Peace

Hello Friends,

I head back to camp soon for a few days of work and fall peace and quiet. I hope it looks like this again. Some folks in the world do not get to enjoy such a peaceful place. I wish everyone could. So I was encouraged when I read about President Obama at the UN. I cut and pasted most of this from http://blog.sojo.net/2009/09/24/words-matter/

He made four main points, "pillars" he called them. One was the .... pursuit of peace, beginning with “an unshakeable determination that the murder of innocent men, women and children will never be tolerated.” He pledged continued support for peacekeeping efforts in areas such as Darfur, but devoted special attention to Israel-Palestine peace. Strongly emphasizing the goal of “two states living side by side in peace and security,” he went on to note the responsibility this places on both sides. On the one hand, “The United States does Israel no favors when we fail to couple an unwavering commitment to its security with an insistence that Israel respect the legitimate claims and rights of the Palestinians.” On the other hand, “nations within this body do the Palestinians no favors when they choose vitriolic attacks against Israel over constructive willingness to recognize Israel’s legitimacy and its right to exist in peace and security.” Both statements were met with applause.

Do me a favor? Click on the Sojourner Blog address above and read the whole thing.

.....with hope, Fred