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Jan
15
Obama the Feminist, Women’s Issues & the 111th Congress
Filed Under activism, Barack Obama, Blogging, Business, Civil Rights, Economy, Education, employment, Government, Illness, Law, leadership, Parenting, Politics, Sexism, Social Issues, Women | Leave a Comment
The Ms. Special Winter 2009 Inaugural Issue is now out with a cover image of President-elect Barack Obama wearing a t-shirt that says, “This is what a feminist looks like.”
From a media advisory prepared by Ms.:
When the publisher of Ms., Eleanor Smeal, and the chair of the Feminist Majority Foundation board, Peg Yorkin, met Barack Obama,
he immediately offered “I am a feminist.” Obama ran on the strongest platform for women’s rights of any major party in American history. Feminist Karen Kornbluh, the platform’s principle author, ensured women’s rights, opportunities, advancement, and issues were addressed throughout the historic document.
As Smeal says in her introduction to the Inaugural feature, “Never has it been easy fighting for equality and social justice. We have spent far too many years fighting to hold the ground we had already gained. Now is the time to move forward.
“But we are not giving President-Elect Obama a blank check. For our hopes to be achieved, we must speak out and organize, organize, organize to enable our new president’s team to achieve our common goals. Ultimately, we must hold our leaders’ feet to the fire or, to put it more positively, uplift them when they are caught in the crosscurrents of competing interests.”
To that end of not giving Obama a blank check, the American Association of University Women and U.S. Representative Rosa DeLauro (D, CT-3), held a conference call this morning to discuss pay equity, education, and paid sick days for workers. You can read an entire live-blog of the call here, including questions and answers from DeLauro and AAUW director of public policy and government relations, Lisa Maatz.
Highlights from comments made during the call:
-there’s excitement that the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act (HR 11) is advancing in the Senate and is expected to go up for a vote next week;
-there’s great disappointment that the Senate is not taking up the twin bill, the Paycheck Fairness Act (HR 12); that act is seen as providing the tools with which employees can demonstrate the cause of action they get to pursue under Ledbetter;
-AAUW and DeLauro stated more than once that they expect to hold the Senate’s “feet to the fire” regarding promises which they say were made to bring the Paycheck Fairness Act to the floor in the next few months. Obviously this feet to the fire activism will need to apply to Obama as needed, also.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 3:49 pm January 15th, 2009 in activism, Barack Obama, Blogging, Business, Civil Rights, Economy, Education, employment, Government, Illness, Law, leadership, Parenting, Politics, Sexism, Social Issues, Women | Please comment
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Jan
15
Live-blog: Women’s Issues a Priority in 111th Congress: Pay Equity, Education, Paid Sick Days for Workers
Filed Under Announcements, Blogging, Congress, Economy, Education, employment, Gender, Parenting, Politics, Women | Leave a Comment
By Jill Miller Zimon at 10:42 am January 15th, 2009 in Announcements, Blogging, Congress, Economy, Education, employment, Gender, Parenting, Politics, Women | Please comment
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Jan
14
WLST quoted in The Jewish Week: Tweeting for Israel
Filed Under Blogging, Gaza, Israel, Jewish, Media, middle east, Politics, social media, Tech, Writing | 4 Comments
And I sound just like you would think I would.
From The Jewish Week, Tweeting for Israel (which is actually a pretty long article; this is just a section):
[Israel's consul for media and public affairs in the Israel Consulate, David] Saranga began to make headway in the online public opinion battle when he founded Isrealli.org, the official blog of the State of Israel, back in 2006 and quickly went on to create MySpace, Facebook and YouTube accounts for Israel, he said. When the war began three weeks ago in Gaza, he decided to revive another blog called IsraelPolitik and open two Twitter accounts — one in his own name and one for the Israel Consulate. Twitter gives users the ability to constantly update their status: to let the world know what they’re doing, what they’re reading or even what their mood is at that moment, all in “tweets” of 140 characters or less. For Saranga, this limited space serves as a quick method to keep the public updated with short notes and links to IsraelPolitik blog entries.
“My sense is that their goal is to try and be an official representative without being any more biased than a particular country’s consulate is already going to be,” said Jill Zimon, a noted political blogger. “They’re doing a pretty good job — they aren’t full of invectives and hyperboles.”
Saranga said that he decided to use Twitter after witnessing the success of President-Elect Barack Obama’s smooth implementation of new media in his campaign. Obama currently has over 165,000 Twitter followers. Another inspiration for the Israeli Consulate was the terror attack in Mumbai, during which people communicated via Twitter from all over the globe, sharing moment-by-moment news updates.
“The young generation is not following the mainstream media,” Saranga said, noting that commercials during televised newscasts tend to be geared toward the elderly population. “This is what the world should get used to. This is the language you should speak.” Just as he would converse in Spanish to a native Spanish speaker, Saranga continued, he “tweets” with the population that is fluent in cyber-speak.
“My hope continues to be that when people engage on the Internet, especially because we’re sitting at our desk and are not face to face, it should be easier to debate tough questions,” added Zimon, who scours live blogs like “The Muqata” and “Israellycool” that are closely monitoring the war’s progression.
I’ve reference those blogs on here a few times but I also want to mention again Random Thoughts – Do They Have Meaning? That’s the blog by Jack B Nimble that has been providing nearly daily round-ups of MSM and blog coverage from many angles. Yes, a lot of the perspectives to be found there are supportive of Israel, but every single link I’ve sent that has been supportive of other perspectives has also been posted. I know that while Jack and others have their opinions about that, they are posted still. So I really appreciate that.
Have you come across sources regarding the Gaza and Israel conflict that you feel haven’t been getting the attention they deserve? Please leave links in the comments and I’ll be sure to pass them on.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 5:18 pm January 14th, 2009 in Blogging, Gaza, Israel, Jewish, Media, middle east, Politics, social media, Tech, Writing | 4 Comments
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Jan
14
Bus the Bloggers: An Ohio Odyssey to the Inauguration
Filed Under activism, Barack Obama, Blogging, Media, Ohio, Politics, Writing | 2 Comments
Although I’m unable to attend or cover the inauguration from Washington, DC, I’m trying to take my most influential person of Pepper Pike moniker (just humor me on that) and help another group of movers and shakers who hope to cover the inauguration for Ohioans in unique fashion.
A group of NE Ohio bloggers, many of whom I know personally, have, as bloggers so often do, taken matters into their own hands. Tim and Gloria Ferris are spearheading an effort to cover the inauguration of Barack Obama in a completely unique and Ohio-centric way.
A few days ago, on the 7th [of January], a friend in Cincinnati proposed sending out a blogger call for a road trip in conjunction with the inauguration. The response was pretty positive. Today, we have the resources lined up and the plan partially fleshed out. Tomorrow, we start pounding the phones for money.
To this point, we have a bus reserved for 4 days. It carries 55 and has two drivers. It will start in Cleveland late on the 18th, stop in Akron, and hit Columbus at midnight. From there, it will proceed to Cincinnati, where there is an event at 3 PM, after which it will go on to DC, where it will arrive sometime early in the morning of the 20th and disgorge its load at the end of a T1 line, where the load will proceed to live blog and tweet and stuff for the entire day. We have made arrangements for clearance papers–I guess it involves the metropolitan police and the Secret Service. Then, on the 21st, it’s back home. Coming and going, there will be photo ops and other media events.
We have lodging arranged for the only night when a bed will be possible, between the 20th and the 21st. A few other people and I are getting the money together for the bus, for food and lodging, and for a modest amount of walking-around money for each participant. Gloria and I can’t go due to her recent retrofit, but we can certainly get vicarious. The bus will populate itself, we think, with three generations–it’s a great opportunity for recording oral histories and the varied perspectives of the past 50 years.
Tomorrow, in addition to sponsorship, we’ll be trying to get in-kind participation, as in air cards and wireless services. If we could blog and tweet all the way from Cleveland to Akron to Columbus to Cincinnati to DC and back, wouldn’t that be a marvelous advertisement for a new wired America? The bus trip is a story in itself, and there are lots of other stories within that story.
If this sounds like something you think is cool and deserves more attention (or support, or money), please feel free to link to this post or blog about it yourself. Tim blogged about it here. Also, Tim created a Facebook cause for Bus the Bloggers and it’s getting bigger and bigger – please take a look and consider joining.
I would be going but I am speaking at a previously scheduled event in Akron on Tuesday, inauguration day, that involves interests and causes close to my heart (media, social work and children and family services). But I will be eagerly and excitedly following the NE Ohio bloggers.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 4:43 pm January 14th, 2009 in activism, Barack Obama, Blogging, Media, Ohio, Politics, Writing | 2 Comments
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Jan
14
Carnival of Ohio Politics #150, the Auto Bailout Edition, now posted
Filed Under Politics | Leave a Comment
For your lunchtime (or afternoon procrastination) pleasure, I encourage you to click over to the Carnival of Ohio Politics, #150, the Auto Bailout Edition. The entries were particularly wonderful this week and, given how the top few issues in Ohio and the world seem to be hanging with us longer than we might like, there’s actually a lot of diversity.
Thanks as always to the contributors (readers and writers) this week and please link and encourage others to do the same.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 2:32 pm January 14th, 2009 in Politics | Please comment
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Jan
14
Gaza and Israel: Israel’s Amos Gilad going to Egypt to negotiate truce
Filed Under Politics | Leave a Comment
Hattip to Israelly Cool: (who is liveblogging from Israel though this is from the Ha’aretz ticker:
21:09 Foreign Ministry director heads to U.S. to discuss efforts to end Gaza fighting (AP)
21:00 Israel to send top negotiator to Cairo for Gaza truce talks (Reuters)
A senior official says Israel’s chief envoy in talks to end the Gaza conflict will travel Thursday to Egypt to offer a cease-fire proposal.
Egyptian and Palestinian officials said Wednesday they hoped to seal Hamas’ agreement on a 10-day halt in fighting, which would be presented to Israel for approval.
A senior official at the Israeli Defense Ministry says lead negotiator Amos Gilad will present Israel’s stance on proposed terms. Egypt is trying to broker a truce between Hamas and Israel after 19 days of fighting.
Supposedly the conditions do not yet include the return of Gilad Shalit.
More from Jameel liveblogging as it happens in Israel:
7:55 PM Channel 2 TV: IDF spox denies again all rumors that Gilad Shalit has been found/returned home/hospitalized/etc.
7:54 PM Hamas also demanding that IDF withdraw all tanks before start of ceasefire. Israel will probably agree (Channel 10 TV)
7:47 PM Good G-d. Channel 10 is reporting about the upcoming “ceasefire agreement”. Channel 10 claims that Israel will open border crossings to Gaza. Hamas will not return Gilad Shalit, Hamas will only cease shooting rockets at Israel for a year.
For this we went to war?
Those times are for Israel – which is seven hours ahead of Ohio (which is on EST).
There are numerous reports to be found on the Internet regarding what is and is not in the agreement, what must or must not get included or dropped and so on. Likewise, it’s emerged that there are Hamas spokespersons addressing the agreement process that hail from Gaza, and are located in Lebanon, and are located in Syria. Oy. If 14 Arab countries can all get to one place, you’d think that a ruling political party could get a single voice representing them there too.
How is that fracture not indicative of why Hamas does not represent the millions of Palestinians in the region? They need three people at a minimum to represent Hamas.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 2:29 pm January 14th, 2009 in Politics | Please comment
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Jan
14
Gaza and Israel: Hamas agrees to truce, will hold press conference in Cairo
Filed Under Foreign Affairs, Gaza, Israel, Media | 6 Comments
Hamas has agreed to a ceasefire in Gaza based on Egypt’s proposal, Arab sources told Ynet Wednesday. The conditions for the truce have not been published at this time.
Senior Hamas official Ayman Taha is expected to hold a press conference at 7:30 pm (GMT) in which he will present the understandings reached during the Cairo talks.
Reuters reports on the scheduling of that conference in Cairo as well. I’m time-zone challenged – what time is that here – I think it’s six or seven hours difference?
Muqata aka Jameel, blogging from Israel (great coverage, btw) says things are rather quiet in the region of conflict and wonders if in fact there is a cease fire in or about to be put in place.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 12:06 pm January 14th, 2009 in Foreign Affairs, Gaza, Israel, Media | 6 Comments
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Jan
13
Hopeful, but naive. Read his op-ed in Wednesday’s New York Times here.
Key portion:
Israel de facto recognizes Hamas’s right to rule Gaza and to provide for the well-being and security of the people of Gaza — which was actually Hamas’s original campaign message, not rocketing Israel. And, in return, Hamas has to signal a willingness to assume responsibility for a lasting cease-fire and to abandon efforts to change the strategic equation with Israel by deploying longer and longer range rockets. That’s the only deal. Let’s give it a try.
No, that’s not the only deal. You titled your book, The World is Flat, but Mr. Friedman, the Israel-Palestinian conflict is no more flat than the world you discussed in that book. Suggesting that, “in return, Hamas has to signal a willingness to assume responsibility for a lasting cease-fire and to abandon efforts to change the strategic equation with Israel by deploying longer and longer range rockets….” completely ignores political and ideological realities.
I continue to believe that Hamas failed in its leadership – certainly on the scores Friedman suggests (providing for the well-being and security of the people of Gaza) and that on that basis alone, the Palestinians needs new leadership. But from where?
That is the question I would love Friedman and others to tackle – where is the leadership? Who is the leadership? For my hope, my naivete, is to continue to believe that the Palestinians want better – better than what Hamas promises, or wants.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 11:42 pm January 13th, 2009 in Gaza, Israel | 7 Comments
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Jan
13
From the Some People Pay Me Department
Filed Under Cleveland+, Ohio, Parenting, Writing | Leave a Comment
From the December 2008 Cleveland Family:
What do you want to be when you grow up?
During the fall months, as my family and I observe the Jewish holidays, I ask that question, not only of my children as they enter a new school year, but of myself, too, as it relates to my relationship with religion, but also as I find I need to renew my self-confidence as a parent, especially as my children get older and their needs – and my resolve – fluctuate.
You can read the rest here.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 3:45 pm January 13th, 2009 in Cleveland+, Ohio, Parenting, Writing | Please comment
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Jan
13
And there will be how many women in Middle East negotiation meetings?
Filed Under Foreign Affairs, Gaza, Israel, leadership | Leave a Comment
Tzipi Livni’s behavior can be interpreted as not necessarily having any impact one way or the other re: her gender, but given the Hamas preference for Turkey because it’s seen by Hamas as an Islamic nation, the concern about women’s involvement is legitimate.
Consider the success of this alliance with Hanan Ashrawi in the West Bank as well as her statements, like these:
“Arab countries have not mobilized,” said Hanan Ashrawi, a legislator and longtime Palestinian spokeswoman. “They have not used their political, much less their economic clout to help Palestinians. Economically, they have been helping, but not in a big way.
“Palestinians feel a sense of let down, even a betrayal,” she said.
Do you suspect anyone who is invited into these meetings is going to push that? I sure don’t get that sense. But I’d love to be proven wrong.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 2:01 pm January 13th, 2009 in Foreign Affairs, Gaza, Israel, leadership | Please comment
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Jan
13
Palin: Still conclusory after all this time
Filed Under Blogging, Politics, Sarah Palin | 4 Comments
…Palin said she had adopted a philosophical attitude on the downside of the spotlight. “You have to let it go,” she said. “Even hard news sources, credible news sources — the comment about, you can see Russia from Alaska. You can! You can see Russia from Alaska. Something like that — a factual statement that was taken out of context and mocked — what you have to do is let that go.”
That statement wasn’t mocked over whether or not it was true. It was mocked because you were asked the following question:
CHARLES GIBSON (ABC NEWS)
(Off-camera) What insight into Russian actions particularly in the last couple of weeks, does the proximity of this state give you?
And you responded:
GOVERNOR SARAH PALIN (REPUBLICAN VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE)
They’re our next door neighbors. And you can actually see from land here in Alaska.
without following that up with anything that, you know, identifies why Russia, by virtue of being your next door neighbor, gives you, you know, insight – like Gibson asked about.
In other words, by simply repeating that Russia is your neighbor – which anyone who went to grade school, with the exception of Miss South Carolina, should already know, you are claiming that it is an insight to tell us that Russia is your neighbor and that that is the only insight you have into Russian actions as a result of that country’s proximity to Alaska, because, as you said, they’re your neighbors.
(Why am I making my head hurt?)
Well blow me over – you figured out that they’re your neighbors and that is an insight?
Just on the off chance I’ve never mentioned this before, you do realize that, again, your answer was conclusory. You needed to move on to say why having them as a neighbor makes any difference from them not being a neighbor, said difference thereby giving you – you know, insight. Like Gibson asked.
That’s why you were mocked. Not because someone can actually see Russia from Alaska or because Alaska is Russia’s neighbor, and, ya know, Russia is Alaska’s neighbor too. (This is just too easy.)
Eh -what the hey, Sarah – keep answering that way, and defending that way of answering. It just makes it that much easier to discredit you – along with that stuff you say about bloggers and, well, everything else.
NB: I’m helping my high schooler study for mid-term exams. I think I’m going to use this as a lesson in how not to answer an essay question.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 12:38 pm January 13th, 2009 in Blogging, Politics, Sarah Palin | 4 Comments
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Jan
13
The whole “prediction of news for 2009″ thing
Filed Under Blogging, Media, Ohio, WCPN/SOI | 2 Comments
Let me just get this off my chest: WCPN did it right – they asked listeners, what do you want us to cover in 2009?
These days every news organization has to do more with less. So that makes the decision about what to cover, and how to cover it, more important than ever. So, we’d like to hear from you: what stories should we cover? On the next Sound of Ideas; we’ll be joined by editorial decision makers from The Plain Dealer, WKYC TV and ideastream®. We invite you to join us to talk about what direction all of our news coverage should take in 2009.
Well done.
The Plain Dealer? Not so much, even though Susan Goldberg was on that Sound of Ideas (which you can listen to here).
They’re telling us what they think will be news. (Steve Koff’s ideas are of course all in the tank topics that can’t be argued with, but shouldn’t each and every one of those ideas be presented with a view to the local application, even if he’s the PD Washington Bureau guy?)
But repeat after me:
What they “think” will be news.
That’s a joke, right, as in, we should all smile and wink, wink at each other?
The PD has the filters and editors who decide what we need to know and how we’re going to learn about it and what it’s going to read like. Of course they can “predict” the news stories for 2009.
ARGH.
Sigh.
They really do not get it.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 8:38 am January 13th, 2009 in Blogging, Media, Ohio, WCPN/SOI | 2 Comments
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Jan
13
U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown
Filed Under Congress, Marcy Kaptur, Mary Taylor, Ohio, Politics | 4 Comments
I want to know who Ohio’s junior U.S. Senator, Sherrod Brown (D) likes for replacing George Voinovich (R) as Ohio’s other senator. Brown has knowledge and/or relationships with nearly all the possible Democratic and Republican possibilities. Don’t you just know he must have great things to tell us about the odds for each option – and who he really thinks would best serve Ohio?!
Personally, I still love the idea of Mary Taylor (R) v. Marcy Kaptur (D). Talk about giving Ohio some good juju. And while that match up might be one of the least likely, it definitely fulfills my hopes for getting more women into ever-higher positions of leadership and opening up spots where more women can continue to flow through the pipeline.
And, frankly, every time I look at a line up or photo that looks like this, I just can’t help think about how re-tread it is. Please, Ohio, break out of the retread. Or we have no one to blame but ourselves.
NB: I know lots of people are on the brink of going gaga over Tim Ryan (D) I don’t know him – only know of him. But my gut sense is that he’s as much a politician as any of the others, just a little younger, hence the references to energy and charisma.
And the whole John Kasich (R) for governor? Eek, seems completely like a dead end. Are people really forgetting just how many independent voters there are in Ohio? And then there’s John Boehner – would he do better, be more influential, as a member of the minority party in the senate?
Energy and charisma are nice and sometimes necessary. But there is in fact more to leadership than just those two things.
Say, like, experience and accomplishments.
And isn’t it interesting just how many of these names hedge building on the younger, new voters that came out? What was that all about? Shouldn’t we want to build on that – both parties? Isn’t that part of the talk Kevin DeWine was criticized for regarding how to change the appeal and direction of the Republican party in Ohio?
Sigh – the more I think about it, the more I’m very unenchanted by people’s thoughts on the replacement. Very uninspired for the most part.
Oh – okay – one more thing a la Columbo – oops – now it’s two – I keep editing into this post:
1. These names are like the idea of casinos – they keep coming back, round and round showing no creativity when it comes to giving answers to an evergreen issue (casinso – economy, elections – leadership).
2. And don’t you just hate we don’t start with: what do we need? what do we want?
Shouldn’t those be the first questions we ask before people start telling us that they think we need them and that we should want them?
This is so backwards. We’re looking at what we’ve got, rather than what we need. That is really wrong.
Okay – that’s it. For now.
No – it’s not.
This point about being backwards? Yeah – see – I asked about this regarding what the news should cover, just a week ago – here’s what I asked (and it was answered):
I would like to see our news outlets do a series on leadership, but not about the people currently in elected positions, corporate, non-profit or academic jobs, but rather an examination:
What does good leadership look like?
Where do we find and how do we support current and future leaders?
And yet what’s the first story jumped on?
All the currently elected or previously elected people we always talk about.
Bla. Bla. Bla.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 7:20 am January 13th, 2009 in Congress, Marcy Kaptur, Mary Taylor, Ohio, Politics | 4 Comments
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Jan
12
Ohio Daily Blog changes management, re-emerges
Filed Under Blogging, Ohio, Politics, Writing | 2 Comments
There’s no visual change yet other than different bylines, but even those are now sprucing up the several weeks-long dormant Ohio Daily Blog, formerly run by Jeff Coryell aka Yellow Dog Sammy (and my Wide Open co-blogger) and now under the guidance of Anthony Fossaceca formerly of Blue Ohioan.
Several posts about the most recent rumblings in Ohio politics greet you already. Enjoy. I know I will.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 6:43 pm January 12th, 2009 in Blogging, Ohio, Politics, Writing | 2 Comments
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Jan
12
[video] Chronicling what is Life on Swan Pond, aka new coal ash disaster site
Filed Under activism, Elections, Energy, Environment, Government, Law, leadership, Politics, social media, Utilities | 1 Comment
Two items: First, this link to a Livejournal blog, Life on Swan Pond, being written by someone who had lived across the street from victims of the disaster. A sampled entry:
What is really happening with the health of the residents of Swan Pond:
Doctors telling individuals that their airway is being irritated by something in the fly ash… when they never had a history of respiratory problems.
Doctors advising individuals that with the airborne dangers of fly ash it is too dangerous to stay in the area and to leave immediately to prevent further health issues.
Children who have asthma that has been under control for years, are having asthma attacks requiring treatment.
Several individuals report coughing up “lots of phlegm” & coughing so hard that their ribs and muscle hurt.
Reports of “rash” and “irritations” on their skin.
Many report watery eyes, sore throats, coughing, sneezing & severe headaches.
Another problem that is just beginning to be talked about… is the Stress related to this disaster.
Stress, Anxiety Disorders, Panic Attacks, Depression, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)….
And when will “they” address that fact that this type of disaster can lead to these problems too…
Then, a video to which I linked yesterday but can now embed here, set to the tune of Billy Joel’s Honesty about what the TVA is telling residents of Harriman, TN after the Kingston coal burning plant’s wet pond burst.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 5:18 pm January 12th, 2009 in activism, Elections, Energy, Environment, Government, Law, leadership, Politics, social media, Utilities | 1 Comment
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Jan
12
Photos from 1/12/09 Cleveland rally for solidarity with Israel
Filed Under Cleveland+, Gaza, Israel | 12 Comments
As I get more in, I’ll post. The folks who took the photo report that between 1000-1500 attended, as opposed to the Plain Dealer’s reporting of about 600. Thanks to Daf Yomi for sending the image.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 3:52 pm January 12th, 2009 in Cleveland+, Gaza, Israel | 12 Comments
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Jan
12
[video] US Senate 2010: The Fix ignores Mary Taylor, Christian Science Monitor offers Joe the Plumber
Filed Under Congress, Endorsements, Government, leadership, Ohio, Politics | 3 Comments
This item from The Fix about Ohio’s senior U.S. Senator George Voinovich’s announcement about retiring includes speculation as to who the candidates for the open seat might be, but there’s no mention anywhere of Ohio Auditor Mary Taylor, my favorite possibility from the GOP side. I’m sticking by that option, even though I can understand why the GOP would want her to stay put and run for re-election. I’m not sure what price I’d exact from them to make me do that, if I were her, but given the mood of the country, and conservative women in particular who really need a competent, successful, well-liked, kind of sort of bipartisan Ohio-style person to support, I think Taylor is in a great position – to run, or not run and run for anything else later.
On the other hand, the Christian Science Monitor seems to be the first up with a suggestion that Joe the Plumber might consider giving up being Joe the Journalist for being Joe the U.S. Senator:
We told you about this last week. Wurzelbacher is actually in Israel and he’s covering the fighting for a conservative web site.
So, why not fill out the resume with U.S. Senator?
Bring it on
He told conservative talk show host Laura Ingraham last October that he was interested in Democratic Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur’s seat and was mulling a run.
“I’ll tell you what, we’d definitely be in one heck of a fight but, you know, I’d be up for it,” he said.
No way, you say? The Arizona Cardinals are in the NFC Championship game.
Anything – anything – is possible.
Oh yeah. Ohio.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 2:51 pm January 12th, 2009 in Congress, Endorsements, Government, leadership, Ohio, Politics | 3 Comments
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Jan
12
Cleveland rallies for solidarity with Israel
Filed Under activism, Cleveland+, Gaza, Israel | 2 Comments
From a comment left by a reader:
BTW, I just returned from that rally. It was a very civil demonstration, mostly calling for peace for all. There were christian clergy and several rabbis who prayed together with everyone for peace.
In contrast, there was a counter demonstration and they were screaming “death to the Jews”, “death to Israel”, waving swastika’s etc. Such a shame…
From the PD’s blog post on the rally:
A Solidarity With Israel rally drew about 600 people to downtown Cleveland at noon. Participants cheered speakers who condemned terrorism and argued in favor of Israel’s right to defend itself against terrorist attacks.
A hastily arranged counter-demonstration mustered about 75 people. Some participants in this effort marched around the square carrying black boxes — symbolizing coffins for the hundreds of Palestinians killed in the 17-day war in the Middle East — and accused Israel of murder.
The two groups came close enough to exchange shouts, but police kept them apart. The demonstrations ended peacefully about 1:15 p.m.
I did not attend the rally but hope to speak to people later this evening who did.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 2:42 pm January 12th, 2009 in activism, Cleveland+, Gaza, Israel | 2 Comments
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Jan
12
Not sure what a proxy is? What a puppet looks like? Then read this, from the Jerusalem Post:
[An Egyptian government] official told The Jerusalem Post by phone that two senior Iranian officials who visited Damascus recently warned Hamas leaders against accepting the [Egyptian cease fire] proposal.
His remarks came as Hamas representatives met in Cairo with Egyptian Intelligence Chief Gen. Omar Suleiman and his aides to discuss ways of ending the fighting in the Gaza Strip.
The spokesmen said Hamas voiced its strong opposition to the idea of deploying an international force inside the Gaza Strip.
…
The Egyptian official said that the two Iranian emissaries, Ali Larijani, Speaker of the Iranian Parliament, and Said Jalili of the Iranian Intelligence Service, met in the Syrian capital with Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal and Islamic Jihad Secretary-General Ramadan Shallah.
“As soon as the Iranians heard about the Egyptian cease-fire initiative, they dispatched the two officials to Damascus on an urgent mission to warn the Palestinians against accepting it,” the Egyptian government official told the Post.“The Iranians threatened to stop weapons supplies and funding to the Palestinian factions if they agreed to a cease-fire with Israel. The Iranians want to fight Israel and the US indirectly. They are doing this through Hamas in Palestine and Hizbullah in Lebanon”.
…
[Egyptian political analyst Magdi Khalil] said that Hamas was not only jeopardizing Egypt’s national security, but had also destroyed the Palestinians’ dream of statehood. “By endorsing the Iranian agenda, Hamas has brought the Iranians to Egypt’s eastern border,” he said. “Hamas has also copied Hizbullah’s policy of entering into pointless adventures”. [emphasis added]
Now, you can argue all you want about Egypt’s role, but their population, albeit poor and concentrated in dense living areas, isn’t falling apart or at war anywhere near the extent to which the population under Hamas’ rule is. And, despite the anger that exists against Egypt for a perceived failure to assist or accommodate Palestinians, Egypt seeks to honor the word and spirit of the Camp David accords and Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza.
This New York Times op-ed, published today, explains more about the tension between the Arab nations, directed by Iran and aimed primarily at Egypt and Jordan.
On Egypt:
In Egypt, where leaders have been castigated for refusing to keep open the Rafah crossing to Gaza, officials have argued that they are bound by the agreement on border security that followed Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza. But there is an underlying subtext to their message: that Gaza is not Egypt’s problem.
“Gaza is no longer Egypt’s responsibility, and Egypt is determined not to take it back,” said Abdel Raoud el-Reedy, a former ambassador to the United States who is the chairman of the Egyptian Council for Foreign Affairs.
Egypt controlled Gaza, a 140-square-mile coastal strip, until the 1967 war with Israel. Now, Egypt is trying to negotiate a cease-fire there, because resolving the conflict is very much in its interests. Representatives of Hamas were in Cairo on Sunday and representatives from Israel were expected to arrive Monday, officials said.
Hamas wants the border open, but Egypt has refused, except for humanitarian passage for the injured coming out and medicine going in. Israel wants an international force on the Egyptian side of the border, to prevent smuggling through illegal tunnels, but Egypt has refused, saying that would undermine its sovereignty.
Rather than saying explicitly that Egypt does not want responsibility for Gaza, the authorities have stressed that Israel should be held accountable, while reaffirming their support for a two-state solution.
Why Palestinian leadership doesn’t do more to guilt Egypt about its failures in Gaza during its occupation there, I still can’t answer – every time I ask, I get the same response: well, Israel has been the occupier for 60 years. Which is just another way to refuse to blame Egypt or other Arab nations for their failures to the Palestinians.
Speaking of which, the NYT piece on Jordan’s current position: Read more
By Jill Miller Zimon at 10:18 am January 12th, 2009 in Politics | 2 Comments
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Jan
11
I read about this several hours ago on Israeli blogger Jameel’s site (see his fantastic live-blogging w/photos and video and many other sources here) but at that time, it was only the Israeli news anchor/reporter who was saying it.
Now, here’s an article from the Washington Times to which I can link and excerpt:
The Hamas leadership in the Gaza Strip is ready to accept a cease-fire with Israel, but the organization’s spiritual leader in Damascus, Khalid Mashaal, refuses to make the necessary concessions, according to Israeli television reports last night.
The Arab affairs analyst on Channel Two, Ehud Ya’ari, said the dispute amounts to a split between the two Hamas centers of power.
The differences emerged at a meeting over the weekend in Cairo between two Hamas representatives from Gaza and a delegation sent by Mr. Mashaal in Damascus.
…
“The Gazans not only accepted it,” said Mr. Ya’ari, “they demanded it.” The delegation from Damascus, however, reiterated Mr. Mashaal’s rejection of the conditions set down in the Egyptian plan.
The Gazans traveled from Cairo to Damascus immediately after the meeting that ended early Monday to present their case to Mr. Mashaal and were to return to Cairo on Tuesday, according to the reports.
Here’s a Los Angeles Times analysis of Hamas’ options.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 11:56 pm January 11th, 2009 in Gaza, Israel | 1 Comment
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