The Ken O'Keefe Family Values Tour

A Mother's Love for a man Israel calls a Terrorist.

Ken O'Keefe and his mom Pat Johnson Salem-News.com photo by Bonnie King

(PORTLAND, Ore.) - Ken O'Keefe's recent whirlwind NW speaking tour featured a level of depth that one doesn't often see. His mom, Pat Johnson, left her Hawaiian Island paradise where she runs a busy dive shop, to accompany her son and see him for the first time since his dramatic survival of a deadly Israeli commando attack.

Ken was aboard the Mavi Marmara, a passenger ship in last May's Gaza Freedom Flotilla that was attacked in international waters by Israeli troops in boats and U.S. supplied helicopters. They killed nine unarmed peace protesters and gravely injured dozens more.

The act has been fully condemned by the United Nations Human Rights Commission in a report. (see: United Nations Human Rights Commission international fact-finding mission to investigate violations of international law, including international humanitarian and human rights law, resulting from the Israeli attacks on the flotilla of ships carrying humanitarian assistance*)

Gaza is the only part of historic Palestine that still exists under Palestinian control. Israel has confiscated all of the land around it, and then they built a massive wall around the perimeter, with guard towers that today contain snipers who terrify the local population.

The Gaza Strip otherwise faces the sea, which Israeli Navy patrol boats frequently patrol, often killing innocent Palestinian fishermen. It is a terrible problem.

This is what Ken and so many others have been trying for years to change; Israel's blockade of Gaza is illegal under the United Nations, but the United States, Canada and one or two other nations always prevent the matter from being addressed.

Tim King and Pat Johnson in Eugene, Oregon

Pat Johnson has been watching her son from day one, grow from a sometimes self absorbed beach kid in San Diego, to a worldwide activist who lives in London today, and frequently engages in action for peace.

In addition to his work in Gaza trying to help the Palestinian people, Ken spearheaded a Human Shield Project when the current Iraq War started, to protect select locations with western people from being destroyed by indiscriminate bombs. The effort led to power staying on during some of the war's darkest days.

Ken O'Keefe is a world citizen. His Marine Corps background and high levels of accomplishments for Palestine and Iraq and all people in the world, made him an obvious fit for Salem-News.com.

Our affection for Ken is expected, but I had no idea how much I would come to admire and like his super cool mom, Pat. I think the same holds true for my wife Bonnie and our writer Eileen Fleming, who was also part of the speaking tour.

I lost my parents a few years ago (on the same day) and it has been hard at times. I appreciate parents in ways that some people would not understand.

Pat is now an addition to our lives too and I believe we will always be in contact. It was my pleasure to edit this video recorded with Pat in the moments preceding Ken's arrival a few weeks ago in Portland:

The story and related video below, produced after Ken's arrival, could be viewed as a good follow up to the above:

Sep-20-2010: Ken O'Keefe Arrives in Northwest - Tim King Salem-News.com

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 numerous awards for reporting, photography, writing and editing, including the 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. 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 65 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 send Tim an email at this address: newsroom@salem-news.com