day 137

(originally posted 5/13/02)

As you may know, I am a devoted fan of Rush Limbaugh. His program recently led me to an article at National Review online, written by John Derbyshire titled Why Don't I Care About the Palenstinians? It's a tough read but a brilliant commentary on the never-ending trouble in the Middle East and it echoes the frustration I have with the Palestinians.

Please don't mistake my tone or reference to this article as a dismissal of the complexity of the conflict in the Middle East. I don't for a minute believe that the problems between the Israelis and the Palestinians will disappear if we just adopt the attitude that the Palestinians are a hopeless cause and don't really want peace.

(Although it's difficult for me to NOT adopt that attitude myself - living on the opposite side of the globe, untouched by the senseless, never-ending death and violence, and less educated than I ought to be on the origination of the State of Israel in 1967 and the conflicts preceding and following it.)

I am simply offering my honest reaction to a situation that appears to be escalating beyond the levels that already seemed more than anyone should have to bear. ANY one group can get bogged down in their own list of offenses and justifications for revenge but where and when does it end? At what point do you decide to move past it all, look forward, and live for the future?