West Bank or Gaza?

Here is a picture that I took when I was in the West Bank, Hebron to be exact, or was it Gaza? Hmmm... No, if it was Gaza I probably wouldn't be alive.

Okay, I am being bad, sorry.

Biden-Palin Debate

I watched the vice-presidential debate last night, and I was thoroughly entertained!

I thought both candidates performed well, and I enjoyed watching Biden and Palin play off of one another in a most civil yet witty manner.

However, I must get something out of my system. Here is an excerpt from the debate's transcript:

BIDEN: Gwen, no one in the United States Senate has been a better friend to Israel than Joe Biden. I would have never, ever joined this ticket were I not absolutely sure Barack Obama shared my passion.

But you asked a question about whether or not this administration's policy had made sense or something to that effect. It has been an abject failure, this administration's policy.

In fairness to Secretary Rice, she's trying to turn it around now in the seventh or eighth year.

Here's what the president said when we said no. He insisted on elections on the West Bank, when I said, and others said, and Barack Obama said, "Big mistake. Hamas will win. You'll legitimize them." What happened? Hamas won.

When we kicked -- along with France, we kicked Hezbollah out of Lebanon, I said and Barack said, "Move NATO forces in there. Fill the vacuum, because if you don't know -- if you don't, Hezbollah will control it."

Now what's happened? Hezbollah is a legitimate part of the government in the country immediately to the north of Israel.

The fact of the matter is, the policy of this administration has been an abject failure.

And speaking of freedom being on the march, the only thing on the march is Iran. It's closer to a bomb. Its proxies now have a major stake in Lebanon, as well as in the Gaza Strip with Hamas.

We will change this policy with thoughtful, real, live diplomacy that understands that you must back Israel in letting them negotiate, support their negotiation, and stand with them, not insist on policies like this administration has.

[Retrieved on 3 October 2008 from http://edition.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/10/02/debate.transcript/]

Anybody know what Biden was talking about when he said we kicked Hezbollah out of Lebanon? When did that occur?

But anyways, Hamas does not govern the West Bank! Biden is talking about Gaza. Later on, Biden somewhat redeems himself by mentioning that Hamas is in the Gaza Strip, so perhaps he was only momentarily confused. Still, there are important and obvious differences between Gaza and the West Bank. Anyone who doesn't know the difference between these two territories, but rather, sees Gaza and the West Bank as a combined and generic Palestine has no business interfering with Israeli-Palestinian negotiations.

I think I'm becoming an adventure junkie. I don't know what I will do when I get back to the States...

But that's okay, the best adventures are spiritual, and don't necessarily have to do with physical location.

American Christians are a privileged majority!

Christians in the United States are so privileged! Yes, I said it--we are privileged! Sure, we live in a liberal society that tries to accomodate many religions, but read this:

The public schools close for two weeks around Christmas time. We get Sundays off. You always know when Easter and Christmas are coming way in advance, because those holidays are embedded deep into our society. We have Christain radio stations, t.v. stations and a wide variety of churches to choose from! Most Christian books are written in English and most Christian music is in English. In America we have an abundance of Christian leaders--evangelists, prophets, apostles, teachers and pastors. We have Christian schools and universities. We have so much!

Sure, we have our struggles, but whatever...

People have told me this before, and much of the world knows what I have just written, but it has taken living as a minority for me to really understand this.

Peace,

Grace