The Gaza Rally

I attended a rally in support of Gaza today that took place outside of the State Capitol in downtown Austin. I'm not much of a protester or a demonstrator, so I don't attend these things on a regular basis, not to mention the fact that these rallies speak only to those who already support the cause and not to those who believe otherwise.

So, you may be asking yourself, did I "make a difference" today? No. In fact, I left the rally feeling somewhat deflated. Regardless of the number of rallies I attend; or the blogs I write; or the letters I send to my elected officials in protest of this injustice - nothing will change. Nothing will change until the polluted minds of the American majority are able to filter out the negative stereotypes of Arabs that they see and hear on television and in film.

As I write, more than 1,100 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces, most of whom are not involved in the dispute between Israel and Hamas. Israel bombed a UN operated school where many civilians thought they were seeking safe refuge from the fighting. Israel bombed warehouses containing humanitarian aid supplies for the residents of Gaza. If Israel says its beef is with Hamas and not the citizens of Gaza, they have a "funny" way of showing it. They refuse media access within Gaza which is indicative of a nation that doesn't want its criminal activities broadcast to the world.