Revving up the Taxi Squad

Readers may remember our vigil report of December 15 in which we reported the upcoming Michigan AIPAC meeting* in nearby Southfield, and may be wondering why no protest was being planned. Well, as they used to say, the buck stops here, and this writer, after receiving no support from any other activist group, decided to drop the plan.

Bad decision, according to 73-year-old vigiler F, who informed all that he was planning to protest the Lobby, which is presently stealing the US government’s foreign policy decisions from “We the People”, by himself.

Part of the perceived problem of this particular protest lies in the physical location of this fortress, aka Shaary Zedek synagogue. Though it’s peaked roof is visible from a nearby expressway, the place is situated on two small, low-trafficked streets. Not an ideal location for a public protest.

Still, Vigiler F feels that this criminal theft of his government should not go unanswered, and that – as Paul Eisen puts it – even one person is a vigil. Would Jews in the 1930’s permit a meeting of the German-American Bund to proceed without a protest? We think not.

So, embarrassed into revving up the taxi squad, we can report the commitment of five, dedicated and fully peace-trained protesters to travel the 40 miles to this “house of warship”, and shine the light of truth – however small – on the most powerful lobbying group which has ever invaded and occupied the US Congress. Please join us: Our protest will run from 5:45 – 7:15 pm on Monday, January 28 at 27375 Bell Road, Southfield, Michigan.

Comments?

Nine vigilers
We are anti-“Israel”; are you?
Henry Herskovitz
Jewish Witnesses for Peace and Friends

* http://www.aipac.org/resources/events/event-details?eventid={C8F7C18B-8853-4AE0-8326-2EDD0A56B12E}

The 2013 Michigan Winter Event

– text from AIPAC’s invitation:

Congregation SHAAREY ZEDEK and AIPAC CorDIALLY INVITE YOU TO

THE 2013 MICHIGAN WINTER EVENT
On the Battlefield: Israel’s Legacy of Morality
FEATURED SPEAKER:
Col. Richard Kemp
Former Commander,
British Troops in Afghanistan

Monday, January 28, 2013
6:00 pm – Leadership Reception*
*The reception is exclusively for Club Members who have generously contributed a minimum of $1,500 to AIPAC’s 2013 annual campaign.

7:00 pm – Community Program & Dessert Reception

Congregation Shaarey Zedek
27375 Bell Road
Southfield, MI

ADVANCE RESERVATIONS REQUESTED
To RSVP please contact
Brittany Cohen at (312) 253-8968 or bcohen@aipac.org.

Please respond by January 21.

The event is free and open to the community.
Dietary Laws Observed.

About Colonel Richard Kemp

Colonel Richard Kemp has been actively involved in fighting terrorists around the globe for 35 years. He was Commander of all British Forces in Afghanistan with responsibility for counter insurgency operations, disarmament and reintegration programs, development and training of the Afghan national security forces, reconstruction and defense diplomacy. He set up a joint counter terrorist operation with U.S., Canadian and Afghan forces that achieved major operational success against Al Qaida terrorists in Kabul.

He spent the last five years of his three decade military career at the UK Cabinet Office in Whitehall. He was a member of the Cobra national crisis management committee and chairman of the Cobra Intelligence Group. He was an active member of the groundbreaking UK-U.S. Joint International Security Strategy Group. He headed the Joint Intelligence Committee’s international and domestic terrorism team and the Iraq politics and security team, responsible for UK national intelligence assessments. He made many fact-finding trips to Iraq, and in 2005 worked in Baghdad, Fallujah and northern Iraq on intelligence and counter terrorism for the US Ambassador.

Previously Colonel Kemp completed a total of 14 active duty tours as a military commander in Northern Ireland and in many global hotspots. Working alongside U.S. forces, he took part in the liberation of Kuwait in 1991. He commanded British troops in the United Nations Protection Force in Bosnia and was counter terrorism adviser to the Macedonian government. He was made Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for his work on the July 2005 London bombings and in Iraq; Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for intelligence work in Northern Ireland; and was awarded the Queen’s Commendation for Bravery for his action during the Bosnia conflict.
Colonel Kemp is Special Adviser on international terrorism to the House of Commons Home Affairs Select Committee, a commentator in the national and international print and broadcast media on defense and security, and author of “Attack State Red”, a best-selling book about the conflict in Afghanistan.

With Colonel Kemp’s years of service has come a unique understanding of the critical decisions military leaders must make during times of war including decisions of life and death, of morality, humanity and ethics. An example of this is when in 2009, Colonel Kemp carefully studied Israel’s actions in Gaza – a defensive operation following years of unrelenting Hamas rocket and mortar attacks on Israeli civilians. When he heard that former Judge Richard Goldstone was conducting an investigation into Israel’s operation on behalf of the United Nations Human Rights Council, Colonel Kemp immediately offered up his findings and valuable analysis. Judge Goldstone declined the offer. A few months later, the Human Rights Council was holding an emergency session to discuss Judge Goldstone’s findings – also known as the Goldstone Report. Given that it was an open session, Colonel Kemp was able to present his unbiased analysis. He has sought to provide objective, expert commentary and analysis on that subject as well as more widely on Israel’s security including conflict with Hizballah and the Gaza “flotilla” incident.