The adage “You can kill the messenger, but not the message” purportedly traces its roots to somewhere in the Middle Ages. Its 21st century application is to do the literal killing blatantly, and disprove the second half of the admonition furtively.… Read the rest
In his totemic plea for us to imagine a better world, John Lennon insisted “It isn’t hard to do…”. Campus protests that commingle anti-Semitism and calls for ceasefire in Gaza belie that. So as a prism to see through the moral miasma, I recommend Covid.… Read the rest
History has shown, repeatedly, that the best the extreme left or right can manage is a revolution, which in the end eats itself and accomplishes little of lasting value. Three events this week prove the point that extreme views can be catalysts for debate, but casting change and progress comes from when the two meet in the middle.… Read the rest
The philosophical question “How many angels can dance on the head of a pin?” was raised by the 13th century philosopher Thomas Aquinas. A metaphor for wasting time debating topics of no practical value, it sums up what efforts to resolve Gaza will be unless the U.S. actually makes “changes in policy”.… Read the rest
President Theodore Roosevelt’s famous advice; “speak softly and carry a big stick”, did not preclude using the stick if necessary, a point that seems to escape the Biden administration in its efforts to alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. One reason, I submit, is the enforced absence of the foreign Press in Gaza.… Read the rest
The only thing more useless than an opportunity not seized is an obvious lesson not learned. The Biden administration’s “plan” to deliver aid to Gaza without putting boots on the ground has managed both at the same time.… Read the rest
A poem from which many of my generation drew perceived wisdom includes the line: “And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.”.To my deep chagrin, I find it is not clear, and I sincerely hope there’s a course correction in the unfolding bit, starting with the way we’re being kept up to date with the process.… Read the rest
The “document of principles” Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu laid out for post-war management of Gaza looks more like a backroom amateur’s attempt to clone South Africa’s Bantustan plan for keeping blacks in poverty and subservience. If that’s the best he can come up with, there are a couple of other apartheid quirks more worthy of consideration.… Read the rest
By any measure, levels of suffering, compassion and deprivation of human rights ought not be based on nationality, ethnicity or economic status. An attack on a small U.S. military outpost few even knew existed, and four months of bombing and artillery strikes that have been rained on Gaza flaunt that in reality, the exact opposite is the order of the day.… Read the rest
Author and screenwriter William Goldman encapsulated the movie business in two lines: “Nobody knows anything…Every time out it’s a guess and, if you’re lucky, an educated one.” There’s plenty of evidence the wisdom equally sums up prognostications and pronouncements on today’s major issues; American politics, the three Hs — Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis — and the Ukraine-Russia imbroglio. … Read the rest