Inspiration from Zion: This is a Love Story

You can fool all the people some of the time. Enough to get elected twice.  You can fool some of the people all the time. They will even continue to believe you after it is proven that you lied to their face. But… you cannot fool all the people all the time.

Let’s consider the reasons America is giving for attacking Syria….

Morality? The poor Syrians should not be subjected to chemical weapons directed at them by a brutal dictator. Of course not! No one should be slaughtered in their own country… where was the America and the rest of the world for the past two years when Syrians were butchering each other in the streets? Real Hollywood actors, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, have actually been trying to help the thousands of wounded, displaced and homeless Syrians. Israeli doctors have been treating wounded Syrians dumped on our border by fellow Syrians who know that we are their best hope for proper medical assistance.

Use of chemical weapons is against the rules of war and has been banned by the civilized world since World War I. That’s why America wants to intervene now? To show that using chemical weapons is unacceptable? Where was America the 14 times before when chemical weapons were used in Syria? Since this past April there’s been a long time to decide to intervene in the name of “showing that chemical weapons are unacceptable”.

Intervention that actually removed the chemical weapons from Syria would be a positive thing however that doesn’t seem to be the plan.  Today we watched as Mr. Obama stuttered and stammered, insisting that there would be “no boots on the ground” and America really is only planning a very limited action in Syria. And that he hasn’t yet decided what he actually wants to do and he’d keep talking to allies and the American people. How scary. How convincing

In Israel, people are preparing to be bombarded by missiles (we got a few just last week). It’s not far-fetched to think that either side in the Syrian conflict might send missiles our way.  If America bombards Assad it is very possible that it would be easier for him to hit back at us than at far away America or American troops. And if he has no qualms about gassing his own people what will stop him from gassing Israelis?

No one in Israel is really panicking though the thought of being gassed is not a pleasant one. The lines at the gas mask distribution stations are unbearably long and instead of the normal holiday shopping people are also stocking up on water and canned food (things you can eat when you can’t cook – like when you are stuck for long periods of time in a bomb shelter).

September is a month full of the Jewish high holidays and the main question people are asking is: “Do you think the Americans will mess up Rosh Hashana (Jewish New Year)? Or will they ruin Sukkot?” In other words – will we be bombed next week or in two weeks?

On another note (possibly not such a different note), Nidal Hassan was sentenced for his 2009 shooting spree at Fort Hood. I don’t understand why the American media is still giving this terrorist the honor of the American military rank ‘Major’. He rejected his uniform, committed treason and mass murder. The Obama administration has decided that Hassan’s activities were “workplace violence”. What a clear moral voice! These are the same people who are saying that Syria must be attacked for “moral reasons”. Certainly they will know what the right thing to do is… right? 

FYI – I don’t believe the death penalty is the right punishment for Hassan. To him “martyrdom in the name of Allah” is a prize. Certainly one death does not appease, avenge or bring back the murdered or heal the wounded and traumatized. Life in prison with mandatory daily bible study would be a better punishment. The prison could play hymns in his cell all day. You never know, he might actually learn something.