That being said.... -- WASHINGTON BOARD

[ Show ]

Support VoyForums

[ Shrink ]

VoyForums Announcement: Programming and providing support for this service has been a labor of love since 1997. We are one of the few services online who values our users' privacy, and have never sold your information. We have even fought hard to defend your privacy in legal cases; however, we've done it with almost no financial support -- paying out of pocket to continue providing the service. Due to the issues imposed on us by advertisers, we also stopped hosting most ads on the forums many years ago. We hope you appreciate our efforts.

Show your support by donating any amount. (Note: We are still technically a for-profit company, so your contribution is not tax-deductible.) PayPal Acct: Feedback:

Donate to VoyForums (PayPal):

[ Login ] [ Contact Forum Admin ] [ Main index ] [ Post a new message ] [ Search | Check update time | Archives: 1, 2, 3, 4, [5], 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 ]

[ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ]

Date Posted: 20:18:14 04/10/02 Wed
Author: Donk
Author Host/IP: 226.indianapolis-17rh16rt.in.dial-access.att.net / 12.85.1.226
Subject: That being said....

While one person's terrorist is another's patriot, at this time, the establishment is able to apply that label to just about anybody, either through overt acts (after the fact terrorists) or the potential for such acts (before the fact terrorists.) These classifications make it possible for the establishment to subvert the civil rights of everybody in order to combat terror.

Clearly, Israel cannot co-exist with Palestinians unless the Palestinians agree to terms really below the same standards Israel sets for its own citizens. So, instead of constantly punishing the Palestinian politic for the acts of a few whom nobody can really control, Israel could close the border -- completely -- with a zone like that which separated East and West Berlin. Seems fair, if the Palestinains can't or won't police themselves, then they should be isolated. And frankly, there is no reasonable way the West bank won't contunue to serve as a staging area for anti-Israeli actions! It may as well be an Arab beachhead and rightfully, it should be isolated.

My critical opinion of the Israelis isn't about their right to defense, but is about the dichotomy they maintain and the actions they take which cannot accomplish their objective -- not in any military sense. The actions allow them to vent and bully, but they will not stop covert activities meant to disrupt Israeli society. The logic shown by Sharon and Netanyahu (not withstanding their use of Bush's idiot politics to justify our support)is just wrong. Of course, random bombings have been disrupted and as long as Israel is driving tanks all over the country and generally stomping on the palestinians, the bombings will remain disrupted. But, as soon as they stop the rampage, the bombings will resume because it is the only voice the Palestinians have!

Israel has every right, given its situation today, to isolate the Palestinians as a social group which cannot or will not police itself. This would make the Palestinians refugees and wards of the world and it would probably force their assimiliation into other Arab countries. If those countries were given help, they might not be too opposed to allowing refugee settlements and a slow process of assimilation into the host country's culture.

If Israel had pursued this path, I don't see how world opinion could go against them. But to move infantry and tanks, supported by air, against civilians and ragtag street fighters isn't what the world likes to see. Now, for those who simply abhor the violence of the Palestinians, think how you would deal with it if the "authorities," say the local Baptist Church and Neighborhood Watch heard something basd about your family, so they came and arrested you all and bulldozed your house. You aren;t allowed to have weapons; you have no voice in the current government, so what will you do? Is there a point where you would fight back in any way you could -- even if that meant becoming a human bomb?

Hard to say.

[ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ]

Replies:

Re: That being said.... -- Trudy, 16:44:49 04/11/02 Thu
- Re: That being said.... -- Donk, 20:51:06 04/11/02 Thu
  - Re: That being said.... -- Normal, 21:35:33 04/11/02 Thu