Irwin, I'm sorry I mistook that other guest for you. You seem like a very reasonable person, and as the Psalmist says, "Let a good man strike or rebuke me in kindness, but let the oil of the wicked never anoint my head."

You are correct, I certainly don't know all there is to know about the situation, and I could stand to learn a lot more about both sides. What do you suggest, Irwin?

I don't think everything I said was irrational, however. Two wrongs still don't make one right, and atrocities in one place never excuse atrocities somewhere else.

Moll, your kind words are very comforting, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Again I apologize to everybody for subjecting you to the sort of language that I abhor in my clearer moments. I wasn't lying when I claimed to be a Christian, as the anonymous GUEST seemed to assume. And I wasn't lying when I said I was imperfect and in need of Grace.

It's hard to be coldly rational and objective when you have a stake in what's being talked about. I daresay most of you here at Mudcat don't know many Palestinians personally. I do. A very dear old lady at my church was born and raised in Bethlehem, and lived there until her entire family was turned out of their homes by the Israeli government. Then she moved first to Peru, and then to the USA. She still has family in the area, and they send letters and photographs of the damage Israeli rockets do to their homes when they are fired into civilian neighborhoods. This pains my heart, and when I hear somebody say something like, "well until you give up your home to an American Indian, you have no right to say anything about Israeli atrocities," it curdles my blood, both for its stupidity and for its callous disregard for humanity.

I would dearly love to see a peaceful and just solution to the problems of Israel/Palestine. Indeed, I pray for just this thing. May it come to pass!

your opinionated mouse,
Alex