great pic! thanks!

Great photo!
that really does capture the excitement and the hope of every young person I have spoke with today while doing my part for MLK day of sevice.
Thanks Steve

As hit by a strong earthquake... entire neighborhoods
flattened... this is how the BBC describes the worst hit areas in
the Gaza strip after the Israeli offensive. And some people still
believe that they were strictly targeting Hamas fighters?

Shimon Peres borrowed the fancy metaphor: "the topography of
peace" from the 1990`s academic jargon during the Oslo-
process; but it was soon replaced by the fatal contrasting
metaphor: "the infrastructure of terror".

"Crushing the infrastructure of terror"... No words can say more
than this image of destruction in pure form.

The expressed goal of several Israeli high officials,
spokespersons and pundits, endlessly repeated on CNN, BBC
and al Jazeera during the last years, has been exactly that: to
destroy the infrastructure of terror. Which, translated to warfare
means that everything and everybody within a defined area is a
legitimate target. It may also be characterized as a total war
within a defined area against an absolute enemy.

By defining "the infrastructure of terror" as the target, the
concept of "collateral damage" - which principally accompanies
the pursue of a militarily defined target - suddenly lose its
significance, since buildings, vehicles, roads, trees, human
beings, animals, water, earth, air... in short absolutely
everything can be interpreted as potential or actual parts of the
infrastructure of terror.

The only considerations with regards to such old fashioned
concepts as "innocent civilians", consist in asking how far they
can go and still get away with it.

Israel has for decades possessed the suitable tool for such a
target, the nuclear bomb. Restricted by practical circumstances
and the possible reactions from the outside world, they have
not used it yet. Time will tell if the metaphor actually is a
preparation for bigger things. We will know when they start to
connect the metaphor to more distant enemies, like Iran.

Some children in Gaza were shot in the face at close range by IDF, per reports from Egyptian doctors.

There will be blow back. There will be blood after blood after blood.

I am amazed at how my two young nieces (7 + 5)are seemingly knowledgable, "interested" and excited in learning and watching about a new president taking office.

The O man has lit a match under the younger generation and who knows where all this will lead -- maybe prayerfully better economic policy, better foreign relations, better race relations, more hope for the future as starters. . .wow, such a difference in people's outlook as the inauguration approaches! Can it last?

Someone sent this music around last evening. Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSIy0wq_-8A

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ujzKk_4WBsE

Pauline,

In case nobody else noticed, at the concert on Sunday, Pete Seeger shouted out all the original verses of "This Land is My Land" that are seldom heard any more.

See this: http://www.truthout.org/011909R

That photo does "say it all"