Israeli sonic booms terrorising Gaza
by Laila El-Haddad in Gaza
Monday 26 December 2005 3:30 AM GMT

Israeli F-16 jets break the sound barrier above populated areas
Palestinians liken it to a bomb dropped directly over their heads leaving them shaking and shocked; human rights groups call it collective punishment; and the Israeli military says it is a necessary, and relatively benign, military response.
The sonic boom is the Israeli army's latest weapon of choice employed over the Gaza Strip as retribution for rockets fired by Palestinian resistance groups into Israel.

Low-flying F-16 fighter jets break the sound barrier above populated areas, creating thunderous shock waves which shake buildings, break windows, blow off doors, and cause widespread panic, fear, and hysteria.

The practice began in late September 2005 after Israeli settlers withdrew from Gaza.

Initially, the attacks came as a response to a barrage of rockets fired by resistance groups into Israel. Eventually, the rockets stopped, but the booms continued.

Human rights groups filed a complaint with Israel's High Court seeking to halt the low-altitude supersonic flights.

Shortly afterwards, the booms subsided.

But the army resumed the practice of what it describes as "mock air raids" last week, after an Islamic Jihad rocket landed 2km south of the Israeli city of Ashkelon in response to the assassination of its leaders.

Psychosomatic effects
According to Eyad Sarraj, a Palestinian psychiatrist, the attacks are terrorising the population and resulting in an array of psychosomatic effects ranging from anxiety attacks, seizures and nausea to nosebleeds and miscarriages.

"Although it is not lethal, it can lead to death indirectly, of unborn children, it can lead to highly traumatising effects on children particularly, and adults too"

Eyad Sarraj,
Palestinian psychiatrist
"Although it is not lethal, it can lead to death indirectly, of unborn children, it can lead to highly traumatising effects on children particularly, and adults too," he says.
"Repeated attacks of that kind have resulted in widespread bedwetting and behavioural changes, depression and anxiety symptoms, in both children and adults."

Sarraj says the sonic attacks are particularly traumatising on children below the age of six, who cannot distinguish between real and simulated bombings and perceive loud noises as threats and danger.

"I have seen children who have changed completely after being subjected to sonic booms, from sociable to clingy and anxious, crying all the time.
"Some of them do not eat or sleep as they used to. Older children have difficulty concentrating, while others became violent."

The Palestinian Ministry of Health says there was a 30-40% increase in the number of spontaneous miscarriages during the period 27-29 October, when the use of the sonic boom was at its peak.
Dr Mauia Hassanayn of the Palestinian Ministry of Health added that 77 people, mainly children and elderly women, were taken to the hospital after the latest spate of sonic attacks in December, suffering from nausea and shock.
Some of the more serious cases involved internal bleeding in the brain and five pregnant women aborting their babies.

Israel defends practice

The Israeli army defends the practice, saying it is one of many tactics being used to break civilian support for armed groups firing rockets into Israel.

Avichav Adrai, spokesperson for the Israeli army, told Aljazeera.net: "The purpose of these 'mock air raids' is to make those who fire Qassam rockets into Israel think twice about doing so. This is just one of our many tactics at our disposal, all options are on the table."


Attacks have brought widespread
depression and anxiety
But Avichav says the army does not believe the sonic booms are a form of collective punishment, prohibited under the Geneva Conventions.

"Yes, these sonic booms target the Palestinian people, and the purpose is so they can pressure those who fire the rockets to stop them. We don't see in using this method is collective punishment."

Other proponents of the tactic argue it is a relatively "benign" military response compared to what the Israeli army could do to Gaza - that in the end, it is nothing more than "noise".

Martin Van Creveld, an Israeli military historian, told Aljazeera.net: "You haven't seen anything yet; shells can demolish Gaza and turn it into real devastation. We have many vital installations near Ashkelon.
"If they are hit then booms won't be enough. I would argue the Israeli army so far has been nice and have not done anything serious."
Criticism
Human rights groups have lambasted the military arguments as irrelevant because the practice itself is immoral and illegal, they say.

Shabtai Gold, of Physicians for Human Rights in Israel, who filed a joint claim against the sonic booms with the Israeli High Court, says: "It's wrong to use it against civilian populations. That's the bottom line. It's not proportionate, and it has no justification because it's a collective punishment."

Sarraj, the Palestinian psychiatrist, adds that there are other motives at play, such as inducing "learned helplessness" and making the entire population captive to fear.

"I would argue the Israeli army so far has been nice and have not done anything serious"

Martin Van Creveld,
military historian
"It has nothing to do with the security of the state of Israel. It has nothing to do with the claim that we are about to confuse terrorists. It is directly offensive against the total Palestinian population of Gaza. That's what matters," he says.
A former member of the Israeli air force, who spoke to Aljazeera.net on condition of anonymity, also said the reasons given by the Israeli army did not stand up to scrutiny.
Fear and intimidation

The attacks usually occur in the early hours, often coinciding with the dawn call to prayer.

Sarraj explains: "It is so quiet, and suddenly ... the sound itself is so loud it is like a thunder ball exactly on top of your head and it is so powerful that even when you expect it you still have that reaction of fear and intimidation and you want to hide but you don't know where."

Dr John Hansman, a professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, says it is the sudden breaking of the sound barrier by a fighter jet that produces the startling effect of the boom.
"One of the characteristics of the sonic boom is because the airplane is going faster than the speed of sound you get no warning, so suddenly there's this boom, and that's why it's so effective at startling people," he told Aljazeera.net.

Weapon of war
The use of sonic booms as weapons of war against a civilian population is atypical and rarely documented. In the 1980s, the United States broke the sound barrier above Nicaragua as part of its aerial activities against the Sandinista government.


The attacks usually occur in the
early hours of the morning
The sonic booms were particularly frequent when Nicaragua was about to hold elections in 1984. Shortly thereafter, Israel began employing this tactic against civilian populations in Lebanon in the 1980s and late 1990s.

Hansman told Aljazeera.net that supersonic jet overflights are militarily ineffective and energy inefficient. Their only real use is as a harassing tactic and to demonstrate air superiority, he says.

"In the US for civil aircraft, there's actually a regulation that says you can't go supersonic over populated areas, military aircraft are allowed to go supersonic, generally only when they are flying in their military operating areas," says Hansman.

Similar regulations are in place in Israel, according to Yiftah Spector, a senior Israeli air force general who topped a list of 27 Israeli pilots refusing to serve in operations over Gaza and the West Bank in 2003.

"It's absolutely forbidden to do it above densely populated areas such as Tel Aviv or Beer Sheva," Spector says.
Gaza has one of the highest population densities in the world.
Military historians say it is possible the Israel air force has been experimenting with other potentially more serious forms of sonic booms, some amplified with devices that may make internal organs resonate, or even lead to death.

"I would certainly not put it beyond them," Van Creveld says.
Aljazeera
By Laila El-Haddad in Gaza
You can find this article at:
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/057...D008A52987F.htm

I don't see the problem with it, should they be "brave" and fire back instead?

It's a terrorism tactic in my opinion and as it's specifically aimed at civilians it's against international law.

I guess the 'anything goes' tactic of law enforcement is going to be the byword in 2006? We'd better be careful.......what Israel does first (and gets no reprimand) almost immediately crosses the pond to become part and parcel of the 'norm' in Bush's world.

As methinks are the activities 'tis in retaltiation too, eh?

Also 'twould seem the article you cited in the initial post mighta stretched the truth a bit. When it said "Low-flying F-16 fighter jets break the sound barrier above populated areas, creating thunderous shock waves which shake buildings, break windows, blow off doors, and cause widespread panic, fear, and hysteria" methinks you'd be hard pressed to find first hand accounts where any doors were blown off for instance. As to the rest, 'tis all quite plausible, but methinks if true 'twas still better'n havin' rockets lobbed into civilian areas in retaliation.

Just outa curiousity, how do you recommend the Israelis respond, eh?

But Avichav says the army does not believe the sonic booms are a form of collective punishment, prohibited under the Geneva Conventions.

Seems like collective punishment to me.

I remember what it feels like having experienced a couple of low level mock attacks using the same method. It will knock you to the ground as effectively as a nearby explosion. The only difference is the lack of shrapnel and the crack it makes as it passes by.

Not to put too fine a point upon it but...

"Escalation" or "Retaliation": Israeli Attacks on Palestinians The Politics of Language By JAMES ETRAS




Maybe its just me, but the concept of taking one set of victims, and forcibly displacing them another set of victims is a bad idea. Particularly when we anoint the displacing victims as so morally superior the objections of the displaced are turned against them.

Hunger group offers helping hand
http://www.ezranet.com/news0003.asp

Yad Ezra volunteer: 'I do this because I love it. I knew families that didn’t have food and were embarrassed to leave their homes. I wanted to do something to help them, to make them realize that they are not forgotten'

Sderot has become a city for the poorest of the poor. Many of the families there would not survive without assistance from charitable groups such as Yad Ezra VeShulamit .

Since 2000, Sderot, a development town in the northern most part of the Negev, has been bombarded by over 600 Kassam rockets, killing four residents, wrecking havoc on the economy, and leaving in its wake the anguish of poverty.

The situation in Sderot mirrors the financial crisis facing the Israeli economy as a whole. In recent years, hunger has become a pressing problem.

In August 2001, a friend of Yad Ezra Ariel Luri begged him to come to Sderot to see for himself the effects of the “new intifada.”

Luri was shocked. This small development town was slowly surrendering to despair. He was especially touched by the plight of the children. The Palestinians had planted terror in their hearts.

“Every time one of the kids leave the house,” said one mother. “I am a nervous wreck. There’s a constant feeling of uncertainty. Where can we run in 20 seconds - that’s how much time we have from the warning siren until the bomb explodes. If I had the means, I would leave. But my apartment is worthless.”

After several meetings with social workers, who told Luri about children who were failing school due to hunger. Luri decided to open a branch of Yad Ezra VeShulamit in Sderot. Within a week, a soup kitchen was established and sandwiches were distributed to school children.

<snip>

Sderot is a settlement(founded in 1951) in violation of the fourth Geneva convention, and was home to the Arab population for thousands of years.

That it is euphemistically called "a development town" speaks volumes. What is being developed here in the bulldozed remains of Arab land are free homes for those privilaged to live in them by vitrue of their ethnicity. That they have no ties to the land does not matter, that the refugee population displaced by them do not matter is tragic.

That we have chosen one side only is bad for America. This is not my battle, and racial purity in the name of God is not my obsession. If it is yours, then take up "purity of arms" yourself, and leave my kids out of it. Do this not in our name.

Oh well then, forget I mentioned it. Bomb away.

So you don't want to take up arms in this confict? But you are willing to commit our nation to one side of it?

Looks like one of our resident peace control experts agrees with Saddam, that "terrorism" is the best weapon against terrorism, considering it's the only method of retaliation the Israelis have left after this +60 year war.

Therefor, I propose to cut all US military expenses that aren't specifically designed to kill, maim, or traumatize civilians. Heck, all we need to do is rename our VX arsenal to C-VX (Civil-VX), and we'll truely have a weapon against bugger civilians.

That way, civilians will know our military are instructed and trained to kill them, and that when C-VX is used on them, it ain't no accident.

It should also save Fly from all that tough explaning every time military grade weapons, like Willy Pete, are used against civilians and save him from justifying civilian deaths at every report of civilians killed by friendly military. If C-VX was used on them, it's because they deserved it.

Finally, I propose an amendment to our constitution that should show all them foreign rogue countries we mean business:

"The ultimate objective of the US military is the indiscriminate annihilation of unarmed, helpless people which existence is simply considered by the President as useless, if we can't pin a nuisance on them."

Should terrorize 'em real good.

The international agreements involve things like executions as punishment, not sonic booms. This entire concept is off the wall.

FYI, If "collective punishment " is confusing to you, read Geneva...

http://www.globalissuesgroup.com/geneva/intro.html

http://www.hrw.org/campaigns/sierra/int-law.htm

1. The article I posted was about the effects on the civilian population, i.e. children and terror.
2. You response to me in essense says , too bad, they are is violation of the 4th Geneva convenstion and have no business there.


My point RD, is that there are innocent victims on both sides of the issue but I have yet to see you acknowledge that even once. But here's your opportunity to set the record straight.

If there were someone here initiating pro-Israeli threads or policies that would be one thing. But all I've seen the last few weeks are revionsist history threads intended to ascribe the worst possible intentions on Israel or the Jews. This isn't liberalism by any stretch of the imagination.

Figured I'd better do some readin...

http://stuff.mit.edu/people/klima/PERSONAL...ARCH/sonic.html

(click on the PDF)

It seems like the actual waves put off from the boom are worse
on structures than healthy adults - the good news.

However, it can damage internal organs and is hardest, potentially
serious, to heart patients, critically ill and children.

So, if we wanna target the critically ill, heart patients and children...
they are doing the right thing. If not...find a better way...just MHO.

grammy is correct...this is crazy and bad.

what's next playing Kenny G over loudspeakers nonstop?
___

I'll take real bombs and bullets over loud noises any day.

This phrase, in particular, is abhorrent. It reminded me instantly of the old WWII movies in which the horrible German POW camp commandants lined up a group of men and punished them all (or killed them all) for the actions of one or a few.

THAT is a simplistic form of 'collective punishment'. But then, he's taking a page from Bush's war book: "all options are on the table".

IMO, the Israeli and US governments have both morphed into world-sized bullies with almost limitless war funding and have no compunction AT ALL in doing anything they wish 'just because they can'.

Curses on them all.

We both pushed Add Reply at about the same time, so:

Thanks, I think all war is crazy and bad and represents the absolute worst in the human race. War diminishes and ignores the best God-given capabilities in all of us and as we know, especially on forums such as this, forces us all to choose sides, even though the options are shadowy and sometimes built upon lies.

As for Kenny G.........one of those blessed musicians who have managed to share his talent with us all. I hope he's blessed with many more years of near-perfection.

Re: bombs and bullets?????? Don't know quite what to make of this, but I assume you mean that you'd rather know what you're up against rather than having to wait for 'the other shoe to drop'. Me too. I'd rather face an honest threat and be able to weigh the alternatives rather than not knowing from which direction punishment will come.

Oh my, methinks I sense a bit of hostility in this reply. Might be time to take a bigger dose and then try it again, eh?

I do recall you saying the Israelis were merely retaliating, which they were at first, but as the article states, they kept going when the rockets stopped...



While I know our own nation was founded by the destruction of the native population, It does not strike me as a good reason to support the same thing now. Based on some of your earlier posts you seem to pine for the days of our own colonial expansion.

Yup! Methinks there're folks on both sides 'twould rather see this keep goin', and maybe even escalate again, eh?

Also think there be a majority of folks on both sides that'd rather have a true and lastin' peace. Methinks them that want peace on both sides gotta get a handle on the minorities that don't.

IMHO true peace in that area's gotta have a two way effort to have a chance, and favorin' one side over the other ain't gonna make it happen. Makes no difference what I think though, the folks over there's the ones gotta make it happen.

I think that's absolutely, correct. Both sides have to want peace more than war.....strikes, counter-strikes, retaliations...all acts being justified from both sides...on and on and on until peace becomes THE goal and the minority who would interrupt the progress to that end are kept in check and held accountable by the respective parties..

They are Palestenians,
Thay have no state
They have no rights
No one cares about them.
Refugees since the early 70's
With out a home and with out a future.
They walk around with papers indicating deads to land that they will never have.
They are treated as second class citizens in their ancesteral homes.
At least the Native Americans can have casinos where they take back some thing from the white man.
But no not the Palestenians.
They are labled terrorists.
They are called dogs and dirt.
Our president calls them "The Brown People"
So who cares if planes fly feet over their shanty towns.
Breaking the sound barier like the way that the world has borken their will.
Who cares!
They don't deserve to have a land.
No power no oil no nada.
And Miss. Culther (sorry about the spelling) once siad, we should scare the hell out of these poeple, scare some religion into them. Invade them kill their leaders and convert them.
The same people who pray 5 times a day who fast for one month.
While she goes to her mega church and gives money to the Fat and the Foolish of the 700 club so they can maybe steal some more land from these "Brown People"
WHO CARES!
MAYBE WHEN THEY DIE THEY WILL FINALY FIND PEACE!
MAYBE WHEN THEY DIE THEY WILL FINALY HAVE A HOME LAND!
MAYBE WHEN THEY DIE THEY WILL FINALY BE ABLE TO WALK IN THEIR OWN ANCESTRAL LANDS AND HOLD THIER FACES HIGH! LIKE MEN! LIKE HUMANS!


but no thats ok!
they are the "Brown People"
they are the "Terrorists"
so who cares!












and we wonder why they grow up to hate us.
why they grow up to become terrorists.
guess who gave the IDF those F-16's? those sexy guns?
guess who protects the practices of the IDF in the UN, who sticks up for them. The the fat bully with the big brother picking on all the little kids in the play ground.
You want WMD's? You want nuclear weapons? Ask Isreal where they keep them?
Till then don't worry about these Palestenians, they are only the Brown People.
The ones God forgot about in his own back yard.




and its not an Jew vs Muslim thing, remember there are plenty of Christian Palestinians too.

But its ok Red Joe doesn't want you to know about that little tid bit!

Yes, but they can have a state...work towards that end...they have to want it enough, I think....

They have a sate! holy cow wait your freaking serious aren't you! holy mother of god! no wait you are serious? You call that fragment thing a state! half their country here half there and some here! yah! oke dokey!
Having to apply for papers just so they can go from one part of their country to the other! ha!
If you call what they have a state then listen i have this bridge i want to sell you its a little old but i think you will love it!

god you call that a state! Jesus mother of god! Its like saying that in the late 80's the indegenous africans in South Africa had a wonderful existance! You know shanty towns the ocassaional abuse by police you know just peachy!

Remember the current leader of South Africa were once all called terrorists by the US.


Gods chosen people my ass! Honestly!
The more I look at what is happening in that part of the world and the more I listen to the leaders of Isreal the more I think they adopted a few SS traits.
You know make the ones you don't like carry papers, harass them as you see fit, treat them like second class citizens that they are, oh and my personal favorite!
Evict them?
Take their property!
and make them live in beautiful little slums!
oh look isn't that nice!
Hay Himler check this out! Apparently these guys read and loved your little book on how to treat those that are different from you!
Yah Ok!
Chosen people!
god what the heck kind of like is that any way! I think that was the GOP line!
I don't think god would call those people chosen, maybe selfish and a bit rude but chosen! come on! last i checked god allways chose those who had not, the poius, the down troddened, the opressed and the persicuted, not those who had everything including the bigest body gard on the planet!

But how can life for the Palestinians improve if some of their members continue terrorist attacks on the Israeli population? Areattacks in any way going to improve their lot in life, Shah? If so, how? How can the Palestinians achieve their goal of an independent state that will provide a decent and safe life for its citizens? Isn't that the question, really?

Their terrorist actions are born of frustration.
Like I said they are second class citizens on tha land that their grandfathers owned!
There is no difference between what is happening in Isreal and what happend in South Africa.
Lets play a game.
Quick how many "Africans" do you know with blond hair and blue eyes!
Quick!
no none!? NO WAY! so like the White Africans came from Europe where they were persicuted and they kicked out the indegenous people and made then live like dogs! no way! and the "Real" Africans got pissed! And they like shot and killed some white European Africans! no way! why! How horrible! But then one day the Real Africans fought back and regained power of their home land! no way!

Now lets play another game.
Quick name one Blond Hair Blue Eyed Arab! quick!
No not Jesus! Jesus wasn't white! he didn't have blue eyes!
He was an Arab! you know one of the "Brown People"
Ok another chance! go!

.
.
.
.

no way! so your telling me there aren't any blond hair blue eyed arabs! no way!
fallow the logic? i know it's tough.
you see the Palestinians are refugees all of them are refugees. Not one or two ALL OF THEM! Much like the Africans in South Africa.
and they can see their old homes!
they can taste their their homes!
the can touch their their homes!
but they can never ever have thier homes back ever again.
Why?
you see that Fat Bully on the play ground with the big bad ass brother kicked them out. Yah and if they get angry and try to fight back agenst the Fat Bulley the Fat Bully's bad ass brother gets all midevil on their asses! Slaps the Palestenians around! Gives the Fat Bulley a nice little billy club or maybe a switch blade! FOR FREE!
So what are they to do? Not fight? Just take it? Take the beatings?Accept the settlement?
and why?
every one say it with me now!
"BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT GODS CHOSEN PEOPLE! AND THEY DO NOT HAVE THE BIG BADASS BROTHER OF A BODY GUARD!"
Think of it, i know its going to be hard but what if your home was taken away? what would you do? would you be a nice democrat and roll over and just take it? Or would you fight back!?

But don't worry,
They are the "Brown People" no land no oil no nada.
You can't offend those who have nothing, because they really don't exist.

Shah..Thats what happens to people who lose a few wars. They attacked the Jews and lost. They keep attacking and keep losing. But the Jews better be careful. All they have to do is lose once and they are done. The Jews are grossly out numbered and will lose eventually. Its just a matter of time. Before you get on me, I am an American and as such have no ax to grind either way. Actually I am tired of hearing about it all. The world would be better off if both sides disappeared.

you know if you consider the studies in genetics and heredity and follow in particular the male Y chromosone.....all men are related supposedly to a common male ancestor from Africa...that means that all men are "brothers" or "cousins".....
Now, I know that even brothers can have disputes and view each other as foreign or different and have competing interests, but when you think about it this way War and destruction both seem so ridiculous and unnecessary in our day and age....because we are all related not only in a "spiritual" sense as some have been wise to note, but in the biologic sense. And you would think that in the 21st century, when we have access to this type of information that we would no longer have any excuse to kill each other.

I'm struck by how this debate moved from a question about a tactic with psychosomatic ramifications to a debate about war, peace and statehood.

Perhaps we should all experience a few sonic booms on our heads tomorrow and the next day before we comment.

I still remember the day, in the rural Northern Berkshires back about 40 years ago, when a B-58 Hustler came out of nowhere.

Here's a quote from a book I just read:

Sari Nussebeih, president of Al-Quds University in Jerusalem, asks: “Before one begins to recognize the human being in the other – whether it’s an enemy or just somebody else – I think the main challenge one has to recognize is the human being in oneself.”

Reference -
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/20...urneyofman.html
"http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2002/12/1212_021213_journeyofman.html"

Interactive Map -
https://www3.nationalgeographic.com/genographic/atlas.html
"https://www3.nationalgeographic.com/genographic/atlas.html"

then you must have thought my comment way off base!

The IDF is just ratteling the dog in the cage.
And what happens when you rattle an abused animal in a cage.
Kick him and shake him and scare the crap out of him?
Break him starve him and turtue him?
does he grow to love you?
no you keep him in that cage because you know deep down inside the first chace that dog gets hi'll tare you and your familly appart.
No I think having plaines break the sound barrier over head of a pissed off pouplation living in shanty refugee camps is a dam good dam fine idea!
You just better hope that the people stay in their refugee camps.

I think having planes terrorizing the population by breaking the sound barrier over their heads is very bad and wrong...my question remains;What will it take for the madness to stop, for all peoples in that region to live peacefully with one another?

No, actually, I didn't. I applaud it, and endorse it.

What will make them put down their guns and hug?
Nothing. People have been fighting and dying in that part of the world ever since....
well ever since the begining of time.
But if I had to guess? By this responce will piss people off.
Get rid of the idea of the State of Isreal.
Get rid of the idea of a Jewish state.
Intagrate the pouplations together.
Under what flag? who knows? maybe some thing Blue, Grean and Black.
Its eventually going to happen any way! For every Jewish Isralie there are at two Palestenians. And thats just in the refugee camps! If you consider all the displaced people the number explodes. Its a matter of time before Isreal as a state is over run by the "Brown People".
So why not just give up on the idea of a Jewish state. Go for some thing more plural, you know love thy neighbor kind of stuff?
But will they do that?
Nahh! Why! Just like Jesus H Bush they are the chosen people much like Jesus H Bush is the chosen man. They can have their own little segergated world.
why?
Simple! Because an entitiy you can't see has chosen them above all other peoples!

Well I think putting down their guns is a possibility, if a remote one,at that...hugs? well...I'll settle for not killing one another...
Let's assume israel is to remain....how can peace be achieved in that area? You see no hope for that...no circumstances that would allow for that?

Yes, I find this aspect particularly fascinating...as it is much older

"It is no secret that 90% of this genetic material is non-functioning. It has become a known fact that out of the 3,000 billion base pair chemicals that make up this code, only 60 million are active. Contemporary physicists have discovered that this dormant genetic material is not ‘junk DNA' as put forward by orthodox science, but is in fact a living data storage system... a library of human potential that when unlocked and resurrected will put an end to suffering, disease, conflict and death itself - rendering the human a fully realized conscious entity able to access any time or energy level in the Universe.

Through alternative healing methods we have become aware of our electromagnetic energy fields and the importance of our neurobiology and biochemistry. Through this and the discoveries made in the area of genetics we are becoming aware that there is a science to spirituality and that our chemistry affects our consciousness. Taking this further we are now making the connection between the mutant state of our DNA and the present global insanities of war, genocide and endless human suffering.

As humanity is awakening to a new body awareness we are driven to gain mastery over our own inner workings and to discover how we interact and co-create with the reality we find ourselves in. Instead of searching for the out of body experience in order to realize our spiritual identity, we are beginning to understand that our physical being is the manifestation of that spiritual identity. Realizing that the physical vehicles we embody will allow us to transcend this fear-based reality and create through the resurrection of our full human potential a new paradigm, a golden age....

the Human DNA code, like all else in the living universe, is built upon hyper-cooperative, interactive energy pathways of ultra-organized creative intelligence....

One of the most important discoveries of the new quantum physics is that of the holographic nature of the universe. Each human is a fractal aspect of the universal hologram....

The energetic nature of consciousness is integrated by the heart, body, mind and soul via these bio-informational pathways. This form of consciousness is downloaded by the chakras and endocrine systems that translate its intelligence into useable data for the central nervous system, ultimately activating the dormant DNA code....

Daily we are exposed to the chemical, psychosocial, electromagnet, and religious manipulation of our consciousness. In the media, in our homes, we experience a continual bombardment of the fear frequency. TV’s, computers, cell phone, high-tension wires, & satellites, and 300 new chemical forms of pollution a year, relentlessly erodes our energy fields, draining our vitality. The material field is showing signs of decay, just as the fruit rots before the new seed of life is expelled...."

Portions of this article have been taken from ‘The Template' by Juliet & Jiva Carter. Copyright 2003 by Sowelu Publishing, all rights reserved.
---

Now there's a sonic boom of a different caliber...

That brought me to the thought that perhaps the "messianic age" is contained within us.....and as ISFU brought up in another thread the belief in human perfectibility.....

I've often wondered why some people feel they have an exit strategy....for instance when you think about rapture proponents and a zeal to expedite an end to humanity and a disregard for this earth...this seems to me to be an escapist plan to avoid all human responsibility and human potentiality.

No doubt there are escapist movements within and among philosophies, movements and groups, but that's not how I read the information I posted, though I've just recently been exposed to this and haven't yet seen all of it or understood all of it... but it is somewhat consistent with other information I've seen and vetted to my satisfaction (most notably two books by Michael Murphy et al, as well as a raft of new research from the "cognitive sciences")....

and what I would hope it means is a discovery (or perhaps re-discovery) that homo sapiens has inherent in itself the means and mechanisms to embrace their humanity and potentiality and to take responsibility for it, individually and perhaps collectively.

What we all need to do is to accelerate our evolution towards the sapient end of our capability, through research, education, transformative practices and other explorations of our meta-abilities.

Mag

I think you misunderstood me.......I wasn't saying that about what you posted, but about rapture proponents specifically

Amy has a point shah, firing qassam rockets is Darwin Award material. Palestinians would do much better with more peaceful forms of resistance and they will also garner more support.

Like a White controled South Africa Isreal is an endangered speacies.
Well the idea of the state of Isreal is any way.
Every day another two Palestenians are born to every one Isralie.
Eventually there just won't be enough bullets.
Eventually instead of being a fragmented group a srong man will arise.
The Palestenians will all lign up shoulder to shoulder and march to the sea.
And may god have mecy on the souls of those who stand in their way.
Because i'm guessing by that time the Palestenians won't be in the mood of playing nice.
The same happend in South Africa, but thankfully Nelson Mandella was a saint and he could forgive the truspasses of the whites, for their 40-50 odd years of opression. I'm guessing the Palestenians won't be so nice.
So Isreal will have a choice, give these "brown people" their rights and accept the fact that if they do have a democracy that they will be a minority or.......
plan B!
Plan B is the nuclear option.
I'm guessing they would much rather nuke them selves rathery than admiting that they do not belong and that they are a minority.
I'm sorry the numbers no matter how you run them just don't work out in their favor.
Apparently if they are "gods choesn people" god didn't know much about math nor population growth.

I know alot of people just don't want to hear this but its just a matter of time. Maybe not today, maybe not tomarrow but soon. The numbers will turn. There is no way to keep back the tide, eventually it will overwhelm you.

Remember there was peace in the middle east untill the europeans injected refugees they didn't want into the region. And like any forign object incerted in any living organizim it will either eventually be destoyed or absorbed. Its just the way things work.

But before you go and call these people terrorists or evil.
Ask your self this, what would you do if you were kicked out of your home?
Made to be a second class citizen in your own country?
Made to live in ghettos?
What if you were a Jew in 1940's Germany?
Would you fight back?
Would you not strike back?
Would you not call your self a freadom fighter?
Wouldn't you consider every German to be evil and out to get you?
Wouldn't your blood boil?
Or would you walk like sheep into the showers?
Old Arab saying
Better off fighting and dying on your feet then spending one second on your knees.
Last I knew that was our old moto wasn't it?
Life Free Or Die?
hu! go figure?

No, DWB04, I was pretty sure you weren't talking about me, or the material I posted, though as noted I don't speak on behalf of the posted material's authors.

But I was just making sure that everyone understood that I wasn't a rapturist, an escapist (though there are sure times I feel like escaping), or someone promoting a lack of responsibility.

Quite the opposite, in fact...

I'm wondering what we can do to educate people to the possibilities... how we can teach people to "summon their own magic".

Violence on the part of Palestinians begs the question of whether the ones continuing to use violence want freedom or do they want the destruction of israel? Let's cut to the point...
I have written extensively about the cycle of violence: Extreme Palestinians attack Israel, often just when peace seems possible. Israel retaliates; both sides say the other can't be trusted and another violent cycle begins till cooler heads start to prevail.
The flip side; just as things have settled a bit from Palestine, Israel launches a strike into palestinian territory to remove a person or persons suspected of terrorism, Palestinians retaliate and violence returns with each side saying the other can't be trusted.
Both sides have to stop long enough for the shrapnel to settle. Period, be there, Aloha, book'em Dano...
Now. Israel has the right to expect peace from palestine when Palestinian occupation is ended. And especially once occupation is ending it would be foolish and even suicidal and counter-productive for anything other than full cooperation from palestine.
Violence will never bring statehood to palestine. It just won't. It is that simple.
And complete disarmament of terrorist groups is necessary two-fold for palestinian security once final arrangements for a Palestinian state would ever begin. 1) obviously to prevent direct attacks against Israel which would incur immediate retaliation; and 2) to insure internal security within a new palestinian regime to prevent those who would continue armed opposition against Israel from trying to de-stabilize the Palestinian government in whatever form it would be wholly instituted. A ceasefire, whether de facto or negotiated formally, must precede final settlement and disarmament actions.
This is why I believe non-violent resistence on the part of Palestinians would shame Israel on the world stage and internally and help bring about a faster settlement to the occupation and also not threaten innocent human life.
Simple to say, I know. But violence again while only beget more violence; and thus evily re-energize the cycle of violence...
And, if israel would ever finally accept leaving Palestine, it would knock out from Jihadists any excuse for opposing Israeli existence, other than simple bold-faced prejudice, thus greatly encouraging across the entire Mid-east a "Live and let live" tolerence of each other and all... and yes, the sonic booms are flat out group punishment...

I quite agree with this.....the biggest question of all, though, is who lays down their arms first?

Which national leader, Israeli or Palestinian, has enough courage and heart to even suggest it? And what would the reactions be by the majority of their people?

It would take someone with a huge following on one side or the other to take the first step.

Thanks...

I see something changing in Palestine, though not enough to take to the bank... Hamas is making the transition from a militia to a political party. Whether they see light at the end of the tunnel which is not an oncoming train, or they are tired of violently beating their head against the brick wall of Israel, or see the benefits of being part of the process as the leading voice in Gaza (and can be the dominant voice through out Palestine; or all of the above.

The light in the tunnel could be the oncoming train with the increased violence of Islamic Jihad. Right now, it is looking like a three-way power struggle in Palestine. The P.A./Al Fatah; Hamas; and the extreme element with Islamic Jihad trying to take the lead in their own sphere of influence...

Al Fatah represents the old guard, saddled by the corruption so seemingly widespread at the end of Arafat's life.

It seems that both Al Fatah and Islamic Jihad are battling to remain relevent.

What i say is i see in Hamas is a new willingness to make a deal with Israel because they sense that they would be the leading party. Abbas would also make the deal, but does not seem to have the political capital to deliver the militants, where Hamas might be able to do so.

But, Hamas is still in that transitional phase, In My Opinion. They do not want to be pushed into looking like they are backing down to Israel or they would sign everything that comes out of Jeruselem or Tel Aviv.

Polls quoted by haaretz say the Israeli's support keeping Palestinian neighbourhoods Palestinian, but want to retain specific religiously significant sites... If other questions could be settled, it seems that the in question religious areas in Jeruselem could be internationalised and the rest of the city partitioned according to the demographics.

I do not have a Jeruselem detailed map to look at three-way partition lines... Israeli Jeruselem; International Zone; Palestinian East Jeruselem.

This is all speculation and arm-chair quarterbacking. I do not mean to throw Abbas under the bus. I want Abbas to succeed and a coalition between Fatah and Hamas in leading the P.A. would not necessarily be a bad thing. But Hamas needs to remain in ceasefire mode, as they seem to be.

Again, I completely support Abbas in his efforts to reach a fair settlement. But, it is hard to call for democracy and elections, then restrict who people can vote for.

Firstly, I do not know anything that I don't read in the papers or on-line... But, the only surprise of this election is the size of the Hamas victory. And the west and Israel deserve some credit for helping Hamas by so roundly attacking it prior to the election.
Anyway, this result is classic. Hamas, while not ramping down its rhetoric much, had maintained its ceasefire.
And now, it is almost amusing, if the stakes were not so high, to see the revolutionaries having to learn to administrate under the conditions of having israel control so much of things, electricity maybe the most important...
"Oops, the Ramallah power grid is down. Uh, yea, we got a landrover on the way, thanks for calling Israel Power and Light..."
Let's not be Henny-Penny and scream that the sky is falling just yet.
This is the time for speaking firmly, but not with these great dire predictions. This opens up unilateralism for Israel. The trade-off is still a viable part of the west bank, east jeruselem to palestine and to Israel goes secure borders, no right of return, and a player to be named later.
The Sharon attitiude, here is what you get Palestine, go in peace, really, please go, now.
This relieves the Palestinians from having to directly accept no right of return for independence in a "negotiated" deal.
This is a joke; what does hamas do if a neighbourhood loses electricity or trash pick-up; send a suicide bomber..." but really folks. Ferris Beuller won the election and is now the principal, and the kids complain about the mystery meat in the cafeteria; the palestinians will now get to blame the economy on Hamas...
Watch... Islamic Jihad and hezbullah will not amuse Hamas. Hamas got its wish and just entered management; and middle management at that... all you mid-level managers know that feeling; you get the crap from above and below, often with little credit in between...

Well, Hamas is a political party now... But with their charter, direct aid is virtually impossible.
However, some debt relief and humanitarian aid like medical supplies and food is possible.
Perhaps infrastructure support. Hamas wouldn't likely disarm under the excuse, with some legitimacy over internal security issues.
If they agree publically to a ceasefire and amend their charter to eliminate the words refering to Israel virtually altogether, that would be a good start.
Disarmament is essential, but not likely to happen without a settlement, whether negotiated or part of a unilateral Israeli movement.
But they have found themselves now stuck between Fatah, the extremists, Israel, and the world community.
The Palestinian people seem to want peace and a better economy. Hamas needs to find a way out, but won't want to look like outsiders are forcing it. That is a the tact, finding a way for Hamas to act responsibily for its people, helping to pave a way toward peace, without looking to surrender to Israel and the west.
Maintaining current arrangements from Oslo and other argreements as part of non-change, but a tempering of rhetoric on both sides...
Hamas seems to be willing to accept Israel, but doesn't want to publically, especially without getting something very credible in return. They have what looks like incredible chaos now, but; remember in can get much worse.