The following story is from last April, but needs to be posted as not enough people know about the amazingness that you are about to witness. But first, some background:
Puerto Rican activist "Tito Kayak" (born Alberto De Jesus Mercado) is internationally known for creeping into places he shouldn't(?) be, and planting flags in places where they shouldn't(?) be planted. In 2000, he and other activists stepped onto the crown of the Statue of Liberty to plant a Puerto Rican flag on the statue. He was subsequently jailed. Five years later he was arrested at the United nations for trying to switch the UN flag with the Puerto Rican one, while the United Nations Special Committee on Decolonization discussed the political situation of Puerto Rico.
And just this past April at a weekly Bil'in protest in the West Bank he was somehow able to climb to the very top of a Israeli surveillance tower to... well, check it out:
Kayak and the flag remained up there for five hours before he came down. He was arrested, of course. And subsequently deported.
Although I can’t relate, I hear that men with small penises acquire big fancy things in order to compensate for their lack of manhood. So what does an entire nation of little dickheads do?
Not build an empire with borders that resemble a giant cock - cause that's SO 925 B.C. These days, they just rock the world’s largest flag.
Beneath the ancient Jewish desert strongpoint of Masada, the world's largest flag was unfurled Sunday, covering a large stretch of sandy hinterland.
The huge blue and white Israeli flag, 660 meters (2,165 feet) long and 100meters (330 feet) wide and weighing 5.2 metric tons, breaks the record for the world's largest, according to the Tourism Ministry.
In Israel’s defense, the flag was actually created by an evangelical Christian Filipino, Grace Galindez-Gupana, who said that she decided to create the world’s largest sheet of toilet paper after G-d spoke to her “in thunder and lightening.”
Dang, what’s up with the Lord and rain showers lately? Too bad “the chosen people” aren’t Georgians…
In any case, Shaul Zemach, director general of the Israeli Ministry of Tourism, topped off the unveiling with a fabulous soundbyte:
"This flag expresses the friendship between the Philippines and the state of Israel, and also the friendship between Jewish and Christian communities.”
Zemach must be referring to a "friendship" based on a giant overshadowing of importance, because Israel is destroying Christianity in the Holy Land. But who cares about that? After all, Israel now has a BIG FLAG!! Woohoo!!!
Yesterday marked early celebrations for the 59th anniversary of the 51st state of the United States. As far as the home to the largest Jewish community outside, and possibly including, Israel, New York, was concerned, a celebration was in order. As one parade announcer remarked, "This is the biggest Israel Independence Celebration in the World."
Although I remembered reading an email from a friend publicizing a "LIBERATION & EQUALITY, NOT APARTHEID!" demonstration to "Protest the Salute to Israel Parade," to promulgate that in their words, "60 YEARS OF OPPRESSION IS NOTHING TO CELEBRATE," the event completely slipped my mind.
I actually accidently stumbled upon the parade while hot-footing it through Central Park to meet my visiting brother at the MET.
As it turned out, thanks to the confusing, compass-requiring labyrinthine that is the Park, I never made it to the MET in time, but, instead felicitously put my spanking new digital camera to use that day.
Beyond the Israeli supporters exercising their lungs, chanting propagandastic (I'm an anthropologist-we are the premier originators of academic slang) slogans and macking on this quasi-sleuth-like, Semitic-looking reporter; the most disturbing part of the hysteria of the day was the juxtaposition the American flag alongside and leading the procession of Israeli flags and floats. Here are some of the images I caught illustrating this sight for soring eyes:
However, what my camera didn't capture was just as visually and intellectually chilling:
Police planted every few feet on the upper east side of fifth avenue to protect. Police armed with canine dogs blocking off protesters on 59th and fifth. The message was clear. If you are for Israel, you deserve protection; however, if you are against Israel, you are considered a danger or threat to society.
While Israelis have taken to the streets to voice their disenchantment with Olmert, a BBC report asks that we focus our misguided attention over to someone still feeling the pain from last summer’s war with Lebanon:
Israel’s leading flag manufacturer, Ara Kaduri.
Indeed, Israeli flag sales have dropped 20-25% this year, causing Kaduri to feel “let down” by his compatriots who seem to be taking their disdain for their government out on his pocketbook.
Luckily, this revenue loss is being subsidized by the increase Kaduri's confederate flag operations witness every time Barack Obama speaks.
Although the Bush Administration is opposed to stem cell research, an exception was made when CPA genetic engineers were allowed to use an Israeli flag embryo in order to make the new Iraqi flag.
