Celebration
The Fly
I've seen a few mentions regarding Bono's mentioning of "the Palestinian dream" during tonight's set and thought it deserved its own thread.
I was there and I work in politics in DC and can assure you this was a very bold and controversial remark considering the setting. I had seen the rehearsal video and noted the Palestinian mention. Today, there was a long pause before he went there because Bono knows he was pushing the envelope.
This was significant because so few in DC and elsewhere in the US, particularly in the church, bother to think critically about the situation. Frankly, we prefer not to think about it. The Palestinians are on the back of the international bus, so to speak.
I could offer lots of commentary but my point is to get us as U2 fans to ask ourselves why Bono would use the occassion to raise this issue. Whether you consider yourself to be "pro-Israeli" or "pro-Palestinian" the current trajectory for both sides, and the United States, is misery, destruction and bitterness - terrific recruiting tools for terrorists.
If this is a season for change, that means debating ideas thoughtfully ... few topics are more important for us to debate. Thanks to Bono for using his platform to make us uncomfortable ...
I was there and I work in politics in DC and can assure you this was a very bold and controversial remark considering the setting. I had seen the rehearsal video and noted the Palestinian mention. Today, there was a long pause before he went there because Bono knows he was pushing the envelope.
This was significant because so few in DC and elsewhere in the US, particularly in the church, bother to think critically about the situation. Frankly, we prefer not to think about it. The Palestinians are on the back of the international bus, so to speak.
I could offer lots of commentary but my point is to get us as U2 fans to ask ourselves why Bono would use the occassion to raise this issue. Whether you consider yourself to be "pro-Israeli" or "pro-Palestinian" the current trajectory for both sides, and the United States, is misery, destruction and bitterness - terrific recruiting tools for terrorists.
If this is a season for change, that means debating ideas thoughtfully ... few topics are more important for us to debate. Thanks to Bono for using his platform to make us uncomfortable ...