SPOOF SPACE BY STEELE CODDINGTON | MARCH 5, 2013
Kerry is Scary
Recently U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry proclaimed climate change is, "perhaps the world's most fearsome weapon of mass destruction." If that's an example of his intellect, the Israelis should reject any peace proposals he dreams up with the Palestinians.
The Jews don't need me to take up their cause. I only have 600 words, so I'll refer you to a better, intellectually astute source shortly. My own admiration for the Jewish people is based on Biblical revelations and the fundamental values that along with Christian ethics are so imbedded in the spirit and culture and Constitution of the United States. My life has also been enriched by long personal friendships with two Jews, both deceased, who I remember with deep affection for their kind and loving personalities.
But through my adult life the example of the State of Israel has, to me, been a source of respect and admiration as it fought for its right to exist in the alien and hostile land the Jews have not been able to call home for over two millennia. Like many Americans I have a serious interest in the State of the Jews in today's world as they struggle with anti-Semitism, demographic deterioration and threats of annihilation from their closest neighbors.
My understanding of the difficulties associated with their future has been significantly influenced by articles written by journalist Charles Krauthammer that are included in his recent best seller Things That Matter. His scholarly discussions and advocacy present a somber revelation concerning the Jews' determination to maintain their sovereign democracy. Israel represents the stark reality of their return to Zion – the ancient homeland of the Jews. The critical relevance of the State of Israel is that the very continuity of Jewish survival may very well rest on ITS continued existence, and they know it.
It is scary therefore to watch the antics of a bumbling representative of the Obama administration persisting in a quest for a peace agreement between the Palestinians and the Israelis. The fear is the price he may try to exact from the Israelis will lead to some inevitable inability to defend its territory, or dependence on an American President who most leaders in the world now regard as too weak and incompetent to run his own country. An interesting question for both the President and Kerry is – have they read the little book entitled Things That Matter?
Krauthammer's contention, or conclusion, is that the State of Israel is crucial for the survival of the Jews. "On its existence and survival - hangs the very existence and survival of the Jewish people" That belief is based on the rationale of current demographics affecting the Jews today. The Diaspora, or scattering of the Jews in history helped preserve them, but today Jews outside of Israel are being decimated by "endemic intermarriage and low fertility rates ... In the U.S. more Jews marry Christians than marry Jews," and the 1.6 percent fertility rate is well below the replacement rate needed to even remain constant. The same thing is occurring in Europe where assimilation is also integrating the Jews. But only in Israel does the positive birthrate support a continuing growth of the Jews to assure their continuity in the world and where assimilation is not a problem. Israel is therefore the place of "reconcentration ... endowed with sovereignty, statehood and arms." It is a people who will not be exiled again by the Babylonians or the Romans, or permit another Holocaust. Both Kerry and Obama need an infusion of Israeli backbone.
