Here it is, my keynote address at the American Federation of Ramallah Palestine Convention in Jacksonville, Florida. The event was lovely. This is a Christian Palestinian organization that is focused on maintaining Palestinian culture within the diaspora in the US. They have numerous cultural events, tours, and annual gatherings. This is the organization that invited me as well as 6 others to tour the Holy Land in October of 2019. My group included three clergy members, two medical professionals, and an educator. The trip was incredible and educational. We visited holy sites of all three Abrahamic religions, swam in the Dead Sea, and rode camels. We visited Tel Aviv and stayed in Jeruselum and Ramallah. We visited numerous Palestinian art and music centers and ate the most delicious food. And of course, as we toured, we witnessed the occupation first hand. It was shocking and humbling. Forever changing. I am grateful I was asked to go on this trip. I was later asked to be the keynote speaker at their annual convention. I'm sorry the quality isn't the greatest, I had one of the attendees film it for me on their phone.
Had a fun time this weekend at a birthday party and wanted to share my GIF. btw..I learned it's pronounced JIFF with a soft G not GIFF with a hard G. The more you know I suppose.
If I listen to the words of Trump, Hegseth, Rubio and all the others in the Epstein class, I cannot avoid thinking that to these people do not care at all about the miracle of human life.
So whether that life is one of 165 children killed in what seems to be the first US missile to hit Iran in this latest war, or that of an American serviceman in some dust laden desert in Qatar or of a Russian worker at an oil refinery in the west of the country, these lives mean nothing. The thoughts, memories and wisdom of these humans are obliterated in an instant.
So when we hear these so called leaders gloating about how many Iranian officials they have killed and how they are going to turn up the heat and kill many more innocent people, it only sickens me.
No matter the cause we should all feel saddened when an innocent life is needlessly lost. For if we do not care for every single human life on this planet, if we do not wonder at the miracle of human life, then it is clear that none of us matter.
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@KimIversen When it comes to Saudi Arabia, your comments have repeatedly been inaccurate if not false, and last night’s statement was no different. You said that “the Saudi monarchy would not exist if it weren’t for Israel allowing it to exist”. Respectfully, that reduces a deeply rooted, historically complex system into a caricature.
It ignores a whole structure of factors that allows monarchies in this region to exist and continue: deep historical roots, broad public acceptance, internal stability, economic strength, oil wealth, strategic alliances, and continuity of governance that many citizens see as legitimate because it actually works in lived reality. That complexity disappears when everything is reduced to an Americanised geopolitical slogan.
The majority of citizens don’t view the monarchy as some alien force imposed on them. They see it as part of the country’s structure and identity. For many people, this system works. It provides safety, stability, social and ...
