Enemies

Others,

The law says, “You will not kill.” If you kill despite the statement, “You will be punished.” Punishment for killing had been treated as a lesser offense than other crimes prior to the provision against cruel and unusual punishment. People were killed by the state for a list of lesser crimes based on accusations.  After the provision had been established, the standards for justice began to evolve. Eventually, murder came to be regarded as the offense that required capital punishment.

If the accuser belonged to a group favored by the elite, then others were punished for belonging to groups that were not “protected” by the elitist leadership. Those who were not protected were called “the barbarians;” “the outcasts;” “those people”; “one of them;” the others. More recently, they have come to be called “immigrants;” “aliens;” “terrorists;” and “militants.”  

There were “rules” for judgment that were invoked by those who cared about justice, but there are cases in today’s society where people are convicted on charges based on accusation (e.g. Sandusky was convicted without physical evidence).

Syria presents an unusual case in authoritarian regimes. The elite actually favor a minority group, the Alawites, as “protected.” The position is regarded as untenable even in the league of dictatorships.

Syrian Forces Fight Back
http://www.jpost.com/MiddleEast/Article.aspx?id=278343

Israel has become increasingly authoritarian. They have the more common “justification.” The elites there support the status quo. Five Israeli citizens were killed in Bulgaria. Netanyahu claims that he has “fully substantiated intelligence” that it was the Hezbollah. The Hezbollah are Shiites.  The Iranians and Syrians are with the Shiia. This is his fully substantiated intelligence.

Netanyahu Promises to Punish Hezbollah
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/netanyahu-israel-will-do-whatever-is-necessary-to-protect-israelis-from-terrorist-attacks/2012/07/22/gJQAICU91W_story.html

The problem is that Israel will use US funded weaponry to attack and kill Palestinians who are Shiites. Surely, a Shiite neighborhood will be chosen for the bombing.  

Israeli intelligence has a list of “militants” who have been observed or have actually been recorded as making statements against Israel or allies. The procedure has not only been to “round up the usual suspects.”  The suspects were treated as terrorists i.e. they made angry statements against Israeli oppression, so they won’t admit that “Israel has a right to exist.”

They were killed at a ratio of ten to one. These suspects are now called militants because the US and the western coalition no longer support the “war on terror.” Who are militants? Those who are for a Palestinian state or at the very least, don’t approve of Israeli oppression, are militants.

The elites don’t want to recognize the existence of a Palestinian state, so they don’t admit to the existence of Palestinians as anything but terrorists (even if they are called militants now). When the US championed the “war on terror,” it was this policy of killing suspected terrorists as “terrorists” that was implemented. Calling them militants is not a big change. It is still a violation of the law against killing.

Netanyahu needs to be replaced by someone who does not support the killing of suspects. The US and Israel are guilty of supporting a policy that murders non-combatants as long as he remains in office. We cannot regard non-combatants that are killed as “collateral damage.” They were murdered because they were killed outside of the rules for engagement.

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The suspect in custody for the Colorado shootings has a large amount of evidence against him. There are witnesses. There is ballistics testing. There is the documentation of the purchase of weapons and ammunition. There is not much question as to the guilt of the suspect. Still, he needs to be tried in a court of law. The testimony has to be corroborated by physical evidence.

If he is guilty, his defense can plead “not guilty due to reasons of insanity.” This is however a mass murder. Twelve people were reported killed. Eleven were seriously injured. About eighty were injured by the shooting spree. Insanity is a mitigating plea. Cases where four or more people are killed are regarded as mass murder. This should kick the mitigating plea out of the judgment.

Suspect in Custody after Colorado Theater Shootings.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/20/james-holmes-aurora-shooting-medical-student_n_1689794.html?icid=maing-grid7%7Cmain5%7Cdl1%7Csec1_lnk2%26pLid%3D182203

What does law about gun control have to do with mass murder? The debate at this point is between the position statements “Automatic weapons need to be outlawed again” and “Major purchases of weapons or ammunition need to be treated as probable cause for investigation.” The elitists will push for something else.

Nevertheless, If the murderer did not have ease of access to the automatic weaponry, he would not have been able to kill and injure all those people.

Gun Laws in Colorado
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0712/78799.html

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Who are our enemies? The elites would have us believe that our enemies are those who do not agree with their “law.” Their law can have people killed based on accusation. Their law does not observe due process. They are pushing to increase vigilante justice and cruelty in punishment by Joe Citizen with a gun, because they make money off the sale of weapons whereas corrections are paid for by taxes.

The law says “you will not kill.” Their law says, “You will only kill if you are in our favor.” They are the enemy people, yet the law also says, “Love your enemy.” We are called to love those who make the poor; who make outcasts; who make aliens hostile; who make strangers suspicious; who convict people on charges of crime based on the social status of the accuser. It is no easy task, but we can use faith to help us to achieve the conversion of our enemies to allies. The following re-write looks at the grass roots movement to believe in love.

Enemies Ps.89

The witnesses gathered around
the One who saves and told him
what they had taught.
He said to them,
“Come away and rest.”
So many were coming and going
that there was no time for reflection.

There had been a time
when people did not know Christ.
No one had been anointed
to lead people into understanding
with goodness and joy.

Christ is our peace.
Peace has broken down
the wall of hostility
that had divided us.

Former enemies
were called to
reconcile oppositions
to represent the people.

They climbed in the boat
crossed the circle sea
and landed in the garden
of riches. Once they
got out of the boat,
the Healer was recognized.

People brought the ill
to the marketplace
and begged to touch
the fringe of his clothes.
Those who touched him
were healed.

You are no longer strangers.
You are not aliens.
You are not outcasts.
You are not unwanted.
You are citizens of the light.
You sparkle like stars in the night.
God loves you as the children of creation.
You are now anointed as beloved.

My hand will lift you up.
My arm will join with yours.
No enemy will deceive you.
You will not be brought down.

Love your enemies.
They will become your allies.

Faith will be with you.
Hope will shine for you.
Love will lead you
on the way.

Happiness will grow.
You will win prosperity
with dedication.
The rule of law
will reign in our land
and guide us around the globe.
Our haters will be our motivators.

Transgressions will be corrected
during confinement. Crime will
be judged by testimony
and physical evidence.
Murder will be punished
by what can be proved
in a court of law
with a jury of our peers.

Our beloved heritage will live
through time. Our love
will shine like the sun.
Creativity will
adapt to change
like the phases of the moon.

Leadership is our right.

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Christians proclaim love for Jesus as the Christ, but Christ is non-sectarian. Christ represents the Creator who makes the sun shine and the rain fall on all. It is this all-loving Christ whom we are called to respect with love.

Josh Groban – You Raise Me Up
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&v=oni0tO_HN30&NR=1  

Public policy is not the sole province of Christians or any other religious sect. It is the province for the people of the world. Fairness in public policy is far too important to be regarded as impossible.  Freedom of religion is a provision that encourages people to work together irrespective of affiliation according to social group. When the law favors any religion, it is no longer blind to prejudicial favor. It is blind to justice.

You will not kill. Those who do will be punished by that which can be proved in a court of law.

Steve K.