Need for Palestinian realism.

The Palestinians need and deserve a state, but rejection of the state of Israel is not how that state and a future peace will occur.

One does not set their national identity on hate of your enemies. Identity should be focused on what is good for yourself and not one diametrically opposed to your enemy.
This is when you get the statements like:

"We believe in death," Hamas says, "You believe in life."

Sometimes you get what you wish for.

Israeli realism in foreign policy.

Efraim Inbar on peace with Syria:

The cost of a peace treaty nowadays is clear, as is the current quid pro quo. A treaty with Syria will not improve the country's strategic situation. Generally, Israel has little to gain from economic or cultural interactions with the Arab world.

Our neighbors have not opened up to globalization and have remained poor, an unappetizing market for our products. Moreover, their societies are despotic, corrupt, fanatic and in deep cultural crises. The Arab world has nothing to offer and Israel should keep its distance.

Not a great boding for the future, but then again how can one make peace with Syria when their whole predilection of policy towards the outside world in one of a rejectionist and radical state. The only way that the ruling clique can continue their rule is to be rejectionist and continue the confrontational policy in their internal politics. Else they have to open up and devolve power to more liberal groups.

It is not a case of Israel making peace it is a case that the Syrian regime cannot afford to make peace and hold onto power, after years and years of propaganda from the Assad government.

The Middle East today.

The time has come when citizens of the Middle East who are not willing to die smiling will have to decide whether it is worthwhile to die fighting in order to forgo the privilege of being killed by men who are ready to die smiling.

Will those Palestinians who plead their humanity ever be willing to stand up against the "resistance"?

I am waiting.

Jewish History and Gaza.

Why history matters and an explanation of the reasons for the Gaza operation in the weltanshuung of the Jewish peoples of Israel and how it is applicable to you and me.

When they came for the Jews,
I remained silent;
I was not a Jew.

When the Nazis came for the communists,
I remained silent;
I was not a communist.

When they locked up the social democrats,
I remained silent;
I was not a social democrat.

When they came for the trade unionists,
I did not speak out;
I was not a trade unionist.

When they came for me,
there was no one left to speak out.

Martin Niemoller.

This is a reminder to us not to turn our backs on the history of fascist and totalitarian regimes, let not the good people remain silent in the face of controversy.

Fascist regimes with murderous predilections should not be tolerated.

Huntington over Pinter.

It is sad to see that the death of a great political scientist went almost un-noticed and that of a loud mouthed playwright was trumped unto the heavens. The intellectual aristocracy and media of this country should be ashamed of themselves. Substance always trumps bullshit.

Bomber Harris and Middle Eastern solutions!

To be viewed by all in the National Archives one can read Bomber Harris's solution to the Palestinian uprising against the British. It went like this: if a village rebels bomb it into submission.
I am glad us Brits hold the moral high ground by ignoring our past!

Hamas, the nature of the baby!

The new outbreak of contretemps in the Gaza is the outcome of Hamas policy.
The writing was on the wall, yet they decided to ignore the overtones coming out of Israel. Once the attacks began, all of a sudden Hamas is not responsible for their own actions. To hear them on the news is to believe that the Gaza strip is run by children. I would like to see the day when the Palestinians stand up and take responsibility for their own actions. You should not be allowed to run around slapping people in the face and then as soon as they decide to retaliate go running to mommy (the international community) for help.

For a people who are supposedly so proud in their independence and masculinity, this is pathetic. When will this be seen by others and conveyed to the "victims".

The nature of Islamic Fundamentalism.

It can be seen as both fully political as well as fully religious.

Not to respect the boundaries between religion and politics goes against the basic tenants of our modern western ideology (Division of religion?Church and state).

Fundamentalism, so many believe, has to be either political or religious, but cannot be coterminous.
This should not be possible.
If it is political it can be opposed. If religious, constitution or conscience dictate that we tolerate it.

Yet by being both Islamic fundamentalism demonstrates the weakness of our structures and beliefs, we have to realise that what we are facing is not something from the 'modern' world.

It is a triumph of the emotional over the intellectual, whilst keeping the intellectual in subordination.

Eschatology is the future. Death is redemption. Realism is death. politics is eschatology.

Alcohol and self awareness.

Alcohol as a product is a generally designated as a path to escapism, a way of not having to face reality and all the ugliness of the real (actual) world. As mush as this may be true i can also see it as a way to help us to gain a greater insight into our own mind and predilections. It allows us to focus, without external demands, on what we really believe ourselves to be and allows us to view our real selves without having to battle our own internal intellect.

Gurdjieff would drink, so i believe, to be more readily able to isolate his ego from his I and to be able to focus on his physical, emotional or feelings aspect.

Though abuse of alcohol that can easily lead to one losing control over their intellect which is important in the balancing of feelings, emotions and the physical self.

Myth and science

Where do myth and science join or diverge?

Science it can be seen has its origins in the Greek mythology of the 7th century BCE. In the invariable ministrations of monotheism where the many were to be deduced from the One, as being unsubstantial variations on the One. This is seen in the works of Anaximander, who is the acknowledged father of physical science.

This can be seen in the works of Pythagoras where it was taught that "things are numbers".

The birth of maths.

The problem of numbers remain today and it is from this scientific?philosophic base that metaphysics was born.

This is the esoteric, a mix of philosophy and science, some correct some spurious.