Get the Facts Newsletter, September 2005
Volume 1, Issue 7
I have just returned from an eight-day fact-finding trip to Israel, Palestine, and Jordan.
I visited the West Bank, Jerusalem, and Ramallah as part of a study mission by influential Seattleites and religious leaders representing the Israel Policy Forum, St. Mark's Cathedral (of which I'm a member), and Temple De Hirsch Sinai. Among them were
Senior Rabbi Daniel Weiner,
The Very Reverend Robert V. Taylor, and
Seymour D. Reich, one of America's most prominent Jewish leaders and the new president of the Israel Policy Forum.
When we were there, the Gaza Strip disengagement had just finished, and I wanted to see firsthand what impact that event was having. My overall impression was that it had gone well and that the majority of the Israeli people were more optimistic than before about the future -- that is, unless Ariel Sharon loses his party's upcoming vote of confidence and power returns to Benjamin "never again" Netanyahu. That outcome could bring the peace process to a screeching halt.
My trip to Jordan was more eventful. I hate to tell you this, but I left feeling more pessimistic about the situation in Iraq than when I'd arrived. Here are a few insights I gained in conversations with Jordanians and Iraqi refugees:
- Over and over I was asked to explain why the U.S. invaded Iraq. They simply do not believe the WMD/al-Qaeda/spread-democracy explanations. Many of them instead believe that the neoconservatives in the U.S. are actually employing a divide-and-conquer strategy to weaken strong Arab nations. (See the News of Note section for more on this opinion.)
- They disagree with the prevailing wisdom that the insurgency in Iraq is coming mainly from outside the country. "Where do you think the Iraq Army went when they all got laid off after the invasion?" they said. "They went underground."
- They predict that eventually the Sunni and the Shi'a will come together as Arabs and fight against the Persians because ethnic animosity in the region goes back hundreds of years longer than Sunni vs. Shi'a vs. Kurd.
In sum, the Jordanians and Arab leaders I met left me with the impression that the Middle East situation is infinitely more complicated than anyone in the press is reporting and that the United States simply doesn't know where it's going with its Mideast policies. I plan to write more about my visit in the near future once the most urgent work on Hurricane Katrina relief is done (see the News of Note for more on Katrina). So please be sure to
visit my Web site in the coming weeks. I will also add photos, such as this one of
me with Israeli Minister of Housing Isaac Herzog.
Sincerely,
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NEWS ITEMS OF NOTE
-- Hurricane Katrina: Working on Long-Term Solutions
-- The Triumph of Neoconservatives in Iraq
EYE ON HUMAN RIGHTS
-- This Month's Focus: Burma
WEB SITES I LIKE
-- League of Women Voters of Seattle
-- King County Elections
BOOKS I'M READING
-- Jihad: The Rise of Militant Islam in Central Asia
-- Next Year in Jerusalem
-- Haiku Handbook
TAKE ACTION:
-- Join the American Values Team
-- Make a Donation
FEEDBACK
Your feedback on the issues -- and this newsletter -- is very important to me. Send your thoughts to: emailsignup@mcdermottforcongress.com
On September 8, 2005, I introduced two pieces of legislation related to the impact and aftermath of Hurricane Katrina: The Emergency Action for Vulnerable Children Act and The Gas Stamps Act of 2005.
Skyrocketing energy prices in the wake of Hurricane Katrina have affected every American, and people least able to cope, whether they live in Louisiana, Washington, or Illinois, need relief until the market stabilizes.
In addition, as many as 10,000 foster children in the hurricane-damaged region need help. With each passing hour come new stories of injured and missing parents or parents who don't have adequate medical care and can't take care of their children. The current child welfare program is not designed to handle this crisis. As a result many of the children affected by the hurricane may fall through the cracks or not get adequate or timely services.
To address these critical issues, I am using my role as the ranking member on the Human Resources Subcommittee to pass legislation right now to help prevent an already horrific disaster from becoming worse.
• Read about the bills I've introduced
• Watch or read my speech to Congress
• Continue to support the efforts of the Red Cross
THE TRIUMPH OF NEOCONSERVATIVES IN IRAQ
Abbas J. Ali, a professor in the management department at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, contributed a fascinating editorial to the Jordan Times in early August. He argues that neoconservatives' desire to invade Iraq began in the 1970s and that their goals for the Middle East are decidedly not stability and democracy. Rather, he says, they have always planned to destabilize Iraq. He writes, "From the beginning, the neoconservatives viewed the invasion of Iraq either as a staging ground for their perpetual war or securing its instability."
• Read the full article
Burma, nestled between Thailand, China, Laos, and Bangladesh, might not be the first country you think of when you think of human rights abusers. But, in fact, its people are suffering under a vicious government that seeks out and punishes citizens who speak out against it. The country's best-known prisoner of conscience is pro-democracy leader and 1991 Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been repeatedly placed under house arrest or in prison since 1989. In fact, she turned 60 years old on June 19 while still locked up in her own home.
In an editorial for the U.K.'s Observer Magazine, writer Nick Mathiason calls on the West not to forget about Burma. He also provides a startling look at the country today: "… no country has a greater number of child soldiers -- nearly 70,000 of them -- as a proportion of its population. Then there are the displaced people: 1 million living in refugee camps. And the little matter of opium: Burma is the world's second largest producer."
• Read the full article
• Read the BBC's profile of Aung San Suu Kyi
• Find news updates about Burma
• Take action
Here are just a couple of the Web sites I rely on to get the facts.
• League of Women Voters of Seattle (Don't forget to vote on September 20!): http://seattle.wa.lwv.org/
• King County Elections: http://www.metrokc.gov/elections/
Jihad: The Rise of Militant Islam in Central Asia
By Ahmed Rashid (Penguin Books; 2003)
This book is an absolute must-read. It's one of the few books I've read cover to cover lately. The author is an investigative journalist who's been covering hot spots like Pakistan and Afghanistan for two decades. In Jihad, he explores militant Islamic fundamentalism in the 'Stan-lands (e.g., Kazakhstan) that border Afghanistan and offers ideas for reducing the threat of violence in this troubled region.
• Get more details
Next Year in Jerusalem: Everyday Life in a Divided Land
By Daphna Golan-Agnon (New Press; 2005)
I met the author of this book -- a formidable human rights activist -- during my recent trip to Israel. In this memoir, she describes growing up in a right-wing Israeli home and working to achieve peace. That means she often says aloud things that some Israelis don't want to hear -- namely that Israel's occupation of Palestine is destroying her country.
• Get more details
Haiku Handbook: How to Write, Share, and Teach Haiku
By William J. Higginson (Kodansha International; 1992)
To paraphrase Jack Nicholson: All work and no play makes Jim a dull congressman. So, alongside the usual thought-provoking books in my carry-on luggage, I try to keep something fun for those long flights between Washington, D.C., and Seattle. This entertaining little book about how to write haiku has been a good creative outlet for those duller moments at 35,000 feet.
• Get more details
• Join the American Values Team
• Make a donation
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Revision date: March 11, 2006
