Helen Thomas

After fifty years, Helen Thomas - for whatever reason - Let her real feelings out about Israel. No sense in repeating what she said, you no doubt had heard it or read it a dozen times already.

Was she just laughed at and ignored? Looked at as just another 89-year-old whose mind may be slipping away? Did the media pundits just comment that she had a right to her opinions and move on?

No.

The worst and ugliest pictures of this woman are splashed about everywhere. Media anchors and their guests voice outrage and universal condemnation for a person who exposed a diverse point of view from their own. All this from the supposed champions of diversity.

And ordinary Americans everywhere shake their heads, look distressed, or confused, or uncaring, and - as usual - do nothing, say nothing.

I am not a Jew or a Christian or a Muslim. I have no bone to pick with any of them. But I am an American, and when their religious arguments pull America, It's government and it's people into their endless war, it's time to remind ourselves that America was founded on the idea that our government would neither support nor condemn any religion.

As an American citizen, Helen has the Constitutional right to voice her opinions... About anything, and she should be able to do so without fear of her reputation or her job.

This particular opinion of hers about an Israeli occupied Palestine happens to be shared by billions of other people on this planet. More people believe this than those who believe the Jews are there by divine right, or any other right.

We do ourselves no favors when we demonstrate to the world that we will destroy any individual - anywhere - who happens to disagree with the particular beliefs of any religion.

As a sovereign nation, America should not be supporting any side in this endless conflict between religious points of view.

It should not be a concern to Americans how this millenia-old war between the Jews and the Arabs turns out. It's their fight, not ours. But now that we have been dragged into it, we have a vital interest in seeing it settled before more damage like 9-11 is done to us.

American Christians rightly have an interest in seeing this area peaceful and stable since it is where their Lord And Saviour was born and died. But no more than that... An interest.

American Jews and Arabs have the right to privately support - however they see fit - their choice of the combatants. But they do not have the right to entangle the American government or to have any access to the American treasury.

This Helen Thomas matter demonstrates that we are not in control our our actions or our decisions.

No matter how you look at this, it is bad for us. If we Americans continue to do nothing about our involvement in this matter, It can only get worse.

One solution is that the area referred to as the "Holy Land" be turned over to an international body consisting of none of the combatants, to be operated and governed like a world heritage site, a museum open to visits by all those involved, but controlled by none of them.

Is there a solution other than a final dectructive conflict?

So far, history has indicated no.

Will this war again spill over into open armed conflict, eventually using all the modern WMD's at our disposal?

So far, history has indicated yes.

So what's the solution? If all you God-fearing, peace-loving warmongers can't find one, who can?