Just got back from the ANSWER "Justice for Palestine" rally at the Israeli embassy in DC. Got some good photos and some great video. I'll be processing it and posting as available. Check back. Included will be a confrontation (me and him, mano a mano) with this bloke, Brian Becker, National Coordinator for the ANSWER Coalition and ... wait for it ... FOUNDING MEMBER of the Party for Socialism and Liberation. He's a dick. Videos are up. Please scroll down. **** UPDATE **** Requires Windows Media Player OK, here's the first video. There's much more to come. I'm just titling this one "First Bloke" or "A Little Bit of Honesty". Please enjoy and check back. This is not the confrontation promised above. What's the "little bit of honesty"? Why, a frank admission by one of the protest's organizers (ANSWER) that, in their pathetic anti-Semitic universe, the entire land of Israel is "occupied". Which is too bad ... I sorta thought the guy doing the talking was generally OK. **** SECOND VIDEO **** Requires Windows Media Player Here's the second video. THERE'S MORE TO COME. I'm titling this "What's Jazz?" "What's Jazz" is a reference to one of my favorite quotes: Louie Armstrong (the great late jazz musician) is asked by a reporter; "What's Jazz?" To which Louie replied ... "Brother, if you have to ask, you'll never know." The speaker in this video (above) asks a "fundamental question" to which the answer would be about the same. Please enjoy (it's very short) and check back. I have yet to get to you-know-who. **** THIRD VIDEO **** Requires Windows Media Player OK, this video is presented mostly de rigueur. It is the complete speech by our ANSWER head-honcho commie (mentioned above) Brian Becker. Never let it be said I didn't let the little anti-semitic pinko have his say. Frankly, it speaks for itself ... volumes. And, yes, it is a bit long. After the speech I had a few follow-up questions to certain points he brought up. The next video will be his reaction to my questions. Check back. **** FOURTH VIDEO **** Requires Windows Media Player OK, here's me and Brian Becker mano a mano as promised. Background: the rally was breaking up and a number of the protesters had spilled out on to Van Ness with their placards. I ran down to the street to get a photo (it was something different in an otherwise blindingly boring and orchestrated protest). Brian Becker showed up next to me while I was taking the photos. I had my video camera ... off ... in my other hand. I asked Brian if he would answer a few questions ... he immediately began asking me about who I was and what I was doing there, somewhat belligerently. I finally got a brain and turned on my camera. Here is the list of questions I had made notes on during his speech: 1. You say an Israeli soldier has been "taken prisoner". What do you mean by that? 2. You mention the Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails. Under what circumstances do you believe they were imprisoned? 3. You claim that these prisoners are "routinely tortured". What evidence to you have for that? 4. You imply that Israel needs to fall back to its 1948 borders. Who else is calling for that? 5. You want every Palestinian prisoner in Israeli jails to be released ... even those demonstrably terrorists and murderers? 6. Do you really believe that US aid to Israel isn't a campaign issue in US elections? 7. You say that "some of the worst anti-Semites are in the Government". Who? 8. How is Israel functioning as a Colonial entity to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Yemen, Bahrain, UAE? 9. The Iraqi occupation has killed 200,000? Where do you get your figures? 10. Who, in your experience, accuses the ENTIRE Arab people of terrorism? 11. You say "Palestine will be free". What, in your opinion, is "Palestine"? He answered none of the above. Pointedly. What a putz.