Thomas Paine said it best: "These are the times that try men's souls" . What is happening now in the Middle East is a culmination of decades of hatred, fury, and a complicated geo-political tug of war that has no end in sight. Hamas, with their brutal and savage attack on innocent Israelis citizens, have unleashed the anger of the world community, and endangered the lives of innocent Palestinians living in Gaza as well.
Surely they had to have known that the Israeli government would retaliate. And now, because of the response from the state of Israel, the city of Gaza, and innocents living there, are going to be living in hell for the foreseeable future. Two million people living on a strip of land of about 145 miles, and they have no way out.
We have all seen the horrific images of the attacks of innocent Israeli citizens, and we are left to wonder, what could cause this type of hatred towards a fellow human being? What level of religious zealotry would cause one to act with such depravity towards babies women and children?
This is why I fear so much for this country. I see a lot of parallels between the hatred manifested by some in this country towards others. The same religious zealotry aimed at an easily persuaded population. The same fervor to coalesce around like-minded people who are consumed by their hatred towards others who don't share their values.
Last night the leading presidential candidate from one of America's two major political parties, made fun of the middle name of a former president, in order to draw a racist response from his followers. A few days ago, right after the attacks in Israel, he danced off the stage after talking about those attacks. This man could very well be the next president of the United States. Think about that for a minute.....
We should all hope for peace in the Middle East, and we should be vigilant about what transpires in this country. I know it seems like we are a million miles away when we watch the horror of what is taking place from our television sets. But look around you. Pay attention to what you are seeing and hearing. If you do, you are going to realize that it's all a lot closer than you think.
