Demolishing homes in the Empire, from New Orleans to Gaza: Rachel Corrie knew that ‘We Reap What We

http://www.chycho.com/?q=Rachel_Corrie

“On 16 March 2003 in Rafah, occupied Gaza, 23-year-old American peace activist Rachel Corrie from Olympia, Washington, was murdered by an Israeli bulldozer driver. Rachel was in Gaza opposing the bulldozing of a Palestinian home as a volunteer with the International Solidarity Movement.”

This was a pivotal moment for many around the world. It proved once and for all that there are brave and selfless Americans who are willing to sacrifice their lives to undo what has been done. Israel has been allowed to destroy Palestinian homes and enslave a populace due to the $3 trillion of American taxpayer money that has been given to them over the years by the United States government. In Rachel Corrie and her families sacrifice, the world understood that the American people who have unwittingly been the force behind the brutalization of the Palestinian people must be distinguished from their government. It is their money that is being used to create the most barbaric Apartheid State the world has ever known, but it is not their will.

Why did Rachel Corrie sacrifice her body to help those she barely knew? Because she understood that “We Reap What We Sow”. She knew that if she did not try to prevent the homes of others from being destroyed then one day her home, the home of those she loved, or the homes of her nieghbours would be threatened by the same powers.

Like a prophet divining the future Rachel’s fears have come true. On November 21 Amnesty International USA put out the following press release, “Human Rights Organizations Call for Immediate Halt to Pending Demolition of 3,000 Units of New Orleans Public Housing”:

“More than 40 human rights organizations today decried the scheduled demolition of 3,000 public housing units in New Orleans. The groups have issued a letter to U.S. Representative Maxine Waters, urging her continued leadership on behalf of public housing residents by finalizing dates for nationwide congressional hearings. The letter, part of a national campaign for passage of the Gulf Coast Housing Recovery Act, was also sent to Louisiana Senator David Vitter and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Alphonso Jackson.

“‘To demolish affordable housing without sufficient remaining low-income housing stock is not only irresponsible, but a violation of international human rights standards,’ said Jared Feuer, southern regional director of Amnesty International USA.

“In their letter, the organizations note the bleak situation facing public housing across the nation, most prominently represented by the imminent demolition of 3,000 public housing units in New Orleans despite conflicting expert findings that the units are sound. In preparation for demolition, contractors have begun emptying apartments and discarding the personal property of residents without their knowledge or consent, including photographs, letters and social security cards.

“‘Every moment we fail to act is another unit demolished, another grandmother evicted, or another child who finds him or herself doing homework in a shelter. Our nation and human rights principles have long recognized the right to housing, and we call on our public leaders to take on this potent issue,’ said Catherine Albisa, executive director of the National Economic & Social Rights Initiative (NESRI).

“According to international human rights standards, governments must provide specific safeguards with respect to housing for those who have been internally displaced by disasters such as Hurricane Katrina. The United Nations Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement mandate that host governments facilitate the voluntary return of the displaced to their homes or places of habitual residence in safety and with dignity.”

For decades Palestinians have watched their homes be destroyed and they, like no other, will know what the residents of New Orleans must be going through. This atrocity that is taking place in New Orleans has been the norm in Palestine for decades. Unfortunately for the residents of this city, those demolishing Palestine homes have decided to work closer at home, brutalizing their own citizens. The question is, will the American people be able to prevent this cycle of destruction from continuing? Many in the world hope so, because if it can be stopped at its source, then maybe it can be stopped at its distributaries.

It is in compassionate human beings like Rachel Corrie that all hope rests. It is she that we must look to for inspiration and guidance. Even though she is no longer physically with us, in her short honored presence in this reality she has shown us more about life and love, democracy and humanity, and how to prevent oppression then most of our so-called leaders combined.

If you wish to help the people of New Orleans see: www.justiceforneworleans.org

To help those in Palestine see: Rabbis for Human Rights or Free Palestine or canpalnet or the organization that Rachel Corrie was working with, International Solidarity Movement.

The following is a documentary, presented in three parts, on the life of Rachel Corrie:

http://www.chycho.com/?q=Rachel_Corrie