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Peace Protester Meets Military Men; Perceptions or Promise

copyright © 2007 Betsy L. Angert. BeThink.org

This morning, as I approached the peace corner, two of my fellow demonstrators made mention of the soldiers across the street. Weekly, a throng of Iraq war dissenters stands and pickets on the south side of the street. I position myself on the North end of the avenue. I stand alone. On this afternoon, two young men dressed in Army fatigues, soldiers, situated themselves on the median, yards from where I position myself. They carried plastic bins; patriotic banners were pasted onto these containers. American flags and pamphlets graced their station. The military men collected money from passers-by. They distributed literature. They did their work from the same side of the street I favor.

Jews, Mel Gibson, War. Rehabilitating Hatred ©

“Peace is harder to make than war.” - Stanley Weintraub Those that know me well might ask why would I write an exposé discussing Mel Gibson. I am not a fan of Hollywood or its gossip. I do not go to the movie theatres. I rarely recall the names of actors. Show business personalities are of little interest to me. Their art does not mesmerize my mind. Most of it, I feel, is meaningless. As for Mel, I was unwilling to attend a showing of the “Passion of Christ,” even though a friend offered to pay for my ticket. As much as I believe it is important to know what those that differ from me, think, say, do and feel, the prospect of an anti-Semitic message turned my stomach.

Though this treatise will invoke the name of Mel Gibson, it is not about Mr. Gibson; it is about hatred and whether or not we can rehabilitate the hearts and minds of those that hate.