A Neutral Broker

Convict breaks out to prove
he’s not a danger to society,
gets an additional nine months.

Bubblehead: Are you so bored with life you have nothing to do except ask ridiculous questions of me? Or do you just keep hoping you can somehow make me out to be a hypocrite or stupid or something? I’m beginning to think you can’t be serious. Obviously if you wanted a NEUTRAL party to help negotiate a peace settlement between Israel and the Palestinians you would not want known partisans to be involved, either Muslim or Israeli. Unless, perhaps, you might want Muslim partisans on the one hand against Israeli partisans on the other, in which case you would not even be talking about neutral parties. I suppose, that hypothetically at least, you could have either a Jew or a Muslim broker if you could find a highly respected, mutually agreed upon individual known to be fair-minded and serious about peace, but that seems unlikely. For years there has been talk of the U.S. brokering a peace, indeed, arguing that only the U.S. could do such a thing, but it has become obvious (especially after the Bush/Cheney administration and unfortunately continuing under Obama), the U.S. is not a neutral party, supporting repeated Israeli atrocities without fail. Anyone with even a partial brain would have known that things would deteriorate badly if Netanyahu came back into power, which they have. As far as this recent Gaza incident goes, I suppose if you could find someone who was deaf, dumb, blind, and mentally handicapped, you might find someone who would believe the Israeli account of these incidents. Armed Israeli commandos just accidentally fell out of the sky over international waters onto a Turkish ship and were viciously attacked by unarmed people trying to deliver much needed aid to the Palestinians (that, according to Israeli, is not even needed as the Palestinians have everything anyone might desire). One of these unarmed individuals, an American, was just accidentally shot four times in the head, the ship which was known to be on the way for such a mission and (unbelievably stupidly) might have been trying to smuggle arms into Gaza, if it succeeded it would open up the port to the Iranians to supply arms (no doubt nuclear bombs they don’t even have), the Israeli blockade is legal and the Israelis are really the victims. You really expect anyone to believe this? Does the fact that virtually the entire world community is outraged and has condemned this Israeli action not make you even pause for a moment to think it might have been an outrageous violation of not only international law but human decency as well? The Israelis have long since lost any sympathy or credibility they might have once had and make things worse for themselves and the world every day. They are fouling their own nest and have been for years. Perhaps it is finally catching up with them. It’s about time. Yeah, I know, Israeli has a right to defend itself. It must be nice to have rights but no obligations to either law or morality. You probably won’t believe this, but I used to be a strong supporter of Israel.

Anyway, it’s Sunday. I don’t like Sundays, except for being able to work in my garden, but as it has rained everyday for ten or more days even that has not been very possible. I find that whatever optimism I once had about human affairs and the future has seriously waned, especially since the nightmare years of Bush/Cheney. For all intents and purposes I no longer watch much television as I find it insulting and depressing, except for Rachel Maddow who seems to think that news ought to be news as it used to be. I no longer read the only major newspaper available to me as it is just another conservative rag. Decent movies have become almost a thing of the past. I take comfort in good food and good books (when I can find one), and in the fact that I mercifully won’t be around to watch the painful end of the planet, foolishly placed in the hands of a species too foolish and incompetent to treasure it.

My Hovel
The world before my eyes is wan and wasted, just like me.
The earth is decrepit, the sky stormy, all the grass withered.
No spring breeze even at this late date,
Just winter clouds swallowing up my tiny reed hut.

Ikkyu