matchingearmuffs's Xanga

For Those Who Have Fallen

Thu, 11 Sep 2008 22:40:23 GMT

It was a turning point in history; it marked the beginning of a war, it tested our country, but the reason we remember this day in history is that it cost more than three thousand people their lives. It has been seven years since those four planes met their fate on that bright Tuesday morning in September. It’s been seven years and that is far too long to still be in mourning. To be certain we must not commit the crime of forgetting them but surely those who lost their lives would rather us learn from this tragedy and move on than be forever a mantle of grief to their country. Though deeds cannot retract what has happened and no words can console the pain, we must do what those on the planes would have done had our places been exchanged; we must press on, remembering but moving forward. Fighting on to bring justice to those who would use fear as a weapon, those who would press horror on the young and the innocent. Let us put aside our grief and overcome our fear. For we cannot heal as a nation while under a shadow of fear, we must move towards the future or we will fade into the past. We must now look to the past and find strength to face the future. We must remember them, we must honor them, but we can no longer grieve them. To do so would be to surrender to those responsible for the attacks. We must fight on, we must fight for America and for the ones we have lost.

The deep, complex and profound mind of Elijah Jackson revealed

Thu, 11 Sep 2008 04:55:57 GMT

Ha! Just kidding. The truth is, I was careless enough to leave the computer signed in to my site and walk away from it. Of course the unaviodible result is that, at this very moment, my heartless brother Nathan is impersonating me and will, no doubt, soon frame me with all sorts of ridiculous statements, "poetic musings", "profounditiies", philosophical ravings,nursery rythmes,etc. So consider this a disclaimer.

I'd like to start off with a quote from my esteemed inspiration ,spongebob squarepants, who once said: "They're not laughing AT us ,they're laughing NEXT to us". Why do I include this piontless quote you ask? That's a good quesion.You see, the square of 1253- [.3367]X =12.34, hence we conclude that roses are,in fact, red and the meaning of life is:42.

Ok enough of that, Nathan's got to get off the computer before I come back and discover what he's up to.

Been fun!

We Have Forgotten

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 20:17:09 GMT

We have forgotten, in our stubbornness, in our arrogance, in our unwillingness to change, we have forgotten. In the past few years debate over the war in Iraq has escalated to a point were we as a nation, a whole nation (none are exempt), have forgotten. First and foremost we have forgotten that war is hell…is pain, is death is destruction. This is all war has ever been, this is all war will ever be, the sooner we come to grips with this fact the sooner we can find a solution to this problem. The last three decades have relatively little war. The Gulf War was a brief engagement; its objective quickly accomplished the troops quickly home. Other recent conflicts have also been minimal and seemingly far off. In short we have grown accustomed to brief though perhaps costly engagements and as a result we have been surprised by the length and brutality of the current war. I believe it is the great cost of the war both in lives and financially that is the cause of the deep entrenchment of sides on the issue of the war. Some politicians believe the fighting must end as soon as possible, that removal of the troops should be our main concern in Iraq. Others believe that the U.S. has come too far to turn back and should remain until a stable government can be established and a self-sustaining military restored. Because of the brutal Guerilla warfare and the ever-rising body count, the United States as a whole is fed up with this war. So it is that we have forgotten the nature of war, and so it is that in our desperation to escape this fight we have forgotten that the bodies of thousands of young men have fallen on the dusty soil of the Iraqi nation, and no matter which political camp they belonged to they are no less dead, indeed each sacrifice that is made only serves to enlarge the responsibility we have to resolve this war on our own terms and not at the mercy of terrorists.

Furthermore, under the erosion of time and surrounded by the black cloud of war, we have forgotten why we became entangled in this conflict to begin with. In March of 2003 after no less than twelve years of failed U.N. diplomacy and with the full support of congress and the American people, the United States invaded Iraq with the intention of removing Weapons of Mass Destruction suspected to have been illegally developed under the military dictatorship of Saddam Hussein. Five years later no WMDs have been found. While the absence of WMDs is undisputable, it must be added that the U.N was slow and incomplete in their inspections for said weapons leaving ample time for the Saddam regime to hide or move any weapons it might have had. Regardless, the Saddam regime has since been overthrown, bringing to an end a twenty-four year reign of terror. To be sure the world became a better place on December 30, 2006 when Saddam Hussein was hung till death; ironically his execution took place two days before a new year dawned on the Iraqi nation. Saddam’s fall from power does not however justify the U.S. invasion so long as WMDs remain scarce. Still, though the push for a free-world democracy has been slow, Iraq has shown marked improvement politically. Perhaps the most memorable signs of progress were images from the 2006 elections of joyful Iraqis proudly displaying their ink-stained fingers as proof to the world that they were not afraid to vote, that they were indeed ready to decide their own fate. That said the U.S. cannot and should not maintain a military presence in Iraq a moment longer than is necessary to establish a self-sustaining government. As inspiring as it is to see a nation set free from tyranny, the U.S. cannot afford to skip about the world doing good deeds. I believe in the powerful independence of the human spirit, and I believe that given the chance other nations in need might of their own accord rise above oppression, as the United States did when we challenged the British right to rule. So for this reason I firmly assert that the U.S. need no longer attempt to save the world. For half a decade this war has been a source of division in our nation, these trees of our own planting have hidden the forest from sight. Therefore as a son of America I beg you, my fellow citizens, let us set aside our stubbornness and pride (that which knows not the boundaries of political parties),and let us forget no longer, so that these United States may remain a beacon of hope a symbol of freedom and a proclamation of unity in this ever-darkening world.

"I Have Wrestled With Death"

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 19:03:58 GMT

"I Have Wrestled With Death. It Is The Most Unexiting Contest You Can Imagine. It Takes Place In An Impalpable Grayness, With Nothing Underfoot, With Nothing Around, Without Spectators, Without Clamor, Without Glory, Without The Great Desire For Victory, Without The Great Fear Of Defeat, In A Sickly Atmosphere Of Tepid Skepticism, Without Much Belief In Your Own Right, And Still Less In That Of Your Adversary. If Such Is The Form Of Ultimate Wisdom, Then Life Is A Greater Riddle Than Some Of Us Think It To Be." ~Joseph Conrad

Arrogance

Wed, 09 Jul 2008 20:07:04 GMT

The Root Of All Earthly Problems May Be Found In Arrogance. For Arrogance Is, As I Concieve, The Root Of All Sin And As Sin Is Undoubtedly The Root Of All Strife, We Can Perhaps Begin To Understand How We May Improve Our Misrable Worldly Estate By Shunning This Most Repulsive Fault That Is So Common In Our World Today. First However, We Will Explore The Origins Of Sin And The Current Relevency In Today's Society. Regardless Of Religous Persuasion A Lesson May Be Learned From The Story Of Lucifer. In His Pride He Thought He Could Overtake God And Reign In Heaven And So It Was That Sin Was Born Into Our World, And So It Is That All Fall Prey To Sin As All Are Succeptable To The Same Prideful Arrogance That Will Be The Downfall Of Lucifer. Arrogance (To My Way Of Thinking) Is The Most Destructive Among Faults Not In Itself But Becuase Of The Evils It Gives Way To. Countless Examples May Be Seen In History Of Man Giving Way To This Disruptive Sin, As Well As Numerous Cases In The Present Day, All Of Whom Have Come To Ruin. It Would Seem A Small Task To Avoid This Easily Spotted Sin But It Is Equally Easy To Contract And Terribly Difficult To Cure. Arrogance Is Also The Most Anti-Social Of The Faults Giving Seed To Lonliness And Self-Pity Which Leads To Deppression And Finally Agression. Though It Will Not Always Happen This Way It Can Be Seen That Some Of The Most Evil Men That Lived Have Been Arrogant Men With Few Friends And A Lonley History. Now I Understand That This Is Hardly Ground-Breaking Material And Barely Substantial Enough Even For A Xanga Post But I Was Bored And This Is Something I've Been Thinking About Recently So Yeah ...Thanks For Reading!

In Honour Of Memorial Day

Mon, 26 May 2008 20:39:21 GMT

Democracy

The Democratic system of government has been attempted many times in this world’s history. Often it failed in its infant form; mercilessly destroyed by more powerful factions. Indeed, many are the tragic stories to be told of those who have pursued this elusive, utopian form of government. Even so, there exist today many successful countries that operate under some form of democracy. However this point in history was not easily attained, many have tried and failed, many have fought desperately and many have paid the ultimate price to bring about the modern state of democracy; and still today there are those who die to uphold it. This essay is for all those who have put themselves aside so that the ones who come after them may enjoy freedom, liberty and equality.

1. The Ancients’ Influence.

“A state arises as I conceive, out of the needs of mankind; no one is self-sufficing but we all have many wants” ~Plato

It was the Greeks who first declared that all men are equal, and that no one must be set above others by birth or unjust rank. Now first it must be understood that this idea was proposed merely to cure social ills. It wasn’t until about 550 B.C. When an Athenian aristocrat named Solon was made sole archon (a king with limited power) in Athens that these ideas were adapted into government. As soon as he became archon, Solon allowed middle class citizens to hold important administrative positions. He also allowed the lower classes to have a voice in the “assembly”. Solon continued his crusade by prohibiting slavery as a means of paying debts. However, these reforms were not well received by the people and Solon left Athens under threat of revolt; the city was soon thrown into chaos. Nevertheless this was the first crucial step towards freedom and equality.

The city-state, Sparta had an interesting form of government strangely like that of the current U.S. system; two “Kings” (much like the president and vice president) ruled together and though they were the official rulers their power was limited mainly to war and religious affairs. The real power lay with the five Ephors, or overseers. They were elected by the people and they looked after the day to day running of the state. Their duties were somewhat like those of members of the president’s cabinet; only with much more power .Then there was the Gerousia (the counsel). The counsel was made up of twenty-eight men who were elected for life and given power like that of the modern legislative and judicial branches. The assembly was made up of all citizens thirty and older. They voted on all the counsels proposals by shouting out yes or no, the loudest group would win.

The Athenians however, eventually created the more successful democracy. In Athens every citizen had an equal vote in what was called the assembly. The assembly met about once every ten days; but at least six thousand people were required to hold a meeting of the assembly. The meetings were held to vote on proposals put forth by a council of five hundred men. The council was made up of ten groups of fifty citizens from each Athenian tribe. They were chosen annually by casting lots. Each group took turns leading the council and each group was also responsible for representing the needs of their tribe to the council. Athens also had a more advanced legal system; even though there were no lawyers the court system remained fair because each jury was made up of over two hundred people (and was therefore impossible to corrupt.) One juror was chosen by lot to be judge. But his job was merely to maintain order. The accused would stand and present his case to the jury. The jury would vote and the majority vote would win. Though Athens took great leaps towards a functioning democracy, they became militarily weak and were eventually destroyed by the more powerful Spartans.

2. The middle Ages and Further

“The pen is mightier than the sword” ~Edward George Bulwer Lytton

The cry for democracy then waned with its father the Greeks. Soon it died and democracy lay complacent for almost a thousand years. Ironically it was the ruthless Vikings who revived democracy. Starting in about 600 A.D. they stoked the fire with their emphasis on individual rights. Each man was entitled to his own property, loot and land; and each man was expected to defend or attack as required by the chief. The chief of each tribe was elected by a voting population made up of men about twenty or older. Though little else is known about the Viking government; the Vikings way of life marked the first real experiment in democracy in the new millennium. Here again democracy grew still; the Middle Ages passed with virtually no political advances. Although the Christian idea that all men are created equal was prominent, noblemen decided that “wiser” men must rule over the common folk and the common folk must serve the “wiser” men. Despite the supremacy of feudalism the people were allowed certain rights and a court system to defend those rights, farther down the road this would evolve into the British parliament, and much, much farther down the road this would inspire the judicial branch of the U.S. government. Though the freedoms gained during this period may have been fleeting for those living during the period, the feudal age produced a much improved court system that allows for indiscriminate justice and equality.

Many years later, the British began to look back and consider the merits of democracy. Steps were taken to guarantee the rights and freedoms of the British people. In the year 1215 the noblemen of England forced the oppressive king John to sign the Magna Carta. The Magna Carta stated that the king was not above the written law and that a law-making body (now known as parliament) would be created to allow the peoples participation and to further limit the power of the royal family. Over the next few hundred years’ great leaps were taken towards a ‘government by the governed.’ The Habeas Corpus Act of 1679 declared that it was unlawful to detain a legal citizen unless he is charged with a crime; it also established that no one should be imprisoned unless convicted in a court of law. The Petition of Right restricted the king from raising taxes without the express consent of Parliament. The Bill of Rights (signed 1689) allowed free speech and banned cruel or unusual punishment. Even after these improvements Britain was by no means a democracy. The legislature (parliament) was ordained by the Magna Carta in order that the people might have a say in their government but over time it became dominated by noblemen who cared little for the wants and needs of the people. To this day Britain is not a fully democratic nation but it is an undisputable fact that Britain left an indelible mark on the history of democracy

The political acts mentioned in the preceding paragraph were certainly fueled if not framed by the works of chiefly three well known thinkers of the day. In 1690 a British political philosopher by the name of John Locke released a book called: Two Treatises on Government. In it he argued that it was the responsibility of the government to protect the ‘natural rights’ of its citizens. Locke also said that every citizen had “The right to life, liberty and the ownership of property.” Not long after Mr. Locke released his book, Sir William Blackstone, a prominent Englishmen and a professor at Oxford, wrote a book entitled: Commentaries On The Laws Of England. Blackstone said in his book that there are two types of law: the law of nature and revealed law. Blackstone defined these laws as follows; the law of nature is law dictated by God and written on the human soul. Revealed law is law revealed to man by God out of compassion. Since, according to Blackstone, these laws were written or revealed by God it was heresy to make laws contrary to them. Around this time a Frenchman, the Baron De Montesquieu expressed admiration for the British government but also realized the need for improvement. In his book The Spirit of Laws, Montesquieu suggested the separation of powers into three co-equal branches of government; executive, legislative, and judicial. This was to have an enormous influence on the American government to come. In the future, these three works would be mentioned and even cited by the framers of the constitution of the United Sates of America.

3. Democracy Reaches the New World

“The Puritans other-worldliness was not a withdrawal from the world but a living in the world in accordance with other-worldly standards” ~Ralph Barton Perry

Despite all these reforms there was still unrest in Britain. This was due mainly to the oppressive Church of England. A group of reformers know as the Puritans tried for decades to ‘purify’ the church of numerous doctrinal problems but after years of ups and downs, the Puritans became the Separatists. In 1620 the first group of Puritans sailed for the Americas. Here they hoped to live out their simple lives in peace. The Puritans knew from the beginning that they needed some basic laws to insure that order prevailed. These laws were ordained in the form of The Mayflower Compact. The Mayflower Compact was drawn up and signed before anyone was allowed on shore. It established mainly two principles: 1. Order should be maintained by the will of the majority and 2. Just laws should be enforced for the general good. These ideals were later reinforced in 1639 with the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut, which among other things instated a representative government and established term limits for public officials and a process by which to elect them. In the following years the Puritans were slowly overwhelmed by the never-ending flood of immigrants, and eventually the Puritans began to disappear as a people. Doctrinal differences split them into several smaller groups and soon they were not even a major denomination. But as the Puritans faded, their political ideas flourished in the new world.

Indeed almost all of the American colonies adapted local governments similar to those established under the Mayflower Compact and the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut. This was also to have influence on the future U.S. government.

4. The Birth of the United Sates Government

“The sacred rights of mankind are not to be rummaged for among old parchments or musty records. They are written, as with a sunbeam, in the whole volume of human nature, by the hand of divinity itself, and cannot be erased or obscured by mortal power”

~Alexander Hamilton

For a number of years Thomas Jefferson had the following inscription on his personal notepaper: ‘Rebellion to tyrants is obedience to God.’ This was indeed the prevalent school of thought in the American colonies in the 1770s. After several new taxes were introduced (and deemed by the colonists to be unjust), the colonists challenged the British government’s right to tax the colonies, because the colonies had no representation in Parliament. For several years the colonists protested and for several years the British government ignored them. Eventually after many boycotts and protests, King George sent troops to the colonies to enforce the taxes and ‘maintain order’. But the presence of soldiers only served to worsen the situation and eventually resulted in the Boston Massacre. Soon after the massacre, the British, fearing rebellion, attempted to seize all guns and gunpowder. The people of Lexington refused to surrender their arms, and were fired on. So began the revolutionary war. The war carried on for a year after the battle of Lexington before the colonists decided that there was no turning back, that they must become an independent nation. On July 4, 1776, the American colonies declared independence from Great Britain. It was only after seven more years of war that Britain recognized the colonies as a nation, cutting them loose to sink or swim on their own.

Before the war ended, in 1781, the first continental congress wrote the Articles of Confederation. While the Articles managed to keep the colonies alive for eight years it established a weak federal government. It appealed to the independent nature of the colonists, soothing their fear of oppressive government but it did not meet the practical needs of a struggling young nation. Six years after the Articles of Confederation were ratified and four years after the war ended, congress ordered a second continental congress for the purpose of revising the Articles. Upon arriving at the convention the delegates soon decided that the articles were beyond repairer and that they must be thrown out completely. With this new mentality, the first order of business was the question of the legislature. Edmond Randolph, governor of Virginia, was the first official speaker of the second continental congress and he proposed what became know as the Virginia plan. This plan called for a legislature based on the population of each individual state. This frightened the delegates from New Jersey and so the small state proposed their own plan which suggested equal representation for all the states. This was done out of fear that the government would trample the rights of the smaller states. After much deliberation and many heated debates,

the convention agreed on a compromise in which there would be two branches of legislature, one in which the number of representatives would be decided by population and one with equal representation for all states. This resulted in the two houses of congress and became known as the Great Compromise. The great compromise was the first of many compromises, the like of which dictated the entirety of the Constitution. The constitution in its final form was an incredible achievement. The framers of the constitution managed to keep the states-rights intact enough to satisfy the very paranoid states representatives while still ensuring that the federal government had national supremacy. It was indeed a juggling act trying to create a realistic, respectable government while trying to keep disgruntled delegates from leaving the convention and still keeping in mind that it must please the people as well. Perhaps the wisest (and most appeasing) thing the delegates did was to provide for the amendment of the constitution. This was a practical and necessary action designed to allow for the constant improvement of the constitution. Yet while allowing for improvement the founding fathers were not naïve enough to believe that it would ever become seamless or perfect. In the very first sentence of the constitution they acknowledged this fact: “We the people of The United States, in order to form a more perfect union….” Every one of the thirty-nine signers of the constitution were fully aware that no matter how many amendments and no matter how advanced the constitution became it would never raise the human race above its fallen nature. There are no perfect democracies waiting to be discovered, the delegates knew this well but they also knew that they had a better chance than any before them.

The Greeks tried valiantly to make democracy work but destroyed each other before they could prove the system. The Vikings experimented with democracy but their brutal nature prevented it from catching on. The Middle ages saw much thought and debate about proper government but yielded little real improvement. The Puritans’ Christian background ensured equality and created a fair and intelligent government of their own, but their meek, withdrawn nature prevented the immediate evolution of their ideas. So it was that the founding fathers discovered a climate very favorable to the advancement of the democratic hypothesis. Marooned, as it were on a new continent there were few who could stop the new nation from thriving. All they had to do was to get over the first hill. In the opening statement of the constitution the founding fathers state that one of the purposes of the constitution was to: “…secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity.” We, their posterity, have certainly enjoyed the promised liberty. It didn’t come quickly and it wouldn’t have happened without great loss and much personal sacrifice on the part of selfless patriots who are far too many to name. Though the founding fathers might object to some of the amendments we’ve made they would be eternally proud of those who still labor on for a more perfect union. And though it may be over-whelming we must learn from all those who came before us by carrying on the work they started. For though much has been handed to us there is still much to be done.

“Few will have the greatness to bend history itself; but each of us can work to change a small portion of events, and in the total of all these acts will be written the history of this generation”. ~ Robert Kennedy

May, 14, 1948

Thu, 15 May 2008 01:46:26 GMT

Today marks sixty years since the nation of Israel was established. On this day sixty years ago a small piece of land was given to the Jews a place that they might call home, but it was a land already darkened and scarred by war. Nevertheless they looked to start anew, searching for peace, here in the land of their fathers. Hope was seen on their faces, it was on their minds and on their lips… Hope for a new day. But today, after sixty years of living in the shadow of a black evil hope hangs by a thread.

Israel

The children of Israel are at war. In fact, the modern-day state of Israel has been in a constant struggle to survive since its establishment sixty years ago. On May 14, 1948 the United Nations established the Nation of Israel, generously granting the new country 8,000 square miles of land to house an estimated ten million Jews. Immediately upon the withdrawal of the occupying British troops, Israel was attacked by six of the surrounding Arab nations, all of which were several times the size of the besieged little country. In an amazing show of courage and will-power, Israel miraculously survived this brutal onslaught. However this was to be the first of many, many attacks.

The worst of these attacks occurred as follows: 1967 Egypt reclaims Gaza Strip. Israel recovers Gaza Strip and further territories in what would become known as the Six Day War. 1973 Egypt and Syria attack on Yom Kippur. Israel rallies and pushes opposing forces back behind their own borders. June 25, 2006 Hamas militants and Hezbollah fighters begin to harass border troops and war soon follows. Fighting continues throughout the summer. Fighting ends August 14 with U.N. cease-fire.

Before I continue, something must be understood about the Middle East. The Middle East was the first place on earth to be settled, and as such it has the longest history. Full of bloody feuds and powerful hate, the history of Israel and the surrounding Muslim countries cannot be painted in black and white. Irreparable damage has been inflicted on both sides, bitterness has become their solace, revenge their livelihood. Looking back it has always been this way, and looking forward there appears to be no end in sight. Neither the Jews nor the Muslims heed to the true God and so they are merely broken machines doing the bidding of sad, vengeful souls.

From the beginning the United States has been a friend to Israel. In the past the U.S. has without fail provided political and military support, often at great financial cost and political embarrassment. In 1951 the U.S. gave $65 million to Israel for a program designed to take in holocaust survivors. October 14, 1973, marked the beginning of “Operation Nickel-Grass” a month-long weapon and ammo drop by U.S. planes to Israel during the Yom Kippur War. Since 1951 the U.S. has provided Israel $3 billion dollars in economic and military aid. As the years have passed and leadership has changed hands the United States’ relationship towards Israel has remained the same, but why? Why does a wealthy nation like the U.S. continue to aid this tiny country who is so despised among the nations? The Bible states that the Jews are Gods chosen people. Might America’s strong Bible–based Christian roots be the reason for this faithful support of Israel? Certainly this may be a result of another reason or many contributing reasons, but regardless, the more pressing question is whether or not the U.S. should continue this support.

Why must we help them? What do we owe Israel? Why do we feel responsible for this small band of traditionalists who live in the past and worship their rules? Have we not already paid whatever debt we might have owed? What would be the consequences of continuing to aid Israel? Further support of Israel might give Islamic extremists further reason to hate the U.S.; ties to Israel can also be politically embarrassing. During the 2006 Hamas attacks the U.S. provided air support to Israel and was otherwise helpful. However, the U.S. was criticized for their affiliation with Israel when the Israeli military bombarded Beirut, inflicting heavy civilian casualties. As far as positive results from helping Israel it can only be said that we have similar interests in the Middle East and that the U.S. is certainly happy to see certain Arabic countries otherwise occupied. If we choose to abandon Israel and leave it to whatever doom might come will we regret it? Might it have been better if we had let them alone in the beginning? What if we hadn’t meddled? What if we with all our good intentions and hopes held high had simply left them to continue their lives in obscurity? Perhaps then at least they might find some security by becoming insignificant. Perhaps then this war-weary nation might at long last find some small measure of peace.

Israel has a miserable history. Always the Jews have been persecuted. Beginning thousands of years ago this persecution continues on into the present day. To include the persecutions of the Jews in the B.C. era would be so long a list it would be nearly impossible to fit it in this paper. So instead I will only tell a brief history of the Jewish persecution in the last two thousand years. Medina, Saudi Arabia, 627, the Battle of the Trench. Ten thousand Muslims led by Muhammad kill and behead seven hundred Jews. Fez, Morocco, 1033. 6,000 Jews are killed. Granada, Spain, 1066 four thousand Jews are killed in one day. Without a doubt the most horrifying period of infliction was the holocaust. Though some deny it ever happened, the mass murder of Jews during World War two can be described as nothing less than genocide. Nine million Jews lived in Europe at the beginning of World War two. Adolf Hitler and the Third Reich eliminated six million. Over the course of seven years Nazi Germany killed one third of the entire worldwide Jewish population. This persecution however did not begin with murder. In 1935 The Nuremburg Laws were instituted, they stated that all German Jews were no longer citizens of Germany. This, among other things, restricted the right to vote and denied all Jewish doctors and lawyers the license to practice. While The Nuremburg Laws were certainly a blatant display of discrimination and hate it was but a whisper of the terror to come. The Einsatzgruppen (German for “task force” or “intervention group”), was a branch of the German SS during World War two who, according to their own records, were responsible for the deaths of over one million Jews. They were an elite team of killers who were also instrumental in the massacre of 28,000 Jews in Vinnitsa, Ukraine, 1942. When asked about the Einsatzgruppen at the Nuremburg trails SS General Erich von dem Bach Zelewski replied that the purpose of the Einsatzgruppen was: “The annihilation of the Jews, Gypsies and political commissars".

This lengthy description of the persecution of the Jews is meant to front this question: does the horror in the Jews past and the terror of their present situation demand the expenditure of U.S. money and resources in their defense? The question of U.S. support to Israel is not a new one; the subject has been disputed long before now and will continue to be a heated topic in the future. The subject may be batted about, statistics may be quoted, and fingers may be pointed but the fact of the matter is that such conduct is merely us beating our heads against the wall. The question that must be presented here is a simple one: do the Jews (Israel) as a people deserve to live? Now Israel has certainly proven that they are not defenseless, but the U.S. is an important supplier of weapons and ammunition and should we withdraw our support Israel would be in grave danger. I will not present this question under the false pretense that Israel’s fate lies entirely in our hands but nonetheless can we allow this slow death of a nation to continue? I for the most part object to foreign aid. Sending money and food to slummy third world countries who are victimized by their own governments is not only foolish and wasteful but presumptuous and arrogant of the U.S. Israel however is (in my opinion) a different case. For years they have withstood the onslaught of the surrounding Arab nations and still managed to turn the desert they were given into a productive resourceful economy. For that they deserve our respect, if not our support. If the U.S. continues its support will we be able to raise Israel out of their current situation? It is not likely; Israel’s enemies will not be so easily discouraged. Israel’s enemies are fighting for a cause as well, one they believe is ordained by God. As such they cannot be dissuaded and it is naïve to attempt to do so with treaties and “uniting” mandates. Mercy cannot be taught, peace cannot be forced. We lead by example, in the end that’s all we can do. Certainly this philosophy is no solution; it may be that a solution does not exist. It may be that we foolish beings will war until the end of days. Therein lies the true dilemma: can peace be attained in this fallen world? Ultimately true peace will ever elude us in this life but it is in the hope of an eternal peace that we push on nevertheless.

This paper is dedicated to all those who have lost their lives in this seemingly never-ending persecution.

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Wed, 28 Nov 2007 03:13:57 GMT

Well We Finally Moved Into Our New House! (I Know That's Old News But Oh Well). We Still Don't Have Grass In Our Front Yard But It Will Grow Eventually. O.K. Guys I Finally Updated So Now You Have To Comment So That I'll Have A Reason To Update More Often. Well I Gotta Go.

- Elijah

Tuesday, May 08, 2007

Tue, 08 May 2007 19:09:43 GMT

My sister Hannah is finally graduating! which is quite an event 'cause in order to graduate she had to write a thirty-somthing page thesis about the inconsistency of the music for West Side Story... pretty random huh? so yeah our house is coming along nicely, all they have to do now is put in the tile and carpet and paint inside and out and then they'll be done!!! Well I gotta' go.

-Elijah

Everybody say hi to Caleb!!!

Sat, 24 Mar 2007 03:28:14 GMT

Caleb Henry Greene was born yesterday at 5 P.M., He weighed 8 pounds three ounces. It's so cool to be an uncle!... again! but yeah I got to hold him and such. But yeah my mom wants me to get off so i'll talk to ya'll later!