AUGUST 2004

'UnConventional'
- by Ian Reed -
(on the U.S. political party conventions, 2004)


Wearing a moderate smile, the Democrats
Besieging Boston claim the higher ground.
Fellow Republicans, not far behind,
Oppress New York, wearing a moderate frown.

America, complacently couch-fed,
Nursing a cancer in her fatted breast,
Sits numbed before the television set
To worship idols preened at Power's behest.

Right of assembly, meant for all the land,
Is guarded for the favored and the few,
So First Amendment advocates are barred[1]
And all dissent hidden from public view.

True patriots are labelled terrorists,
Murder upheld by propagandist art.
The prosecutors, penalizing thought,
With feigned Justice shackle the human heart.

Curtailed with cameras, closely monitored,
Miles from the forums where false prophets preach,
Menaced with dogs and modern weaponry,
They chain protestors, calling it free speech.

[1]      The First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution reads: " Congress
shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting
the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the
press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the
government for a redress of grievances."

Ian Reed ©- July 25, 2004

'Skerry'
(on the the Democratic National Convention, Boston, July 2004)
- by Ian Reed -


In preface to his missive on Galatians,
Martin Luther in 1531
Said of the Anabaptists and the Papists
That though they look in opposite directions
And outwardly profess to be great foes,
They think, teach, and defend one and the same,
As foxes tied together by the tails.

So too, Republicans and Democrats.
These were the words of Kerry: "I will wage
This war. We'll add more troops, provide them with
The newest weapons and technology,
And we'll deploy our military might
Here on our shores, for every town and city's
Homeland security." Likewise said Edwards:

"You cannot run. You cannot hide. Through strength
And courage we will win this war, protect
Our freedoms in Iraq, and we shall make
Our military stronger to defeat
Each enemy in this new world. We will
Maintain the image of America,
Of freedom, human rights, democracy."

No thirst for peace, no prospect of debate,
No mention of deplete uranium,
Of ballot-rigging, torture, false internment,
Nor of the PATRIOT Act nor media lies,
Israel's barbarity, nor Haiti's rape.
Though delegates cried loud at every phrase,
They could have served George Bush such empty praise.


Ian Reed ©- July August, 2004

'Poetic Injustice', a collection of poems about the U.S.
Invasion of Iraq, is at http://www.ReedandWrite.com

MURDER MISSED BY OUR MEDIA

Two weeks ago an American father and son were murdered in their home at 3 AM in front of the mother and two siblings in Gaza by Israeli Defense Forces, (IDF).  You're right. You didn't hear about it; they were not terrorists, agitators or militia.  They were simply an American family trying to improve life under the world's most brutal ongoing occupation. The reason for the media blackout will become apparent later in this article.  We became aware of it July 8th when the following e-mail from a source in Palestine dropped into our inbox: 

"In a press conference for the sorrowing mother and her daughter and son, the mother said that when she called the American embassy, they told her that her family's name is not listed in their files as residents in the West Bank. The woman then told them that could not be true because during the Gulf War, the embassy called them and offered help in leaving the territories, or providing masks against gas, in case they do not want to leave the West Bank.

The woman said 'How come we were American citizens then, and we are not American citizens now?'"

Dr. Salah and his son were murdered July 6, 2004.

This e-mail represented our first indication Americans had been murdered in Palestine. The 'not listed' issue is irrelevant and scary. If the US Embassy somehow lost track of US Citizens in a war zone kind of makes you wonder how many of us they lose track of regularly. Rather incompetent of our country, don't you think? However, the Salahs identified themselves as American citizens before being shot and with a son studying in America, the excuse shows its transparency. Further investigation led to scant details. Over the following days we scanned the US media trying to find a mention. We found nothing.  As usual, the foreign press covered the story.  The American press ignored it. Murdered Americans are news everywhere but America.

The writer of the above e-mail is the neighbor of the slain American citizens living in the West Bank, Dr. Khaled Salah, 54and his son Mohammed Salah, 16.  Dr. Salah and his wife Salam are the parents of four:  Diana, 23, Mohammed and Ali, 11 and their oldest son currently attends college in Boston, working on his degree in electrical engineering. An American citizen, Dr. Salah received his PhD from UC Davis.

Choosing to return to Palestine where he could do the most good, Dr. Salah established the Department of Electrical Engineering at An-Najah University in Nablus.  The University put out the following statement, "An-Najah National University condemns the killing of its Professor, Prof. Khalid Salah, of the Faculty of Engineering, early this morning. He was 54 years old. His sixteen-year old son, Muhammad, was also killed. Prof. Khalid Salah was killed in cold blood by the Israeli Occupation Forces in his flat where he lived with his family. Both were left bleeding for four hours until they died. Medical teams were not allowed to offer their urgent first aid to them. Prof. Khalid Salah was born in 1950 and started his work at the university in 1979. Prof. Khalid Salah was an American citizen. He was awarded his PhD in the Electrical Engineering from California University (Davis) in 1985. He received his MSc in Electronic Engineering from Wales in the United Kingdom in 1980."

Two weeks after the incident, this gut-wrenching article detailing the murder of Dr. Salah and his son appeared Ha'aretz Daily, the Israeli newspaper:

Continue: http://www.couplescompany.com/Features/Politics/2004/DeathofAmerican.htm/excerpt

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