Tyrone

I was standing in a 15x15 archaeological dig square at Megiddo in Northern Israel when they flew over. Six beautifully painted and extremely intimidating gunships heading North. All the missles were color coded in the brightest of colors for effect. They looked in real life better than the ones I might paint as a kid putting a model together. After a few passes over the dig site and friendly waves, they were off. But to where? So I asked...Big mistake. "I suggest you learn to curb your questions while you are here in Israel," I was told by and Israeli digger. "If I knew, I wouldn't tell you. We Israelis live by our wits in this world." Obviously, they were heading to Lebanon.

"We live by our wits in this world." That phrase about how Israel conducts her business of survival has always stayed with me. Of course it's fine to have military secrets in a country that would fit inside my home state with room to spare. One fighter pilot told me he is always in a right hand turn so as not to stray over someone else's country. We all live by our wits on this planet. However, there are wits...and then there are wits!

Over the years, I've wondered just how far Israel might take this idea of living by it's wits to survive? A rather zealous fundamentalist Christian gave me a lecture once on how "God says that anyone that tries to hurt Israel, will be destroyed." Hmmmm, I wondered if the whole story of the Chosen People and the Land of Israel being more Holy than the lands of other less chosen types might be another way things are manipulated to get large numbers of Christians to be a buffer between Israel and harms way? Is hijacking fundamentalist ferver the same as living by one's wits?

I guess it's fair. The Christian Fundamentalists hijacked their book and made it mean what it never meant. That's kinda witty!

The Old Testament does a nice job of delineating the chosen from the unchosen, the wicked from the righteous and the true descendants from the riff raff. I wonder if that is also a way to tell a tale that qualifies as living by one's wits?

The New Testament is even better. While going out of its way to bash the Jewish people as responsible for Jesus death, (they weren't, it really was the Romans, but no one goes after the people who really have the power to kill you), it also goes to great lengths to restore the Chosen people and make Christians inwardly Jewish and circumcised of the heart. Between the Book of Romans and the Book of Revelation, the Jewish people and the 12 tribes win again, right along with the Christians! Is this also a way to live by our wits around here?

Let's face it, telling a tale such that millions of love you, hate you, love you Christian fundamentalists find themselves defending your existence at every turn is pretty darn witty! I think the Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson types have pretty much proved just how much rabid, we'll defend you, support can be found for the true and chosen people in the fundamentalist Christian community. After all, our Jesus and your Messiah, being one and the same...don't argue, is coming soon! So let's hang out together! We make millions in tithes, push the fear, guilt and shame and you get protection from our "the Bible says anyone who picks on Israel will be destroyed" congressmen, representatives and even an occasional President! It's all good! Is that what living by our wits can do?

Do you really live by your wits when a former Navy attorney who helped lead the military investigation of the 1967 Israeli attack on the USS Liberty that killed 34 American servicemen says former President Lyndon Johnson and his defense secretary, Robert McNamara, ordered that the inquiry conclude the incident was an accident? Wow! They ordered it was an accident! "In a signed affidavit released at a Capitol Hill news conference, retired Capt. Ward Boston said Johnson and McNamara told those heading the Navy's inquiry to "conclude that the attack was a case of 'mistaken identity' despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary." Wow again... Is hoping your friends the Americans will attack Egypt in retaliation the same as living by your wits?

Is making it illegal to question the holocaust living by ones wits?

Is stacking the Congress or House of Representatives deck in your favor living by your wits?

Is having a fake vote tipping Democrat named Lieberman living by your wits?

"In a letter to the editor of The Wall Street Journal last week, Robert L. Trivers quoted from an April letter he had sent Dershowitz. In that letter, Trivers wrote: Regarding your rationalization of Israeli attacks on Lebanese civilians, let me just say that if there is a repeat of Israeli butchery toward Lebanon and if you decide once again to rationalize it publicly, look forward to a visit from me. Nazis and Nazi-like apologists such as yourself need to be confronted directly. According to Trivers, Dershowitz used his letter to have him declared a threat and blocked from speaking at Harvard." Is this living by your wits?

Is goading America in to attacking Iran for you, at our expense and with our sons and daughters, living by your wits?

Is provoking Iran to attempt to annihilate all the US troops in Iraq so the US nukes them, living by your wits?

Is getting to create your own nuclear weapons, while screaming that others, just over your hill, are not as trustworthy as yourselves, living by your wits?

Is doing to others (Palestinians) what one decries having been done to yourselves (by Germans), living by your wits? Naw...In some cases, attempting to live by ones wits can backfire. Wits do that to you sometimes.

Was 9-11 living by your wits?

I have no problem with living living by our wits. It's how it seems to have to be done. I just don't wish to see the planet explode at the hands of the witty.