Thursday, February 16, 2006
Letter to Olmert from JIM VINEYARD, PASTOR
I received permission to post this letter.
February 14, 2006
Dear Mr. (Acting) Prime Minister:
It is with a sad heart that I send you Christian-Zionist greetings from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, where I’ve had the privilege of pastoring for 29 years. Last evening I returned from Long Beach, California. Night before last I had a two hour meeting with Rabbi Nachum Shifren. This morning I watched the scandalous, lamentable, shameless video of the Amona tragedy.
With all due respect, Sir, the intolerable, out of line brutalizing of “settlers” appears to now be the “chic fashion trend”, which will play well in Tel-Aviv and the Arab villages of the Galilee, whose votes you are after in the upcoming election. Will, Sir, the Kadima election slogan ring “Be nice to Arabs; be tough on Jews?”
ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, FOX, etc., gave credit for Mr. Bush’s election in 2000 and re-election in 2004 to the 40 million Evangelical Christians in America. Our Church happens to be one of almost 8,000 Independent Baptist Church which aligns itself (loosely) in an Organization, entitled ‘Yedidim of Israel’. These churches received news about last summer’s disengagement and were all appalled.
Watching teenagers being whipped, frothed and pounded with women and children being dragged and beaten; seeing the bloody noses, bleeding head wound are disgraceful, reprehensible, odious pictures this morning.
Some of my older brothers fought in the Second World War to keep from happening what this almost 66 year old (veteran himself) watched happening disgustingly, offensively, outrageously the other day with your “crack open the heads” policy towards the so-called “settlers”. Had they witnessed your ‘atrocities’, they would have ‘turned over in graves’ (sic). It would appear that the Olmert Government’s position is “The Settlers are worse than being Hamasniks”.
Watching Women, children, and Knesset members (Eitam, Elon, and Eldad - all of whom I know) horsewhipped, smacked, and whacked up side the head; seeing folks trampled by horses; seeing Hebrews being dragged, and beaten with bloody batons – all, so very much reminds me of the “outpost of tyranny’s home-grown terrorism” Americans observed in September 1963 under Birmingham, (called Bombingham then), Alabama’s Commissioner of Public Safety Theophilus Eugene “Bull” Connor.
With all due respect, Sir, Bull’s name went down in Infamy. The scenes from Amona are very typical of the scenes for which he was the architect! Your Amona scenes so reflect Bull’s insistence in creating a show which demonstrated to the American Public and International Community that he was not afraid to confront Black Residents of Birmingham. Your have, Sir, turned a case of nine homes in a remote Israeli community into a war against the West Bank.
Seeing the 20 year old treated in a barbaric, savage, hellish, Tartarian, Hunnish, Vandalic manner, winding up with a broken elbow and three broken ribs in that ‘unexpected ferocity’ undoubtedly proves the allegation that the police had gotten orders to “crack open the heads”.
The DVD which I watched this morning showing your brutal, pitiless, merciless, heartless, unkind, inhumane, cold, callous, insensitive manhandling of Hebrews by Hebrews reminds me of the bloodbath between David and Abner, the violence between the Hasmoneans and the Hellenizers, or the Zealots and their opponents during the Roman siege of Jerusalem.
The DVD shows Ehud Olmert as the 2006 Rehoboam flogging with whips and scorpions, but the weapons being billy clubs, horses and fierceness. We Christian-Zionist wonder aloud if it might not be the beginning of the end of Israel’s democracy!
Running over MK Effie Eitam with a horse resulting in a head-injury requiring hospitalization is simply, to put it mildly, Sir, unparalleled. The DVD’s brutality has no connection with law enforcement, as I see it, Sir. The DVD shows the policemen starting to use their billy clubs immediately, hitting everyone regardless of who they were, or what they were doing - including Eldad, Eitam and Elon. In a place where MK’s are beaten, democracy no longer exists!
Yourself, Sir, and your Yassamniks’ heinous brutality and humiliation of the ‘settlers’, whom you folks call “Jewish Hamas” is a vituperative issuing forth a clarion call for Hebrews world-wide, and their Yedidim (True Christians) to wake up and voice their outrage and indignation as this latest pogrom-attack on Righteous Hebrews!
Please be advised Mr. Prime Minister, although I may be a voice crying in the wilderness, I’m going to show the DVD to my congregation, make it available to the some 8,000 Other Independent Baptist Congregations in America, and see how many of the Methodist, Presbyterians & Nazarenes I can get to watch and publicize it also.
How long, Sir, do you think it will be until some Hebrew young person reads of the 1946 Fede story of the British Major Hill’s boarding of the ship with British soldiers armed with automatic rifles, offering the ultimatum, “leave the Fede immediately, or my men will drag your people off.”
As the story goes, Arazi stepped forward and explained to the British Major that he too, had a statement to make: “the moment a British soldier laid a hand on a refuge (heading to Eretz Israel), the ship would be blown up. He would kill everyone on board before he allowed his people to be returned to the camps.”
Across the deck, Arazi pointed to broad-shouldered Carmi with a lit match in his hand standing by a pyramid of fuel barrels. Arazi said, “It will take only one match.” Carmi raised the match higher so the British officer could see it. Silence and suspense reigned.
The British Major looked at Carmi, then back at Arazi. Then, He ordered his men off the boat.
How long do you think it will be ‘fore’ some young Jewish Patriot says, “Man, this is the way to stop Olmert and His Yassamniks!” He’ll get a 55 gallon drum of gasoline and let your Yassamniks approach his stone hut, and the TV folks will have a Jewish -Yassamnik fireball to show to the world.
Many, many years ago I worked directly for a Hebrew. He worked for a man named Dwight Eisenhower. He was the smartest man I’ve ever known. I’ve always said that the Hebrew people are very gutsy. Its just a matter or time until some gutsy Young Man puts a stop to your deportation of Jews.
Prime Minister, I know for a fact that Sec. State Powell rammed the Road Map down Mr. Sharon’s throat in the spring of 2003. If I were you, I would tell Mr. Bush to take his Road Map plan and go to... Yesterday, in an eyeball to eyeball conversation with former black Republican Congressman J.C. Watts, he asked, “Pastor, what’s the answer for peace in the Middle East.”
In so many words, Sir, I told him that the Sons and Daughters of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and King David would never have peace with the sons and daughters of the ‘wild-a__’ Ishmael, Esau, Arafat and Abu Mazen. If I were a Hebrew in Israel, I would not let the American President endanger the safety of Israel.
What the Amona Pogrom did (we teach Arabic here at Oklahoma Baptist College) was only embolden the ‘so-called’ Palestinians. Israel best be watching their “SIX”. To put it mildly, and kindly, Sir, your Amona Pogrom got out of hand. There are a great number of Christian-Zionists in America who are appalled at this Amona Pogrom!!!!!!
A Humble Yedid and Chaver of the Hebrews,
JIM VINEYARD, PASTOR
February 14, 2006
Dear Mr. (Acting) Prime Minister:
It is with a sad heart that I send you Christian-Zionist greetings from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, where I’ve had the privilege of pastoring for 29 years. Last evening I returned from Long Beach, California. Night before last I had a two hour meeting with Rabbi Nachum Shifren. This morning I watched the scandalous, lamentable, shameless video of the Amona tragedy.
With all due respect, Sir, the intolerable, out of line brutalizing of “settlers” appears to now be the “chic fashion trend”, which will play well in Tel-Aviv and the Arab villages of the Galilee, whose votes you are after in the upcoming election. Will, Sir, the Kadima election slogan ring “Be nice to Arabs; be tough on Jews?”
ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, FOX, etc., gave credit for Mr. Bush’s election in 2000 and re-election in 2004 to the 40 million Evangelical Christians in America. Our Church happens to be one of almost 8,000 Independent Baptist Church which aligns itself (loosely) in an Organization, entitled ‘Yedidim of Israel’. These churches received news about last summer’s disengagement and were all appalled.
Watching teenagers being whipped, frothed and pounded with women and children being dragged and beaten; seeing the bloody noses, bleeding head wound are disgraceful, reprehensible, odious pictures this morning.
Some of my older brothers fought in the Second World War to keep from happening what this almost 66 year old (veteran himself) watched happening disgustingly, offensively, outrageously the other day with your “crack open the heads” policy towards the so-called “settlers”. Had they witnessed your ‘atrocities’, they would have ‘turned over in graves’ (sic). It would appear that the Olmert Government’s position is “The Settlers are worse than being Hamasniks”.
Watching Women, children, and Knesset members (Eitam, Elon, and Eldad - all of whom I know) horsewhipped, smacked, and whacked up side the head; seeing folks trampled by horses; seeing Hebrews being dragged, and beaten with bloody batons – all, so very much reminds me of the “outpost of tyranny’s home-grown terrorism” Americans observed in September 1963 under Birmingham, (called Bombingham then), Alabama’s Commissioner of Public Safety Theophilus Eugene “Bull” Connor.
With all due respect, Sir, Bull’s name went down in Infamy. The scenes from Amona are very typical of the scenes for which he was the architect! Your Amona scenes so reflect Bull’s insistence in creating a show which demonstrated to the American Public and International Community that he was not afraid to confront Black Residents of Birmingham. Your have, Sir, turned a case of nine homes in a remote Israeli community into a war against the West Bank.
Seeing the 20 year old treated in a barbaric, savage, hellish, Tartarian, Hunnish, Vandalic manner, winding up with a broken elbow and three broken ribs in that ‘unexpected ferocity’ undoubtedly proves the allegation that the police had gotten orders to “crack open the heads”.
The DVD which I watched this morning showing your brutal, pitiless, merciless, heartless, unkind, inhumane, cold, callous, insensitive manhandling of Hebrews by Hebrews reminds me of the bloodbath between David and Abner, the violence between the Hasmoneans and the Hellenizers, or the Zealots and their opponents during the Roman siege of Jerusalem.
The DVD shows Ehud Olmert as the 2006 Rehoboam flogging with whips and scorpions, but the weapons being billy clubs, horses and fierceness. We Christian-Zionist wonder aloud if it might not be the beginning of the end of Israel’s democracy!
Running over MK Effie Eitam with a horse resulting in a head-injury requiring hospitalization is simply, to put it mildly, Sir, unparalleled. The DVD’s brutality has no connection with law enforcement, as I see it, Sir. The DVD shows the policemen starting to use their billy clubs immediately, hitting everyone regardless of who they were, or what they were doing - including Eldad, Eitam and Elon. In a place where MK’s are beaten, democracy no longer exists!
Yourself, Sir, and your Yassamniks’ heinous brutality and humiliation of the ‘settlers’, whom you folks call “Jewish Hamas” is a vituperative issuing forth a clarion call for Hebrews world-wide, and their Yedidim (True Christians) to wake up and voice their outrage and indignation as this latest pogrom-attack on Righteous Hebrews!
Please be advised Mr. Prime Minister, although I may be a voice crying in the wilderness, I’m going to show the DVD to my congregation, make it available to the some 8,000 Other Independent Baptist Congregations in America, and see how many of the Methodist, Presbyterians & Nazarenes I can get to watch and publicize it also.
How long, Sir, do you think it will be until some Hebrew young person reads of the 1946 Fede story of the British Major Hill’s boarding of the ship with British soldiers armed with automatic rifles, offering the ultimatum, “leave the Fede immediately, or my men will drag your people off.”
As the story goes, Arazi stepped forward and explained to the British Major that he too, had a statement to make: “the moment a British soldier laid a hand on a refuge (heading to Eretz Israel), the ship would be blown up. He would kill everyone on board before he allowed his people to be returned to the camps.”
Across the deck, Arazi pointed to broad-shouldered Carmi with a lit match in his hand standing by a pyramid of fuel barrels. Arazi said, “It will take only one match.” Carmi raised the match higher so the British officer could see it. Silence and suspense reigned.
The British Major looked at Carmi, then back at Arazi. Then, He ordered his men off the boat.
How long do you think it will be ‘fore’ some young Jewish Patriot says, “Man, this is the way to stop Olmert and His Yassamniks!” He’ll get a 55 gallon drum of gasoline and let your Yassamniks approach his stone hut, and the TV folks will have a Jewish -Yassamnik fireball to show to the world.
Many, many years ago I worked directly for a Hebrew. He worked for a man named Dwight Eisenhower. He was the smartest man I’ve ever known. I’ve always said that the Hebrew people are very gutsy. Its just a matter or time until some gutsy Young Man puts a stop to your deportation of Jews.
Prime Minister, I know for a fact that Sec. State Powell rammed the Road Map down Mr. Sharon’s throat in the spring of 2003. If I were you, I would tell Mr. Bush to take his Road Map plan and go to... Yesterday, in an eyeball to eyeball conversation with former black Republican Congressman J.C. Watts, he asked, “Pastor, what’s the answer for peace in the Middle East.”
In so many words, Sir, I told him that the Sons and Daughters of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and King David would never have peace with the sons and daughters of the ‘wild-a__’ Ishmael, Esau, Arafat and Abu Mazen. If I were a Hebrew in Israel, I would not let the American President endanger the safety of Israel.
What the Amona Pogrom did (we teach Arabic here at Oklahoma Baptist College) was only embolden the ‘so-called’ Palestinians. Israel best be watching their “SIX”. To put it mildly, and kindly, Sir, your Amona Pogrom got out of hand. There are a great number of Christian-Zionists in America who are appalled at this Amona Pogrom!!!!!!
A Humble Yedid and Chaver of the Hebrews,
JIM VINEYARD, PASTOR
