[Leesburg, Florida Oct. 29, 2007] The Leesburg Area Chamber of Commerce sponsored a luncheon and Town Hall Q+A with the Republican Senator from Florida, Mel Martinez and I traveled with hope to the affair on an overcast drizzly Monday for Martinez has only accepted $10,000 from Pro-Israel PAC Funds for the 2005-2006 election cycle.
As the Democrat Senator of Florida, Bill Nelson received $89,861; I thought I had a chance to be heard.
I confess; I am an optimist and admit I suffer from a child-like naiveté to continue to believe that those who claim to be Christians will do the right things.
I apparently was the only left leaning patriotic American in the group of approximately one hundred who had turned out to hear Martinez proclaim, "I escaped communism in Cuba when I was 15 and grew up in Orlando. This is a great country that allows you to do the things you can do!
"I have been the beneficiary of so much, so I decided to give back and run for political office as the way to serve my country."
I too share the Senators sentiments on that mission and I have a dream that one day I will run for House of Representatives for Florida, and I am looking for a District to serve.
I want to serve my state and nation because I believe the well being of every resident in Florida is connected to the well being of every American.
The well being of every American is connected to the well being of every human being and every form of life on our planet.
One must not just act locally and think globally, for to whom much is given, much more is required.
I have been to the Occupied Palestinian Territories five times since June 2005 and am convinced the 'war on terror' must be fought at the root-and all roads lead to Jerusalem.
I will work to protect the environment, the nurturing of children, the building of Habitat for Humanity homes. If elected I will donate up to one half of my take home pay to Habitat for Humanity homes in the district I serve.
I will seek to reconcile and mend foreign relationships and uphold the spirit and intention of the Constitution of America that successfully separated and balanced governmental powers to safeguard the interests of majority rule and minority rights, of liberty and equality, and of the central and state governments.
One's religion; faith, ethics and values should guide them; and NOT be used to control another.
I appreciated Senator Martinez taking the middle ground on the S-CHIP issue, for he proposes to re-authorize the current program and add 10 billion to it [the Democrats propose 35 billion and President Bush 5 billion] to insure that the poorest of the poor children in the U.S.A. receive health care. He also advocates tax credits to the working poor to pay for their health care coverage and is committed to the private sector and not government run/socialized medicine as the way to insure all Americans have access to health care.
We most certainly differed in our views on Iraq, but what got my Irish up was his response to my petitioning for the Christians in Israel Palestine and the USS LIBERTY.
After fielding soft-ball questions and the praises of those in the audience, the Senator picked on me and I rose up and stated, "I thank God for this opportunity to speak to you Senator Martinez, for I have been to your D.C. office twice this year. I spoke with your assistant John Goetchius both times regarding the Christian EXODUS from the Holy Land which has reduced our sisters and brothers in Christ's numbers from 20% to less than 1.3% since 1948 in the land where Jesus promised the Peacemakers are the children of God.
"I have been to Israel Palestine five times since June 2005 to bear witness and report on this Christian crisis! I thank God for this opportunity to raise awareness of my FAX of October 21 to you requesting JUSTICE for the survivors of the USS LIBERTY."
I then turned to the audience and informed them, "In case you don't know, the USS LIBERTY, an unarmed spy ship in international waters flying the American flag, on June 8, 1967, was attacked by Israel. Thirty-four sailors were killed, 171 wounded and all were scarred and traumatized and let down by the U.S.A. Government for they were ordered to shut up-be court-martialed or worse if they spoke out.
"All the Veterans of the USS LIBERTY are asking for is an open independent investigation with Congressional oversight and a declassification of all records. Will you Senator Martinez take the lead and deliver JUSTICE and seek the TRUTH for the veterans of the USS LIBERTY before this Veterans Day?"
With a smile, Senator Martinez said, "Veterans Day is next week."
The truth is Veterans Day is two weeks away, but what got my Irish up and flaming was when Senator Martinez lied!
After thanking me for my passion he claimed it is Hezbollah that is the cause of the Christian EXODUS from the Holy Land, and I will not be silenced, so I interrupted and informed him that, "It is the forty years of military occupation that is the cause of the problem! It is Hamas and Fatah in Palestine, not Hezbollah! But what about the LIBERTY?"
Senator Martinez kept his cool and replied, "I hear you," then turned and called on another one to rescue him from my passion and anger.
Maybe he did actually hear me and maybe he will do the right thing, for being a Christian I always have hope and "HOPE has two children. The first is ANGER at the way things are. The second is COURAGE to DO SOMETHING about it." -St. Augustine
Jesus called politicians foxes, meaning they only care about themselves, so this reporter is not holding her breath that Senator Martinez will do anything.
And I will continue to rely on the World Wide Web to get the truth out and demand JUSTICE for the Veterans of the USS LIBERTY and human rights for all the people of Israel Palestine.
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October 30,2007 © Copyright Eileen Fleming, Reporter and Editor http://www.wearewideawake.org/ Author Keep Hope Alive and Memoirs of a Nice Irish American Girl's' Life in Occupied Territory, Producer "30 Minutes With Vanunu." Permission is granted for reprint in print, email, blog, or web media if this credit is attached and the title remains unchanged.
