Titus North for Congress

(Forward: This essay is intended to make the case that Hamas, as imperfect as it may be, is erroneously and unjustly vilified, and that this vilification helps to make possible the current genocide against the people of Gaza. It also provides information from mainstream news sources which demonstrate that since winning elections three years ago, Hamas has actually acted with more restraint and been more reasonable that either the U.S. or Israeli governments.)

The case for Hamas

Dozens of legal scholars have signed a letter condemning the Israeli attack on Gaza. It is important and welcome; however, at the same time in reinforces certain misconceptions and double standards. The full text of the letter can be seen below or at the Times On-line website. I want to dissect this letter to show how short it falls of reality and justice. Let me sum up the letter's main points:

- The Hamas rockets do not entitle Israel to invoke self defense because of their "scale and effect."

Immediately: The United States government must immediately send the U.S. Agency for International Development directly into Gaza. The Americans would be unarmed but would supply massive amounts of food and medicine for immediate relief and could finance and direct long-term reconstruction. If the Israelis want to keep their border with Gaza sealed, they could do so, but there should be no toleration of Israeli control over Gaza's coastline or airspace.

I know this article has a provocative title, but Israel has fallen into the moral abyss and has taken our Congress with it. This is no time for niceties. People were being killed even as Mike Doyle joined with virtually the entire U.S. Congress in affirming Israel's right to use countless billions of dollars worth of armaments Congress has given them to defend themselves against the homemade weapons of the victims of their ethnic cleansing project. No matter that the use of these weapons is a violation of not just international law but U.S. laws as well.

Those of us in the United States and certain other parts of the world are at a major disadvantage as we struggle to halt the Israeli assault on Gaza: namely, that there is a massive body of misperceptions and double standards that make it possible for Israeli officials to get away with bald-faced lies while providing obstacles to those of us who are pushing for a reality-based solution to the crisis. Pursuing a rational line of argument without feeding into the misperceptions can be like tiptoeing through a minefield.

A solution to the crisis in Gaza that the United States government could implement immediately if it wanted to would be so send the U.S. Agency for International Development directly into Gaza. The Americans would be unarmed but would supply massive amounts of food and medicine for immediate relief and could finance and direct long-term reconstruction. If the Israeli's want to keep their border with Gaza sealed, they could do so, but there should be no toleration of Israeli control over Gaza's coastline or airspace.

Israeli Attack on Gaza must be condemned.

The gradual process of ethnic cleansing in the occupied Palestinian territories is accelerating, and with it so is the moral culpability of the Israeli state and the supporters of Israeli policy in the United States. More and more people from the mainstream of Israeli politics are voicing alarm.

Hello everyone,
We have been hearing reports about voters who intended to vote for Titus but did not know how to switch their vote from Mike Doyle to Titus after having pressed the "Democrat" button on the straight ticket section of the first screen. If this happened to anyone you know or if you had any other problems voting please let us know. We will be making a report to Mark Wolocek of the Allegheny County Election Division. Our email address is votenorth@yahoo.com. Thank you.