Thomas Hurndall and American hate....

I reported on 4/11/03 that British peace activist, Thomas Hurndall, had been shot in the back of the head by an Israeli Defense Forces sniper while snatching two children out of harm's way in the southern Gaza Strip.

According to this story in the Christian Science Monitor, Hurndall still lingers on in a deep coma some 2-1/2 weeks later. How tragically sad for his family and loved-ones....

The CSM article profiles the nonviolent peace movement in Palestine and Israel, making the point that it has been far too easy to overlook the long history of nonviolence in the region. To be honest, I never knew such a history existed--and I've lived in Israel.

The collapse of the peace process demoralized the Israeli left, but its members still organize actions. Israeli and foreign activists often accompany Palestinians during olive harvests to protect them from attacks by Israeli settlers.

Palestinian peaceful resistance began on a large scale in 1967 with strikes and boycotts against Israel, which had just seized the territories. It may have culminated in the first months of the Palestinian uprising of 1978 to 1993, with widespread nonviolent resistance to Israel's occupation.

One shocking mention in the story involves Rachel Corrie, the young American killed by a bulldozer in March while demonstrating with The International Solidarity Movement (ISM) in Palestine. ISM's mission is to support Palestinian nonviolent resistance by working with Palestinians who otherwise would face "harsh punishment from Israeli forces."

Apparently, the organization has been inundated with a torrent of hate mail in the wake of Corrie's death.

How heartwarming. Once again, the Far Right demonstrates its much heralded "compassionate conservatism."

In the aftermath of every high-profile hate-crime in this country--the murders of transgendered teen, Gwen Araujo, in the S.F. Bay Area; African-American, James Byrd,Jr., in Jasper, Texas; and gay college student, Matthew Shepard, in Wyoming, to name a few--the cockroaches crawl out of the wall and brave the light of day.

Think I'm exaggerating the level of their vitriol? Then check out Fred Phelps' "God Hates Fags" site, where the infamous Baptist preacher of hate catalogs Matthew Shepard's days in Hell. With the proper plugins, you can even run your mouse over Matthew's photo in the dancing flames and hear him scream.

I kid you not. It is vile. And it has been up on the Web for years.

And they dare to call us sinful?