Today as I was getting ready to go to my dentist appointment, I paused and watched a flash on Fox News.   I was appalled to see that a gunman had walked into the Washington DC holocaust museum with a loaded gun in his hand, and opened fire.  He carried a rifle in his hands in plain sight and did not make it very far into the building, as he was yet to pass the entranceway or metal detectors.  (A brilliant man no doubt, as he obviously had some scheme to get an unconcealed rifle past the guards and metal detectors)

The security guards ordered him to drop the weapon, which he did not.  They shot at him then and he soon thereafter returned fire.  The gunman fatally shot one of the guards down, and he himself was wounded. He is currently lying in critical condition in a DC area hospital.  His name is James Von Brunn, and he is a known white supremacist author and website leader.  He has fallen far from his time as a Captain in the Navy.  He has published books on how the blacks and the Jews are out to ‘pollute the white gene pool.’  He also served time in prison, for which he blamed the ‘negro jury’ and the ‘Jew judge.’  Obviously, a model citizen…

            A holocaust museum brings to mind an anti-Semitic crime at the heart of its motivation.  For those of you playing the home game, this means a crime against a Jewish person.  What is even more trouble was how many people I thought could have fit this type of crime as the perpetrator: there are far too many groups of people who could have been suspected of committing a crime this disgusting.   Aryan supremacists, Klansmen, and radical Islamofacists all spring to mind readily, and still there are more.  I am reminded of the liberal protestors who during last summer when Israel was pounding away at the militants in Gaza proudly marched through the streets holding up signs that said “More Ovens For Jews.”  I’m also ashamed to think of the so-called Christian fundamentalists who are extremely anti-Semitic from the pulpit (Source: www.godhatesfags.com - these clowns are the more well known of the bunch).  Personally, I think they are a disgrace to the name of Christianity.  At the close of World War II, our soldiers helped to liberate the Nazi concentration/extermination camps such as Buchenwald, and Dachau.  General Eisenhower told his men to take photographic and video records of the atrocities committed there.   The buildings, the survivors, and victims were all documented. 

You can still find photos today of the General touring the Ohrdurf concentration camp in April of 1945.   He listened as the survivors told of the crimes committed by the SS.   He was careful to make a record of everything seen by him and his men, prophetically stating that one day, people would deny that these events had ever taken place.

Today that prediction has become as unfortunate a reality as any.  The president of Iran calls for Israel to be wiped off the map.  There have been ‘international peace conferences’ which have turned into Israel and US bash-fests.  President Obama’s pastor of twenty years, Rev. Jeremiah Wright today came out and said that Obama has not spoken to him in a year, because “those Jews won’t let him.” 

Anti-Semitism draws together the strangest of bedfellows.  White supremacist groups have been said to be in communication with al-qaeda, as their common enemy is the same:  The United States government.  Al-qaeda has declared war on us because of our close relations with Israel, as well as whatever else is bunching their underwear that particular day.  As for the white supremacists, they are probably still on that whole kick on how Israel and the Jewish people control the banks and government, attempting to take over the entire world.  (Someone should tell these geniuses that Israel right now is just trying to survive day-to-day, and doesn’t really have the time for that sort of thing.)              

When the state of Israel was created in May of 1948, there was a space set aside for the Palestinian people as well.  It was in the country of Jordan.  The Jordanians set the precedent later on of using the Palestinians as chess pieces, and excuses to attack the state of Israel.  Don’t believe for one second that the president of Iran is welcoming these people with opened arms.  I doubt he will ever extend the invitation or set out a welcome mat for them.  Many of the oil rich Arab countries today do not wish to help out the Palestinians in any way unless it will let them gain leverage over the people of Israel.  They have done nothing but fuel the anger the Palestinians have, instead of help it.  

After all the wars, attempted invasions and rocket attacks I know I would not ask Israel to give up any more land or make any more concessions.  This has all been tried before.  Presidents Carter and Clinton both held conferences with Arab and Jewish leaders, trying to broker a deal.  Both times Israel was forced to make concessions and we have seen how well that has worked out so far.

There are generations of people who have been raised to believe the Jewish people are their blood enemy.  They are brainwashed to the point where they will strap bombs to their women and children and send them to a crowded marketplace.  To make it worse, there are people of European descent, who still cling to the oldest and stupidest of stereotypes.  During the middle ages of Europe, the Pope decreed that all followers of Christ could not become bankers or handle large sums of money, as the profit would invoke sin.  This led the profession of bankers to be taken up by one of Europe’s minority groups: The Jews.  This ended up being a severe miscalculation, as it only caused jealously from those of the gentile persuasion.  This has lead to centuries of persecution and stereotypes still peddled by comics and presidents from oil rich nations today. 

Call me a skeptic, but I do not believe that a two state solution will change any of this.  President Obama is reportedly trying to get a two-state solution on the table from Israel by July.  As I have written before, I am glad that Benjamin Netanyahu was elected to the office of Prime Minister.  His country cannot afford mediocre or soft leadership at a time like this.

I have two hopes, at a time like this.  I hope that our government does not take advantage of this situation today at the DC museum.  Rahm Emanuel has said that one should never waste a ‘serious crisis’, and I can just see this being used as an excuse to crack down on other ‘right wing extremists.’  (As a right wing extremist, I’m offended to be compared to a scumbag like James Von Brunn)

I also hope that Israel and her people know that even if our president does not appear to stand with her, there are many of us who do.