For these past few days The Wise I has been watching this sad affair of a withdrawal from the Gaza strip by the Israelis.
And I know that this entire episode has to be one of the most painful decisions a head of state, especially in the form of Ariel Sharon who encouraged settlement in the Gaza, has ever had to make.
I understand the anguish those families must feel. Should my country decide that the swamps of Delaware must be turned over to Canada and that I, husband and animals must vacate, why I'd be heartbroken.
There's a story behind it all. The Wise I will try to provide simple details as best I understand them.
First, Bill Clinton, remember him? He's the President who spent more time dealing with Oral office affairs than dealing with terrorism.
Bill Clinton wanted to broker a peace deal between Israel and Palestine. Of course at the time Israel was forced to sit down with Yassar Arafat, one of the biggest thug, thief and terrorist of our times. Of course Bill Clinton just wanted his name on the accords as well as that elusive Nobel peace prize.
It's the sort of thing that happens when the citizenry elects a gadabout dishonest "leader" than a leader willing to do the right thing, no matter how much it hurts.
Now George W. Bush, who arguably is a better leader than Clinton, is trying to broker this difficult peace deal and he's trying to do it the right way.
Okay, there's no argument that Bush is a better leader than Clinton, as would be Howdy Doody. But Bush, unlike any other President before him, had to face an attack on our mainland soil and had to react appropriately. Whatever brickbats one might toss at Bush, he is a man who had to face head on the most sober reality that we all faced on 9-11.
Gaining a peace accord between Israel and Palestine is not to be done in pursuit of a Noble prize and a lying legacy. Gaining such a peace accord is now part and parcel of the War on Terror.
For Palestine has long been used by the sons of camels, thugs and thieves who control the oil wealth in that part of the world. Saddam himself gave the family of Palestinian suicide bombers $50,000 even while he was stealing from kind Americans who endorsed his fake "oil for palaces" program.
The Arabs drove the "Palestinians" out of their countries. Jordan didn't want them, Syria didn't want them, Egypt didn't want them.
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - Shark
A New Indoor Record on Blogcritics!
In a post allegely about an "incredibly sad Gaza withdrawal" -- it took only a 120 words to start blasting marginalized has-been Bill Clinton; even though he's about as 'public' and newsworthy as Calvin Coolidge -- the far-right still hallucinates that he's Evil Incarnate.
Good gawd, PatFish, give it up -- or at least get with the program: Bush is the new Satan, Iraq is the New Vietnam, and you're just pumping out verbal diarrhea -- Blogcritic's female version of John C. Bambeneck.
Now be a good Christian Fundamentalist Republican Wife:
Get thee back in the kitchen, woman!
2 - Bennett
Grow up Patfish. Or at least let go of the hatefulness that's rotting your guts. Your ugly diatribes do nothing, other than quickly halt any desire to read further than the first stupid attack on a man who achieved more than you or I ever will.
Name calling, childish referrences, how sad.
Bush? Doing the right thing? Too funny.
Oh, and everything Shark says too.
3 - Dave Nalle
Give it a break. Nothing wrong with a bit of good Clinton bashing. Really, how can anyone resist? I love the way you're all outraged when Patfish mentions things Clinton actually did wrong in passing but you never speak up when people try to pin ridiculous accusations on Bush. Nice double standard.
As for the article, the part which caught my eye the most is the insane bit from the newspaper article that UN funds paid for Palestinian anti-Israeli propaganda. It's mostly our money. This is why we sent Bolton to the UN. Whose nuts is he going to kick for us over this?
Dave
4 - Pat Fish
Wow. Shark always has something silly to say, eh?
Like Dave says, some good Clinton bashing can be refreshing.
BUT, I'd argue that the Clinton references to my article are part of the background. I compare how Clinton handled the problem to how Bush handles the problem.
I think Bush is right. Your mileage may vary. The article is labeled "opinion" after all.
The Israelis are suffering over this. Really, really suffering.
Just remember this when the "Palestinians" refuse to bargain in good faith. Remember this when the suicide bombings begin again.
Because it was never about the Gaza Strip.
It's always been about using the Palestinians to do the dirty work of the Arab thugs, thieves and sons of camels.
It's my opinion and I have nothing more to say on the matter.
Please agree or disagree freely.
God Bless America. And today, God be with Israel.
And I am NOT Jewish, should anybody care.
5 - JR
Pat Fish: It's my opinion and I have nothing more to say on the matter.
Looks like you started out with nothing to say on the matter.
6 - copper
Pat, while I will openly tell you, this issue with Israel is new to me, I really never cared to read much about before. I found your article interesting and have now done a little more reading about this, as well as talking to a few Jewish people that I know. This piece has led me on a new quest for information about this.
Watching this on the news is heartbreaking, watching the men carry women and children out of their homes.
Thanks for spaking the interest in this issue.
7 - JR
copper: I found your article interesting and have now done a little more reading about this, as well as talking to a few Jewish people that I know. This piece has led me on a new quest for information about this.
Yes, I'm sure it's been an epic two-hour quest.
8 - copper
Why the snide remarks about this? A two hour epic, no, but a good start on learning about something that I admitted not knowing about. You should try it some time, might help your outlook on things, but I doubt it.
9 - JR
Why the snide remarks about this?
Because is sounds like bullshit. How many Jewish people did you manage to interview between the time you read this and the time you wrote your comment?
10 - copper
As a matter of fact, I called two of them, who I know, locally. I believe I stated that this piece "started" me looking for information about this.
I think you are one of those that would complain about your ice cream being cold.
Carry on as you like.
11 - Bennett
Please Dave, explain to me how "a little Clinton bashing is a good thing". What positive effect does it have on anyone who reads the post? Please, you must be so much smarter than me to see some "good" in this.
I was taught that one should be able to make an argument for or against based on merit, as opposed to comparison. Otherwise, you could follow the logic and say that Saddam was a fine fellow, compared to Stalin, eh?
Patfish. You're lying. There is no reason other than ugliness and hatred to refer to "the Oral Office" in this post, or to Ted "The Swimmer" Kennedy in your last post. You seem to love to focus on the ugliest little detail to characterize a person, in the meanest way that you can think of.
That's it for me reading any more of your writing. I don't need to expose myself to the ignorant hatred that you spew forth in your posts.
Have a nice life.
12 - gonzo marx
demean, distort, distract, destroy
best you GOP folks can do?
try arguing on issues, novel concept..try and even keep it relevant?
thanks for the hate speech
Excelsior!
13 - gonzo marx
oh , and just for me to try and keep some relevanvce here...
8000 or so "settlers" amongs more than a million Palestinians
22000 Israeli troops needed just to guard those settlers...24/7 365
and now, the US is kicking in what, 2.5 billion to help move them out?
brilliant
Excelsior!
14 - Aaman
a) You do your books a possible disservice by advertising them below a pile of drivel
b) You possibly raise libelous concerns by terming real people 'sons of camels', etc. without any actual DNA proof
c) One would need a lasso the size of the moon to pull this post back to a rational readable one, thus it's insights are lost
15 - Aaman
You did induce one insight on my part, though: The US is spending this money, in part, to improve it's national security - whether that translates to reality remains to be seen, but it actually improves global security - thus this should be an effort funded by all nations - not sure if other nations are contributing to the effort.
16 - Nick Jones
"I understand the anguish those families must feel. Should my country decide that the swamps of Delaware must be turned over to Canada and that I, husband and animals must vacate, why I'd be heartbroken."
Patfish, since you later rightly state that the Gaza territory was captured in a war, your metaphor does not hold. A truer mirror would be that there is no longer a road to a Canadian settlement cutting through and cutting you off from your property, Canadian soldiers are no longer being billeted on the second floor of your house (provided you have one), and your husband no longer has to wait in line for eight hours at a checkpoint to get to his job.
17 - RKC
"In other words the Gaza Strip was captured in a war. It happens. Our own country captured much of our territory during bloody wars with the Indians and the Mexicans."
Patfish -- the world changed since"our own country captured much of our territory during bloody wars with the Indians and the Mexicans."
Remember 1945 when the United Nations was formed at the end of WWII?
International law was passed that made taking over and occupying the land of others ILLEGAL.
That is the legal basis of our going to war in Korea, Vietnam and Kuwait.
Have you no respect for international law?
Your slanted views discredits what you write.
18 - Nancy
From what I can find out on the web about this issue, right from the beginning the israelis who settled in Gaza knew these were "illegal" - i.e. tenuous - settlements liable to go at any moment; why should they be surprised at this juncture to be thrown out, especially when the Israeli parlement has been hashing it over for decades, literally, and the decision to withdraw was made quite some time ago?
I frankly don't know why anyone wants the area to begin with: it's a horrible, dry wasteland w/nothing whatsoever to recommend it, not even oil. Just stubbornness, I guess.
19 - Bennett
"our own country captured much of our territory during bloody wars with the Indians and the Mexicans."
Whoever wrote this is so totally ignorant of American history that anything they write should be thrown out as ignorant gibberish.
We "captured" most of America with crude biological warfare (smallpox). Most of the rest through one-sided massacres by overwhelming forces armed with superior weapons.
Read some history books before you try to reference it, okay?
And I with Aaman, your phrase "sons of camels" is racist hate speak. You really should be ashamed of this post.
I can't imagine taking the time to write something, and then intentionally alienate HALF of the folks that might happen by to read it. What? You only want your views (the rest of the piece following your "refreshing" crap about Clinton) read by people that already think the same way (shudder) that you think?
And btw, your analysis of the Middle East Peace Process is crap as well. Clinton had Arafat to deal with, no deal. Then Arafat died. Bush had NO Arafat to deal with and suddenly there is progress. Whoa, huge surprise!
But that's all way over your head, no doubt.
20 - Nancy
"...Sons of camels..." how come nobody ever says 'DAUGHTERS of camels'? Why is it always the male? Where's equal time for us females?
21 - alienboy
I thought the saddest thing was how both the settler leaders and the external protest leadership were content to send children to do their resistance for them. This to me speaks of an enormous moral bankruptcy.
22 - Nancy
Actually, if it hadn't been written seriously, the phrase 'sons of camels' would be pretty funny, & I do believe it IS a genuine semitic insult...?
23 - billy
So your argument is to praise bush for surrendering to terrorists and pushing israel out of their lands? you are worse than cindy sheehan. if people like you ran the country we would pull out of texas and give it back to mexico if bush said so.
stop enabling terrorists by patting bush on the back for screwing over israel.
24 - Temple Stark
Holy crap in a bucket - and I'm not talking about the Middle East situation. I should have comented before reading the comments.
Still, I'll say the same thing.
You start out with the US Presidents but I think it's been clear for a couple of decades now that they have been the least of the problem and they are not part of the solution to Middle East strife.
25 - Dave Nalle
>>Please Dave, explain to me how "a little Clinton bashing is a good thing". What positive effect does it have on anyone who reads the post? Please, you must be so much smarter than me to see some "good" in this. <<
If I must. Clinton officially made himself the national whipping boy by his actions while in office. Since he holds that title until he dies, everyone is required to (figuratively) slap him a good one when his name comes up. That's the price he pays - and you know, I bet he actually understands and acknowledges it.
Dave