A Sea Of Red

Politics as usual.

I enjoy the annual Lichtenstein Awareness Minute. I mean it DOES sound sort of Jewish

Don't they do this every year? Let's not make it an issue where there is none.

I believe this is the first year

News & Events
Pastor John Hagee encourages support for God’s chosen nation
March 30, 2011 : Mitzi Bible/Liberty University News Service

Pastor John Hagee helped kick off Liberty University’s first Israel Emphasis Week at Wednesday’s convocation.

I meant by my earlier comment that this really shouldn't be a surprise.

I actually really enjoyed today....I dont know as much about Israel as I should

Hold My Own wrote:I actually really enjoyed today....I dont know as much about Israel as I should

Try living there. You will learn more then you want to know. Like Hassidic Jews do not move out of your way on the sidewalk. Even if you are bigger then they are. Yes I had fun with that!

I fully support Liberty having an Israel Awareness Day, simply because most Americans probably couldn't even find it on a map and the opportunity to learn about other cultures is something every college/university should offer.

I also fully support an independent Jewish state in the middle east, but lets remember that the Israeli government is by no means perfect. While Hamas and the PLO are indeed nothing but terrorist organizations, based on reports I've heard from missionaries and Palestinians who came to Liberty, the Israeli government has caused great hardship on ordinary Palestinian/Arab citizens whether they were Muslim, Christian or secular/non-religious. Hopefully Liberty is at least doing this event in a way that doesn't reduce it to "All Israelis good, All Palestinians bad."

The lonliest person in the world is a Palestinian Christian living in Israel. There are not many of them. But think of it this way: The Palestinians are at the absolute BOTTOM of the middle eastern rung. They are the ones who are given all the 'dirty jobs' and are viewed socially as unclean. Then they are living in a country that you are not even a resident of because your passport is Jordanian. Finally, after being the outcast of the outcasts, you decide to follow Christ, a decision that is met with expulsion fromr the very people whom you are closest too. And if you REALLY want to put your life in danger, go ahead and become an Israeli passport holder.
However, from the Jewish State's perspective, these are the people who rejected the same opportunity given to them. And instead of embracing the challenge threw in their lot with the surrounding Arab countries in an effort to "have it all".
After all the wars, every time, the Palestinians were abandoned by their Arab 'brothers', and left with nothing. As much baggage as Israel brings to the problem (i.e. PA taxes v Israeli tax rate) if any of the neighboring Arab countries wanted to, they could have absorbed the Palestinians into their country and given them a "State" of their own. They could have subsidized the revitaliztion of the PA controled territores, yet they don't. As run down and squallid as the West Bank and the Gaza Strip are, there is potential there to really prosper. Instead, the Palestinian leaders (and their "masters') focus more on blame then on building their people up.
Ok, that was a longer post then I thought it would be. Now, what about that Lichtenstien Awareness Miinute?

It's important to realize that they are Jews and Christians who exist in Palestine too. That's why I'm in favor of a two state solution.

I can explain why, but I feel like being intellectually lazy

This has already been tried:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nat ... _Palestine

Also, there was a proposal around the same time that what is current day Lebanon would be the "Palestinian State" (remember that is where Arafat was exiled in the 80's) but the Syrians were not big fans of that.
While some say "elections have consequences". I feel that losing a war has greater consequences.

BuryYourDuke wrote:The problem is the inability of people to differentiate the Israel of the Bible, and the modern political state of Israel which is nothing more than a secular government supported almost entirely by the United States tax payer.

There's also a problem with thinking that everything that Israel does is automatically the right thing to do, and worthy of support or commendation. Seems that I recall Israel spending a LOT of time in God's doghouse throughout the Old Testament. They aren't always right.

Unless, of course, you are a Republican candidate for office. Then Israel can do no wrong