The ground shifts beneath our feet..

Do you not feel it? In the early hours of this morning, before the Sun came to rise in Israel, before the day was new in the Americas, the hearts and minds of men were moved en-masse. And as the light of day came to shine upon the Truth of such a misguided and yet-unfathomed tragedy, nations and peoples were shown to move in similar fashion.

Note that this is just the very beginning, and that which was hidden in the darkest before the dawn still needs to be chronologically brought to Light. But that still very much being the case, this world will no longer seem as it did yesterday.

Not to me.. Not to many.. The blight on humanity that has transpired in international waters, 40 miles off the coasts of Israel, forces the hand of the international community. Their civilians are slowly growing aware of an ugliness that has come to pass, with ever few excuses providing ample justification (to those, at least, sans significant - read: religious - bias) for the killings of 10-19 civilians (with batons, metal bars, and crude slingshots shooting marbles) by military forces (with live fire via automatic weaponry). The people of nations all over, almost devoid of their respective national interests, are now more inclined to ask questions about the situation that is Gaza.. More interested in answers as to the "Why's" behind such a dramatic, "disproportionate", and illegal response to the threat of humanitarian civilians reaching those lands with aid.

I'm about as unaware of the Palestinian plight as many another American, and today I feel all the more inclined to apologize for my ignorance. We're brought to understand here that there are people that attack us in so-and-so general area, and thus naturally, they are our enemy. We see, too, that those enemies of ours are setting upon another in that region in similarly savage fashion - and so the enemy of our enemy is our friend. Personally, that is not the fullest extents of my understandings, nor are they my particular views.. I, in fact, acknowledge just how little beyond our borders, already plagued with brutal and subtle discrimination and cruelty and hardship, that I am Aware of.. In no manner can I blame a country, My country, for all the knowledge that I've not sought mySelf.. But it seems to be the undertone of the message on these shores, and based upon the commentary of many a conservative and/or ignorant individual with whom I share these lands, it seems that is, too, the capacity of their understanding.. But as a man Free to think and believe as he so chooses, I am left today only asking what the fullest details are, and why... Why, everything, really..

It seems the floodgates have been opened in the hearts and minds of many, now. There's a portion of the world where likely injustices have been brought to light, caused by a force that seeks protections from similar injustices by the national community at large. That decries 'villain!!' with a pointed finger at the entirety of the Muslim world.... And today it almost feels as though we were adults that caught a child in the act of bullying others, the very same child that has always said to us, 'Help me, they're hurting me!' - the very same that we've stood in front of and protected from those others - and having to watch this child, desperately, try to sway us and convince us that Israel is not to blame. That Israel did Not start this. That Israel did Not just make those other kids eat sand and mud as we Thought we saw, but rather that Israel was trying the damnedest that they could to avoid a struggle and to protect themselves...

So we stand today with what seems to be an opportunity for the Muslim community to smash Such shame into the faces of those allied to Israel for whatever interests they hold within..... OR, such an Opportunity to connect with a part of the world - nay, with All of the world - to right wrongs and prove ourselves intolerant of such ugly and condemnable behavior - from wherever it spawns.

The grounds upon which we stand are, indeed, shifting...

Will they change for the better? Time will tell. The Jewish community in the US is Incredibly powerful. From Washington to Hollywood, they've a hand (and quite a few dollars) placed firmly. To attack any one portion of that form, that practices beyond any other I can even think of an essence of true solidarity, attacks any and everywhere that hand has touched. Most assuredly this Truth is being heavily weighed as our nation develops its official response(s) to this fiasco.

But right is Right, and wrong is Wrong. The world perceives this as an Israeli attack, in open waters, upon civilians and artists and diplomats and misc. other humanitarians of different stripes and creeds and nationalities. Men and Women who only sought to stand against a wrong the world would otherwise ignore by refusing to take 'no' for an answer and bringing its aid and Love Directly to a peoples Obviously and desperately in need, if only to be absolutely certain that it gets there. If it is indeed proven/widely accepted that this is the case, then to do nothing and not have those accountable held to the consequences of their actions is an egregious step or 20 backwards for every man, woman, and child of this species.. As is any injustice to humanity and Life that is allowed to stand.


Peace and Light,
Cory H.