Tennessee Ignorance

I think it prophetic and typical that the State of Tennessee, home of the world famous "Scopes Monkey Trial" (1925) that forbid teaching evolution in the schools, has now had it's Senate pass a bill that forbids elementary and secondary schools from even mentioning anything to do with homosexuality. Nothing like a group of people continuing to keep their heads in the sand.

Under the proposal approved 19-11 on Friday, any instruction or materials at a public elementary or middle school will be "limited exclusively to age-appropriate natural human reproduction science." Republican Senate sponsor Stacey Campfield of Knoxville says "homosexuals don't naturally reproduce."

The Munich Three

Dear editor:

In 1938, the leaders of Britain, France and Germany sat down in Munich, Germany and decided the fate of Chzechoslovakia, especially the Sudetenland. The major problem was Czechoslovakia was not invited and these three major powers deprived the Czechs not only of land and population but of fortifiable land that would help them protect their country. They did it, in the words of Britain’s Prime Minister, for “Peace in our time.” Well, the “Munich Three” are at it again in relation to Israel, only this time for “Oil in our time.” They will do anything to protect their need for the precious fuel.

These three self interested nations have decided without consultation of Israel (ala Czechoslovakia) to disregard UN Security Council Resolution 242 passed in the wake of the 1967 war and is the all time basis for peace negotiations. It specifies that Israel should not be forced to return to the pre-1967 armistice lines and should be replaced by “secure and recognized boundaries” to be negotiated by Israel and its neighbors. It seems this is not good enough for the “Munich Three” in their greed for oil, and they have demanded Israel return to the pre-1967 lines and recognize a new Palestinian State which includes East Jerusalem. For those not in the know, all Jerusalem is the capitol of the State of Israel and is not devisable.

At the same time, the Palestinian factions Fatah and Hamas formalized reconciliation this past week and will try to form a unified government for the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. This presents many long standing problems including the fact that in the Hamas Charter it calls for the complete destruction of Israel. This could undermine any peace efforts for the United States which has labeled Hamas a terrorist organization, and has proven over and over again. This evidently has the blessing of the “Munich Three.”

We as a country must help to encourage peace in the area and press for the protection of Israel, the one and only true democracy in the Middle East with voting rights, women’s rights, free education, freedom (and respect) for all religions, health systems for all, and the one true friend in the area of the United States. It has become a bulwark of science and technology with a population of only 7,442,000. All this as opposed to the 23 member fair weather friendly states overseen by monarchs, despots, potentates and rulers with doubtful rights for all and a population of 350,346,000

And Israel has no oil.