Birds of a Feather
Growing up, I heard my parents tell me to watch how I chose my
friends. "You are judged by the company you keep", they told me. When I was an
adult with children of my own, I gave them the same advice. Apparently George
Sr. and Barbara Bush didn't stress that same warning to Dubya.
The recent visit of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to the White House
produced a joint press conference with Bush 43 that portrayed a mutual
admiration society between the two men. Sharon is currently facing possible
prosecution as a war criminal in a Belgium court for the 1982 massacre of
Palestinian civilian refugees at the Sabra and Shatila camps in Lebanon as well
as the 2002 Palestinian killings at a West Bank refugee camp in Jennin.
Coming on the heels of that visit is the assassination of the new leader of
Hamas, Abdul Aziz Rantisi by an Israeli missile. Sharon praised the success of
this assassination while the rest of the world has condemned it. Whether or not
this was discussed during the meeting, or whether or not the administration was
aware of the plan, condemnation did not come from George W. Bush.
What effect will this have on the American hostages, Pfc. Maupin and civilian
Halliburton employee Thomas Hamill? While Hamas is not active in Iraq, support
for Muslims of different organizations and Muslims fighting for freedom from the
US and Israel in the Middle East has brought about a coalition of support among
the various groups. By not condemning Israel, the Muslim world is interpreting
that as US support of Israel's action.
Why is the Bush administration aligning itself with a known war criminal? We
supported the Iraqi people without supporting Saddam Hussein. We can support the
people of Israel without supporting Ariel Sharon and his massacres of the
Palestinian people.
While it is our policy not to negotiate with kidnappers, a policy of implied
support of Muslim leader assassinations would seem counter-productive to the
release of hostages, not only American, but also from other countries that have
shown support for the US invasion of Iraq.
Clearly, Sharon showed no concern for the hostages being held. Clearly, by not
condemning Sharon's action in this latest assassination, George W. Bush has
shown no concern for the hostages. It is a major diplomatic faux pas that may
cost lives.
Perhaps if this administration paid a little more attention to the old maxim
that "birds of a feather flock together" they would chose their friends more
carefully. Does the fact that George W. Bush chooses a war criminal as a friend
put him in the same flock? It certainly would seem that, at the very least to
the Muslim world, their eggs are in the same nest. Perhaps the voters will
remember that in the upcoming election
04-18-04