Peace, Propaganda and the Promised Land

Yea, good one. I've seen it.

Israel vs. Palestine bores me. It's like the story of a couple of juvenile ne'er do wells that just never ends. Like the fascination with the middle-minded rebellion that's still kicking around in retro velvet James Dean, Elvis Presley, Marlon Brando and Marylin Monroe. Or, on the darker side, the Kennedy's getting their brains blown to bits. Who gives a fuck any more? I'd rather watch Beavis and Butthead reruns, it's got about the same "far-reaching" consequences.

Sorry Abook, I know you're a woman who cares, but you're much more convincing when you direct your concerns with what's happening here at home.

gue_barium wrote:

Was that too harsh?

I could re-write. It just came out that way in the moment. First draft.

Q: What does "middle-minded" mean?
A: I was thinking of that time period in history when America was peachy-keen, and the dewy-eyed teens that grew up in that period were later to bring their teen-aged sensiblitlies with them to the present. It was a time in America when anything was possible for anyone and it just happened to also be a time of supreme social ignorance through the pure demographic of baby-boomers and old-school tradition. Elvis, et al, was the shit, they thought, so was Kennedy later. It was divinity. It was "rebellion, youth, and truth".

Q: Bob Dylan became a large part of that youth movement, and I know you're a fan of his.
A: Dylan was singing "I like Fidel Castro" while JFK was trying to kill Castro. He didn't buy into the Camelot crowd.
Q: Why do you talk to yourself on the board?
A: It amuses me. I find that some people are entertained by it... for their own reasons. I particularly like the readers who think I have a screw loose.

gue_barium wrote:

First and foremost, it goes without saying, you're a human being. That game has been played, though. If you've read American history you might know of an interesting little factoid learned during the the white conquest of the indigenous people here. Their tribal names all translate into "the human beings". Whether you be Sioux or CHerokee or Blackfoot or Apache... "Manifest Destiny" defeated the "Human Beings" is one way to look at it.

So, yes, you are doing an educational service with what you post, but the implication I think you are providing as well is as old as the hills themselves: Us vs. Them.

Now you did it.

Q: What did I do?
A: You fucking confused the readers.
Q: I suppose I did in a way. I know you understand what I'm saying.
A: Yes, I understand. Maybe I should try this in another way?
Q: You're asking me?
A: Alright, let me put it this way, I think it comes down to "Wholeness".
Q: Oh christ, another one of those.
A: No, really, think about it, "being" is really a fleeting thing. It is.
Q: I hope you're not going to ask that crap about "how do you know you're you behind your own eyes?'" again.
A: No. Not that. It's kind of like that. Of course as you already know I have a leg up on Time.

I'm kinda the the barium man on this.
Sure this conflict started what, 50 yr ago, when Israel was declared an independent nation by the UN, without evicting any Palestinians Forgettign that it was largely the survivors of teh NAzi efforts, the Arab nations promptly vowed to annihalate the infant state. Fortunately, they weren't really geared up for it and Israel survived, but in the process used som propaganda about having nukes etc. In the midst of this unnecessary shitfight, teh PAlestinian refugee crisis was born. The rich Arab nations allowed it to persisit and fester, cos it suited them as a weapon against Israel. At any time, there has been enough wealth in the Arab nations to solve this problem. There are probably any number of singel individuals with enought wealth to fix this. Anyone else ever think that the mal-distribution of wealth in those countries might be at the core of the hate and violence that gets directed our way ???
Even today, there is so much attention paid by both sides to the past, and bugger all to the future. Both sides continue to do stupid things, while the violence is driven by anti-socially disorderd individuals who in another society would just become ordinary criminals or druggies or serial killers. Over there they become martyrs, but the violence is the same. While both sides continute to reward violent acts with attention and retaliation, they will not cease, and the "peace process" will falter.
We can't actually solve this problem, only they can.
They need to stop worrying about what is right, and start thinking about what is HELPFUL.