"Leadership is based on inspiration, not domination; on cooperation, not intimidation." ~William Arthur Wood

Palestinian Unity Exposes Netanyahu's True Face ~Haaretz.com

Here's another opportunity for Israel to decide what she wants to be when she grows up.

Regrettably, there's no palpable leadership and no direction in Israel, just bluster—a "big stick" without the "speak softly" part.

Instead of intentionally sabotaging peace talks with the Palestinians, why not take the high road by sincerely working for a peaceful solution, Bibi‽ Best PR in the world. It would show that the Palestinian leadership is not really really looking for peace.

Go ahead. Take a chance, man, and make some significant, positive history. Both sides in this conflict are acting like testosterone–overloaded adolescents squaring off on some middle–school playground. And, how is that been working for ya' the last half century, Bibi‽

"Why can't the Jews and the Arabs just sit down together and settle this like good Christians?" ~Warren Austin, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations 1948

Palestinians Voted Full Membership in UNESCO

I recently received an e–mail from the Simon Wiesenthal Center informing me that "Palestine" (their quotation marks) was voted in as a member of UNESCO. The SWC asked that I sign a letter of protest to UNESCO's Director–General Irina Bokova.

I contacted no one.

Ask yourself this question: in the 44–year conflict between the Palestinians and Israel, have the fundamentally unchanging Israeli policies towards the territories brought about even a modicum of long–term peace and stability?

Israel now has an opportunity to be what she should be: a light unto the nations. Let her take the high road by setting an example for all.

Face it, Israel is disliked by nearly all the world's nations. She receives American support in large part because of the political power exerted on Washington by the self–interested, hypocritical, capricious, evangelical–Christian ignoramuses.

Similarly, nobody in the Middle East trusts the Palestinians. They've been booted out of every Arab nation in which they've lived and are considered the hillbillies of the Mideast. Nobody will have them, but Arab governments cynically use them for their own political gain.

Given this situation and some political will, Israel could make the Palestinians a generous offer of statehood they can't refuse. If the Palestinians do reject the offer—thereby revealing their motive being the destruction of the Jewish state—Israel has won the PR war. The Palestinians would be seen as the miscreants. If they accept the offer, the Palestinian government would be held to the same criteria as other civilized nations, responsible for the well–being and defense of their citizens. That's a full–time job in the Mideast. Other Arab governments wouldn't militarily intervene knowing they'd be tangling with a country with approximately 300 tactical nuclear warheads. Palestine would become the Arab League's headache.

To paraphrase Abba Eban, the best thing that ever happened to Israel was the 1967 war, and the worst thing that ever happened to Israel was the 1967 war. Israel now has the biggest ratio of defense spending to GDP and as a percentage of the budget of all developed countries: $2,300 per person, a burden that's already causing domestic demonstrations and unrest in Israel. So long as the Israeli government continues to let inflexible, ultra–religious zealots and unbridled capitalists guide her future, she is doomed.

The threadbare arguments from both sides are redundant and unproductive. Albert Einstein said, "Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." Let's see something new, daring, and different.

It might work.

"Study history, study history. In history lies all the secrets of statecraft." ~ Winston Churchill

Lessons from The Great Depression

Took the weekend to research The Great Depression to see whether there were any parallels to our current economic mess. Below are a few, but it's best to read this page.

• Saving financial institutions from defaulting was critical. Still is.
• Unemployment is the always the last to recover.
• We were coming out of the depression in early 1937 when the Republicans insisted on the budget being balanced resulting in a recession inside of the depression. Roosevelt caved, and unemployment rose, and production fell.
• The vast majority of economists believe that the New Deal policies "either caused or accelerated the recovery, although his policies were never aggressive enough to bring the economy completely out of recession."

Not aggressive enough! It seems the current collection of Republicans/Tea Partiers "don't know history are destined to repeat it."

"…the image of the Lord had been replaced by a mirror." ~Jorge Luis Borges

Shoe–Hurling Iraqi Becomes a Folk Hero– NYTimes.com

Shoe–Hurling Iraqi Becomes a Folk Hero
By TIMOTHY WILLIAMS and SHARON OTTERMAN
Published: December 15, 2008

BAGHDAD — An Iraqi journalist who hurled his shoes at President Bush and called him a dog became a huge celebrity in the Arab world and beyond on Monday, with many supporters exalting him for what they called a courageous act in the face of American arrogance about the war.

Don't act so appalled by this incident, lest you be seen as hypocritical. Americans, who won't find shoe throwing as "nuanced" or civilized, would—in their hearts—like to give President Bush the freeway salute.

And, what was Mr. Bush's response? A joke. A man who has failed at every job he's ever had oughtn't be so arrogant.

"The real differences are between those who embrace peace and those who would destroy it; between those who look to the future and those who cling to the past; between those who open their arms and those who are determined to clench their fists." ~William J. Clinton

Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni Has Sparked Controversy

On December 12, 2008, the BBC ran a story headlines Livni sparks Arab "transfer" row. In the article she speaks evasively about the future of Israeli Arab citizens. Will they be "transferred" out of Israel to preserve the country's Jewish character or not?

Ms. Livni must not prevaricate about this fundamental issue: it's time for Israel to decide what she wants to be when she grows up: a Jewish state or a democracy. A democracy should not—must not—expel any of its citizens for political reasons.

Read American history; we've suffered the consequences of killing our Native Americans, enslaving our African Americans, confining our Japanese Americans, and persecuting every new group of immigrants for over 250 years. Each time we leave a scars on our national soul and reputation.

If Israel wants to be a Jewish state, let her decide now, and forever forego being a democracy—or "a light unto the nations."

"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." ~Albert Einstein

And Offshore Drilling is Ugly, Too!

The New York Times ran an article on June 19, 2008, with the headline Idea of Offshore Drilling Seems to Be Spreading. Apparently, Americans are so desperate to buy cheap gasoline, they'll do anything, absolutely anything, including destroying the environment, the beauty of their country, and their children's future. Even going to war.

In 1973, the Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC) announced they would no longer ship oil to nations—the United States included—who supported Israel in its war with Syria and Egypt. That was a wake–up call for our elected representatives to lead. They did not.

First, oil and natural gas are finite resources. Their use has accelerated now that other countries have increased their use of petroleum products, but the earth can't sustain the demand. As the demand increases and the supply evaporates, the price goes up. That's not too difficult to understand. Offshore drilling would increase petroleum production by a very small percentage, but it too is finite. Its affect on gasoline prices would be none to insignificant and take misspent years to bring to market.

Second, offshore drilling is environmentally iffy. Oh sure, the technology is better than it was 30 years ago, the "proof" being the survival of the drilling rigs pounded by hurricane Katrina. Give me a break! Do we honestly believe that the drilling platforms can survive a 30–second 7.2+ earthquake along the San Andreas fault? Such events destroy entire cities. The 1964 Anchorage, Alaska earthquake measured 9.0 on the Richter scale, the equivalent of 5.6 gigatons—that's gigatons—of TNT! Offshore drilling platforms "would collapse like a bunch of broccoli." Moreover, money spent on further petroleum exploration would encourage more consumption, which would in turn increase global warming and divert funds from R&D.

Third, oil companies have been trying to get Congress to allow offshore drilling for decades. Why? They stand to make money, mountains of money. Their lobbyists could not get Congress to authorize more drilling off the coasts of California and Florida, but they've been enormously successful at securing tax breaks—like they really need them. What a hoot. But, now these companies have their "perfect storm." Our president is an incurious, failed oil man. Congress is terrified that the voters will turn them out. "Me–only" Americans suffering from unparalleled selfishness want to be saved from their gluttony with cheap fuel to fill their gallactically huge SUVs—the acme of conspicuous consumption.

Last, what we need is leadership, go–to–the–moon–in–this–decade leadership. America has the knowhow and vigor to make herself energy–independent. What we lack is the political will to set firm goals, reward entrepreneurs who find solutions, and ask Americans to make temporary sacrifices for the greater long–term good. Offer a billion–dollar reward to the person or company who comes up with a way to perfect the plugin electric car or mass produce hydrogen fuel–cell technology. A billion dollars—10 billion dollars—is chump change.

Americans have brought the energy problem on themselves by ignoring the obvious. Now it's time to pay the piper.

No fine work can be done without concentration and self–sacrifice and toil and doubt. ~Max Beerbohm

"Progress might have been all right once, but it has gone on too long." ~Ogden Nash

"NOBODY expects the Spanish Inquisition!"

A recent Haaritz article entitled Vatican rejects criticism of new prayer for Jewish conversion reported that "[t]he Vatican had come under fire from Jewish groups in recent days for changing its Good Friday service to include a prayer urging God to let Jews 'recognize Jesus Christ as savior of all men.'" By inserting this prayer into the Roman Catholic liturgy, Pope Benedict has simultaneously revealed his belief that Christians own the truth and taken a giant leap back to the 15th century.

Cardinal Ximinez: NOBODY expects the Spanish Inquisition! Our chief weapon is surprise...surprise and fear...fear and surprise.... Our two weapons are fear and surprise...and ruthless efficiency.... Our *three* weapons are fear, surprise, and ruthless efficiency...and an almost fanatical devotion to the Pope.... Our *four*...no... *Amongst* our weapons.... Amongst our weaponry...are such elements as fear, surprise.... I'll come in again.
--
The Spanish Inquisition
by Monty Python

Everyone has the right to pray as they see fit, but for what people pray reveals who they truly are and what they truly believe—in their hearts. What does this say about the Vatican's commitment to interfaith respect and dialog? This is right up there with the article Vatican "dispels Inquisition myths" as reported by the BBC, which stated, "[Th]e book's editor, Professor Agostino Borromeo, claims that in Spain only 1.8% of those investigated by the notorious Spanish Inquisition were killed." An old Yiddish proverb says, "A half truth is a whole lie." Read the article. It would be laughable if it weren't true.

Oremus et pro perfidis Judaeis.

Tridentine Mass

The Vatican has revived a traditional medieval prayer for the conversion of the Jews from their Tridentine Mass, according to a report in the Forward. The prayer reads, "Oremus et pro perfidis Judaeis," or "Let us pray for the perfidious Jews."

The Vatican certainly has the right to formulate their liturgy as they please, but they cannot and should not expect immunity from criticism—not with their depraved political history.

So much for acceptance. So much for reconciliation. So much for sensitivity. So much for progress. Pope Benedict XVI has angered Muslims and now Jews with his calendar–reversing policies. No wonder North American Catholics are queuing up at the doors of Protestant churches?

The Vatican would do better to be concerned with the souls of their own congregants rather than fretting about the beliefs of non-Catholics. Maybe the Vatican is obsessed by its own unimportance.

Qui tacet consentire videtur.

Indifference and Silence

I grew up in a steel–town neighborhood around the corner from St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church and Elementary School and suffered periodic taunting and beatings from the sons of Polish immigrants. The beatings ended when, despite being small, I bloodied a ringleader's nose. The taunting never ended.

Where did they learn to hate Jews? Probably at home with the silent reinforcement of the Catholic Church then lead by Pope Pius XII. All the same, I don't think it was hate that drove my childhood tormentors; it was fear. As the Stranger in High Plains Drifter said, "It's what people know about themselves inside that makes them afraid."

The Catholic Church has a long, nefarious history of acting—often violently—out fear. However, the Church's greatest sin was one of omission: Pope Pius XII's indifference and silence while six million Jews were led to slaughter at the hands of the Nazis. The bullies (and their parents) of my childhood didn't hate Jews; they blamed the victims for putting Catholics in the fearful position of moral inferiority.

Now, over 50 years since my childhood, I read an article with the headline Vilnius Catholics derogatorily portray Jews in holiday parade. Why? Perhaps ignorant Lithuanian Catholics can't accept that they are the reason that Lithuania is a third-rate, morally impoverished country. Who better to taunt then their old scapegoats who represent a whopping .09% of their country's population?

What is the official Vatican response to its congregants behaving immorally, unconcerned with the honor and feelings of others? Indifference and silence.

Qui tacet consentire videtur. "He who keeps silent is assumed to consent; silence gives consent."

"Study history! Study history!"

Bush in Israel: West Bank outposts "have got to go"

Haaretz, January 9, 2008 (excerpt)

U.S. President George W. Bush said after meeting with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in Jerusalem on Wednesday evening that the unauthorized settlement outposts established in the West Bank "had to go."

Isn't this a hoot‽ Not that I disagree with our Fearless Leader, but I'll bet there are a few Israelis who do. Wouldn't his words be best said in private? Who the hell is Mr. Bush to lecture about the acquisition of territory? The history of United States territorial growth is of one subjugation after another.

It was President Andrew Jackson who ordered his army (despite a Supreme Court ruling to the contrary) that the Cherokees had "to go," resulting in the Trail of Tears.

I suggest that King George the Ignoramus follow Winston Churchill's admonition: "Study history! Study history!"

A special quote for you, Shrub:

"You have sat too long for any good you have been doing. Depart, I say, and let us have done with you. In the name of God, go!" ~Oliver Cromwell

"But, if I am only for myself, who am I?"

Social Responsibility

The topic of community values came up over hot Starbuck's beverages. Americans haughtily talk about how much they care for and love their children and elders. I'm old enough to remember political conversations about how Americans nurtured their young and venerated their seniors while the godless–Soviet communists sold their children for vodka and sent pensioners to freeze to death in Siberian camps. With historical perspective, we now know the opposite was true.

A month living in Israel last summer has given me a unfamiliar perspective on American society. After I returned to the United States, I had difficulty adjusting to the constant onslaught of advertisements on television, billboards, the Web—everywhere—24/7. We spend our time and energy creating, marketing, and buying dreck we're convinced we need to be fulfilled human beings. Is it pure greed or excessive consumerism? Both are unfulfilling.

Israelis aren't burdened with excessive discretionary personal wealth. They spend their time conversing in coffee houses, dancing, playing sports, and partying. An Israeli's car, if he or she owns one, is small and utilitarian. They dote on their children and take great pride in their grandparents, and the Israeli social system reflects these values. Families spend much time strolling in the park, eating together at the table, and attending public concerts. I'm not in love with Israel. I'm using it here as an experiential example, proof that our pathlological necessity to avoid social responsibility is an American malaise.

Americans as a group spend their time being pugnaciously acquisitive. We rationalize spending tens of thousands of dollars on a new automobile when a small economy car is all we need. And one car isn't enough. A couple rattles around a home of 2,000 or 3,000 square foot home when 1400 square feet will do. Everything must be better, bigger, newer, more expensive—except our schools, public transportation, and elder care. Our students graduate virtually illiterate. The elderly are waiting for death, millstones billeted in snake pits.

The best our government could invent was NCLB (No Child Left Behind), a mandated but unfunded law which turns out unthinking automatons; and a Medicare prescription drug coverage program so cynically Byzantine, it mocks the very people it's supposedly intended to help. Don't blame our politicians; they're no better or worse than the voters that put them in office.

What have we become? What are our traditional personal and community values and responsibilities? Americans will never reach a consensus; that's a fool's errand. The answer must come from within each of us. You can't hide; You and I know we can spare money, time, or both for the benefit of our society. Hillel said, "If I am not for myself, who will be for me? But, if I am only for myself, who am I? If not now, when?" The operative word is "I."

"We told you so."

Israeli Reaction to Terrorism in Europe

Rick Oldano (a dilettante military historian) of Digital Tourist fame e-mailed me in Israel and asked how the locals were reacting to the recent terrorist events in England and Scotland. I hadn't given much thought to the matter, but retrospectively I recalled an increase in conspicuous and low-profile security, including an M4 Carbine–toting 19–year old American expatriate woman—a plainclothes IDF–designated on–call sharpshooter hauling a knapsack clattering with specialized scopes.

The Israelis are fully aware of the terrorist events and arrests. CNN, BBC, and Fox, available in Israel, have as usual, over covered the news. Israeli media regularly report terrorist activities in other countries, but one senses that Israelis are shrugging their collective shoulders and saying, "We told you so."

Israelis think that Western Europe and America have been sleepwalking in a state of denial. Islamists have been using Western charity and democracy to subvert these very values. It's possible that these incidents will lead to a backlash: displaced aggression generated partly by the lack of open condemnation of radical Islam by moderates whose current public comments make them sound suspiciously like fearful apologists.

Don't dismiss the power of displaced aggression. How do you think we justified invading Iraq after 9/11? Americans wanted revenge, and Iraq, a country that had nothing to do with 9/11, was close enough and available for invasion.

How does one negotiate with those who refuse to compromise?

"Men are only clever at shifting blame from their own shoulders to those of others." ~Titus Livius

Jordanian Press Blames World for Not Resolving Occupation

Anyone living in the Middle East who expects European countries and/or the United States to settle the Middle Eastern problems is delusional. Foreign intervention has historically only destabilized the Middle East. It's up to the people with a stake in their problems to settle them. It's called taking responsibility and acting like adults.

As Erica Jong wrote, "Take your life in your own hands and what happens? A terrible thing: no one to blame."

A Muslim Call From Europe For Faith in Civility

At a Crossroads

A Muslim Call From Europe For Faith in Civility

After Jyllands-Posten first published the caricatures, a number of Danish Muslims brought news of the issue to the Middle East and stirred up resentment in several countries. Governments in the region, happy to prove their attachment to Islam — and by doing so find some sort of legitimacy in the eyes of their own people — took advantage of this piece of good fortune and presented themselves as champions of the great cause. Back in Europe, this was enough for some politicians, intellectuals and journalists to present themselves as champions of the equally great struggle for freedom of expression, as resistance fighters against religious obscurantism and for the preservation of Western values.

What an incredible simplification. What a simplistic polarization.

More...

Tariq Ramadan, a Swiss-born philosopher, is one of the leading Muslim voices in Europe. A visiting fellow at St Antony's College, Oxford, and senior research fellow at the Lokahi Foundation in London, he is author of "Western Muslims and the Future of Islam" (Oxford University Press, 2005).

Copyright 2006 © The Forward

Face of Muhammed - Drawings of Muhammed

Please Leave

Face of Muhammed—Drawings of Muhammed

I didn't write the following, but inasmuch as one believes in freedom of expression, one can understand the author's indignation. The cartoons may indeed be insulting or insensitive to Muslims, but no Muslims transgressed Islamic law.

The Muslim world has its problems, and it's all too easy (and human) for Muslims to assign blame to others for their misfortunes than to accept responsibility. Maybe they should be concerned about their own behavior rather than the conduct of others.

---

Please leave

Dear muslims(sic),

If you do not like my country, please leave.
If you do not like the way our women dress, please leave.
If you do not like our separation of politics and religion, please leave.
If you support violent responses to criticism of Islam, please leave.
If you support terrorism in any way, shape or form, please leave.
If you cannot accept satirical cartoons in our newspapers, please leave.
If you do not support democracy or the freedom of speech, please leave my country.

That Which Can Be Created, Can Be Destroyed

I just finished reading Max I. Dimont's The Jews, God, and History and Will and Ariel Durant's The Lessons of History. I'm exhausted!

I've always believed that Jewish civilization has survived because it was landless, in diaspora, the theory being that anything that can be created, can—and will—be destroyed. The State of Israel will, like all landed countries, vanish one day. "One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh: but the earth abideth for ever."

Yet, perhaps the Jews will endure: a survival anomaly. The two books I mentioned above underscore my diaspora-means-survival theory.

In the London Review of Books article Benefits of Diaspora, Eric Hobsbawm writes, "Nevertheless, there are those who wish to withdraw from it into the old segregation of religious ultra-Orthodoxy and the new segregation of a separate ethnic-genetic state-community. If they were to succeed I do not think it will be good either for the Jews or for the world."

Amen.