Israel and Their Reckless Appeasement

First President Bush clearly stated that talking with enemies is appeasement - even likening it to pre-WW2 appeasement of Hitler. (It is not for me to tell a C+ student to use a dictionary and look up 'appeasement', so I won't - he said it.)

Later, John McCain further clarified the act of talking to enemies as 'reckless appeasement'.

In both cases, Syria has been mentioned by both of these astute men as one of the nations qualifying as an enemy - and therefore off-limits for talks.

Senator Obama claims that a strong America should never fear to talk with other countries and that talks can be tough and still be diplomatic - but not be any kind of appeasement.

This week it is learned that Israel, one of the most earnest of enemies with Syria is in talks with Syria.

This places a terrible burden on Mr. Bush and Mr. McCain to need to warn Israel that what they are doing is 'reckless appeasement'.
_______________________
Several years ago, a couple of women in Ireland had the fortitude to insist that the IRA and the UDF and representatives of Great Britain (forces that had been blowing each other to smithereens for generations), sit down and talk, or was it 'reckless appeasement?'. No, I think it was just talk with their enemies. How's Northern Ireland doing these days?
______________________
Several years ago, South Africa ended Apartheid and Nelson Mandela and Bishop Desmond Tutu, and others insisted on non-violence and held Truth Commissions, and repatriated those that were in internal exile. They won Nobel Peace Prizes and accolades and awards worldwide.
_______________________
It is now time to put aside the simple minded rules of the last 8 years and build rules of peaceful existence for the next 80 years and beyond. Give our children a world where diplomacy starts wit human respect and moves to mutual national respect.

-jb

President Bush is TOO busy

President Bush is TOO busy. I know he is too busy and I can prove it.

First, recall that everyone in their right mind agrees that Nelson Mandela, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize is not allowed to travel to the US without special waivers because he has been, and is still, on the United States' Terrorist Watch list. This is the source of great embarrassment to the US on the world scene.

I have timed it and it would take President Bush five seconds to utter the words "I want Nelson Mandela off the Terrorist Watch List within an hour." If he took those five seconds, it would happen. Since it hasn't happened, that is how I know that he doesn't have the time.

-jb

Open Letter to George Bush

Mr President,

When will you learn that bullets and bombs are the problems, not the solutions?

Appalling Silence

I feel energized by the challenge that confronts me from the following quote.
____________________________________________
"We will have to repent in this generation not merely for the hateful words and actions of the bad people but for the appalling silence of the good people" Martin Luther King Jr.
____________________________________________

Why do I feel challenged by this? Because I do truly believe that if we are silent about a wrong that we see, then we become guilty not for its inception, but for its continued life. We become complicit in promulgating the wrong we otherwise do not approve of.

But, there are so many wrongs, which do we fight against? We need to pick the most important ones first. Every day hunger kills small, innocent children - - pretty important. Every day children are passed along from grade to grade without being taught - - pretty important, but perhaps not as instantly critical as hunger. Every day otherwise decent people 'break into' the U.S. to work to send money to where ever home is - - not good, but also certainly not quite as important as starving children.

Well, all things have some importance, but we absolutely must find the things that are MOST important and do something about them. If we don't, then Dr. King's professing our need to repent is true and accurate.

One more thing ... I am very saddened by the repeated reference to Dr. King as an 'agitator' (with negative inferences) by a dear friend that I otherwise admire greatly. Yes, he did agitate us. He agitated decent people to not stand by and accept the unfair oppression of brothers and sisters by other brothers and sisters. It just isn't right to allow it.

But much like a washing machine, without an agitator, your clothes don't get clean and soon you start to stink. America needed a dose of clothes cleaning. Still does. We needed an agitator, and we still do. You, go and BE an agitator for the cleaning up of some wrong in the world. Pick what is MOST important and dig in on fixing it. Our repentance will be demonstrated by the loving words and actions of the good people that will not accept the hateful words and actions of the bad.

-jb

Iraq Needs a Better Business Bureau

We had a deal. We would 'Surge' to cause an easing of tensions and Iraq would work on their 13 or so milestones.

We surged and eased tensions. Iraq has hit ZERO milestones.

That's a bad deal. We got a raw deal. Call the BBB! Now!

-jb

College Logic 101 Exercise 14

Logic Proof
(sometimes called a 'Waterfall')

1. In the last February debate, Sen. Clinton promised she would share her tax returns.
2. In March, Sen. Obama says Sen. Clinton should fulfill her promise.
3. Sen. Clinton says Sen. Obama is acting like Ken Starr.

This is LOGIC? T / F <circle one>

Go in peace. (with permission to scratch your head...)
-jb

Fear Not

To Christians, the birth of Jesus was a special point in the relationship between God and mankind. We may not (we absolutely don't, actually) live up to the label 'Christian' but we intend to try to make the world a better place and bring about a sense of community in all God's creation. We try to maintain a sense of the 'created' - that is a sense of the purpose to which we were created.

So, if we want call ourselves a Christian nation, or, more inclusively and properly, a God-fearing nation, then should we not chastise ourselves for the sense that brothers and sisters born elsewhere are less deserving of the rights we demand (Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness) because there skin and language differ somewhat?

Should we not chastise ourselves for thinking that anyone from certain lands is either a terrorist or a pre-terrorist?

The angels trumpeted Jesus' birth and began their announcement with the statement "Fear not, for unto you is born this day, in the city of David ... " and it makes me think that our message, as believers has slipped. When we share with others, what we share should begin and be centered around the thought to "Fear Not."

-jb