I am responding to the Aug. 9 letter to the editor by Alan J. Levenson, in which he criticizes Rep. Chellie Pingree for her opposition to H.Res. 246, a resolution that condemns American citizens for supporting Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions, a worldwide, nonviolent movement to hold Israel accountable for its racist, oppressive and oftentimes-violent treatment of the Palestinian people, including Palestinian children.
Rep. Pingree shows a deep respect for the First Amendment of our Constitution, which protects our free speech, and she shows moral courage to speak up and to take a stand to do the right thing. She is a champion for human rights – for all people.
One only needs to see firsthand, as I have, the widespread effects of Israel’s occupation and continued settlement expansion to understand the many horrible ways the Palestinian people are denied their human rights and the reasons such a movement as BDS is needed (as it was in South Africa) to bring about the humane change needed for a just and sustainable peace in this part of the world.
Sally Bowden-Schaible
founder, Buddhist Alliance for Non-Violence and Human Rights in Israel-Palestine
Portland
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