The Intercept by Glenn Greenwald
A CHILDRENS SPEECH PATHOLOGIST who has worked for the last nine years with developmentally disabled, autistic, and speech-impaired elementary school students in Austin, Texas, has been told that she can no longer work with the public school district, after she refused to sign an oath vowing that she does not and will not engage in a boycott of Israel or otherwise tak[e] any action that is intended to inflict economic harm on that foreign nation. A lawsuit on her behalf was filed early Monday morning in a federal court in the Western District of Texas, alleging a violation of her First Amendment right of free speech.
The child language specialist, Bahia Amawi, is a U.S. citizen who received a masters degree in speech pathology in 1999 and, since then, has specialized in evaluations for young children with language difficulties (see video below). Amawi was born in Austria and has lived in the U.S. for the last 30 years, fluently speaks three languages (English, German, and Arabic), and has four U.S.-born American children of her own.
Amawi began working in 2009 on a contract basis with the Pflugerville Independent School District, which includes Austin, to provide assessments and support for school children from the countys growing Arabic-speaking immigrant community. The children with whom she has worked span the ages of 3 to 11. Ever since her work for the school district began in 2009, her contract was renewed each year with no controversy or problem.
But this year, all of that changed. On August 13, the school district once again offered to extend her contract for another year by sending her essentially the same contract and set of certifications she has received and signed at the end of each year since 2009.
She was prepared to sign her contract renewal until she noticed one new, and extremely significant, addition: a certification she was required to sign pledging that she does not currently boycott Israel, that she will not boycott Israel during the term of the contract, and that she shall refrain from any action that is intended to penalize, inflict economic harm on, or limit commercial relations with Israel, or with a person or entity doing business in Israeli or in an Israel-controlled territory.
The language of the affirmation Amawi was told she must sign reads like Orwellian or McCarthyite self-parody, the classic political loyalty oath that every American should instinctively shudder upon reading:

That language would bar Amawi not only from refraining from buying goods from companies located within Israel, but also from any Israeli companies operating in the occupied West Bank (an Israeli-controlled territory). The oath given to Amawi would also likely prohibit her even from advocating such a boycott given that such speech could be seen as intended to penalize, inflict economic harm on, or limit commercial relations with Israel.
Whatever ones own views are, boycotting Israel to stop its occupation is a global political movement modeled on the 1980s boycott aimed at South Africa that helped end that countrys system of racial apartheid. It has become so mainstream that two newly elected members of the U.S. Congress explicitly support it, while boycotting Israeli companies in the occupied territories has long been advocated in mainstream venues by Jewish Zionist groups such as Peace Now and the Jewish-American Zionist writer Peter Beinart.
This required certification about Israel was the only one in the contract sent to Amawi that pertained to political opinions and activism. There were no similar clauses relating to children (such as a vow not to advocate for pedophiles or child abusers), nor were there any required political oaths that pertained to the country of which she is a citizen and where she lives and works: the United States.
Read the rest here: https://theintercept.com/2018/12/17/israel-texas-anti-bds-law/
#1: Vicomte13 To: Deckard (#0)
Vicomte13 posted on 2018-12-18 08:28:26 Reply Private Reply
#2: misterwhite To: Deckard (#0)
Whatever ones own views are, boycotting Israel to stop its unlawful occupation is a global political movement.
Fixed it.
misterwhite posted on 2018-12-18 09:22:12 Reply Private Reply
#3: misterwhite To: Vicomte13 (#1)
misterwhite posted on 2018-12-18 09:23:58 Reply Private Reply
#4: A K A Stone To: misterwhite (#2)
Uh. You're stupid. Israel is Israel. They need to remove 100 percent of the Muslims from Israel. That includes the West Bank and Gaza. By any means necessary.
I would suggest pay them 10 thousand dollars and tell them to get lost or die.
A K A Stone posted on 2018-12-18 09:25:36 Reply Private Reply
#5: A K A Stone To: misterwhite (#2)
Of the antichrist. And muslim scumbags.
Which are you?
A K A Stone posted on 2018-12-18 09:29:56 Reply Private Reply
#6: misterwhite To: A K A Stone (#4)
Not until the UN gave them the land in 1948 -- the same UN that gave the Palestinians land on which to build their country. Prior to that there was no "State of Israel".
Between 1922 and 1948 the land was legally and officially under the rule of the British. It was officially called Palestine in English. In Arabic it was officially called in English. In Arabic it was officially called in English. In Arabic it was officially called in English. In Arabic it was officially called Falastin, and in Hebrew it was officially called Palestina (E.Y). The E.Y stands for Eretz Yisrael, as t the Jewish community called it.
During the Ottoman rule, the land was never a single administrative unit. The territory that forms what the Palestinians call historic Palestine was in the end of Ottoman rule splited between districts that were officially called Kudüs-i ^erif (Jerusalem), Nablus and Akka (Acre). These three districts were referred by Europeans as Palestine, and sometimes by locals as Southern Syria. The locals did not have any regional identity, they i identified by their religious affiliation.
During the Mamluk rule (13rd to 16th centuries) the land was considered part of Syria (Bilad al-Sham) and was either called Filastin or Southern Syria.
During the Crusader period, there was kingdom there called the Kingdom of Jerusalem, and the land was referred by the Christians as the Holy Land.
During the Early Arab period (7th to 12th centuries) the land was called Jund F Filastin Filastin.
During the Byzantine rule (4th to 7th century), the land was divided into three provinces called Palaestina Prima, Palaestina Secunda and Palaestina S Salutaris Salutaris (which includes most of modern day Negev and Sinai deserts).
During the Roman rule the land had many different names. In the later periods (2nd to 4th centuries), the land was incorporated into the province of Syria, after the failed rebellion of the Jews against the Roman rule in 135 CE. It was called Syria-Palaestina. The Romans chose the name Palaestina in order to erase any Jewish ties to the land. Before that it was officially called Iudaea (i.e Judea). The origin of the name Palaestina is in Greek visitors from the 3rd and 5th centuries BCE, who referred to this land by this name, as there was an ancient nation called Plishtim, or Philistines, of Greek origin, who lived in the southern coastal area of the land. The Romans separated Iudaea from the Galilaea
During the Jewish Hasmonean rule (2nd to 1st century BCE) the land was called Yehuda which is the Jewish pronunciation of Judea or Judah.
For the Greek rule (4th to 1st centuries) I couldnt find what were the official name of this land. It was referred as part of Coele Syria and sometimes called Palaestina by Greeks, who adopted the earlier Greek names. Obviously the Jews called it Yehuda or Eretz Yisrael. I found a map of Greek districts, these include Judea, Samaria and Galilaea.
During the Persian rule (6th to 4th century) there was an autonomous Jewish province called Yehud Medinata (i.e. Province of Judah). Besides there were the provinces of Shomron and Galil.
During the Babylonian and Assyrian rule (8th to 6th centuries), the land didnt have a specific name, but the province of Yehud existed. The Assyrians who conquered the Kingdom of Israel in c. 720 BCE had a province called Yisrael, but it was only around the cities of Samaria and Nablus.
Before the Babylonian and Assyrian rules, there were two independent kingdoms in the land, one based in Jerusalem and its name was the Kingdom of Judah, or Mamlekhet Yehuda, and one based in the city of Samaria called Kingdom of Israel, or Mamlekhet Yisrael, which is often refered as the Northern Kingdom or Kingdom of Samaria. These two kingdom broke from the united Kingdom of Israel during the 10th century BCE.
Before the establishment of these kingdoms, the land was controlled by petty city states and among them were the tribes of Israel, mentioned in Egyptian scripts from the 13th century BCE. The land was refered by the locals as Cnaan, or Canaan. Canaan had three main cultures: the Canaanites, who the Israelites and Judeans emerged from (unless you believe the tale of the Egyptian captivity), the Philistines (refered as Plishtim or Plishti by Canaanites, Pleshet by Egyptians and as Palashtu, Plishti or Plishtu by the Assyrians. They lived in five city states on the southern shore of the medi mediterranean mediterranean coast and are of a Greek origin. To the north, in modern day Lebanon and the northern coast of the Galilee lived a nation, who also refered to themselves as Canaanites, but were called by the Israelites and Judeans Tzidonim or Sidonites, after the city of Sidon, which was one of their main cities. These are the Phoenicias. The name Canaan may come from the Hurrians, who lived in Syria, and means Land of Purple, because the Phoenicians were the main producers of purple dye. It may also come from the Egyptian rulers, who also refered to Canaan sometimes as Retjenu when they ruled it several times during the 3rd millenium BCE.
misterwhite posted on 2018-12-18 09:41:02 Reply Private Reply
#7: A K A Stone To: misterwhite (#6)
Israel was given by God to the Jews.
The Egyptians and others tried to destroy Israel. Israel took more of their land back.
You don't matter. Israel controls their land and will continue to do so. You will be dead and they will still control their land.
Your people need to get over it or die fighting.
A K A Stone posted on 2018-12-18 09:43:27 Reply Private Reply
#8: misterwhite To: A K A Stone (#5)
So boycotting Israel is so bad there should be an anti-boycott clause in this teacher's contract?
misterwhite posted on 2018-12-18 09:48:14 Reply Private Reply
#9: misterwhite To: A K A Stone (#7)
According to the Jews or the Arabs?
misterwhite posted on 2018-12-18 09:51:12 Reply Private Reply
#10: A K A Stone To: misterwhite (#8)
Probably not. She will probably win her case.
I would need to know more about her work.
A K A Stone posted on 2018-12-18 09:52:06 Reply Private Reply
#11: A K A Stone To: misterwhite (#9)
According to the Bible. Which predates everything you posted.
According to Jesus.
Do you think Jesus was a liar?
A K A Stone posted on 2018-12-18 09:53:04 Reply Private Reply
#12: A K A Stone To: misterwhite (#8)
Well it is the law. You respect the law right?
A K A Stone posted on 2018-12-18 10:05:35 Reply Private Reply
#13: misterwhite To: A K A Stone (#11)
Do you believe Jesus was the Son of God?
misterwhite posted on 2018-12-18 10:07:18 Reply Private Reply
#14: misterwhite To: A K A Stone (#12)
I respect constitutional law. Does the school have the power to write law?
misterwhite posted on 2018-12-18 10:09:08 Reply Private Reply
#15: A K A Stone To: misterwhite (#13)
Yes I do.
What about you?
Luke 12:8 Also I say unto you, Whosoever shall confess me before men, him shall the Son of man also confess before the angels of God:
A K A Stone posted on 2018-12-18 10:09:21 Reply Private Reply
#16: A K A Stone To: misterwhite (#14)
During the mid-1970's the United States adopted two laws that seek to counteract the participation of U.S. citizens in other nation's economic boycotts or embargoes. These "antiboycott" laws are the 1977 amendments to the Export Administration Act (EAA) and the Ribicoff Amendment to the 1976 Tax Reform Act (TRA). While these laws share a common purpose, there are distinctions in their administration.
Objectives: The antiboycott laws were adopted to encourage, and in specified cases, require U.S. firms to refuse to participate in foreign boycotts that the United States does not sanction. They have the effect of preventing U.S. firms from being used to implement foreign policies of other nations which run counter to U.S. policy.
https://www.bis.doc.gov/index.php/enforcement/oac
A K A Stone posted on 2018-12-18 10:11:41 Reply Private Reply
#17: A K A Stone To: misterwhite (#15)
But he that denieth me before men shall be denied before the angels of God. 1
A K A Stone posted on 2018-12-18 10:13:14 Reply Private Reply
#18: misterwhite To: A K A Stone (#11)
Well, God had conditions attached to that. God said to Israel, "If you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples".
But Israel rejected Jesus Christ, God's Son, thereby breaking that covenant with God.
So there's that.
misterwhite posted on 2018-12-18 10:19:48 Reply Private Reply
#19: misterwhite To: A K A Stone (#15)
So do I. But Judaism does not.
misterwhite posted on 2018-12-18 10:23:20 Reply Private Reply
#20: A K A Stone To: misterwhite (#18)
A K A Stone posted on 2018-12-18 10:28:56 Reply Private Reply
#21: A K A Stone To: misterwhite (#19)
I am happy to hear you do misterwhite.
The Jews who don't believe are mistaken.
The Bible says something about all of Israel being saved. So I think in time they will.
Do you believe the Bible part about the Jews coming back to Israel. I could go look it up if you like. (later). But if you believe that, do you think they would return to the land as a for lack of better words. A finished or unfinished product in relation to God?
A K A Stone posted on 2018-12-18 10:32:16 Reply Private Reply
#22: A K A Stone To: misterwhite (#19)
A K A Stone posted on 2018-12-18 10:33:54 Reply Private Reply
#23: misterwhite To: A K A Stone (#16)
misterwhite posted on 2018-12-18 10:34:50 Reply Private Reply
#24: A K A Stone To: misterwhite (#23)
Maybe, maybe not. We would have to read through the law.
Here is what I think.
If she wants to boycott Israel it is her money to spend where she wants. It is her mouth to speak what she wants.
A K A Stone posted on 2018-12-18 10:39:04 Reply Private Reply
#25: A K A Stone To: misterwhite (#23)
A K A Stone posted on 2018-12-18 10:40:16 Reply Private Reply
#26: A K A Stone To: misterwhite (#23)
It sounds like a private school. Which would be a company.
A K A Stone posted on 2018-12-18 10:42:28 Reply Private Reply
#27: misterwhite To: A K A Stone (#20)
You mean the last days with the second coming of Jesus Christ, Son of God? I would imagine the Jews will kill him again.
misterwhite posted on 2018-12-18 10:44:24 Reply Private Reply
#28: misterwhite To: A K A Stone (#26)
If true, the law would apply to the school, not the teachers.
misterwhite posted on 2018-12-18 10:45:54 Reply Private Reply
#29: misterwhite To: A K A Stone (#25)
It's not clear from the article that she was doing anything to prompt a different contract (unless you have information to the contrary). The school simply inserted that clause into her new contract. I'm guessing they did that with all the teachers.
I oppose any teacher proselytizing their personal views on anything inside the classroom.
misterwhite posted on 2018-12-18 10:52:43 Reply Private Reply
#30: Vicomte13 To: (#0)
In other words, to keep your job, give up your religion.
It's unconstitutional.
The problem with this unconstitutional shit is that once it is used (for something like this), its use will be greatly expanded.
Vicomte13 posted on 2018-12-19 07:10:08 Reply Private Reply