A letter to my representatives on Israel/Hezbollah
I sent the following letter to my U.S. Representatives (Sarbanes, Mikulski, and Cummings)
Dear Congressman Cummings,
First let me thank you for your valued leadership. As my representative, I follow your political activities closely and most times your activity matches my desire on various issues.
I write you today because, like many, I am deeply concerned about the Middle East crisis in Lebanon/Israel. I grieve for the civilians who have been murdered and victimized by this crisis and of course, my prayer is for peace.
However, I am also concerned with the disproportionate amount of destruction that Israel is pouring upon Lebanon. Hezbollah militants have no where near the fire power that Israel’s full military has. The number of civilian casualties in Lebanon is increasing far more rapidly than the civilian casualties in Israel.
In addition, Israel is bombing telecommunication buildings, bridges, roads, and residential neighborhoods. The infrastructure of Lebanon is being destroyed and I won’t be surprised if soon we’ll see the type of unrest and destabilization in Lebanon that we are used to seeing in Iraq.
Bottom line: United States Representatives and Senators should fight the temptation to give unconditional support for Israel. Israel should be challenged to be responsible in its military campaigns against Hezbollah. Further, the United States Congress should investigate why groups like Hezbollah exist in the first place. Let’s stop throwing the label “terrorists” around and start trying to understand why some groups are dissatisfied.
One of the teenagers that I serve at church asked me yesterday if this was the start of World War III. My response to her was - it doesn’t have to be if our elected officials find the courage to challenge Israel and “take the high road” to negotiation and peace. Violence should never be a first resort. If we tell our children that, we as adults must demonstrate it as well. Do as I say and not as I do has never worked. It didn’t work on us and it won’t work on today’s youth.
I’m praying for your courage,
Min. Heber Brown, III
Young Clergy for Social Change
July 19th, 2006 at 7:02 pm
Of course after sending this letter I realized that Sen. Mikulski & Sen. Sarbanes co-sponsored the resolution giving their unconditional support to Israel.
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/D?c109:3:./temp/~c109ZlUnlO::
July 24th, 2006 at 2:40 pm
As well they should. Why should they do just enough to keep the missiles coming. Why not go all the way and stop them all together? If someone was firing rounds into your house would you just fire as many round out as they fire in, or would you try to completely disable the person.
Or perhaps we should only have bombe a port in Japan at the start of world war II. Or maybe, just maybe, we should only have shot down as many of the German’s airplanes as they shot ours down.
The idea behind a war (remember, Hezbollah wants to destroy Israel) is to win. And the best way to win is to destroy the other side’s ability to wage war.
If they choose to hide among civilians, and the Lebanese government is doing nothing, and the people are doing nothing, then this is the crime of Hezbollah, not Israel.
Is Israel always right? No. Do I support Israel no matter what? No. But this obvious and virtually automatic bias against Israel is idiotic and demonstrative of the generally thoughtless and knee jerk manner many liberal “Christians” apply to any circumstances involving Israel.
July 24th, 2006 at 2:47 pm
A couple of quick questions, Melvin.
#1: When did Hezbollah start firing rockets?
#2: What does Hezbollah say their mission is?
#3: Why do you think Palestinians, Lebanese people, and members of Hezbollah support one another?
And a bonus question because you’re a Bible reader - do you support the commandment “THOU SHALT NOT KILL”?
We just have to dig a little deeper, Melvin, and not just digest everything that America’s commercial media tells us to believe. You don’t believe what TD Jakes says and stands for - why do you so readily accept American media’s position on this matter?
July 13th, 2007 at 12:40 am
Thanks for visting my blog. I will return to read your blog soon.