'Where is the US?' They asked in irritation.

Great Debates
1

I read today where the Arab nations, irritated over the retaliation of Israel due to terrorists bombings, are asking where is the United States and why are we not getting involved. They, and some other nations feel that America has washed it’s hands of the whole mess.

Thinking about it, I figured Bush just might have because Israel and Palestine have been fighting for over 25 years and it was the Arabs who invaded Israel to fight over Holy lands. They did not expect that such a tiny nation would fight them to a stand still. The way I look at it, what was Israel’s should be returned to Israel.

I also happened to think about the US getting kicked off of the UN board for Human Cruelty Watch, by a small group of the worst Human Rights violators in the world, with one of them actually gaining a seat there. So, where were these nations when the US was being voted out because China, Iraq and Iran got tired of being criticized by us?

America has spent years trying to help Israel and Palestine out, but it never fails that just when peace seems close, one of the two screw it up and then deny all blame. Palestine just loves to turn the other way when their terrorists go over and blow Israelis up, then they get all outraged when Israel responds by reducing large areas of their population into parking lots.

America found Israeli spies over here, and even though Israel has received tremendous financial support from the US, every now and then they turn around and get mouthy towards us. I know that I have gotten tired of hearing about the war going on over there for a couple of decades and keep waiting for some nut to go in and blow up these cherished Holy sites, figuring that if his side cannot have them, then no one else can either.

If you visit Israel, you do so at your own risk and gun carrying soldiers are every where and they’re not exactly tremendously friendly towards non-Jewish Americans. They’ve been fighting for so long, that even the chicks are combat ready.

I no longer even recall just what year it all started in. Arafat seems unable to control his own terrorists and he’s gotten so old that I figure he’s too set in his ways to change. Every time he shows up on TV he’s in a military uniform, which reminds me heavily of how Castro likes to portray himself or how several other minor but annoying dictators like to do. Like Sadaam and Kadafi for example.

I don’t know, but since we pour billions into the UN and we’ve been their Sergeant At Arms every time they need something done with force, then they sit on their thumbs while we get kicked off of the board and allow a human rights violator to gain a seat on it and Israel and Palestine keep screwing up peace talks, the Arabs keep dicking with our oil prices and now China is starting to act up, maybe Bush should let them kill each other off and let the chips fall where they might.

Besides, this Islam thing is starting to annoy me because it seems that every time I read the news, somewhere Islamics are fighting over religious differences, but proclaiming that their religion is a peaceful, understanding and benign one. (Yeah. Right!)

2

Ummm… Mr Bush?

3

For a first post, you didn’t miss any tricks, did you? Nice provincial attitude, great religious intolerance, good lumping there, like the “fuck the UN” thing. Did you mean to put this in GD or the Pit? Just wondering.

Reducing 50 years of mistrust and lies and religious interference and complete boneheadedness on both sides to a “Superior US Attitude” rant takes some skill. Too bad you don’t have any.

jayjay

4

I’ll join jayjay and I’ll add: PleasedGuy, what the hell is your point and how long would it take you to express it if you tried really hard? This board is dedicated to fighting ignorance, not spreading it. Your post is so full of ignorance I am choking on it.

5

Yeah, right. Nothing at all like that peaceful, understanding and benign crusading thing, all in the name of the Prince of Peace.

6

Just what do you, or “they”, think the US should do? The PLO and the Israeli government have been brought to the negotiating table by various Presidents many times. As recently as last year, there was a deal on the table, and Arafat backed off. Or you can blame Israel if you like, it really doesn’t matter. Or blame Clinton; that’s always been a popular thing to do.

So what method is left, except to stay out of it for a while, let more of both populations get sick of it, and try again with a future generation, as has been the case in Northern Ireland?

Note 1: This isn’t endorsing Bush’s hands-off approach, one he seems inclined to use in far too many international situations. It’s recognizing that in this case there’s only one thing the US can do right now, something we’re not traditionally very good at, namely: butt out.

Note 2: This also is in no way supportive of the OP’s rambling diatribe, it is simply recognition that there is indeed a debate topic buried under it: What course of action should the US, or the West, now take toward the Israeli-Palestinian conflict?

7

Poor OPs are a bannable offense now! The purge has begun! The board will soon be fast, as it was in bygone days of yore!

Hey, who are you? Let me go! Where are you taking me? Hey!

8

LOL, one post and WHAMMO! :smiley:

Some people just aren’t meant to be dopers, it’s called Darwin-Cecilism.

— G. Raven

9

PleaseGuy banned after one post? Dang! And not even a curt comment from the mods. Nor even a hint as to who the particular sockmaster was.

I tell you, we’re going to have to start paying attention to writing styles ourselves now. The moderators seem to be tired of doing all the heavy lifting.

10

PleasedGuy wrote:

Especially this Chick.

11

The last time I saw it, it was still somewhere between Canada and Mexico.

12

Anne Applebaum discusses the reversal in European attitudes toward US interventionism since Kosovo, and the dawning of a new feeling of responsibility among European leaders. Just thought it was interesting reading.

13

Just wanted to point out that the article by Anne Applebaum is chock-full of misrepresentations, false premises, and flawed arguments, most of which appear to be deliberate. For example, she does not for one moment entertain the possibility that the US’s difficulties in the international arena are not necessarily the results of intervention versus non-intervention. It would be more to the point to dicuss the perceptions of whether intervention by anyone in a particular situation is 1) justified and 2) carried out adequately. To illustrate, intervention in Kosovo was certainly justified, at least based on the concern of human rights, which is almost certainly not the whole story. It was not, however, carried out in the best way: what kind of solution is it to bomb all of Serbia–traditionally an ally of the West–in order to halt the slaughter of ethnic Albanians in Kosovo, which is a small section of southern Serbia?

But otherwise the essay has little to do with the OP, silly as that was.

14

They have been fighting in the mideast for 25 yrs? It’s closer to 2500 yrs.

15

I can only echo what Abe has already said.

FWIW, I find that article by Ann Applebaum to be one of the most bizarre things I’ve read for quite some time. Almost complete nonsense and a total hack job – she wouldn’t happen to have Republican sympathies, per chance ?

I’d like to discuss it but, frankly, it would take half a day to begin to unravel all the twisted representations. It truly is naked propaganda and an embarrassment to serious journalism.

16

I gotta admit, I read two lines and thought “Serlin”.

I could be wrong though, I’m not a level 7 Serlin-spotter or anything.

pan