Roses float in a reflecting pool at the World Trade Center site in New York during a ceremony commemorating the eighth anniversary of the 9-11 attacks

Roses float in a reflecting pool at the World Trade Center site in New York during a ceremony commemorating the eighth anniversary of the attacks. Chang W. Lee/AP

Christian Science Monitor In Pictures: Remembering 9/11

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• On the eighth anniversary of 9/11, New York remembers

ADC Joins Nation in Remembering September 11, 2001

ADC Joins Nation in Remembering September 11, 2001

Washington, DC | September 11, 2009 | www.adc.org | Today, eight years following the most horrific terrorist attack in US history, the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) joins fellow Americans and millions of people worldwide in marking the eighth anniversary of September 11, 2001.

ADC National Executive Director Kareem Shora, whom earlier this year was appointed by Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano as a member of the Homeland Security Advisory Council (HSAC), said, "We will never forget the tragedy which unfolded before our eyes on that Tuesday morning eight years ago. Today we join the world in honoring all those who lost their lives on September 11, 2001. ADC also reiterates its opposition to and condemnation of those who would attack our country or any innocent civilians." Shora added, "ADC pledges to continue to be actively involved in protecting and strengthening our country and all the values for which it stands. For the past eight years our nation has been in a struggle for the definition of what it means to be the United States of America in an admittedly dangerous and sometimes hostile world. Our worst enemies are those few individuals, on all sides, who act based on their emotions and in response to perceived injustice or pending national tragedy."

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NOTE TO EDITORS: The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC), which is non sectarian and non partisan, is the largest Arab-American civil rights organization in the United States. It was founded in 1980, by former United States Senator James Abourezk to protect the civil rights of people of Arab descent in the United States and to promote the cultural heritage of the Arabs. ADC has 38 chapters nationwide, including chapters in every major city in the country, and members in all 50 states.

The ADC Research Institute (ADC-RI), which was founded in 1981, is a Section 501(c)(3) educational organization that sponsors a wide range of programs on behalf of Arab Americans and of importance to all Americans. ADC-RI programs include research studies, seminars, conferences and publications that document and analyze the discrimination faced by Arab Americans in the workplace, schools, media, and governmental agencies and institutions. ADC-RI also celebrates the rich cultural heritage of the Arabs.
____________________________________________________________

American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee | www.adc.org
1732 Wisconsin Ave., NW | Washington, DC | 20007
Tel: 202-244-2990 | Fax: 202-244-7968 | E-mail: media@adc.org

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My letter to the Guardian RE Obama's impossible ambition by Benny Morris

"The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness. " President Barack Obama's Inaugural Address

RE: Obama's impossible ambition by Benny Morris
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/sep/11/middle-east-obama-peace

Dear Editor,

Nothing is impossible- and never say never! The real challenge ahead is not listing all the many ways a two state solution might not work, the real challenge is to put positive energy and effort into making a Palestinian state a fully sovereign and respectable reality- and a better way forward for all the people in that very troubled region.

All along international law has called for Israel to respect the Palestinian refugees right of return. Rami G. Khouri's recent op-ed Peace urgently needs the radically new, points out the importance of addressing core issues- please take note of chronology : "Resolutions 181 and 194, which called for the partition of Palestine in 1947 and then addressed the Palestinian refugees’ rights in 1948." http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=5&article_id=106150

Clearly from the very beginning of this 60 year long 'peace process' honoring the idea of two states actually goes hand in hand with respecting the Palestinians' basic human rights : UN Resolution 194 "Resolves that the refugees wishing to return to their homes and live at peace with their neighbours should be permitted to do so at the earliest practicable date, and that compensation should be paid for the property of those choosing not to return and for loss of or damage to property which, under principles of international law or in equity, should be made good by the Governments or authorities responsible"

The Palestinian refugee crisis is not an isolated incident from the distant past- it continues to this day: "A pattern of house demolitions and evictions of Palestinians in East Jerusalem has attracted widespread international condemnation. In a recent instance on 2 August, nine Palestinian families, comprising 53 people, were evicted from their homes by Israeli security personnel and their property immediately occupied by Israeli settlers. Hundreds of Palestinians are currently under the same threat. Frequent arrest and detention campaigns and violent attacks by Israeli settlers are regular features of Palestinian life. In East Jerusalem and elsewhere in the West Bank, Israeli settlements are but one part of an intricate web of measures that whittle away the living space and resources available to Palestinians." Statement by UNRWA Commissioner-General

History is on Obama's side- and so are countless people who sincerely believe in human decency and dignity... and a better future for ALL our children.

Sincerely,
Anne Selden Annab

Gaza Children Soaring Towards World Record Glory
Aiming High, Gaza Children Smash World Kite Flying Record

My letter to Al-Ahram RE Mocking Obama, While the world thought Obama would champion justice, Israel has proven that his words are meaningless

RE: Mocking Obama, While the world thought Obama would champion justice, Israel has proven that his words are meaningless, writes Khaled Amayreh in occupied Jerusalem
http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2009/964/re5.htm

Dear Editor,

Khaled Amayreh is way off base with his op-ed "Mocking Obama, While the world thought Obama would champion justice, Israel has proven that his words are meaningless".

Really is a shame to see such a talented and dynamic Palestinian writer dedicate so much energy towards undermining Obama and the HUGE international push for a two state solution.

Former US president Jimmy Carter DID NOT endorse the one state agenda at all- in fact he pointed out that it was a 'deplorable' alternative in his most recent op-ed Taking Exception: A Genuine Effort for Peace published in The Washington Post Sept 9 2009, following up his earlier September 6th op-ed The Elders' View Of the Middle East where Carter wisely pointed out that the one state agenda "is obviously the goal of Israeli leaders who insist on colonizing the West Bank and East Jerusalem."

Sincerely,
Anne Selden Annab

The hollowness of the one-state agenda
ATFP Welcomes White House Statement on Israeli Settlement Activity

My letter to the LATimes RE Daoud Kuttab's EXCELLENT op-ed Getting real about a Palestinian state

The Christian Science Monitor Photos of the Day 9-9-9
Palestinians wash their horses in the Mediterranean Sea off the beach in Gaza City on Wednesday.
Hatem Moussa/AP

RE: Daoud Kuttab: Getting real about a Palestinian state,Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad is moving the process forward. http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-kuttab10-2009sep10,0,1843212.story

Dear Editor,

Proactive and positive is definitely the best direction for anyone who is serious about achieving an actual goal: I very much hope the people of Palestine put their collective energy into creating the affirmative attitude, the institutions and the good will that they need in order to survive.

Sincerely,
Anne Selden Annab

Yahoo Photos: Palestinians walk out of the water after washing their horses in the Mediterranean Sea off the beach in Gaza City Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2009. (AP Photo/Hatem Moussa)

My letter to IHT RE By Any Other Name By JERROLD KESSEL and PIERRE KLOCHENDLER

RE: By Any Other Name By JERROLD KESSEL and PIERRE KLOCHENDLER
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/10/opinion/10iht-edkessel.html?_r=1&ref=global

Dear Sir,

NATBAG seems a very fitting name for a modern airport- but it is utterly and totally reprehensible for Israel to be officially removing traditional Arabic place names from street signs throughout the Holy Land. It is also utterly and totally reprehensible that Israel has spent the past 60 sovereign years fragmenting Palestinian families and forcibly removing the native non-Jewish Palestinians from their ancestral homes and lands.

Sincerely,
Anne Selden Annab

My letter to the Wash Post RE Taking Exception: A Genuine Effort for Peace by Jimmy Carter

Obama in Bethlehem- a bust carved from Bethlehem olive wood.

RE: Taking Exception: A Genuine Effort for Peace by Jimmy Carter
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/08/AR2009090802801.html

Dear Editor,

Good to see Jimmy Carter following up Elliott Abrams' op-ed with another outreach for Palestine & peace.

Carter carefully describes the possibility of a one state solution as a deplorable remaining choice. Aware of Israel's past record- and the ongoing Nakba, I am forced to agree. Knowing and respecting many talented, compassionate and community minded American Jews it is easy to be lured into thinking that a one state solution will quite naturally evolve into justice and security and real respect for all the people... but Israel is not America in any way, shape or form.

The people of Palestine need to be free to build their own future and their own country- and their own relationship with all the world, including America.

Sincerely,
Anne Selden Annab

Challenge by Tamam Al-Akhal

My letter to Time RE How Obama Hopes to Restart Mideast Peace Talks

UNWRA: Letters from Gaza #25 .... Aimless Nation

RE: How Obama Hopes to Restart Mideast Peace Talks
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1921051,00.html?xid=rss-fullworld-yahoo

Dear Editor,

Yes indeed, it is time for everyone "get past talking about talks and get to the business of negotiation." I think Israel is baiting the besieged Palestinians with new settlements, in hopes of goading widespread cynicism and extremism in order to undermine the peace talks- and Palestine itself.

Sincerely,
Anne Selden Annab

Map of Palestine in 16th century

This is historic map of Palestine in 1570 by Flemish cartographer and geographer Abraham Ortelius, generally recognised as the creator of the first modern atlas.

My letter to the Daily Star RE The hollowness of the one-state agenda By Hussein Ibish

RE: The hollowness of the one-state agenda By Hussein Ibish
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=5&article_id=106239

Dear Sir,

Good to see Hussein Ibish 's "The hollowness of the one-state agenda." I wish I could say his compelling new book “What’s Wrong with the One-State Agenda?” instantly changed my own mind about the one state solution- but fact is his book is only one of many signs and signals that Palestine and the two state solution needs all our support.... and all our best efforts ASAP.

Cynicism is easy- but it won't solve anything.

Fragmenting the conversation into multiple hostile camps with competing campaigns mainly helps Israel continue on with its unified quest to usurp Palestinian land, rights and life (and the story itself) while various pro-Palestine "solidarity" groups in America bicker and push themselves further and further out to the fringe (where they are easily dismissed by mainstream America.)

Palestine needs mainstream efforts and energy in order to survive.

To borrow some good advice from President Obama's riveting Back to School Speech to America's school children "And even when you’re struggling, even when you’re discouraged, and you feel like other people have given up on you – don’t ever give up on yourself. Because when you give up on yourself, you give up on your country."
THE PRESIDENT'S BACK-TO-SCHOOL MESSAGE TO AMERICA'S STUDENTS http://www.whitehouse.gov/MediaResources/PreparedSchoolRemarks/

Sincerely,
Anne Selden Annab

My letter to the NYDaily News RE At the UN's new site, a worldwide web of anti-Israel bias BY Anne Bayefsky

RE: At the UN's new site, a worldwide web of anti-Israel bias BY Anne Bayefsky
http://www.nydailynews.com/opinions/2009/09/07/2009-09-07_at_the_uns_new_site_a_worldwide_web_of_antiisrael_bias.html#ixzz0QVgxiwFa

Dear Editor,

If America's Fourth Estate had done its job for these past 60 years, by more fully covering the very real plight of the Palestinians (rather than foolishly allowing Zionist perspectives and opinions to dominate the conversation) the UN would not need to dedicate so much of their website to cataloging our 'friend' Israel's sovereign crimes and continued cruelty towards the native non-Jewish population of the Holy Land.

Sincerely,
Anne Selden Annab

UN NEWS CENTRE: Anne Frank's first diary

Magna Carta and Anne Frank diaries among items joining UNESCO register

My letter to the Washington Post RE Taking Exception What Carter Missed in the Middle East By Elliott Abrams

RE: Taking Exception What Carter Missed in the Middle East By Elliott Abrams
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/07/AR2009090702067.html

Dear Editor,

I suspect that Zionists reading Abrams op-ed "What Carter Missed in the Middle East" end up even more convinced that Israel is right to be so hostile and dismissive towards Palestinians.

But even more worrisome is on the other side: I fear that people earnestly concerned about the besieged Palestinians will in a way give up and give in to the academic call for a one state solution. Speaking from experience I can assure you that it really is quite easy to be swept up into inspiring pipe dreams and siren songs about one shared democracy with full and equal rights magically making the Israel/Palestine conflict gently dissolve away into irrelevance. Reality check- it won't.

Kudos to Carter and The Elders for stepping up to try to help convince the world that a two state solution really is the best way forward.

On the Elder's website one can read their blogs. The most recent entry is by Mary Robinson who notes in East Jerusalem: The indignity and illegality of eviction " My fellow Elder Jimmy Carter was unambiguous in his statement that the eviction of Palestinians such as the Hanouns from East Jerusalem "is a political issue… It’s an attempt by Israel to take over East Jerusalem, which is part of Palestine"." http://www.theelders.org/middle-east/blogs/elders/east-jerusalem-indignity-and-illegality-eviction (Mary Robinson, the first woman President of Ireland (1990-1997) and former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (1997-2002), has spent most of her life as a human rights advocate.)

Israel as a sovereign nation really is and really has been blatantly violating international law and the Palestinians' basic human rights- day in and day out on multiple counts. Neither prayers nor curses (nor wishful thinking) will make that cruel reality go away: There is no time to waste- for everyone's sake we need to be seriously working towards a better future before this situation goes from bad to worse.

Sincerely,
Anne Selden Annab

My letter to the Boston Globe RE Israel to sign orders for new construction, West Bank work flies in the face of US pressure

RE: Israel to sign orders for new construction, West Bank work flies in the face of US pressure
http://www.boston.com/news/world/middleeast/articles/2009/09/07/israel_nears_approval_of_new_west_bank_construction/

Dear Editor,

60 years and counting- Israeli trends are all about sabotaging and obliterating Palestine in every possible way: I hope Obama realizes that Israel's politicians & propagandists mainly want to buy more time (and shift the blame) so they can inflict even more damage all through out the illegally occupied territories.

Sincerely,
Anne Selden Annab

oPt: West Bank & Gaza Strip - Closure Maps (June 2009)

• Date: 30 Jun 2009
• Type: Complex Emergency
• PDF *,10.1MB

• Source(s):
  - United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)

Note: Document contains 28 pages.

My letter to the LATimes RE West Bank settlement growth looks likely...

Palestinian Refugee Deprived their Houses UNRWA Photo

RE West Bank settlement growth looks likely, A decision by Israel's Netanyahu to build hundreds of new homes prompts a U.S. expression of 'regret.' http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-obama-mideast5-2009sep05,0,7209127,full.story

Dear Editor,

Israel's credibility is what is on the line- not Obama's. Home by home, the people of Israel are the ones opting to create and sustain Israel's flagrant violations of international law and the Palestinian's basic human rights... without the Israeli people's obvious willingness to be part of the Zionist scheme to usurp Palestinian land, rights and peace Netanyahu's decision would be moot.

Sincerely,
Anne Selden Annab

Obama's upcoming speech to America's student's "My Education, My Future"

http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/My-Education-My-Future/

"My Education, My Future"

Posted by Jesse Lee

At noon on Tuesday, September 8^th the President will be welcoming America’s students back to school – after all, sometimes they need a little extra motivation after a glorious summer. The President has spoken often about the responsibility parents have for their children and their education, but in this message he’ll urge students to take personal responsibility for their own education, to set goals, and to not only stay in school but make the most of it.

To help make sure as many school districts, classrooms, and students are able to get this message we have launched a resources page where you can find out almost anything you’d want to know. There’s information on how you can watch it on TV or on the internet, classroom activities that teachers can engage their students in around the speech, even the satellite coordinates for school districts that want to access the feed.

It’s official: Gaza Children On Top of the World- World Kite Flying Record Smashed

PRESS RELEASE
2 September 2009

Gaza Children On Top of the World
It’s official
World Kite Flying Record Smashed

Jerusalem, 2 September, 2009: The Guinness Book of World Records has officially notified the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) that the attempt by the children of Gaza to achieve a new world record for the largest number of kites flown simultaneously has been successful. In a letter of congratulation, the Guinness Book of World Records informed the Agency that the new record of 3,170 kites has been approved. The previous record was 967. UNRWA organized the world record event at the Al-Waha beach in the Gaza Strip on 30 July 2009.

A delighted UNRWA Commissioner General, Karen AbuZayd, said “This shows what the children of Gaza can do. They would be world record breakers in so many ways if they lived in an environment that gave them the freedom to reach their full potential.”

UNRWA educates over two hundred thousand children in 221 primary schools in the Gaza Strip and has half a million students in schools across the Middle East.

http://www.latimes.com/travel/la-tr-jeffers6-2009sep06-pg,0,3412426.photogallery

Robinson Jeffers lived in the Tor House and built the Hawk Tower on the left for his Irish American wife, Uma. (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

Following Robinson Jeffers' poetic path in Big Sur

"The most eccentric part of Tor House is the tower Jeffers built largely with his own hands. It's not easy to reach the top, but from the roof you can see the beach, with its jagged rock outcroppings and, the day I was there, a great deal of windblown fog. You can also see some of the 2,000 cypress and eucalyptus trees Jeffers planted and hand watered..." READ MORE