It was actually "Hoomin Rongs, Ur Doin it Right".

That's what happens when a bunch of geeks who have just come from a Human Rights March and speak fluent LOLcat say to each other.

Yesterday was a busy day.

On the day of Israel's first Human Rights March; 21 activists were arrested in East Jerusalem for demonstrating against the eviction of Arab families in the Sheik Jarrah neighbourhood and bringing in Jewish families in their stead; Settlers vandalised a Mosque in the West Bank village of Yasuf, burning Korans and spraying graffiti to prayer rugs.

Just to contextualise the day for y'all.

My day was much better.

I got up early-ish in order to get to Tel-Aviv by 11 AM because that's when all the people were supposed to be gathering at Rabin square.
At first there were no contingencies I knew or felt a part of were there, so I was all awkward and just standing there.
Luckily a friend - who for the sake of this post I'll call "Phill" - arrived and he was also very surprised that our contingencies were lacking.

Then at around a quarter past 11 I suddenly saw multiple rainbow flags which made me happy, but they went to stand next to Meretz¹, the Party I felt utterly and completely sold out their voters in order to widen their base and get more supporters.

Yes, we're all very factional... well, at least I am.

Then a few minutes later more friends of mine from campus arrived along with the red flags, yep, I stuck around in my "This is what a feminist looks like" tank top, my Keffiya and picked up a red flag!
( This is where I ruminate on boring Leftists - sorta - party politics in Israel )

At around half past a friend with whom I hang out with at Uni - we'll call him "Jon" - arrived and I was so happy to discover that he brought his Pride Flag with him!
Some ass told him to not wave it around because there were other contingencies (that Hadash might not identify with) were also waving around rainbow flags.
"Jon" looked at him as though he's grown another head.
I snorted loudly.

It so happened that I ended up carrying the Pride flag because "Jon" ended up carrying a huge banner with another person and I handed the red flag I'd been carrying to a future Member of the Party (some eight year old kid, I'd say) and "Jon" and I ended up marching the whole way together.

Someone brought a solar powered boom-box and there was music in the streets!

Well you know what's attributed to Emma Goldman, right? A Revolution without dancing and a Revolution not worth having!, or rather: If I can't dance, I don't want to be part of your revolution.
Same-Same...

We finally got to the plaza outside the Tel-Aviv Museum - which right across the street from the IDF HQ (I laughed, it's just too sad) and there were huge amounts of people that joined for the speeches.
It was vast.

( About boring speeches and being moved by them )

Then there was music, more speeches, even more music, I found some geek friends, we ate doughnuts because it is Hannukah and we began to LOLcat.

( Footnotes )

Hey, did you know that Yesterday was International Human Rights Day?

No?

I'm not surprised.

I mean, Human Rights, those are for people who aren't ME, right?

I'm being facetious but you have to admit that that seems to be the attitude.

Over the past few months The Association for Civil Rights in Israel has been working on, planning and today will finally be executing Israel's first Human Rights March.

I've marched for human rights multiple times over the years, but they always seemed to have a different moniker like: anti-war, anti-poverty, women's rights, LGBTQ rights, anti-occupation, pro-immigrant rights and more.

Today, it's All Of That.

I wonder... is anyone going to care this time as well?

Quoted and copied from Coterest: News, Analysis and Opinion from the Israeli Hebrew print and electronic media:
[Under the cut] is a rush translation of Ha’ir’s ("The City", a local urban mag that covers Tel-Aviv happenings) cover story.
No complicated conspiracy theories. Only a long catalogue of de-legitimization.

So here is one, small ask, do what progressives are the best at. Communicate. Get this story out.

( Anti-Semites:How human rights activists became public enemies )

I am in the opinion that Patriarchy and its siblings Heteronormativity and White supremacy are the roots of evil in our times.

Just in case any of you had any doubt about that.

I just came back from the "Stop Violence Against Women" march and it was good.
We were not that many, because this is a chauvinist country.
The speeches after were very inspiring.

I and a few others then went to get some supper at a pizza place. There was a whole lot of talk about political theory, uni studies, feminism etc.

In the end there appeared to be some kind of combat between neo-Marxist thought and Post-Modernism (of which there was a gross misunderstanding). It was very Bubbly in the sense that "we are living in a bubble", which I'm cool with seeing as us "bubble people" actually went to the march in order to raise awareness that violence against women - it happens, it's societal disease and it needs to be stopped.

There was also talk about Politically Correctness, a term and though process I abhor and how, even as an ally, I really shouldn't use words that do not belong to me. Call me old-fashioned.

Also, there's really no shame in admitting you're bourgeoisie if you, ya know, living that lifestyle. My politics are radical, but my life is liberal, that's the way it is, why should I hide it or be ashamed of it?

One of the girls we sat with had to catch the same bus as me and we continued to talk and oh my god it was awful.
Just so you know, she irritated me.
A lot.

I have a button (I have many) on my bag that reads "Sex is the Question - sex is not the answer - "Yes" is the Answer" (yes I know it's a play on the Nickleback lyrics) which to me is a sex-positive slogan akin to "Yes is Yes" which is just as valid as "No is No".
Anyway, this girl asked me about it and I told her the above and she said:
"You need to be careful with that term [pro-sex], it can be taken to mean you're pro prostitution and stuff like that"
I replied: "Well, I am pro-sex work and pro-porn"
And OMG!
I had never heard such cookie cutter Second Wave Paternalistic bullshit come out of someone younger than me - pardon the ageism, but that's impressive in a horrifying way!
I tried to say that sex-work isn't just human trafficking and crack whores and pimped women.
Her reply: It's all False Conciousness.
In my head I'm going - OMG!
I say: There's queer and alt porn.
She goes: It reproduces the same oppressive mechanism as mainstream porn. It's the same objectification.
I say: There's BDSM that enables you to play with the oppressive power structure and have a good time at the same time.
She goes: BDSM reproduces the power structure, why would you want to do something that humiliates you?

I wanted to kill her and myself.

I really couldn't talk to her any more, because really, it showed such a lack of understanding of what a power structure actually is, that hierarchy is a daily and hourly thing we live and work with our entire lives and that kink does not mean there isn't an actual partnership or that an unequal partnership automatically means there isn't consent!

Because that's what bothers me the most about the Dworkin and MacKinnon types - I really like the way they theorised Patriarchy and Phallocentrism, the tools they offer are awesome, also MacKinno is a brilliant speaker - but if you take their entire thesis you end up saying: women have no ability to consent in the system that we currently live, because there's nothing but False Conciousness.

Yeah, no thanks.

Yesterday there was a march in honour of the victims of hate.

It was a pretty standard turn out for the March we were a little less than 100 people, made up of Trans folk and their Cissy Allies (hello there).
The march was set to start on the street of the shooting in August, which made the whole situation a whole lot more loaded emotionally of course.

The way to the march was a bloody disaster, you see, there was a different demonstration happening along the same main streets and we had to wait for it to pass.
The police was all set for that demonstration and basically decided that they would use the same personnel and the same garrisons for both marches.

One march was for Trans awareness, basically.
The other was for protesting the cut of the Disability Pension for IDF Veterans.

Yeah.
Talk about a "clash of civilisations" - one portion of the population that isn't drafted and another that pays the price for it.
*sigh*

As I said, getting to our march was a bloody disaster because the police garrisoned a bunch of main streets which we had to drive through, we also had to drive through the stragglers of the disabled vets march.

We drove through the entirety of central Tel Aviv on the busiest evening of the week, on the evening of a demo that nobody gave a shit about.
Two demos that nobody gave a shit about.

I didn't see anything other than Updates (as in not actual reporting) on the online mainstream news websites.

Of course, once we got to the Gay Community centre the police told us to go through the back so that we don't disturb the other demo.
Even when they're being fucked over by because they're disabled, there's still a hierarchy.

Both population are silenced and made invisible.
Both population intersect - I wouldn't be surprised if there were vets there who were Trans and there was certainly more than one marcher with us who had mechanic (crutches, wheelchair) aid.

Both populations are fucked over.

Still, it was obvious who were more respected by the police - the Disabled Vets didn't "chose" to be freaks and they're "genuinely" screwed over by the government.
Of course.

Sometimes I really feel the people in power just look down on us, eat and throw the crumbs down to see the fights brew.
It's depressing.

Today, at the weekly protest in the village on Nialin, demonstrators broke down a section of the wall:


( More under the cut )

That is so amazing and encouraging, the significance of it being so close to the date of the fall of the Berlin wall is just... poetic.

Don't let Roman Polanski evade justice and sign Art Does Not Excuse Rape.

Pass this along, re-tweet, make a post.

This whole story is beyond ridiculous and as I said before, this is not just about Polanski any more.
What this is tells young girls, young boys, everyone in fact, is that if you are rich enough, powerful enough and/or have enough friends in positions of power, your life and pain is basically worthless.

This is currently the kind of world we live in, in which rapists get to have apologists because they make beautiful and powerful things and tell us a compelling story... we have the responsibility make sure these story tellers do not get off scott free for committing crimes in which someone else's body, humanity and rights are trampled upon.

That's all.

The Lambda Literary Foundation, for those of you who do not know, is an American LGBT Literary that works to raise the status of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender authors, who are marginalised, in the literary world.

Awesome says I.

An organisation that works to elevate the visibility and merit of LGBT(Q!) authors is good.

The Lambda Awards (hereby known as the Lammy's) though, are about the stories. Or at least, that's what I (and probably many others) thought.

However, the new guidlines contain within them a new rule, which is a source of contention:

The Lambda Literary Foundation (LLF) seeks to elevate the status of openly gay, lesbian, bisexual and trans (LGBT) people throughout society by rewarding and promoting excellence among LGBT writers who use their work to explore LGBT lives.

As such, it should be noted that the Lambda Literary Awards are based principally on the LGBT content, the gender orientation/identity of the author, and the literary merit of the work.

Let's get one thing straight (laugh it up); queers having our own space, our own awards and our own rules as to who applies, is not a bad thing.
Really, it's not.
The problem is, who decides.

The Lammy's guideline specifically states:

As to what defines LGBT? That is not up to anyone at Lambda Literary Foundation to decide. The writers and publishers are the ones who will be doing the self-identifying. Sexuality today is fluid and we welcome and cherish this freedom. We take the nomination of any book at face value: if the book is nominated as LGBT, then the author is self-identifying as part of our LGBT family of writers, and that is all that is required. There are many permutations of LGBT and they're all welcome as that LGBT term we've all adopted makes clear.

Okay, so they accept anyone who ID's as part of the LGBT(Q damnit!) family. And if that bisexual cis woman who is married to her straight cis male husband of such-and-such years submits an award. Sure, of course she's eligible.
But wait, no she doesn't, she doesn't live the "lifestyle".
An exaggeration?
Not so much, when that kind of thing happens all the time, you're not queer enough if you have het privilege.
Is it stupid? Of course it is, but whoever said marginalised groups were good with the whole acceptance thing.

Honestly, I don't think it would go that way, I'm also obviously being satirical here. I mean, it could, but I'm trying for optimism here. LGBT(Q) authors having their place and awarding those of us who wrote a story in which our portrayal brings us and the characters in the story alive is a very good thing.
Telling people that who they are may not be enough in order to be eligible for the award is not the way to go.

The main problem that came out of this whole thing is that the change in the guidelines came with such short notice.
The notice of the change came out September 25th, submission begins October 1st and ends December 1st.
Yeah, no matter how you look, that is short notice, especially when it's effective immediately.

I say my opinion is fuzzy, the "litmus" should be for people to be able to say:"I'm queer", accept that statement at face value and move on in order to read a good book or story about people who are like me (potentially). But queer isn't a visible thing, our statements of who we are, are under constant attack because we are marginalised, because we are not "normal", because if we really wanted to and tried hard enough, we wouldn't have to be marginalised, now would we.

I'm getting frustrated from all this thinking about which box we're supposed to fit into. Sexuality is fluid (not for everyone!), but it better remain in that little bowl.

Regardless of how us queers feel about the change in the guidelines, which is not clear cut at all, here is one thing I have to say about those straight authors, who are yelling at the Interwebs, about being marginalised because the Lammy's changed the rules on their gay romance.

Shut up.

No, really. Shut. The. Fuck. Up.

I've had it up to fucking here with stupid straight people appropriating my space, in order to promote an agenda that has nothing to do with actually being queer, and has everything to do with "but I want to play in this sandbox too".
Yes, well, at the moment you are peeing in it, because the attitude of entitlement is not the one members of the LGBTQ family who happen to be cis and straight should be throwing around.
You feel strongly about your portrayal of gay characters, that's good, I feel strongly about it to.
Saying that because you feel excluded from a prize, you are oppressed is irksome, irritating and shows that you are so privilege blind that you really have no fucking clue what homophobia, biphobia, transphobia, etc actually causes the psyche of a person who does deal with these prejudices and hates on a bloody daily basis.

God, am I the only one who had a flashback to the trek stupidity a couple months back.
Seriously, peeps, what the fuck?!

On that, I'm not so fuzzy headed.

A thanks to rm, kynn and vashtan; their posts really enabled me write this post in a (hopefully) semi-coherent way.
Their own opinions and fact finding skills were extremely helpful.

Footage from last night's impromptu demo in Tel-Aviv following the attack (includes English subtitles):



Now back to work.

Reply to this meme by yelling "Words!".
I will then give you five words that remind me of you.
Then post them in your LJ and explain what they mean to you.

These are the words whereisjoy gave me:
( Gender Studies )

( Israel )

( Activism )

( Torchwood )

( Fangirl )
So, yeah.

Every country and nation has little moments in which you proclaim "Only in [name of country]!".

I came upon a moment like that yesterday on my home on my regular mode of public transportation. Now, lots of things make me go "Only in Israel", but this incident was seriously unique.

I'm sitting and a few rows in the back I hear a guy speak to his buddy on his cellphone. He was crystal clear and I couldn't miss a word.
Here is what he said, translated from Hebrew to English for your benefit:

"Hey man [other person on the phone], I saw Waltz with Bashir last night. And guess what, one of the soldiers that was interviewed was my Commanding Officer when I was in the Army.

My eyes fell out of my face.
He continued:

The movie doesn't make us look good. But it was powerful and seeing my CO there got me to be even more connected

This country is seriously small and screwed up.

It's an interesting coincidence that on the same day that I had this Overheard on Israeli public transport that the social activism channel Social TV (YouTube Channel) broadcast the second edition of their magazine In an Occupying Society, which is a ten minute podcast of interviews in which Left, anti-Occupation, Feminist, etc activists talk about the Occupation from various perspectives, from the Israeli side, in an attempt to raise awareness as to what the Occupation is costing Israeli society.

This month's edition is about Militarism and it connects so well with what I overheard on the train.
The video is in Hebrew with English subtitles.


Last month's edition was the economic cost of the Occupation: Part 1 and Part 2.

Last night there was an evening (academically) celebrating the writing of Joan Nestle.
She founded The Lesbian Herstory Archive, she's been Out since the 50's and is an advocate for LGBT and Queer rights and writes the most amazing Lesbian writing.

Recently several stories from her books A Restricted Country and A Fragile Union have been translated into Hebrew (and if rumours are to be trusted, they will be translated into Arabic as well some time soon).

I bought the translated book a few months ago, as a treat for myself and my dear friend arnavtul lent me her copy of Nestle's book in English.

There aren't a lot of books that enable you to see yourself more clearly.

Last night was a community evening.
My friend V said that these evenings haven't changed in the past 15 years.
For me there was something so beautiful about knowing that these evenings exist in my Uni, that they are sponsored by academia and that I know without a shadow of a doubt, that I'm part of the majority in a space in which that majority really is a community.
For me these cultural evenings are new.
So while I understand V's frustration at it being the same people over and over again, for me it's fantastic.

It was in my IDF service that I met, for the first time, other Queers.
People with who I could talk about my desires and know they understand.
My daily lunch breaks were more than just a break from the tedium of office work and the oppression I didn't know was crushing me with Dacron uniforms and a military mindset that drove me nuts for two years.
These breaks were also a kind of community building in which my queerness wasn't odd, it was the norm.
It was awesome.
And after my service that little community disappeared and I was Queer alone except for the internet and seeing a portion of the U.S. LGBT community while I was in the States was very a good thing, it was also when I really freed myself of all kinds of things I didn't know were crushing me - the oppression I couldn't name.
I shaved my head.
I travelled alone.
I knew I belonged in Israel.

Entering Uni was great.
Studying what I study - Literature and Women & Gender - Those are the fields (any of the Humanities, really) in which we tell ourselves who we are and who we perceive ourselves to be.
The head of the Lit department is Gay and visible about it - not in the sense that he talks about it, but in the fact that the closet is just not there. Same with so many other lecturers that I love and admire and hope to eventually speak to on an even keel.

The visibility of LGBT lecturers and LGBT evenings and conferences is so precious and important.
For most Straight and Cisgender* people they are sub-cultural events which are fun to attend (it's awesome that Straight and Cisgender people attend) but I always get the feeling that they attend because they want to see something Different, even if they are very close friends with Queers, their world view is filtered through the default and it's probably thrilling to be in a place in which they feel different because of their sexuality and gender identity.
Queers feel excluded every day because of that.

It may sound dramatic, but my friend V told me of violence I've had the privilege not to experience.
The double standard of dates because I'm with another grrl and not with a boi.
The assumption that everyone is straight unless proven otherwise.
That we chose this life.
This hard life in which same-sex couples have to go to court in order to adopt and travel to Canada in order to marry.
Etc.
Etc.
Etc.

Last night was so good.
I felt beautiful.

I felt as though I was bubbled in a cocoon of a culture that really is my own and not one I am on the margins of because of what's between my legs and in my heart.

Thank you Joan.

Foor Notes
*Not Transgender

I've always been a bit of a floater when it came to Activism - it has to do that I haven't actually been politically active for that long - I've mainly been active at the Uni and participated in a few things in which I didn't particularly feel I needed to actually be affiliated.

Well, since the operation on Gaza and the marginalization of the Left in these here parts I've felt the need to find a place in which I could be active and have a firm support network.

This past Sunday a general meeting of Hadash - the Party I voted for if you recall - the agenda of which was the establishment of a New Left. Of course, it was more about the broadening of the message Hadash always spoke, but because they aren't "Zionist" have been marginalised.

Thank you human ingenuity for the Interwebs.

Anyway, Hadash (al-Jabha in Arabic) is an acronym for The Democratic Front for Peace and Equality. Like many Leftist organizations, fronts and movements, it is kind of taken for granted that women are included, that women have something to say.
And on Sunday, at the general meeting, every single one of the women who spoke to the large assembly of over 300 people, said that there is not enough women representation.

So this morning, the first meeting of what may turn into the Hadash Feminist Forum met up. It was really interesting, 'cause there were a few older Hadash members, including former (and legendary) MK Tamar Gozansky and a whole lot of newbies like Moi.

I won't get into the whole meeting as minutes were taken and I actually don't remember everything that was said.
I added my own 0.2 about queer women and their position in the Left and society as whole, because we kept talking about women of colour (Jewish and Arab), working class women, mothers etc.
I felt good about at least raising the issue

What really bugged me though, was when an Anarchist man ( had some things to say - cut for going off tangent )

It was a productive meeting and we've already arranged to meet other women's movements that are part of the Front and will most likely start getting things done for International Woman Day - 8th of March FYI.

I'm hoping to find an activism base here, because I'd really like to strengthen the parliamentarian Left in these coming months because of blow it took in these election.
Bibi is Prime Minister.
What is the Agnostic/Atheist cry for help and hope and despair?
Oh, the Humanity!

Ever since (in)famous(?) Iraqi journalist Muntadar al-Zaidi threw his shoe at Former (hooray!) President Bush, there have been a number of copy cats.

A shoe was thrown at the Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao on Monday at his talk in Cambridge University. Unlike Mr. al-Zaidi, this protester did not manage to aim quite so squarely at Mr. Wen.

And just today a shoe and two books were thrown at Israel Ambassador Mr. Benny Dagan in Sweden.
The shoe and two books were thrown by two protesters at the University of Stockholm where Mr. Dagan was giving a talk about the upcoming elections.
I can only assume that the items were thrown in protest to the violence in Gaza.

Or Antisemitism.

Who can tell.

Although, it would appear that unlike the shoes thrown at Bush and Wen, these ones actually hit their target.

Here is a short video of the incident:


And on a more ludicrous note: books! They threw books?! Dude, shoes is one thing - it's dirty and out right disrespectful, but books! That's just disrespecting yourself.

Every week, every day, there are demonstration over in the West Bank against the Gaza assault.
These demonstrations are nothing new, as they have been protesting against the building of a fence, a wall, which continues to usurp land from people whose land is already tenuous in their grip.
These demonstrations have been going on for years, since 2002.
That's eight years.
How many years has Southern Israel been under rocket attack?

A worrying trend has been showing over the past week.

There have been numerous Anti-Gaza assault demo's in the West Bank since the operation began.
Today, during such a protest, a Palestinian man was shot by IDF forces, this is the third casualty in as many days.
A soldier was wounded by rock throwers.

So... yeah.

Hebrew and English texts:

Sderot War Diary

Nomika Zion, Sderot, 8.1.09

[...]
Not in my name and not for me you went to war. The current bloodbath in Gaza is not in my name and not for my security. Destroyed homes, bombed schools, thousands of new refugees - are not in my name and not for my security. In Gaza there is no time for burial ceremonies now, the dead are put in refrigerators in twos, because there is no room. Here their bodies lay, policemen, children, and our nimble reporters play acrobatically with Hasbara strategies in view of “the images that speak for themselves”. Pray tell me, what is there to “explain”? [Hasbara literally means "explanation" - Translator's note] What is there to explain?
[...]

Embedded is footage from the huge demo which had thousands of participants (including me).

The footage is in Hebrew with English subtitles:
( Israel Social TV - Demo Against War on Gaza - 030109 )

While I was in Tel-Aviv and protested with my fellow comrades, both Jewish and Arab, against the aggression and war, the IDF began it's ground offensive.

The irony... it is anvil-like.

The body count in going to rise and rise and rise.
And more and more blood will permeate this (un)Holy earth.

The demo was large, over 10,000 people.
It was the first time I'd seen the Palestinian colours fly outside the West Bank (up until last week, there was an injunction against waving Palestinian colours).
There was also a counter-demo of Israeli Fascists.
And I do mean Fascists, saying the IDF must deploy and destroy and calling us - the anti-war demonstrates - a Fifth Column.

I'm an Israeli Jew.
And Palestinian-American Suheir Hammad speaks it exactly the way I see it.



Peace with our enemies.
Hope for us all.
Free Palestine.

My head cold has broken me and I'm sitting here sipping tea.
Ah, well. Tomorrow is another day and it shall be made of coffee.

One of the things that have been on my mind lately is the forthcoming election - for those not in the local loop - Israel is going to have be voting for general elections in early 2009, these are going to be our 6th elections in 13 years.
Oh, no, we're so much better than the rest of the post-colonial countries of the Levant!
If my nose weren't so clogged my *snort* of utter derision would have probably been heard all the way to Beirut.

Any way.

The elections yes.
There are many problems, my biggest one is that I may have to go against my principals and vote for someone in order to prevent someone else from getting elected.

Tzipi Livni, current leader of the Centrist Kadima Party is not doing well in the poles. On any regular day this wouldn't bother me, since I have no great love for a former Likudnik or for a party made out of Ariel Sharon's own megalomania.
However, current poll leader seems to be the aforementioned Likud Party which is headed by Binyamin "Bibi" Netanyahu...
You cannot begin to understand how scary the thought of this man being back in the PM's office is.
Really, I'd rather have The Master.

A dilemma.

Do I cast my vote for the smaller party of my choice which actually holds onto values that I believe in (e.g. Meretz *sigh* or Hadash) or do I vote for Livni just to make myself feel better that my vote wasn't taken from her and gave victory to Bibi.

What's a Grrl to do?

What would you do?

---

Something else to think about:

In case you weren't aware, there is a group of young (18-19) Israeli Jewish conscientious objectors, known as The Shministim who refuse to be drafted into the IDF because of an ethical, moral and, yep, conscientious stance.
They are known as The Shministim (English and Hebrew websites) which is a Hebrew nick for High School seniors, and the Army drafts us right out of High School.
Tomorrow (December 18th) is the day of action.
Currently seven of this year's draftees have been charged with refusal to join the army and have been put in jail, some of them multiple times.
Press the links if you want to learn more about them, what they stand for and why it is important to support them.

Here they are, in their own words:

You know, for the purposes of this entry I was looking through online dictionaries trying to find a definition of Democracy that would help me make my point about the silencing of minority voices within society at large.
The closest was this - "The principles of social equality and respect for the individual within a community" - from Dictionary.com.

That sweet little exposition aside, let me state that we who live in Democracies (or at the very least, are members of the privileged class/race/religion to which Democracy applies) consider freedom of speech to be a staple in the tradition of the Vox Populi Vox Dei, which I'm always happy to quote.

However, when you live in a society which declares a specific ethos and/or social agenda to be the Only True Path, anything that shows an alternative, or even criticizes said ethos and/or social agenda, those who voice these alternatives and criticism are considered to be the Vox Diabolus (the voice of the devil, i.e. blasphemy).

Earlier today, Attorney General Menachem (Manny) Mazuz ordered the police to open a criminal investigation against the New Profile organization.
This organization which provides information regarding alternatives to Army service in the country - New Profile's Charter - is being accused of encouraging draft dodging and inciting dissent.

The low-grade media circus concerning so called "draft dodgers", is such that everytime I hear or read about it, I feel an apopletic fit coming on and my eyed do this - o_O.
The silencing of opposition voices is so anti-Democratic I can't help but feel that Israel's perpetual myth of being the only Democracy in the Middle-East can not help but be thoroughly debunked.

This is outrageous! I can barely verbalise what I find so upsetting about this whole issue.

The information New Profile offers is not solicited, it is open to anyone who actively seek it it out.

And here are a few more myths debunked concerning the evil, sinister, anti-patriotic "draft dodgers":
These people eighteen year old kids that the IDF doesn't even bother to draft in any case... those who really dodge the draft get sent to jail and that's far rarer than it's played out, seeing as most those who don't want to serve get a legal exemption and shouldn't be fucking prosecuted for it.
We can also talk about all the Ultra-Orthodox Yeshivah boys who aren't drafted due to religious convictions, something which has become inculcated in law because back in the 40's they were a minority and didn't make a difference. In the mean time they've multiplied and are hijacking the social agenda and are even have their own backward and separate education system, which continues to breed ignorance and religious dogma which so happens to be a part of the state.
Not to mention the clause that allows women to not serve in the military due to religious or conscientious objections - note, this is not the same as the conscientious objectors that one hears about on the News, more info here.
By the way, men and women do not serve the same amount of time in the army, by default women two years and men serve three.
This is, by the way, just the Jewish population. The non-Jewish population situation is far more complex for a variety of reasons.

And I'm now so sick of this hearing the media spin this issue.

Government, police and other state officials, stop persecuting people who legally and with your approval don't serve in the IDF and find a way to #1 Negotiate Gilad Shalit's Freedom, #2 Stop enabling Settlement expansion and violence in the West Bank, #3 End the siege on Gaza and stop using Sderot and surrounding towns and kibbutzim as hostages that enable the Army to show off its National Erection and #4 Stop silencing the voices of those who are not the consensus.

This is not 1984, this is 2008 and the only Big Brother around is this one (disturbing for completely different reasons and a totally different level).