Shop at Rainbow Groceries

This is a public call to steal and destroy as much property at Rainbow Grocers (1745 Folsom St. at 13th St. in San
Francisco) as possible. As a concerned anarchist neo-liberal, this is protected public speech. This form of protest will show the world that it is WRONG to exploit dead vegetation for profits.

So some fucking jews are upset because they can't find some "kosher" snacks to feed their fat fucking ugly-ass faces with at the local natural food store? These bourgeois jews love to eat guilt-free according to their "religion" and "social conscience". HA! If they had a "social conscience" they would return "Isreal" back to its rightful owners, the Palestinians. But they won't. They don't give a fuck about human rights.

And it sucks hearing that Rainbow is backing down from a total boycott. Now they're running a damage control P.R. campaign to not lose any jewish business. Even though they are a collective organization, they still have to play the game to remain in business in this Kapitalist society.

BOYCOTT ISREAL!

Did the left accuse white S Africans of having blood dripped fangs. Did the right accuse ANC supporters of baing racist against Africaners. I guess there was Cold war propaganda back then so people didnt need other conspiracy theories.

Anyway, its weird how a discussion of a real issue like Israel's occupation can quickly turn into a flame war between assholes.

Doesnt Rainbow also boycott other countries like Burma... why is this such a hot issue, doesnt Israel mainly import food from the US... its a small country

Hello, just a friendly reminder that Palestinians are semitic too. In fact, they are actually more semitic than are the more european varity of zionists that are now killing many semites and calling themselves Israelis. We need to demand a homeland for the jewish people and the palestinians. Sharon has got to go. This is clear. He started the current intifada (when he visited a sacred site and prevented Palestinians from going there during their holy time. Plus, the man is a war-criminal and needs to be on trial in the Hague and not acting as Prime Minister. The whole Likhud party and their American supporters are the real problem in the middle-east at this point.) Sharon has been exploiting the intifada all along. New real estate is nice, but many have died on both sides. And this is not funny anymore. People like Bevan Duffy (who pull out the "anti-semitic" card against their fellow jews who support peace and justice for the more semitic Palestinians need to grow up and learn some history.) Zionists and their european/american supporters need to go conquer new lands in hell. This is not anti-semitic. They deserve to perish because of their actions (not their ethnicity) and because of their lies (they are willing to dilute the meaning of the term "anti-semitic" to advance their imperialist causes.) The are promoting historical amnesia and death. The big problem in the world are people like Putin, Sharon and Bush. And, of course, their militant and racist ways also fan the flames of jerks like Osama Bin Laden. Fundamentalists of all stripes, zionists and oil-barons are screwing us all and killing the planet. Until all the people who suffer from the delusion that they are the only "chosen people" learn to share and get over their little racist campaigns - life is going to suck. So, come on, all good semites ... all good rastas ... all good people everywhere - unite and demand justice and an end to endless land-grabbing and jingoist war-mongering by people like Sharon (who are truly anti-semitic - judging by how many semitic people they are willing to kill and expose to danger.)

Dec. 7, 2002

San Francisco store ban on Israeli goods angers shoppers

By THE JERUSALEM POST STAFF

The popular San Francisco co-op Rainbow has been boycotting certain Israeli products, The San Francisco Chronicle reported, prompting the Jewish Community Relations Council to demand that the Mission District co-op reverse its policy immediately. . .

I see a strong, blatant anti-Jewish prejudice in your comments. This is no more acceptable that anti-black racism or anti-gay prejudice. I'm not saying this merely for criticising Israel government policies, which I myself do. I'm talking about blatantly anti-Jewish prejudice in your comments. Okay, but know that you are NOT a progressive, and if you say you are, you're lying. If you want to be a progressive, you need to change and get rid of your anti-Jewish prejudices.

My comments on anti-Jewish prejudice were solely in response to the idiot who posted the "Fuck Israel" post. I

It's also pretty easy to get to Rainbow by bike or public transit that is already running (much greater reduction of your need for oil):

-from 16th St. BART, if you can walk, it's less than 15 minutes (probably even for nessie, tho I'd imagine he'd have to stop on the way for an argument or something, maybe one of the homeless people would look at him the wrong way or something)

-from Civic Center BART, it's a bit more complicated- I'd take the 14 bus down Mission St and walk down Division/13th from there.

-number 12 Folsom bus

-bike lanes on Harrison St

Parking at Rainbow can be a huge pain in the butt. There's usually a traffic/pollution jam in the parking garage, which is something I really don't understand from patrons of a mostly environmentally-friendly business...

Won't Mr. Friendly Policeman on the Corner protect us from fascists?

Do not expect the police to be of any help. If anything, the police will help the fascists. In return, on occasion, the fascists can be expected o also help the cops. We found out the SFPD was helping the Zionists when the ADL spy case broke and our name came up in court records as one of the groups that was spied on. Many of us have personally seen cops work with both the Klan and the boneheads. A particularly illustrative example is what happened at the attempted reoccupation of the squat at the old Vats building. Our security was compromised, we were out maneuvered and had to retreat. We’d planned for this and all made it away in one piece, but it was still a bitter defeat. Six months of work, and also some resources, were expended with little return. It wasn’t a total loss. We did manage to build network as part of the organizing process. But the action itself was a failure.

At one point we held the building and a big piece of ground between the back of the building and the RR tracks. The cops had flanked us on both sides. The way to the tracks was free, so those of us on the ground could retreat in mass if we chose. The cops were out numbered and didn’t want to hit us head on. They wanted to drive us across the tracks where we would disperse. Then they could circle around and grab as many of us as they could us in twos and threes if they chose. That’s why they didn’t try to close the pincers.

There were hundreds of us on the ground and a few score more in the building. We realized we had been out maneuvered, they realized they were out numbered and, predictably, a standoff developed while both sides figured out what to do. While this was going on, one anarchist worked his way into position in a previously improvised hide that put him a story and a half above, and ten feet west of, three cruisers, fifteen cops and about thirty boneheads. They were out of sight of the crowd and apparently thought they were also out of earshot. But they weren’t. The SFPD was clearly heard giving orders to a couple of the boneheads, who then led the rest around the corner of the building to initiate a confrontation with us. The SFPD were using the bones as what is generally called “irregular auxiliaries.” They have also been observed to use members of the Klan this way. That’s how these things work around here, and not just around here, and not just in recent times, either.

So when you go out to deal with the fascists, whatever brand they happen to be, always remember that there are cops are standing by to help them. This means the only safe tactics are those of hit and run. Nothing else is really safe. Avoid being cornered and/or ambushed. Don’t attempt to defend against the police. It’s not cost effective. Better to withdraw in good order, along preplanned routes, identities intact. The cops are not the main problem, anyway.

Fascist vigilantes aren’t the main problem, either, but they are a problem, a real problem, sometimes a fatal one. As such, they must be dealt with, and not ignored. Ignoring them is dangerous. On occasion, it is fatal. Unlike the police, however, fascist vigilantes can be dealt with, and it’s not rocket science.

It often requires violence, though, because non violence does not work against violent people, especially fascists and racists. It’s a waste of time and it can get you killed. Fascists, racists, and thugs in general, are violent by nature. They are also driven. Talk alone never dissuades them. Thump therapy does.

You are showing true colors now, Nessie. You bet I have the "hubris" to believe that I have absolutely as much "political rights" as you do. I do NOT lose my rights to peaceful action just because YOU choose to classify me as one who would escalate to violence.

By calling my post "hubris" you APPEAR to be objecting to the Jews doing something as peaceful as removing their buying from Rainbow. Apparently you feel this tribe doesn't have (or shouldn't have ) any political rights at all. Sorry Nessie, but I'm as much an American as you are. And unless you explain otherwise, am likely to interpret what you are saying now as intent to attack me for reasons having little or nothing to do with Rainbow.

Are you TRYING to escalate this into a general conflict? You are trying to make support for Rainbow or opposition to them a matter of whether American Jews have any rights in America? PLEASE, the Rainbow has enough trouble right now without you trying to drag them into your pet war.

--"there are violent elements in the Zionist milieu"

So true. Not all are of course, but I've heard of stories about the JDL (Jewish Defense League) breaking up Arab-American pro-Palestinian demonstrations with chains and clubs back in the eighties.

The JDL was also responsible for a bomb that killed Alex Odeh that was set off at his office in Santa Ana in 1985.

From The Washington Report on Middle East Affairs:
http://www.washington-report.org/backissues/0497/9704067.htm
"Immediately after the 1985 assassination the FBI identified three suspects, all of them believed to be affiliated with the JDL, who fled to Israel. Two of the suspects were Robert and Rochelle Manning, who took refuge in the settlement of Jewish religious militants at Kiryat Arba outside Hebron on the West Bank. After years of legal delays Israel consented to the extradition of Robert Manning to the U.S., where he is serving a life sentence for his role in a murder-for-hire plot in which a Manhattan Beach, CA secretary was killed by the explosion of a package bomb mailed to her employer. The Israelis claim Rochelle Manning died of a heart attack just before she, too, was to be extradited to California."

"Stop putting words into my mouth. It's rude. It's dishonest. It's very bad form."

What makes this so funny is that it's so transparent what you're doing. Do you _really_, _honestly_ expect, Nessie, for there to be a violent Zi-i-i-ionist attack on Rainbow? Do you _really_ expect the JDL to show up and bomb it? Do you _really_ expect a passel of Zi-i-i-ionists to come in and vandalize the place? If not, why did you bring them up? What is your percentage estimate of the likelyhood of a vi-i-i-iolent Zi-i-i-ionist attack -- is it as much as ten percent? In which case your post is ninety percent an excuse to rehearse yet again your favorite examples of extremists of the Zionist movements and use them to tar _all_ supporters of Israel?

Now, pardon me while I go brush more blood from my fangs.

@%<

I know that SF is much more upscale now, but why were there really racist skinheads, as opposed to SHARPs or people who just like to dress that way (which I think is most people with flight jackets and no hair) in San Francisco of all towns. Some other west coast cities have their problems - like I heard of skinheads attacking the mailman in a yuppie neighborhood in Seattle - but San Francisco is a nationwide beacon for people who exist on the opposite side from racist-type skinheads. When I went to Redding, a guy started talking to me in german and I noticed he had some sort of SS tattoos halfway into the conversation. My friend who is black/asian/white was going through there and some kids at an am/pm invited the guy he was traveling with to their outdoor party, and it turned out to have lots of skinheads, although they didn't notice him sitting there or didn't react to him. But why the trendy haight district? They killed 8 people?

Although, to answer my own question, it's clear where these guys who would initially seem to be complete social anomalies are coming from. Prisons are training institutes in racist violence. At the Prison Lit Project based out of Bound Together books (which needs volunteers - a few doors down from Blake and Shattuck Berkeley - 7-10pm Tues/Weds) it seems like 20-30% of letter requests are for ethnicity based history or literature. This can be very positive, if readers use it the right way and are learning history for the first time. But it's not that mysterious why people seem to be more interested in reading about nordic myths, Aztec language, history of the scottish etc. more than other topics - it's because the prison guards depend on driving groups of prisoners against each other based on race or gang affiliations, rather than letting the prisoners unite against them. There is an undertext of this in a lot of letters - so it would make complete sense in the prison environment to become like this, and then when you get out after being in a hole for 10 years, everyone else in society gets to deal with them! I doubt many people ever become skinheads outside of prison

>The Rainbow is perfectly free to boycott Israel and the "Zionists" (and their "tribal" allies) are perfectly free not to shop there any more and crush the business if they can. NOT by violence of course.

What on earth makes you have any say? These people are violent. They don't give a rat's patooty what you or I think. If they're gonna do it, they're gonna do it. Our opinion is not part of their equation.

What on Earth makes me think I have any say? Lot's of "hubris" Nessie. Enough for me to say loud and clear that you don't seem to be anarchist at all. NOBODY has to justify their PEACEFUL actions and their rights to take such actions do not depend upon the rightness of their cause. Take another look at the words you accused of representing "hubris".

Oh "these people are violent", are they? "Our opinion doesn't count." Well better cut out the "our" nonsense because my opinion certainly DOES count in that it is MY supposed proclivity to violence which you are talking about. Or hadn't that occured to you.

I think I made my position about violence perfectly clear, but apparently YOU believe I have no right to non-violent expressions of opinion because YOU believe I am inherently violent even though I have given no indication of such by either my actions or my words.

You think I'm "putting words in your mouth"? That my interpretation of them is strange because you weren't talking about "people like us" but "those people". Ah, but you WERE talking to one of "those people".

>Because that’s what these people are, just plain evil. Anybody who would vandalize Rainbow for defending Palestinian rights, let alone encourage others to do so a well, is evil, wicked, and bad, iniquitous out of proportion. And if they want trouble, I say, let’s give it to them.

Of course nobody threatened to vandalize Rainbow for defending Palestinian rights. The "Concerned Activist" said "This form of protest will show the world that it is WRONG to exploit dead vegetation for profits." Not one word about Palestinians. Not one word about Israel. Only a joke about exploiting dead vegetation for profits. You may not have found it funny, but your lack of belief that it was intended to be funny does not mean it was not, indeed, intended that way. The obvious parallel to that are the animal rights activists, who talk about exploiting dead animals for profits.

But where in any of that did you get Palestinians and Zionists? Because it sure wasn't mentioned once in the post.

I would like to point out the obvious.

The workers at Rainbow and all of the official communication from the co-op to date has never used the term "Zionist". Instead, they claim the ban is directed at Israel.

What I have been saying all along, and I believe nessie and Rainbow's assumptions prove this, is that all non-native Israeli Jews ARE Zionists.

The terms "Israeli" and "Zionist" essentially mean the same thing.

"Do not make jokes about committing terrorism against us or agaunst our friends. It's not a joking matter. You wont be taken for a joker. You will be taken seriously by anyone who knows fact one about the history of Zionist terror."

What makes this so funny is that the coverage itself shows exactly what form that "Zi-i-i-ionist terror" is taking -- hundreds of polite phone calls.

The horror! The horror!

Now pardon me while I go brush more blood from my Zi-i-i-ionist fangs.

@%<

Given that the calls were reported before your post about "blood dripping from their fangs," etc., the smart money is on "you wish."

Now pardon me while I brush off the blood dripping from my fangs.

@%<

Enough with all this "support rainbow" bullshit. Fuck "nessie" and his ilk as well. At the end of the day Israel will remain a Jewish state and the fucking unevolved arabs will have to move back into the sand. None of you "pro-palastinean" motherfuckers have an original thought between you. If rainbow was really concerned about boycotting nations who they deem as immoral they'd have alot more clear choices than Israel. Are they boycotting China? Any arab despotic shithole? No. I guess not. Not the cause du jour.

In all seriousness...rainbow should be targeted. Boycott them. do whatever it takes to SHUT THEM DOWN!!

Ah, Nessie, that post was clearly a "black op" by a pro-Palestinian, don't you agree? Certainly its timing was very convenient for you, almost mysteriously so, don't you agree?

@%<

to shopping at Rainbow this Wednesday, particularly in the bulk department, where I have hardly ever bought things in the past, but now will start to.

its funny how zionists get all defensive when their businesses are threatened.
the loss of some dollars is worth more tha the lives of Palestinians.
their immorality is shining bright when their profits are threatened, is not it?

It has been several days since NEWS about what is going on around "The Rainbow Affair" has been posted. Much of what is being posted in these comments is silly without reference to what is or is not going on. For example, are the people involved managing to be keeping this at a civil level? Obviously so harsh words are being used, but beyond that any violence (or even "nastiness").

Nessie -- you say you shop there, etc. Would you be willing to amke a report on what IS happening? Not what you imagine will hapen, etc. Might I add at this point that in some ways you maybe don't imagine enough. I say that because to you "doing whatever it takes" means violence necessarily.

"Material Profits" -- what the hell are you talking about? It's not the "Zionists" profits at risk here but the Rainbow's. Nor is it likely a matter of "profits" but whether the co-op can survive. You think they are waffling too much? That they SHOULD care more about the Palestinians than their existence? And next month what issue?

THAT IS THE POINT. And something with which the "progressive" community will have to come to grips. For Palestinians and Israelis (and the American Jews who support them) THIS is the only issue that matters, today, tommorrow, next month, next year, and on into the forseeable future. Are we willing to sacrifice ALL our other interests in this struggle?

"Nessie -- you say you shop there, etc. Would you be willing to amke a report on what IS happening? "

Yes -- how many shoppers have been slaughtered by Zi-i-ionists with blood dripping from their fangs? How many JDL bombs have gone off? I need numbers, man!

@%<

Look how foolish we are America...if Israel was doing something incredibly wrong then yes America would tell them especially our christian leaders where they are causing the problem. The jews just want what God in the bible SAYS is theirs and any American company with its CHRISTIAN BELIEVERS better think long and hard what they trully believe in and stand where they should. Being a christian is not something you take off the shelf when it makes you look good and put away if it does not or if it hurts someone feelings or causes a person not to but from your company...where is your faith anyway in God or the dollar bill...is not God the God of all...

As far as I can tell, since the first intafada, 6 Palestinian shoppers have been killed. 2 by Israeli forces on 9/13/92 and the other four at the hands of two different Hamas suicide bombings. Does that help?

No. Do your own research.

Q: "how many shoppers have been slaughtered by Zi-i-ionists

A" "In San Francisco, none, at least so far. As for the future, who knows?"

Of course, you could say the same about Monty Python's fictional People's Judean Front -- so far they haven't slaughtered any San Francisco shoppers, but as for the future -- who knows?

In the meantime, though, your hystrionics are making a distinctively hollow sound. "Any business that boycotts Israeli goods should be defended with utmost vigor from terrorism by Zionist vigilantes," you said. When it's pointed out that there has been no terrorism beyond some polite phone calls and the emails quoted above, you simply reply "there has been none _yet_." Just as there have been no reported incidents of packs of rabid gerbils with xylophones playing Perry Como tunes invading the bulk goods section -- _yet_.

@%<

Bulletin Staff

A San Francisco man who was shocked to learn of a grocery store boycott of Israeli packaged or bulk goods is now organizing a boycott of his own -- of the Rainbow Grocery Cooperative.

Ian Zimmerman learned of the situation when his wife returned from the employee-owned grocery collective after having been told she could not buy chocolate Chanukah gelt for their toddler because the store was boycotting some Israeli-made goods.

Persia Sarnataro, a Rainbow customer-service representative, confirmed that the store's packaged and bulk goods departments opted to cease stocking Israeli goods "in support of freedom for the Palestinian people."

Zimmerman fired off an angry e-mail last Friday to hundreds of Bay Area residents urging would-be shoppers to voice their displeasure and avoid the store. Apparently, the e-mail has made the rounds; Rabbi Doug Kahn, executive director of the Jewish Community Relations Council, said he's been forwarded dozens of copies.

"Please make your feelings known to Rainbow and any other business that chooses to play the boycott game," wrote Zimmerman in his letter. "Let them know that life is a two-way street and every decision has consequences."

Scott Bradley, a member of the San Francisco store's PR committee, said about a year ago members of the two departments decided to stop stocking Israeli products, such as chocolate coins, but the ban was not widely noticed until customers attempted to buy Chanukah products before the holiday this year. Other departments still stock Israeli products, such as candles, herbal supplements and lotions, he said.

He added that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was a contentious issue among store workers, with employees feeling passionate on both sides. Bradley said the packaged and bulk goods departments' decision does not reflect storewide opinion and "there is no Israeli boycott" -- though Justice in Palestine Coalition member Eyad Kishawi was quoted in Wednesday's San Francisco Chronicle saying that his group was "very close" to pushing a storewide boycott and was hoping to do the same in roughly 30 other left-leaning Bay Area businesses.

Kishawi could not be reached for comment.

Bradley said Rainbow's departments are not ceasing to stock products from nations other than Israel.

Zimmerman said it didn't make any difference to him that the boycott only extended to two departments within the store.

"I think the decision is wrong, wrong, wrong whether it affects one department or another," he said.

"It's that simple. The decision itself is mean-spirited and wrong; I think it's a knee-jerk reaction without the knee. Was there ever a vote taken considering boycotting any other country? If not, why?"

Kahn said he's hoping to meet with Rainbow workers to discuss and possibly reverse the decision, which he labeled "irresponsible and outrageous." Kahn urged members of the Jewish community to "send a strong message to the store, so Rainbow will know how deep the hurt and outrage is in the community."

Some have already voiced their anger against the Folsom Street store without being prodded by Kahn.

Dr. Rick Levine, an internal medicine specialist at Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in Oakland, wrote an e-mail to Rainbow Grocery, which was forwarded to the Bulletin.

"My large family spends several thousand dollars a year at Rainbow. That stops immediately," wrote Levine.

"My wife and I are both physicians and make nutritional recommendations to our thousands of Bay Area patients, usually naming specific products at Rainbow as being nutritious, ecologically healthy and economic. That practice now reverses. Your policy is naive and ignorant."

Levine went on to write that only a public apology would be enough to alter his position, and he noted he was forwarding the letter to "scores of local physicians and synagogues."

Kahn said he couldn't think of a Bay Area store ever instituting a boycott on Israeli goods before, and he believed the closest situation was KQED TV's decision to delay indefinitely the airing of an Abba Eban-narrated documentary about Israel in 1993. In that situation as well, Kahn urged members of the Jewish community to make their feelings known. Some canceled their memberships and some threatened to do so, while others called the station to complain.

KQED opted to air the documentary after several months.

Both Kahn and Zimmerman said a simple reversal of the policy would be enough to satisfy them.

"It's easy to make a politically chic decision when there are no consequences," said Zimmerman, a lawyer who lives in the Noe Valley neighborhood.

"The situation in the Mideast is very complex. No question there are abuses on both sides. But to just come out with a reflex response, which I think is half-baked and wrong -- especially when they don't set forth any criteria, don't name any other countries -- it just seems so sophomoric to me."

"No. Do your own research."

This doesn't exactly make it look like you didn't come up with it off the top of your head.
Since you must have read it somewhere, if you didn't come up with it off the top of your head, it would take minimal effort for you to give your source ....
Withholding your source is suspicious when you are making statistical claims.

"My wife and I are both physicians and make nutritional recommendations to our thousands of Bay Area patients"

We gladly support the murder of twice as many Palestinians as Israelis - and by the military, too. That's the proper way to murder civilians.

We're doctors that take sides with our kind as they murder others.

If our people are being threatened and killed - murder right back! - we're doctors and we support it!

1) If you want to quiver under your bed because you think the big, bad JDL is coming to blow up a supermarket, you're of course perfectly free to do so. If you're polishing your baseball bat because you think that some secret underground gang of Zi-i-i-ionist stormtroopers are getting ready for a little mini Krystalnacht, and you want to stand in heroic defience, you're perfectly free to do so. Saddle up your posse, pardner, and put on your best Rooster Cogburn scowl. And above all, don't be afraid to look utterly ridiculous if the sky dares _not_ to fall despite your fears.

2) It's a pity you don't understand logical argumentation well enough to know why my reference to gerbils was not merely "appeal to ridicule." The use of ridicule alone does not render an otherwise valid argument invalid -- otherwise, for example, _Candide_ would be worthless.

What the argument was, instead, was a demonstration by analogy of the vacuity of _your_ shtick, which was "It's not impossible for X to happen, therefore we must be prepared for X to happen, _no matter the actual likelyhood of X happening or not_." It was simply restating my earlier position in a different way: your stance is as if you are responding to "the sky isn't falling" by saying "the sky isn't falling _yet_, but I'm convinced that it's enough of a possibility that I'll spill some bile and do some silly posturing about how I'll be sure to teach that sky a lesson if it tries, won't I, yep, sure I will."

Now, I know how much you get off on trying to portray the JDL as if they were the average supporter of Israel, allowing you to therefore attack _all_ supporters of Israel, and I know that the resulting hystrionics helps you with your psychological need to portray all Zionists as e-e-e-evil -- so demonicly evil that you regularly spiral into ridiculous flights of lurid rhetoric of the "blood drips from their fangs" sort. And I know that you really do believe in your heart that The E-e-evil Demonic Zionists are potentially scheming somewhere even now to bomb Rainbow Grocery.

That's just how you are, that's all; fortunately, reality isn't constrained to agree with you.

@%<

"We don't know how likely it is."

Are you saying you know how exactly likely it is that gerbils with xylophones playing Perry Como will invade Rainbow's bulk section? Now you're sounding like those studies that said they're _not sure how much_ smoking causes cancer.

"anybody who doesn't take Zionist's threats seriously is courting disaster."

Ah, so you now say that you have evidence of actual Zi-i-i-ionist threats of violence or distruction at Rainbow Grocery, or have you just gone off on one of your little melodramatic flights of fancy again?

"If we don't, another three thousand of us will die in your war"

Oh, hey, this just keeps getting better. Are you now becoming an apologist, not only for Hamas and the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade and Islamic Jihad by al-Qaeda too? If al-Qaeda was trying to strike at Israel on 9/11, they missed by half a dozen time zones. But I shouldn't be surprised at your willingness to carry their rhetorical baton on this one.

Meanwhile, of course, here's the scoreboard:

Zi-i-i-ionist Bombs at Rainbow: 0.
Customers killed by Zi-i-i-ionists at Rainbow: 0.
Customers beaten by Zi-i-ionists at Rainbow: 0.
Nessie's hysteria level: off the scale.

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We aren't getting news about the situation AND we aren't discussing any of a number of interesting ethical points the affair raises for anarchists.

Nessie, I don't want you to acuse me of putting words in your mouth. You have stated your conception of a solution, no "state" boundaries and anyone can live there.

"Besides, there is one tenet of Zionism that is perfectly valid. Jews have a right to live there in peace, unmolested by their neighbors. So do Palestinians, Armenians, Circassians and for that matter, Thais, Hmung and Dené, should they so choose. Borders should not be an impediment to human migration, particularly on the basis of ancestry. What Jews do *not* have the right to do is to lord it over others or steal land by force. Neither does anybody else. "

I'd like to see you discuss that in the context of the proposition that there would be nothing wrong for say 20-30 million Mexicans to return into the "occupied territories" YOU currently inhabit (you ARE in part of "occupied Mexico" aren't you?). Or as part of a solution, shouldn't we cease the occupation and return to them their lands.

It is interesting seeing people argue, Americans no less, that the Israelis should go back to the Europe they came from. As if we are any different. As if we aren't living on lands siezed from its native inhabitants (and if any of YOU are reading this, obviously I do not mean to imply you are included in the "we").

Perhaps you really mean what you said, Nessie. I have met people who actually claimed to believe that, no borders and share what we have with everbody on the planet. Well I'm sure there might be a couple hundred million from India who would be happy to move here to a land "where even poor folks have trouble with being overweight").

People are usually quick to insist OTHERS share. But just as quick to insist that this obligation to share doesn't include them. At least once it comes to deeds instead of just easy words.

EDITORIAL
Tuesday, December 10, 2002

IN SOME OF the best definition-parsing since Bill Clinton, the Rainbow Grocery Cooperative is trying to deny the existence of its semi-boycott against Israel.

Last week The Chronicle reported that two departments at the 27-year-old neighborhood supermarket were refusing to stock Israeli goods. The "boycott" had been going on for about a year to little complaint. Then a customer sent out an e-mail that circulated around the Bay Area. Rainbow spokesman Scott Bradley confirmed the boycott to a Chronicle reporter, though a Rainbow statement stressed that the boycott was not "storewide."

Apparently the not-storewide argument didn't quell customer dissatisfaction.

Now the boycotting store is being boycotted by some Israel supporters.

Rainbow's strategy? Deny and obfuscate. Last week, the store posted a statement on its Web site -- http://www.rainbow.coop -- that announced, "There is no boycott at Rainbow Grocery Cooperative against Israeli products. At no time did a boycott of Israeli products come up for a vote by the membership. Our policy requires 51 percent of the membership to approve a boycott."

Technically the second and third sentences are correct. Yes, there was no membership-wide vote on a boycott -- but the package and bulk departments voted to approve a boycott for their departments.

When no one paid attention to their boycott, some Rainbow workers were proudly scornful of Israeli policy in their curiously selective outrage about "human-rights violations" in the world.

Yes, insane to boycott a country violating human rights which we're funding. Focus instead HR violators which we aren't funding. Double plus rational! Plus, why on earth would anyone focus on only one cause? They must be insane!

Of course! We should be boycotting Palestine! Why didn't I think of that!

Just so I understand this better.

Whose blood is on my fangs??

and what about my horns? do they offend you too?

It was a relief to go to Rainbow tonight, finally, and find it jammed full of people - could barely find a place to park - and tons and tons of great stuff to buy. I'd forgetten how good that place is at Christmas because they have so much stuff like candles, and cards, and kitchen stuff, and jewelry, and books, etc., etc.

I get home and start to eat something - an organic tamale in this case - and every other item out of the bag turns out to be wheat-free or vegan or both. It's good to know that I can support both boycotts of Israeli goods and the production of vegan-wheat-free goods by non-Israeli companies at the same time. Also non-corporate companies. But they do still carry Odwalla there - has anyone told them that Coke owns it now?

Thanks Rainbow!

>If al-Qaeda was trying to strike at Israel on 9/11, they missed by half a dozen time zones.

They struck at the entity that animates Israel. Good thing for America that they hit symbols like the WTC, and not the real thing, like Indian Point. That would have killed millions.

I am confused but I am sure there are those here willing to help a poor illiterate native American understand. You are boycotting isreal because the Palistine group owns the land there and Isreal governs it, which you consider unfair. Umm well geesh I am part of a Native Group that owned well cared for the land but the USA governs it. Should we not boycott the USA and not import there stuff? Wait they don't have worry they import stuff from countrys they have conquered by dollar bills like Viet Nam, where Ford and Crysler have parts manufactured. I see a can or worms being opened here. How do we truely see the "enemy"? they are every where but we have computers and are online so we are pretty well off compared to others so ummm what should we really do? If you give control back to my Tribe (Mohawk) of the land you and the French and Canadians occupy I will let you stay and not make you gamble there ok? I will let you help replace all the forests that the acid rain has destroyed in a patch running from Pennsylvania to upper Quebec. I will let you lol I will let you how preposterous of me. I cannot allow you to do anything. The choice is yours as it is mine. Buy this buy that boycott this boycott that, is up to the individuals values I guess. I really wish you would consider what isgoing on here though with my brothers and sisters who live in squalor on lands the USA feel is perfect for us. Yet some of these lands are very Holy to us and yes the USA wants them back again. Sheeesh will this ever end and will we ever treat each other with respect? Perhaps eh? I respect you I respect your right to decide your own fate. Be nice to the Mother she is all we have right now.
Red Bow

That's a terrible thing to say.