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ISRAEL'S IRON HEEL

It began when Harry Truman was in the White House. It has continued under every U.S. President since, and in this extended report we lay out the consequences of 60 years of brutal Israeli occupation of Palestinian land. Feroze Sidhwa details the human price of systematic, intentional destruction of the Palestinian social and economic fabric: physical and mental deterioration, traumatized youth, a savaged environment. Nancy Glass and Reem Salahi describe the Kafka-esque conditions in which Palestinian lawyers try to defend their people in Israel's courts. Get your copy today by subscribing online or calling 1-800-840-3683 Contributions to CounterPunch are tax-deductible. Click here to make a donation. If you find our site useful please: Subscribe Now! CounterPunch books and gear make great holiday presents.

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"Imperial Crusades: a Diary of Three Wars" by Cockburn and St. Clair

Welcome to the Revolution

By DONNA J. VOLATILE

You may not like the gift wrapping but the contents are what you wrote on your wish list: End the War, Bring the Troops Home Now, No War For Oil, or for Israel, Do Not Attack Iran, Restore The Constitution and The Rule of Law, No to The Patriot, Homeland Security, Military Commissions Acts and No to The Homegrown Terrorism Act, No To Torture, Rendition and Illegal Military Prisons and there's even some extras that most of us wouldn't mind seeing like putting an end to the Illegal Federal Reserve and doing away with the illegal personal income tax on wages.

That all of these goodies happen to be the essence of Congressman Ron Paul's, Republican Presidential candidate from Texas, campaign platform is surely a shock to any leftist's/progressive's system.

Ah be careful what you wish for, you just might get it...

The only question is will you accept this gift?

Perhaps the wrapping paper isn't right, perhaps there are some extra things in the box that don't fit your political criteria but hey, it's the thought that counts, isn't it?

Even Dennis Kucinich seems to think so, there is so much buzz in cyberspace about the possibility of a Dennis Kucinich/Ron Paul ticket, it is stunning. Dennis has even raised the prospect himself as has his wife Elisabeth. Who ever thought we'd see the day?!

There is a larger point to be made here and perhaps the most important one and that is there isn't a whole lot of difference between the wants, needs and desires of the anti-war traditional conservatives and the anti-war leftists and progressives. We just all need to get over ourselves. If Dennis Kucinich would consider Ron Paul as a running mate isn't it time for the anti-war movement to dig a little deeper to see what is going on here?...

(I have always supported Dennis Kucinich, whenever possible but after the 2004 Convention and his failure to stand up at the Convention against the war and support the peace activists who were hauled off the convention floor, with their anti-war signs, and given his inability to run a strong campaign, I can no longer back him. I do respect his positions on many issues.)

A few activists like myself have crossed over to support Ron Paul but far too many others have not. Far too many from the left, far too many progressives and liberals and far too many anti-war activists have not.

We have so much in common but many on the left ridicule Ron Paul and his supporters. They are so stuck in their positions, they do not see the monumental things we have in common.

For many on the left it is Ron Paul's stance on abortion, or his stance on health care and the list goes on...

But as we face another election year and perhaps the most critical and important election year, I ask what cause can be more important than the cause of PEACE? Without it, we have no chance at all.

For years, since the Bush regime stole power, we have all been looking for a Peace Candidate and now we have one.

The democrats have been co-opted and fail us at every turn. The third party has been decimated, largely due to the democrats in 2004 and their fear mongering tactic of "vote democrat or else". And here we are again, facing another Presidential election at the most critical time of our country's history and indeed the world and what have we to choose from? The same damn pot that calls the kettle black and they all want the same thing, they all have the same agenda and we are left with voting for the lesser of evils or not voting at all. Is anyone really going to fall for this routine again?...

But what if all of the disenfranchised people got together, pulled their forces, their energy and supported a true candidate for Peace? Would Peace not then be possible?

Are we to forever be held back by issues, such as abortion or even National Health Care, an issue that never gets delivered in the first place (we are no closer now than we were way back when) ? These issues are by design. Abortion keeps us divided. National Health care lends us false hope.

This is no ordinary election year. This is our last real chance to try and get our country back on track and to prevent a third world war. Will any of us risk losing this chance over our own personal issues versus the common purpose and the Universal good?

We need to start somewhere and Ron Paul is a good place to start.

For me, supporting and voting for Ron Paul is the most 'radical' thing I have ever done in my political life. It is something I do with comfort and good conscience. I support peace and I can only vote for a candidate who wants to stop this war and prevent a larger war from happening.

Ron Paul has a tremendous groundswell of grassroots support, people from all walks of life, people from all over our country, giving of their time, their money, their hearts and their energy to support this man. I have never seen nor experienced anything like this in my life!

I encourage leftists, progressives and the anti-war movement to check Ron Paul out for yourselves, Google him, watch his YouTube videos, listen to what he has to say and how he says it.

Ron Paul is the Peace candidate we've all been looking for. He answers to the people, not corporate or political lobbies.

Perhaps the Ron Paul Revolution is best defined in his own words: He is honored to be a part of our revolution.

I appeal to all of you to consider this. To think about it, process it, digest it, meditate on it do whatever but above all find the higher meaning.

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Yes, Antiwar Movement, There is a Santa Claus

Welcome to the Revolution