A Funny Story to Help You Cope With the Despair

I haven't had internet for a few days (can you hear me panicking?!) and when I opened my inbox today, I found several concerned emails that tried to encourage me. I really appreciate these, and clearly people are worried because my blog is so down. So, I decided to write a more upbeat post to show you it's not all tears (but mostly it is and that's just the reality of occupation). Humor plays a really important role in resistance, and Palestinians are the first to claim it as a weapon of resistance! Here's my funny story...

The group I'm working with has to travel through the West Bank a bit, which means checkpoints and assholes with guns (sorry, I meant Israeli soldiers). So, our first day we went to Hebron (I planned that trip, and it was everyone's first day...way to drop them in the middle of it all). I gave everyone a checkpoint warning speech: don't talk or answer phone calls or put your attention elsewhere (soldiers get mean if they feel you aren't respecting them); don't offer your passport or information (they'll demand it if they want it); don't tell them we are doing education or political work, say we want to see the religious sites (they'll turn us away and say it's a closed military zone if we are politically motivated in our work). So, anyway, soldier gets on and wants to see passports. Everyone holds them up. Asks where we are going. Driver says Hebron. Soldier asks if we are anarchists (any leftist political activists are unwelcome). One of the group leaders responds from four seats back, "Yes, we are!" Soldier looks up from the passports, and I say, "No, no we are not anarchists. She doesn't understand you. We are not anarchists." Soldier steps down and waves us one.

Everyone in the bus starts shouting at the group leader: "What?" "We aren't anarchists!" "What the hell?" "Are you trying to get us in trouble?!" She looks horrified and says, "I thought she asked if we were honored guests." And we all burst into uncontrollable laughter. Honored guests / anarchists...it's all the same to the soldiers and government!