I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.
-- Martin Luther King, Jr.
KingMidget's Ramblings
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The Root of the Problem
Posted by on July 25, 2014
The failure to recognize this … “Israel aspires to exploit its military dominance to create irreversible facts on the ground in the West Bank and Jerusalem, heedless of Palestinian rights.” … is why I have such a problem with what passes as debate and discussion about what is going on in the Middle East. Hamas started it. Hamas is a terrorist group. They are targeting civilians and using their own as human shields. As long as people are unwilling to acknowledge Israel‘s role in the dispute, a role that has developed over the course of decades, one simply isn’t willing to consider how to resolve the situation. That statement above, and the article linked to here, written by a friend of Israel, states as succinctly as possible the nature of the problem … the player with the power is using that power solely to press its advantage, rather than using its power to reach a resolution.
KingMidget's Ramblings 
I try to stay out of politician crap but, unfortunately, this one has proven unavoidable. This country is never going to acknowledge that Israel has played a role in what is happening over there now or in what has happened in the past, it’s not a financially wise stance for the U.S. to take. And, as we’ve all learned over the years, it’s the financial impact that matters to those who call the shots, not the humanitarian aspect. Regardless of what they try to sell to the public at large….sucks, but true.
Hamas is a terrorist organization and ‘technically’ that’s who Israel is fighting. What could this country possibly say or do without looking like total hypocrites? Am I wrong?
Personally, I’d like to stop being subjected to photos of kids with their brains blown out and grieving relatives covered in blood. I’ve had to unfollow quite a few news related blogs lately because I just couldn’t take it anymore.These acts are horrific but showing the photos to the world doesn’t really do anything but incite rage and fear. It’s manipulative and unfair to those who are suffering.
Seriously, correct me if I’m wrong on any of this!
I completely agree that Hamas is a terrorist organization and that Israel has a right to defend itself against a terrorist organization just like any other country should. My problem is that there is no effort at identifying the root causes that create a world in which these organizations come into existence. Both with our actions — which lead to many people to hate us and be willing to do outrageous things to try to make us heart — and with Israel’s. They have established a pattern of oppression and horrible acts against Palestinians over the past few decades that gives the Palestinians virtually no other choice than to engage in terrorist acts. As I’ve told my family (my wife and kids are Jewish), Israel has done nothing with its power to give Palestinians any reason to hope for a better future.
As for the pictures … I somewhat agree. I know they’re hard to look at. They are among some of the most painful things to look at and imagine, but I also believe that we have to “witness” the hard stuff just as much as everything else. But, on the other hand, I agree about it being unfair to those who are suffering. I hate the pictures of the grieving relatives.
It’s all a really, really, really difficult situation. I personally don’t think there’s a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict — at least not with the current crop of leaders. I’ve started thinking about another post on this and basically the idea is that the Middle East desperately needs a Martin Luther King, Jr., in its midst. I just don’t know if the culture of the region would allow for it.
That’s true, they haven’t given them any choice. It’s like Israel has forgotten that those are people over there and not just fleas bitting them in the rear end over and over.
We need to witness it, yes, and know what is happening to them but we don’t need to be manipulated by it. A photojournalist telling the story of what is going on over there would never just show photos of the dead kids and grieving relatives. There is so much more to the story than that but that’s all we’re being bombarded with. To find the rest of the story you have to really look for it. It’s like watching CNN and only listening to the stupid commentators. You want the good stuff, you have to take the time to read the ticker at the bottom.
There really is no solution. There is no solution to most of the problems in that region of the world. Hamas is Islamic, correct? There is no way to reconcile the differences between the jews and the muslims. It’s just not going to happen. The entire area is doomed to consume itself if something doesn’t give but I don’t know that there will ever be anything resembling peace over there.
Pretty much agree with you. What’s sad about it is that Jews and Muslims treated each other well for centuries. Muhammad viewed both Jews and Christians as people of the book and therefore worthy of respect and protection. Sure, there are examples of conflict between the two over the centuries, but for the most part they were able to live together in peace in the Middle East until the 20th century.
The Islamic religion, as it’s written, is not ugly, or violent, or demeaning to women, other religions, or anything like that. I have a very good friend who was born in Lebanon and moved to the US when he was young. I’ve had many long discussion about his religion with him, I have a Koran, I’ve observed Ramadan with him and learned a lot. The culture is the problem. As with every religion on the planet, it’s been twisted to control the masses and serve the purposes of the people in power. Over time it’s become a monster. It’s horrible.
This is why I have a huge problem with organized religions, all of them.
Completely agree. Anybody who knows anything about the history of Islam knows the truth of the religion. Not what it has been turned into by the extremists and not what the right wing extremists in this country want us to believe it to be.
Agreed! Damn extremists. Everything seems to have it’s extremists though. What ever happened to intelligent, level headed people? Where did they all go??
There’s you, me, and a handful of others. đŸ˜‰
I’ve always hated crowds anyway : )
Isn’t that two bedroom house you’re planning somewhere remote? I know mine is. Can’t stand crowds, or lines, or waits caused by the former. If there’s a line, I’m going somewhere else. My two bedroom shack is somewhere along the Northern California or Oregon coast, near a small town, where I don’t have to worry about all those people.
Oh, hell yes it is! Far, far, far away from people. I am NOT a people person. I don’t want to look out my windows and see the neighbor’s car or their stupid dog peeing in my yard. i never want to hear another basketball hitting concrete again, unless I’m bouncing it.
I’ve always wanted to go to the northern part of the west coast. My sister lived in Astoria, Oregon for a long time and she loved it. I was always jealous.
It’s where I want to retire in five years. If you haven’t been you really need to go. It’s beautiful and dynamic and clean and … Just incredible.
I’ll get there one day. Honestly, as long as I end up in a sparsely populated area, it could be pretty much anywhere, and I’m good.
I’m simple like that.
: )
I just want to be able to see the ocean and be able to walk to it. And I prefer a cold weather beach instead of a warm weather beach. More scenic.
I love the beach. I’ve been to the beaches in the north east and to the gulf …I can sit there for hours just listening to the water.
I’m right there with ya. I’d probably love the more scenic ones on the pacific side.
Oh, I bought your book, “One night in Bridgeport” the other day. I’ll get to it eventually.
: )
Thank you. Let me know what you think even if you hated it.
I will!