What Happened to Caring about Humanity, President Obama?

Obama turned his back on the children of Palestine, no matter how you size it up...

The U.S. president has abandoned the same people his country's tax dollars are used to oppress and occupy.

(SALEM, Ore.) - U.S. President Barack Obama might as well just drive a knife in the back of humanity. The audacity of this man that people once believed in, "demanding" that Turkey not hold Israel responsible for its deadly attack on an unarmed ship that left nine dead last year, is simply too much.

Israel's Ha'aretz reported Tuesday that Obama is demanding Turkey end its crisis with Israel in order to avoid any further deterioration in the relations between the two countries. This is not on Turkey, it didn't attack Israeli citizens, it was the other way around.

Turkey is right for objecting to Israel's constant violent, deadly treatment of Palestine, and especially for the terrible attack on last year's Freedom Flotilla ship that our writer Ken O'Keefe was aboard. They didn't just kill the crew, they shot and wounded dozens more and then refused to allow medical care for hours and hours without any good reason, and in every way against the law. The UN Human Rights Commission said most of the nine were shot in the back of the head after already in most cases, being wounded. That is what you call, "execution style".

But Obama wants Turkey to move on.

The U.S. disrupted the world for years after the Iran Hostage Crisis in the late 70's.

In revenge for that event that ultimately claimed no lives, Americans covertly funded Saddam Hussein's Iran/Iraq War that took a terrible toll on the civilian populations of both countries, but mostly Iran. And today our government expects other governments to simply move on from murder?

Forget it, Israel needs to pay. I hope Turkey doesn't give a single inch to Obama's sorry request.

Witness to Israeli Murder from Tim King on Vimeo. It would do Pres. Obama and all Americans good to watch this video titled: The Ugly Details of Israel's Gaza Siege & Attack Against the Mavi Marmara produced by Salem-News.com.

Wet Noodle President

We've discovered on this journey that Obama's words and his actions are different matters, though we did not know at first how fully he would turn his back on those suffering the greatest injustice; the people with the biggest set of occupational boots standing on their heads - the Palestinians.

Like Congress, Obama's first devotion is to Israel, even if as recently as 2007, he thought he supported Palestine.

Intelligence in world leaders is supposed to increase with experience, not decrease. In backing the mighty powers of Genocide wielded by Israel on innocent Palestinians, Obama has shown his real face, and the actions against humanity leave us knowing that he must be defeated at the polls in the next election.

While the average American isn't going to readily admit it, they know that whole Usama bin Laden 'death scenario' in Pakistan just doesn't add up. So they cheer and celebrate as good Americans do when they're told their country reached a goal like the killing of that ten-year long running target, but that does not mean they aren't skeptical, or that they will vote for Obama in the next election. The alleged body was almost immediately tossed in the ocean, they say, whereas Saddam Hussein and his sons were essentially paraded in front of people, alive and dead. The tossing of bin Laden's body in the drink was a pathetic news item that our worst jokes predicted.

While questions circulate over the alleged killing of bin Laden, there is really no longer a question over whether Israel is by nature, militarily, both inhumane and illegal - it is the case. There also is no doubt that the treatment keeps getting worse. Israel has Palestine's arm bent firmly behind its own back.

This week lawmakers in the Knesset decided that any Israeli who supports anti-Israel boycotts will be fined and sanctioned, or worse. The powers enacting that gagging of free speech are in sync with AIPAC here in the U.S. (American Israeli Public Affairs Committee). The Boycott was launched because a similar effort brought an end to the previous apartheid government of South Africa, that like Israel today, was a pet nation friend of both Reagan's America and Thatcher's United Kingdom. In other words, we have been at this spot in the road before, however South Africa didn't have the audacity or the pull with the world to get away with silencing its citizens.

Terminating the right to the Boycott is Israel's attempt to engineer the end of non-violent resistance. What happens when a government shuts down the right to non-violent resistance? Israel is quickly preparing to show us. Already the peace protests in places like Bil'in are regularly attacked and many people have been killed; no Israelis, all Palestinians and their supporters. Last year after the flotilla was attacked, an Israeli soldier shot a demonstrating Jewish American student point blank in the eye with a tear gas launcher. She was permanently blinded in one eye.

First 10 Articles from United Nations Declaration of Human Rights Article 1. * All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood. Article 2. * Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. Furthermore, no distinction shall be made on the basis of the political, jurisdictional or international status of the country or territory to which a person belongs, whether it be independent, trust, non-self-governing or under any other limitation of sovereignty. Article 3. * Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person. Article 4. * No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms. Article 5. * No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. Article 6. * Everyone has the right to recognition everywhere as a person before the law. Article 7. * All are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to equal protection of the law. All are entitled to equal protection against any discrimination in violation of this Declaration and against any incitement to such discrimination. Article 8. * Everyone has the right to an effective remedy by the competent national tribunals for acts violating the fundamental rights granted him by the constitution or by law. Article 9. * No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile. Article 10. * Everyone is entitled in full equality to a fair and public hearing by an independent and impartial tribunal, in the determination of his rights and obligations and of any criminal charge against him. (Read the entire Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

These U.S. politicians like Obama are truly willing to stand behind Israel's blatant, apartheid laws that punish people according to race and religion, and not call Israel onto the carpet when they turn around and issue a gag order on free speech, like the Nazi party did in Germany.

Many compare Israel's tactics to those of Hitler's.

The militarized subjugation of humans, shameful disparity in laws, and a fundamentalist superiority mindset.

The religion tells people in this case, that according to God, it is OK to steal other people's land... land Palestinians families worked hard for and owned and often kept in their families for generations, even hundreds of years, all gone with the creation of Israel, and it all could have taken place by realistically offering concessions, but a real study of what Israel has offered on its best day shows little fairness.

This literal strategic routing of human freedom is appalling and shameful; Israel's continual shooting of unarmed fishermen, unarmed farmers, unarmed activists, with no recourse for the victims; which happens too often, and is what Obama approves of, is out of control.

As for real heroes, the nine people killed in last year's Freedom Flotilla, aboard the Turkish flagged Mavi Marmara were trying to end this terrible disparity of Palestinians who are denied many essential rights under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, a document ratified in the United Nations in 1948, part of which is listed at right.

It is a simple, easily verifiable fact that what Obama is supporting in Israel, is highly illegal under international law. This point can not be overstated.

Israel's military defenders cry that people want to destroy the so-called Jewish state, but all people want is for Israel to allow people who aren't Jewish to live freely. This is not about 'hating Jewish people" which is always the accusation, yet never the case. Smart people increasingly hate oppressive people, and that means in the end common sense will win the day. Exactly how many more crumpled bodies and broken hearts it will take, remains to be seen.

Appalling Policies

Of course we learned last week that Israeli courts will not prosecute soldiers in the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) who shot an eight-year old girl, Abir Aramin, while she bought gum from a kiosk next to her grade school. Personally, I can't stop thinking about that one. As long as there are multiple soldiers, and they collectively deny having fired, they are in the clear. This is what Obama supports.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is far from perfect, but at this point in history he is ten times the man that Barack Obama is.

Anyone willing to stand up and speak out against Israel's vicious apartheid and ruthless treatment of Palestinians; the checkpoints, the arrests, and the disappeared historic villages, is better than someone who lacks the courage to do so, at any and all costs.

Particularly troubling to me as a parent, is the fact that only one single Palestinian child of 853 arrested between 2005 and 2010 for 'rock throwing' was not convicted, when a sizable percentage maintained their innocence, until, broken-hearted, they agree to confess - to go home, it is the only way.

These leaders in Israel's political system can hold the kids for eight days without even notifying their parents where they are, or charging them. This information is all coming from our Jewish allies in Israel, with the group B'Tselem. If these children don't admit to a crime, they are held for months in prison. Signing confessions; one of which is always in Hebrew which they can not read, is the only way out. Then the kid is a 'convict' and on probation. Many kill themselves. PTSD is rampant among the Palestinian population, so many of whom have been traumatized by the Israeli soldiers.

This is what Obama approves of.

What Obama approves of, we know in our hearts is wrong, and just as wrong to the good people in Israel who want no part of the fundamentalist Zionist maneuvering. There are so many but they are given only a faint voice.

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Tim King: Salem-News.com Editor and Writer

Tim King is a former U.S. Marine with twenty years of experience on the west coast as a television news producer, photojournalist, reporter and assignment editor. In addition to his role as a war correspondent, this Los Angeles native serves as Salem-News.com's Executive News Editor. Tim spent the winter of 2006/07 covering the war in Afghanistan, and he was in Iraq over the summer of 2008, reporting from the war while embedded with both the U.S. Army and the Marines.

Tim holds awards for reporting, photography, writing and editing, including the Silver Spoke Award by the National Coalition of Motorcyclists (2011), Excellence in Journalism Award by the Oregon Confederation of Motorcycle Clubs (2010), Oregon AP Award for Spot News Photographer of the Year (2004), First-place Electronic Media Award in Spot News, Las Vegas, (1998), Oregon AP Cooperation Award (1991); and several others including the 2005 Red Cross Good Neighborhood Award for reporting. Tim has several years of experience in network affiliate news TV stations, having worked as a reporter and photographer at NBC, ABC and FOX stations in Arizona, Nevada and Oregon. Tim was a member of the National Press Photographer's Association for several years and is a current member of the Orange County Press Club.

Serving the community in very real terms, Salem-News.com is the nation's only truly independent high traffic news Website. As News Editor, Tim among other things, is responsible for publishing the original content of 82 Salem-News.com writers. He reminds viewers that emails are easily missed and urges those trying to reach him, to please send a second email if the first goes unanswered. You can write to Tim at this address: newsroom@salem-news.com