Israelis aren't colonialists; they're the original owners

Israelis aren't colonialists; they're the original owners
EDITOR
I would like to respond to the Aug. 6 letter, "Zionism isn't a religion; it's a purely political issue." A more appropriate name would be & quot;mythological issue, & quot; since the letter is a collection of myths, not facts.
The letter challenges the democratic nature of Israel, since it & quot;reserves rights and privileges to those of the Jewish faith, ... the Palestinians have never been allowed to vote in an election. & quot; The truth is that all Israeli citizens have equal rights, and all of them are allowed to vote and to be elected. The Israeli parliament, the Knesset, has several Palestinians members, and there are many Palestinians mayors and judges, including a justice in the supreme court.
The letter considers the separation wall & quot;a grave injustice and a crime against humanity, ... the greatest threat to peace in the world. & quot; The truth is that this is an anti-terror wall, a nonviolent means that succeeded in stopping the heinous suicide bombers from murdering innocent victims in Israel -- which is a true crime against humanity.
The letter condemns the Christian Zionists for their support of Israel, which is & quot;a system of predatory colonialism. & quot; A short historical review reveals the true colonialists in that land. The land of Israel was an independent Jewish state for a thousand years, until the Roman conquest. The Roman colonial power changed its name to Palestine and ruled it for a thousand years. A new colonial power, the Muslims, ruled it for another thousand years. Then the original owners, the Jews, reclaimed their land. They also replaced the colonial name, Palestine, with the original name, Israel. If anyone is a colonial power in the Holy Land, it's certainly not the original owners.
The writer of the letter complains bitterly of & quot;pure political propaganda & quot; by Rabbi Kolko. A quick look in the mirror will reveal to him a true political propagandist.
A. Z. RABINOWITZ
Youngstown
Acrobats and clowns makea circus, not animals
EDITOR:
I went to the Circus Aut Mori at the Struthers Field House July 23, because I am the mother of a 3-year old. I am also the CEO of Animal Charity of Ohio, Inc. and was mortified by the treatment of most of the animals performing in the circus.
Having a cat sit on a platform and raising it in the air 50 feet and coaxing it to fall -- legs flailing in the air -- is very inhumane. In addition to that, the cats are fed a treat after every trick, which is not good for a cat's overall health and well-being. These cats were dressed up, thrown into the air, tossed, turned, handed off from person to person, and generally mistreated.
On to the dogs. They also were overfed -- given a treat after every "trick." They were dressed up, flipped around, ridden on, and overall mistreated. When I went outside, all of the circus dogs (over 20) were kept in a small trailer. They were barking incessantly because they didn't have enough room to move. I don't even know how anyone could have kept track of feeding all of these animals in such a small place. There was not even any space for the dogs to be exercised properly.
As far as the wild animals go (tigers), they have wild instincts and belong in a free world, not a stage. As I taught a group of fourth-graders this past school year, you should LOOK, LOVE and LEAVE ALONE!
The rest of the circus acts were thoroughly enjoyable. I enjoyed the roller skaters, the aerial ballerinas, the trapeze artists and especially the clowns.
I would like for people to be aware that animals have feelings too and should not be used for the purpose of entertaining us. I would hope that the organizers of any future circuses would take a really good look at the acts they hire. There are a lot of good acts available that do not involve the inhumane and cruel treatment of animals.
NIKOLE RAPP
Youngstown