In advancing their arguments, Friedman and his compatriots conveniently gloss over the fact that the infliction of civilian casualties as a tactic has always produced the exact opposite of the desired effect, at least in the middle east, and particularly in the Palestinian conflict.

It’s a cultural nuance that escapes them - if you kill one, you’d better be prepared to kill all of them because memories are long and revenge is a mandate.

be prepared to kill all of them

In Friedman’s scheme, I’m sure he is prepared, and willing.

Though Greenwald is right about this being a refreshingly honest Friedman column, he doesn’t eschew euphemisms entirely. Notice when Friedman refers to civilian maiming and death, he calls it “pain” or that old propagandists’ stand-by, “collateral damage.”

I have fully formed opinions on most political topics, but the endless Israeli-Palestinian conflict isn’t one of them. There’s villainy enough to go around on both sides. Sometimes I think the best thing the US could do is to stop pretending to be an honest broker (everyone knows that’s bullshit) and refuse to give either side anything but food, water and clothing until they work this shit out somehow.

Something I’ve never really been clear about is how all these rockets actually get into Gaza and the WB. The borders are locked down like a nun’s hey-nonny-nonny, so wtf?

Part of me thinks that Israel’s political existence is predicated on foreign aid, and that foreign aid is based on the fact that Israel has enemies on all sides. I don’t mean to diminish the threat to Israel - it’s very real, obviously - but I think perhaps the players (on both sides) have a vested interest in maintaining the status quo, to the extent that the lack of conflict means less money flowing in. Call me a cynic.

wow, crickets. Did I cross the anti-Semite barrier?

Tom65- the rockets get there through the tunnels from Egypt. The rockets don’t come from the West Bank- Fatah isn’t currently interested in getting into a fight with Israel- that is Hamas in Gaza.

When Sharon withdrew the Israeli occupying forces from Gaza, the much pooh-poohed speculation was that the “disengagement” would effectively create a totally enclosed, free-fire “kill-box” that would afford all the advantages of an in-place occupation, at vastly less cost and with none of the responsibility for civilian security imposed on an occupying force by the Geneva Conventions.

IIRC, it was largely pooh-poohed as a “cynical” and “disingenuous” interpretation of a “positive” move toward Palestinian “self-governance” by precisely the same people who—sipping brandy in the Map Room after a long day of shooting drugged quails in a canvas bag—would bemoan the burdens of Empire, and the sad but inarguable efficacy of savage oppression as a tool for encouraging a richer and more humble appreciation of the virtues of Civilized Society.

Friedman—and all the other sissified dude-ranch Teddy Roosevelts who swat aside murder with a thesaurus and re-cast collective punishment as an exercise in improving civic awareness—should really just cut the shit, pull on a pair of jodhpurs and start pumping out ripping, Kiplingesque essays on how best to bring Christ (and running water) to the fuzzies and wogs, at the point of a bayonet.

Civilian deaths are not “pain,” phosphorus bombs are not a “teaching aid”...and Tom Friedman is not, and never will be, a serious observer of history.

Wow, Strange—that was one of the funniest, most succinct summaries I’ve ever read on the topic. Bravo.

Strange, dude, you are a writing genius, without a doubt.

@Betty Cracker & poputonian

You’re too kind. I should have let it percolate for another couple of minutes, but it says what I wanted it to.

Verbal abstraction is unavoidable in discussions of philosophy, mathematics, art and psychedelic mushrooms. When the topic is air-strikes and body bags, it’s the sign of (a) a restless conscience or (b) a sociopathic resistance to developing one.

I think in Friedman’s case the answer is clearly (b).

Tom 65

the infliction of civilian casualties as a tactic has always produced the exact opposite of the desired effect

In the analagous situation, the Warsaw Ghetto, those who fought back tended to live longer .

I think the Israelis surpassed the numbers murdered in the Warsaw Ghettos a few years back.

Andrea-

the rockets get there through the tunnels from Egypt.

That is the propaganda smokescreen story. 99% of the rockets are homemade.  All you need is a welder, they are simply pipes with fins welded on, and the warheads are fertilizer bombs, generally two pounds, with a percussion cap.

If they were smuggling in actual military rockets, there would be some real damage and carnage going on. The death toll from all rockets fired into Israel over three years is 8 at last count.

Betty-

refuse to give either side anything but food, water and clothing until they work this shit out somehow.

I am against any humanitarian aid to Israel, AIPAC can raise enough money to feed and clothe the white europeans occupying Palestine, that way they won’t have as much cash to extort and bribe US politicians, not that that’s very difficult.

Strange- That was awesome, I’m going to open the show tomorrow night with that.

Can you record voice?

Your voice is snarkier than mine, gimme a call.
-scooter

opoooooh oooo theme song

Strange Apparatus sung to the Kerioke music of Smooth Operator.

I like it !!!
Add some more cowbell and it’s a wrap.

Any of you lady rumpers sing?

Scooter: Oh if only. But my voice is not Icepicky, it’s more like a bent butterknife.

Now I can’t join the Strange Appar8chix.

But it’s great that you’re doing this. I was thinking that it’s too bad to let Strange’s brilliant precis slide quietly into the RR archives.

Polly- OMG I hadn’t thought of that, Icepick does SADE.

I know I can’t get Jennifer, but I have a really weird friend who could do a purrr-fect Jennifer.

Scooter, her video is almost hypnotic. Where’s my hat and coat? Suddenly jonesing for rice crackers.

Who is she? She has powers. She could be the anti-Jen.

So ashamed of myself. So ashamed.

Ms Polly-

That’s ex- houstonian and 24/7 KPFT caller, Melinda! She is/was a very prolific Youtube talk to the camera person, but I think she may have deleted her acct.

weird.

She did a reading of the communist Manifesto which was absolutly bizarre, I aired about 10 minutes of it.

She’s also a little bit crazy, and her primary subject is meds, and clincal patholgy and stuff.

She was sort of a mascot around KPFT when she lived here in her teens.

What a voice, huh?