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At the end of this message is a link to a video, a documentary, that shows Israeli troops committing crimes against Palestinian children. This is inexcusable.
What I see when I view this video is God giving Jews and all people's a lesson in what it means to be human. People make mistakes. They learn from experience to be afraid. In fear, they lose sight of their humanity and their connection to God. It is time for Jews to stop playing what one might call, the Hitler card. "Woe is me because Hitler killed six million Jews and the people who followed him are evil while I am not evil because I am one of God's chosen people." Well... now we know, we, all of us, have the capacity to lose sight of who we are, we are all capable of committing egregious crimes against others, or looking the other way while others do so.
In the video a reporter asks a soldier why he just did what he did to a child. The soldier says I am not allowed to talk to you. The reporter persists and persists. The soldier refuses to talk. Finally the soldier responds to the persistent reporter who is asking why he did this and the soldier responds..."because these are my orders." And there you have it.
You can be trained to give up your humanity and follow the orders of a superior because that's what you were trained to do, for that is the only way an army can operate efficiently. And because you are told, and you believe, that this other person is superior to you, and he must know there is a legitimate reason for this order which you might not have been trained to understand. He knows this because those were his orders and that's what he believes (and you and he would be punished if you didn't believe it and didn't do what you were told to do). This is how it is.
The German people forgot for a moment who they were. And today, the people of Israel have forgotten who they are. And if you look at what's happening in the United States, the American people have also lost sight of their humanity too. They have gotten to a place where they are willing to accept the unacceptable. They are willing to give up their own freedom, their basic human rights. They no longer have the will or the courage to defend their own children's birthright that comes with being human. Who gave them that birthright? God did. If you don't believe in God, perhaps you can believe in whoever it was who gave you the chance to live here, in this country.
Well listen, I can understand anyone not having the courage to stand up when the truth is... if I did stand up it might cost me everything I care about and love. Maybe my freedom, maybe my life, maybe the lives of people I love. How does one face such fear? One can be forgiven for looking the other way. I don't blame you. I already forgive you. I am not fearless. But some things are just intolerable. There are limits.
I say it was God who says we have the right to be free, to be honorable, to live decent lives in peace. But we are all Hitler's army now. You can blame Hitler for the death of millions of Jews and others, but as I have said before, I am only aware of one person who Hitler killed with his own hands... himself. All the others were killed by people who were just following orders.
A woman in the video says in so many words, "I know these people were living here before we came, but God promised us this land and nothing is going to stop us from taking it. That's just the way it is and that's the way it's going to be."
What's wrong with you? Do you think God is going to watch you torment children, commit every crime He told you not to commit, and then throw flower petals in the path to guide you to the promised land? Do you think God is a fool, an idiot?
God is not a religion. Most people who hold themselves out to be interpreters of God's will are not qualified for the job. Maybe some are on the right track, but most are not. God is closer to you than your own breath. He doesn't require interpreters, churches or synagogues. I realize some are not ready to listen, don't know how to listen to what's closer to them than their own breath.
What is the point of calling yourself a Jew or a Christian if you allow yourself to commit awful crimes against children or anyone. Or if you allow your government to order soldiers or police to commit such crimes. In Israel, our closest ally, I'm talking about soldiers banging on doors in the middle of the night, grabbing children out of their beds while their parents are forced to stand there and watch men in uniform with machine guns take them away to be mistreated, terrified, forcing 12 year olds to sign confessions to crimes for which there is no evidence. Can you imagine soldiers banging on your door in the middle of the night and dragging your 12 year old child away screaming, crying, terrified while you are forced to stand there as they do this. You are not allowed to go with them. They are taken from you. Held for weeks or months, mistreated. A fake hearing. What about compassion. What about putting yourself in someone else's shoes. Do you need to know them personally to have some empathy.
If you are a Jew and you allow this to continue without raising your voice to object... then what does it mean to be a Jew. If you are a Christian, what does that mean anyway? Jews, Christians... these are just words that mean nothing if you haven't at least the courage to say "No, I say this is wrong, this is unacceptable. And I will not allow my own government to murder women and children in their beds or in their cars because someone in my government thinks that maybe there is someone they want to kill in that house or that car and all they have to do is say the word, and someone pushes a button and it's done."
Our government calls lots of people terrorists. Lies. We Americans are the terrorists. We want their oil or someone else's oil and some people are in the way of our getting it. That is why our government is also watching you now, listening to whatever you might say or write, looking for anyone, anyone, who might get in the way of what they want... for if someone does get in their way... they will be called a terrorist too, an extremist, a militant, a traitor, or whatever word they think will make you forget who you are, and what you stand for, what you believe in, what it means to be a responsible thinking human being as least long enough for them to take that person out without any objection from you. Who is going to really care or remember them anyway.
The truth is, if you take any action to impede their objectives that they think might be successful, they might very well come after you too. But if we all would stand up together for our basic human rights, maybe they will be forced to look into the mirror of our humanity and remember who they are. Are you going to allow your children or grandchildren to grow up believing they have an obligation to follow the orders of people who don't have any idea who they really are?
How can we stand together? We have to share what we know and ask others to stand with us, so that we might stand with them. At least I ask of you this: do not vote in any election for any person to represent you who already has demonstrated that they don't stand for anything really....
Well, you can argue that if I try to right every injustice I see in the world, that's all I will ever have time to do in this life and I don't think that is God's intention for me. No, I don't think it's His intention either. But your government represents you. I'm not telling you what to do. It's your life to live. Make whatever argument you want to make. I just made mine.
Who am I to be telling you this... I am. I AM.
Watch this video:
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article38772.htm
“Liberty lies in the hearts and minds of men and women;
when it dies there, no constitution, no law, no court can save it;
no constitution, no law, no court can even do much to help it… ”
—Judge Learned Hand
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