Evelyn Garcia for Florida House District 88
We’ve done several posts about Evelyn Garcia, the Florida politician who had the guts to speak up for Palestinian rights but then had to resign from the Democratic National Committee when her emails were made public. Garcia is now running for statewide office. She sent along the following statement about her situation last night.
As was accurately reported in the Palm Beach Post on July 3rd, 2012, within a few hours of the publication of excerpts from my private, year old, email correspondence with Lauren Londner and Dan Liftman by Bizpac Review, the elected Party leadership accepted my resignation from the Democratic National Committee post to which I was elected in 2008. I resigned to distance the controversy from my candidacy for Florida’s State House District 88 seat as well as from the elected Democratic Party leadership and my friends and colleagues who had nothing to do with my emails. I will continue working hard to win the race for State House Dist 88 on 8/14/12.
In the meanwhile, some questions have been raised by my supporters in addition to those that come to mind. Why did Lauren Londner and/or Dan Liftman wait one year to release these private emails to members of an unelected Palm Beach County political action group? And, were whoever performed the deed directed or authorized to release private emails to the media–Bizpac Review? Was it Diana Demarest, former Palm Beach County Democratic Party Secretary or another member or surrogate of “the PAC”? What was their intended purpose? Was it to spur a debate about U.S. policy in the Middle East? Did they not anticipate the barrage of hate mail and threats I’ve been receiving from places as far away from Palm Beach County as Oklahoma? And, who are “they” anyway and what do “they” stand for? Did this unelected so-called leadership demonstrative sound leadership in contributing to tactics which appear to be pathetic attempts to silence or crush an opposing point of view? Don’t our loyalty and patriotism belong first to our country–the United States of America? Or, did they really intend a conversation among the wider electorate of the extent to which U.S. taxpayers are subsidizing an illegal occupation by Israel? And, who says it’s an occupation and illegal? Well, let me count the ways: numerous United Nations resolutions, J Street, Jewish Voice for Peace, the Presbyterian Church, CodePink, religious and political leaders and public opinion worldwide. And what I did was to express my views in private to a friend as it is my right to do under constitutionally protected free speech. Likewise, the hate-mail authors also have their right to free speech and I respect their courage in expressing their point of view. But I will not tolerate further threats to me and my family.
I hold this unelected political action leadership fully responsible for unleashing the barrage of hateful and dangerous threats against me from what I hope is a very small group of extremists. Who do they think they are fooling by accusing me of anti-Semitism? I believe they and the entire world know that criticism of U.S. foreign policy vis a vis Israel is NOT anti-Semitic and saying so doesn’t make it so. It just means that some extremists will intimidate and persecute anyone who doesn’t follow the company line. While they tried to punish me for my views, I think in so doing they have presented an opportunity for discussion on the issue in question, namely: how much longer will U.S. taxpayers subsidize the illegal, immoral occupation of Palestinian territories? How about conducting a discussion on that topic instead of persecuting one messenger? Don’t Palestinians deserve their homeland too? After conducting guerrilla warfare and with United Nations votes of nations worldwide, including The Republic of Haiti, Israelis established their homeland some 60 years ago.
The Jewish State of Israel is a legitimate, sovereign nation that I have long admired for its self-determination and generosity to others, including the recent victims of the Haiti earthquake. Haitians and Israelis have have excellent foreign relations ever since Haiti voted for Israeli statehood some 60 years ago. Personally, I’ve fought anti-Semitism starting in my high school sorority many decades ago and have never stopped championing freedom, human rights, civil rights, and the right to self-determination. I intend, in whatever role or position I may hold in the future, to remain true to these principles.
Happy Independence Day to all.
Sincerely, Evelyn Garcia
thank you Evelyn.
I resigned to distance the controversy from my candidacy for Florida’s State House District 88 seat
i think it is unlikely there will be any distancing between this issue and your candidacy and therefore my opinion is you should not have resigned. but, that isn’t as important as the conversation and the opportunity to discuss ‘the controversy’ in your district.
while it may appear that israel/palestine isn’t that important to your district compared with other local issues that could be said about seats all across the country. furthermore, the democratic party should represent democrats not just democrats who support apartheid. there are many lifelong democrats who do not support the settlements, like the president who started out very firm on this issue and has since turned silent. it is the upcoming election forcing that silence. so we have to be the voice, not party officials who pretend to speak for every democrat.
How about conducting a discussion on that topic instead of persecuting one messenger?
yes! there’s a real opportunity here to debate this issue in your district and although you may get hate mail..you may also find supporters from unlikely places.
http://www.evelyngarciacampaign.com/
Hey, Nice Work guys, on getting Ms. Garcia on MW. Feel empowered, Evelyn – you will have a strong wind of support behind you if you choose to take on this issue, and these clowns attacking you.
Evelyn – threats against you and your family are not protected free speech. You should report every single threat to the FBI.
Go Evelyn!
While this may seem like a bad time at the moment, I have a feeling that the timing of this could be very much the making of you and the breaking of the Zionist’s stranglehold of debate over the Israel / Palestine conflict.
Above all, I applaud you standing behind your convictions and for what’s right.
If only all politicians were this conscientious.
The UN is taking a new look at the settlements.
By Agence France-Presse
Saturday, July 7, 2012 9:31 EDT
The UN Human Rights Council has set up a panel to probe Jewish settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories, a move that further irked Israel which said it will bar its access to the sites of inquiry.
Israel severed contacts with the council in March after the 47-member body announced it would investigate the settlements, which are considered illegal under international law, and is blaming the UNHRC for “singling out” Israel.
The council is pressing ahead with the mission, with the appointment on Friday of three independent experts.
“Allow me to reiterate the council’s request to Israel … not to obstruct the process of investigation and to cooperate fully with the mission,” said UNHRC president Laura Dupuy Lasserre.
The all-female panel is tasked with carrying out a fact-finding mission “to investigate the implications of the settlements on the civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights of the Palestinian people in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem,” said Lassere.
The panel is chaired by Christine Chanet of France and includes Unity Dow of Botswana and Asma Jahangir from Pakistan.
“Each has a long track record of impartial, independent, and objective human rights work of the highest calibre,” Lasserre said.
Israel’s foreign ministry reacted with anger to the mission’s establishment, calling it “another blatant expression of the singling out of Israel in the UNHRC and of the uncandid approach that characterizes the Council’s dealing with Israel.”
The ministry said on Friday that the “disproportionate focus” the UNHRC puts on Israel, while ignoring human rights violations elsewhere, “leads to the contempt and degradation of the important cause of universal human rights.”
“In times when (Syrian) president (Bashar al-)Assad’s regime massacres thousands of its own people, the UNHRC only dedicates it symbolic time … while turning its resources to obsessively focus on Israel,” the foreign ministry said.
The statement pledged that the mission “will find no cooperation in Israel, and its members will not be allowed to enter Israel and the (Palestinian) territories.”
According to the special UN rapporteur for human rights in the occupied territories, Richard Falk, at least 3,500 buildings were under construction in the West Bank in 2011, not including Israeli settlements in annexed east Jerusalem.
Falk said on Monday that such building on Palestinian land “more or less closes the book on the reality and feasibility” of a two-state solution to the conflict.
Peace talks between the Israelis and Palestinians have been on hold since September 2010, with the Palestinians refusing to resume the discussions without a moratorium on settlement building.
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/07/07/un-rights-body-to-probe-israel-settlements/