Councilman Rips Vigils (again)

It’s uncommon for Ann Arbor City Council members to respond to speaker input during the public commentary portion of their meetings, but Fifth Ward representative Chuck Warpehoski did just that this past Monday. Vigil supporters B and M publicly questioned why Mr. Warpehoski – who is director of the Interfaith Council for Peace and Justice (ICPJ) – has not taken up his own organization’s call for “Arms Divestment and Cessation of U.S. Military Aid to Israel”, now that he holds public office. B specifically asked Mr. Warpehoski why he made the campaign promise “that he will not be voting for any resolution critical of Israel”?

In his response Warpehoski completed his campaign phrase: that he will not support any resolution critical of Israel “while harassment of the Beth Israel Congregation in Ann Arbor continues.”

So let’s get this straight: Mr. Warpehoski is granting Jewish Witnesses for Peace and Friends (JWPF) the power to determine the course that he will follow as an elected official. Is he offering to support his own organization’s resolution if we end our Beth Israel vigils? What else is he prepared to do based on the actions of JWPF?

And – a broader question here – if he and ICPJ determined on their own to support an end of US military aid to Israel, why on earth would such a peace group condition that promise on anything? If calling on the US government to divest from a ruthless and violent country – one that continuously rains devastation on a largely unarmed civilian population – is the right thing to do, why make the spurious link to the actions of another group who wish the same outcome? JWPF has always supported boycotts, divestment, and sanctions against such aggression.

Who is Mr. Warpehoski beholden to, and what is he getting in return? This affair highlights a process by which American politicians are molded and coerced by supporters of a foreign power to override their oath to support the US Constitution.

Protest AIPAC

The American-Israel Public Affairs Committee is one of the major groups that molds and coerces our national leaders to support – against the interests of their own country – this foreign power. And their Michigan branch is meeting this Monday in nearby Southfield. Our Taxi Squad is growing in numbers and we ask readers to consider joining in. See below for details and you there.

Comments?

Seven Vigilers
End Jewish Supremacism
Henry Herskovitz
Jewish Witnesses for Peace and Friends
#

When– 5:45 PM this Monday, January 28th:

What — A small Palestine rights and anti-Israel vigil outside a major AIPAC event, to be held at Shaarey Zedek synagogue.

Where — The vigil will be at the Northwestern Highway entrance to Shaarey Zedek — see map below. The formal address of the place is 27375 Bell Road, Southfield, MI 48034.
Parking – Available on Kenwyck Drive, two blocks north of Eleven Mile Road off Bell Road.

Why– Shaarey Zedek says that “Our synagogue partners with AIPAC, America’s pro-Israel lobby…”, on its Web site at http://www.shaareyzedek.org/resources/index.html

You can see AIPAC’s announcement of its own big event inside, at http://www.aipac.org/en/resources/events/event-details?eventid=%7BC8F7C18B-8853-4AE0-8326-2EDD0A56B12E%7D , which says:

————————————

“Congregation Shaarey Zedek & AIPAC cordially invite you to

“The 2013 Michigan Winter Event

“On the Battlefield: Israel’s Legacy of Morality

“Featuring Colonel Richard Kemp, Former Commander, British Troops in Afghanistan

“Monday, January 28, 2013
“6:00 p.m . – Leadership Cocktail & Hors D’oeuvres Reception
“(The leadership reception is exclusively for Club Members who have generously
contributed a minimum of $1,500 to AIPAC’s 2013 annual campaign.)

“7:00 p.m. – Community Program & Dessert Reception