Blessed Are the Peacemakers [for they shall be killed by their own]

Michael Collins [1890-1922], Ireland. Sought to bring an incremental peace to his troubled native land. Killed by the Irish Republican Army.

Mahatma Mohandas K. Gandhi [1869-1948], India. Non-violently won independence for India from the British Empire. Killed by a fellow Indian opposed to an accommodation to Pakistan, India’s Muslim twin separated/partitioned at birth.

Malcolm X/El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz [1925-1965], US. Turned from race confrontation to racial ecumenicalism with his conversion to orthodox Islam. Killed by his old mates at the race-based Nation of Islam.

Muhammad Anwar al-Sadat [1918-1981], Egypt. Partner in historic peace agreement with Israel. Egypt is suspended from the Arab League; Sadat is killed by fundamentalists in his army two years later.

Yitzhak Rabin [1922-1995], Israel. Nobel Prize-winner for his work on the Oslo Accords. Killed by a fellow Israeli opposed to them.

And now

RIP

Burhanuddin Rabbani [1940-2011], Afghanistan. Former president of Afghanistan. Was mediating a possible political peace and reconciliation with the Taliban. Killed by a Taliban suicide bomber.

Nothing to add here but the thanks of all mankind. Of all our heroes, these are our greatest. Rest now, our brothers. In Peace.

You did what you could.

Tom Van Dyke

Tom Van Dyke, businessman, musician, bon vivant and game-show champ (The Joker's Wild, and Win Ben Stein's Money), knows lots of stuff, although not quite everything yet. A past contributor to The American Spectator Online, the late great Reform Club blog, and currently on religion and the American Founding at American Creation, TVD continues to write on matters of both great and small importance from his ranch type style tract house high on a hill above Los Angeles.

11 Comments

  1. Tom, I don’t know about Sadat. Egypt has been directly responsible for turning a blind eye to Palestinians and allowing thousands and thousands of weapons and bombs to be smuggled into Gaza. All of which have been used to attack civilian areas inside Israel.

    Forget all this nonsense about checkpoints, walls, watch towers–the only realistic solution is for Germany and Israel to swap countries. The Palestinians blood lust will only cease when every Jew is killed or relocated. They get bored with peace and like children, get a big thrill from the boom.boom, boom of their exploding toys. The Germans get Israel; the Israelis get Germany, and the Palestinians get Jordan–just like they did in the 40s. That was supposed to be home to the Palis but again, they got bored and decided fire up their cherry bombs and M-80s and not only do they get to hear all those explosions, they get to see Jews blown up to smithereens–WHOPPIE!

    • nah. Lets give the Jews the Moon. It’s safe, economical (no more gunbattles), and fun!

      • All good points, Kimmi! You win. I see no reason why the Masters can’t be played on the moon come April. Maybe we can even hire “illegals” for lawn maintenance. This seems to be as reasonable as any other proposed solution.

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