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May 1, 2004, CBS Channel Five
television sent a reporter to Israel with Arnold Schwarzenegger, the
Governor of California. This was the first diplomatic trip for the
governor since he took office. He went there to mark the opening of the
Museum of Tolerance, in Tel Aviv on Sunday, the 2nd of May.
The governor said: "Since
I've come here, the first time to Israel, I've had all this great luck
with the people being exceptionally nice, and taking me around the
country, educating me-and so every one of the trips was always very
good."
The Governor announced that
business deals between California companies and 5 Israeli firms would
create 800 new jobs, most of them in Silicon Valley.
The Governor then concluded:
"Like President Reagan many times said. 'America is the shining city
on a hill.' I say California is the golden dream by the sea, just like
Israel. So bring your business here! Thank you very much."
This was just a small news story
on the late Saturday night news in San Francisco, but the ramifications
for both what the governor said, and what he did not see or do, should
have wide ranging ramifications far beyond himself and the Golden State of
California.
The event that he and his wife
are there to participate in will mark a Museum of Tolerance, in a City and
a State that do not practice tolerance at all when it comes to any other
people on this planet. And this subtlety seems to have escaped notice by
any and all those gathered there to dedicate this new shrine.
Just as Schwarzenegger's
sightseeing tours no doubt did not include the occupied camps, the
disputed territories, or have much to do with their other brand new shrine
to themselves which is the now infamous Wall of Separation, that is still
under construction. Going there might have been a bit awkward, given that
the wall stands for exactly the opposite sentiment from this new piece of
spin; The Museum of Tolerance.
How could these two diametrically
opposed shrines be accepted by the world as being of equal value, or
indeed any value, to the continued existence of such a hostile state for
all the rest of us, with whom the Israeli's must share this world? This
dichotomy sums up the futility of the whole idea beneath the very
existence of the state of Israel.
Israel was created by United
Nations Resolution 194 (III) of December 11, 1948. Since that time there
have been disputes between all the peoples on that land that have held the
world in their agonizing grip, by the sheer weight of their mutual
determination to find workable solutions to this continuing problem.
www.ramallahonline.com/
Tolerance and representation are
two of the most intractable parts of what allows any nation to survive.
Yet Arnold and his wife, went to Israel as official delegates from the
State of California, the most populous state in the union, to condone both
the opening to one shrine and to confirm by their absence, the validity of
The Wall. Maybe he should have had his staff look further into this,
before he chose to represent the public of cullyfornia as he calls us. The
32 plus million of us who live here might not want to be represented by
him in this way: especially not for 800 new jobs that we should not have
lost in the first place.
The State of Israel is unlike any
other nation in the world today, and because of that she cannot be treated
in the normal way. Much of this however has been directly due to her
behavior towards those she displaced after the UN adopted Resolution 194
(III), back in 1948. While this has never been a one-sided issue, until
GWB became dictator, it has always required special treatment because the
UN document sought to displace a settled people to make room for the
Israeli state. Now so many wars later, and still there's no solution but
only deeper and deeper immersions into hate, and vengeance and
retribution-all round.
www.palestinemonitor.org/
Bush has tried to change the
equation by ignoring all humanitarian considerations of the Palestinians,
and simply ordering them to accept a blanket answer to the problem written
by Sharon and his ultra-right wing thugs. The Wall has been approved by
Washington and rejected by the Arab world. And into this comes Arnold, the
Celebrity Political export direct from sunny cullifonia, to smile and bow
and skip the blood, the death, and the tyranny upon that much disputed
ground.
Beaming into the camera Arnie
could have been a poster boy for 1954, except for all the history of both
his family, and his very strong support for Jewish causes throughout his
adult life. As an individual he can cheer and celebrate to his heart's
content, but as the Governor of California, he is supposed to represent
the people of this state. When Tolerance and Representation are used in
something as twisted as this photo-op, then this needs to be discussed
well beyond the cutting of ribbons and an exchange of a few hundred jobs.
http://www.aljazeerah.info/
Israel is an outlaw state within
the community of nations, and she is a nuclear power, as well as a major
player in the Middle East. What Israel does and does not do, matters
greatly, just as what we do and do not do to aid that country (nearly $3
trillion of our money so far), matters; especially now.
http://www.albawaba.com/
The Governor of California should
not have gone off in the middle of the night to do this. He's an amateur
when it comes to politics, but he's surrounded by hundreds of seasoned
veterans who know how to spin a moment well. And that's what happened
here. California is a huge state and there are a lot more people here than
just the entertainment giants, and the Empire moguls. The vast majority of
the people of this state may not be nearly as enamored of Israel, and what
might 'make their day' as is Arnold Schwarzenegger. It will be
interesting to see whether there will be an outcry from Californians upon
his return, or whether the cullifornians will only cheer him on to greater
heights.
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