And Red All Over
by Michael LeStrange

So it looks like the four horseman of the Apocalypse are getting their saddle gear out and polishing up their boots to a high sheen.  At this point Israel and the Palestinians could well be leading the world into another devastating world wide war.

And it won't be a very fun one to be a part of.  I've heard so much about "the greatest generation" - the generation that fought world war II.  I don't think any of them would wish we repeat their experience.  After all, wasn't that what they were fighting for?  To stop this nonsense so their kids won't have to deal with it?  Or at least hold back the darkness for a while longer and make the world incrementally better for future generations.  Why are there those that seem to long for the good old days of terror, grief and hopelessness to put some backbone into these youngsters.

Ye gods.  What a frickin mess.  And everyone seems so surprised.

I mean, yeah...  What?  Has the entire Administration been asleep since 1967?  George Bush came into his reign with the firmly documented notion that they were going to let Israel and Palestine sort things out amongst themselves.  Good ol' Clinton came out of his attempts at peace pretty bloody and looking like he was legacy building.  "We're not going to make the same mistakes those who were impeached made."  No.  America has spoken.  "Not like them."

The apparent problem with our political system is that we don't seem to be able distinguish between "Not like them" and "Vote for me, I'm not a democrat".

So around comes 9/11 and all the sudden the whole Israeli-Palestinian situation takes on new meaning.

Even the slow witted ones quickly realize It's not just a good idea to solve this mess, it's the WAY THINGS HAVE TO BE.

Ignoring the situation is simply not an option.  People are using this conflict to do some absolutely horrible things to each other, and now they're doing it to us.  Regardless of whether the Israelis are right or the Palestinians are right, everybody else on the planet is USING the situation for their particular political advantage.

On the one side we have those in the right wing of ideological thought.  Even the most liberal has to be horrified of what happened on 9/11.  The world is filled with really nasty people and you have to protect yourself.  This political logic often supports Israel's side of the argument.  It's their land, they have a right to protect themselves.  Shit.  We'd probably be doing the same thing.

Wait a minute.  Were we not really pissed off over Chechnya?  Wasn't that like a brutal repression?  Wasn't that a big human rights cesspool?  Oh.  Right.  They're our new friends.

Well, at least former enemies.  They're really poor right now, so we can basically write them off as a threat.

So far, the Israeli position can be summed up by "We got this land in 1948 and we're not giving it back".  Which isn't completely true.  The actual land that is in dispute came into Israel's possession somewhere around 1967.  Israel has a lot of enemies, and they want a buffer zone.  So they grabbed it.  Kicked out the inhabitants.  Let's remember that while the Israelis may claim Israel as their ancestral home, the United States was the ancestral home of the American Indians before we...  uh...  I'll take manifest destiny for five hundred, Alex.

Just about every Israeli settler I've heard in interviews has stated their beliefs quite succinctly.  They believe this land was given to them by God and they aren't going to give it back.  As they are wont to say, "They have plenty of other Arab countries they can live in".  Just not Palestine.

It's not really a negotiable position.  It's a no-no by international law to settle land that you are occupying.  It's not really your country.  It's an occupied territory.  Sending settlers out to stake territory means that you're trying to make it part of your country.

This makes it an international incident, not a mere internal dispute.

Sharon's administration is trying to make the argument that this is something that is internal to Israel and that everyone else should just hold their nose while they take care of this.

Quite frankly, what they are doing is precisely the opposite of what would be happening if they were actively trying to solve the problem peacefully.  Israel is not negotiating, they are demanding.  After all, Israel really doesn't have to negotiate.  They're rich, extremely well armed and backed by the only remaining super power on this planet.

Like the other side of a filthy coin, the other party in this mess isn't any better.  The Arab coalition seems to be composed of leaders who are not democratically elected by the people who make up their population.  Hmmm.  Why do you think that is?  Aren't we a second year into the twenty first century?  I mean, come on.  Religious and quasi religious totalitarian regimes just seem downright archaic these days, don't they?

Seems to me that most of the Arab regimes don't seem to really care what happens to the Palestinian people themselves.  Like the other side of the equation, the whole situation is just too convenient of a tool to control their populations with.  They can keep their "internal" affairs under control while still maintaining friendly relations with their customers.

After all, the only reason we put up with this shit is because of oil  If it wasn't for our absolute addiction to oil, we wouldn't even know who the heck these people are.

Well, I for one am not fooled by all this crap.  If this stuff doesn't stop pretty darn soon, we're not going to make it through this decade.  Everybody will continue to get more and more pissed off and dig their heels in deeper.  And without some movement the only way this is going to end is with a hell of a lot more blood.  Maybe even the use of nuclear weapons.  I don't know about you, but nothing is worth that.

No principle.  No land.  Nothing.

April Fool's Day, 2002