Government:Politics

Undated photo of Rachel Corrie, courtesy of ISM.

UPDATE: 3/16/2004. Rachel was killed a year ago. More "internationals" (like Tom Hurndall) and innocent Palestinians have been injured or killed by the IDF. We still don't have a straight answer from the Israelis. And the U.S. military is using disturbingly similar bulldozer tactics in Iraq.

UPDATE: I received an encouraging response to my letter to Senator Ron Wyden.

UPDATE: An excellent site has been created for Rachel: www.rachelcorrie.org

UPDATE: On March 25, 2003, H. Con. Res. 111 was introduced by Rep. Brian Baird. The resolution expresses sympathy to the Corrie family for their loss, calls for a U.S. investigation into her death, and urges the United States and Israel to work together to ensure that this never happens again. Please contact your Congressional representative to urge them to support this resolution (to find out how, visit http://www.vote-smart.org). Here is my letter to Congresswoman Hooley: feel free to use it as a template for your own letter.

UPDATE: The Diamondback, the student newspaper of the University of Maryland, published an editorial cartoon depicting Rachel Corrie sitting in front of a bulldozer, captioned with a definition of stupidity. If, after looking at the cartoon, you are as appalled as I am, I urge you to complain to the Opinion Editor, Justin Paprocki, or to the Editor-in-Chief, Jay Parsons. While the Bill of Rights may give them the right to publish this, that doesn't mean it is right to publish it. My complete letter to the Diamondback...

UPDATE: As of Wednesday, March 19th, the Israeli government still has not contacted the family of Rachel Corrie, although dozens of individual Israeli citizens had contacted them to express their condolences. Full story...

UPDATE: To add insult to injury, on Tuesday, March 18th, the Israeli Defense Force attempted to break up a memorial service for Rachel Corrie at the site of her killing, using tear gas, stun grenades, and armored vehicles against mourners. Full story...

Below is a copy of the letter I just sent to my senators and representative regarding the killing of 23-year-old Rachel Corrie yesterday by the Israeli Defence Force. She was engaged in non-violent protest against the Israeli practice of destroying the homes of Palestinians when there is either suspicion that they are militants or when the houses are simply in the way.

Rachel and other international non-combatants like her did this by standing in front of IDF bulldozers to block them from bulldozing homes. They would do this after making contact the bulldozer driver and identifying themselves as international non-combatants. They have doing this for weeks.

This time the bulldozer driver didn't stop. He ran over her--TWICE--with the bulldozer blade down, even though he knew she was in front of the bulldozer. Rachel was armed only with a megaphone and the fluorescent orange jacket she was wearing.

The Israeli government is trying to brush this aside by saying this is a "regrettable accident" and that Rachel recklessly ran in front of the bulldozer at the last second--like a small child darting into traffic.

Eyewitnesses say that there is no doubt that the driver knew she was there. This was no accident.

Perhaps the Israelis think that with American attention focused on Iraq that this killing will simply fade away. Don't let it.

Please contact your Congressional delegation (to find out how, visit http://www.vote-smart.org). Feel free to use my e-mail (below) as a model for your own, or even copy it verbatim.

Please visit the website of the organization Rachel worked with: http://www.palsolidarity.org to find out the facts for yourself, including photos.

And remember Rachel Corrie, her family, and her friends in your thoughts and prayers.

I am deeply, deeply distressed over the death of Rachel Corrie, age 23, in the Gaza strip yesterday.

It appears from reading eyewitness reports that the driver of the Israeli Defense Force bulldozer that killed her KNEW she was there and ran over her deliberately.

There are photos which show her in clear view of the bulldozer operator. She was using a megaphone and wearing a fluorescent orange jacket in broad daylight. She was using the same techniques that other protesters against the IDF house destruction program have been using for weeks. She identified herself to the driver as a non-combatant activist by climbing up onto the bulldozer to talk to the driver.

I do not believe that the suicide bombings by the Palestinians are right, and I know that Americans have been killed in those blasts. However, the Israeli government must stand above such acts. The recent behavior of the government in Israel indicates that they are not interested in human rights.

The killing of Rachel Corrie is the last straw for me. I am ashamed that it has taken the killing of an American by the IDF to stir me to action, but better late than never.

I urge you to demand that the Israeli government account for the actions with something more than the words "regrettable accident". I urge you to support actions in Congress to cut off all military aid to Israel. I urge you to publicly condemn this killing. And I urge you aggressively press the White House to push the peace process forward in Israel.

Permission to copy the above letter, in whole or in part, without acknowledgement to the author is freely granted.
Permission to modify the above letter is granted, so long as the modified letter does not represent itself as being written by Michael Heggen.

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Remember Rachel Corrie...