ZGram - 9/3/2002 - "Whaaat?"

[irimland@zundelsite.org]

ZGram - Where Truth is Destiny

September 3, 2002

Good Morning from the Zundelsite:

We live in the strangest of times!

I have not been able to check out if the "Activism" article below is 
true, but it was sent to me by a journalist who lives in the area. 

If it is true, I can't help but think it is hilarious, although there 
is more than a tinge of black humor - and not a few will call it 
blasphemous. 

If it isn't true, it might give some people an idea to make a 
political point.  It's also one fine plot for a satirical movie!

Other than that, no comment!

[START]

Queer 'Settlers' Land on Berkeley Starbucks Analogy to Israeli Colonists

Berkeley Starbucks

Queer 'Settlers' Land on Berkeley Starbucks
Analogy to Israeli Colonists

August 20, 2002

ACTIVISM

About 25 queer settlers descended on a downtown
Berkeley Starbucks on Saturday, August 17, claiming
Berkeley as "a city without people for people without a city." The group,
organized by Queers Undermining Israeli Terrorism (QUIT!), posted a banner
proclaiming the reclaimed cafe "Queerkeley - A Prophecy Fulfilled."

They also erected homes (transformed "Palestinian
civilian homes reclaimed from another street theatre
action), lawn furniture, and signs reading, "It Works In Palestine, Why Not
Here?" and "It's Ours Because We Say So."

They erected plastic palm trees to "make the concrete
bloom," and gave patrons a tract explaining their religious claim to the
land as follows:

"Land of fruits and nuts."

"And the Lord saw that the queer people were harried
in this land. And the Lord spake onto the prophet Harvey, "You will lead
your people across the wide waters unto a new land." Harvey was fearful,
and he cried to the Lord, "How will we cross the wide waters? For they are
cold, and they are  filled with all manner of hazardous substances and raw
sewage and other pollutants." And the Lord responded, "fear not, Harvey,
for a great bridge will be built, and the people will cross into this land.
And this land will be called Berkeley. I say, Lo, I have promised the
land of Berkeley to the lesbians and to the gays, and
to the bisexuals, and to the transgenders and to the intersexed, and to all
of the gender variant peoples.

And this land shall be blessed with fruits and nuts, unto 50 genderations."

- Book of Reclamations and Realty, 4.0

The group selected Starbucks for the location of their
first settlement in Berkeley because Starbucks founder
and CEO, Howard Shultz, is a major supporter of the
Israeli state and the corporation has become the prime
target of an international boycott of corporations with ties to Israel
(www.inmin\.co.uk/boycott-israel.html). "Since Mr. Shultz clearly believes
it is okay for one group of people to grab land belonging to another and
say they have a right to it, we figure he won't mind if we take
some of his," a QUIT leaflet explains.

Workers in the cafe were surprisingly unruffled as the
Queer Defense Forces entered the cafe and announced
over a loudspeaker that the land had been confiscated by the Queer National
Fund and curfew for straights would begin in five minutes. Several
"patrons" were forcibly ejected from the cafe by means of SuperSoakers
(which were especially popular with a three-year-old settler).

Many coffee drinkers quickly cleared out, but one group of chess players
steadfastly ignored the group, which vows to set up more settlements in the
coming months.

For more information or a full copy of "QueerNation
Berkeley - God's Prophecy Fulfilled," contact QUIT!
quitpalestine@yahoo.com

[END]

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