Obviously, anything by Scott Ritter will be a flame source since he has been repeatedly besmirched by the current administration and any neo-con talk show host worth his salt so I figure Flame is an appropriate spot to feature this essay that sums up my feelings on our relationship with Israel.

Here's the article US Must Reevaluate Its Relationship With Israel

It's long been my contention that two factors heavily influence our enabling of abuses by the Israeli government in Mideast policy. Sure I'll grant that having a democracy in the Middle East is a good thing but only if that democracy isn't hijacked by corrupt and greedy people as has occurred with the rise of the Likud Party.

First, we give Israel an unnatural advantage because "Jesus was born there" and the Bible gives special dispensation to the people there as if they're some chosen ones. Obviously in a republic such as ours where our Constitution clearly was designed to give no special power to any one religion, such a consideration is not only absurd but against the rule of law.

Secondly, we've allowed the Jewish people to use their hole card of labeling people anti-Semitic if they criticize the Israeli policies for way too long in deference to the atrocities of WWII. It's time to retire that label. It fit during Hitler's reign. If that level of horror ever again is inflicted upon Israeli people we can pull it back out but it absolutely doesn't fit the situations it's being used today. Just because there are people that hate Jews and want to kill them doesn't mean that anyone that hates Israeli policy and would like a change of government is in that same class.

Ritter clearly has tremendous experience in the Middle East and worked closely with the Israelis in his positions as a weapons inspector. I've heard him talk repeatedly and the man's intelligence and compassion for global human causes is evident. It'll be interesting to see how our "righties" try to poke holes in such compelling logic.

Art