Printer-friendly versionSend by emailPDF version

Sorry, animals

I Apologize to the Animals
by Arlene Peck
Jul 04, '04 / 15 Tammuz 5764

E-mail This Print Homepage

Recently, I wrote a column comparing the raging, Islamic Fundamentalist to animals. I apologize. Animals don't do craven, evil things like we are experiencing on a daily basis from the same sub-humans who have been terrorizing Israel for the past ten years since Oslo.

And when I say "we", I am now speaking about the USA being on the receiving end of the daily bombings, hi-jacking - and did I mention beheadings?

The only positive to come of this madness is that we, as a nation, are finally beginning to 'get it'. Across American, in little towns such as Peaks Island, Maine, from which I just returned, or in the larger chic, suburban areas, the mentality of thugs that cut off heads and various body parts to make their point has never been understood. If we had any gangs in Marina Del Rey or Beverly Hills, they would probably break into someone's house and decorate it. Today's level of violence is not in our psyche.

The reason for the difference between the kids I find in these areas and those in their culture is obvious. In our schools, children stand before a flag and say the pledge of allegiance. In their primitive schools with a seventh century mentality, baby robots are taught they can make their parents proud by putting on a bomb vest and meeting 72 virgins. They're brainwashing these children at younger and younger ages. Most don't even know what a virgin is yet. But bomb making they've mastered. They learn how to tie their 'suicide belts' before they learn how to tie their shoes.

Speaking of terrorism, the question I have in the coming election is who would be better for Israel and the US war against terror? Because if I were to support Bush, it would only be for that reason. He has been terrible for the economy. Jobs are disappearing to India. I'm pro-choice, all for stem cell research and against almost every other cause that he supports - starting with Halliburton.

I know that Bush is supposed to be better for defense. But at what cost? In 1981, the Israelis went into Iraq, probably at three in the morning, with eight planes and BOOM! They knocked out all of Saddam's nuclear threat. They didn't need the world court. Nor did they depend on Halliburton or $200 billion of taxpayer money to win the hearts and minds of the Iraqi people.

What makes Iraq so 'special' that we have to bankrupt our country to ensure that they get running water, a wonderful telephone system and cheap gas, and every child has a good school to go to? I'd rather they worried about the ones here first! Hell, some of ours don't even have toilet paper.

Recently, I had a chance to spend an evening with John Kerry's brother, Cameron. I was surprised to hear he was not only a convert to Judaism, but went by the Hebrew name of Chaim. In John Kerry's name, he talked the talk ,but the question is can he walk the walk?

I eased into three questions of interest during the Q & A. I stated that every president in recent memory agreed that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel. Congress had already voted that the American Embassy should be built there. What were his brother's feelings on that?

The second question dealt with the security fence. I mentioned that Israel had proven in the last three and a half months that it was working, but his brother was reported to have said he was against it. Was that true?

Finally, it had been stated that John Kerry's wife had donated some of her billion dollars in wealth to causes that supported Hamas. Was any of that true?

While he did answer me, unfortunately, it was not with the kind of detail that I would have preferred. I was happy to hear that Brother Cameron disavowed the donations to charities that supported Hamas, and was all for the fence and moving the American embassy to Jerusalem, where Congress voted it belongs eons ago. Of course, all of this was said before the election. Now, all I have to do is get some of these comments in writing. Then, he's got my vote.

I forgot to ask Mr. Kerry why his brother was absent for the recent pro-Israel resolution. Only four senators voted against it - ex-Klansman Robert Byrd of West Virginia, John Sununu of New Hampshire, independent James Jefford of Vermont, and Richard Lugar of Indiana, who is the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee. Why was Kerry absent for this very important vote? Word had it he was at a dinner with Lee Iacocca and partying at a Hollywood fundraising concert, but folks, to me, this was more important. His no-show was taken as a message of dissent and that's not a good thing.

However, nothing coming from the Democrats could shock me as much as the Michael Moore movie, Fahrenheit 9/11.

I couldn't stand the thought of my money making that man richer, so I bought a ticket to another movie and snuck in. Wow! If Ralph Nader was the 'spoiler' for the Gore/Bush election, Moore is the pivotal last straw for the 'undecideds' like me.

If only fifty percent of Moore's movie is true (and we may be giving him more credit than he is due), it's fifty percent more than I can handle. Kerry? Bush? Kerry? What to do? I recently had a friend tell me that until he saw the movie, he was a Christian Republican. Now, he's convinced that he's a Jewish Democrat.

However, with the craziness that's coming out of Israel, it probably won't make any difference.

The Israeli High Court has obviously determined the route of the counter-terrorist fence in favor of the plight of the "poor downtrodden Arabs," and ignored the military establishment's assessments based on security issues. Justice Minister Tommy Lapid delighted the Los Angeles Times by stating that the wall should run along the 1967 border. He commented, "The court has the final word in Israel, and we welcome the decision, which has taken into consideration all positions - security, humanitarian and others." Personally, I don't give diddly-squat about their humiliation. I care that the fence is working!