Follow the link below. The page has a good article there as well.
www.petitiononline.com/Gaza/petition.html
Friday, March 28, 2008
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Petition Obama
Follow the link below to petition Obama to speak out on the issue of Palestine. I personally will not vote for him or any other candidate as long as they endorse the US policy of militarism and continue to write blank checks to Israel.
www.thepetitionsite.com/1/Obama-peace-for-Palestine
www.thepetitionsite.com/1/Obama-peace-for-Palestine
Monday, March 24, 2008
Update on Donations and The Qur'an
We still have not ironed out all the quirks for continuing to receive tax deductible contributions for my trip, but if you're needing to obtain a tax receipt, please email me and I will work something out for you. I anticipate we will be able to use the UFM nonprofit fund again in the next few weeks.
On a separate note, I just finished reading The Qur'an this evening, which I'm quite excited about, as it coincides with my return to Palestine. My reading of the Qur'an was a deliberately lengthy endeavor--spanning several years--because I wanted to read it slow and understand its concepts. Also, since I read it in English translation (which is definitely not as good as the Arabic, I'm told), I read it using a commentary so that I wouldn't miss things.
Much of the Qur'an reads like the Jewish Scriptures to me. It did not seem any more violent than the Old Testament, but I will say that it was a difficult read for me. There are some parts that are very beautiful, poetically, but I struggled to find enormous amounts of inspiration from its passages.
On a separate note, I just finished reading The Qur'an this evening, which I'm quite excited about, as it coincides with my return to Palestine. My reading of the Qur'an was a deliberately lengthy endeavor--spanning several years--because I wanted to read it slow and understand its concepts. Also, since I read it in English translation (which is definitely not as good as the Arabic, I'm told), I read it using a commentary so that I wouldn't miss things.
Much of the Qur'an reads like the Jewish Scriptures to me. It did not seem any more violent than the Old Testament, but I will say that it was a difficult read for me. There are some parts that are very beautiful, poetically, but I struggled to find enormous amounts of inspiration from its passages.
Friday, March 21, 2008
Change: Where to send Contributions
Due to a procedural difficulty, University Friends Meeting (UFM) is not able to accept donations for my trip at the moment. This may be a temporary problem, but in the mean time, please send any contributions addressed to me personally (1417 South G St. / Tacoma, WA 98405). Checks made out to me will not be tax-deductible.
I will post another blog entry when/if the circumstances change.
Thanks!
I will post another blog entry when/if the circumstances change.
Thanks!
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Update on Fundraising and Support
It never ceases to amaze me how the doors open for me to make these trips to Palestine. Today and on several other occasions, I have received donations or help from people who I did not even ask it from. I take this as a real sign that I am supposed to do this and that I have a community of people supporting what I feel called to do at this moment.
Where do we stand right now as far as raising funds for this next trip to Palestine? Things are going quite well! We have already raised the $1284 plane ticket money, and we are well on the way to raising the funds I need to volunteer each month at Aida camp (I estimate I'll need $250 per month for paying rent, food, and a little money for travel and health care). We do not have all the funds yet, but I am quite pleased with the donations that have come in thus far. Details are a little sketchy, but it seems that we have raised enough money for over half of the year I hope to be in Palestine. (Please see my letter requesting support (also on the blog) if you need to know how to make tax-deductible contributions to the Palestine trip)
People's generosity astounds me. Today, someone offered me a place to store all the belongings I need to for at least a year. This was not something I asked the person about, but he offered me a heated room where I can keep all of my belongings in one place. This is extremely helpful to me, as I was planning to split up my belongings in various places across the state.
Where do we stand right now as far as raising funds for this next trip to Palestine? Things are going quite well! We have already raised the $1284 plane ticket money, and we are well on the way to raising the funds I need to volunteer each month at Aida camp (I estimate I'll need $250 per month for paying rent, food, and a little money for travel and health care). We do not have all the funds yet, but I am quite pleased with the donations that have come in thus far. Details are a little sketchy, but it seems that we have raised enough money for over half of the year I hope to be in Palestine. (Please see my letter requesting support (also on the blog) if you need to know how to make tax-deductible contributions to the Palestine trip)
People's generosity astounds me. Today, someone offered me a place to store all the belongings I need to for at least a year. This was not something I asked the person about, but he offered me a heated room where I can keep all of my belongings in one place. This is extremely helpful to me, as I was planning to split up my belongings in various places across the state.
New Blog for Non-Palestine Issues
I will continue posting blogs to this web-site for issues in my life related to Palestine. I will post journals from my upcoming trip to Palestine at this blog address.
For other issues in my life--nonviolence, social justice, random thoughts, etc.--I have opened a new blog: www.treyeism.blogspot.com
Please feel free to peruse the treyeism blog and sign up to receive email notifications whenever I post something (see the blog for details on how to subscribe).
Also, you can download the pictures and presentation from my last trip to Palestine by going to my website (which is very basic right now): http://treyeism.googlepages.com
For other issues in my life--nonviolence, social justice, random thoughts, etc.--I have opened a new blog: www.treyeism.blogspot.com
Please feel free to peruse the treyeism blog and sign up to receive email notifications whenever I post something (see the blog for details on how to subscribe).
Also, you can download the pictures and presentation from my last trip to Palestine by going to my website (which is very basic right now): http://treyeism.googlepages.com
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Article on Front Page of Walla Walla Marquee
The following article appeared today as the sole feature on the front page of the Walla Walla Marquee (the Walla Walla entertainment guide of the WW Union Bulletin). If you have access to the Marquee's paper form, I suggest reading it--it has pictures that the online version does not.
A big "Thank you!" to Anne Bullock from WW and the article's writer for making this possible.
My presentation in WW this weekend is part of the WW March for Peace initiative that Anne Bullock is organizing. See www.abullock.com/marchofpeace/index.html for more info.
The article from the Marquee: http://www.union-bulletin.com/articles/2008/03/06/arts
_-_entertainment/080306m1marqueetreyemckinney.txt
On the front lines in the fight for peace
When Treye McKinney toured Palestinian refugee camps last fall, he saw what he was expecting.
"Separation of people by things like a 30-foot-high concrete wall, a lot of militarism, and a lot of poverty," said the 2004 Walla Walla University graduate. But what he didn't expect was the intense overcrowding.
"You just realize how cramped it is," McKinney, 27, said. "Dheisheh, right outside of Bethlehem, started out with 3,000 people... now there are 36,000... and no services, such as trash pickup, or sewage; they are basically dependent on the U.N. for handouts." The camp is no bigger than a few city blocks.
On Sunday, McKinney will share experiences from his recent tour of Palestinian refugee camps at a lecture that is part of the "March of Peace" community activities. He will talk about his role as a peace observer in East Jerusalem, Bethlehem, At-Tuwani and Hebron, where he volunteered for the international group Christian Peacemaker Teams.
"We escorted (Palestinian) children to school, children who have been attacked by (Israeli) settlers," McKinney said, describing how he would carry a camcorder to record any attacks on the children. "With video rolling people are less likely to do crazy things."
Though he saw no children attacked while there, he did have a few close calls of his own.
Early one morning, McKinney said, he and three other team members set up an observation post on a hill in the village of At-Tuwani. Their goal was to keep the children safe from Israeli settlers, who in the past had harassed the children. While at their post, several Israeli settlers in a truck came toward them shouting threats. McKinney said they held their ground, and the settlers backed away. "I didn't know if they were going to start driving right at us and start picking us off," he said, noting that Peacemaker teams have been shot at in the past.
McKinney is quick to point out that physical conflicts during his three-week tour were rare. But in addition to guarding school children, he had another mission: peace through dialogue.
"I had really fascinating conversations with the people. Part of it is building relations with them... If you have a relationship, if you just talk to them a little bit, the difficult things will be easier to resolve," he said.
One of the dialogues he remembers most was with an older Israeli woman, a settler to the region. McKinney described how she affirmed to him the Israeli people's desire for peace.
"She said so many things. She said the wall is a blight on Israeli society. She said people shouldn't be separating." But it was short lived as he explained how that conversation turned to the stereotypical views that continue the conflict.
"She said, 'If I could give the land to them and it would bring peace, I would do it; however, their actions show they don't want peace.'" But he added there was one thing the woman said that he did agree with: "She said, 'There is mistrust and resentment on both sides.'"
McKinney, who speaks Arabic, earned degrees in both English and theology. He is well versed in Old Testament scripture and believes more land needs to be turned over to the Palestinian people. But rather than try to sway people to his view, he says he wants his lecture to encourage people to look at a different perspective.
"I am hoping to bring down some of the stereotypes, trying to inspire dialogue and discussion on this topic... I would challenge that people try to be more inclusive and to have a more inclusive reading of the scripture," he said, and he argued that the Israelis were supposed to "live in peace with the strangers in their land and treat the strangers among them with dignity, because they were once strangers in Egypt."
McKinney will speak in Walla Walla at 11:30 a.m. Sunday at First Congregational Church, 73 S. Palouse St. The event is free and open to the public.
For more information, go to www.union-bulletin.com, and click the Treye McKinney link.
A big "Thank you!" to Anne Bullock from WW and the article's writer for making this possible.
My presentation in WW this weekend is part of the WW March for Peace initiative that Anne Bullock is organizing. See www.abullock.com/marchofpeace/index.html for more info.
The article from the Marquee: http://www.union-bulletin.com/articles/2008/03/06/arts
_-_entertainment/080306m1marqueetreyemckinney.txt
On the front lines in the fight for peace
Peace through dialogue | McKinney will present a lecture on his experience in Palestinian refugee camps as part of 'March of Peace' activities this month
When Treye McKinney toured Palestinian refugee camps last fall, he saw what he was expecting.
"Separation of people by things like a 30-foot-high concrete wall, a lot of militarism, and a lot of poverty," said the 2004 Walla Walla University graduate. But what he didn't expect was the intense overcrowding.
"You just realize how cramped it is," McKinney, 27, said. "Dheisheh, right outside of Bethlehem, started out with 3,000 people... now there are 36,000... and no services, such as trash pickup, or sewage; they are basically dependent on the U.N. for handouts." The camp is no bigger than a few city blocks.
On Sunday, McKinney will share experiences from his recent tour of Palestinian refugee camps at a lecture that is part of the "March of Peace" community activities. He will talk about his role as a peace observer in East Jerusalem, Bethlehem, At-Tuwani and Hebron, where he volunteered for the international group Christian Peacemaker Teams.
"We escorted (Palestinian) children to school, children who have been attacked by (Israeli) settlers," McKinney said, describing how he would carry a camcorder to record any attacks on the children. "With video rolling people are less likely to do crazy things."
Though he saw no children attacked while there, he did have a few close calls of his own.
Early one morning, McKinney said, he and three other team members set up an observation post on a hill in the village of At-Tuwani. Their goal was to keep the children safe from Israeli settlers, who in the past had harassed the children. While at their post, several Israeli settlers in a truck came toward them shouting threats. McKinney said they held their ground, and the settlers backed away. "I didn't know if they were going to start driving right at us and start picking us off," he said, noting that Peacemaker teams have been shot at in the past.
McKinney is quick to point out that physical conflicts during his three-week tour were rare. But in addition to guarding school children, he had another mission: peace through dialogue.
"I had really fascinating conversations with the people. Part of it is building relations with them... If you have a relationship, if you just talk to them a little bit, the difficult things will be easier to resolve," he said.
One of the dialogues he remembers most was with an older Israeli woman, a settler to the region. McKinney described how she affirmed to him the Israeli people's desire for peace.
"She said so many things. She said the wall is a blight on Israeli society. She said people shouldn't be separating." But it was short lived as he explained how that conversation turned to the stereotypical views that continue the conflict.
"She said, 'If I could give the land to them and it would bring peace, I would do it; however, their actions show they don't want peace.'" But he added there was one thing the woman said that he did agree with: "She said, 'There is mistrust and resentment on both sides.'"
McKinney, who speaks Arabic, earned degrees in both English and theology. He is well versed in Old Testament scripture and believes more land needs to be turned over to the Palestinian people. But rather than try to sway people to his view, he says he wants his lecture to encourage people to look at a different perspective.
"I am hoping to bring down some of the stereotypes, trying to inspire dialogue and discussion on this topic... I would challenge that people try to be more inclusive and to have a more inclusive reading of the scripture," he said, and he argued that the Israelis were supposed to "live in peace with the strangers in their land and treat the strangers among them with dignity, because they were once strangers in Egypt."
McKinney will speak in Walla Walla at 11:30 a.m. Sunday at First Congregational Church, 73 S. Palouse St. The event is free and open to the public.
For more information, go to www.union-bulletin.com, and click the Treye McKinney link.