Tuesday, April 03, 2007

A Story Of Freedom

Tonight (Monday, I am writing this early) starts the Jewish holiday of Passover commemorating the Exodus from Egypt thousands of years ago to freedom. Happy Passover! This is not to be confused with the Exodus from Europe after World War 2 to what became the country of Israel. Freedom is an elusive commodity. Something to be cherished. And celebrated. We celebrated our freedom from the King of England on July 4th. He was more enlightened than the topic that lurks here.

Tonight, I will participate in a story that has been repeated for thousands of years. About the confrontation of Pharoah by Moses, his refusal to let the Jews go, the 10 plagues visited by God, the leaving from Egypt, and so on.

No one much cared about the people that were enslaved all those many years ago. When people were sent to labor camps in the 1930's and worked to death by the Nazis, the World didn't care. Ultimately, over 7 million Jews died in the camps. Over 20 million people died in the death camps, not just Jews.

Tonight, when we talk at the end of the evening, I am going to ask about the 'war'. The left will say that we should get out, that we have no business being there. The right will say that we can't just cut and run, that the people who died there will have died for nothing. But no one is ready for me to ask them about what to do about Darfur.

Even the President says that the rest of the World needs to help Darfur, at his State of the Union Address. And several hundred thousand people have already been butchered there. What will it take to stop the genocide?

15 comments:

Wicked H said...

Happy Passover to you and yours CEO.

Crankster said...

Happy Passover, CEO!

Regarding the other question, I am neither liberal enough to include atrocity among my accepted behaviors nor neoconservative enough to believe that it's our job to fix the entire world with military might. And, in the absence of a clear, principle-driven solution, I guess I'm stuck feeling somewhat impotent here.

WanderingGirl said...

It will take a change in human thinking and behavior. A big change. Sigh.

I got to attend a Passover once. I even tried the gefelta (sp?) fish. Ummm, not so great on the food, but the tradition is humbling. Enjoy.

The CEO said...

Wicked, I have more pictures of nephews that Smelly might like.

Crankster, you don't seriously think I know the answers do you? Neither the left nor the right did after dinner, either. But it's something that we need to keep on the front burner. Real people are dying.

WG, gefilte fish is an acquired taste when it's good. Maybe we should just start by outlawing capital punishment? What do you think? As a start to change people's thinking?

Itsnopicknick said...

I always wonder (half-heartedly) why no-one bombed N.Ireland in the heat of their struggle, or why no-one stepped in when the genocide happened in Rwanda, or why no-one is assassinating Robert Mugabe in Zimbabwe or why no-one's intervening in Darfu or why everyone upped and left Cambodia when Pol Pot decided to kill half the population... or or or...I'm guessing there was no oil. Sometimes, I don't think we ask why enough?

MJ said...

Happy Passover to you !!

Odat said...

Happy Passover....

And you do know what to do...you're not letting people forget!!!

Even tho we want to.

Thanks for that.

Peace

Claudia said...

Enjoy your Passover dinner!!

Anonymous said...

Happy Passover! Thanks for asking the tough questions.

Crankster said...

Fair point. Whenever I get into an argument with a pro-death penalty person, I tend to play Devil's advocate. I argue that we should either get rid of the death penalty, or do it right, as in Saudi Arabia. No appeals, no death row, no privacy: do it quickly, in a public place, in a brutal way. Beheading's good, but defenestration's better. As it stands, I argue, the death penalty is neither an effective deterrent nor a humane solution.

Of course, when I put this suggestion on the table, people tend to blanch.

mist1 said...

I took Passover off. I take all the Jewish holidays off. I went to Six Flags. Will YHWH smote me? I should probably be stocking up on lamb's blood just to be sure.

Lee said...

I'm with Crankster...I'm against genocide and I'm against world policing. Therefore, I do not know.

The CEO said...

Mist, you're safe, I'll take the heat for you.

Lee, you're against genocide, but, it's OK the UN doesn't do anything about it? The far right agrees with you and wants the UN to go away. I don't think you mean that.

Crank, I understand your position, let's just outlaw killing. Then we can leave the ugly choices out of it. Along with it the cutting off of someone's hands because they were a thief, cutting off the clitoris, etc. But frankly, I'll start with just stopping murder. Then, I have this list...

Pickled Olives said...

Hope you had a good Passover.

Glamourpuss said...

I'm with Crankster. The US has lost a lot of friends world wide through a tendency to assume the role of international judge, jury and police force. It seems a bit rich bearing in mind the soaring rates of crime and poverty at home. What is it they say? 'Physician, heal thyself.'

Puss