RALLY TO RESTORE SANITY AND/OR FEAR!!!!!!! & THE CORN MAZE!!! :)

Great Sign

     So yesterday was the "Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear" on the National Mall. Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert, 2 hysterical comedians who talk about politics hosted it. President Obama and King Abdullah were just recently on Jon Stewart's show.

     Everyone was supposed to dress as people who America has taught us to hate to go to the rally. I didn't dress the radically, but I had "Lenin" written on one arm and "Stalin" on the other arm. I also had "Commi" written on one of my hands. Some people went more radical than others. 1 girl at SEGL, Rosa, dressed as Karl and another, Zoe, dressed as Marx. It was hysterical. The signs and costumes at the rally were so funny, and some pretty meaningful. I was surrounded by people who pretty much felt the same about alot of issues as I do.

Our hands! Mine says "Commi" :)

      It was crowded to the extreme! One report today says that there were 87,000 people there! The Mall was entirely filled up, you barely could move because everyone was pretty much shoulder to shoulder trying to push through the crowd. We eventually jumped a gate to get closer (don't worry, not illegal...) and we pushed our way through the crowd to get closer. Alot of people were in trees, on top of porter potties etc. just to try to see. Where we eventually were we could see some of the stage, but we could see the big jumbo screens and we could hear pretty well :). Still, we were shoulder to shoulder with everyone around us, so we made some friends :).

HUGE CROWD

 There were alot of performers. Some of them were John Legend, the O'Jays, Sheryl Crow, Kid Rock, some more, and of course Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert. Stewart and Colbert were hysterical! I was on the ground cracking up at some points. Jon Stewart was the sane one and Stephen Colbert was the one spreading fear, which was really interesting. They had video montages which were SOOOO funny showing how the media spreads fear (especially FOX...just saying) and they gave out medals too. Some fear awards went out to the media stations that wouldn't let their employees go to the rally because of fear, so they gave a medal to a 7-year old girl who's more brave. They also gave a fear award to the founder of facebook, Mark Zuckerberg, for instilling fear and paranoia into everyone. He didn't come because "He cares more about his privacy than he does about yours..." -quoted from Stephen Colbert, haha.

Love this sign!

    Some sanity awards went to some baseball guy who was a good sport and a few other people.
    Jon Stewart ended the Rally on a serious but funny note. He said something that really really struck me, something that I totally believe. "The fact that America can't distinguish between a Muslim and a terrorist makes us less secure, not more."That is SOOOOOO true. Him and Stephen Colbert went back and forth about Muslims earlier, with Colbert being the devil's advocate saying that it was Muslims who attacked us so they are terrorists. Stewart replied by saying those were just a few of 1.5 BILLION Muslims in the world! I was like, "AMEN!!!!!" That is SOOO true! My roomate and I actually had a conversation about that same topic a few days ago.
     So basically the Rally was unbelievable, like Woodstock....kind of. It was actually one of the best things I've ever been to.

At the Corn Maze

     Our night was amazing too! We drove an hour and a half away to a Corn Maze in Virginia. The place was so cool, they were playing Iron Man 2, there were bonfires, pumpkin cannons (legit) and of course the Corn Mazes. The Corn Mazes were something pretty much out of the Tri-wizard tournament, I though Voldemort was going to come out and get me! lol, Harry Potter reference. There were 4 different Corn Mazes and they were all so fun, but creepy too. It was pitch black, and our group; VJ, Alex Daniels, Aarati, Arielle, and I only had a little flashlight. After our corn maze adventures, we all sat around a bonfire, ate some  french fries and played some intense "WAHHH!" (SEGL thing).
     We got back at 1am and I just passed out, it was REALLY long day. But one of the best days EVER!!! :)


MORE PICTURES FROM THE DAY:

Us at the Rally with Captain Planet

  

Me

                                 

Me with sign guy

One of the best signs of the day!

Me making friends with cool sign people.
Clearly got a little sunburnt.

Rosa and I on the Capitol Building lawn after the rally

Rosa, Zoe and I all rallied up!

Some interesting articles:
http://www.buzzfeed.com/mjs538/the-100-best-signs-at-the-rally-to-restore-sanity

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/us-politics/8100978/Thousands-attend-Rally-to-Restore-Sanity-in-Washington.html

http://www.businessinsider.com/the-rally-to-restore-sanity-was-amazing-no-wonder-our-idiot-media-are-dissing-it-2010-10

Facebook detox

So this week I had a friend of mine change my facebook password so I can't get on it for the week, because I was getting way too distracted and I wasn't getting my work done enough. Kudos to Katherine Hodges, by the way, for introducing this idea to me! I have til Sunday with no facebook, and I'm not going to lie, it's been rough. I keep wanting to go on facebook, but I can't :(. But I've gotten so much work done without facebook!

Something that I think is interesting is how embedded facebook is in me. I never really realized before that I don't really go on facebook to talk to someone, or to do something, it's just because I get so distracted, bored, and just randomly. Now without facebook, I've been noticing that when I turn on my computer, the first thing I do is click my facebook bookmark, without even thinking about. Also, when I'm on the computer I randomly click the facebook bookmark, with no intention, I just do it. The only reason I think that I'm realizing this now is because I can't get on it! So when I get to the facebook page I just get to the login page, which makes me notice how much I go on facebook. When I get to that login page, I don't even remember trying to go on facebook, it's really weird....

So bottom line, facebook is actually a habit/addiction....no joke....

War on drugs...stops 2,3,4, and 5....plus some random stops along the way :)

To continue my research about drug trafficking and the Mexican War on drugs, I met with a few other people today to talk to about it. Some of the stuff we talked about I can't write down because it's secret(ish), and I don't want this post to be like a gazillion pages....

Stop 1:

Who: U.S.-Mexico Border Coordinator Stewart Tuttle

When: 10am

Where: The Einstein Memorial (So I didn't have to go through security at the State Department where he works)

My first meeting of the day was with Stewart Tuttle, who is in charge of the U.S.-Mexico border. He gave me a lot of perspective that I hadn't heard of before, like the strengths of the border, instead of the weaknesses which are always talked about. The third pillar of the Mérida initiative is to build a modern 21st century economically secure and stable border between Mexico and the U.S. He is pretty much in charge of setting that up!

   Some of what I learned:

• Border states are setting up master plans, of their priorities for what their borders need. The Government gives funding to their top priorities first. California is the first state done with their master plan
• There are 3 Master Plan borders in Texas, because it's so big.
• Cooperation with Mexico right now is really good
• Every day, $1 Billion in trade crosses the border, and 1 million legal people (not necessarily immigrating, just crossing)
• Almost half of the states in the U.S. have Mexico as their primary trading partner
• Violence makes the cost of business go up and makes the U.S. more security conscious
• SENTRY cards are like fast cards for crossing the border. People who have them have been pre-screened so they can cross the border quickly
• There's a really good idea in progress that would decongest the border...but I can't say exactly what it is... ;)
• The Master Plans (and most of the new border) will hopefully be done by 2013
• Why should YOU care? An efficient border will return investments alot, there will be more jobs, a more modern border means easier trade which means less expensive products and more fresh fruits etc. etc.
• You know an issue is important when the White House takes charge, which has happened. Federal Organizations, the White House, etc. come together to form an Interagency Policy Committee (IPC), there's an IPC which deals with the border. Coordinator Tuttle is a main staffer on the IPC and chairs the discussions about border infrastructure. He is at every meeting too!

After my meeting with Coordinator Tuttle I made my way too....

Stop 2:

Who: Ricardo Ardayl

When: 12pm

Where: La embajada de México! (The Mexican Embassy!)

Ricardo Ardayl works in Communications and Media at the Mexican Embassy. I met with him for around an hour and he gave me Mexico's perspective on the issue, which is really interesting. He talked about the President, Felipe Calderón, alot because Calderón is really cracking down on drug trafficking.

     Here's some of what I learned:

• President Calderón is a lawyer, his wife is also, he's passionate and tough about the law. He's in the PAN Party, considered more to the right, but right and left aren't the same at all as they are in the U.S.
• Alot of the deaths from Drug violence are people who are involved in the drug trade. Only a small amount are civilians. 
• Because Ciudad Juarez is the most affected region in Mexico, they have alot of Armed forces there. Things have gotten slightly better there.
• Many people in Mexico grew up with the PRI (a party), which wasn't great, so they still don't have a big sense of democracy, and there is still distrust/suspicion about the Government embedded int he culture
• There's very good cooperation between the U.S. and Mexico.
• Most of the weapons of the Cartels come from the U.S.
• Bribing gets alot of money and drugs across the border.
• Mexico's economy is very connected to the U.S.'s economy. "If you sneeze, we catch a cold." -Ardayl
• Mexico is the U.S.'s 3rd biggest consumer
• La Barbee, a drug trafficker thought to be Mexican who was just captured/killed, was actually American.

Hearing his side and opinions was super interesting and I learned alot. I even got to speak spanish while I was there! :) After I met with him I got a piece of pizza and then headed for....

Stop 3:

Who: Person would like to remain anonymous

When: 3pm

Where: the Ford House Office Building

For my next meeting, I met with a guy (who would like to remain unnamed) who works specifically with this issue and issues regarding Latin America on Capitol Hill. 

   Some of what I learned:

• With increased law enforcement, things will get worse before they get better. Many Cartels retaliate with violence against strict Law Enforcement. (Sidenote: The PRI, which ruled for more than 70 years in Mexico had ties with many cartels, but Calderón doesn't tolerate them and cracks down on them so the Cartels retaliate with violence, unlike when the PRI was in power).
• President Obama and Secretary Clinton have said that America is responsible too (finally!)
• Latin American issues/ Mexico is increasingly higher up on Congress' radar with bipartisan support
• Things are moving in the right direction
• Mexico and the U.S. are cooperating really well!

The meeting with this guy was really good and I also learned alot. He was really cool and he deals with these issues everyday so he knew alot. 

     A House Committee on Terrorism and Human Rights was a few doors down so I went in to ask a question. I asked something like, "What is the line between Spill-over violence and terrorism?" Because many consider Spill-over violence  only violence that targets civilians, not other traffickers, so there has been discussion about if it's considered terrorism or not. He told me to email him the question, so I did. Hopefully I'll get an answer soon!

    Also before my next meeting, I stopped by Senator Scott Brown's office to introduce myself to the office. Scott Brown was the lead Senate Sponsor of the bill I filed in Massachusetts, so I worked with him about that. He's a really cool guy. Then I quickly stopped by Senator Susan Collins office to tell her staff how cool their boss is! I love Senator Collins, and her staff do too (I know that seems obvious but you never know)! I got to meet Senator Collins at an event a little while ago so I told them how awesome it was to meet her and they appreciated the flamboyancy. Then I headed down the hall to...

Stop 4

Who: Emily Mendrala, works for Sen. John Kerry on the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations

When: 4:30pm

Where: Dirksen Senate Office Building

So my next meeting was with Emily Mendrala, who works on the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations and is a 'Western Hemisphere gal." She knew so much and I could tell how content she was working on the committee and with Sen. John Kerry. I think we were pretty similar with our high-energy! :)

 Here's some of what I learned:

• Balloon effect, if we give $$$ to one place, crime goes up in another place etc. etc. so we need to evenly distribute money etc.
• Spill-over violence into the U.S. is very low right now
• Many Mexican people are leaving Juarez because of the drug situation there. 
• Many routes used for illegal immigration into the United States are also used for trafficking drugs, money, weapons etc.
• The DEA is taking precautions against drugs in hot-spot areas in the U.S.

Her boss had actually just come back from Juarez where he met with Mexican officials about drug trafficking and other issues. She was super cool and from what she says of Sen. John Kerry, I'm glad he's my Senator

Then I went.........home. 

It was a really interesting day. I learned a ton and got to meet with some awesome people. On Friday, every student will be presenting some of what they learned, so I'll be presenting about this.

If you have questions about any of this feel free to ask! :)

P.S. Will put more bathroom pictures up soon! :)

Mexican war on drugs, stop 1.

     So this week we're all kind of individually researching policies that interest us, and meeting with people in DC to learn more about it. My policy is of course, the Mexican war on drugs.

     Monday, for my first meeting about the subject, I went into my Congressman's office and met with the woman who deals with foreign policy in the office, Mariana. I met her last year when I came to DC with my temple confirmation class, and lobbied for the DREAM Act. So of course we caught up for a little while and talked about the DREAM Act. Unfortunately, getting it passed isn't looking too good :(

     We then started to talk about the Mexican war on drugs. We talked about how many Americans don't really care, because they think this is just a Mexican issue. Wrong. This is not just a Mexican issue. The drug cartels get most of their money, hundreds of billions of dollars, from Americans who buy their drugs. It is Americans that are keeping the Cartels running for the most part. We also talked about how most of the weapons that the Cartels have come from...THE U.S. OF COURSE! There was a ban on exporting guns to other countries that just expired. President Obama doesn't really want to renew it because of pressure from organizations like the NRA, who think it would limit their gun rights, but it really doesn't.
     We talked about alot of other aspects of the Drug War too, and the Mérida initiative. We even talked about Afghanistan and Israel too! Mariana is awesome. So down-to-earth and knowledgable, I loved meeting with her.

Inter-American Development Bank (IDB)

     So today we went to the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). They're a public sector/bank that's partially owned by 48 countries. The U.S. owns 30%. Countries put money in to help development specifically in Latin American Countries and the Caribbean.
     The 2 people we met with, Fabian and Eliana from Buenos Aires, work with youth and help young social entrepreneurs worldwide. They pointed out that 60% of people in Latin America are youth (ages 15-30). Through working with youth in different countries, they help development there and alot of countries really like their successful young people being recognized. IDB sends out a newsletter every month reaching a wide network talking about what youth are doing in the world.
    Fabian and Eliana talked with us alot about what they do and it sounds amazing. We asked a lot of questions too. It was awesome to be able to go there. The IDB is amazing. You can see more about them here: http://www.iadb.org/

This is a video they told us to watch when someone asked about international girls education which is made by their partner nike:
The Girl Effect
   It's very powerful, you should watch it.

After meeting with them, I starting to think about making my organization more international, as opposed to what I was thinking before. But I still really don't know.


Night:
We went to Good Stuff, got fries and milkshakes, then hung out and had a big dance party on the Library of Congress steps! it was chill :)

Personal Journey Pt. 1

So I can't say alot about the "Personal Journey" of Odyssey Week because I want it to be a secret for future SEGL student, BUT...I will say that it was absolutely amazing! I learned so much about myself, I'm amazed that I could learn so much about myself in 1 day. It was unbelievable and I'll never forget it! And we still have more parts of Odyssey Week(actually 2 weeks) to go! :)

Odyssey week...???

So this week and next week is odyssey week....but we don't know what that means yet! The staff says it's the first time SEGL has done this and we'll find out what we're doing tomorrow, but I'm so anxious to find out what it is! All I know is that it has to do with a "personal Journey..."

Will keep you updated on what it actually is :)

Homecoming at SEGL!

HOMECOMING AT SEGL

Friday night we had a super chill night at the house making pumpkin cookies and listening to chill music...and interpretive dancing! We needed a chill night because we had PSAT's early on Saturday. The PSAT's were ehhh...not horrible but not good. After that, we hung out in Dupont Circle for a while then went to the school to see everyone there for homecoming. It was kind of overwhelming because of all the new people but it was so fun. We met alot of kids from last years' semesters which was cool and they're all pretty chill :) Noah did the mini chocolate case study and then strangely enough we went to a chocolate tasting after. The chocolate was SO good and I don't even like chocolate that much! Then we went back to the school and listened to 4 past students talk about their organizations (which we're in the process of making now). Some have started and some are still getting there, but they're all really cool. One that's similar to the one I want to start is: http://www.teenocracy.net/ made by Markus Batchelor. Then we (the current students) went back to the house to get ready for the Gala!
     The Gala at night was awesome. It was at our school. My Mom and I were both there and we met alot of people. It was really cool to see how much bigger the school is than just "us," the ones who are here now. There's so many supporters of the school and so many friends and past students. The School started just as a vision by Noah and now it's reality and it's amazing to be a part of. I can't even describe the feeling. Everyone in the same room was 1) crowded and 2) really cool because we got to talk to so many different people. P.S. there were really really good cookies! Before we met the students from last year, Robbie (Our Residential Dean/my advisor/coolest guy ever) kind of told us who he thinks we're most like. I think he may have gotten mine right....maybe...a little....But I'm still an individual! :)
     After the Gala my Mom and I went to potbellys and I slept over at her hotel. We had breakfast at a crepe place in the morning which was really good and then she went off back to Boston. Adios Mom! See you for Thanksgiving!
    So ya....the weekend was really cool :)

Chilean Miners, German tv and Ashoka!

So as you may already know on Tuesday-Wednesday the Chilean Miners were rescued. Tuesday night alot of us watched the first miner being rescued which was awesome. The next day, before we went to Ashoka to talk about our social venture projects, we went to the Chilean Embassy, just around the corner from us. Right in front stood a huge screen showing the live Chilean footage of what was happening. We all stood in front of it and watched. Right as Yonni Barrios was coming up( the one with the mistress) German tv reporters interviewed us about it! Me and a few others got interviewed about how we felt about this etc. etc. It was pretty funny. It was cool being able to contribute to the conversation about the Chilean Miners.
      If you want to try to decipher German you could find the video somewhere here: http://www.wdr.de/

After that we went to Ashoka to talk about our social venture projects. Ashoka is the organization that gives each one of us grants of up too $1000 for our non-profit organizations that we're starting. They help people start up organizations and help social entrepreneurs. This week we were just introduced to the project designed so we can bring what we learn here back home to our communities, in whatever scope you consider community. This is one of our 3 capstone projects. I have a few ideas and I'm really excited about it! :)

"For he today that sheds his bled with me shall be my brother"

Today we had to recite one of King Henry's speeches from Henry V. We've been preparing for a while. The speech is about 60(ish) lines but we could take out 10(and believe me, I did!) It was really cool to watch other people present. I messed up a few lines, but I can deal with that. Remembering that many lines, especially in Shakespeare(basically it's own language) is not something I ever thought I can do. So a mistake here and there doesn't really bother me...that much.... :)

This weekend is homecoming and my Mom is coming down for it. We're also taking the PSAT's on Saturday Morning...Que Dios me bendiga...

Colombus Day Weekend

So for the long weekend my dad, my Grandma and her husband Jack came to DC. It was a lot of fun! We also saw Jack's daughter and her husband.

We went to alot of museums around DC. We went to the national gallery of art, the National Archives, the American Indian museum (twice) and I think a few more. I LOVED the American Indian museum, I think it's one of the best in DC. It's really new and physically it's amazing, as well as everything in it. Going to the National Archives was really cool too because I got to see the documents that we're studying, like the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. I don't think I would have appreciated seeing them as much if I hadn't known alot about them.

I loved spending time with my family and I was glad to see them. Now I'm at the house and all at home :)

P.S. I need to vent for a second...Columbus day should NOT be a holiday. Columbus was a horrible guy who tortured and killed thousands of Native Americans and did not discover America, Native Americans were already here! He should not be celebrated because by celebrating him we're saying that what he did was ok, and it wasn't..... I so needed to vent about that.

Gay Marriage: Human Rights are gay rights, gay rights are human rights.

Human Rights are gay rights, gay rights are human rights. 

   (Originally written about women's rights by Lissa Muscatine, I'm totally not taking credit for this line)

At SEGL, we haven't had a case study on gay marriage, but there have been plenty of conversations about it, from both sides. I would like to share my thoughts on this issue. I sometimes have a hard time respecting the other side, but I try to listen to it, even if it doesn't seem like I do.
   
This is a short paper I wrote for my application to SEGL:

An ethical question facing the global community is gay marriage. Should gay people be able to get married? For me, the answer is absolutely. I have friends that are gay, and the thought of them not being able to get married to their partners disgusts me. Throughout history, women have had to fight for their equal rights, African-American people have had to fight for their rights, and now, gay people have to fight for their rights. I think that the world should be beyond this by now. Gay people will eventually win their right to marriage, it’s just a matter of time. I think that in 50 years, people will say how unbelievable it was that gay marriage wasn’t legal 50 years ago, just like now people can’t believe that just a few years back African-Americans didn’t have equal rights. The Government should take a stand on this issue, and make gay marriage legal everywhere. Although many religious groups don’t believe in gay marriage, they don’t run the government and I don't feel they have a right to take away other peoples’ rights because of their beliefs. I strongly feel that this is an issue of equality. Does the U.S. really believe in equality for all, or not? It is a simple question that should have no religious involvement at all. In the United States pledge of allegiance, it says, “One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.” Is this really a nation with liberty and justice for all, or are those just empty words? It seems to me that these are just empty words, because there is not liberty and justice for all in many ways, gay marriage is just one example. The government should stand up for all, and not listen to those who are unreasonable such as religious extremist groups. The government’s job is to protect and stand up for the people, and right now, there is a whole group of people that are not being stood up for. I think that this is wrong, and this is yet another fight for equal rights that so many other groups in history have faced. It is sad that the world has not learned yet and that some people still have to fight for equality. Everyone is equal regardless of sexual orientation, religion, race, bottom line. 

      END PAPER.

I believe that preventing gay marriage from being legal is a breach of separation of church and state. The concept of separation of church and state refers to the distance in the relationship between organized religion on the one hand and the nation state on the other. Jefferson wrote, "I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should 'make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." I believe in this. Religious values should be able to be incorporated, but not full-blown concepts depriving people of their rights. 

I see though, that gay marriage is not acceptable to some because of their religious beliefs. Their facts about the issue are truth to them, and not to me. So, how do we know who's right? In this case, I feel that we need to go with the "fact" facts and go to those who deal with this. I could go over all the studies etc. but I'm not going to. Rather, I would challenge anyone who opposes gay marriage and gay rights to ask a person who is gay about what the truth is. They would know better than anyone else. Many religions believe gay people choose to be gay. I challenge anyone to ask a gay person if they chose to be gay. See what they say. 

I think it's easier to not support gay rights if you don't know anyone who's gay, but when you know someone who is, think about whose rights are being taken away. It's theirs. If you know someone who's gay, say Bob, think. Do you like Bob? Is Bob a good friend? Should Bob have rights? Should Bob have the same rights as straight people? Why should he? Why shouldn't he? Are you hurting Bob with your beliefs? Why should Bob be hurt for being different? Really think about it, and I challenge you to embrace these questions. If you are fine with your answers, great. If you struggle and feel unsettled about how you're answering, look more into it. Embrace those feelings. Personalize the issue. We're not talking about aliens, we're talking about people. If you're religion disagrees with gay rights, you can still be a good Christian etc. and not support a part of the religion. I'm Jewish, but I don't support all parts of Judaism, but I still consider myself a good Jew.

ISRAEL WRAP UP

     Today we wrapped up the case study about the Israeli and Palestinian conflict after we had our last arabic class (where we read part of the Qur'an in Arabic!). We talked about our thoughts about the issue and final comments. It was emotional for me because the issue is so important to me. When we were asked about what we should do with Palestinian refugees, it triggered alot of emotions. I talked about how I think the refugees should have a say in what happens, and they are important, but where was the support for the Jews when they were expelled from everywhere? Right now, everyone is so concerned with the Palestinian refugees, but no one was concerned with the Jewish refugees and how they were so mistreated. There was no outcry about that, but there's so much outcry about the Palestinian refugees. I guess I have some resentment and jealousy because my family didn't have the same/any support when they were refugees kicked out of their homes just because they were Jewish. Yes they would have liked to go back, but they couldn't. But a big concern for the world now is making sure Palestinians who are out of Israel can go back. The Jews were fair to the people in history. In Gaza, that's not always the case. It's ruled by Hamas (an Islamic extremist group) and there are many restrictions on women and human's rights issues. Why are they better than my family who were kicked out of their homes too? And hundreds of thousands of other Jews who went through the same situation throughout history.
    Noah could tell I was passionate about the Issue and it was a really personal for me. So he asked a follow up question something like, "Many would say that because of what the Jews have been through, they would know better than anyone not to mistreat refugees or displace refugees. And the Jews had the opportunity to rule fairly and they didn't. What would you say about this?" (This wasn't the exact question but something like it). I said in most or at least many cases the Israelis are fair. In the army they have training about civility and how to go about things without being unfair and causing destruction. But, the news is plagued with exceptions about Israeli soldiers who do undoubtedly horrible things, but they do not represent the status quo. They are the exceptions, not the rule. But because of the publicity of these people and situations, many people consider them to be the status quo, when in reality it's not. I also said I don't like how people say Israel had the "opportunity" to rule fairly and not displace refugees. The first day Israel was recognized, it was attacked by 6 different surrounding countries. I think that set the tone for the type of country Israel would need to be in order to survive. A country based on security, and over-protectiveness, rather than one that is completely friendly and "fair." Israel could have had the opportunity to govern differently had the Arab countries not provoked them right off the bat. When Arab countries complain about Israel's tactics, I feel they are hypocritical in ways, because their actions partially caused the actions of Israel originally. They set the tone for the country and the area, and they aren't happy about how it's turned out, but they should take some/alot of responsibility for it. I talked about how there are Israeli hospitals that treat the same people that try to kill them. I know of people who worked in Israeli hospitals that would treat Palestinian bombers, who had to quit because everytime there was something on the TV about a suicide bombing killing Israelis, they would all cheer, even though those Israelis are the same ones helping them. In history, the Jews have been peaceful, not trying to conquer, convert, or kill other people, but just try to live in peace with them (generally speaking). That did not work out for them time and time again. The Jews finally stood up for themselves and claimed a Jewish State, Israel, a safe home, and they get criticized for it. Although other countries that go in and conquer and kill thousands and millions don't get criticized. People forget that Jews had no home, so they turned to Israel. They are the victims, not the perpetrators as many would like to think. The Palestinians are victims too though, which makes the situation that much more complicated. I talked about other things too, but these are just some.
     It was very emotional for me to deal with this issue. In part because I was around people who did not support Israel at all, and thought of the Israelis as the perpetrators and abusers of human rights. This made it a lot harder to deal with.
     In this post, I am undoubtedly being biased and I completely understand that right now. Although, in general I can see and understand both sides. I see the side of the Palestinians, and the side of the Israelis. However, I cannot completely get rid of my resentment and feelings. I support security and safety for both the Palestinians and the Israelis, and this week I've learned alot about both sides, and I think I generally have not been being too biased this week, but I can't deny that the bias is there.

ISRAELI PALESTINIAN CONFLICT: Our day meeting with experts about this issue

     This is a long post but you should still read it :)

     As I've already written, this week's case study is about the Israel Palestinian Conflict. Today we met with 2 experts to talk about this issue. We first met with Ghaith al-Omari, a negotiator for Palestine. He has negotiated in the Camp David Accords and has worked for the Palestinian President and Prime Minister. He has been crucial to the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. Although he has some bias, it was extremely hard to tell and he kept the facts straight. You really could not tell what he thought about the issue because he was so even-sided. Right now he's the Advocacy Director of the American Task Force in Palestine (ATFP). Bios of the 2 people are at the bottom

     After we met with him, we skyped with a student who was at SEGL last semester. He's from Palestinian descent and now lives in Jordan and goes to the King's Academy in Jordan. Legitimately the King's Academy, like the actual king of Jordan, King Abdullah. He talked about his standpoint. Also, King Abdullah talked to his class yesterday and said some pretty interesting things. The King said that if negotiations between the Palestinians and the Israelis break down now, there will be a huge war this year. The king suggests to support everything that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netenyahu says, so Israeli cannot say that Arab countries don't want peace. They argue that they want peace just as much as anyone else. This student was very calm about this issue and level-headed. From his perspective, he says that the Jews were openly welcomed to Palestine when they first came, and that the Jews massacred many when they got there. I don't necessarily believe all of this, but it's good to hear another perspective.

     After that we met with Robert Satloff, the Executive Director of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. he was so knowledgable and I learned alot from him (and of course Al-Omari too). He went through alot of history with us, and then went into modern day problems. he said the issues started as inter-communal conflict, and then changed to international conflict. He says that resolving issues between states is much easier than resolving issues within the state. Many of the problems between Israel and the other states are alot better now, but the inter-communal issues between the Palestinians and the Israelis is definitely still there, and that is a major issue of course. He answered alot of questions like:

(Roughly)

When did the public start viewing Israel as the perpetrator and the not the victim? ( I asked this)

He said that after the 6 day war in 1967 the Israelis were viewed differently, and viewed themselves differently. They showed unbelievable strength and crushed all the countries that attacked and took land. He argues that after this, Israel became the Goliath, and the Palestinians became David, as opposed to a few years before. Backing up this point, there are less Palestinians in Israel than Jews, so Jews are more prone to become Goliath because they are the majority.

What do we do with Jerusalem?

He says that this is the hardest part. Most attempts at negotiations postpone dealing with Jerusalem until the rest is figured out so negotiations don't break down early. They haven't got that far yet, but in theory this is what would work. ]

     Sidenote: Negotiations have been going on for 17 years, Now is the 9th or 10th attempt. Dr. Satloff and Mr. al-Omari have been involved in the negotiations for the entire 17 years.

What do both sides have to give up for peace?

The obvious is land. But what they have to give up is more psychological. They will have to give up part of their Nation's story, and will in part have to recognize the validity in the other side's story.

Will the moratorium end on settlements affect the negotiations?

Both him and al-Omari say it will not affect the negotiations. The Palestinians won't walk away from the table now because there is so much at stake and everyone knows it. If they walk away, settlements continue, there's more conflict, and they don't gain anything. "The Palestinians will get over it."

What do other countries want?

There is a big debate about the importance of the conflict between nations. Many argue it's so relevant because of the worlds' massive muslim population. Maintaining the conflict was/is good for many countries, like Syria, that use the conflict as a distraction from what's going on in their own countries. Syria is not democratic, and often changes the subject to Israel to avoid talk an bad publicity about not being a democracy.

Are their big human rights issues in Gaza and the West Bank? If Palestine becomes a state, will it be just another state with human rights abuses that the US has to deal with? If Hamas comes to power is there a concern that Palestine could become like Saudi Arabia? (My Question)

Gaza has no political life, and there are very strict rules limiting women's rights. Because Hamas (which is in control of Gaza now) wants to rule by Sharia law, it's a concern that if they got power the country could become like Saudi Arabia and have horrible human rights issues. 

Those are just a few of many questions asked throughout the day.

I have alot of opinions on the issue. I'm Jewish, and a Zionist, and I think I believe in a 2 State Solution. It's also kind of upsetting to me though that after all the Jews have suffered, we can't even get a land as small as Rhode Island. I understand why though, but it is still kind of upsetting. After all that the Jews have endured, I think Israel as a Jewish state is justified, which many do not think. 

     Before I came here to SEGL, I had never met anyone who was anti-Israel. In the first week, a girl here asked me, "Are you a Zionist?" I was like "What? Of course I am." To me,  all around where I've been raised being Jewish pretty much implies that you are a Zionist, so I've never really classified myself as a Zionist before, just a Jew. When she told me that she was anti-Israel, I was shocked. I soon found out she wan't the only one, which was weird to me because pretty much everyone around me supports Israel. In the first few weeks, there was heated talks about Israel, Palestinian Protests next to the school, and the peace talks were happening (we were at the State Dept. the day they were happening here) so we were kind of thrown into the subject right off the bat. 

     I will always support Israel, though I don't always support everything that they do. But, I understand why they do it in alot of cases. The first day Israel was recognized as a state, it was attacked by 6 different countries! That really tells Israel that they can't be a fully "friendly" state, but a cautious and overly-defensive one. Israel has been known to preemptively strike, but situations like this explain why. They have a reason too after what they've faced.

    Today I found myself wondering, "Why weren't people ever the least bit concerned with the Jewish refugees who were kicked out of all their homes everywhere? And now everyone is so concerned with the Palestinian refugees?" This was kind of a selfish, biased, opinion, because my family has historically been subject to anti-semitism. My name is "Star"because my family had to cut it down because people wouldn't hire Jews. I feel like of course we should be concerned with the refugees. It's not a good situation for them, but it wasn't a good situation for the Jews for thousands of years but did anyone care then? It kind of frustrates me. People were saying how it's unfair that Palestinian refugees can never go back to their homes but they want to. Don't you think the Jews would have liked to go back to their homes? Of course, but they couldn't. Jews had no home but Israel because they were mistreated everywhere, and I feel that should be taken into consideration without dwelling too much on the past.  Since when did other countries get scorned for displacing refugees? They didn't. But now Israel is? This frustrates me. This however, isn't an excuse to not care about the refugees, it's just kind of frustrating.

    I have alot of opinions, many conflicting on this issue. I think there's alot of propaganda, some of which I've fallen for, I have to admit. I really just don't know. I support Israel, but I don't support everything they do, I guess I kind of have to leave it at that for now.

Things I've learned and/or facts of the day:

• 700,000 people fled when Israel was created
• You can't negotiate history despite attempts from Israel and Palestine
• Negotiations broke down in 2000 followed by massive violence
• Major mindset of both sides, "The other side is out to get me"
• Most people on both side want 2 state solution, but an equal amount don't think the other side wants it
• Right now in Negotiations, we know where we want to go, but not how to get there
• Anti-Americans in the Middle East pull the Palestinian card to get people mad
• On this issue, Washington is more progressive than the rest of the country which is unusual
• Negotiations will probably continue despite the end of the moratorium, and they don't think there would be a war if they failed as King Abdullah says
• Camp David went for all or nothing, so they got nothing
• Peace deal is like a divorce
• If you can't get all you want, look at the minimum of what you need
• Don't integrate Hamas into the process unless they change their views. The US did this with the PLO, didn't involve the PLO in negotiations until they changed their views
• To have constructive negotiations, public messaging that comes from both sides needs to be positive; Code of Conduct
• Palestine will not have an army. This is good because the Government can't waste money on unnecessary military spending.
• Have Americans at border of the 2 states because neither side will want to anger the US
• Embargo on Gaza hurts the people not the leaders
• PLO and Hamas fight over who defines palestinian policy
• Positive changes since 1999: 1) Today we know what the goal is 2)we know the outlines of the deed (1967 lines) 3) there's a palestinian realization that it's not only an issue of diplomacy

• Dr. Robert Satloff is the only non-Arab to host an Arabic show
• Conflict started out as inter-communal conflict and turned into international conflict quickly.
• There's about 14 million Jews in the World, 6 million live in Israel
• 1/3 of the Palestinians in the world live in Israel (West Bank and Gaze specifically)
• 1967: 3rd ward, 6 day war, Israel defeated all the countries.
• Henry Kissinger (Nixon's Sec. of State) made idea of making the US indispensable to both states
• "Good fences make good neighbors."
• Iran used to have good relations with Israel until the Iranian revolution
• Because of personal experience, both sides are pessimistic about 2 state solution even though the majority support it.
• International Peacekeepers flee if there's no peace

Ghaith al-Omari: http://www.americantaskforce.org/staff/ghaith_alomari

Robert Satloff: http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/templateC10.php?CID=11

PHEW!!! THAT WAS  A LONG POST!

      

     

GOVERNING ACROSS THE DIVIDE...event at the National Cathedral

A friend of the school's Dede, gave the school 4 tickets to go to an event at the national cathedral. The names were drawn at random and I got it!!! Today was the event. It was a panel discussion with George W. Bush's Chief of Staff Josh Bolten, Obama's Senior Advisor David Axelrod, and it was moderated by Bob Schieffer from CBS News! Other people who talked were Presidential Historian Michael Beschloss, the United States Senate Chaplain and Senator Susan Collins. They were all amazing and talked about modern day civility in congress. Civility isn't what it used to be. Many Republicans will not even sit in the same room as democrats, and vice-versa. They are stuck to their partisan sides for the most part. During the panel discussion, Bob asked the 2 guys about their opinions on issues about congressional civility. They both think that there can be civility, but the internet makes it harder because of rumors and things taken out of context. The internet was key to arguments on why there is so much less civility now. But there's still hope.  The Senate Chaplain talked about how every week when congress is in session, congressmen from both sides come to bible study and services, and show respect for one another. Alot of the things that were talked about had to do with "getting to yes," a book we're reading in English. When 1 side isn't involved in a negotiation and making a solution, they resent it and it won't work, no matter how good it may be. The process is the product. This happens in Congress. Democrats will leave Republicans out of decisions which leads to resentment by the republicans.

   The event lasted about 2 hours. After it was over, we went to the front and talked with Dede for a while. Then I CHASED (literally) Sen. Susan Collins because I was dying to meet her! Maybe I was a little sketchy about it but I got to meet her and talk to her! :) She's amazing, I really like her. She's in the news alot so when I saw here I was kind of awestruck. She's known for straddling the partisan lines. Even though she's a Republican, she doesn't always vote Republican and gets some bad attention for it, but also good attention. I personally admire her for being able to stand against her party for what she believes in, like the repeal of "Don't ask, Don't tell" where she was the only Republican on her committee who voted to repeal it. She was named by Oprah Magazine one of 6 women that could run for President. 

   Overall, the night was amazing. The event was awesome (even tho I wish it lasted longer) and we had alot of fun :)

This week's case study....ISRAELI/PALESTINIAN CONFLICT!

This week's case study is about the Israeli and Palestinian conflict. It will be intense, but I'm extremely excited. Check out the blog later this week to see what we've been doing on this case study! :)

Today we did a 2 hour overview of the conflict and it was really interesting.

Go Cherry blossom bombshells and demon cats!!!

Today, Saturday, we had english in the morning as usual. We talked about Act IV in Henry V which we're reading, and then we read chapter 1 in a book we're starting, "Getting to Yes." The book surprisingly is about what it says, getting to yes :) Specifically to make an agreement and how to effectively make an agreement and be persuasive etc. etc.
    THEN we went to a roller derby!!!!!! It was really stressful getting there though because there was a HUGE (I mean hugeeee) rally on the mall today and fortunately for us, the rally people had to get off at the same stop as us on the metro. I've never seen anything like it, you literally had people on top of eachother because it was so crowded. BUT, it was SOOOO worth it!  I had never been to a roller derby before, but it was so much fun! I had a blast! We sat right on the floor and we got really into it! Our school is divided between the Demon Cats and the Cherry Blossom Bombshells. I kind of root for the Cherry Blossom Bombshells because they're the underdogs. It was super intense/ an amazing dance party. I danced and screamed so much that I think I'm losing my voice!


PICS OF THE DAY:

                                                   MASSIVE CROWD FOR THE RALLY

                                                              LOTS OF PEOPLE!

STILL LOTS OF PEOPLE!

                                              ON THE WAY TO THE ROLLER DERBY

"Human rights are women's rights, women's rights are human rights."

On Friday, October 1st, Lissa Muscatine came back to SEGL and our groups presented our speeches. I presented my group's speech aimed towards the Afghan Parliament about women's rights. She gave us a lot of good feedback and her experience and knowledge is blinding. When she talks, it's so cool to hear her, kind of like "WHOAHHHHHH." Everything she says is so valuable that it's just unbelievable to be able to hear her talk, and even more critique our speeches! She is one of the best speechwriters of all time, and she took the time to listen to and critique our speeches! How cool is that! She was so down-to-earth and knowledgable and everything overall was amazing.


Go here to see a speech that Ms. Muscatine wrote for Hilary Clinton in Beijing in 1995, where she wrote one of the most important lines for women in history: "Human rights are women's rights, and women's rights are human's rights."
Hilary Clinton Beijing Speech: Women's rights are human's rights