Si, Se Puede

To many of us, this iconic poster represents a monumental point in American history when women were beginning to enter the workforce. Look at Rosie the Riveter (actually, Norman Rockwell painted the original Rosie) as she flexes her muscles for the millions of women who filled in for men and worked in factories during World War II. You have got to love her "yes we can" spirit. Go America! Go women's rights! Si, se puede! 

If a person from an Arab country were to see this poster, however, he or she would be stunned and offended. Indeed, the way in which Rosie the Riveter is flexing her muscles, with her right arm flexed and her left arm crossed over lifting up her shirt, is akin to a double bird in Arab culture. That's right, this woman is giving the good ol' double whammy (the words of which shall not be typed) to all of the Arab world. It is the ultimate offense. So, if you ever visit an Arab country and feel the need to spread the spirit of Rosie the Riveter, you have been forewarned!

The Unfortunate Case of Roe v. Wade

I was going to write something about the 36th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, where our wonderful Supreme Court ruled in 1973 that it was unconstitutional to prevent a woman from killing her baby...I mean having an abortion. Nevertheless, John Piper beat me to the punch--and I like his comparison of abortion and slavery. The statement below can also be found here.

By John Piper

On January 12, 2009 Samantha Heiges, age 23, was sentenced to 25 years in prison for drowning her newborn in Burnsville, Minnesota. If she had arranged for a doctor to kill the child a few weeks earlier she would be a free woman.

What are the differences between this child before and after birth that would justify its protection just after birth but not just before? There are none. This is why Abraham Lincoln’s reasoning about slavery is relevant in ways he could not foresee. He wrote:

You say A. is white, and B. is black. It is color, then; the lighter, having the right to enslave the darker? Take care. By this rule, you are to be slave to the first man you meet, with a fairer skin than your own.

You do not mean color exactly? You mean the whites are intellectually the superiors of the blacks, and, therefore have the right to enslave them? Take care again. By this rule, you are to be slave to the first man you meet, with an intellect superior to your own.

But, say you, it is a question of interest; and, if you can make it your interest; you have the right to enslave another. Very well. And if he can make it his interest, he has the right to enslave you. (“Fragments: On Slavery")

There are no morally relevant differences between white and black or between child-in-the-womb and child-outside-the-womb that would give a right to either to enslave or kill the other.

Crisis in the Holy Land

The war between Hamas and Israel has been going on for a little more than two weeks now. The debates of who initiated this war continue to permeate all media outlets. Pro-Israeli media sources  claim that, once the six-month cease-fire truce between Hamas and Israel ended, Hamas fired rockets into Israel thereby instigating another war between them and the Israeli Army. Those sympathetic to the Palestinian cause maintain that, during the six-month truce, Israel killed Hamas members without provocation. In other words, Israel did not honor the truce. 

Whatever side one chooses to take, the facts speak for themselves: over 800 Palestinians have been killed from Israeli air and ground attacks. Of these 800 individuals, over 270 children, 93 women, and 12 paramedics have been killed (including some individuals from the Red Cross who attempted to deliver aid to injured Palestinian civilians). In addition, over 3,300 Palestinians have been wounded, thus cramming the few medical facilities that exist in Palestine. As for Israel, around 11 Israeli Army soldiers and 3 civilians have been killed in attacks by Hamas. 

No other country in the world receives more aid from the United States than does Israel. Indeed, Israel receives over 4 billion dollars annually from our country. Consequently, Israel has the fifth largest military in the world. Throughout all of my research as an amateur historian, I have noticed a trend since the 1960's: some militant group in either Palestine or Lebanon  will fire some rockets into Israel; in return, Israel will use its vast military resources to have a shock and awe affect on these countries. Instead of returning the favor with a few missile strikes, the Israeli Army will go above and beyond and completely destroy communities and villages in these areas. As a result, a few militants will be killed in addition to hundreds of civilians. In other words, the Israeli Army is willing to murder a large number of innocent civilians (including a number of children) in order to kill a few extremists. 

At the parish I attend, one of the members' grand nephews was killed in an Israeli attack on Gaza. After his housing complex was destroyed by an Israeli air assault (which he fled before the attack) he went back to save people buried in the rubble. The Israeli Army clearly knew what it was doing as it subjected the same complex, which was already destroyed, to another barrage of attacks, thereby killing the young man of 25 years and undoubtedly many others. 

It should further be noted that Israel has imposed a large blockade throughout many areas in Palestine (this has gone on for several years). Israel controls the electricity, water, and food deliveries in the Gaza Strip, as well as the West Bank. This past December, I read about hundreds of Palestinian Christians who wanted to celebrate Christmas in Jerusalem (at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre) but were unable to do so because Israel would not let them cross the border (it should be mentioned that Israel has illegally constructed a gigantic concrete wall to "protect" itself from Palestinians). I will not go into detail here, but Israel has committed a plethora of illegal acts. To give one example as it pertains to the current war, the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) issued a statement today explaining that the Israeli offensive is causing enormous violations of Palestinian human rights. 

Israel is walking a thin line right now. Much of the world is still very anti-Jewish, while others are merely against the State of Israel and the Zionist movement ( I do not say anti-Semitic because Arabs are also Semites), and several countries would love an excuse to wipe the country off of the map. Israel's atrocious acts of bullying and committing unimaginable war crimes during its Gaza "offensive" might prove to be the final straw. If the United States pulls its support from Israel, it will have no one to protect it but itself. The United States must emphasize the gravity of this issue. It needs to threaten to pull its support from Israel unless the country agrees to act in accordance with the law and end its destruction of civilian populations. Yes, I am sure that some Hamas members are hiding and fighting amongst Palestinian civilians. This does not warrant, however, a mass shelling of these places. Israel must find another way to subdue Hamas without killing hundreds of Palestinian civilians. 

May Israel end its attacks and admit that it has committed some morally heinous acts against humanity before things move beyond ugly. Israel is the bigger boy in this fight, and it needs to start acting like it; not by bullying, but by carrying out its moral duty to end these hostilities.