Justin Podur's blog

In September 2001, a group of terrorists from al Qaeda killed several thousand Americans in New York. US friends and enemies alike condemned the attacks and the attackers. Debates that occurred were about how discriminate America should be in seeking revenge and justice. The horrors of 9/11 are invoked whenever questions arise about US occupations of Iraq or Afghanistan. The US is allowed to use the suffering and deaths of its people to justify what it has done.

This is how easily, casually, and callously mass murder can be done on Palestinians. At least 195... and of course the blame is not on the murderers, but on the victims. It is about the same toll as the Mumbai terror attacks, so far - but it will be higher before Israel is done with the current round of massacre.

Happy Holidays, everyone! Some Christmas reflection.

This past summer I had interesting discussions with friends about Christmas gift-giving rituals. My friends being spiritually inclined, there was much critique of the consumer society. My own position was to argue that the underlying impulses of gift-giving and hospitality are positive behaviors. They argued that even these things were more complex, that even gift-giving and hospitality in a consumer society were often tainted by status-seeking and competition. I thought they were being harsh. They thought I was being naive.

Carol Chomsky died yesterday at 78. Two blogs ago I celebrated Noam Chomsky's 80th birthday, and today I celebrate the other side of the team that gave us all so much. My friend Manuel put it best: May the company of all who love you surround and support you in gratitude for all you have given us. To Carol and Noam.

In Canada, the Conservative minority government might just become the opposition in parliament this week, replaced by a Liberal-NDP coalition with support from the Bloc Quebecois from the outside.

Some friends created a site to celebrate Noam Chomsky's 80th birthday.

I don't talk much about Chomsky because I don't think anyone who reads anything I would write is unaware of him. Also, because it's hard to think of what to say about someone who goes so far beyond being an influence or a mentor or a role model. So I went to the site and put this there.

The scale of the attacks is incredible: the Taj, the Oberoi Trident, a major train station (CST), a major hospital (Cama), a cafe that's favoured by tourists (Cafe Leopold), the Jewish centre, all in different parts of the city. Some attackers came by sea, others set off bombs, others just entered buildings or public areas and started shooting. The people of India's cities, like Pakistan's and many others, have suffered many bombings in recent months and years. There have also been major raids against targets in India, like the December 2001 attack on the Indian parliament in New Delhi.

I picked up Moises Naim's book "Illicit" (2005), as the book of record on illegal trade (or, what I call, following my friend Manuel Rozental, "illegal capital"). I wanted to read it because I'm trying to figure out how much of the global economy flows into these different niches. You can understand the economy one way by following energy flows, another by following money, another by following technology (like the story of stuff), another by following arms, another by following illicit trade. And each of these has some relationship with the others.

I believe the outcome of the US elections provide more openings and more possibilities for positive changes. I don't think such changes will happen unless those openings are exploited. And such changes are certainly not happening yet. Not for Palestinians anyway. Not for Gaza. Instead, Israel has stepped up its ongoing bloodbath there, in the interest of its own moral degradation and that of us all. 70% of Gaza is in darkness tonight. The power plants for the 1.5 million people run on petrol that can only get in if the Israelis allow it.

I spent the week Oct 25-Nov 1 at the Toronto Palestine Film Festival (TPFF). Because a friend of mine gets the occasional free ticket, I have attended the Toronto International Film Festival a few times - just for one film, usually. But I have never thrown myself into a film festival the way I did this one, with possibly one exception - the London (that's London, Ontario) Palestine Film Festival, which I attended as part of a panel in 2005, when I discovered that I love Palestine film festivals.