Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Hugs and Kisses: To Hamas, From Former President Carter

It's not every day that you read that these members of Congress agree on something:
  • Illinois Republican Mark Kirk
  • Democrat from Nevada Shelley Berkeley
  • Ohio's own John Boehner
  • The famous Barney Frank of Massachusetts: Democrat a veteran of Capitol Hill
They're among the more than 50 members of Congress, who signed a letter to Former President Carter, asking him to please not embrace Hamas.

Former President Jimmy Carter is still on his way to meet with Hamas leader Khaled Meshal. That meeting may not be the smartest thing in the world he's ever done, since Hamas is recognized as a terrorist organization by the State Department, and makes no bones about its wish that Israel would dry up and blow away.

From America, With Love?

"Carter reportedly hugged — and kissed — a Hamas leader Tuesday in the West Bank town of Ramallah on a Mideast visit that is to culminate in a meeting Friday with the group's exiled leader in Damascus, Syria.

"Carter's embrace of Nasser Shaer, a senior Hamas politician, at a closed-door reception organized by Carter's office was reported by several news outlets Tuesday. Carter has been widely criticized over the trip by both U.S. and Israeli officials, who have listed Hamas as a terror organization." ("Congressmen Implore Carter to Shun Hamas" FOXNews (April 15, 2008))

Most people who have been paying attention for the last forty years or so realize that different cultures have different ways for people to greet each other.

So I'm not upset by the hug and kiss. What disturbs me is that a former American president is lending the status of his position to a terrorist organization.

I'll give Carter credit for honesty, and apparently having very nice motives.

"Carter acknowledged Tuesday he was not on an official mission and had 'no authority at all.'

" 'I'm not a negotiator. I'm just trying to understand different opinions and provide communication between people,' Carter said.

"When meeting Meshal, Carter said, 'I'm going to try everything I can to get him to agree to a peaceful resolution,' both with Israel and with Hamas' internal Palestinian rivals."

Please, Mr. Carter, Come Home!

I don't expect the words of one man in central Minnesota to affect the fate of nations, but I hope that others who love charity - and life - will echo what I say -

You have done good work with Habitat for Humanity. There are still houses to be built, and people to be helped. Please, Mr. Carter: come home!

Related posts, on Individuals and the War on Terror.
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Blogroll

Note! Although I believe that these websites and blogs are useful resources for understanding the War on Terror, I do not necessarily agree with their opinions. 1 1 Given a recent misunderstanding of the phrase "useful resources," a clarification: I do not limit my reading to resources which support my views, or even to those which appear to be accurate. Reading opinions contrary to what I believed has been very useful at times: sometimes verifying my previous assumptions, sometimes encouraging me to change them.

Even resources which, in my opinion, are simply inaccurate are sometimes useful: these can give valuable insights into why some people or groups believe what they do.

In short, It is my opinion that some of the resources in this blogroll are neither accurate, nor unbiased. I do, however, believe that they are useful in understanding the War on Terror, the many versions of Islam, terrorism, and related topics.