Peace and death – Lopeyland

So, we had Rachel Corrie protesting the Israeli destruction of Palestinian homes. She was killed when she fell down while standing in front of an Israeli army bulldozer with a bullhorn. The dozer rolled over her and then backed up.

So here’s the question: did this woman die for a cause? Or did she believe that the dozer wouldn’t actually harm her because she was a peace activist? For that matter, do many of the current war protesters believe that they won’t be hurt in any way by protesting?

To die in a protest is reminiscent of the Boston Massacre, or even Kent State. The thing about this incident is it’s a US citizen in Israel.

Here’s a link to the story.

Kevin,
This article from Dennis Prager ran across my desk. I thought it was relevant and decided to share it with you.

Who killed Rachel Corrie?
—

Rachel Corrie, the Olympia, Wash., college student
killed trying to protect a Palestinian house — a
house, remember, not even a human being — against an
Israeli bulldozer, will probably not merit a footnote
in history books. That’s too bad, because her life and
death, the way she has been portrayed in some media,
and the reactions of her college are powerful examples
of an America with many morally confused individuals.

A Seattle Times columnist described her as a martyr.
Her hometown paper, The Olympian, published numerous
pictures of a sweet-looking woman from childhood on.
It omitted the one photo of Rachel Corrie that USA
Today, to its credit, published — Corrie screaming
anti-American invective while burning an American flag
in Gaza.

Anyone with a heart must extend the deepest
condolences to Rachel Corrie’s parents. But anyone
with a conscience must regard Rachel Corrie’s
activities with contempt. One hopes that it is not
asking too much of people to entertain simultaneously
two conflicting emotions — grief for the parents and
contempt for the daughter.

Rachel Corrie chose to side with a society that breeds
some of the cruelest murderers of innocent people in
the world. Rachel Corrie gave her life trying to
protect people whose declared aim is to annihilate
another country. In the name of saving children’s
lives, Rachel Corrie chose to defend a society that
teaches its young children to blow themselves up and
which deliberately targets children for death. And
Rachel Corrie went to America’s enemies to burn her
country’s flag.

She was one of the many fools our colleges annually
produce. Evergreen State College is reputed to excel
in such production. Is anyone aware of a single
student or faculty member who repudiated her
activities?

We are told repeatedly that Rachel was idealistic —
as if that matters. Virtually every person who commits
great evil — the Nazi, the Communist, the Islamic
terrorist — is idealistic. Idealism is morally
neutral. It is good only when directed to good ends.
But in young people, idealism is at least as likely to
lead to bad as to good because few young people are
wise — and idealism without wisdom is very dangerous.

We are told ad nauseam that Rachel Corrie was a "peace
activist." So let it be said once and for all that
most of these people are moral frauds. Why? Because
"peace activists" routinely protest only against
peaceful countries. Has there been one Evergreen State
or other "peace activist" in Sudan during its Islamic
government’s slaughter and enslavement of millions of
blacks? Are there any "peace activists" in Tibet to
protect its unique culture from being eradicated by
the Communist Chinese? Did you notice any "peace
activists" trying to save the millions of North
Koreans dying at the hands of their lunatic
government? Of course not. Rachel Corrie and other
"peace activists" only target peace-loving Israel and
America.

Why do they do so?

Here is one answer.

The world is filled with evil, and young idealists
like Rachel Corrie don’t like it. Which is lovely. But
they don’t confront real evil because they know they
will get hurt. That’s one reason there are no "peace
activists" or "human shields" confronting Islamic
terror, North Korean totalitarianism, or Chinese
Communist despotism.

So, what’s an idealist to do if she refuses to
confront real evil but wants to feel good about
herself? Ironically, confront those who fight real
evil. That’s why Rachel Corrie and the millions
marching to protect Saddam Hussein’s Iraq have never
uttered a peep against Palestinian terror, Iraqi
totalitarianism, or North Korean gulags. Instead, they
focus their animosity at the countries that confront
these evils — the United States and Israel.

So, Olympia, grieve for Rachel Corrie’s parents, but
spare us the hagiography. Rachel Corrie died fighting
for the International Solidarity Movement, a
Palestinian group dedicated, in its own words, to
"armed struggle" against Israel. She ended up being a
useful idiot for, and one more victim of, Palestinian
terror.

?2003 Creators Syndicate, Inc.

—Dennis Prager

3 replies on “Peace and death”