Calling a Spade ... A Spade !
"People accuse me of trying to over simplify things sometimes .. and maybe they are right .. They tell me it is a desperate attempt to wrap my limited intelligence around some pretty complicated issues that I couldn't possibly understand because of their complexity, and while I'm willing to concede the possibility, I tend to see it as an attempt on my part to take the rivers of 'you know what' emanating from 'The Government' and 'The Main Stream Media' and 'The Politicians' and 'The Think Tanks' and on and on .. and turn a high pressure hose on that steaming heap of .. 'information' .. until all that's left is the truth, the facts, the real stuff ! .... And That's My Story and I'm Sticking to It !!"
As my bloodshot eyes were scanning an article about Hillary, this morning, I noticed that she called the Israeli Settlements 'Illegitimate'. Somehow at 3:30 AM, after sitting in front of a computer screen all day, the term seemed slightly odd to me, and I sat back for a minute to think about it. After a couple of minutes, I got to thinking about why she didn't say 'illegal'.
There are legal connotations to both terms, and while I am not by any means a legal authority, it seemed to me that 'illegitimate' seemed at first, like some kind of diplomatic double speak for phony or counterfeit so as to invalidate any claim, while on the other hand, the term 'illegal' seemed to denote the previous, as well as an additional responsibility to act to correct a violation of some clear law somewhere.
I thought to myself of course ! She is explaining why we have no responsibility to 'act' on this injustice.
As I continued to contemplate the implications for this choice of terminology, despite Israel's 60 year reign of terror and genocide against the Palestinians' rights and freedom (among other things). It occurred to me that if I were arguing with some Pro-Zionist Jew, about how he could possibly justify this horror that has taken place, he might just look me in the eye and jam his finger in my chest and say, "Who the hell are you, to be lecturing me ! It was only a few hundred years ago that you "Good Christians' landed on the Plymouth Rock seeking 'religious freedom' and then proceeded to kill, maim, subjugate, enslave, and generally wipe out millions of indigenous people in your country for the next 200 years or more ! You called it 'Eminent Domain' when you do it, but you call it genocide when we do it ! And there it was ! Like a slap in the face, I knew why for years, even before I was aware of all that the Palestinians have suffered, discussions about the Palestinian Israeli questions always made me 'uncomfortable'. It was in a sense, an 800 pound gorilla in the room that over the years had become almost transparent.
Now for those who don't know me, I am a Christian, and I make no 'bones' about it, and I love GOD ! I am also an American and I love my country ! These things in my mind at least, shouldn't conflict. As a Christian I must examine the history of my country from a Christian perspective, and admit to the genocide we've committed in this country, as well as countries all over the world. Until we do this, We cannot fairly deal with other countries. It is only when we examine this issue that we come to realize why the rest of the world can hear only hypocrisy when we point our finger at them in condemnation. But point our finger we must !
As Americans, we must tell our friends and our enemies alike when they accuse us of this, "Yes you're right ! Absolutely right !" We must take 'ownership' of our heritage, all of it, not just the Flag, and the 4th of July, and that fuzzy feeling we get when they play the national anthem. We must stand before the world and proclaim, Yes, we have done these things as a country, and they were wrong ! They were indefensible ! and I hate that ! But I am an American ! and I love my country, none the less, and while I'm a little too late to change history, I cannot, and I will not stand by and and watch innocent people dying in Palestine and countries all over the world because I don't wish to be 'uncomfortable' by being reminded of my country's own history as well as it's current policies.
Most folks don't like admitting they were wrong, and I guess it's natural enough, but we as a nation must admit it, because only then can we claim the 'moral authority' to point the finger at anyone else. We (as a country) need to man up and deal with it, and move on to the critical business of stopping the murder in Palestine and around the world !
My religion teaches me that if I 'repent' of my actions and ask HIS forgiveness, that GOD will forgive me. Repent (as I understand it) doesn't mean "Sorry bout that", it means stop going in the direction you have been, and change you direction, change your behavior and your actions.
GOD may forgive us for our past, but HE will not forgive us for standing by and watching as evil sweeps the globe unopposed, as we fail to confront that evil inside and outside of our country.
If we don't do that, then we as a nation, have a very short, and a very painful future, and we can't blame it on anyone else, because we will have brought it on ourselves !