The meaning of Qassam and Palestinian statehood

I have always been conflicted about the Israeli/Palestinian conflict, you might say, but this article from the front page of Monday's Times illustrates the one issue that puts me squarely on the Israeli side:

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/19/world/middleeast/brigades-that-fire-on-israel-show-a-deadly-new-discipline.html?ref=todayspaper



Qassam is "the military wing of the Islamic Hamas movement".  I believe that fighting for what you believe is right, but while most Israelis believe in living in peace, Qassam and similar organizations believe and exercise the power and righteousness of martyrdom, and make no excuses about it.  They celebrate death with their families, teaching their children to kill, not love, to fight, not dance, to die, not live.  Isn't this just wrong?  Seems clear to me.  How can any rational person support this?  No wonder Iran supplies them with weapons.

But keep reading, I'm not done yet :)

I have been looking at maps and reading about the latest developments.  Yesterday I was disturbed to learn of the negative reaction to the Palestinian Authority's request to the U.N. for recognition as "Non-Member State" status. Palestine is the only "Non-Member Entity Permanent Observer" at the UN - having assumed the role in 1974 - and is not allowed to vote in the General Assembly. The change to "Non-Member State Permanent Observer" - a status currently held only by the Vatican - can be granted via a majority vote of the General Assembly, but would not automatically give the Palestinians any additional rights or responsibilities in the UN. This seems to me a reasonable first step toward acceptance as a political entity, although it is opposed by Israel and by the U.S.  The P.A. claims this as a requirement for a permanent two state solution.  I am sorry, Israel, but the Vatican?  You don't think the Palestinians can be on an equal footing with the Vatican?  As Seth Myers would say on SNL -- Really?

Clearly there are complicated issues surrounding the control that Abbas and the P.A. has over Hamas in Gaza -- this is where the current problems concerning Qassam and the other brigades come in.    But no authority can be expected to reign in the extremistists without the tools that a universally recognized nation has -- specifically the rule of law.  If a bunch of off-their-rocker Tea Partiers started lobbing rockets into Mexico, even with the support of the Republican party, the Feds could arrest them and bring them to trial, without any foreign assistance.  The P.A. has no such power, and not just because of their internal strife.
I understand the concerns about prosecutions for war crimes as outlined in the article I link here, but as I read it, this works both ways, i.e. the P.A. could be subject to international sanctions as well:
pros and cons on U.N. status change

Are settlements a violation of international law?

What is interesting about this is that both sides seem to agree to use the same laws, just have different interpretations.  I am reminded of that 

Te Pito te Henua, the Navel of the World,

Rapanui:

http://saverapanui.org/home.html

Why Public Lands?

Links:

http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/09/10/820261/gov-romney-and-rep-paul-ryan-want-to-drill-slash-and-sell-our-public-lands/

the great undecided

Who are these undecided voters in the upcoming election?  The choice has been so clear for so long, how can anyone still not have made their choice?

I particularly wonder about the swing states.  Do these people not know how critical their votes are?

I am hoping that the debates on Wednesday may ratchet up the interest and get some blood flowing in what has been an otherwise pretty bloodless competition.  I guess there has been some bleeding around the gums from all the mealy-mouthed excuse making...

And what's with all the pundits assuming that people in New Hampshire will vote for Mitt Romney because he is from a neighboring state?  Don't they realize how long ago they started calling it "Taxachusetts"?  No love lost there.   I just saw John Sununu claiming that a recent poll in NH was "garbage" because it put Obama up by double digits.  Of course the base will hold their noses and vote against Obama, but politics is a thinking man's (and woman's) sport in New England, played on long-established fields with rules like "good fences make good neighbors".  This part of the country has never been a one-issue voting bloc, so Republicans might want to hedge their bets.



     

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Zombies! Limp for your lives!

Today started out overcast and in the 60's.  My first thought was, "perfect day for the zombie apocalypse -- looks like the UK in Shaun of the Dead.
Last night I was thinking.  What do people like me do when they show up.  Maybe that is why Florida has that "stand your ground law", because that is all those old folks will be able to do.  We are doomed.  If I make it to the car I could drive.  I could find my way north, although if my family is in the car I would be in trouble, as I would totally stress out and seize, like when Barbara, Anna, and I went to Bard in that huge storm that washed out the Thruway.  But if we split up, they would be doomed as none of them have any sense of direction.  Alex pointed out that our house has too many windows to be easily defensible, and we have no firearms.  I would have to send them to someone who could actually help them, probably David.  I used to be the one who was the go-to guy in an emergency.  Sorry :)

3 NYC NEWS ITEMS

Three recent events in Yew York have come together in my mind although their connection is not obvious at first.  The first is Mayor Bloomberg's proposal to limit fountain drinks in restaurants to 16 oz.  The second is the proposed system of bike rental stations to enable point-to-point temporary bike use.  The third is the clamor to end horse-drawn carriage rides.  This last was prompted by an incident involving an injury to a horse involved in an accident with an SUV.

The connection for me is that these can all be looked at as public health issues.

I went to the pharmacy to buy a thermometer last week and could not find one until I asked, but there was row upon row of glucose-testing devices.  Clearly we have a public health issue surrounding obesity if so many people have, or are at risk of having, type 2 diabetes.  I know this is anecdotal, and so are my observations about people on the streets and the subway, but we all know that people have gotten fatter and less healthy mostly because they eat poorly and don't get out and exercise.  I applaud Mr. Mayor (hardly a socialist) for his genuine concern and wisdom as a public servant, for both the soft drink initiative and the Citibike program.  Both will contribute to a healthier community.  Additional bike lanes will ultimately help congestion.  Maybe these can be designated for horse-drawn vehicles as well.  New Yorkers are an adaptive species.  Smokers complained bitterly at each new set of smoking regulations, and yet they became "the new normal" very quickly.  I remember when wheelchair lifts were installed on buses and was soon amazed at the speed with which drivers could make it work, causing minimal interruption to bus rides.  If SUVs are colliding with horses, maybe it is the SUVs that are the problem, not the horses.