thoughts on why medicine can be a vehicle for change, and a basic human right, and a very long rant because this is my first blog, etc

one of the goals of this trip to the west bank is to contribute to the larger existing pool of information about the current state of health. as we already know, the occupation affects every single part of every palestinian's life. to be fair to my israeli friends, the same goes for all israelis, but in a very different way. anyway. when resources are severely limited, borders controlled, and physical and psychological harm inflicted upon them daily, palestinians are have few options to even put a band-aid on their wounds. it isn't enough that children and other civilians are targeted. the israeli military also aims for health care workers. ambulance drivers. the damage done by the imposition of the occupation isn't enough, so israel must cripple the palestinian's ability to recover. a population that is denied health is denied the potential to resist oppression.

p.s. for all those a fan of my favorite mexican's style of communicating

p.p.s this fundamental concept makes health care a basic human right. obviously, the statements that follow apply to all basic human rights, including freedom from ALL oppression, housing, education, food, work, and land. when people are healthy and have all the faculties needed to make the clearest decisions and pursue their ultimate selves, they have the capabilities to resist oppressive measures. when they are denied them they are in a vulnerable position to be exploited. the same principle applies all over the world. look at the migration to the united states. the violent and desperate economic situation that capitalism has created and imposed upon so many leads millions to leave their homes, families, and lands to engage in dangerous, physically demanding and exploitative work. when these people leave their homes to find a better life, the vulnerable position they are in is a result of a denial of their basic human rights. in vulnerable and desperate situations, people do desperate and terrifying things in order to sustain the people that they love. in this country, people who don't have health care due to their economic situation are also in the most vulnerable and exploitable positions. these are the poor people who enter the army, to fight our dirty wars abroad, and to do the hardest labor in this country. these are the people denied their other basic human rights, to a free education, to housing, to food, to land. the marginalized and vulnerable are the most oppressed.

clearly the situation in the occupied territories is much different than in the US. but the principle is the same. when you are denied basic human rights, you are denied the potential to be an active participant in shaping your own future.

the destruction of health care by israel as a way of crippling any resistance even further is also indicative of israel's false gestures of working towards peace. the documentation of this while i am in the west bank will hopefully serve to highlight the issue of health care as a basic human right, and be able to open the door for dialogue about the conflict and about our own health care crisis within the US. shaping the debate about health care is paramount here as well. the debate thus far has not truly presented anything profound or intent on arriving at the root of the issue. governments that provide health care for their people are still governments run by elites, sustaining a power dynamic of haves and have-nots. bringing medicine back to the hands of the people is what this conversation is about. it is about providing people with tools to sustain themselves. it is about people being healthy enough and sane enough to be able to sit down and develop coherent and viable strategies for working towards peace and reconciliation.