no mr. rogers
yesterday marked the death of yasser arafat (officially, i think, unless they were mistaken again). during the past week as he was swooning between life and death, i found myself feeling something strange towards him...a strange sense of compassion. i think it has to do with the fact that he was an old, frail man who appeared so fragile and helpless with his little knit night-cap on and his big baby smile plastered on his face, surrounded by all his adoring "children" while boarding the helicopter to take him to a hospital in paris. what a gentle, caring man he must be. ok, back to reality. time has a way of softening the edges of a life, sometimes leading one to forget the atrocious past, as in the case of the 86 year old man arrested in january for nazi war crimes. this poor old guy shouldn't be bothered now, should he? look at him. he's close to death and should be let alone to enjoy the last few remaining years in peace...except for the fact that this man is accused of the heartless, cold-blooded murder of at least 146 people in 1945, most of whom were defenseless women and children. no, too many times, looks can be deceiving. likewise, arafat was no mr. rogers with a heart of compassion who just wanted the world to be a better place. he was an old, worn out terrorist surrounded by his disciples who had spent the better part of his life encouraging terror and murder to support his own twisted political agenda. summarizing the life of arafat, neil steinberg of the chicago sun-times states, "The man is a killer. Not only has he killed people himself, personally, but he plotted and organized murders of hundreds
of victims. He is one of the authors of a philosophy of random murder that has inspired millions. That he spent years as a sham statesman, received in the White House and heaped with honors is one of the mind-boggling ironies of our ironic age. The man was given the Nobel Peace Prize, which washed away whatever shred of worth that might have clung to the once-respected bauble after they gave it to Henry Kissinger. They might as well pack the thing in a box of manure and straw when they hand out the next one." in describing arafat's leadership as the head of the plo, he goes on to say, "Arafat's worst crime? He betrayed his own people. He could have led them to peace, and instead led them down a blind alley to self-destruction and disaster."no, arafat was no great leader, statesman, or gentleman. he was, instead, a misguided, foolish old man who led a trusting people down a road to near self-destruction. his was no life to celebrate, but it is one we had better not soon forget. for too long, world leaders listened to this man, reasoned with him and, to some degree, placed trust in his ability to garner a deal with his own people and lead the region into an era of peace and stability. fortunately, president bush came to realize arafat for the illegitimate "statesman" that he was and turned his back on him, leading to arafat's isolation and neutralization. perhaps now with the passing of yasser arafat, the palestinian people and the world at large can begin to move forward to a real "road map to peace" with palestine under new management.
for a good summary of arafat's life and legacy, read dr. al mohler's blog titled, "Moses in Reverse--The Real Yasser Arafat."
Labels: David C. Price
posted by DAVID C. PRICE at 11/12/2004 08:02:00 AM
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