Tuesday, November 19, 2002 :::
What an experience! Barak's speech was incredible. He spoke about his major role in the 2000 Camp David peace talks, with Clinton and Arafat. He also covered his extensive career in the IDF, including some war stories of missions he was on, such as rescuing hostages on an airplane wired with explosives, and dressing as a woman to carry out a mission.
Some interesting points he made: There are 6.5 million Jews and 3.5 million Palestinians living in Israel. If equal representation were given to each, Israel would become non-Democratic and non-Jewish. Barak believes that the best thing to do is to embrace a program of separation- provide Palestinians with their own, democratic state. This was the proposal that was hinted at at the 2000 Camp David talks, but Arafat outright rejected even the most generous proposal as a starting point for negotiations. Barak maintains that there cannot be a peace unless Israel has a willing partner in peace, something that is certainly not present now. In the meantime, Barak says, we should continue the war on terrorism, and the United States should be a leader in this. Barak even told a few jokes, quoted Woody Allen, JFK, and FDR, and provided a fascinating and insightful look at the current state of affairs in the middle east, and how it affects us here in Berkeley.
Generally, the audience was very receptive to Barak. There were a few scattered outbursts, but it only seemed to be perpetuated by 2-3 people. There was a shrill whistle, someone called out "liar!", and other assorted bits of distractions. Barak simply said in response to these outbursts, "Instead of yelling, wait until the end to ask questions and I will answer them". This response was met with applause from the audience. There was a question and answer session after Barak's speech, where a Middle Eastern Studies professor got to lob a few. The first one dealt with the occupied territories, to which Barak stated that no new settlements are being built in Gaza except for those where contracts were signed before his term as Prime Minister. He warned that apartheid is what could come about in Israel if Israel does not separate itself from Palestinians, but apartheid is not an appropriate term to describe the current situation. In fact, he said use of the word apartheid suggests naivete.
Thanks so much to Rebecca for getting me a ticket to this event- you did a great job organizing this, and you looked cool and confident on stage when you introduced Barak. Devora, thanks also to you for helping me get into the event. Congratulations to the IAC and Berkeley Hillel, and all the sponsors who made this event possible and such a huge success.
::: posted by Andrewski at 10:04 PM
Whew, I did manage to get a ticket for Barak tonight. I'll update with my impressions later tonight.
::: posted by Andrewski at 5:39 PM
Kudos to the individual who found the Albatross Perch by typing "handjobs in new york" into Google. It's reassuring to know that people come this website seeking all the Berkeley news that's fit to blog, plus the latest on East Coast third base sexplay.
::: posted by Andrewski at 2:22 PM
A good friend of mine who is working behind the scenes to bring Ehud Barak to Berkeley has informed me that it's becoming quite an ordeal to keep everything together. Because more tickets were promised to VIPs than were available, the friends and family of those who organized the event aren't able to attend.
It seems to me that the individuals at Hillel who worked so hard to bring Barak here should be allowed to invite a few friends and family each, instead of losing out their tickets because some VIPs wanted dibs.
Who are these VIPs? Will your intrepid Perch reporter make it to the Barak speech? More as this story develops...
::: posted by Andrewski at 2:16 PM
Monday, November 18, 2002 :::
There's a plethora of interesting bits in today's Daily Cow. The Westboro ministry protest occured last Saturday outside the Cal football game- the "God Hates Fags" crowd (about 15 strong) was met with an opposition of about 70. I laughed out loud when I reached this line in the Daily Cal:
During the protest, tension was momentarily relieved when UC Berkeley junior Mike McFarlane joined the Westboro church members while holding a sign that read "God hates Stanfurd."
Very clever. Props to Mike for the jab at intolerance. Props also to those who were there, supporting the gay community.
Also of interest in today's Cal is Sarah Mourra's interesting piece on chakra, karma, and all the other new agey practices you'll find in this area. There was also this article, about the Cal football team's practice of staying at the upscale Claremont Hotel before games. Apparently the Claremont Hotel workers are on strike, and the Cal team has been "urged" by student and labor groups to stop supporting the Hotel. What I think is interesting about the situation is the revelation that football players are treated like little princes prior to games:
"The purpose is to give (football players) the royal treatment, get them fed well, a full night's sleep, keep them from getting distracted by college life," said Jeff Stoike, a former member of the Cal football team.
Man, I hate when college life distracts me from my football career. I think in the interest of fairness, funds should be allocated to allow all students to be well fed, well rested, and free of distractions prior to finals. I mean, it's only fair, right?
::: posted by Andrewski at 9:43 PM
Sunday, November 17, 2002 :::
Tuesday, former Israeli Prime Minister and Lt. General of the Israeli Defense Force Ehud Barak will be coming to Berkeley. Those lucky enough to secure a ticket are surely in for a treat. I'll be there, a bunch of people who don't like Israel will likely be there, hilarity may ensue. Now would be a good time to check out The Puddle, a Berkeley blog with a focus on matters of Israel and Cal.
::: posted by Andrewski at 11:16 PM
