There was a rally yesterday Downtown, starting from the Israeli Consulate and ending at the U.S. Consulate, against Israel’s aggression in Palestine and Lebanon.

Click here for more photographs from yesterday’s rally.

Thanks to M. for this trailer of TMNT, apparently coming out in March.

No one outgrows the Ninja Turtles. Reminds me of this Lebanese guy I knew back in Saudi Arabia — we were both in the American Boy Scouts thing (don’t ask) — and he used to like the Ninja Turtles (it’s not like any of us didn’t). It was a while back, but I distinctly remember him wearing Ninja Turtles merchandise (a yellow shirt with the then cartoon version of TMNT, and I think matching shorts). I don’t remember his name or really anything else about him. I hope he’s okay, where ever he is.

I remember that my experience with the Boy Scouts wasn’t particularly fulfilling (I missed a lot of Cub Scout sessions and never graduated to Webelos, but I regularly got Boy’s Life magazine). I wonder how much it cost my father. This was back when I used to think Americans were the bomb. I still think Americans are the bomb, but in a different way. (I actually didn’t know the term “the bomb” as applied to good things. That applied to things Iraq and Saddam Hussein did, I thought Scud was pronounced “skirt” and then used to wonder why there were no “frock” bombs. All I know from that experience is that living under the constant threat of bombardment — nevermind actual bombardment — is mortifying and traumatic especially if you’re a five or six year old kid. And therefore I’m really happy that Israel is exercising — according to a Canadian military official — its utmost “restraint” in bombing Lebanon, and is only targeting civilians and children with its precision guided munitions and killing the odd Hizbullah militant here and there by mistake. They’ve only killed 300 in eight days, after all, the official said on live talk radio. Makes me proud to be a Canadian. If there’s anything about this conflict that’s ironical, it’s that Hizbullah’s losses are the “collateral damage” whereas the direct targets are the civilians and children of Lebanon. And then they wonder why the Arab “street” hates the West and its propped up “progressive” and “friendly” leaders. Go figure. I’m still trying to figure that one out.)

Why doesn’t every critic of Hizbullah, Hamas, Palestinian Authority, Palestinians, etc. automatically become an anti-Arab, or a racist, or pro-evil? Why is it that when someone criticizes Israel, they automatically become anti-Semites, racists, or unbalanced and unfair? Why don’t the former have to “equally condemn” the hundreds, thousands of Palestinian and Lebanese civilians who have been killed? Why is the onus on critics of Israel to also pause and “equally condemn” the Israeli civilians who have been killed? Why is it okay for Israel to act any which way it desires out of “self-defense” (or even when it isn’t defending itself), but not okay for Hamas to act against occupation?

I know you’d like to think your shit don’t stink
But lean a little bit closer
See that roses really smell like poo-poo
Yeah, roses really smell like poo-poo

I just realized something about the video I posted below that didn’t strike me at first. The Outlandish video takes the occupation of Palestine and presents it through the familiar tale of Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf. However, the Israelis (and by extension Jews) are presented as wolves, whereas Palestinians are presented as humans.

Even when the children are lined up at a checkpoint, a young Jew is presented as a young wolf (who passes through the checkpoint easily). When our protagonist is dreaming about a peaceful coexistence, the Jew is presented as a wolf.

Perhaps the reason this didn’t strike me at first is because I’ve spent a lot of time looking into the texture and diversity of opinion within not just the Jewish community worldwide, but also within the Israeli community. The wolves thus just struck me as particularly aggressive racist Zionists, and not being representative of all Israelis and Jews (e.g., representing George W. Bush as a monkey doesn’t mean I believe all Americans, or even all Republicans, or even any one but Bush is a buffoon). But, on watching the video again, the wolf is repeatedly attached to the Jews, and only to Jews (even those who live in peace). Essentially, framing Jews as inherently aggressive, rabid, carnivorous, etc.

Whether or not the makers of the video intended this so outrageously or even subtly, it does strike me as blatant anti-Semitism, and is inexcusable. Our job, our role is to actively prevent perpetuation of precisely these kinds of stereotypes that do disservice to everyone.

From Outlandish, a poignant and beautiful video about the occupation and apartheid in Palestine. Count on Outlandish to produce awesome and meaningful hip hop.

See I’ve known terror for quite some time
57 years so cruel
Terror breathes the air I breathe
It’s the checkpoint on my way to school
Terror is the robbery of my land
And the torture of my mother
The imprisonment of my innocent father
The bullet in my baby brother
The bulldozers and the tanks
The gases and the guns
The bombs that fall outside my door
All due to your funds
You blame me for defending myself
Against the ways of my enemies
I’m terrorized in my own land
But am I the terrorist?

Oh, let’s not cry tonight, I promise you one day it’s through;
Oh, my brothers; Oh, my sisters;
Oh, shine a light for every soul that ain’t with us no more…

Even if their Danish English doesn’t make perfect sense sometimes.

Of course, Hizbullah just popped out of the sky one day and decided to start harassing Israel. No, really, that’s what happened. A bunch of radical Islamicistic Shias got together and decided that they would start firing Katyushas into Israel because they hate Israel because Israel is Jewish.

It has nothing to do with Israel’s invasion of Southern Lebanon, and its constant bombardment of civilian areas, kidnapping of civlians, arbitrary detentions, home and property expropriation and destruction, etc. etc. etc.

And of course, only irrational Islamicistic segments of the Southern Lebanese population support Hizbullah. Not, of course, the vast majority of them — traditionally marginalized and underprivileged Shias — who are loyal to Hizbullah for providing defense from Israel, eventually forcing it out of Southern Lebanon, and in the meanwhile providing basic social services like health care, medical centres, education, food, security, radio and even a television station. Nope, it’s just irrational Islamist anti-Jew hate-Israel-for-no-goddamn-reason types.

And of course, Hizbullah’s recent actions in Israel are just bald and naked provocation. Not a response to constant Israeli air raids, kidnappings the prisoners of which are still missing and unaccounted for — or are held in arbitrary detention, historical injustice, and oh — yeah, there’s that little problem of millions of Palestinians living in deplorable conditions under military occupation of the West Bank and Gaza — nothing to do with all that, of course.

Nope, just them damn Islamic radicals out to cause problems for peace-lovin’ folks.

Excellent hip hop from Palestinian group DAM.

Democratia?
Wallah kam Nazia!

You’re a democracy?
By God you’re more like the Nazis!

You have to watch the video twice, once for the lyrics and again for the video clips.

‘Nuff said.

It’s easy for certain people to talk about how Zidane should’ve retained his composure and acted “professional” in the face of what might have been racial or other slurs coming from Materazzi. It’s often these same folks who don’t have to face the vulgar racism prevalent in pretty much all of Europe. I, for one, think it’s okay for players to lose their control and beat the shit out of racist players who make disparaging remarks about race, ethnicity, background, etc. Go for it. Headbutt them. Stamp on them. Whatever.

The onus shouldn’t be on the player to remain composed and professional. The onus should be on the racist to keep his mouth shut. The onus should be on FIFA to severely sanction racist comments, racist fans, racist coaches, racist players, etc. Stop the match, throw them out, do whatever it takes. Don’t throw Zidane off the field for headbutting Materazzi, kick Materazzi in the ass and send him off the field. Give Zidane a yellow card, for not reporting it to the ref (or whatever). Play on.

I’ve just received a publicity package from Farrar, Straus & Giroux Publishers in the States. Their Hill and Wang imprint is wrapping up production of three comic novels: a biography of Malcolm X, a biography of Ronald Reagan, and a comic adaptation of the 9/11 Report.

They call them “novel graphics” as opposed to “graphic novels” (er…). I’ve only received the first six pages of the Malcolm X comic novel (in addition to the first six pages of the Reagan biography and the first several pages of the 9/11 Report), but I’m already beginning to see some problems.

For instance, Thomas Leben, publisher at Hill and Wang, lauds the ability of the comics medium to convey profound messages simply: “… the third page in Randy Duburke’s graphic biography of Malcolm X […] captures the entire arc of slavery, emancipation, and Jim Crow that set the stage for Malcolm Little’s life.”

Comics is a fantastic medium, yes, but that doesn’t mean that it can do justice to phenomena as complex and deeply rooted as slavery in a single panel. (Okay, this is complicated, but it actually can. It really depends on the size of the panel, the way elements are represented, and how subject matters are treated therein. Needless to say it’s a very difficult thing to do, and despite the fact that Duburke is a remarkably talented artist, he doesn’t — can’t — pull it off in a panel the size of an average two- or three-panel comic strip. This doesn’t mean that a three-panel comic strip can’t deal with complex issues, Charles Schulz and Bill Watterson show, very finely, that they can. But they never tried to canvass slavery, emancipation, and Jim Crow in a single page — and for good reason.)

The issue, here, isn’t the comics adaptation. I think any subject — bar none — can be presented more than adequately by the comics form. The problem is the content.

The Malcolm X biography is written by Andrew Helfer, the same guy who wrote the script for the comic biography of Ronald Reagan. It’s hard to think of two more, well, opposite public figures. If I were going to write a biography of Reagan, it wouldn’t be flattering. If I were to write a biography of Malcolm, it wouldn’t be simplified.

There are other problems with the first few pages (especially with respect to details of Malcolm’s life, and, particularly, his demise). The promotional package, for instance, remarks that Malcolm’s “words inspired generations of African Americans — and played a role in his violent death.” What, exactly, does that mean? Yes, that’s right, Malcolm preached violence, and hence that violence came to reclaim him — he got what he deserved, that scary, even respectable, but nevertheless shit-disturbing nigger. If this biography doesn’t mention, at the very least, Malcolm’s own doubts about the NOI’s involvement in his impending death, then there are problems.

Having said that, I can’t prematurely judge the final product until I’ve read the entire, 100 page graphic novel. Which should be coming out sometime in November. (The 9/11 Report adaptation will be coming out in September, five years anniversary edition.) Then I can offer a proper review.

In the meanwhile, here’s an article on the three “novel graphics” from Publisher’s Weekly, it has the first page of the 9/11 Report adaptation.