Call me Ishmael.
Y’all know how apolitical I am. This post should give you some insight as to why. It may also give you some reason to become that way.
In the Good Book, Genesis Chapter 16, Verse 12, it is written about the child that Hagar, Sarah’s Egyptian handmaiden, would bear, the child who would be named Ishmael and become the forefather of the Arab hordes:
He will be a pere-adam (a wild donkey of a man [following Ramban]), his hand against everyone, and everyone’s hand against him. He will dwell over all his brothers.
The great sage Onkelos, of the Mishnaic era, enriches our understanding with the following translation:
He will be a rebel, in need of everyone else. Everyone else will need him. He will dwell in the face of all his brothers.
Over 3,000 years ago, the holy Torah succinctly predicted and defined the psychology and practical abilities of a yet unborn nation. Even those of little faith, if they are honest enough when they view the history of the Levant and current events, can see the correctness of the prediction/definition. So, can I place any stock in politicians who ignore (or are ignorant of) basic information needed in making life and death decisions when dealing with Ishmael’s numerous offspring?