I've kinda occillated between a one state solution and a 2 state solution. Pragmatically the Palestinian state doesn't exist and the few areas where it's folks exist had been pummeled into dust. Currently I think an intergrated society of One state is the long term solution. The way of a DEI Palestinian/Isreal state: Maybe call it Jerusalem.
I appreciate that you want us to sign the petition, which I immediately did last week. What I do not appreciate is the fact that with the signing we are placed/forced in the position to have to donate. This not only is and never should be warranted. One thing does not equal another. I still am not aware that my signature was accepted and included. All I know is that once again you are asking for a signature and yet again it comes with a ‘request’ for a donation. If one ignores this request but signs the Petition is one counted?! I refuse to be pressured into donating for whatever reasons and or causes. I hope to receive a reply. Thank you.
Hi AnaMaria - Thanks for signing. To elaborate, the contribution is not required in any way and does not impact the signature's validity at all. It is an optional offering to allow Change . org to further promote the petition. I am always deliberate about my asks. I have run fundraising campaigns before for various causes (including Gaza). If the ask was to donate, I would have been explicitly clear about that. The ask here was to sign, and that's it. Donating is neither requested by me, nor required. My apologies for the confusion this has caused, but be assured your signature was welcome and received by itself. Thank you again.
Thank you for your reassuring words, Qasim. I so appreciate your Substack. Knowing you can be counted to expose the horrors committed daily by Israel to the Palestinian people is of great importance. Calling out the Genocide and forced starvation of millions of children, families and many others who only want to live their lives the same as all people in the world is imperative, thank you. 🙏🏼
I’m irritated that you have to explain this. To anyone. All petitions one signs, regardless of the originating organization, ask for a donation and to share on social media. I choose where I donate carefully, especially now, and am no longer on any social media, unless we count Substack. I still sign petitions.
Thank you, Paula. It's alright. AnaMaria asked a genuine question with good intent, and I appreciate that. I want to do my best to meet people where they are. And I know AnaMaria is asking out of sincerity, and that's what matters most to me.
And that’s why I have so much respect for you, among many other things. I try to always give people grace, but don’t always succeed. It was her tone that bothered me.
I wrote an article almost 40 years ago about tone in emails, and that people had to be careful what they said and how they said it, because it was easy to misconstrue. I wrote that they shouldn’t write anything in an email that they wouldn’t want plastered on a billboard. And, also needed to understand how different the written word is from the spoken word, especially when electronic communication was becoming the norm. Before electronic communication, I think tone was a lot easier to moderate. When you wrote something, there was time to consider what you wrote and change it. Not so when email became the norm and you could suddenly fire off a missive in a few seconds. One of my examples was that, what people do when they’re behind the wheel of a car is often not what they do when they face someone in person. Of course that’s not the case anymore, either. Seems quaint now.
I think you were quite right to be bothered by that tone. It was accusatory. I’m not saying we shouldn’t give people grace, that’s not really the issue for me. The point is that you shouldn’t come out of the gate with guns blazing when you don’t even know what you’re talking about.
Thank you for your clear explanation on Islam.
I l love what you do, but I can't take the constant notifications every time someone starts a conversation on everything you post.
Keep up the good work.
Thanks Spike! I think you can go into your settings and turn off the notifications too. Trust me I'm the same.
I've kinda occillated between a one state solution and a 2 state solution. Pragmatically the Palestinian state doesn't exist and the few areas where it's folks exist had been pummeled into dust. Currently I think an intergrated society of One state is the long term solution. The way of a DEI Palestinian/Isreal state: Maybe call it Jerusalem.
I appreciate that you want us to sign the petition, which I immediately did last week. What I do not appreciate is the fact that with the signing we are placed/forced in the position to have to donate. This not only is and never should be warranted. One thing does not equal another. I still am not aware that my signature was accepted and included. All I know is that once again you are asking for a signature and yet again it comes with a ‘request’ for a donation. If one ignores this request but signs the Petition is one counted?! I refuse to be pressured into donating for whatever reasons and or causes. I hope to receive a reply. Thank you.
Free Palestine
Hi AnaMaria - Thanks for signing. To elaborate, the contribution is not required in any way and does not impact the signature's validity at all. It is an optional offering to allow Change . org to further promote the petition. I am always deliberate about my asks. I have run fundraising campaigns before for various causes (including Gaza). If the ask was to donate, I would have been explicitly clear about that. The ask here was to sign, and that's it. Donating is neither requested by me, nor required. My apologies for the confusion this has caused, but be assured your signature was welcome and received by itself. Thank you again.
Thank you for your reassuring words, Qasim. I so appreciate your Substack. Knowing you can be counted to expose the horrors committed daily by Israel to the Palestinian people is of great importance. Calling out the Genocide and forced starvation of millions of children, families and many others who only want to live their lives the same as all people in the world is imperative, thank you. 🙏🏼
I’m irritated that you have to explain this. To anyone. All petitions one signs, regardless of the originating organization, ask for a donation and to share on social media. I choose where I donate carefully, especially now, and am no longer on any social media, unless we count Substack. I still sign petitions.
Thank you, Paula. It's alright. AnaMaria asked a genuine question with good intent, and I appreciate that. I want to do my best to meet people where they are. And I know AnaMaria is asking out of sincerity, and that's what matters most to me.
And that’s why I have so much respect for you, among many other things. I try to always give people grace, but don’t always succeed. It was her tone that bothered me.
I wrote an article almost 40 years ago about tone in emails, and that people had to be careful what they said and how they said it, because it was easy to misconstrue. I wrote that they shouldn’t write anything in an email that they wouldn’t want plastered on a billboard. And, also needed to understand how different the written word is from the spoken word, especially when electronic communication was becoming the norm. Before electronic communication, I think tone was a lot easier to moderate. When you wrote something, there was time to consider what you wrote and change it. Not so when email became the norm and you could suddenly fire off a missive in a few seconds. One of my examples was that, what people do when they’re behind the wheel of a car is often not what they do when they face someone in person. Of course that’s not the case anymore, either. Seems quaint now.
I think you were quite right to be bothered by that tone. It was accusatory. I’m not saying we shouldn’t give people grace, that’s not really the issue for me. The point is that you shouldn’t come out of the gate with guns blazing when you don’t even know what you’re talking about.