Warren’s final pre-trip words

Some of you have expressed concern about me traveling to Israel at this time. The chaos, the political uncertainties, the constant tension, people hurting people, angry words flying, but I have insisted that my office really isn’t that bad and leaving it for a while may resolve some of those problems. All kidding aside. I am hopeful that there will someday be a great time to visit Israel. For now, the dangers cannot overwhelm my opinion of how important it is to support Israel and to take this trip. I have traveled to Detroit, Milwaukee, Baltimore, and Fresno to visit my family and I have somehow survived. I have been many other places that are dangerous, and I have made it through. I have to place my faith in the good fortune that I have been blessed with and pray that it continues through this trip. I ask that you do not worry for me. However, I do ask that you worry about all of us. I have shared stories about going into stores and seeing backpacks sitting near the front door unattended and I have taken the time to inquire about its ownership. Most of the time, no one has any idea who brought it in. There was a time I found a cooler near the escalator at the county courthouse. No one was around it. When I called a bailiff to the area, he had no idea who owned it or from where it came. They eventually determined that it belonged to someone doing construction in another area of the building. (My guess is that it was brought in by a crew that didn’t have to go through security. Just a few years ago, someone tried to blow up our federal court here.) At least in Israel, there is a strong awareness of these dangers. We all need to be aware of the danger, because it isn’t just in Israel.

I will sign off by saying that I welcome all of you to pray for our safety. Hey, we'll be in Israel! It can’t hurt!