The Old Peanut Farmer
Jimmy Carter had trouble being President, trouble in El Salvador, trouble in Israel, and big trouble in Iran. But he is one hell of an ex-president, building homes, monitoring elections and brokering peace. Tonight on the News Hour he talked about his new book and the plight of the Palestinians as eloquently, forcefully and passionately as anyone Ive ever seen. The interviewer kept trying to interject the dominant, jingoistic spin narrative about Israel as victim but Jimmy kept calling bullshit and explained the nature of aparthied over and over till she finally got it. I feel more hopeful about movement on this issue knowing he is on it and sense that Americans are getting sick of beligerent Zionists sucking up US tax dollars to build illegal settlements, walls and Israeli-only roads. Which we coincidentally got a first hand look at thanks to a little video the group Friends of Sabeel just sent today. Called Sacred Space Denied ,Bethlehem and the Wall ,it does a great job explaining the expropriation of West Bank property that is going on in order to build high rise settlement blocs. Friends are Palestinian Christians and could use support. North American address is PO Box 9186 Portland orego 97207
I don't suppose the Zionists or Phalangists are super -thrilled that the US will soon be negotiating with Iran and Syria in order to engineer a "peace with honor" ,as old Tricky Dick called it, but desperate times call for deperate measures. Here is how I see it playing out. The US will soon say sayonara to the Sunnis, you got six months to pack up your shit and go before Sadr is installed as ELPresidente and the Shiia get turned loose. They can head for Saudi Arabia , Yemen, Oman , wherever, but they are done in Iraq. The US could have figured this out a long time ago ... but , it turns out you have to pick sides in a civil war and you might as well pick the one with superior forces and numbers.The US can hunt down a few al Qaieda, then declare victory, and get the hell out. The Madhi Army can act like Hizbollah, running it's own schools, militia, and politicians, the Iranians will agree to lay low until the American public finds it's next O.J. or Michael Jackson and we can send a few F- 16s or Trident missles to Israel to shut them up for awhile.
posted by troutsky @ 9:29 PM
9 comments
9 Comments:
Look how "progressives" like Howard Dean and John Conyers talk shit about carter. He gets more flak from them than Trent "I'm a racist" Lott got from his Strom "may I be rotting in hell" thurmond b-day comments.
Dean has the same problem with his AIPAC lobby as the Repubs do with the Christian right.Its called sucking up for cash.Jimmy has more independence, integrity and clout.How cold is it over there?
It is windy and three degrees right now. Last week it was close to sixty. Winter is here. No snow yet here though.
I feel more hopeful about movement on this issue knowing he is on it and sense that Americans are getting sick of beligerent Zionists sucking up US tax dollars to build illegal settlements, walls and Israeli-only roads.
Keep in mind that the new Congress was 10% Jewish. Truthfully, I couldn't care what religion politicans happen to ascribe to--all the Catholics are invariably poor at following the teachings of the Church anyway.
But it seems that the Jewish lobby will remain strong.
It's almost 60 here today, but we could be in the 20 by week's end...
Saw Carter on Larry King the other night, remarkable that the Peace deal he brokered between Isreal and Egypt hasn't been reproduced by any other President since.
Wiser Man wisely tempers my enthusiasm, and is correct, it is going to take real effort to accomplish anything.
Fredrick,Carter was outraged at the lack of attention on the issue for all these years.
If spelling was a problem on this blog,Mate, Id have to banish myself.
Hardly a day goes by that Israel/Palestine is not in the news, generally in the context of Arab disatisfaction, anti-americanism, that sort of thing. Linkages are finally being made but whether movement will come in time? My deepest feeling is that Condi Rice wants to have a settlement as her legacy rather than the Iraq debacle.
I would have to agree that given the history, pessimism is the logical stance.I just have a feeling.I have always felt the Palestinians should take less than "final settlement" demands such as right of return, just to get momentum and US public sentiment.The occupation may end slowly ,piece by piece,if US funding is threatened.
I haven't been near warm ocean water in WAY to long, enjoy it friend.
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