Friday, January 14, 2005
Engelhard on Gratitude
From Arutz Sheva, one of my favorite columnists admonishes us on what we should not expect for our relief efforts.
Menachem Begin also expected gratitude from "the Muslim world and the rest of the world" after he gave away the Sinai, and after he told Anwar Sadat, "On your way back to Egypt, take a slice of kugel and a chunk of Israel." (Who needs the Sinai?) Begin thought the nations would be so grateful they'd come around and say, "How wonderful is this man! With him, we can talk. Oh come let us adore him."
This did not happen.
Ehud (who needs Israel?) Barak, also known as Neville Chamberlain, offered Arafat everything, including the kitchen sink, and what was the gratitude? An Intifada.
We're still getting "gratitude" from France after saving the French from speaking German.
Saudi Arabia was ten minutes away from being engulfed by Iraq under Saddam Hussein. Who came to the rescue, so that 20,000 "royal" members of the House of Sand and Saud could retain their sovereignty and continue to stone women for alleged adultery? The United States, that's who came to the rescue. The gratitude? That came September 11, 2001. Fifteen of those 19 hijackers were Saudis.
For more gratitude, we go to Sri Lanka. The Israelis, who know a thing or two about disaster, offered to help, and the answer was yes, no, maybe. Bring your world-class Jewish doctors, but without the Stars of David. Something got lost in translation when an e-mail message went around saying that the Vatican newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano, blasted Israel for not coming through, when in fact it had, big time. A corrected e-mail announced that the same Vatican newspaper had actually reproached Sri Lanka, not Israel, for being so touchy and particular at a time like the tsunami.
That's straightened out, but will Sri Lanka and the other nations who benefit from Israel's generosity in technology and science, tsunami or no tsunami - will they give thanks?
Will Indonesia and the rest of the Muslim world remember America for America's sacrifice and generosity during these days of calamity?
Don't hold your breath, also known as, you must be kidding.
We should provide aid regardless and do it with no strings attached. We will be criticize no matter what we do, so we might as well do the right thing. The ingratituted itself doesn't bother me so much as the lies and misrepresentation of the true goals of charity that we are seeing from many sources, the UN not the least of them.
Menachem Begin also expected gratitude from "the Muslim world and the rest of the world" after he gave away the Sinai, and after he told Anwar Sadat, "On your way back to Egypt, take a slice of kugel and a chunk of Israel." (Who needs the Sinai?) Begin thought the nations would be so grateful they'd come around and say, "How wonderful is this man! With him, we can talk. Oh come let us adore him."
This did not happen.
Ehud (who needs Israel?) Barak, also known as Neville Chamberlain, offered Arafat everything, including the kitchen sink, and what was the gratitude? An Intifada.
We're still getting "gratitude" from France after saving the French from speaking German.
Saudi Arabia was ten minutes away from being engulfed by Iraq under Saddam Hussein. Who came to the rescue, so that 20,000 "royal" members of the House of Sand and Saud could retain their sovereignty and continue to stone women for alleged adultery? The United States, that's who came to the rescue. The gratitude? That came September 11, 2001. Fifteen of those 19 hijackers were Saudis.
For more gratitude, we go to Sri Lanka. The Israelis, who know a thing or two about disaster, offered to help, and the answer was yes, no, maybe. Bring your world-class Jewish doctors, but without the Stars of David. Something got lost in translation when an e-mail message went around saying that the Vatican newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano, blasted Israel for not coming through, when in fact it had, big time. A corrected e-mail announced that the same Vatican newspaper had actually reproached Sri Lanka, not Israel, for being so touchy and particular at a time like the tsunami.
That's straightened out, but will Sri Lanka and the other nations who benefit from Israel's generosity in technology and science, tsunami or no tsunami - will they give thanks?
Will Indonesia and the rest of the Muslim world remember America for America's sacrifice and generosity during these days of calamity?
Don't hold your breath, also known as, you must be kidding.
We should provide aid regardless and do it with no strings attached. We will be criticize no matter what we do, so we might as well do the right thing. The ingratituted itself doesn't bother me so much as the lies and misrepresentation of the true goals of charity that we are seeing from many sources, the UN not the least of them.
papijoe 7:18 AM
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