jw076
June 3rd, 2009, 11:50 pm
An Open Letter to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from the People of the United States of America
By John W. Willoughby
Dear Prime Minister Netanyahu:
We the people of the United States of America pledge our unwavering support to you and your country in the seemingly endless quest for peace and tranquility. We do not believe that acts of terrorism against our dearest friend and ally half a world away and acts of terrorism against our own homeland are mutually exclusive, nor do we accept that a truly lasting peace will result from appeasing one while combating the other.
Terrorism against one is terrorism against all. Unlike conventional warfare, we have sadly and painfully learned that the war on terrorism is perpetual and by definition can never be won. It is imperative however that we always be winning.
Israelis, just as all peace-loving peoples of the world, have the basic human right to protect their homes and families. Commensurately, responsible members of the world community (and especially their leaders) have an obligation to Israel and all of mankind to combat terrorism by whatever means available regardless of political expediency or public opinion of the day.
Unfortunately, some in my country including many in the Obama Administration have weakened in their resolve that a nuclear threat from Iran is a mortal threat. As a nation, we have begun to stray from the path of altruism you yourselves forged and we strived so hard to emulate after the attacks of 9/11. Instead, our newly elected leaders have charted a course that will invariably lead their supporters to succumb to fear and appeasement. They rationalize, trivialize, and in essence disregard the harsh and cruel realities that have (until recently) led us to empathize with and show unconditional support for you.
You see, ours has become a nation divided. It seems we can’t agree on even the most fundamental issues of freedom and democracy -- how they were won, what they are worth, and whether they will continue to be embraced, protected, or are even worthy of being defended. Our most treasured citizens (our military members and veterans) as well as our staunchest allies are now to be watched with tacit suspicion while our harshest ideological critics and irksome antagonists are suddenly being embraced. Intolerance by our citizenry for the opposing viewpoint in even something as benign as the personal beliefs of beauty contestant has become a virus of pandemic proportions that is spreading through our society and may jeopardize our grit and determination to function as a unified nation let alone a world leader.
Instead of the fortitude we summoned after the 9/11 attacks, we now exhibit gross indifference. Instead of vigilance, we are steeped in ambivalence and apathy. Instead of standing by your side and sharing the strength you’ve so unselfishly demonstrated, we continue to hypocritically urge you to submit to unrealistic optimism and broken promises only to be let down time and time again.
Our new administration is on the path to folly. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is clearly beyond her depth when she insists that, in order to receive U.S. funding, any new Palestinian government (that includes terrorist groups such as Hamas) should meet three conditions – that they recognize Israel as a sovereign nation, that they renounce violence, and that they agree to previous Palestinian peace accords (though those same conditions were not enforced in Lebanon, whose government includes the terrorist group Hezbollah). How can the Obama Administration claim that distribution of funds likely to end up in the hands of terrorists be, according to Clinton, “in the best interest of the United States?"
We Americans pray that, when the time comes for Israelis to exercise their God-given right to protect their homeland, our leaders will support them as our citizens demand. Conversely, if the Obama Administration decides to take exception (in the form of some level of active American military intervention) to the methods you will have chosen and have every right to exercise, they will do so without the support of a large majority of the American public and will be held to account.
We can only hope that (based on a fundamental lack of understanding on issues in your region of the world as revealed during the 2008 U.S. Presidential Campaign and since) any objections the Obama Administration and the majority party of U.S. Congress express are as passive and unobtrusive as possible.
Once again, We the People of the United States of America wish you Godspeed in your journey to peace.
Very respectfully,
LCDR John W. Willoughby, USNR-Retired
By John W. Willoughby
Dear Prime Minister Netanyahu:
We the people of the United States of America pledge our unwavering support to you and your country in the seemingly endless quest for peace and tranquility. We do not believe that acts of terrorism against our dearest friend and ally half a world away and acts of terrorism against our own homeland are mutually exclusive, nor do we accept that a truly lasting peace will result from appeasing one while combating the other.
Terrorism against one is terrorism against all. Unlike conventional warfare, we have sadly and painfully learned that the war on terrorism is perpetual and by definition can never be won. It is imperative however that we always be winning.
Israelis, just as all peace-loving peoples of the world, have the basic human right to protect their homes and families. Commensurately, responsible members of the world community (and especially their leaders) have an obligation to Israel and all of mankind to combat terrorism by whatever means available regardless of political expediency or public opinion of the day.
Unfortunately, some in my country including many in the Obama Administration have weakened in their resolve that a nuclear threat from Iran is a mortal threat. As a nation, we have begun to stray from the path of altruism you yourselves forged and we strived so hard to emulate after the attacks of 9/11. Instead, our newly elected leaders have charted a course that will invariably lead their supporters to succumb to fear and appeasement. They rationalize, trivialize, and in essence disregard the harsh and cruel realities that have (until recently) led us to empathize with and show unconditional support for you.
You see, ours has become a nation divided. It seems we can’t agree on even the most fundamental issues of freedom and democracy -- how they were won, what they are worth, and whether they will continue to be embraced, protected, or are even worthy of being defended. Our most treasured citizens (our military members and veterans) as well as our staunchest allies are now to be watched with tacit suspicion while our harshest ideological critics and irksome antagonists are suddenly being embraced. Intolerance by our citizenry for the opposing viewpoint in even something as benign as the personal beliefs of beauty contestant has become a virus of pandemic proportions that is spreading through our society and may jeopardize our grit and determination to function as a unified nation let alone a world leader.
Instead of the fortitude we summoned after the 9/11 attacks, we now exhibit gross indifference. Instead of vigilance, we are steeped in ambivalence and apathy. Instead of standing by your side and sharing the strength you’ve so unselfishly demonstrated, we continue to hypocritically urge you to submit to unrealistic optimism and broken promises only to be let down time and time again.
Our new administration is on the path to folly. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is clearly beyond her depth when she insists that, in order to receive U.S. funding, any new Palestinian government (that includes terrorist groups such as Hamas) should meet three conditions – that they recognize Israel as a sovereign nation, that they renounce violence, and that they agree to previous Palestinian peace accords (though those same conditions were not enforced in Lebanon, whose government includes the terrorist group Hezbollah). How can the Obama Administration claim that distribution of funds likely to end up in the hands of terrorists be, according to Clinton, “in the best interest of the United States?"
We Americans pray that, when the time comes for Israelis to exercise their God-given right to protect their homeland, our leaders will support them as our citizens demand. Conversely, if the Obama Administration decides to take exception (in the form of some level of active American military intervention) to the methods you will have chosen and have every right to exercise, they will do so without the support of a large majority of the American public and will be held to account.
We can only hope that (based on a fundamental lack of understanding on issues in your region of the world as revealed during the 2008 U.S. Presidential Campaign and since) any objections the Obama Administration and the majority party of U.S. Congress express are as passive and unobtrusive as possible.
Once again, We the People of the United States of America wish you Godspeed in your journey to peace.
Very respectfully,
LCDR John W. Willoughby, USNR-Retired