Chris Isaac, FOREVER BLUE

hey, adj!

Enlightenment on what?

Hamas attacked 'first'????

Spider, just how much of the history of Fatah, Hamas, the al-Aqsa
Brigades, etc do you know?

Have you looked into the Hamas-Fatah transition, or the US and Israeli
roles in it?

I can send you a bunch of sources if you like.

Everyone interested in this MUST read Alvaro de Soto's May 2007 report.
52 pages. It is now available on-line, including at the Guardian
website.

Well...not MUST, but it will greatly help understan what has been going
on.



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Haven't heard of this, Miles.


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You are very much in our thoughts, Katers....

Strength and patience and healing to you!



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Redy!

You have really put your finger on the immediate situation that faces
us, as individuals.

I do a lot of posting here about various situations and their realities,
so that people can understand some of the dynamics and why things are
going the way they will. But in the end, you are reminding me, it comes
down to what does each one of us do -- how do we personally relate to
these larger situations.

We have built a massive country here. 300 million people. (Think of the
Chinese who topped a billion a long time ago!)

So as individuals it is easy to feel overwhelmed. In five seconds of
stupid or selfish thinking by our President, or Congress, or some
corporation, all our efforts to build a world and country that we can be
proud of can be erased....


Part of the problem is our national leadership, part of it is
independent of that leadership. Bureaucracy is part of the problem: we
have built up a large human system that is near-paralyzed. Even if we
get good leadership in with the next elections -- if -- we still have to
deal with the inefficiencies and inertia of the bureaucracies.

I sense a lot of anger in some of the postings by Americans here, and I
share in this anger. We feel we SHOULD be better, we shouldn't have to
be confronted with the death and hatred and frustration, regardless of
how it got started.




Oceans

Or a magic fairy....

That way of looking at things reminds me a bit of what China went and
the USSR went through in the years after WWII. They both withdrew at
various times from participation in international treaties and
organizations, and then spent years trying to catch up and get back in.

The Sunnis did the same thing in the first round of elections in Iraq
and found themnselves left behind. Fortunately, the winning parties
realized that it was in everybody's interest to have the Sunnis
particpating in the government and roles were blocked out for them in
it.

The US created helped found many of these international organizations,
and we derive a lot of benefit from them.



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Philosopher

Regarding Iran: are you a supporter of the Shah and SAVAK?



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Philosopher

The US has killed far more Iraqis and the Israelis far more Palestinians
than Hamas is killing Fatah members. Would you then agree that those are
not acceptable and should not be allowed to stand either?

Horrible as it is, the Hamas action against Fatah members is not a
'coup' -- Hamas runs the government. It would be more accurate to say
that Hamas is suppressing a rebellion.


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Philosopher

Are you familiar with the Taba 2000-2001 events?



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Hey Harry! Andrea!

Hey, Beverley! Loved the post!

How are you and your man doing? Hugs to you both....



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An old acquaintance was a mercenary in east Africa in the 80s. He was
part of a team living in South Africa who hired themselves out to
various war lords. Didn't matter who, didn't matter why.

If we view the contractors in Iraq as people who are embedded in the
activitites of the US occupation and who are, in a sense committed to
it, it would seem to me that the term mercenary does not apply.

Let's keep in mind, too, that the term contractor applies to a wide
range of people -- not just those supporting the US military. Thus there
are political scientists, legal beagles, secretaries, nurses, mechanics,
electricians, cooks, entertainers, ORSA people, communications,
translators -- all part of the massive effort that fleshes out the US
occupation and who have little to do with the military part of that
effort.

I'm not sure what their legal status is either, but I imagine that they
will not want to hang around when the US troops are evacuated.

But, to Jerry and Alada's basic question, I wouldn't call these people
mercenaries.


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The UN does not rule any country, not does it seek to. The UN is ruled
by its member countries in general, and the five permanent members of
the Security Council in particular.

As I. Good afternoon, everyone!

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You are very welcome, Redy!

Your posts and queries are genuinely thoughtful and have a lot of
integrity, so they -- and you -- are a delight to respond to.


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Hi, Trizar,

Thanks for the info.

Yes, lot's of history -- and that wasn't even the beginning of the
tribal history of Palestine, nor the end!

Do you have the source?



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Cartoons!!!

Hey! Move over, I'm coming too!!!



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