For those who have seen any of the ten billboards in Albuqerque urging people to contact congressional leaders and express opposition to U.S. military aid to Israel, here are some thoughts from community members worth sharing:

In response to an article in the Albuquerque Journal detailing the effort, George Skadron writes:

In your April 16th article, Billboards Target Arms Aid to Israel, Mr. Rich Forer is quoted as saying, “We are not a group that is anti-Israel.” This is difficult to square with an article, Peace Plan, which Forer wrote for newmexicoindymedia.org in August 2006. In this article, Forer presents a formula for the Middle East which begins with the “emigration from Israel of non-Muslims…all non-Muslims would leave Israel over a period to be determined but likely to be 10 to 20 years.” In short, Forer advocates dismantling Israel and replacing it with a Muslim state. These views were expressed during a year when rockets from Gaza were raining down on Israel daily with no concerted Israeli response.

I genuinely wish the Muslims of the region better lives: better educational opportunities for the children, better economic opportunities for the families, and a seat at the table of nations. Progress in this direction is best achieved by replacing “death to Israel” by “live peacefully with Israel.”

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And William Malik responds:

I don't know whether to laugh or cry when I see such absurdity blocking our landscape. Sure we give money and weapons to Israel, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt among many other countries.Good gracious, Israel attacked parts of Gaza after many years of rockets being fired into their country. What would you do if that happened here? Israel is always an easy target for the uniformed.