“Washington tends to enforce a foolish consistency. If you are someone of some prominence whose views are known publicly, then everything you have ever said in the past tends to be projected forward and everything you say today is projected backward. Any discrepancy potentially brings charges of flip-flopping or hypocrisy or selling-out or whatever. Certainly, these charges are valid in many cases, but the simple possibility that circumstances have changed or that experience or new evidence has caused one to change one’s mind seems never to be seriously entertained. The result is to force people to stick with positions they know are wrong because they less fear being foolishly consistent than being attacked for flip-flopping.” (Bruce Barlett)

I suppose that applies to 18 year olds with blogs as well as congressmen and presidents. I just want everyone to know that I plan on writing about this sort of thing for quite some time. I have written political posts in the past, but they weren't very well recieved and I often got criticism from a few folks because my opinions didn't fit with their daddy's. No Lilia, that is not a crack at you, and the iPod is far superior to the Zune.

Let's talk about Israel. As country, they more than any other has had to deal with more insurrection and violence in the past 60 years, especially when you consider Israel has only been a country for 60 years. I'm sure you can gather that I support the nation of Israel, and I'm sure you can understand that I know their struggle better than most other's. but it is really time for me to stop defending them blindly, as I have in the past.

I read two articles yesterday about my brothers abroad, one warmed my heart, the other chilled my blood. Let's start with the first. May 15th marks the Israeli Independence day. For most Israelis (I.E. Israeli Jews) it is a joyous holiday called Yom Ha'atzmaut (Indepedence Day) rife with symbolism and national pride, much like our own Independence Day, with one major difference, imagine how much more intense the holiday would be if your grandparents were still alive to talk about fighting in the Revolution and you have been fighting to keep your homeland continously for over half a century.

On the other side of the fence, the Palestinian fence, May 15th is known as the Nabka (Day of Catastrophe). Palestinians and Arab-Israelis see May 15th in a completely different light. Rather than marches through Jerusalem, lighting torches and being happy, Muslims use this day to mourn the 700,000+ people displaced in 1948 when Israel fought for Independence. Palestinians often make pilgrimages to various villages that have been bulldozed by the government after the war. Did I mention that there are over 400 of these villages?

I am not saying that Independence Day should not be celebrated, and I stand firm next to my belief that the war wasneccessary and justified and that the Palestinians brought the Nabka on themselves, but I do not believe that the Knesset (Israeli Congress) has the right to prevent them from observing one of the most difficult times in their culture's History. The reason I say this is because several Knesset Members have introduced legislation to make publicly mourning the Nabka a crime, punishable by up to a 3 year prison sentence. You may be asking yourselves what the big deal is, well I'll tell you what it is. Imagine making German's embrace a joyous holiday on D-Day, or preventing Native Americans from being sad on the 4th of July, or making Jews observe a holiday on the day the first concentration camp opened. Make sense now?

I suppose you are wondering by this point why this article warmed my heart, it's because it was written by an Israeli Jew (of the Jerusalem Post no less) who was not embracing this legislation, but condemning it, and everyone who couldn't understand the other side of the argument. He went on to defend Palestinian rights and even went so far as to ask (in more vague terms) "Could we be wrong in this one?" No one in Israel ever takes responsibility for stuff like this.

The other article I read wasn't so much an article as a 43 page UN Report on The Gaza Conflict which confirmed some of my worst fears... The report concluded that the Israeli Military acted in clear defiance of the rules of war, firing on Civilians, schools, medical personel, etc. Way to go guys. Way to go. There was another group of people that did shit like that to a captive population as well, a little group called the Nazis. Ironic when you think about it really.

It's hard for me to throw my support to a Nation who borrows military tactics from our country... I hardly know what to think anymore. I understand that Jews have had to fight their way to freedom for over 60 years now, I understand that WE are a minority oppressed through history, but being downtrodden and cast out does not give US the right to make it hard for another minority. It should make US know better.


~Gideon


A lua prateada se escondeu
E o sol dourado apareceu
Amanheceu um lindo dia
Cheirando a alegria
Pois eu sonhei
E acordei pensando nela