Thought you guys would appreciate this: during the UN security council meetings about the situation in Gaza, Obama sent a letter to the UN ambassador telling him not to accept a resolution that does anything to criticize Israel. I wrote a letter to Obama (he's my senator after all) and just received this response from his office. They don't say much...but it's interesting just the same.
Dear Victoria:
Thank you for contacting me regarding the situation in Gaza. I appreciate hearing from you on this important matter.
I share your concern about the impact of closed border crossings on Palestinian families. Israel sealed the Gaza border on January 17 following a rise in rocket attacks, which Hamas has been conducting on civilians in southern Israel for over two years. As you know, after Israel eased the blockade days later to provide badly-needed fuel to Gaza's 1.5 million residents, rocket assaults continued to fall on civilian areas in Israel.
It is important to understand why Israel was forced to close the Gaza border. Gaza is governed by Hamas, which is a terrorist organization sworn to Israel's destruction, and Israeli civilians have been bombarded by rockets on an almost daily basis. This assault is unacceptable, and Israel has a right to respond while seeking to minimize any impact on civilians.
With regard to the broader Middle East, developments such as the June 2007 Hamas military takeover of the Gaza Strip, domestic political turmoil in Lebanon, and the Palestinians' struggle to form a unity government all underscore what a critical time this is in the region. The Annapolis Conference in November was a hopeful development because Israelis and Palestinians engaged in serious discussions again and neighboring countries were involved, and I commend Prime Minister Olmert and President Abbas for making the effort. Diplomacy can save lives, and it is my hope that the Annapolis talks are just the start of a sustained push by the United States, the Israelis and the Palestinians to achieve the goal of two states living side-by-side in peace and security.
Ultimately, this peace can only occur through an agreement that fulfills the aspirations of both the Israeli and the Palestinian peoples. I will work with the Administration and others in Congress toward this end. In the meantime, I encourage all parties to refrain from actions that will cause further loss of innocent life or will delay further a lasting peace.
Thank you again for contacting me. Please feel free to keep in touch with me on this or any other matter of importance to you.
Sincerely,
Barack Obama
United States Senator
Thursday, February 21, 2008
My quest to rid the world of the term "Crusader"
As many of know, the name of my school newspaper is inappropriately named "The Crusader". One of the goals I have given myself before leaving this icky place is to eradicate that term! So I wrote a letter to the editor last week! I'll paste it at the bottom so you can read it. This week there were three responses to my letter. One saying, you are dumb, and the term Crusader is fine. One saying that it is politically incorrect and we might as well just change it, and then and editorial from a staff writer saying the word really means to seek truth. I've talked to several people on campus and our chaplain even said IN PRINT that he thought the name should change. But my roommate has been doing some editing for the paper and she said the faculty advisor is adament about keeping the term Crusader...so what do I do now friends? Help me. Petition? Make a stink? How? Help!
This weekend I'll be at Grand Valley doing my Model Arab League thing. I wrote two draft resolutions, one for creating a coalition for a unified government in Palestine and the other for rewriting/amending the Arab Peace Initiative of 2002. It should be a great time! Ok, I love you all, and please give me feedback about what the next step should be!
A Letter to the Editors:
I am writing this letter on the behalf of those who feel that names, titles and words carry power. When we were little we used to sing a little limerick saying, “sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me.” We were wrong—dead wrong. Words carry power, and I especially believe that the written word carries much power—hurt and to heal. There is one word, in particular, that hurts me when I hear/read it, and it is the word “Crusader,” –yes, the beloved title of the newspaper in which you write, edit and publish.
It first became a ‘four-letter’ word for me as I traveled to the Middle East the fall of 2006 for my study abroad semester. Nearing the end of my semester, my group (25 students, all from Christian colleges and Universities) got together with a group of young adults from Islamonline.com, an information station for those looking to discover more about Islam. We watched the movie, Kingdom of Heaven, a movie depicting the Crusades and specifically the Christian raid to protect Jerusalem in the 12th Century. I wished that those from Islamonline had used sticks and stones because that was how I felt watching that movie with them. Watching the characters distort the image of Christ and even killing in his name sickened me in more ways that I can recount. The Crusades are a dark part of our Christian past, one I felt I had to apologize for to my new Muslim friends following the movie. It is a part of our history, but not one that should be immortalized in print weekly.
From my understanding of the Bible, Jesus would never condone killing in his name, as is evident from Jesus’ words to Peter in the Garden after Peter attempts to save Christ and cuts off the guard’s ear, “Put your sword away! Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?” (John 18:11) Perhaps it is time for Christians today to put down their swords as well, by beginning to eradicate the popular use of the term “Crusader,” as it carries only negative and disobedient connotations.
As we are moving into a more Politically Correct world we see derogatory terms disappearing everyday, “Indians”, “Redskins”, “Chiefs”, and finally the newest one “Beaners.” In an attempt to become more PC, marketing companies are becoming more conscious in choosing multi-racial actors and not stereotyping products as ‘Black’ or ‘White.’ If there is something fundamentally wrong with terms such as “Redskins” and “Beaners” then there is also something fatal in the term “Crusader.” As a Christian university, we should be leading the movement of replacing hurtful words with loving ones. It should be the Christ-followers who advocate for adding value to all peoples and groups. However, since we are not leading perhaps it is time to follow the rest of the world, lay down the sticks and stones, and begin using names and titles that evoke love of all peoples and cultures.
Respectfully,
Mandy Paust
This weekend I'll be at Grand Valley doing my Model Arab League thing. I wrote two draft resolutions, one for creating a coalition for a unified government in Palestine and the other for rewriting/amending the Arab Peace Initiative of 2002. It should be a great time! Ok, I love you all, and please give me feedback about what the next step should be!
A Letter to the Editors:
I am writing this letter on the behalf of those who feel that names, titles and words carry power. When we were little we used to sing a little limerick saying, “sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me.” We were wrong—dead wrong. Words carry power, and I especially believe that the written word carries much power—hurt and to heal. There is one word, in particular, that hurts me when I hear/read it, and it is the word “Crusader,” –yes, the beloved title of the newspaper in which you write, edit and publish.
It first became a ‘four-letter’ word for me as I traveled to the Middle East the fall of 2006 for my study abroad semester. Nearing the end of my semester, my group (25 students, all from Christian colleges and Universities) got together with a group of young adults from Islamonline.com, an information station for those looking to discover more about Islam. We watched the movie, Kingdom of Heaven, a movie depicting the Crusades and specifically the Christian raid to protect Jerusalem in the 12th Century. I wished that those from Islamonline had used sticks and stones because that was how I felt watching that movie with them. Watching the characters distort the image of Christ and even killing in his name sickened me in more ways that I can recount. The Crusades are a dark part of our Christian past, one I felt I had to apologize for to my new Muslim friends following the movie. It is a part of our history, but not one that should be immortalized in print weekly.
From my understanding of the Bible, Jesus would never condone killing in his name, as is evident from Jesus’ words to Peter in the Garden after Peter attempts to save Christ and cuts off the guard’s ear, “Put your sword away! Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?” (John 18:11) Perhaps it is time for Christians today to put down their swords as well, by beginning to eradicate the popular use of the term “Crusader,” as it carries only negative and disobedient connotations.
As we are moving into a more Politically Correct world we see derogatory terms disappearing everyday, “Indians”, “Redskins”, “Chiefs”, and finally the newest one “Beaners.” In an attempt to become more PC, marketing companies are becoming more conscious in choosing multi-racial actors and not stereotyping products as ‘Black’ or ‘White.’ If there is something fundamentally wrong with terms such as “Redskins” and “Beaners” then there is also something fatal in the term “Crusader.” As a Christian university, we should be leading the movement of replacing hurtful words with loving ones. It should be the Christ-followers who advocate for adding value to all peoples and groups. However, since we are not leading perhaps it is time to follow the rest of the world, lay down the sticks and stones, and begin using names and titles that evoke love of all peoples and cultures.
Respectfully,
Mandy Paust
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