Dear Robomatic:

Not to debate the issue. Rachael was in fact Jewish. She was very close to the Friends in the Olympia Quaker meeting. Like those in the CPT, she stood in the way of people who sought to bulldoze homes in a clearnence of people who lived on their land for, in some cases, generations. She did so, armed only by her beliefs. She may have had a political agenda, which some Friends do, or some Friends don't. But to say she died in a tragic accident is to ignore or be unaware of certain facts.

    In point of fact, the tractor driver saw her, and knew she was there. One can see this in photographs taken from several vantage points of the tragic death of this young girl. He has a clear sight line of her, and drove over her, several times. As far as Isreali culpability, he was not charged with any crime. If this happened on a building site in most places in the world, he'd have been arrested at the outset of the investigation. Members of the CPT have accompanied Palsistinan children to school, in the face of assaults by Israeli settlers. They also bore the self same witness that Rachael Corrie bore, standing in front of Isreali Bulldozers. This has resulted in their being beaten, and kept from being allowed to go to Isreal.
I understand that there is a huge difference of oppion on the politics of that region. Frankly, I don't support any faction in the political struggle. I beleive peace will come when folks decide that peace is an end in itself, and it is not the eliments of a division which will win out, but rather a shared desire to live in peace.
There is not a right or wrong side in war. Wars are not fought to end wrongs, they are fought in such a way that wrongs ensue.
Whenever I think of Rachael, which I do often, I pray for the man who killed her. That must be a terrible burden on his soul, even if his government did not choose to punnish him for his actions. The state of Isreal did not drive that 32 ton machine over a young girl, he did. The wieght of that must be horrible to bear.
Thine in the light
lor