Peck Interview on "Countdown."

I used to know Ed Peck quite well.  As I recall he served in the Army in the Korean War and I remember that he told me that he is Jewish.  He is 81 years old.  pl

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MKNI5q38ABs

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Peck

Comments

[Fred]

In minute 2 of the clip Senator McCain (from an embedded clip from Fox) states Jerusalem is the capital of Israel. When did the United States government, or any other, recognize this claim by Israel?

[steve]

Fred,

If I recall correctly, I believe that Congress routinely passes legislation recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and calling for the relocation of the US embassy.

No president--obviously--democrat or republican has acted on those resolutions.

[Cynthia]

I wouldn't put it past Prime Minister Netanyahu, behaving as the Zionist equivalent of Hitler, to have ordered his naval commandos to attack and kill humanitarian aid workers aboard the flotilla bound for Gaza. I also wouldn't put it past President Obama, behaving as the Zionist equivalent of Mussolini, to have given Netanyahu the green light to do this, just so long as Bibi could assure him that no Americans of non-Arab descent are killed in the attack. After all, if it were to happen that non-Arab Americans were killed in the attack, even the Christian Zionists would come to realize that Israel is a land of evil-doers and an archenemy of the US -- on par with, say, North Korea or Iran.

And it goes without saying that for the Democratic Party to continue to receive enormous campaign funds from very wealthy American Zionists, whose goal it is to make sure that the US continues to give unconditional support to Israel, Obama must hide the truth that we are siding then the axis-forces-of-evil led by Israel against the allied-forces-of-good led by Turkey.

[Lysander]

A very persuasive and very distinguished gentleman. The US would be very well served if all of her diplomats were like Mr Peck.

[Trent]

Congress passed a law in '95 accepting Israel's claim of Jerusalem as its capital. The bill also called to move the US embassy from TA to J'lem. The presidents have waived the bill, every six months, since then.

[Castellio]

There's a tragedy in the making that that level of American compassion and straight talking (Mr. Peck) is so rarely seen on national media, let alone foreign media.

That is the America that meant something to the billions. Hide the Mr. Pecks, you hide the best spokespeople for the American project.

Right now they are very well hidden.

[b]

U.S. Citizen Was Among the Dead on the Gaza Flotilla

Reports in the Turkish press identified the American as Furkan Dogan, 19, who was born in the United States before returning to Turkey with his family as a young child.

Mr. Dogan’s brother, Mustafa, described him as “clean-hearted with a happy face,” and said that he had asked for his parents’ blessing before leaving with the flotilla, according to a report in the Turkish newspaper Zaman.

“We didn’t expect him to come back like this,” Mr. Dogan’s brother was quoted as saying. “However, we were not sorry to hear that he fell like a martyr.”

The Cihan news agency reported that Mr. Dogan had one bullet in the chest and four bullets fired into his head from close range.

Never forget ...

[Patrick Lang]

Castellio

As Solzhenitsyn said of the USSR, "this is a muffled zone." In my own inadequate way (apology for self reference) I am proof of that as well. pl

[Castellio]

You are doing a very good job in a very difficult situation. Every two lines creates a line between. Your influences are real and make a difference. There is an enormous strength in American civil society – among its people – that even the fiercest foreign critics acknowledge. If I could comfort you further, I would.

[WILL]

juan cole juxtaposes it well

"Hey, Tea Party. A foreign navy boarded an unarmed ship flying the flag of a NATO member in international waters and shot dead an American citizen with four bullets to the head and one in the chest on Memorial Day. It did this while the head of the belligerent state was on his way to a state visit to Washington, DC, to be awarded a further $200 million in aid on top of the $3 billion of American taxpayer money the US gives away to him every year.

If you are not upset by this, your tea is weak, man. Weak."

[SAC Brat]

Edward Peck on the NPR program "On Point" last night, http://www.onpointradio.org/2010/06/gaza-israel-and-flotilla-fallout and on NPR Morning Addition with transcript:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=127361726

I thought he told his experience very well.

[J]

Cynthia,

Hats off to Bill Wade on this one. It appears the Israelis had orders to kill personnel aboard the flotilla listed in a book of targets they carried on their persons in their raid.

See Bill Wade's entry earlier under The war at sea for hearts and minds:

Apparently one of the attackers dropped a "hit list" of photos and names of those to be killed.

http://www.dunyabulteni.net/image_gallery_detail.php?id=603

Posted by: BillWade | 01 June 2010 at 01:24 PM

[Cynthia]

J,

Perhaps this explains why the Israeli commandos appeared to have selectively sought out and killed Turks or people of Turkish descent, one of whom, I must mention, was only 19 years old.

I can't leave without also mentioning that all of our elected officials in Washington are too frightened to speak out against Israel for allowing its heavily armed commandos kill an unarmed American teenage with four bullets to his head and one to his chest. All of them know from experience that defiance of the Israel Lobby most likely would lead to political defeat. The government as a whole is completely intimidated by the Lobby. Read Mearsheimer and Walt and you'll know what I'm talking about. I recall very well that Hillary, when just the First Lady, expressed some support for the Palestinians. There was an outcry and she shut up and never said another word for the Palestinians. When she became a Senator from New York, of course she marched invariably to the Lobby's tune.

[N M Salamon]

Colonel:

With great respect IMHO that were there 20 Senators and 70 Cogress Representatives who wopuld reflect your patritism and your conception of Honor, the USA would not be in the sad position vis-a-vis the internaional community [190+] and the 6 billion or so citizens thereof, for such a small group would shame the rest to act in the interest of the USA first, second and third - with due respect for international law outside of the interior issues.

[The Twisted Genius]

J, I saw the "hit list" book in the streaming satcom video from the Al Jazeera reporter a few days ago. I'll try to find it again. I can't read Turkish on the page that Bill Wade pointed out, but it sure would be a bombshell if there was real evidence of a preplanned hit list compiled by the Israelis prior to their act of piracy.

[anna missed]

So Hillary Clinton comes forward today supporting the idea that Israel should conduct the primary investigation into the event. That's nice. Especially since Israel has ALREADY been caught fabricating evidence for the international press.

Once upon a time - credibility - meant something.

[Mark Gaughan]

Pat,
Thanks for posting this.
Mark

[Castellio]

Anna Missed: just thinking...

Credibility means more than it ever has, because fewer people have it.

[J]

Cynthia,

The Israelis will rue the day they messed with the Turks, 'if/when' the Turks have had a gut full of Israel's nefariousness. This latest shows how little regard that the Israelis have for the Turks, Americans, Irish, Brits, other Europeans. The Israelis keep pissing people off, eventually it will reach critical mass. I pity the Israelis (NO I DON'T!) when Turk ire has reached critical mass. The Turks are good people, they don't deserve all this Israeli dung.

[Fred]

Well here's a disappointment from one of my Senators:
http://levin.senate.gov/newsroom/release.cfm?id=325451

[The Twisted Genius]

This video includes the footage of the Israeli "hit list" found by passengers of the Mavi Mamara. It's at 2:22 to 2:28. Most of you have probably already seen the footage.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MB-Mk4bFz-U&feature=player_embedded#!

Al Jazeera also interviewed one of their reporters that was on the Mavi Mamara, Jamal Elshayyal. I hope the passenger accounts get into the media... but I'm not holding my breath.

http://english.aljazeera.net/video/middleeast/2010/06/201063123021327499.html

I find the recent behavior and statements of most of our politicians to be revolting and treasonously slavish to a rogue nation. Has anyone in our political establishment stood up to the Israeli lobby? I am beyond cynicism and anger. I truly fear for the soul of our country.

[J]

Cynthia,

I see very little difference between Israel and Al Qaeda, 'both' have shed American blood!

[Richard Armstrong]

What saddens me most about this incident is that all the talk is about the Israeli's piracy in international waters.

One side says the Israeli's were committing an international crime.

The other side says the Israeli's were enforcing an embargo.

No one seems to recognize that Israel has turned Gaza into a concentration camp.

I believe that Gaza proves that those that died by the sword shall live by the sword.

[Stephanie]

Thank you for the link. Ambassador Peck seems like a very fine man.

[b]

Funny or censorship?

The NYT has replaced the story I posted upthread at 3:07pm. The original was written by Slackman and Tavernise in Istanbul and the original headline was the one I copied "U.S. Citizen Was Among the Dead on the Gaza Flotilla"

Now the link goes to the headline "Israel Signals New Flexibility on Gaza Shipments", a story from Kershner (reliable Israel shill) in Jerusalem and makes no mention of the dead American.

Hmmm ....