| On January 7, 2008, I received the following | | | | Nuclear weapons and military occupation are |
| good news email from Mordecahi Vanunu: | | | | in direct conflict with what Jesus taught and |
| | | | lived. |
| Hi There, | | | | |
| | | | Jesus also taught liberation from the bondage |
| The news: | | | | of the corrupt teachers of The Law, who made |
| | | | their bread off of the poor. The Temple |
| The court hearing today postponed. Israel | | | | priests made their living by convincing the |
| Gov' by their prosecutor agree to change the | | | | people that God would only accept them after |
| 6 months prison sentence to community | | | | they paid for ritual baths and sacrificing |
| service. Next the prosecutor will discuss | | | | livestock, that only the Temple priests could |
| with us which community service I will do. So | | | | perform. |
| all this trial and sentence for the last 3 | | | | |
| years come to nothing. | | | | Jesus was a dissident, a subversive, social |
| | | | justice radical revolutionary Palestinian |
| Wishing you to see me free very soon,vmjc | | | | devout Jewish road warrior who challenged the |
| | | | job security of the Temple priests by |
| Ever since Vanunu was convicted in July 2007 | | | | teaching the people that they didn't need to |
| and sentenced to six more months in jail for | | | | pay the priests a dime to be OK with God, for |
| the interviews he gave foreign media in 2004, | | | | God already loved them, just as they were; |
| this civilian journalist has suffered a | | | | sinners, diseased, outcasts, refugees, |
| guilty conscience because I have been | | | | prisoners all living under Roman Military |
| streaming 2005 and 2006 video of Vanunu on my | | | | occupation. |
| site and YOUTUBE. I figured if Israel would | | | | |
| send Vanunu back to jail for interviews | | | | What got Jesus crucified was disturbing the |
| nobody is reading anymore, what would they do | | | | status quo of the Roman Occupying Forces |
| to him for videos that are currently freely | | | | because he taught the people that in God's |
| streaming on the World Wide Web? | | | | eyes everyone is equally valuable and Caesar |
| | | | only had power because God allowed it. |
| This civilian journalist also owes her very | | | | |
| career to Vanunu, so I am in his debt for he | | | | 2,000 years ago the cross has NO religious |
| inspired me to realize my childhood dream of | | | | symbolism. When Jesus said: "Pick up your |
| growing up to be Brenda Starr, the red headed | | | | cross and follow me," everyone then |
| ace investigative journalist of the Sunday | | | | understood he was issuing a political |
| comics. Because of a chance crossing of paths | | | | statement. The Roman Empire crucified |
| with Vanunu in June 2005 that lead him to | | | | thousands of agitators, rebels, dissidents |
| share with me about his childhood and journey | | | | and any others who disturbed the status quo, |
| into Christianity, I was also inspired to | | | | and the road to Jerusalem was lined with the |
| imagine an adult hope; of becoming the 21st | | | | Roman Occupying Forces method of the death |
| century Dorothy Day, a radical Christian who | | | | penalty. |
| birthed The Catholic Worker newspaper that | | | | |
| gave voice to the poor and oppressed in the | | | | Jesus did not speak Hebrew, he spoke Aramaic. |
| 20th century. | | | | The word Nero, written in Aramaic was valued |
| | | | at 666 in the Hebrew numbering system. The |
| Because I had been reporting on Vanunu's | | | | Roman Empire oppressed Jews and Christians |
| historic year and a half long freedom of | | | | and both communities used codes, symbols and |
| speech trial in Jerusalem I was asked to | | | | numerology understood by their members, but |
| speak in California on October 13, | | | | not the empire. |
| 2007-Vanunu's 53rd birthday- at the NO More | | | | |
| Wars for Israel Conference, which had been | | | | I asked Rich had he ever considered that the |
| dedicated to him. I went with the hope and | | | | anti-Christ might actually be nuclear |
| desire to raise some funds for Vanunu's | | | | weapons. Had he ever considered that the |
| Defense before his January 8, 2008 appeal. | | | | anti-Christ is not a man at all but is the |
| | | | evil that comes from a heart that seeks |
| And another door opened to me when I heard | | | | power, control and empire. I asked Rich had |
| another speaker there say, | | | | he ever wondered about how governments |
| | | | promote nuclear weapons as instruments of |
| "It was God that kept us afloat." | | | | peace, but nukes only reap destruction and |
| | | | instability for they fill others with the |
| That speaker was Phil Tourney, a USS LIBERTY | | | | desire to obtain them. |
| Veteran who has now become a brother, a | | | | |
| friend and comrade in the good fight for | | | | Rich hadn't thought of such a thing and |
| justice for the USS LIBERTY. | | | | neither had Vanunu when I raised the very |
| | | | same question to him in June 2005. |
| Liberty also means freedom from captivity. | | | | |
| | | | But Vanunu did reply, "The only way to peace |
| When Phil spoke those seven words, I | | | | is peace; the only way is nonviolence. The |
| immediately knew in my heart/gut, I had to do | | | | only answer to Israeli nuclear weapons, their |
| something. In less than three months, I have | | | | aggression, occupation and oppression, and |
| heard those same words affirmed by every USS | | | | the wall and refugee camps is to answer them |
| LIBERTY survivor and supporter, I have thus | | | | with truth and a peaceful voice. When I |
| far spoken with; and I have only just begun. | | | | became the spy for the world, I did it all |
| | | | for the people of the world. If governments |
| Although Vanunu's and the LIBERTY Vet's | | | | do not report the truth, and if the media |
| situations are very different, they are also | | | | does not report the truth, then all we can do |
| very connected in my heart/gut. In both | | | | is follow our consciences. Daniel Ellsberg |
| instances governments that claim to be | | | | did, the woman from Enron did, and I did. The |
| democracies told truth tellers to SHUT UP and | | | | United States needs to wake up and see the |
| both governments have lied and covered | | | | truth that Israel is not a democracy, unless |
| up........ | | | | you are a Jew. Israel is the only country in |
| | | | the Middle East where America can right now |
| I made a phone call on January 5, 2008, to | | | | find nuclear weapons. |
| LIBERTY CENTRAL/Rich Schmucker. I thought I | | | | |
| was just doing another USS LIBERTY article, | | | | "America can also find where basic human |
| but another door opened up to me. | | | | rights have been denied Christians: right |
| | | | here in Israel.The time has come for the |
| Rich wasn't on the USS LIBERTY, the spy ship | | | | United States to see the truth of Zionism. It |
| that Israel attacked and tried to destroy | | | | began as a secular nationalist movement, not |
| during the Six Day War, but he has been a | | | | a religious one. Then some Christians |
| supporter and accumulator of records galore | | | | believed that when Israel became a nation, it |
| about that day in infamy when the USA | | | | was the beginning of the second coming. They |
| Government failed to support the troops, | | | | are deluded if they believe peace will come |
| Congress went limp and the MSM went MIA. | | | | through atomic weapons. Atomic weapons are |
| | | | holocaust weapons. Christians should be the |
| Rich told me, "From 1963 until 1969, I was a | | | | first people against them. |
| CT, a Communications Technician stationed at | | | | |
| the Naval base in Wahiawa, Hawaii. CT's are | | | | "The Christians in America should be helping |
| apart of the intelligence community and our | | | | the Christians here. America needs to wake up |
| work was classified. I never heard a word | | | | to this fallacy that Jesus will come back by |
| about what happened on June 8, 1967 in the | | | | nuclear war. America needs to wake up to the |
| Mediterranean until I was in a library in | | | | fact that the Palestinian Christians here |
| Auburn, Nebraska in 1979 and came across Jim | | | | have no human rights. Aren't Christians |
| Ennis's book, ASSAULT ON THE LIBERTY. | | | | supposed to be concerned about other |
| | | | Christians? Aren't Christians supposed to be |
| "I checked it out and after reading it, I | | | | concerned about all the poor and oppressed?" |
| became so dang angry because I hadn't heard | | | | |
| anything about it while in the Navy, or in | | | | I totally agreed with Vanunu and told him, |
| the newspapers or on TV, so I began doing | | | | "It is non-negotiable: all of that stuff |
| research. Through the years I have obtained | | | | Jesus said about doing for the least and the |
| over two hundred pounds of documents and I | | | | oppressed. It is non-negotiable for |
| have stuff the crew never even knew about. | | | | Christians; we must forgive our enemies, and |
| What I read opened more doors and I was led | | | | we must love those who hate us. Whatever we |
| to contact Russians, Egyptians, Israelis and | | | | do or do not do, we do it unto God. Every |
| others and my phone bill was higher than a | | | | time I went through a checkpoint, saw The |
| kite. | | | | Apartheid Wall, or heard a story of |
| | | | oppression, I wondered how God can stand this |
| "I got the USA documents using the Freedom of | | | | situation. I can't. I also think you were |
| Information Act and most of the time I got | | | | crucified for telling the truth." |
| what I asked for, but sometimes, I was | | | | |
| completely ignored. I signed a secrecy | | | | Vanunu agreed, "My human rights have been |
| agreement when I entered the Navy and I think | | | | denied me because I am a Christian. When I |
| one of the reasons our government has ignored | | | | was on trial, I was treated just like a |
| me was because they didn't want to give me | | | | Palestinian: no human rights at all, and |
| any credibility. The only negativity I met | | | | cruel and unusual punishment, all because I |
| with was when I received a package from | | | | told the truth. The government spread slander |
| Paris, France. Two hours after opening it up, | | | | about me, that I was a homosexual, that I |
| I landed in the hospital because it had some | | | | hated Jews, that I wanted fame and money. |
| kind of poison in it. Apparently somebody in | | | | What I did was sacrifice my life for the |
| France didn't like me because I was asking | | | | truth. In prison, I really began to feel like |
| questions about the USS LIBERTY. I have | | | | Jesus and Paul. When Jesus threw the money |
| gotten a couple of phone threats, but it's | | | | changers out of the temple, it was like me in |
| the one's who won't talk to you, you have to | | | | Dimona, exposing the Israelis' dirty secrets. |
| worry about. " | | | | I felt like Paul, being thrown in prison for |
| | | | speaking the truth. |
| Rich's comment caused me to reflect upon the | | | | |
| link I have to my website that affirms that | | | | "The only real way to worship is in loving |
| the USA Government, Israel [and France!] are | | | | one's enemies. It was not easy to love my |
| consistently in the Top 20 out of 70+ | | | | tormentors; it was only because I felt so |
| countries that hit on WAWA every day. Nobody | | | | much like Jesus crucified on the cross, and |
| from any of those governments ever email me, | | | | as if I was crucified in prison, that I could |
| but I have been and remain grateful they are | | | | do it. It was not ever easy. I have forgiven |
| interested in this little sister of Christ, | | | | but not forgotten anything, and I never will. |
| for Big Brother is out of control and it is | | | | In Israel, a life sentence is twenty-five |
| empire that I am challenging on the web. | | | | years. Even murderers go free after |
| | | | seventeen. They imposed the same restrictions |
| Rich continued, "It's not the Jewish people | | | | on me that Palestinians receive: no human |
| or the Jewish religion I have a problem with. | | | | rights at all; no phone; no visitors, except |
| It's the governments of America and Israel | | | | family, and only through an iron grill; no |
| that colluded in the cover-up that I have a | | | | vacation; no holidays; and no gifts. Even |
| problem with…This is off topic, but I | | | | murderers get out for vacations! I was locked |
| want to tell you that one day I was just | | | | up for eighteen years and still cannot go on |
| sitting there looking at a picture of the | | | | vacation; I cannot leave, and that is all I |
| Star of David and I realized it had six | | | | am asking for, just to leave here. For |
| little triangles, six sides in the center and | | | | eighteen years in prison, they even attempted |
| six points and I wondered if it was the Mark | | | | to control my thoughts on paper. I would |
| of The Beast; you know 666 from the Book of | | | | write exactly what I wanted and they would |
| Revelation." | | | | censor words like kidnapped and atomic bomb. |
| | | | They would show me how they chopped up my |
| I had never heard of such a thing but I do | | | | letters, but I continued to write exactly |
| know that some modern day Biblical scholars | | | | what I wanted. They held my body, but never |
| contend that the number 666 was code for the | | | | my spirit or mind." |
| Roman Emperor Nero. The ancients used | | | | |
| numerical codes of the alphabet and writers | | | | ......After I said good bye to Rich I |
| were thus able to name without actually | | | | immediately flipped my Bible open to the Book |
| naming those contemporary figures that were | | | | of Revelation as I prayed for a revelation of |
| politically dangerous to openly criticize. | | | | my own. What jumped out at me was: |
| | | | |
| Some current day Christian fundamentalists | | | | "The beast was given a mouth to utter proud |
| believe that 666 is a code for the letters of | | | | words…to blaspheme God and to slander |
| a name or title of the Antichrist. A | | | | his name and his dwelling place…He who |
| particular cult of modern day USA | | | | has an ear, let him hear…If anyone |
| fundamentalist Christians who are pro-war, | | | | kills…he will be killed." Rev.13: 5-10 |
| pro-torture, pro-military occupation and lust | | | | |
| for Armageddon best exemplify what centuries | | | | "I saw a new heaven and a new earth…I |
| of theologians understood to be what the term | | | | saw the Holy City, the New Jerusalem coming |
| anti-Christ is really all about. | | | | down out of heaven…and I heard a loud |
| | | | voice saying, "There will be no more death, |
| The term "antichrist" never appears in John's | | | | or mourning or crying or pain, for the old |
| Revelation or Daniel, two disparate works of | | | | order of things has passed away." Rev. 21: |
| literature written three centuries apart and | | | | 1-4 |
| under very different circumstances, yet some | | | | |
| modern day Christian fundamentalists have | | | | Come senators, congressmen |
| woven them together and have left behind what | | | | |
| the author who coined the term 'antichrist' | | | | Please heed the call |
| actually penned. The writer of 1 John and 2 | | | | |
| John-the only sources in the Bible where the | | | | Don't stand in the doorway |
| term appears wrote:"...as you have heard that | | | | |
| the antichrist is coming; even now many have | | | | Don't block up the hall |
| come..."- I John 2:18 | | | | |
| | | | For he that gets hurt |
| To be anti anything is to be against | | | | |
| something. To be anti-Christ is to be against | | | | Will be he who has stalled |
| what Jesus was all about; and Jesus was all | | | | |
| about forgiving, blessing and loving one's | | | | There's a battle outside |
| enemies and remaining nonviolent even while | | | | |
| being nailed to a cross. | | | | And it is ragin'. |
| | | | |