Ron Paul and Israel

Ron Paul and Israel

By Doug Wead

I am a “born again Christian” and like most from my culture I support Israel’s right to live at peace behind secure borders.

I am also a strong supporter of Ron Paul because he, more than any other public figure, fights for personal liberty. Christians don’t need to take power. They had power in England and France and Spain and it didn’t work. All power, even Christian power, corrupts. Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty. And the idea of liberty is what gave birth to the American experiment. This country has seen many of the greatest spiritual awakenings in modern history not because we seized government and used it to promote our agenda but because government stayed out of the way.

So I am deeply disappointed at my good friend, Gary Bauer, for a misleading fundraising letter smearing Congressman Ron Paul and suggesting that he wants to cut off aid to Israel. The letter was sent out last month but I am still having it forwarded onto me by well intentioned, but misled, evangelical friends.

Here is the opening paragraph of the Gary Bauer letter, sent out to “Friends and Supporters.”

“Representative Ron Paul (R-TX) has just introduced an amendment to end all U.S. aid to Israel. The amendment could be voted on before the day is over. I need your help right now to stop this ill-conceived proposal! ”

Now, here is the truth:

Congressman Ron Paul never introduced legislation calling for an end to U.S. aid to Israel. What he did introduce was legislation that would have ended foreign aid to ALL countries.

Ron Paul sees foreign aid as taking money from poor people in rich countries and giving it to rich people in poor countries. It was this foreign aid that made Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak and his family wealthy.

The United States is in the middle of a desperate financial crisis and we are still acting like we are the world’s rich uncle, picking up the restaurant tab for every meal.

But Bauer’s letter discounts this idea:

“Don’t be deceived. This Ron Paul proposal would not lower our budget deficit. By abandoning Israel while its enemies are gaining strength, the risk of a major war in the Middle East would increase. A major war would cost the U.S. billions and billions of dollars as we have already seen in Iraq and Afghanistan.”

Now for the dirty little secret that Evangelical Christian Washington lobbyists don’t want you to know. While America’s foreign aid package gives Israel $ 3 billion in loans, it also gives Israel’s collective Arab enemies four times as much, more than $ 12 billion in direct aid.

Far from abandoning Israel, Ron Paul’s legislation would have given Israel a net $ 8 billion advantage over the status quo. One could have just as easily sent out a fundraising letter saying that Gary Bauer is promoting a policy that will give the enemies of Israel four times the aid we give her.

Such demagoguery is not just ridiculous, it is wrong.

Ron Paul’s principled stands have been consistent and logical and unchanging.

In the 1980′s, when Republicans and Washington power elites were pushing for a deal that would sell AWACS to Saudi Arabia, Ron Paul was a defiant, lonely voice trying to block the sale. The pressure was on and most evangelical leaders abandoned Israel, rationalizing their position. Not Ron Paul.

In recent years he has urged congress to end all corporate subsidies to companies that do business with Iran and other nations bellicose to Israel. Few if any evangelicals recognize the importance to Israel of this ongoing struggle involving billions of dollars and corporate corruption and powerful Washington lobbyists. And he continues to fight the growing protectionist sentiment in our country to ensure we maintain the freest possible exchange of trade and commerce with Israel.

Most of all, Ron Paul believes that American should mind its own business and let Israel make her own decisions without interference and control from Washington. He recognizes that Israel has one of the best trained, most elite armed forces in the world and he believes that we should NEVER try to use our influence to stop Israel from defending herself. Ron Paul refused to vote to condemn Israel during the 2006 war with Lebanon. And he will never try to pressure Israel into accepting a “land for peace” compromise before the Israelis themselves decide.

I have spoken with Dr. Ron Paul about Israel, He recognizes the special relationship between Israel and the United States based on our shared values and Judeo-Christian history. As the former vice president of Christian and Jews United for Israel, I would strongly argue that Ron’s position of friendship, free trade, ending support for Israel’s enemies and a cessation of meddling in Israel’s internal affairs would provide for a stronger U.S.- Israeli relationship and a net advantage for the Israelis.

As a “born again Christian” I have been amused at the willingness of our power brokers to conveniently embrace presidential candidates who have had four marriages or have been bitter opponents to our own people facing nomination in the Senate or who flip flop on the issues just in time for Iowa, all because the candidate will do a radio show or appear at a university or a political briefing – fund raiser.

Well, Ron Paul is the real deal. Raised as a Lutheran, (now attending a Baptist church in Lake Jackson) he puts his Christian faith into practice. He has always been pro life, always been married to the same wife and always been the nation’s premier advocate for liberty.

As we see our liberties being stripped away by the courts and by government agencies and by presidential fiat, we need to speak carefully and truthfully about those few men and women in Washington who have the integrity to defy the temptations of power. Ron Paul is just such a man. We should cherish his independence from the corruption and partisanship of Washington, D. C.. and instead of distorting his positions on the issues we should celebrate his courage to speak the truth.

Ali Shermacher: The man with the golden smile

 Most of us who knew Ali Shermacher have not been able to get much sleep this week.  Just a few hours and then wake up with a start.  Is he really gone?  Will I never hear his laugh or see him flip back that full head of hair?

 Ali was in an elite category, a man with a super charged personality.  As a networker, he could sponsor people who didn’t understand his German or Dutch or broken English.  He sponsored people on the subway in Budapest or in Hotel lobbies in Bucharest because they could feel his excitement and they were all charmed by his love of life and his genuine appreciation – no, his pure joy – at being with people.

 Ali was once a room service waiter at a Movenpick Hotel.  He charmed the man in the presidential suite, told him why his hotels were losing money, and for a few years ended up directing the chain, a dark blue suit at the top. What a story, what a guy.

He started a website for fun with a friend and it soon became the biggest site in Holland.  He sold it to the Dutch version of Google.

 Oh, how I wanted to write his book.  Maybe I still will.

 He lived life to its fullest.  We once shared a trip to Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta.  Hey, we met all over the world on business.  But most of his life was tucked away in a little village in the Alps with Trixi, with moments that were  only theirs. 

 When he called earlier in the year to say that he was dying of lung cancer I suddenly remembered that, yeah, that’s right, he smokes.  Even that was so forgivable in one so kind and personable to others.  And he was such a handsome guy that the smell of smoke was never a negative. And I promised to pray for him every day.

 Ali made you feel like you were important.  He could listen.  He would laugh at your humor and ponder over a good line.  He was present.  By that I mean he was in the room, not dreaming or planning of something else, preoccupied like most of us.  He was with you.  Only, not now, he is not with us now.  Now, he is gone and it hurts.  And it is hard to sleep.

(Russian)

A льберт Ширмахер : человек с солнечной улыбкой

Даг Вид,  12 августа

 

Большинство из нас, кто знал Али Шумахера, не могли спать на этой неделе. Спишь несколько часов, а потом просыпаешься, как от удара. Неужели его больше нет? Неужели я никогда больше не услышу его смех, не увижу как он вскидывает голову с густыми волосами?

  Али был особеным человеком, необыкновенной личностью. Будучи сетевиком, он умел спонсировать людей, не понимавших его немецкий, голландский и ломаный английский. Он спонсировал в метро Будапешта и в холлах гостиниц Бухареста, потому что люди чувствовали его воодушевление, он покорял их своей любовью к жизни и истинным удовольствием, радостью от того, что он с ними.

  Когда-то Али был официантом по обслуживанию постояльцев в номерах в гостинице Мовенпик. Он очаровал человека, который остановился в президентском номере, объяснил ему, почему его гостиницы терпят убытки и на несколько лет стал управляющим сети отелей, человеком в синем костюме на самом верху служебной лестницы. Какая история, какая личность!                                                                              

Для собственного удовольствия вместе с другом он создал вебсайт, который вскоре стал самым большим в Голландии. Он продал его голландской версии Google .                                     

О, как я хотел написать о нем книгу, Может быть, еще напишу.

Он жил на полную катушку. Однажды мы вместе ездили в Куала Лумпур и Джакарту. По бизнесу мы встречались в разных городах мира. Но большую часть своей жизни он проводил в маленькой деревушке в Альпах вместе с Трикси, и эта жизнь принадлежала только им одним.

 Когда в начале этого года он позвонил, чтобы сказать, что умирает от рака легких, я вдруг вспомнил, да, он же курит. Но даже это было так легко простить такому доброму и отзывчивому человеку. Он был таким красивым мужчиной, что дым сигарет не вызывал осуждения. И я пообещал каждый день за него молиться.                                                     

Али умел дать вам почувствовать, что вы важны для него. Он умел слушать. Он смеялся над вашими шутками и думал над тем, что вы говорили. Он был с вами. Под этим я имею ввиду, что он был здесь, не мечтал или думал о чем-то своем, занятый собой, как многие из нас. Он был с нами. А теперь его нет. Он ушел, и от этого больно. И невозможно спать по ночам.

(Hungarian)

Ali Schermacher: Az arany mosolyú férfi

 A többségünk azok közül akik ismerték Ali Schermachert nem sokat aludtunk ezen a héten. Csak néhány óra alvás után felébredve újra kezdhetjük. Tényleg elment? Soha többé nem hallhatom a nevetését és nem láthatom ahogy hátraveti a haját?

 Ali egy elit kategóriába tartozott, egy ember “szuperfeltöltött” személyiséggel. Mint hálózatépítő olyan embereket tudott szponzorálni akik nem is értették a német, flamand vagy tört angolját. Szponzorált embereket Budapesten a metrón, vagy Bukarestben a Hotel lobbijában, mert érezték a lelkesedését, és elbűvölte őket az életszeretete és őszinte tisztelete – nem, igazi öröme – az iránt, hogy emberek között legyen.

 Ali valamikor szobapincér volt egy Mövenpick Hotelben. Elbűvölte az elnöki lakosztályban tartózkodó urat, elmondta neki, hogy miért veszít pénzt a hotelja, és néhány évre rá már az egész hotel láncolatot ő irányította, sötétkék öltönyben fenn a csúcsról. Micsoda történet, micsoda srác.

 Szórakozásból elindított egy weboldalt a barátaival, ami hamarosan a legnagyobb oldallá nőtte ki magát Hollandiában. Aztán eladta a részét a Google-hoz hasonló holland vállalatnak.

 Ó, de szerettem volna megírni a könyvét. Talán még meg is fogom írni.

 Tejlesen élte az életet. Egyszer együtt utaztunk Kuala Lumpurba és Jakartába. Micsoda, a világ minden pontján öszzefutottunk az üzleti utak során. De az életének nagyobbik részét egy eldugott kis alpesi városban Trixivel töltötte, olyan pillanatokat, amelyek csak az övék voltak.

Amikor az év elején felhívott és elmondta, hogy tüdőrákban szenved, hirtelen arra gondoltam, hogy hát persze, hiszen dohányzik. De ez is megbocsátható annak, aki ilyen kedves tud lenni másokhoz. És olyan jóképű fickó volt, hogy a cigaretta füstje sosem jelentett negatívumot. És én megígértem, hogy minden nap imádkozom érte.

 Ali azt éreztette veled, hogy fontos vagy. Tudott hallgatni. Nevetett a vicceken és eltöprengett a poénokon. Jelen volt. Ez alatt azt értem, hogy ott volt a szobában, nem álmodozott, tervezgetett valamit ami lekötötte volna, mint a többségünket. Veled volt. Csak most már nincs velünk többé. Elment és ez fáj. És nehéz elaludni.

Даг Вид