[SSharon]

I generally don't just repeat news stories that I find online, but I know some of the members here strongly support the red cross and I wanted to hear your opinions.

http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/asiapc....ap/index.html
http://www.afmda.org/site/PageServer
http://www.redcross.org/pressrelease...4_5446,00.html

I have spent many hours volunteering with Magen David Adom both in Israel and in the US and I am glad to hear that they are finally accepted as equals.

[vmarks]

Equals?

It took 60 years to be accepted, and only after having been blocked countless times, and only after being made to give up the Magen David star and adopt some goofy 'crystal' emblem, were they 'accepted.'

Some acceptance.

[Big Mac]

They had to officially give up the magen? If that's not blatant Jew-hatred, I don't know what else one could call it. What's the use of that token recognition anyway?

[SSharon]

From my understanding the baseball diamond is only going to be used by MDA when practicing in other countries. Kind of like home and away jerseys.

[Dork.]

My understanding of the situation is that the enblem is a big deal, because the International Red Cross (and its enblems) is written into various treaties, and any change to the enblems used by Red Cross-affiliated organizations is essentially like re-writing these treaties. So, of course it's political. As part of the "deal", the Palestinian Red Cross was also admitted, which took a special exemption since the Palestinian Territories don't quite exist as a full-fledged independant state right now.

[SVass]

So when will the US show solidarity by adopting the crystal for its logo in overseas activities. sam