***EDIT 1/18/09: I goofed, and forgot to make time to compile everyone's answers...sorry if you were watching for them or commented on the empty post!***
Here's what everyone had to say about the latest outbreak of Israel-Palestinian violence:
Teresa left a comment:
"I do not think this will end. People, including myself, can pray, hope, wish nations such as Israel cut this horrible blood bath. I do not have a solution for this. My mind is way too simple and not military trained...I am somewhat good at problem solving but this is beyond a problem. These are women and children who have been slaughtered. It has gone past making me feel angry. I am almost in shock (even though I really shouldn't be)."
David(DMac) also clicked the link:
"How does one negotiate with people who don't bargain in good faith? Who kill "innocent" men, women, and children? Who keep upgrading their ability to kill? Oh, and all of those apply to both sides of the discussion.
"Great tragedy occurs when Right meets Right", John Stoessinger.
It is awfully hard to discriminate when terrorist/freedom fighters are hiding among children, in mosques, and in universities. It is particularly hard when using big bombs..."
Jeannine commented on the recap post:
"I don't think it is lack of interest in the topic as much as what is there to say. This who mess over there makes no sense, yes the sides both have a right to what is theirs but neither is really interested in compromise. Neither wants peace only dominance. I think it is hard for most people to stop their own daily preoccupations and even try to address such craziness but the sad truth is the only way for it to stop is to draw attention to the craziness and the hypocracy in an effort to awaken everyone higher ablities to deal with the issue."
Veronica chimed on the same post:
"I'm wondering why we're supporting Israel. They have done so much killing and we seem to keep backing them for reasons that maybe I'm not aware of, but it doesn't make any sense to me ..."
Jameel comes to us via Facebook:
"If in regards to Israel we seem to be pausing, then Israel, Gaza, Hamas, etc. etc. are sure as hell rewinding on 12x. Or playing. Or fast forwarding. If you get the metaphor."
Thanks for all the comments, folks, and taking the time to ponder a problem bigger than any of us (or maybe all of us).
Showing posts with label Gaza. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gaza. Show all posts
Thursday
Tuesday
No News Today?
I feel like something of a failure...since I can't find anything to really write about today. Aside from the Israelis, it seems like the entire world is just...pausing. There's news, of course. An Indonesian ferry sank, killing many. That coal ash spill in Tennessee really messed up a river that had been recovering. Prince Harry used a racial slur three years ago to talk about a fellow Sandhurst cadet. And natural gas may finally start flowing back into Europe, now that Ukraine has allowed EU monitors into the pumping stations.
And of course, as I mentioned, there's always Gaza.
But that's all I have, really. Nothing jumped out at me and said, "This is crazy-important! People are going to be DIRECTLY EFFECTED by what's going on here!" The world is...calm?
It's a false calm. In Ohio, the economic outlook isn't any better. And we have a group of freshmen legislatures who are tackling it. Could be good, could be bad.
Obama hasn't even been sworn in yet. 9 days to go (as of this writing), and then you just know something is going to hit the fan, just because it's a new President. And it'll be a nice juicy something because it's Obama. That crisis is brewing, as we speak. We just don't know about it yet.
Not much to do about it today though, except keep an eye on the newspage and an ear to the radio...try and stay a touch ahead of the curve. You folks have a great week, and I'll see you again for the "Your Take" recap on Thursday.
And of course, as I mentioned, there's always Gaza.
But that's all I have, really. Nothing jumped out at me and said, "This is crazy-important! People are going to be DIRECTLY EFFECTED by what's going on here!" The world is...calm?
It's a false calm. In Ohio, the economic outlook isn't any better. And we have a group of freshmen legislatures who are tackling it. Could be good, could be bad.
Obama hasn't even been sworn in yet. 9 days to go (as of this writing), and then you just know something is going to hit the fan, just because it's a new President. And it'll be a nice juicy something because it's Obama. That crisis is brewing, as we speak. We just don't know about it yet.
Not much to do about it today though, except keep an eye on the newspage and an ear to the radio...try and stay a touch ahead of the curve. You folks have a great week, and I'll see you again for the "Your Take" recap on Thursday.
Thursday
Your Take: Middle East
So you read my take on the whole Middle Eastern drama. Essentially, I think it's time to stop Israel from committing war crimes whenever they feel threatened, and then put peace keepers on the ground.
Ah, if only it was that simple...
What's your solution to the crisis? Do you have one? Do you even care? When you hear about the latest about Israel and Gaza on the news, what do you feel about it?
Remember these are just prompts to get you thinking...go where you will in your response.
Leave me your thoughts via the comments or the e-mail option, and I'll post a recap this time next week. Thanks for the participation!
Ah, if only it was that simple...
What's your solution to the crisis? Do you have one? Do you even care? When you hear about the latest about Israel and Gaza on the news, what do you feel about it?
Remember these are just prompts to get you thinking...go where you will in your response.
Leave me your thoughts via the comments or the e-mail option, and I'll post a recap this time next week. Thanks for the participation!
Tuesday
My Take: Israel, Palestine, and the Never Ending Story
I don't know about you, but I really, really liked the "Never Ending Story." I was at the perfect age for a sort of fantastic tale that involved getting sucked into books, fighting evil monsters, and that had a touch of sexuality that appealed to my nearly-pubescent self.
The never ending story in the Middle East is...well, nothing at all like that. No redeeming qualities.
In the face of continuing rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip, Israel began a bombing campaign. It didn't stop the rocket attacks (as we all knew it wouldn't). It did, however, kill hundreds of people. Only some of them could be called terrorists. The targeting isn't quite as discriminatory as one would wish...I heard one NPR report state the Arab University received a good beating from the Israeli airforce.
This hasn't stopped the rockets in the past. How many times have Israeli tanks and planes attack Gaza? And...still, the rockets fly? Does anyone in the Knesset really think this latest offensive will do more than stir the pot?
The only way to stop the attacks from Gaza extremists is to make their message irrelevant. By giving the Palestinians an alternative to violence. As long as Israel kills, maims, starves, and freezes the population of Gaza, the militants are relevant. Their message is the truth. Israel proves with each air strike, with each ground incursion, the worst propaganda Hamas can tell the people.
How can the average Palestinian believe in a peace process when the Israelis behave like this? How can they possibly be expected to make friends with the people who do this?
Maybe it's because I grew up with three sisters, but I learned that when someone is fighting with you, you don't win just by fighting back harder. You just make the situation worse. Israel may fool itself into thinking that each tank, each missile, each platoon they use in Gaza will make them safer.
In reality, they're just sowing the seeds for another generation of brutal, inhuman conflict.
The never ending story in the Middle East is...well, nothing at all like that. No redeeming qualities.
In the face of continuing rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip, Israel began a bombing campaign. It didn't stop the rocket attacks (as we all knew it wouldn't). It did, however, kill hundreds of people. Only some of them could be called terrorists. The targeting isn't quite as discriminatory as one would wish...I heard one NPR report state the Arab University received a good beating from the Israeli airforce.
This hasn't stopped the rockets in the past. How many times have Israeli tanks and planes attack Gaza? And...still, the rockets fly? Does anyone in the Knesset really think this latest offensive will do more than stir the pot?
The only way to stop the attacks from Gaza extremists is to make their message irrelevant. By giving the Palestinians an alternative to violence. As long as Israel kills, maims, starves, and freezes the population of Gaza, the militants are relevant. Their message is the truth. Israel proves with each air strike, with each ground incursion, the worst propaganda Hamas can tell the people.
How can the average Palestinian believe in a peace process when the Israelis behave like this? How can they possibly be expected to make friends with the people who do this?
Maybe it's because I grew up with three sisters, but I learned that when someone is fighting with you, you don't win just by fighting back harder. You just make the situation worse. Israel may fool itself into thinking that each tank, each missile, each platoon they use in Gaza will make them safer.
In reality, they're just sowing the seeds for another generation of brutal, inhuman conflict.
Monday
Separation of Church and State
Mike Huckabee has some good points. The weight loss thing is impressive. I've heard his tax plan is actually on the level. Anyone who can be an executive of a state has to be a capable, functioning human being, and I respect that.
But.
This little blurb on his website says it all. "My faith doesn't influence my decisions, it drives them."
Huckabee says a lot of things on that page that are hard to disagree with. He throws in a line about being a steward of the earth. He talks about how the 1st Amendment says religion shouldn't be preferred or prohibited. But the fact he talks about religion and politics mixing at all fills me with a dull dread.
I am not comfortable with a Christian President, just as I wouldn't be comfortable with an Islamic President. Nor would I be comfortable with an Atheist President. Historically speaking, heads of state who make state decisions based on the Bible have really made a mess of things. We are a secular nation of secular laws (mostly. Why can't I buy beer on Sunday morning?). I don't want anyone's faith being allowed to change that.
Jimmy Carter is an incredibly religious Southern Baptist. I didn't know that for years. I admired him as a President and for his work post-Presidency without ever having religion enter into it. Did his faith factor into decisions made as President? Of course! Did he take instructions from the Bible and other Christian teachings? I don't think so.
The fact Huckabee is so popular among heavily Christian voters is a mark against him in my book. Those were the same people who voted Bush into office. The fact he is running on a platform that implies faith-based governance offends me.
Separation of Church and State. It's the concept that makes us not Iran.
...And Now For Some News...
Bush's Final State of the Union Address Tonight, from NPR.
Mormon Leader Dies at Age 97, from NPR.
New Unrest in western Kenya, from BBC.
Egypt Tries New Tactics to Seal Gaza Border, from BBC.
AC Units Not Safe From Scrap Thieves, from WCBE.
Busy Week for Ohio Legislaters, from WVXU.
But.
This little blurb on his website says it all. "My faith doesn't influence my decisions, it drives them."
Huckabee says a lot of things on that page that are hard to disagree with. He throws in a line about being a steward of the earth. He talks about how the 1st Amendment says religion shouldn't be preferred or prohibited. But the fact he talks about religion and politics mixing at all fills me with a dull dread.
I am not comfortable with a Christian President, just as I wouldn't be comfortable with an Islamic President. Nor would I be comfortable with an Atheist President. Historically speaking, heads of state who make state decisions based on the Bible have really made a mess of things. We are a secular nation of secular laws (mostly. Why can't I buy beer on Sunday morning?). I don't want anyone's faith being allowed to change that.
Jimmy Carter is an incredibly religious Southern Baptist. I didn't know that for years. I admired him as a President and for his work post-Presidency without ever having religion enter into it. Did his faith factor into decisions made as President? Of course! Did he take instructions from the Bible and other Christian teachings? I don't think so.
The fact Huckabee is so popular among heavily Christian voters is a mark against him in my book. Those were the same people who voted Bush into office. The fact he is running on a platform that implies faith-based governance offends me.
Separation of Church and State. It's the concept that makes us not Iran.
...And Now For Some News...
Bush's Final State of the Union Address Tonight, from NPR.
Mormon Leader Dies at Age 97, from NPR.
New Unrest in western Kenya, from BBC.
Egypt Tries New Tactics to Seal Gaza Border, from BBC.
AC Units Not Safe From Scrap Thieves, from WCBE.
Busy Week for Ohio Legislaters, from WVXU.
Wednesday
Your Ohio Primary
ok...so I've moved to a whole different end of the state. That's kinda disturbing on some levels...but not, on others. But I'm still in Ohio, so thankfully many of my links are still valid. Changing them is the next big project I have.
But today, I wanna look into the primary. When it is, who can vote, etc etc. Let's go consult Google.
By a round-a-bout way, I found this handy dandy schedule. This guy has some pretty nifty graphics, so it's a bit better than my postage. Not a bad site on the whole...go check it out!
This tells us that Ohio has a joint primary (both Democratic and Republican parties hold primary elections the same day) on March 4th. This is after super-Tuesday, so it makes our primary even more irrelevant than most...kinda sad.
I believe the best way to investiage the how-tos of a primary is through the Ohio offices of the parties...so lets go back to Google.
The Ohio Democratic Website really kinda sucks. A lot. They don't even have the March 4 primary listed on their events calendar. In fact, they barely mention the primary at all. They do have a pretty robust information base in general terms, however.
The Ohio Republican Website is flashier, and better and getting their message out, but has even less real info. The national GOP website doesn't look so barren of info, and I was referred to it a few times...but I was looking for information on the Ohio primary. Didn't find it, and the GOP didn't list the primary with their events either.
I'm kinda disappointed in both these groups. Remind me why I'm registered Independent?
Maybe the Ohio Board of Elections? Long story short, not really.
ok, I had to walk away from the computer after 2 hours on this. I believe I saw a lil blurb back on the Ohio Democratic Party's site on their FAQs about registering with a party...their answer was no, but if you vote in a primary that will set your party affiliation. So it resets your registration? Apparantly. I couldn't find anything to clarify it, and I'm just about done.
Now for Some News...
Gaza Barrier Breached, from NPR
Slide May Not Presage Severe Recession, from NPR
Goths with Dog Leash Forced off Bus, from BBC
Iraqi Parliament Approves New Flag, from BBC (this actually does serve practical purpose)
But today, I wanna look into the primary. When it is, who can vote, etc etc. Let's go consult Google.
By a round-a-bout way, I found this handy dandy schedule. This guy has some pretty nifty graphics, so it's a bit better than my postage. Not a bad site on the whole...go check it out!
This tells us that Ohio has a joint primary (both Democratic and Republican parties hold primary elections the same day) on March 4th. This is after super-Tuesday, so it makes our primary even more irrelevant than most...kinda sad.
I believe the best way to investiage the how-tos of a primary is through the Ohio offices of the parties...so lets go back to Google.
The Ohio Democratic Website really kinda sucks. A lot. They don't even have the March 4 primary listed on their events calendar. In fact, they barely mention the primary at all. They do have a pretty robust information base in general terms, however.
The Ohio Republican Website is flashier, and better and getting their message out, but has even less real info. The national GOP website doesn't look so barren of info, and I was referred to it a few times...but I was looking for information on the Ohio primary. Didn't find it, and the GOP didn't list the primary with their events either.
I'm kinda disappointed in both these groups. Remind me why I'm registered Independent?
Maybe the Ohio Board of Elections? Long story short, not really.
ok, I had to walk away from the computer after 2 hours on this. I believe I saw a lil blurb back on the Ohio Democratic Party's site on their FAQs about registering with a party...their answer was no, but if you vote in a primary that will set your party affiliation. So it resets your registration? Apparantly. I couldn't find anything to clarify it, and I'm just about done.
Now for Some News...
Gaza Barrier Breached, from NPR
Slide May Not Presage Severe Recession, from NPR
Goths with Dog Leash Forced off Bus, from BBC
Iraqi Parliament Approves New Flag, from BBC (this actually does serve practical purpose)
Monday
Get to Know Your Elected Folks!
Or mine, anyway.
And a side note for anyone who may have been looking for post action this weekend...I don't do that. I've spent just about all my working life to date working weekends, and...I don't anymore. Sorry.
So this week, we're gonna track down and add to the sidebar my elected officials. Because...I'm curious, for one. And it'll make it easier to find and decide on news. Since we've already found the United States Senators from Ohio, now we'll find my Congressman.
And a side note for anyone who may have been looking for post action this weekend...I don't do that. I've spent just about all my working life to date working weekends, and...I don't anymore. Sorry.
So this week, we're gonna track down and add to the sidebar my elected officials. Because...I'm curious, for one. And it'll make it easier to find and decide on news. Since we've already found the United States Senators from Ohio, now we'll find my Congressman.
- Go to http://www.house.gov/. That's the House of Representatives home page. It's got cool stuf, which we'll check out later.
- This one is so easy. Look at the upper left hand corner...there's a place that advises you to find your rep by punching in your zip code.
- In my case, this brings me to a page where Jean Schmidt (did not get my vote in '06) is shown, as well as the Ohio 2nd District. Jean's name is linked...let's click it!
- Now we see her official webpage, with all kindsa neat goodies on it. Including possibly the most important, her contact info. This is important because we'll be discussing how to inform your elected reps when their views are either (a) appropriately reflecting your own or (b) decidedly offensive.
So to my neat lil side bar of knowledge, I'll add a neat lil section for Jean Schmidt.
Tune in tomorrow, when we tackle possibly the most obvious of all, the White House!
Now Some News...
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