A Benefit of Doubt

World reaction to Israel's intercept of Turkey's 'Free Gaza' flotilla has been predictable. Israel stands alone. Interesting how our vocabulary has changed. Every word we now use has come to mean its exact opposite. Only the logic remains impeccable. In a world turned upside down, words have lost their meaning … and all that is left is the stench of anti-Semitism which speaks harsher than words.

The cast of characters who believe Israel is always in the wrong is the same as those who believed in ‘global warming’; the same as those who came down with cases of severe BDS (Bush Derangement Syndrome). They are the same ones who believe Barack Hussein Obama is the messiah. They believe anything that is anti-Israel, anti-American, anti-capitalist. They are playing with fire.

This reminds me of an incident years ago when our kids were still small. In those days we were still in the habit of going to church regularly. The sermons were often long and boring – especially for the kids. There were crayons and coloring pads in the pews. Our youngest and I were talking (and giggling) – quietly enough, I thought. Nevertheless, our eldest, Ivy, got annoyed. She felt it was inappropriate for us to be making a spectacle of ourselves. Not wishing to add to our noise, she took a red crayon and carefully wrote “Will you PLEASE shut up already!” in large letters on the face of her bulletin and passed it over to us.

Properly chastised, we handed it back to her. In the meantime, the pastor was coming down the aisle. He was off on some tangent. He stopped suddenly across from where Ivy was sitting. He admitted that he had lost his place and asked to see her bulletin. He fell silent when his eye fell on what she had written (to us).

We all snuck out through the back door after the service was over – never to return.

Though clearly a shameless provocation, the stunt by Turkey’s 'freedom' flotilla produced predictable results. It required the partnership of the world press whose bias against Israel has been well documented. Also well known was Israel’s tendency to hamstring itself. Can you imagine a similar rag-tag flotilla in support of the Iranian opposition washing up on Persian shores? And while we’re at it, where was the international condemnation re North Korea’s sinking of the Cheonan?

Words will be written, purposely distorted and misdirected. Facts will be rearranged to fit agendas. Unlike in our more innocent time so many years ago, when situations also sometimes culminated in misunderstanding, the free world has become drawn into all-out war. Israel stands in the front lines. India is next. In a war no adults are present to mediate disputes. Dictionaries no longer contain proper meanings. No pastor will suck it up quietly and simply walk away, scratching his wizened head, struggling to find a way to give benefit to a doubt.