It's a mystical time of year.
At least for some.
strange, how Islam has it's days of Ramadan ending with a feast, and then another festive day on December 20th,
and Judiasm has the Chanukah in the first half of December and the days of Advent in Christianity are following us as well.
Sweet Judih brown eyes, believe that you are right when you say that there is an undercurrent of peace that flows between all these peoples living in this area.
In answer to Texas trucker, an associate of Kinky Friedman, or at least a neighbor, my impression is that it is necessary to set limits. The Israelis need to set limits about what they are willing to tolerate in terms of violent abuse from the Palestinians and Hezbollah, but also they need to set limits on their expansion of territories and their unmitigated explosions into frustrated violence.
Yesh Gvul is an Israeli military veterans organisation that is allied with my Veterans for Peace. My own history of serving in Vietnam and then refusing to fly KC-135's due to my protest of the ongoing air war makes me a refusenik, a brother of these Israeli military veterans.
However, I am not exactly a pacifist. I would have bombed hell out of germany in WW dos, and expect that you, Kinky's compadre, would have been in the trenches sniping just like you do here, not entirely unwelcome, either. Now that we are not burdened with the passion of extreme mass violence, it should be easier to affirm a conciliatory tone in discussing this area with an extroadinary opportunity to learn anew.
To make changes, it is necessary to unlearn old things in order to assimilate new horizons.
I do find it unbelievable that there were ever Israeli settlements inside Gaza, a densely populated strip of land, when outside this enclave there is an expanse of territory that would accomodate these Israeli people, as has been done.
I know that some argue tha the Israeli settlers in the West Bank are actually contributing to mainland Israeli security, but I disagree. I believe that these settlements have to be discontinued, the networks of roads and guard points that check the daily flow of Palestinians has to be stopped.
Border security should be impassable surrounding a coalesced israel proper and limits set, without and within.
As fas as Jerusalem goes, it is an opportunity for integration, and this can happen with designed security. There is no excuse for a permeable border anywhere around Israel.
Gaza should have free access to Egypt.
The tunnels are merely an alternative roadway. Egypt should be charged with a proper border maintenance, and as I understand it, these tunnells are also used for black market trading, and living supplies. Maybe the pressure to dig tunnells would be lessened without an aconomic boycott.
and while these things may not happen immediatly, they should be expressed as measureable goals.
Conflict resolution includes deescalation, and this includes communication with those who hate you.
This is the hardest thing to do.
as far as the rockets go, yes, the technology will continue to improve.
Three things that the Israelis can do: first, evolve internal defense techniques. There should be satellite technology turned on 24/7 that can detect the heat from a rocket launched from Gaza. There should be in place an early warning radar that will detect incoming missiles in advance of 20 seconds, as the flight path should take at least a couple of minutes. A stronger will to survive these rockets needs to be developed by Israeli children, including frequent drills, readily accessable bunkers. simply being frazzled and distracted by these irritants is not a good enough standard. Inotherwords, your school kids need to both have compassin for themselves, their neighbors, the prospect of peace, as well as a strong inner vigor to carry on.
Second, what are we talking about? oy vey, i yam such a schlep·ping
schlemiel, vat is number 2, i had it,?
vait, i'll be baack.
