"Real History" - What is it ?

As individuals we face the "reality" of viewing the world in our own way. That way is shaped by whatever is critical within ourselves that pushes and pulls us.

Where we've been traumatized such as by violence when young, we may turn inward or outward to confront our demons. The abused child may turn into an abuser who pushes his/her pain onto others. Another person with a similar background may instead tear herself/himself apart through self-mutilation or substance abuse. In some cases another reaction to such an experience may be to seemingly transcend the hurt through hard work and be "balanced" and "sane".

In looking outward we may look at those in other countries in varying ways. Some of the criticisms of Obama and the Democrats are that they/we have a naive view of others - the terrorists and the like who need to be Confronted. In this type of a world (from my perspective) we are "good people" who are under threat from "bad people".

In my world view I try to see myself and those around us as "good", but "not great". I also try to see and understand those who are "different". I often feel like my fears of them are not necessarily rational or right, but rather are shaped by history and by often difficult realities.

Israel certainly faces hostility both to itself and to its Jewish citizens. Certainly this hostility is based in part on facts of its history and current realities.

As most Jews I was taught a history of "our people" which lead to an unquestioning support of Israel. As I've grown older I've read more and more which makes me question a lot of the basic presumptions I grew up with.

In talking with other Jews whose experiences aren't similar to mine, I need to recognize our differences and find common ground before I can expect to be heard at all. In talking with non-Jews I need to recognize how Israel and "Jewish concerns" may be very different to them, often much less important. Listening and being patient (which is hard) is important!

Besides dealing with these issues we also face "dominant paradigms" such as how the media and politicians have common "understandings" of the Middle East which continue to perpetrate perspectives which portray Palestinians and Arabs in general as "bad people" and certainly as not our equals.

The Middle East is but one example of where we have a lot of work to do before we can expect change to emanate seriously - from the U.S. Perhaps the recent "War" may help in the propaganda campaign, perhaps it will make things worse. Time will tell!

Thanks!

A Truce - After What ??

I have witnessed horrific deaths
Massacres if you will
Through images – through feelings

A war
1200+ deaths
– terror
no power, little food – no escape

- - Contrasting Greatly –
Perhaps little over
One Hundredth – of the Deaths
== Rockets who killed a Few

“Fear” – is of course Why
“Those People” – can only understand force
“Deterrence” (will stop them)
“We are the Good People”

They should now surrender
No longer killing or threatening

Our Souls – are singed –
We aren’t innocent
We are witnesses
To Madness – Murder

“I was abused as a Child,
so I, of course, must Kill,
Kill and Kill – to Prevent
Further Abuse of Myself

- Who – Strangely – Continue
- To Kill
- Not Seeing
- The Goodness in My Heart"
-
We are Naked
We are Weak
It is sad

Sanity/Insanity - Connectedness and Not

Since the Israeli invasion of Gaza I've felt a lot of emotions - mostly related to the horrific things I read about in terms of destruction by Israel - as well as reacting to the seeming apathy and opposition (to the Palestinians) from most others in the U.S. - and perhaps elsewhere.

"In the three years after the withdrawal from Gaza, 11 Israelis were killed by rocket fire. On the other hand, in 2005-7 alone, the IDF killed 1,290 Palestinians in Gaza, including 222 children." (quoted from: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jan/07/gaza-israel-palestine )

How - Israel can be portrayed - as it is so extensively - as THE Victim - of Hamas - seems astounding to me - given such a ratio of killing(s) as well as because of so many other ways things that seem equally disproportionate in this conflict.

I've reached a state of emotional - loss - from what's going on. It is a "luxury" - that I can indulge in. Saturday - I went to a demonstration with plenty of Palestinians, Jews, and others who all were concerned. I needed a feeling (in person) - that I was not alone - in this insanity. On the internet - I can feel - support - but in person I don't experience it where I live. It felt very good to be there!

At the same time - I'm Not Palestinian. My family - is not under siege. I can detach and "pretend" - in moments that life is "normal" - which it otherwise is in full. My feelings fly in and roll out - in waves.

It feels eerily similar to some of the feelings I've had in the past when I did Men's Anti-Rape work, though it carries a lot more emotion within me now - then it generally did in those days of my past. Rape - was important - but I've not been assaulted, and the rapes of friends and others - while touching me - didn't burn me to my core.

Right now the only - "true fear" - I have is when the creek behind our house rises - with heavy rains - I flash back to when we were flooded December 3, 2007 (see blog entries from that time period for more on what I felt and experienced then). Recently - we had heavy rains and for a few hours - we were really scared.

Meanwhile - 1.5 million Gazans - are trapped, the vast majority of them having little, if anything, to do with Hamas. Many others - have relatives and friends - who they fear they may lose to this crazy - war - that isn't a "war".

A War - has fighting between two opposing sides. Hamas - is not - "fighting" Israel - if it really was - the Israeli death toll - could not be under 20, as it purportedly was the last time I heard of it (some of whom were killed by "friendly fire").

Thanks!

Stopping the Violence - Making Lasting Peace ??

As a concerned Jew - I can not look at things simply in some ways, while seeing things very simply in other ways.

Just because Israel is in my estimation Wrong - in invading Gaza and was Wrong in trying to Economically Strangle Gaza - most particularly from November 5, 2008 on - (though also prior to then,) doesn't mean that Hamas is "right" or "good".

Obviously the Rockets - and the seeming Willingness to Sacrifice Civilians - "for the cause" is "wrong" for Hamas to do.

Hamas being "wrong" does not justify Israel being - "more wrong".

Assume for a moment that most of us share common goals of:

1.) Wanting an end to the rocket attacks in Israel,
2.) Ending the killing in Gaza, and
3.) Gaza moving towards being a a semi-independent, if not fully independent state (or part of such a state) living in lasting Peace with Israel.

It is unclear to me how such goals can possibly be achieved through military means. I can not imagine how violence directed against Israel will end through military force. Perhaps the rockets will be stopped in the moment with a "military victory". If this occurs, does anyone not believe that the violence will recur in a similar or new form against Israel - until or unless my third goal (above) is beginning or established.

The "pullout" from Gaza - several years ago did not do this. It left Gaza under extreme pressures from its dire economic state. It faced such pressures both from its citizenry as well as from Israel (who wanted and want Hamas out of power).

When it is believed that the Israeli pullout from Gaza provided the means for "peace" in Gaza - related to my third goal (above), we end up stuck in an endless cycle of violence with the U.S. pushing and Israel struggling to control and/or eliminate Hamas.

Hamas is trying to keep the pressures on - with Israel as "the enemy". Rocket attacks are a Logical means of keeping (and increasing) its power within Gaza.

Hamas can not solve the crushing problems it faces internally without Substantial outside assistance and cooperation and a tremendous amount of Difficult Work.

Radical forces - such as Hamas - will react to their weaknesses and problems - "logically". Now -logically means keeping things focused upon a Clear Enemy - Israel.

Hamas has no clear means to push for Peace.

Both Hamas and Israel - have a need for "winning". They need to save face - having a need to pull back - without "losing".

For Hamas - to stop the rocket attacks now and to Attest that they will have ZERO violence against Israel unilaterily (without preconditions) - as the U.S. clearly is pushing it to do ---- is surrender in total --- trusting a future (that based upon past experience gives them nothing except an absence of direct military aggression).

It will logically lead Hamas and Gaza to chaos. It will have no way both to Save Face and to deal with the catastrophic conditions that worsen each day. Obviously there will be some humanitarian aid with a unilateral ceasefire, however it will also clearly not end the dire poverty and hopelessness that has been Gaza's reality for decades.

For Hamas to unilaterily agree to "peace without preconditions" - would be to say: "We were 100% Wrong and Israel was 100% Right!"

That would be an impossible task. Far, far more realistic would be for Hamas's Leadership to end up as "Martyrs" - killed by Israeli Bombs (along with far too many civilians).

Israel has a real need for Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and even Syria to help the Gazans and most importantly serve as a buffer to help create Peace. This is a difficult task for other Middle Eastern countries to do. They do Not want Radical Islamic forces - such as Hamas - to threaten their own leadership within their own countries. Egypt, in particular, has a lot to lose if it takes Gaza as its "own" or otherwise is closely allied with it.

Muslims - throughout the Middle East (and Christians within these Areas) are getting increasingly angry at both Israel and the U.S. as the death tolls rise. Their peoples' anger can not readily be dealt with by their governments. The anger is spreading to countries such as Turkey which are allies of the West.

In the U.S. - Nothing substantive will likely happen until January 20th, when Obama becomes our President. Even then it is unclear if much will change. Obama's moves as President-Elect have been on "higher priorities" - and he's not yet assembled his Middle East "experts" to handle things with him there.

Iran - seems clearly to be Israel's biggest threat in the Middle East.

To really cope with Iran - both the Israelis and the U.S. - really need strong ties with the other important countries proximate to it. Egypt in particular is very important. Egypt in particular is stuck now - between anger amongst its people and a need to Not import Hamas's strengths into being a threat to its leadership.

To really, really build towards peace - we - wherever we live - need to do our best to Make Peace. It is in Israel's (and the U.S.'s) best interests that Gaza become stronger - economically - with jobs, as well as with adequate medical care, sufficient food, improved housing, etc. It needs an economy that will grow - and help end the push towards the radical religious leadership of Hamas.

There is no guarantee that Hamas will lose power if such a major change takes place! It is, however, the Only way that is realistically possible. Hamas's repressiveness - and its attempts at provoking Israel will continue and Grow - absent a New Reality - which in the end should result in either:

1.) Hamas becoming a (reluctant perhaps) partner in diplomacy and cooperation with others
or
2.) Hamas losing power (as Fatah did) - because its leadership doesn't produce results.

Certainly there are no guarantees - of Peace! It is clear, however, that the status quo with its repressiveness and stalemates will only worsen things.

We say that we want the Palestinians to be "reasonable" and "moderate" and similar. We purportedly want Abbas and/or his allies within Fatah to lead towards a "Moderate Palestinian State" in both the West Bank and in Gaza.

In the West Bank in recent times there have not been suicide bombers terrorizing Israelis. There has been relative Peace in the West Bank under the "moderate leadership". Where there has been violence often it has been perpetrated by Israeli Settlers.

What is the cooperation with the Israelis giving moderate Palestinian West Bank leadership?
*Is moderate leadership moving the West Bank into becoming an independent Palestinian state?
*Is moderation leading to the Israelis stopping the expansion of their West Bank settlements?
*Is moderation leading to stopping the land confiscations for the Wall separating Arabs from the Israelis?
*Is moderation leading to stopping the construction of the Wall and tearing down what has already been built?
*Is moderation leading to it becoming easier for West Bank residents to move within their country and not have huge delays at checkpoints when they can get through at all?

Absent successes by Fatah in the West Bank - now - Are we going to Wonder - a year or two from now - why Hamas and other radical forces are taking over power in the West Bank (as well as Gaza).

It is said that there is increasing foreign investment in the West Bank. I can Not believe that this will be enough to allow it to "prosper" and for its people to be accepting of the status quo.

I hope that we will find ways to assist Gaza, Israel and the West Bank - in making Peace - Now - that can grow into a Lasting Peace.

We have a lot to do - to build trust - so that risks will be taken to make peace. We have a lot of healing to do in rebuilding property lives, hopes and hearts.

We are not "wrong alone" - in what we do and don't do. We can change what we are doing and not doing. We can't control what others do and don't do. Hoping for Peace - is not Enough. Helping create Peace - is what we must do.

Victimhood as a "False Excuse" and Gaza

In reaction to feminism some men say that they are "victims" of women in a way which disturbs me greatly. Obviously I would not question the realities of individual men who have been hurt badly by individual women such as through domestic violence, emotional abuse or similar. At the same time I see no Systemic Oppression of Men by Women.

I also have trouble with some of the victimhood claimed related to 9/11. Obviously for those who lost loved ones on 9/11, they have certainly had serious losses that no one should deny. At the same time making this tragic event into the "Monster Atrocity" to the U.S. - as a whole - seems absurd to me. Certainly we in the U.S. may well have been shook up by what happened and emotionally affected but its direct impact upon us has not been as great as our emotional reaction to it.

Per U.S. crime statistics - roughly 17,000 people are murdered in the U.S. each year (http://www.disastercenter.com/crime/uscrime.htm) . Yes 3000 people killed at once was tragic. The numbers killed in Iraq alone far surpass these numbers. 700+ Gazans out of a population of 1.5 million people have been killed in recent days.

Israel - certainly has victims of violence from Hamas and others. Certainly there is a feeling within Israel of impending danger from the rockets and similar. At the same time one should consider How Many - have been killed and wounded. This, of course, does not take away from the tragedies of death for those who die often needlessly.

The numbers of Israelis who have died or been injured not in military operations - but in violence from Palestinians - has been reasonably small. The numbers killed particularly appear small in comparison with the corresponding numbers of Palestinian deaths.

Israeli children - and their parents are scared of being killed by Palestinians. Palestinian children in the West Bank die in far, far, far higher numbers. An example of this is: 123 Israeli children have been killed by Palestinians and 1,050 Palestinian children have been killed by Israelis since September 29, 2000. (http://www.ifamericansknew.org/) .

Such a ratio to me says that the Palestinians have a significantly higher problem from death than the Israelis do.

There is no doubt that Israelis fear that Palestinians will kill them! This should not take away from the facts that far, far more Israelis can live "normal lives" than Palestinians can within their home countries. Israelis fear being attacked in general. Palestinians often have basic fears of safety in various ways that would be totally unbelievable to most Israelis. Israelis in general do not face situations where they need to get through checkpoints to get emergency medical care.

I have great difficulty in seeing Israel - as a "victim" of the Palestinians. I heard recently on Air America a host talking of the hostile countries who wished to see all Israelis killed. I could hear his opinions, but wonder - who these hostile nations are? Iran I could understand perhaps. Jordan and Egypt hardly seem threatening to Israel. Syria may be "scary" in ways, but is it really a threat to Israel?

Israel is a military super-power in terms of its military capabilities. The Holocaust resulted in millions of victims. Fears of another holocaust are real, but are not necessarily "rational".

Israel has victims. Israel is Not a Victim.

One can only hope that Israelis will start to see how much of their "victimhood" is not real and how what dangers there are may be largely stopped with serious moves for peace. Similarly I can hope that in the U.S. we will stop seeing ourselves so much as the victims of others - who clearly aren't our "oppressors".

Thanks!

A Blog - from Both an Israeli and a Gazan - Hope?

All Things Considered, January 6, 2009 · For the past year, two men — one Israeli, one Palestinian — have been blogging about their lives on opposite sides of the Israeli-Gaza border.

Israeli Eric Yellin calls himself Hope Man. The Palestinian, who does not give his real name because of safety concerns, goes by Peace Man.

see the link below - for the Blog

http://gaza-sderot.blogspot.com/

Victims - "True" and "Deserving"

I think now of the political nature of "being a victim". It often seems like we have the: 1.) True Victims, 2.) The Distant Sort of Almost Victims and 3.) The Deserving Victims.

True Victims are readily apparent. Those killed in New York City on September 11, 2001 are the best clear example. The young child killed by the drunk driver crashing head on into the victim's car would be another example.

The Distant Sort of Victims are not as obvious. Some might view those killed in Indonesia over many years as the national government wiped out indigenous peoples as distant sort of victims. They didn't "ask for it" but we really knew very little of who they were or even that they were dying. Many in South Africa seemed to shift from being Distant Sort of Victims to True Victims when the freedom struggle in South Africa became more and more visible in the U.S.

The Deserving Victims are often seen as being complicit in their own deaths. Oft-times Muslims or Arabs are seen in the U.S. as being complicit in 9/11 or terrorism in general and deserving to die or be hurt by others. Sikh taxi cab drivers mistaken for being "Arabs" are seen by some as Deserving Victims because they are "not like us", while others may see them either as Distant or True Victims.

Clearly both the media and the political winds shape our definitions. We may hear very little of genocide and then it is splashed throughout the media. The Iraqis were "victims of the Iranians" and Saddam Hussein was then "justified" in using toxic gases in fighting the Iranians in the 1980's. Then Saddam Hussein was no longer "our man" (e.g. puppet) in the 1990's and he became "the enemy". Now Iran is again "the threat" and Iraq is "potentially good". Those killed in their conflicts shift in our minds from "true" to "deserving" and sometimes back and forth again.

Death - killing - tidal waves, murderous rampages, community health emergencies, starvation, etc. are all tragedies for those affected. The families of those killed as well as the people facing bombs, a lack of medicine, being scared to go to school, having no electricity or water - and many other situations hurt and kill and hurt and kill the spirits of far too many people over much of the world.

I hope that someday we will really see how domestic violence, sectarian hatreds, and many other things are related in a world where peace and cooperation are often not valued and death and destruction are supported, both directly and tacitly by what we do and don't do.

I think of the needless death of a friend's sister shot-to-death many years ago in a robbery in the parking structure of the New Orleans Hilton. I think of the many who are dying and living in a "death culture" in Gaza today. I think of the several people who've been killed by Hamas rockets and those who fear death and destruction from them. I think of the families and friends of the teenagers dying in gang warfare nearby as well as those killed because they were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. I think of the losses many face from cancer, car accidents, excessive consumption of alcohol, and many other causes.

Thanks!

Revolutionary Road - and Our Masculinity

In watching Revolutionary Road yesterday I saw Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, a 1950's suburban couple, in a strange way - related to masculinity and femininity. For me there was a clear feminist lesson in what I saw- though I doubt that many others necessarily saw things similarly.

Our male lead was in various ways a "stereotypic male". The female lead was similarly a "typical young wife/woman". They were the suburban couple - he working in the City and she at home with the children. They saw themselves as being "different". Kate Winslet's character in particular tried to be different, in her plan for getting out of suburbia. Her dreams were quashed by "reality" and her husband's decisions related to it.

Bringing the characters 54 years forward to today would clearly have significant changes. The wife would not be trapped in a world of the suburban home. Instead she would probably be trapped in a world where she was working full-time, doing 80+% of the work around the house, and being the one to care for most of the children's needs. She would have moved from the trap of the home to the trap of having No life for herself.

Looking at Leonardo DiCaprio as a "man" is illuminating to me. He had his father/provider/decisionmaker role at home. He had a totally superficial tie with the three fellow workers who worked near him. He was "friends" but barely so with his one male neighbor/friend. He didn't want to have the life his father had, but when the chips came down, he made similar decisions trapping himself.

I think that the movie indirectly shows how women have gone through a lot of changes with the modern feminist movement from the 1960's through the present.

I see far less change in the men! Far, far too many of us men (including me) know lots of people, but have few, if any, really deep friendships. We still often speak and dictate to others but Don't listen beyond the instrumental modes of "success" and similar.

We've been forced to cope with feminism and how it's affected the women around us, but really haven't been forced or chosen to confront the deeper issues of connecting within ourselves and then beyond ourselves to the "total" worlds around us.

Yes, there are plenty of exceptions and qualifications I could make to this. I'm not sure how deep they are though.

We still have physical or verbal violence as a prime mode of coping with our failures. We learn as little boys to manipulate the physical world(s) around us. We often don't learn to relate to boys and girls as caring, feeling individuals.

It is hard for us to move forward as men! We often seem stuck in our worlds of "freedom without responsibility" as boys and sometimes as men. We "do our own thing" alone or with our buddies, not constrained significantly by others. Increasingly this world is limited for many boysin the drive to "be successful" in athletics, school and sometimes other areas.

As we get older, similar to in Revolutionary Road, we get trapped in our "shoulds" and "musts" and "being responsible". Where we break out of such worlds often we move back towards the "world without responsibility" . We may pay child support, but where we have the kids every other week we are only in a limited way bonded with them.

We often lack a deep bonding to others. In some cases we bond deeply within one or a few others, but often we don't bond with the "larger world" - the world of our children's schools, their classmates, as well as the birthdays of all around us, the emotional needs of our friends and neighbors and so much more.

Feminism in some ways has played a cruel joke on women telling them that they "can have it all" - when the constraints of working, taking care of children, being in a primary relationship and running the household are overwhelming.

Feminism seems to often have taught us as men that we need to "self-actualize" often ignoring the needs and desires of those around us. Where we act responsibly and with compassion we often have things like sports to entertain us, but often find it harder to have close relationships with others.

We have a lot of work to do! Thanks!

A Few Bad Apples - No (Way!)

I've just finished Valerie Plame Wilson's book: "Fair Game: My Life as a Spy, My Betrayal by the White House" - an excellent book. The book paints a damning picture of the lies and deceptions of Republican leadership including more than a few powerful individuals.

I am troubled though by Plame Wilson's naivete about basic U.S. policy abroad. Obviously to work for the CIA as a spy for 20 years requires a core belief in support of U.S. governmental policies. I don't share such a perspective.

Obviously the U.S. is not "the devil" or necessarily worse in many ways than many others throughout the world. It is important to recognize that we are the most powerful country in the world militarily as well as in various other ways. Where we do good things they may be recognized more deeply - as has happened with our acceptance of immigrants over several centuries of our history. Where we do "bad things" they can have far more impact upon many others than the actions of less powerful nations.

We have a history of "doing bad" which most of us should be very aware of. Examples which readily come to mind include:

1.) The capture and enslavement of Black Africans until slavery was ended in 1865,
2.) The devastation of the lives and survival of Native Americans continuing at least until very recently, if not continuing through the present,
3.) Legal denials of equal rights to African-Americans for a century following the Civil War including killing and maiming many (as well as many racist incidents and practices since then),
4.) Requiring Japanese-Americans (only those living along the West Coast) to live in concentration camps during World War II while other Japanese-Americans were accepted into the U.S. military and allowed to live "normal lives",
5.) Overthrowing and helping to overthrow the governments of countries such as Chile, Guatemala, Iran, Panama and attempting to overthrow the government of Cuba,
6.) Kidnapping and imprisoning supposed "terrorists" in recent years who have had few or no rights to establish their innocence of committing crimes - totally apart from our invasions and occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan.

Where our country makes decisions they frequently reflect large business interests such as the concerns of defense contractors and weapons manufacturers.

While we can obviously find particular U.S. presidents such as Reagan and George W. Bush as particularly "bad" we should not forget President Clinton ordering diversionary raids causing much devastation while trying to fend off the increasing noose related to his affair with Ms. Lewinski.

Barack Obama is not "pure" or "clean", though he's had less chances to hurt others than his predecessors.

Let's not be naive! While we may see ourselves as "not as bad as ..." that is far different from recognizing our Very Mixed record continuing through the present.

Thanks!

2008 - A Farewell

As 2008 moves to its final hours in the Pacific Northwest of the USA, my thoughts go in many sometimes conflicting directions.

I'm very much upset by the Israeli attacks upon Gaza. I agree with President Bush and the Israelis that Hamas is "the enemy" in some important ways. I'm also very much aware that such military attacks will Not: 1.) Stop the violence directed against the Israelis, 2.) Help opponents of Hamas who may be Palestinians , Arab non-Palestinians and similar build a credible opposition to Hamas and most importantly 3.) Allow for or help any moves towards Peace in the Middle East.

Violence can intimidate individuals, but it does not help when a Legitimate Grievance of Many is minimized and blamed repeatedly and those affected have no effective method of getting justice.

The Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank are not blameless nor better than those of us who are Jewish (and others). They do, however, have a repeated quandry which they can not get themselves out of. Jewish Settlements on the West Bank grow and expand, regardless of whether there is relative peace or violence on the West Bank. The lives of West Bank Palestinians are seriously affected by the land appropriations and the building of Israel's "Wall" attempting to separate Jews from Palestinians (on Palestinian land).

In Gaza since early November Israel has been increasingly strangling the economy as food, medicine and other goods are decreasingly allowed in. (When there isn't violence - the status quo - is Not - a Tenable State - the status quo - is a continuation of Israel's occupation of Palestinian lands. Gaza has Not been "independent" though Israelis have largely left it - it has Not been a "Palestinian State" any more than the Navaho Nation is a state in the Southwest.)

It can be argued that Hamas and Palestinians have been violent against Israeli Jews. It is also clear that the violence and injustices have also been coming from Israelis against Palestinians. To argue that the violence of one is Only in reaction to the violence of the other is naive and simplistic.

What can not be disputed is that Palestinians are increasingly hurt by a devastated economy, two separate land areas, one of which is separated into segregated areas for Jews and Palestinians where the Palestinians (the significant majority) are treated like a "minority group" and a crowded, impoverished small territory, which neither Israel nor Egypt wants, which can not survive economically on its own.

It also can not be disputed that Israel pays a huge price for continuing in an endless stalemate with the Palestinians. The fears of Israelis and their general state of isolation hurts individuals and the country as a whole.

We in the U.S. have an opportunity now with January 20, 2009 to begin a new era of change where negotiations might (faintly possibly at least) begin with the U.S. as a true mediator, not a force in support of Israeli interests Against Palestinian interests. Israel wants secure borders and Peace. Palestinians want true independence in a Palestinian State.

We need a huge change in attitude though if we will work towards making peace.

There are many ways we can educate ourselves in new ways about "making change" both for Israelis-Palestinians and for others in the world.

We need to stop being the world's bully who fears others. We talk of how the Chinese and others are causing environmental devastation while we disproportionally use up precious resources such as oil, water, etc.

We blame the Mexicans. We blame the Cubans. We blame the French. We blame the Russians.

We need to face plenty of truths within our own world(s) here at home in the U.S.

Yes, the Iranian leadership is dangerous! Threatening their leadership as a basic way to deal with their threats helps keep their leadership in power. There are plenty of non-Jewish forces in the Middle East who have No Love of the Iranian leadership.

Yes, Hamas is dangerous! Hamas has come into power and grown because of the failure of moderate Palestinian leadership. Moderate Palestinian leadership has failed to get a (secular) Palestinian state established. Some of its failures have been due to corruption and internal weaknesses. Some of its failures are as a result of opposition from the Israelis and U.S. interests.

Pakistan is probably the "biggest threat" to U.S. interests today. It is an impoverished country with a large population, the possession of nuclear weapons, great instability and an increasing movement of people who are very Anti-American.

We need to begin to be an ally to the "good people" of our world. We need to talk with those who we oppose such as the leadership of Iran.

We also need to really start dealing with our problems at home here in the U.S. Besides the current economic disaster we need a good national healthcare system that allows all of us to get affordable healthcare. We need housing for the poor. We need to end violence directed at women, children, minorities as well as violence we Men direct at other Men.

We need to avoid looking for simplistic answers to our problems. It is common to hope that President Obama will lead to a much better country and world. I remember when there were hopes when President Clinton was first elected after 8 years of Reagan and 4 years of Bush, Sr. Obama can make a huge difference however it will only happen if a huge number of us help push for what we want and need.

Obama can not eliminate racism, sexism and classism. He will need nudging and more. He will need support and more.

We can and hopefully will make a better world - starting in 2009. It won't be easy! We need to support each other. We need to look at options and possibilities and speak out more and more. We need to have a sense of humor. We need compassion. We need both patience and a determination to Not accept less than is necessary now.

I am cautiously optimistic. Thanks!

Guilt, Responsibility, "The Reader" and Gaza

I'm just back from seeing one of most haunting and powerful movies I've ever seen. The Reader shows Kate Winslet at her best. This movie deals most effectively with evil, guilt and responsibility, allowing the viewer to think and evaluate much particularly related to the two main characters. My perspectives on some things might differ greatly from others and it doesn’t matter.

The movie reminds me again of our responsibilities to speak out against oppression.

I think of Gaza (again). I think of how we need to stop the oppression of this poor area and prevent more needless deaths, injuries and damaged lives. Others may think of other things which concern and trouble them.

Thanks!

Gaza - Speak Out Please!

I hope that all who believe in peace and justice will take a few minutes to educate themselves (if necessary - one source is: http://www.jewishvoiceforpeace.org/) about the genocide - and general strangulation - of Gaza - by the Israelis.

After knowing a little - speaking out - such as writing President Elect Obama, and your senators and representative - is important.

We need to do more! People are being starved to death, not allowed to have decent medical care as well as now over 200 people being killed from bombing from the air.

Thanks!

December 24, 2008 - Snow

More Snow - More Pictures

2008 - Winter Solstice - A Little Snow

Interesting- Re: "The Shoe Incident"

Should the Iraqi journalist who threw his shoes at George Bush be celebrated as a hero for the Arab world?

Yes – 77%
No – 23%
Total votes: 881
http://english.aljazeera.net/

Thousands of Iraqis have demonstrated in Baghdad's Sadr City in support of a journalist being held in custody after throwing his shoes at George Bush, the US president.

Muntazer al-Zeidi was detained for what the Iraqi government on Monday said was a "barbaric and ignominious act" during a news conference the previous day.
The outgoing US leader, who was making a surprise visit to Baghdad, had just told reporters that while the war in Iraq was not over "it is decisively on its way to being won," when al-Zeidi got to his feet and hurled abuse - and his footwear - at Bush. Bush, who had been giving a joint press statement with Nuri al-Maliki, the Iraqi prime minister, ducked behind a podium as the shoes narrowly missed his head.
"Millions of Iraqis or rather millions of the people of the world wish to do what Muntadhar did," Uday al-Zeidi, Mundathar's brother, said on Monday.
"Thank God he had the guts to do it and avenge the Iraqi people and the country from those who plunder it and have killed its people."

Al-Baghdadiya television, his employer, has demanded his release after Yasin Majeed, the prime minister's media adviser, said al-Zeidi would be tried on charges of insulting the state. An Iraqi lawyer told the AFP news agency that Zeidi risked a miminum of two years in prison if he is prosecuted for insulting a visiting head of state.

Freedom of expression

On Monday, al-Baghdadiya suspended its normal programming and played messages of support from across the Arab world.

A presenter read out a statement calling for his release, "in accordance with the democratic era and the freedom of expression that Iraqis were promised by US authorities".

It said that any harsh measures taken against the reporter would be reminders of the "dictatorial era" that Washington said its forces had invaded Iraq to end.

Demonstrations also took place in the southern city of Basra and Najaf, where some people threw shoes at a US convoy.

Khalil al-Dulaimi, Saddam Hussein's former lawyer, said he was forming a team to defend al-Zeidi and that around 200 lawyers, including Americans, had offered their services for free. "It was the least thing for an Iraqi to do to Bush, the tyrant criminal who has killed two million people in Iraq and Afghanistan," he said.
"Our defence of Zeidi will be based on the fact that the United States is occupying Iraq, and resistance is legitimate by all means, including shoes."

In Iraqi culture, throwing shoes at someone is a sign of contempt and the incident is likely to serve as a lasting reminder of the widespread opposition to the US-led invasion of Iraq - the conflict which has come to define Bush's presidency.

"Throwing the shoes at Bush was the best goodbye kiss ever ... it expresses how Iraqis and other Arabs hate Bush," Musa Barhoumeh, editor of Jordan's independent Al-Gahd newspaper, wrote.

But support has not been entirely universal and some Iraqis believe al-Zeidi crossed the line. "I deem it unnecessary. This thing is unjustifiable. It is an incorrect style. We are not violent. One can voice his opinion in other ways," one Baghdad resident said.

Robert Wood, a US state department spokesman, dismissed the incident saying that al-Zeidi was "trying to get attention for himself" and had ignored Washington's successes in Iraq. "This was one incident and one individual's views, but if you look at the direction we are heading in Iraq now, it's a very, very positive direction and we hope to see that continue," he said.

Bush's visit to the Iraqi capital came just 37 days before he hands the presidency over to Barack Obama, who has vowed to withdraw troops from Iraq.
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2008/12/20081215144834440817.html

Be Very Careful

Be Very Careful !!!!!!!

If you have never been exposed to the Splotchy Story Virus, you should be forewarned....

Though it is most pleasant, it is quite infectious.

Here are the rules:

Here's what I would like to do. I want to create a story that branches out in a variety of different, unexpected ways. I don't know how realistic it is, but that's what I'm aiming for. Hopefully, at least one thread of the story can make a decent number of hops before it dies out.

If you are one of the carriers of this story virus (i.e. you have been tagged and choose to contribute to it), you will have one responsibility, in addition to contributing your own piece of the story: you will have to tag at least one person that continues your story thread. So, say you tag five people. If four people decide to not participate, it's okay, as long as the fifth one does. And if all five participate, well that's five interesting threads the story spins off into.

Not a requirement, but something your readers would appreciate: to help people trace your own particular thread of the narrative, it will be helpful if you include links to the chapters preceding yours.

The Apple

The bus was more crowded than usual. It was bitterly cold outside, and I hadn't prepared for it. I noticed that a fair number of the riders were dressed curiously. As I glanced around, I stretched my feet and kicked up against a large, heavy cardboard box laying under the seat in front of me. (Splotchy)

I couldn't believe my eyes. Surrepticiously, I tried to establish, without giving it away, if anyone else had seen what I had. For ten years I had been looking for that box. What looked like an ordinary cardboard box to most contained something most precious. Only by the small golden "P" was I able to identify what I was looking at. (Freida Bee)

I was both extremely relieved and a little sad. I was very happy that at last I could finally move forward and hope that my major disasters might be over with as I now could succeed at my life's goals. I was also dismayed that I'd hurt too many others as well as myself by my blunders searching endlessly for what now was in front of me waiting for me. “P” was both the most fascinating being I had known and the legacy left behind unfortunately because... (Geo)

I hereby infect these folks:

PoodleDoc

Hugo

CharlieVaron
F-Words

More to be Added – shortly – when I get home from the East Coast
(You may be infected more than once.)

The Anti-Hero (and The Hero) - Lessons ?

Today - we have "important" personalities such as Barack Obama, Sarah Palin and more in the background now Osama bin Laden. Recently we had George W. Bush and Mahmood Ahmadinejad. In our pasts (depending upon how old we are) we have people such as: Saddam Hussein, Colin Powell, Newt Gingrich, Imelda Marcos, Ronald Reagan, John Kennedy and many others.

In popular culture in the U.S. are people such as: LeBron James, Michael Jordan, Paris Hilton, Britney Spears and Michael Jackson.

Also there are/were others such as: Steven Spielberg, Alice Walker, Noam Chomsky, Stephen King, Marilyn Monroe, Humphrey Bogart and of course many more.

Frequently we take individuals and make them into icons whether it the "superhero" or "super villain" (or both, depending upon the viewer). Almost no one today in the U.S. would see Osama bin Laden or Mahmood Ahmadinejad in any image besides the horrificly "bad guy". Sarah Palin today is seen as a buffoon by many, and as a true hero by some.

Daniel Ortega was viewed either extremely negatively or extremely positively in the mid-80's depending upon one's politics. Today, though he's still around, he's a non-entity to most, almost forgotten in the distant past.

We often seek the heroic personality such as today - Barack Obama. We want and expect him to take us out of very dark times and to miraculously move us out of our pain and hurt. Similarly we seek to pillory others such as George W. Bush or Dick Cheney as causes as to why we hurt.

As the first Iraq War began I heard Noam Chomsky speak in Berkeley eloquently of how the U.S. would face a minimum of six weeks of brutal warfare with thousands of (U.S.) casualties. As the War then ended rapidly I learned that though I admire Chomsky and his ideas, he is only human, not a "god".

I hope today and in the future we will look to the ideas and issues around us. We can and should not get stuck in the personalities and the cults of individuals worshiping and demonizing them.

Understanding radical Islam, Evangelical Christianity, racism and how we in the U.S. are both powerful and weak are all important. Building lasting movements for positive change using the words and ideas of people such as Martin Luther King, Jr., Gandhi, Shirley Chisholm, Paul Robeson, Oliver Sachs, Sean Penn, and many others will help us far more than simply worshipping them as idols.

We can learn from the good and bad around us. It is often easiest to look for the simple extremes. It is much harder to learn at a deeper level and to do the difficult work to really make things better.

Thanks!

Magic

Today on Thanksgiving Day in the U.S. I think in a slightly different direction towards a source of beauty that comes from within us as individuals.

I have different types of moments - which I label as "magic". No doubt many, if not most of you, others have similar moments in your lives.

Such moments, whether brief, or lasting longer, put me in a spirit - a feeling of Elation - that words otherwise don't easily define. It is a personal feeling which can be shared only in slivers, if at all, with others.

A simple example for me is entering into certain beautiful settings, usually involving large bodies of water, sunsets or sometimes both. For me it isn't the setting itself that gets me, but the mood and feelings I get in that magical moment.

I remember when I first saw Point Lobos Reserve, just south of Carmel, California. In that moment it was far more incredible than it has ever been when I've returned to see it. I could share how beautiful it was with others, but not the spirit of the moment.

A somewhat different spark of magic comes to me at times when I play duplicate bridge. In duplicate bridge we are playing a card game complicated by the fact that we compete with about two to 15 other couples who are playing the identical hands that we are playing.

In bridge one communicates with one's partner through bidding and playing one's cards. Nuances (and of course luck) can make a big difference. At times when I play duplicate I feel bonded to my partner in a way that I can't explain as we do "the right thing" and (then generally) triumph over our opponents. It may be within a single hand or on multiple hands or during an entire session.

If my partner in the bridge game feels magic in that moment it is undoubtedly different - because we are each unique individuals.

The magic comes elusively, though Possible places for it to appear are clear. The magic is not words or "rational". It encompasses feelings in that moment.

It is difficult to find magic when I'm significantly depressed or "lost" (unless I'm lost in fantasy). It is also difficult to find when looking with Significant Expectations which may not be met (or not appreciated when they are met).

I love the magic that appears for me within some books in some moments when I say: "aha, ....." and am so content.

You - no doubt have your own tales of magic in your life and how it is a part of you.

Thanks!

Remembering - My Father

Forty-four years ago today on Friday, November 13, 1964 - when I was 13 years old my father died of stomach cancer approximately three years after first being ill. I remember my mother waking my brother and me up about 6:30 a.m. that morning saying: "Daddy died this morning".

Foolish, naive boy that I was (into my teenage rebellion first listening to rock music - having no needs I thought for my parents) - it was a transformative moment. My father's illness had never been discussed and I had never thought about his dying. At the same time it made perfect sense in that moment.

We got dressed and went to the hospital and I saw my father's body still in the hospital bed - my last time with my father. I didn't cry then, nor over the weekend including at his funeral on the Sunday. Now I cry - easily and openly. I didn't know - a lot then. I know a little more now.

Before he got sick my father was about 5'4 tall and weighed around 140-145 pounds. He felt bad in the late summer of 1961 and what was later determined to be terminal cancer was found to be the problem. In December, 1961 he was operated upon. I remember my mother crying endlessly then. She'd been told at age 37, that she'd be a widow - that there was no hope because the cancer had metastasized.

Seeming miraculously - my father "recovered" and was able to go on a planned sabbatical to study mathematics in Zurich, Switzerland. For a magical year - we traveled during vacations including a trip to Israel in the early spring where he saw many, many members of his huge family most of whom he'd not seen since he left Berlin in 1927.

In August, 1963 - we returned to Indiana - and Dad's health began to fail again. In April, 1964 - he went to Billings (University of Chicago) Hospital in Chicago for more testing. He took the bus from Chicago to be at my Bar Mitzvah which was held on a Thursday evening so my Orthodox Jewish grandfather could travel to the temple.

My mother pleaded with the rabbi to make the service short - because my father had to be on the bus back to Chicago so he would get there before midnight and not be discharged and need to be re-admitted. Despite this - she was forced to take my father to the bus station during the service - while the rabbi - was doing the Kaddish, the Jewish prayer for the Dead. My mother never forgave the rabbi for this.

In June, 1964 - we took the train to Oakland, California. My father had been hired by his best friend from graduate school Al Blank to work on a SMSG four semester high school calculus text project. We lived in a newly built fraternity house at the center of the Stanford Campus in Palo Alto.

My father's health went way downhill that summer. On our way back to Indiana we stopped at Grand Canyon. We were next to go to Denver, but my father was too weak and we went home.

My father could no longer ride his bicycle the 6 blocks or so to his office at Purdue University. My mother had to drive him and carry his briefcase. He kept doing what meant the most to him - teaching his classes at Purdue.

My mother later told me that my father Never talked about his death or dying. It was scary to think of dying and he coped by trying to pretend that he was getting better and not dying. His stomach was slowly losing its narrow access as his weight dipped in the end to a little less than 90 pounds.

My mother told me that one colleague came to the house and upon learning that Dad wasn't home asked if he "was dying" or perhaps "had cancer" - and she told him the truth. She said that this was the only time the subject was talked about - directly with another that she knew of. She said that he was very sad that he'd not live to see my brother and me grow up.

Ma also told me that they decided to Not talk about Death with my brother (11 then) and me to try to let our lives be as normal as possible.

My father died Friday, November 13, 1964. He taught his last class about 10:30 a.m. the morning of November 12th, feeling very sick, being taken to the hospital and then after various testing being told he could stay overnight in the hospital because he had other routine tests scheduled for the next morning. It was the only night he spent in the hospital the last 7 months of his life.

I never had a chance to say "goodbye" or to deal with what was going on until after my father died and that took many years. My father - never had a chance to share his fears and be whole (in an era of silence) about what he went through. I'm sad and crying today as I write!

Thanks!