>>SOUTHERN INDIANA — Protection for Jerusalem holy sites

Recently, violence instigated by Iran-backed Hamas struck Israel yet again. Those bent on harming Israel caused dozens of injuries to people at Jerusalem’s holy sites, including at the Western Wall, Judaism’s holiest place.

Also, the leader of Hamas in Gaza, Ismail Haniyeh, urged Palestinians to unleash a new intifada (uprising).

“Jerusalem is ours, the land is ours, and God is with us,” Haniyeh said.

His threat of mass violence came in response to an Israeli plan to include two holy sites in the West Bank as part of a comprehensive package to preserve Israel’s national heritage and religious sites.

Jerusalem’s holy sites must remain safe and open to all religions — and only have been since Israel took control of Jerusalem in the defensive war of 1967. Before then, when both Christian and Jewish holy sites were under Jordanian control, Jews were forbidden to pray or visit these sites.

In recent years, Palestinian terrorists and rioters have desecrated and destroyed Jewish and Christian holy places in areas under their control.

Christians, Muslims and Jews alike have ties to sacred areas around Jerusalem and consider Jerusalem to be their home. Nevertheless, Jews who live in predominantly Arab neighborhoods of Jerusalem recently have come under fire in news reports around the world.

There is no reason Jews should be prohibited to live in Arab areas, just as Arabs aren’t criticized for living in Jewish neighborhoods such as Pisgat Ze’ev. No one should question the right of Jews to live in the united city of Jerusalem. Jerusalem is the core of the Jewish people — with thousands of years of history connecting them to this holy city. 

Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat underscored this point on Nov. 17, saying, “Israeli law does not discriminate between Jews, Muslims and Christians or between eastern and western Jerusalem. The demand to halt construction by religion is not legal in the United States or in any other free place in the world. I do not presume that any government would demand to freeze construction in the United States based on race, religion or gender and the attempt to demand it from Jerusalem is a double standard and inconceivable.”

When will the world’s leaders understand that Israel wants nothing but peace for itself and its neighbors? When will they understand that only under Israel have holy sites throughout the country been free and open to all religions? When will they put real, meaningful sanctions on Iran to stop the nuclear program and the continued arming, funding and training of Hezbollah, Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad?

The time for stopping violence and starting real measures for peace is now.

— Shirley Habberfield, Jeffersonville



We need health care reform

There have been many negative TV ads lately asking constituents to call and tell Rep. Baron Hill to vote, “no,” on the health care issue. This is just to let you know, there are also many of us who are in favor of America’s Health Care Reform Bill.

We are so close to getting this bill. We cannot let it slip through our fingers. True, it’s not a perfect bill, but there are many parts of the legislation that would help all Americans.

Closing the “doughnut hole” is a good, positive example. That certainly would have helped me in my fight against my breast cancer. My doctor put me on Arimidex, a medicine that cost about $700 a month. My co-pay was only $75, but the entire cost counted toward my growing medical expenses each year.

These costs added up, moving me closer to the doughnut hole. Had I reached the dreaded doughnut hole, my husband and I would have been moved into bankruptcy. Thus, I was forced to quit taking the Arimidex. But, now, I have been diagnosed with bone cancer.

The irony here is that to fight the bone cancer, I am now being given two new drugs intravenously called, Zometa and Faslodex. Since these are not drugs from the pharmacy, they do not add up as costs toward the doughnut hole. However, the costs for these replacements for Arimidex, that I could not afford, are actually more expensive. The overall savings to a person’s health care would be significant by eliminating the doughnut hole in this case.

Besides, we don’t need to send people into dire bankruptcy because of an illness.

I am sure there are many stories across America that are similar to my story. There is much money and many lives to be saved by passing a good health care bill. Saying “yes,” to the health care bill will help millions of Americans — it is the right thing to do — there is no better time than now.

Yes, do call Hill’s office at 812-288-3999 and tell him “yes,” do pass the Health Care Reform Bill. We need to stand up and be counted, even if we don’t have the big bucks possessed by the private health care insurance industry.

They can waste your health care dollars by paying millions for their negative TV ads, but they cannot fool you by their false advertising or by their CEOs who make million dollar bonuses at our expense.

America has much to lose if the health care bill does not pass.

— Marilyn White, Jeffersonville