"Read My Lips"

That's a saying Daddy Bush was well-known for.

Bush The 2nd has also been pretty clear about his opinions, if you bother reading his lips. The problem is that most Israelis just read the "edited" news and keep being "surprised."

All along, the Bushes have said that to them Ramat Eshkol is not different from Ma'ale Levona, and Har Chomah is just as bad as Otniel. It should all be judenrien according to the Bushes and their staff.

Rice, who was accompanying Bush en route to Israel overnight Tuesday, said that "the United States doesn't make a distinction" between settlement activity in east Jerusalem and the West Bank and that Israel's road map obligations, which include a building freeze, relate to "settlement activity generally." (complete article)

Strangely, it doesn't seem to bother anyone, left, right and center of the international political spectrum when apartheid means JEWS KEEP OUT. The Bush-Olmert-Rice-Peres (etc. ad nauseum) policy is an extreme and primitive form of segregation, based on religion and nationality. Arabs have freedom of movement, and the law protects their rights to live where they wish and buy homes where they wish. Only Jews are not allowed full civil rights in our Historic Homeland.

The Olmert Government is excitedly salivating as they announce their plans to destroy Jewish homes and communities. Like happy puppies they cheerfully await the approval of their foreign owners.

No pride.

The Israeli Government has allowed Bush's security staff to dictate the conditions of his visit to Israel. The fact that hundreds of thousands of innocent and peaceful Israelis are having their lives seriously disrupted. Businesses have been forced to close until the visit invasion ends, and that includes doctors and dentist offices. Streets have been cleared of traffic and that includes pedestrians.

As an American-born citizen of the United States and an Israeli by choice, I am sickened and embarrassed by this crass display of power and repression. There is no reason for treating us as criminals, just excuses. I believe that actions speak louder than words. And the actions of Olmert and and the actions of Bush and his entourage are not those of western, democratic leaders.

The America, which educated me, taught me to value the rights of its citizens and allowed the voices of dissidents to be heard.

I guess I shouldn't be surprised. Polls show that both Olmert and Bush #2 are unpopular in their respective countries. I guess that all these emptied streets and armed guards make them feel important and valuable. We're all waiting for them to jog off in the sunset together.