Norma Zager
As Charlie Brown runs toward the waiting football held aloft by Lucy, he lifts his leg anticipating a kick that will hurl the ball into space when suddenly, Lucy grabs the ball and regales with laughter as poor Charlie Brown once again falls flat on his face.
Watching terrorist events unfold in Israel leaves me with an unsettling feeling the United States is not far behind.
One often ponders the acceptance with which Israelis move ahead so quickly following murder and mayhem, and yet we are beginning to see the very same mindset embedding itself into US society.
Is this a bad thing? Absolutely. Will it weaken us as a nation? Most definitely. It obviously already has.
Them’s pretty strong words, Norma, some might say.
I stand by them and I have proof.
When Israel began its journey into nationhood, it was born out of dedication, blood and violence. The Arabs, like the British at Concord, refused to accept a new reality without shedding as much enemy blood as inhumanly possible.
I am not equating Israel with the United States, who fought against British rule and confiscated land from the Indians, the rightful owners.
Israel’s situation was unique in that its return to nationhood came after numerous claims and legitimate titles had been ignored and disregarded for centuries.
However, it is not the legitimacy of the state I am addressing, only the mindset.
As someone pointed out last evening in a lecture, when one battles for a cause, there must be a victorious agenda.
George Washington’s armies had no thought of surrender, only total victory and the demise of British rule. The goal was clear, their blood was boiling, their dedication unfaltering.
In 1948, statehood and death were the only two options Jews entertained. After the Arab League was formed and they chose as their first task war against the new state of Israel, the Jewish choice seemed predetermined, death or freedom.
Now both countries have become fat, lazy and cavalier about their own freedoms and history.
There is a difference of course in the fact Israel chooses to ignore its truth, and the United States is fervently rewriting ours. Our forefathers and their struggles are barely recognizable any longer.
In Israel, the words of former leaders are carefully buried and ignored as a new politico emerges. They have been worn down by constant attacks, murder and tragedy. Their former fighting spirit is dulled by the memory of atrocities against their children, bombs exploding constantly in their schoolyards and innocent victims blown to bits in public places or modes of transportation. This has been their legacy and it has exacted a great toll.
The ploy has worked brilliantly. Israelis care more for achieving peace, at any cost, than maintaining statehood and strength.
Israel is the abused wife who believes perhaps a good dinner will prevent a nightly beating from a brutal husband. But it isn’t about her. It isn’t about anything she can do or any meal she can fix.
It isn’t about Israel and any land they can give.
Land for peace is simply Charlie Brown kicking one more football held by Lucy.
She will always ensure Charlie lands on his tush, weakened and dispirited.
And now we have the United States slowly converting and morphing into a victim mentality.
The World Trade Towers, the Underwear Bomber, Fort Hood, multiple attempts we have seen fail and the unknown hundreds or thousands the government hides from view daily are evident in our new collective psyche. We have become a battered woman, seeking to appease our abuser.
The Muslim World has been battling for domination since its inception ions ago and they have learned one thing well. Wearing down an enemy will always work. Slowly and meticulously they are fighting us daily on numerous fronts. They are in no rush and exhibit enormous patience. Simply put, they are on a different timeline.
They use our courtrooms and our own government to distort our laws and destroy us. On the battlefields of the Middle East and in our own schoolrooms and college campuses liberalism enables their agenda. Eric Holder defends a Muslim woman who wants time off to visit Mecca; college campuses welcome programs like the Olive Tree Initiative that sends students to Palestine for brainwashing against Israel. Teachers in public schools push liberal agendas to young students against their will.
Observers would wonder at our stupidity to allow this war to rage unanswered. It is not that we are stupid; Israelis and Americans are far from stupid. It is that we are human beings and the enemy is not.
A man against a tiger is no match. Especially when that tiger is hungry for blood and sustenance. A prey, less or most tasty, must find safe haven, else he be devoured alive.
It is amusing at times as one watches in wonder at the absurdity of allowing an enemy so obvious and transparent to win battle after battle with no resistance.
Is it our leaders? Yes, that is much of the reason for the latest abundance of victories we witness. However, in the end, it is only “We the People” who must ultimately stand and fight.
For when they come for us, and they will come, there will be only ourselves standing between evil and our children.
The mistake Israelis make is in believing the enemy wants their land. It is their lives and the lives of their children for which evil is battling. And winning.
Americans are no less naïve.
Handing over the keys to a kingdom will only ensure death to the ruler.
King Louis and Marie Antoinette learned that lesson too late.
Ignoring a war does not nullify its consequences.
Israel will soon have to succumb and accept their options are exhausted.
The United States is not far behind. We have chosen a path that also leads toward destruction.
We must examine once again the words Hope and Change and ask ourselves, as though our lives depended on the answer, because it does: Hope for what and Change for whom?
There is no meal we can make that will stop the beatings. A victim must fight back, change the mindset from victim to victor, and attack the problem to bring about a change.
Have we suffered enough black eyes to get up off the floor, pick up a weapon and fight to win?
I wonder.
The series “Postcards from America—Postcards from Israel” by Ari Bussel and Norma Zager is a compilation of articles capturing the essence of life in America and Israel during the first two decades of the 21st Century.
The writers invite readers to view and experience an Israel and her politics through their eyes, Israel visitors rarely discover.
This point—and often—counter-point presentation is sprinkled with humor and sadness and attempts to tackle serious and relevant issues of the day. The series began in 2008, appears both in print in the USA and on numerous websites and is followed regularly by readership from around the world.
© “Postcards from America — Postcards from Israel,” March, 2011
Contact: bussel@me.com
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