"Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between Man & his God, that he owes account to none other for his faith or his worship, that the legitimate powers of government reach actions only, & not opinions, I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should "make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof", thus building a wall of separation between Church & State" President Thomas Jefferson in a 1802 letter to to Baptists from Danbury, Connecticut, and published in a Massachusetts newspaper soon thereafter.
Palestine on the cross (1958 oil painting)
by Ismail Shammout who was born on 2.3.1930 in the town of Lydda in Palestine
**********************
Beware My Friend, Beware
So easy to get lost
to hear a clarion call
and see a bright beacon
in the vast darkness
to think it is light, a way out
when it is only the entrance
to tunnel vision
and the final destruction
of Palestine.... Beware
my friend, beware
For everywhere cartoonists
and Islamist Collaborators
are befriending Zionist Collaborators
Escalating & exasperating
The Israel-Palestine Conflict
They deftly shift secular resistance
& righteous indignation
into a religious war...
Beware my friend, beware:
They hide half truths within Calls
for Justice
& they camouflage tyranny
within rally cries for Freedom
They studiously nurture anger
and nourish hate
on all sides
They are extremism dressed up
to look normal and nice and reasonable BUT
They stifle free speech with cynicism
and character assassinations
and bully tactics
and boycotts
Erasing Palestine
with every step away from
a fair and just two state solution
to once and for all free Palestine-
and Palestinians.
Separating Church from State
MLK wrote from jail
gave us words
and solid ground
to walk on
MLK knew how
to take important things
and important people seriously
Knew how to empower
real freedom and justice
Knew to walk that line
separating church from state
Knew to be honest with his words
making democracy more real
Knew how to wear a suit
how to fit in
how to judiciously deploy
righteous indignation
knew when to pray
and when to think...
and how to speak
how to gain respect
and understanding
Knew who and what
to veer away from
rejecting violence
and cynicism
and self- defeat
MLK knew
that collective insanity
is contagious- and dangerous
Some popular heroes now forgotten
never were worthy role models
MLK was and is
MLK knew to confer
knew how to listen closely
how to see
what outsiders might see
MLK knew how to pull the conversation
into the mainstream.. . He knew
to find nourishment
to fight a just cause
so that starving children
could escape from hunger
and rampant discrimination
and the insidious tyranny
of institutionalized bigotry
& injustice
He knew to inspire
with thought word and deed
Setting an example
with dignity
and honor
.... and diplomatic honesty.
MLK know how
to be taken seriously
How to gain real power
How to help shape
a lasting legacy
for all people...
How to be a real hero
at a time and in a place
where that was impossible.
The Internet Activist Disconnection Squad
He knows how to use hash tags
and catch phrases
and Nazi tactics
He knows how to harass
and harangue
He knows how to tumble and twitter
He knows the entertainment value
of cartoons
the intellectual value
of long convoluted theories
the emotional value
of women and children suffering
He knows how to invest in
negative stereotypes
He knows how to forward
misinformation campaigns
He knows how to inspire hate
How to negate negotiations
How to disenfranchise
with distractions
He knows how to tell
half a story as if it is whole
how to edit out crucial elements
how to shift the blame
how to hid behind idealism
and human rights
He lives and breathes Palestine dying
His own ego inflating
as Palestine's identity is lost
His kleptoparasitism flourishing
as Palestine grows weak
He is the feeble academic,
the freedom fighter trapped-
the free thinking rebel played
by religious tyrants
and the criminally insane.
Islamists & Leftists
Al-Arian already
did so much harm
charmed many innocents
into becoming components
of the Islamist campaign
methodically conquering
and destroying
Palestine.
The clean shaved face
for the West to see
The educated woman
for the West to hear
The non-violent activist
for the West to know
The students sidetracked-
The many useful idiots either
unwilling or unable
to perceive Islamist games...
Some ruining their own lives
their own reputations
for Islamist lies
Some simply drained
and exhausted
by self defeating tactics.
Passion sweeps a person up
you go along propelled by half truths
questions and doubts are pushed aside
as human connection solidifies commitment
to a "cause" ... Men have played women like this
for centuries. Made promises they know
they will never keep.
Seduced the naive and the beautiful
Used whatever words work
How much vital support and sympathy
was severed then never to be regained
Now another rises up
as if a great hero
a martyr- Islamic Jihad
gains strength power prestige
in an echo chamber
while the wider world drifts
farther and farther away
from wanting to even know
or care
about Palestine
Palestine on the cross (1958 oil painting)by Ismail Shammout who was born on 2.3.1930 in the town of Lydda in Palestine
**********************
Beware My Friend, Beware
So easy to get lost
to hear a clarion call
and see a bright beacon
in the vast darkness
to think it is light, a way out
when it is only the entrance
to tunnel vision
and the final destruction
of Palestine.... Beware
my friend, beware
For everywhere cartoonists
and Islamist Collaborators
are befriending Zionist Collaborators
Escalating & exasperating
The Israel-Palestine Conflict
They deftly shift secular resistance
& righteous indignation
into a religious war...
Beware my friend, beware:
They hide half truths within Calls
for Justice
& they camouflage tyranny
within rally cries for Freedom
They studiously nurture anger
and nourish hate
on all sides
They are extremism dressed up
to look normal and nice and reasonable BUT
They stifle free speech with cynicism
and character assassinations
and bully tactics
and boycotts
Erasing Palestine
with every step away from
a fair and just two state solution
to once and for all free Palestine-
and Palestinians.
MLK wrote from jail
gave us words
and solid ground
to walk on
MLK knew how
to take important things
and important people seriously
Knew how to empower
real freedom and justice
Knew to walk that line
separating church from state
Knew to be honest with his words
making democracy more real
Knew how to wear a suit
how to fit in
how to judiciously deploy
righteous indignation
knew when to pray
and when to think...
and how to speak
how to gain respect
and understanding
Knew who and what
to veer away from
rejecting violence
and cynicism
and self- defeat
MLK knew
that collective insanity
is contagious- and dangerous
Some popular heroes now forgotten
never were worthy role models
MLK was and is
MLK knew to confer
knew how to listen closely
how to see
what outsiders might see
MLK knew how to pull the conversation
into the mainstream.. . He knew
to find nourishment
to fight a just cause
so that starving children
could escape from hunger
and rampant discrimination
and the insidious tyranny
of institutionalized bigotry
& injustice
He knew to inspire
with thought word and deed
Setting an example
with dignity
and honor
.... and diplomatic honesty.
MLK know how
to be taken seriously
How to gain real power
How to help shape
a lasting legacy
for all people...
How to be a real hero
at a time and in a place
where that was impossible.
He knows how to use hash tags
and catch phrases
and Nazi tactics
He knows how to harass
and harangue
He knows how to tumble and twitter
He knows the entertainment value
of cartoons
the intellectual value
of long convoluted theories
the emotional value
of women and children suffering
He knows how to invest in
negative stereotypes
He knows how to forward
misinformation campaigns
He knows how to inspire hate
How to negate negotiations
How to disenfranchise
with distractions
He knows how to tell
half a story as if it is whole
how to edit out crucial elements
how to shift the blame
how to hid behind idealism
and human rights
He lives and breathes Palestine dying
His own ego inflating
as Palestine's identity is lost
His kleptoparasitism flourishing
as Palestine grows weak
He is the feeble academic,
the freedom fighter trapped-
the free thinking rebel played
by religious tyrants
and the criminally insane.
Al-Arian already
did so much harm
charmed many innocents
into becoming components
of the Islamist campaign
methodically conquering
and destroying
Palestine.
The clean shaved face
for the West to see
The educated woman
for the West to hear
The non-violent activist
for the West to know
The students sidetracked-
The many useful idiots either
unwilling or unable
to perceive Islamist games...
Some ruining their own lives
their own reputations
for Islamist lies
Some simply drained
and exhausted
by self defeating tactics.
Passion sweeps a person up
you go along propelled by half truths
questions and doubts are pushed aside
as human connection solidifies commitment
to a "cause" ... Men have played women like this
for centuries. Made promises they know
they will never keep.
Seduced the naive and the beautiful
Used whatever words work
How much vital support and sympathy
was severed then never to be regained
Now another rises up
as if a great hero
a martyr- Islamic Jihad
gains strength power prestige
in an echo chamber
while the wider world drifts
farther and farther away
from wanting to even know
or care
about Palestine
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