There are some things we humans have just one of. We have one heart, one liver, one tongue, one nose… Of course, there are probable anomalies to even these similarities. I’m sure in the annals of medicine there are cases of individuals with multiples of even these, although physiologically we humans need just one.

Our organs are individual and perform at different degrees of efficiency. My heart is different from yours, as are the rest of my organs. Although we all have one heart, one liver, one tongue, one nose, etc., we don’t all share the same one, and the ones we have all vary from each other. We’re similar, yet unique.

Okay, by now you’re probably wondering ‘where the hell is she going with this?‘

Just hang with me for a bit while I try to explain. I know I’m being obtuse and waxing way more philosophical (and physiological) than my average intelligence allows. But I’m inspired to say a bit more… keep reading…

“We are here to tell Ahava, which claims to be devoted to beauty and purity, that you cannot cover up occupation and violation of international law,” said Paris Marron, CODEPINK’s national online organizer. “We call on Ahava to come clean.”

The action, which follows four others in Israel and New York of the past two months, is part of CODEPINK’s “Stolen Beauty” boycott campaign against the Israeli company — which sells its products in upscale shops, spas and salons worldwide — designed to pressure the company to end its illegal practices and pressure Israel to end its violations of international law against Palestine and its people. CODEPINK also plans to educate consumers about Ahava’s dirty secrets and encourage consumers to boycott Ahava products.

CODEPINK recently sent a fact-finding mission to the Ahava headquarters in the Israeli settlement of Mitzpe Shalem in the Occupied West Bank. What they found made their skin crawl.

“Its products produced in the Occupied West Bank are labeled of ‘Israeli origin’ even though, according to international law including the relevant UN Security Council Resolutions, the West Bank cannot be considered to be part of the State of Israel,” said Medea Benjamin, CODEPINK co-founder. “The company also exploits occupied natural resources for profit, which is a violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention.”

Ahava does its best to hide its dirt, even hiring Oxfam Ambassador and ‘Sex and the City’ star Kristin Davis as its spokesperson.

Stolen Beauty’ is CODEPINK’s contribution to the international Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) Movement against institutions and corporations that give tacit or material support to the Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian Territory, designed to pressure the Israeli government to end the occupation of the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem. Conditions there have since worsened because of Israel’s 21-month blockade of Gazan borders, Israel’s continued demolition of Palestinian homes in East Jerusalem, and land appropriations and violent repression in the West Bank.

For more information and exact schedule, please call Jodie Evans, CODEPINK co-founder, at 310-621-5635.

The organizer came up to us and apologized for all the anger coming our way, and said he was happy we came and thinks CODEPINK rocks for crashing Larry Summers party.

We were like caged animals with everyone coming by to gawk.  Everyone took a photo of the CP specimens.  Some came by and read our banners (“Human need not corporate greed” and “Teabag this: where you income tax money really goes”) and said, “Wow, nothing wrong with that sign, what’s everyone so upset about?”

As the more than 1,000 guests arrived, they were greeted with a stretch of banners and signs, reading, “AIPAC/Supports Israel’s War Crimes” and “AIPAC/supports Apartheid.”  Our giant pink banner read “Hafrada Means Apartheid in Hebrew —  Open the borders, NOW”.

Their cars were caused to stop and wait as a fantastic street theater team acted out a check point.  Some actors were in full Israeli soldier costumes with fake guns and some dressed as Palestinians wearing in black with white masks. Each time ‘walk’ was allowed in the cross walk, the theater piece was played out.  It was emotionally hard to be near.  The immediate disregard, disrespect and abuse of humanity was unnerving.  The signs said “Jews Only,” as the cars were waved by the check point.

This went on peacefully for an hour, as heads in the cars shook angrily, women screamed at us, and various expressions of disgust were displayed. I answered with a peace sign. We chanted when the skit was not happening. “Congress, AIPAC, Can’t you see/Palestine Must Be Free!” “Hey Hey, Ho Ho/Apartheid has got to go,” “Missiles, Tanks, and Guns/All were bought with US Funds,” and “Angelenos (or AIPAC) Pick a Side/Human Rights or Apartheid.”

The passion on both sides was palpable but it did not erupt and the police were respectful to those on the sidewalk and those in the cars.  Creating space without intruding.

This felt like the right thing to be doing in solidarity with our CODEPINK sisters delivering aid this week to the women in Gaza. We left as the sun set, I walked through the event lobby to get to my car and everyone bristled as I passed.

Friends of mine in CODEPINK LA emailed me that Karl Rove would be speaking at Los Angeles’ Loyola Marymount University as part of the school’s annual First Amendment Week.  I then learned Rove would reportedly receive $30,000 by LMU for this 6 p.m  Happy Hour.  How many community college students could study the U.S. Constitution and the workings of Rove with his fee?  A question perhaps for future SAT tests.

I got another CODEPINK email, casually asking if I would be willing to attend, and at some point, handcuff him.  I knew they were not joking;  CODEPINK in San Francisco had tried last fall to handcuff Rove when he spoke at a conference there, surprising him and the press for a much more interesting day. Still,  I looked at their video clip and decided I’d fake the flu — I am a claustrophobic filmmaker. I like filming that does not involve jail, and going home after to feed my dog Bella before she eats the rest of the couch.  Jodie Evans, CODEPINK co-founder, tried to seduce me with one word  — elegant – she could count on me to dress up and handcuff Rove with style and elegance.  We both knew she was asking Forest Grump to step in for Pittsburg Steeler’s Santonia Holmes.   So I emailed back I was not a Republican-handcuffing kind of girl.

Then one of the Iraq veterans featured in my documentary, “The Ground Truth,” gave me a call. His Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is recklessly ROVING across his brain, he said, his heart, his marriage. He can’t work, hardly leaves the house, and has an appointment with Veteran’s Affairs sometime in the vague future.  He voted for Obama but the hope and change jingle did not get past his intrusive thoughts.

I hung up and remembered beneath my irrational fear of very tight spaces is an even greater fear of Karl Rove being in the same room with the First Amendment.  I put on my long black velvet coat, my red high heels, and picked up a ten dollar pair of silver handcuffs CODEPINK left for me – just in case.

The first thing I heard outside Loyola’s lecture hall were wonderful very loud protesting voices – the Obama victory has not seduced these students into forgiveness.  ” Bush’s Brain …Down the Drain.”  Dozens of them were chanting and marching alongside a handful of adults, perhaps faculty members playing hookey.  I convinced a very nice LMU public relations person I was with a progressive online news show. Oh well.  She had seats left in the section next to a local reporter who agreed to take a photo of whatever I did.

As part of Loyola’s First Amendment Week tradition, Rove was given five questions. First question: did he think the First Amendment was too far reaching and too broad?  “No,” he replied, and went on for ten minutes to explain to us surfer heads why it had been so important for the White House to give no access, no leaks and no transparency for eight long years on anything except George W. Bush’s swallowing the pretzel.  Rove explained how “grave” were possible breaches of trust by explaining how many Congress members came into Rove’s office complaining about Bush and his policies, and then walked into Bush’s office and sucked up to him.  He said we would not want some wayward comment or criticism by a member of Congress to end up on the front page of The New York Times.  “It would prevent people from telling the truth.”  I was surrounded by nodding Republicans quietly discussing their hope that Michael Lewis could do for them what Emanuel did for Obama — “he cast Republican looking Democrats to run for office.”   A fun-house feeling tingled underneath my velvet. The students in the back were not buying it.

The crowd asked question after question about Rove’s subpoenas from Congress.  Two political science students quoted his testimony before Congress, chapter and verse.  I wanted to write their parents a thank you note.

I finally got my turn and stood up several feet away from the podium. “You have talked about the fact that the people behind the scenes, the invisible ones, are actually more powerful and more dangerous in the liberal press – you specifically said producers and editors.  Are you not describing yourself.  You have been the man behind the curtain for eight years and everything Bush did is tied to you.  But I am here to bring you a present…” (I raised my arms, and all the security people around him moved a few steps towards me.)

“I have interviewed over a 100 soldiers from the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars – including many Republicans – and out of that 100 only maybe two have said that they felt the Iraq War has been a just and noble cause and a war worth fighting for…many are sick and wounded and they would like you to have these…” (I held up my handcuffs high), “AND THEY WOULD LIKE TO SEE YOU LOCKED UP IN THEM!”

The capacity filled room of 700 people exploded with mostly loud cheers and applause. Rove stopped and stared at me and came back with, “That has not been my experience,” but because of the cheering, he had to wait before speaking.

He said he knew he was suppose to take another question but instead wanted to tell two stories, realizing the questions could get worse.  He spoke of a family who has lost a son another one in Iraq, and the father who is a doctor has now also enlisted in honor of his son. (I know this PR story as it has been reported more than once).  Rove went on to tell the story of a very disfigured soldier who keeps a plaque on his door – which Rove insisted reads, “Do not feel sorry for me, I did what I did for the people I love and my country.”

By the end of the night, Rove was $30,000 richer, and both wars live on, with the Afghanistan occupation about to grow more deadly.