America Stands with Ukraine and Israel

I went to the 75th birthday party of a good friend today. She hosts her own party every year so she can have all her friends around her on her special day. During the afternoon, I talked with another friend, a Dutch woman, and her husband, who is also Dutch. I offered my sympathy for the suffering their country is enduring. She told me she can't watch the TV coverage of MH17 anymore. It is simply too painful. The Dutch are very reserved stoic people and this is extremely difficult for them. I had tears in my eyes when she thanked America for what we're doing to try to bring Ukraine under control. She also thanked President Obama for going to the Dutch Embassy in Washington to sign the book of condolences and offer his sympathy and support. It was a brief moment. We changed the subject to avoid more pain. ~~~~~ But, that moment once again made me realize that sometimes we Americans forget what we mean to the world. America has a deepfelt sense of justice and fairplay and responsibility for those who are weak and whose causes are honorable although ignored. That's why I so often call on our leaders to stand up and to live up to our national ideals. We don't have time to regroup or recover from our worldwide work. We are called to serve. We are called to protect. We are called to lead. That burden may not be put down and it may not be avoided. ~~~~~ And so the world looks to America -- whether it's a Dutch friend or 30,000 Israelis filling streets in Jerusalem to honor one fallen American Jewish soldier and thereby offer thanks to the one country that has never and will never abandon Israel and the Jewish people. America must stand tall. Without us, the world would soon be one huge plane crash site, one grotesque killing field where Hamas hides behind innocent Moslem civilians in order to kill Jews and destroy Israel, where Vladimir Putin continues again today to authorize and condone the newest SAM downing of Ukraine military airplanrs. ~~~~~ Dear readers, Ernest Hemingway once wrote to a woman he loved, "One thing you must know, love is infinitely more durable than hatred." Hemingway was the human voice of war. In 1940, he wrote about World War I : "Today is only one day in all the days that will ever be. But what will happen in all the other days that ever come can depend on what you do today." Those words ring true today and if love survives hatred, and I know it does, then America has been given the task of ridding the world hatred. If we embrace our task, we will save not only ourselves but everyone.