It's taken three weeks to collect enough information to piece together what really happened when Israel enforced it's blockade of Gaza by boarding the Turkish ship Mavi Marmara. The story that emerges is of clashing perceptions of the same events. But the conclusions are inescapable. Here, collated from news sources around the world too numerous to mention, is the full story of that event, in the actual words of the participants where possible. You will see how: * while most passengers slept, a relatively small group of men intent on Islamic martyrdom planned to escalate the expected confrontation with the Israelis beyond anything imagined by the rest of those who signed on to bring humanitarian aid to Gaza. * the taking of three Israeli commandos hostage was the tipping point that plunged the takeover of the Mavi Marmara from a police action to a b loody military rescue mission * a single commando could dispatch six of the 9 "activists" who were k...
The origin of the Usher of the Black Rod goes back to early fourteenth century England . Today, with no royal duties to perform, the Usher knocks on the doors of the House of Commons with the Black Rod at the start of Parliament to summon the members. The rod is a symbol for the authority of debate in the upper house. We of The Black Rod adopted the symbol to knock some sense and the right questions into the heads of Legislators, pundits, and other opinion makers.