While Israel is facing many serious challenges and unjust criticism, it is nice to read something good about our lovely country from the PM of England. That is not his first praise. When P.M. Gordon Brown appeared in front of the Knesset during Israel 60's anniversary he gave also a marvelous speech celebrating Israel’s many powerful accomplishments.
Matania

UK Prime Minister Lauds Israel as "Symbol of Hope" - Jonny Paul

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown paid tribute to the tenacity and achievements of the Jewish people on Monday and said that Israel is "a symbol of hope from which all the world can learn." Brown told the United Jewish Israel Appeal, "For 2,000 years, until 1948, the persistent call of the Jewish people was 'next year in Jerusalem.' For 2,000 years there was not one piece of land anywhere in the whole world that you could call your own."
"For 2,000 years you had history but not a home. For 2,000 years you lived in the artistic and cultural and intellectual and scientific and political realm of every continent but you had no home. For 2,000 years you endured pogroms in so many countries, then the horror of the Holocaust - which is the shame of mankind - because you had no home yet for 2,000 years, yet nothing - no prison cell, no forced migration, no violence, not even the Holocaust itself - could ever break the spirit of a people yearning to be free."
"What remarkable achievements Israel has achieved," he said. "A history of ingenuity that is a lesson to the boundless capacity of mind and spirit. Eight citizens have already been awarded Nobel prizes. In Israel today, there are more hi-tech industries, more symphony orchestras, more universities and research institutions than countries that are 100 times the size of Israel. The language of the Bible made the living tongue again, so your story, the story of Israel, is the symbol I identify with as a symbol of hope from which all the world can learn." (Jerusalem Post)

In November 2005 I wrote a review of the Iranian nuclear danger, recommended powerful global pressure on Iran and said this is not likely, and ended with the following:
“My conclusions are: Iran is determined to possess nuclear weapons and no one can stop them.”
The following two summaries by people of substantial background in this area are important to understand.
Matania

Observations:
Everyone Needs to Worry About Iran - Richard Holbrooke, R. James Woolsey, Dennis B. Ross, and Mark D. Wallace (Wall Street Journal)

• Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad visits the United Nations in New York this week. Don't expect an honest update from him on his country's nuclear program. Iran is now edging closer to being armed with nuclear weapons, and it continues to develop a ballistic-missile capability.
• The challenge Iran poses is very real and not a partisan matter. We share a common concern - Iran's drive to be a nuclear state. We believe that Iran's desire for nuclear weapons is one of the most urgent issues facing America today, because even the most conservative estimates tell us that they could have nuclear weapons soon.
• A nuclear-armed Iran would pose a direct threat to America's national security. For this reason, Iran's nuclear ambitions demand a response that will compel Iran's leaders to change their behavior and come to understand that they have more to lose than to gain by going nuclear.
• Iran is a deadly and irresponsible world actor, employing terrorist organizations including Hizbullah and Hamas to undermine existing regimes and to foment conflict. Emboldened by the bomb, Iran will become more inclined to sponsor terror, threaten our allies, and support the most deadly elements of the Iraqi insurgency.
• At the same time, Iranian leaders declare that Israel is illegitimate and should not exist. President Ahmadinejad specifically calls for Israel to be "wiped off from the map," while seeking the weapons to do so. Such behavior casts Iran as an international outlier. No one can reasonably suggest that a nuclear-armed Iran will suddenly honor international treaty obligations, acknowledge Israel's right to exist, or cease efforts to undermine the Arab-Israeli peace process.
• Facing such a threat, Americans must put aside their political differences and send a clear and united message that a nuclear armed Iran is unacceptable.
Mr. Holbrooke is a former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. Mr. Woolsey is a former director of the Central Intelligence Agency. Mr. Ross was a special Middle East coordinator for President Clinton. Mr. Wallace was a representative of the U.S. to the UN for management and reform.

A Wakeup Call on Iran's Nukes - John Bolton (New York Daily News)

• Britain, France and Germany ("the EU-3") have been negotiating with Iran for over five years, and yet Iran has shown no inclination to terminate its nuclear program. The net effect of five years of EU-3 negotiation is that Iran is five years closer to achieving a deliverable nuclear weapon.
• Europe still does not fully appreciate the risks of a nuclear-armed Iran, nor is it willing to take the steps necessary to prevent it. Europe's lack of real concern stems in part from the mindset that it has passed beyond history, and entered a zone of security that will persist as long as outsiders are not "provoked."
• The Security Council will not solve the Iran problem. Russia, and to a lesser extent China, have made it clear that they will block meaningful sanctions in the Council. Russia has an enormous interest in protecting Iran from meaningful Security Council sanctions. Moscow hopes to sell nuclear fuel, and construct many nuclear power plants in addition to the one nearly complete at Bushehr, and sees Iran as a substantial market for high-end conventional weapons sales. Similarly, China's large and growing demands for energy make Iran an attractive partner for assured supplies of oil and natural gas, as well as a potential market.
• On Jan. 20, the new U.S. president will face very unattractive choices if he is serious about disarming this outlaw regime. One is regime change in Tehran, through support of the widespread discontent across Iran with the mullahs. The other is the targeted use of force against Iran's nuclear program. Unfortunately, the only other alternative - Iran with nuclear weapons - is far worse.

The writer, former U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations, is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.

The question of whether Pope Pius XII did as much as he could to help the Jews during WW II has still not been answered, but it has been raised again by Pope Benedict.

Meanwhile, here is some more material on the subject: The Case Of The Wartime Pope: The Historical Controversy Of Pius XII

When Sr. Margherita Marchione discovered that members of her religious order in Rome had saved 114 Jews, she decided to research the subject, interviewing both Catholics and Jews who were there at the time.

Her findings? Evidence exists of a huge system of P.O.W. location and hiding as well as the smuggling of Jewish refugees, which originated in the Vatican. Although there are no documents to show it, interviewees told Sr. Margherita that the orders for these institutions came from Pius XII himself.

In 1998, Sr. Margherita received a letter from a Msgr. Ferofino, who told her a story about Pius XII and the Jews. Msgr. Ferofino was in Santo Domingo, serving as secretary to the bishop there under the rule of dictator Rafael Trujillo. Msgr. Ferofino received notice from Pius XII asking them to visit Mr. Trujillo and ask him for 400 visas, so the pope could send a shipload of Jews to Santo Domingo. They had visas to the U.S., but U.S. authorities would not accept them. Mr. Trujillo accepted the immigrants, who gradually went to the U.S. via Mexico after arriving in the Dominican Republic.

Meanwhile, John Cornwell, who wrote Hitler’s Pope, has somewhat revised his ideas, but is still not convinced that the Pope did enough.

Hitler's Pope has been criticized for its accuracy and dedication to objective history, and Mr. Cornwell admits that since its publication, his views have undergone revision.

"While I believe with many commentators that the pope might have done more to help the plight of the Jews, I now feel, 10 years after the publication of my book, that his scope for action was severely limited and I am prepared to state this," he said. "Nevertheless, due to his ineffectual and diplomatic language in respect of the Nazis and the Jews, I still believe that it was incumbent on him to explain his failure to speak out after the war. This he never did."

Not exactly the current Pope’s claim that Pius XII ‘spared no effort’ to help the Jews.

Every thing we do in the US impacts us and the rest of the world. We are the largest economy, the largest global polluter, and highest standard of living. We were given a marvelous country, great Constitution, the majority of the people are good caring people, but we stopped thinking. As we are moving towards the crucial global struggle to solve our energy problems coupled with the increased severity of global warming we, Americans, need to rethink our approaches. For too long we ignored critical facts because we did not like them. Here are just a few points:

In the past we were a very rich country, no longer; with ten trillion in national debt, $800 billion in yearly balance of payment deficit, and trillions in personal debts, we could not continue on the same path .In the past we could have tolerated a lot of national mistakes caused by our selfish attitude coupled with irresponsible political actions. We tried the Great Society, we tried educational reforms, and we tried financial deregulations. We got more poverty, lower education, and the Savings and Loans collapse of the 90’. Also the Dot.Com and Enron collapse, the current subprime housing collapse- and the shakeout of the banking and financial institutions, which is ongoing right now, no clear end in sight. We just ignored potential impacts.

Any intelligent person could have foreseen the coming of these severe dislocations and the suffering they would bring to millions and the nation. It is a fact of nature: EXPONENTIAL GROWTH LEADS TO EXPLOSION. The public and its leaders wanted to forget reality and continue the “free” ride. I have discussed it with my sons and friends for twenty years. I believe that our culture became self indulgent and overtly money oriented in the last few decades, accelerating with president Reagan’s transfer of wealth to the top few percents. And surprise, surprise, the economy did not collapse- so we decided to continue to borrow from the future, Democrats and Republicans almost alike. Since too many in the upper echelon of business and politics lack morality and have extreme self interest, their egos take over and lead to lies and organized theft from the rest of society.
And most of us keep quiet. As Eli Wiesel said, neutrality aids the oppressors. By inaction we become supporters of these crimes. We often called it white lies. Every one does it, so be a realistic and go along…
I personally witnessed corruption in industry, government and even nonprofit do-good organizations. I did oppose what I could and at age 52 retired in disgust and worked to raise these issues.

We must change this; we need to stand up, with courage, for what is right, not for what is convenient, and encourage others to do the same. Most important - pressure our leaders for honesty and facts-based actions.
Matania

Some related quotations:
Enron: “There were countless individuals within Enron who could have quit their jobs and alerted regulators to what was going on.”
“Call me a pessimist, but my view is that human nature being what it is, we can expect more Enrons, and more prep walks.” Paul Barrett, Assistant managing editor at Business Week. Harvard Magazine, 9/08

Housing collapse: Fannie Mac and Freddie Mac, the two semi governmental mortgage giants who finance some 80% of the housing loans are now part of the problem. Their combined portfolios of mortgage–backed securities is $1.5 Trillion. (One and a half million-million dollars!). B.W. 7/08

“We now know that consumption was too high to be sustainable, that housing prices were too high, and so on.”
“The final area of enormous policy significance is energy and the related question of the environment. Here I think our political leadership has let us down.” Lawrence Summers, past president of Harvard and US Secretary of the Treasury, 1999-2001. Harvard Magazine 9/08.

“Without a basic understanding of what constitute good science, neither ordinary citizens nor the politicians who represent them can hope to make thoughtful judgment separating quacks, con men, and practitioners of bad science from thoughtful experts whose advice ought to be taken seriously.” The Age of American Unreason: Defining Dumbness Downward, Susan Jacoby.

“The Almighty says, “Belief isn’t enough. Get knowledge. Come investigate.” It’s a fundamental principle of Judaism.” ”Research! Study! Analyze! Be sincere. Make the effort. Be willing to do what it takes to find out.” Know what you know. Rabbi Noah Weinberg. 1998.
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Life's much quieter in Israel these days, mostly thanks to the defensive 'Wall' perhaps. As a result, Christian responses to Israel have become quieter, although some still mutter and grumble about the Wall which protects so many Israeli lives.

So, for a change, here is Julie Burchill, bravely stepping into the anti-Israel darkness of the Guardian and shedding a little light there. The article is largely about her religious journey: For the love of Christ

I'm a Christian Zionist, a Christian feminist and a Christian socialist. But the Christian part has become the most important.

If only more Christians were like her. Here's a sample:

When one considers the shocking plight of British Muslims who seek to convert to Christianity, it seems to me quite offensive that Christianity should be dismissed by Dawkins and his like in the same breath as Islam. Similarly, Dawkins' critique of Judaism seems way too aggressive, when one compares it to the excesses of other belief systems. The oldest and least evangelical of the monotheistic religions, it is also arguably the most civilised and liberal; there are female judges and rabbis in the Old Testament, which makes the C of E's foot-dragging over the ordination of women look a bit sad – and let's not even mention the Catholic and Muslim attitude to women being allowed to preach.