“We have a president of color today, because we had Brown v. Board of Education yesterday.”
When I asked the American-born Israelis if Palestinians went to school with Israelis, they responded that you could find a few schools and universities where that might happen.
"Why don't you school together from elementary school on?”
One Israeli nodded affirmatively. Another said, "We must go slow on these things."
"Isn't 60 years slow enough? Pouring $3+ billion a year in military aid into that region hasn't worked. Should our broke nation keep doing that for another 60 years? When you have a generation or two of kids going to school, playing soccer, camping, etc. together, your erase the likelihood that they will rain rockets on each other.”
Again, one nodded affirmatively, while another kept repeating, "We must go slow," and questioned the financial mechanics of People’s Lobby’s Israel Palestine Peace Proposal.
Israel, Egypt, Iraq, and Jordan are the four largest recipients of US aid, which is primarily military aid, recycled back to us by purchasing from our armament producers. Has that produced peace, security, enhanced friendships… or rockets, destruction, more terrorists…?
We once had a country that was producing lynchings, burnings, and more Ku Klux Klaners. Fair-handed federal law enforcement helped turn some of those evils doers. But what enriched our country was sending our kids – of all colors and beliefs -- to school together. Brown v. Board of Education erased the violence and stupidity that comes from myopic experiences that retard real world learning.
How does the US promote a Brown v. Board of Education peace in the Middle East?
Use our incendiary and evaporating military aid dollars to that region as carrots. And get the rich oil nations involved in this stability building investment.
Recently, the Bush administration supposedly pledged $85 million to help rebuild Palestine. Here is the financial mechanics of a cheaper, longer-lasting way for the Obama-Biden team and the world to build peace.
- Bring Israel, Palestine, regionally involved states, and the Arab Emirates, to an Israeli Palestinian Peace Conference.
- Propose shifting in gradual increments our military aid to projects that integrate and build understanding and peaceful productivity.
- Show with spreadsheet and graphs how that for each six months of continuous peace between Israel and Palestine, America will transfer $25 million (or more) from Israeli military aid into peaceful, productive projects that benefit both Israel and Palestine’s citizens. These projects would require integration between Israelis and Palestinians, such as developing INTEGRATED: libraries, elementary schools, high schools, universities, camps, community service projects, business joint ventures, news stations, and service projects under the joint international service program of the American World Service Corps (AWSC) Congressional Proposals. http://www.worldservicecorps.us/world%20service%20key%20proposal%202yr%20volunteer.htm
- Request that the Arab Emirates and regional players commit to this process and to tripling (at least) the United States’ financial commitment with their investments.
- Include all of those who contribute financially, as well as the United Nations and some well-regarded humanitarian agencies (Doctors without Borders, Mercy Corps, Oxfam, Habitat, Peace Corps, etc.) in an oversight board that insures that the money is used in a nonpartisan and fair manner.
Healthy life experiences that grow from schooling together works not just in America, they work everywhere. Why not use them in the Middle East?
