Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Hope ?
Peace, Elusive Peace
Slaughter in GazaIn a few days a new year will begin. Our world is full of turmoil. Wars raging; death raining from the sky on innocent civilians who are pawns in power plays of major nations. Collapse of the scams concocted by Wall Street and blessed by government watch dogs have affected countries far beyond the shores of the United States. Not easy to be hopeful about the future. But hope for a peaceful world we must.
There Is Always Hope
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©friskypics.com/
The mighty Israeli military force has been let loose against the people of Gaza. The slaughter of civilians is reminiscent of what took place in Lebanon in the fall of 2006. The attacks are being justified as retaliation against rockets launched by the Hamas.
One should ask what made Hamas use rockets. Did the Israeli embargo on food and essentials, including fuel and medicines, have anything to do with it? Is the scale of retaliation justified ?
One should ask what made Hamas use rockets. Did the Israeli embargo on food and essentials, including fuel and medicines, have anything to do with it? Is the scale of retaliation justified ?
The United States, of course, is supportive of Israel. That is not going to change. In America's eyes Israel can do no wrong. For Condoleezza Rice, a fitting end for her term in the Bush Administration. Her hand was behind the scene when Israel continued to bomb Lebanon during cease fire negotiations, and she no doubt gave the green light to the Israelis to turn Gaza into rubble. Hamas came to power in 2006 after a democratic election. The Bush Administration didn't expect Hamas to win, and it never gave sympathetic hearing to the legitimate grievances of the Palestinians. It would be naive to expect the departure of Ms Rice to make much, if any, difference in US position about the Middle East, especially in not promoting a two-state solution for the Israelis and Palestinians.
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