sunday  night.  A new
> person came to the meeting, and when we asked him what
> brought him to the meeting,  he said that he came to
> the meeting to consider getting involved in GRP
> because he received an email from us reporting our
> endorsement of the pro-Palestinian protest.
>
> - David
>
> --- Ron Francis <ronwf777 at yahoo.com> wrote:
>
>> On supporting fundamental human rights of
>> Palestinians:
>>
>>   There is no conclusive evidence that we are losing
>> numbers because of our Palestine position.  Who
>> knows how many people now support us because of our
>> clear position.  We can't let a few random
>> pro-aparthied folks scare us into thinking that we
>> are losing support.
>>
>>   Also we are not in this to win a popularity
>> contest.  If we are principled then we need to take
>> positions consistent with our core values regardless
>> of public opinion.
>>
>>   ron
>>
>> "Colby E. Peterson" <saphron at verizon.net> wrote:
>>   I have argued that our statement would be a PR
>> problem from its
>> inception. (I expressed concerns and did not step
>> aside when we made
>> the decision.)
>>
>> Unfortunately for me as Communications Director, I
>> have to deal with
>> the consequences of the fact that our opinion of a
>> one-state solution
>> in that region is very unpopular to vast majority. I
>> would say that
>> this is due to lack of education on the subject, but
>> most people
>> believe that Israel and the Palestinian territories
>> should not be
>> disassembled or converted into a single country
>> called Palestine.
>>
>> Additionally, we continue to not say enough about
>> the violence that
>> the Palestinians are directly responsible for, which
>> is often
>> misconstrued or justified on our side as
>> "self-defense." Many Green-
>> Rainbows do not see a distinction between
>> "resistance violence" and
>> terrorism. Violence is violence to most Greens and
>> we are supposed to
>> be explicitly non-violent.
>>
>> I'm not interested in getting into a shouting match
>> or argument with
>> ANYONE on this right now, so please do not try to
>> convince me that I
>> am somehow a racist or uneducated on this subject-
>> frankly, I don't
>> even have time to be typing this right now. So
>> please just understand
>> that people are upset about our endorsement.
>> Everytime we do
>> something based on the Israel-Palestinian conflict,
>> we lose members.
>> If we are to keep up the rhetoric, we better start
>> educating people
>> on what is happening over there, or else I will be
>> reposting more
>> negative messages like the ones we've received.
>>
>> Peace,
>> Colby
>>
>>
>> On Jun 19, 2006, at 1:50 PM, Owen Broadhurst wrote:
>>
>>> The GRP has never supported terrorism. I do not
>> yet quite
>>> understand, and
>>> doubt that I shall ever comprehend, how deploring
>> apartheid equates to
>>> support for terrorism.
>>>
>>> OB
>>>
>>>
>>> On 6/19/06, Colby E. Peterson wrote:
>>>>
>>>> Yet another negative response to our endorsement.
>>>>
>>>> - Colby
>>>>
>>>> Begin forwarded message:
>>>>
>>>>> From: Tennis Lilly
>>>>> Date: June 19, 2006 12:23:46 PM EDT
>>>>> To: saphron at verizon.net
>>>>> Subject: CONCERNS
>>>>>
>>>>> I have been following the debate over the
>> protests
>>>>> against Israel. I am deeply concerned that our
>>>>> endorsement appears to support the New England
>>>>> Committee to Defend Palestine
>> (www.onepalestine.org)
>>>>>
>>>>> Do we really want to align ourselves with such
>> an
>>>>> organization? This isn't the first time I have
>> brought
>>>>> this issue up to GRP leadership. I honestly
>> believe
>>>>> that we (Greens, the left in general) have a
>> real
>>>>> problem recognizing the anti-semitism in our
>> midst.
>>>>>
>>>>> How can we follow the 10 Key Values while
>> supporting
>>>>> terrorism against innocent people? If terrorism
>> is
>>>>> wrong its ALWAYS wrong for EVERYONE. If
>> innocent
>>>>> civilians are not legitimate targets in war
>> then they
>>>>> are NEVER legitimate targets ANYWHERE by
>> ANYONE.
>>>>>
>>>>> I would like someone to clarify exactly what
>> the GRP
>>>>> position is on the Palestinian/Israeli
>> conflict?
>>>>>
>>>>> ~~~\|/~~~~~\|/~~~~~~~~~\|/~~~~~\|/~~~
>>>>> Tennis W. Lilly
>>>>> Lawrence Conservation Commission
>>>>> Lawrence, MA
>>>>> (508) 451-2967
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> -- 
>>> Owen R. Broadhurst
>>> Candidate for State Representative
>>> Third Hampden District
>>> http://www.owenbroadhurst.org
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> AdCom mailing list
>>> AdCom at green-rainbow.org
>>>
>> http://www.green-rainbow.org/mailman/listinfo/adcom
>>> To email Administration Committee members:
>> adcom.members AT green-
>>> rainbow DOT org
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> AdCom mailing list
>> AdCom at green-rainbow.org
>> http://www.green-rainbow.org/mailman/listinfo/adcom
>> To email Administration Committee members:
>> adcom.members AT green-rainbow DOT org
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> AdCom mailing list
>> AdCom at green-rainbow.org
>> http://www.green-rainbow.org/mailman/listinfo/adcom
>> To email Administration Committee members:
>> adcom.members AT green-rainbow DOT org
>>
>
>
> __________________________________________________
> Do You Yahoo!?
> Tired of spam?  Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around
> http://mail.yahoo.com
> _______________________________________________
> AdCom mailing list
> AdCom at green-rainbow.org
> http://www.green-rainbow.org/mailman/listinfo/adcom
> To email Administration Committee members: adcom.members AT green- 
> rainbow DOT org