All of the following quoted paragraphs came from an article dated November 23, 2015 in the Lowell Sun. The article was written by Andy Metzger and Colin A. Young for the State House News Service.
I want to thank Pamela Geller for providing a link, on her Twitter account, to this article. That's how I found it.
These are the first three paragraphs of the article.
For the benefit of people who don't live in Boston, the M.B.T.A. is the name of the state agency that oversees public transportation in this area.
I want to thank Mr. Metzger and Mr. Young for not identifying, in the first paragraph, the conflicting parties as Israelis and Arabs. The term "Arab" was originally a term that meant any person or group whose ancestors came from the Arabian peninsula, pictured on the right.
Most of this land is the country called Saudi Arabia.
Palestinian ancestors come from Jordan, which is on the edge of this peninsula, so even if you accept the definition of the word "Arab", they don't qualify.
Mr. Colbath-Hess is absolutely correct. Three times.
The fact that the article identifies Daniel Hermon as an "ideological opponent" is evidence that his conversation with Mr. Colbath-Hess is now a political feud. When a person who has a strong faith dislikes someone (that's rare, of course - God teaches and practices love), they don't compare someone else to Hitler. A person who has a strong faith would use words that are in his holy book, not a history book.
The Michigan chapter of The Council on American Islamic Relations has made two notable and completely contradictory demands. Lack of a consistent message is a sign of an incompetent public relations department.
As reported on the website of Arab-American News on April 4, 2013:
However, as C.A.I.R. stated in a press release dated October 1, 2009:
I'm now certain that because of their advocacy of Muslim prayer in a Michigan public school, The Council on American Islamic Relations will have no objection to any student-led Christian prayer or Bible Study in the same school. If a Muslim can pray in school, why shouldn't a Christian (or a Jew, or a Buddhist, or any other student) also be able to pray or study the Bible, the Torah, or the Buddhist Sutras and Suttas in school?
That is both sensible political harmony and an example of the tolerance that Muslims say that Allah requires of them.
I have an unanswered question. If Israel is a democracy, as many people claim, then can someone who lives there but who isn't Jewish become the Mayor of Jerusalem or the Prime Minister of that country?
I want to thank Pamela Geller for providing a link, on her Twitter account, to this article. That's how I found it.
These are the first three paragraphs of the article.
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict surfaced Monday as a central theme in two protests: one speaking out against an ad on the MBTA that some say is designed "to demonize Israelis and Jews," and another urging senators to forgo a planned trip to Israel next month.
After opposing viewpoints on one of the world's most contentious conflicts came to a head before the MBTA's management board on Monday afternoon, the T decided to ban political issue advertising on the transit system. The T's Fiscal and Management Control Board also banned advertising for electronic cigarettes.
"This change has been in the works for weeks, several weeks. Long before this particular controversy arose," MBTA general counsel John Englander said. The new policy was approved unanimously on a voice vote after a closed-door executive session and no public discussion.
Read more: http://www.lowellsun.com/breakingnews/ci_29156216/mbta-bans-political-issue-ads-amid-protest-pro#ixzz3sNOiIHLN
For the benefit of people who don't live in Boston, the M.B.T.A. is the name of the state agency that oversees public transportation in this area.I want to thank Mr. Metzger and Mr. Young for not identifying, in the first paragraph, the conflicting parties as Israelis and Arabs. The term "Arab" was originally a term that meant any person or group whose ancestors came from the Arabian peninsula, pictured on the right.
Most of this land is the country called Saudi Arabia.
Palestinian ancestors come from Jordan, which is on the edge of this peninsula, so even if you accept the definition of the word "Arab", they don't qualify.
Jews and Israelis
These are the fourth and fifth paragraphs of the article in the Lowell Sun.Activists opposed to an ad on the MBTA representing that "Israel's military has killed one Palestinian child every three days" since September 2000 said the ad promoted hate against Jews, and attempted to shout over a man who supported the ad.
"We have the right to criticize government. Every government in the world needs to be able to be criticized," said Richard Colbath-Hess, of the Palestine Advocacy Project. Colbath-Hess, who said he is Jewish and his father survived the Holocaust, said it is a "mistake" to link anti-Semitism and criticism of Israel.
Read more: http://www.lowellsun.com/breakingnews/ci_29156216/mbta-bans-political-issue-ads-amid-protest-pro#ixzz3sNdqygRp
Mr. Colbath-Hess is absolutely correct. Three times.
- Americans do have the right to criticize government. The right to do so is an integral part of the Declaration of Independence and the first amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Multiple decisions of the Supreme Court have said, explicitly, that Americans can criticize their government, verbally, in professionally-written newspaper articles, and in private correspondence.
- Every government in the world does need to be criticized from time to time by their own people and by the rest of the world. Link to my essay Presidents must be accountable to their people. This applies to the president of any country because, as it is stated in the essay, any man can have a mental illness that makes it impossible for him to perform his official duties. The definition of a mental illness should include alcoholism, which afflicted Joseph Stalin, who then arranged for seven million Ukrainians to starve to death.
- It is a mistake to link anti-Semitism and criticism of Israel. As stated in my 2012 essay Do you support Israel, there are four definitions of the word "Israel".
- a man who was born with the name Jacob,
- his blood descendants (they eventually became an extended family),
- a piece of land described in geographic terms, and
- a group of people, living anywhere in the world, who believe in the principles of a particular religion. They are often called Zionists, and they often exclude other Jews from their circle of friends if these other Jews aren't strict enough about their religious practices.
A religious argument becomes a political argument
These are the sixth through the tenth paragraphs of the article.[Richard Colbath-Hess] was subjected to shouting from his ideological opponents.
"He's the cousin of Hitler," said Daniel Hermon, slapping Colbath-Hess on the back. Hermon also joined those yelling over Colbath-Hess as he spoke to reporters.
Colbath-Hess said there is one ad in the system at the Davis Square MBTA station. Englander said that ad would be disallowed under the new policy going into effect midnight Nov. 30.
Paul Fleishman compared the ad -- which depicts a girl in pigtails standing outdoors -- to Islamic State recruitment and used it to disparage Palestinian children in comments to the control board.
"If it would be a real Palestinian girl it would have a suicide vest on her. That's how I know this is probably not a Palestinian girl," Fleishman said.
Read more: http://www.lowellsun.com/breakingnews/ci_29156216/mbta-bans-political-issue-ads-amid-protest-pro#ixzz3sNxUd7w5
The fact that the article identifies Daniel Hermon as an "ideological opponent" is evidence that his conversation with Mr. Colbath-Hess is now a political feud. When a person who has a strong faith dislikes someone (that's rare, of course - God teaches and practices love), they don't compare someone else to Hitler. A person who has a strong faith would use words that are in his holy book, not a history book.
C.A.I.R. has poor public relations
This is the 11th paragraph of the article.Charles Jacobs, who has been accused of Islamophobia by the Council on American Islamic Relations of Massachusetts, told reporters he does not agree that the girl should have worn a suicide vest.
Read more: http://www.lowellsun.com/breakingnews/ci_29156216/mbta-bans-political-issue-ads-amid-protest-pro#ixzz3sO18AC5U
The Michigan chapter of The Council on American Islamic Relations has made two notable and completely contradictory demands. Lack of a consistent message is a sign of an incompetent public relations department.
As reported on the website of Arab-American News on April 4, 2013:
The Council on American Islamic Relations of Michigan (CAIR-MI) staff recently met with Dearborn Public Schools Superintendent Brian Whiston to discuss concerns from some parents regarding prayer accommodations in Dearborn Public Schools.
Dearborn Public Schools has implemented a policy which fully accommodates student-led prayer in all the schools, as well as unexcused absences for students who leave early on Fridays for Jumu'ah prayers. CAIR-MI is currently in discussion with Melvindale Public Schools to get similar accommodations for students that are now in place for Dearborn Public Schools.
However, as C.A.I.R. stated in a press release dated October 1, 2009:
The Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MI) said today that a Detroit-area school district has apologized for handing out permission slips for Bible study classes to elementary school students.
CAIR-MI sent a letter to Roseville Public Schools after receiving a complaint from two parents of children who attend Huron Park Elementary School about distribution by teachers of permission slips for the Bible classes at a local Baptist church.
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I've been wondering for a long time whether the Michigan chapter of C.A.I.R. has forgiven and then forgotten their arguments against Christians who wanted to study the Bible during school hours. I have known many Christians who were eager to share their love of Jesus with as many people as possible, so that these people will all be together in Heaven some day. |
I'm now certain that because of their advocacy of Muslim prayer in a Michigan public school, The Council on American Islamic Relations will have no objection to any student-led Christian prayer or Bible Study in the same school. If a Muslim can pray in school, why shouldn't a Christian (or a Jew, or a Buddhist, or any other student) also be able to pray or study the Bible, the Torah, or the Buddhist Sutras and Suttas in school?
That is both sensible political harmony and an example of the tolerance that Muslims say that Allah requires of them.
I have an unanswered question. If Israel is a democracy, as many people claim, then can someone who lives there but who isn't Jewish become the Mayor of Jerusalem or the Prime Minister of that country?
