So now we have one fundamentalist religious group who hates another, both in power of a country, living side-by-side. The middle-east war has just escalated, and it’s going to get worse.
So now we have one fundamentalist religious group who hates another, both in power of a country, living side-by-side. The middle-east war has just escalated, and it’s going to get worse.
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I doubt that Hamas has gained much – perhaps some right to appear as Palestine’s formal rep in international forums, but the stated goal of Hamas is the destruction of Israel and that makes most other matters kind of moot, e.g. I doubt that Hamas will come out in favor of the Kyoto Accord…
Could the Middle East become more dangerous? I doubt it.
David, I strongly support an independent Israel – but the government of that nation has gone to hell since the end of the Yom Kippur War in 1973.
Former Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin was a major part of the bombing of the King David Hotel and, arguably, a war criminal. Yes, he did enter into a peace treaty with Egypt-but nothing was accomplished by Rabin that Golda Meir wouldn’t have accomplished 10x faster.
The presently incapacitated PM, Ariel Sharon, was directly responsible for the deaths of thousands of women and children and old men at the Sabra and Shatila refugee camps in September 1982. Palestinian women and children?.who left behind a vast number of surviving family members – each with a strong desire for vengeance that Arafat & Hamas have exploited.
Prime Minister Sharon triggered the second round of Palestinian violence (Yes, Arafat was a driving force and he was a war criminal, too.) by his 34 minute visit to the Temple Mount on September 28, 2000 (with 1,500 police and army forces along for the trip).
There was no rational reason for Sharon to have given Arafat another issue to rally his forces with. It provided just another excuse for a couple of bullies to pick a fight. There is really no question of the strength of Israel and the lack of military strength in Palestinians ? so a guerilla war of terror is the only military response available in the face of overwhelming force. Does Viet Nam ring a bell?
Israel appears to fill a special niche for the US – sort of our private spook force. Everybody knows Jonathan Pollard was convicted of “spying” on the US for Israel – but we certainly aren’t very quiet about our (the US) role in the Israeli nuclear weapons stockpile.
I?m glad that Arafat and Sharon are out of the political picture. I?d like to see more progressive approaches to resolving the Israel conflict than building a wall across the ?border? ? pardon me, but it certainly reminds me of the Soviet response to Berlin. I am not suggesting any other commonality between the two ? other than that the methodology of walls is pretty well proven to exacerbate and escalate hostile political environments.
Now, I will really draw fire here: it seems to me that both the Bible & the Torah are replete with dozens of stories of wars and sieges throughout the region. What has changed over 5000 + years but the weapons and outside money?
Let?s not forget that millions of dollars are flowing to Israel from the most extreme ?Christian? Rapture groups. I?m sorry. I support a strong and independent Israel ? but the politics in Israel have been solidly right-wing for 30 years now and we are no closer to a solution than we were in 1973.
Perfect, a civil war in Iraq and possibly World War III. Oh well, this will be a great story to tell my kids someday on how I was against the worst leader in this country’s history. And if there is a draft (which with the way these wars are going, I bet there will be) I am leaving for Martinique again, very efficiantly mind you, because all the Americans will allow me is a passport, and they are denying me citizenship until I am 18, so I am still a French citizen…
-J?r?me
It would appear that Fatah and Hamas are about to go to war with each other. Is a stateless civil-war even possible?
of course…it is a money war for the international help: > 800.000.000 USD I think.
About the nuclear program…it was a joke. Anyway from point of view the first enemy of the whole western world in the middle east is Saudi Arabia with thier wahaabism and thier lies. If we could shut down all their arabian charities (and decrease our oil dependence) in 10 years Palestinian and Israeli will be at peace.
udonman
Thanks for the offer on the magic brownies.
They’re an effective way of ingesting mj, but I actually enjoy a toke. In the past, I have, anyways.
And thanks to tomwright for the advice on the legalities. I’m in NC, and the state…frowns…on the usage of pot.
So I don’t use it nowadays. Just in case the MIB are looking in.
My elder son did prison time over crimes that started out and were aggravated by the use of drugs, which began with pot use. So I have a hard time justifying use of it myself, although I really see no difference in its effects than say having a few beers or a stiff drink.
Darrow
Something you said about Sharon made me wonder if anyone would line up with protest signs if he got to the point where a decision needed to be made about pulling his plug. Would the Christians “Terry Schiavo” him?
We should strike a deal.
1.Isreal moves to New Mexico.
2.US gets free oil for 20 year from OPEC.
Win-Win
karen i am with you rather toke to
ren i see youre theory on the draft and raise you mandatory service because if you want this war to be up close and personal thats the best way to do it
and lapo is right saudi is like the five year old that was alone in the room when the lamp broke and said his brother did it we need to stop funding the saudis by drasticly reducing oil consumption there are amillion simple things we can do to reduce or oil consumption with out even buying new cars all you have to do is reaserch what you can do
Hamas is not our problem; our problem is here in America.
the repulicans giant global companies that own most of the media
the xtians which problems are you talking about
udonman
xians would seem to be the common denominator of the problems you mentioned!
The drafting of citizens to fill the ranks of our military should be utilized ONLY in the event of a declared war. Korea, Vietnam,… and now Iraq were/are not declared wars, so there should have been/be no drafting of people to our military.
I have more respect for those that refused the draft or otherwise left the country during the Vietnam and Korean War eras than those that went to war under force of draft.
Have you ever watched at TV a xtian and an islamic fundie ?
It’s incredible they say the same things and use the same words (the lord and allah…faith based stupidity).
If you switch their voices you will not see any difference.
Ren,
Regarding “getting people more invested” in order to reduce the inclination to go to war: Good idea, but I think this does not get to the real basis for going to war. The general populace really has little or no say about whether or not to go to war. They can only make changes after we have laready been in it and they see just how much damage it does.
If we really want to stay out of wars, then we need to address the real reasons we go to war: $$$. (Look at who has benfited from the Iraq war) If the businesses that make money off of war were required to provide their goods and services to the government at NO PROFIT durng war times, then I feel pretty confident we would not get involved in places like Iraq in the first place.
Forgot to mention my reasoning. If the military and general population is expected to make sacrifices in times of war, then why are the companies not expected to make sacrifices? Instead, they are the ones that profit from it.
Hey, Whos Daddy are You?
“he started mis-speaking and staggering and was unable to finish what he was doing”
Are you sure you’re nto talking about Dubbya??
TomSD
It’s big business and companies that keep these people in power. They aren’t about to kill the golden goose!
gently
Agreed, but I see this not as an impossible obstacle, but as something which can be overcome, especially with the current environment of flagrant abuse and public discontent. Now is the time when changes like this will be possible if people push for it. When such a time will come again is anyone’s guess.
Ren,
:head nodding: I get what you are saying. I have a friend in Iraq that send me pics of what a car bomb does to the car, the road underneath the car, the driver, and bystanders (they weren’t sent as a “hey, look what happens”, but as a “hey, send this around so we can get out of Iraq”). So I sent the original email to everyone I knew, most were not thrilled, but that is reality. I doubt the email made it very far.
Things seen to be getting worse in the Middle East. As is it was not bad enough but geez, this is bad. I hope President Bush has has good plan for this one for everyone’s sake. I doubt it though.
Hamas won in a democratic election despite Israel trying to stomp out democracy in Palestine…. maybe if Israel didn’t try to snuff out democracy like it snuffs out the lives of the Palestinians, Fatah could have won. Now Israel is getting a good look at what it has created, extremists in repsonse to their jewish extremism and terrorism. Israel was founded by terrorists and the early Prime ministers of Israel were terrorists from the terrorist group Irgun.
“Hamas election to usher in WW III” is this another prophecy of Dave “the Jew” Silverman looking into his crystal ball and predicting the future?