Palestinian Solidarity Protest in Portland

Because when others are oppressed, no one is free.

Portland, come out in numbers and show your solidarity with the people of Palestine! As Israel prepares for a ground invasion of Gaza, cities worldwide are demonstrating their outrage of Israeli war crimes against the besieged Palestinian people. Over the past few days, over 360 Palestinian people have been murdered by the Israeli Occupation Army.

Tuesday December 30, 2008 Gather at 4:30, Rally 5:00 pm
Where: Federal Building, Downtown Pdx, SW 3rd & Madison
Organized by: Americans United for Palestinian Human Rights, Portland Peaceful Response Coalition, and others.

Check out the link to this rally on Portland Indymedia.

For an ongoing report from the Occupied Palestinian Territories, please check out the International Middle East Media Center.



The US state-sanctioned occupation of the Palestinian people and land is virtually no different than the ongoing abuse a survivor of domestic violence faces in her home. Both these forms of oppression are based on the same values: domination and control. And they both happen by the hands of a more powerful entity -- whether a person or a nation-state.

If we hold the value that people deserve a life free from domestic and sexual violence, then it is a natural extension for us to work toward a global society where all people can live free of war and occupation.

Read this article of the Israeli bombing of a civilian population. "The Longest Night of My Life" could be story we hear on the Crisis Line...
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"Ah the remnants of sexism...Alive and well"

I have been feeling a little bit sorry for Hillary in the past few weeks. It seems like she has had her passion in the right place (though I am not sure that she's my candidate, I'm still undecided) and is running for President for the right reasons, yet she continually gets protesters and reporters heaping this nonsense on her.

At least in this case, I think that she handled it with grace. Can you imagine if people were protesting Obama with the same oppressive nonsense? I don't think it would fly. BUT telling a powerful national leader who happens to be a woman to "iron my shirts!", well that's just a quirky little news story.

Protesters ask Clinton to iron shirts

By PHILIP ELLIOTT, Associated Press WriterTue Jan 8, 5:34 AM ET

Hillary Rodham Clinton's campaign stop was interrupted Monday when two men stood in the crowd and began screaming, "Iron my shirt!" during one of her final appearances before the New Hampshire primary.

Clinton, a former first lady running to become the nation's first female president, laughed at the seemingly sexist protest that suggested a woman's place is doing the laundry and not running the country.

"Ah, the remnants of sexism — alive and well," Clinton said to applause in a school auditorium.

The two men were removed from the hall after raising a pair of signs that said, "Iron my shirt!" They also shouted the same slogan.

"Can we turn the lights on? It's awfully dark," Clinton said, cueing the lights to come and police to come forward to take the men away.

The overflow crowd burst into applause and some began shouting, "Iron my shirt" as the two were taken from the hall.

"As I think has been abundantly demonstrated, I am also running to break through the highest and hardest glass ceiling," she said.

Clinton later joked about the incident as she invited questions.

"If there's anyone left in the auditorium who wants to learn how to iron a shirt, I'll talk about that," she said with a smile.

Clinton placed a disappointing third place in Iowa's caucuses last week and faces a tough challenge in Tuesday's primary from Barack Obama, who leads her with just one day remaining.