Just like a think tank this blog is dedicated to open and critical thinking. Since only one person is editing, thinking and sharing their sporadic ramblings it makes much more sense to call it a "burble" than a "tank." Hence the The Think Burble is born. In the words of Sarah Palin, I love “reading everything I can get my hands on.” So with that, I begin my ramblings and hope to strike up a conversation or two...
Over the past few weeks I have been deeply disturbed by the events both in the Gaza strip and in Israel. In all fairness neither side (Israeli or Palestinian) has any more claim to the “holy” land than say Ganges Khan or Cleopatra. From a philosophical standpoint, land is not really an entity to be owned, merely looked after for a time while we are living. To stake claim with extrajudicial rights claiming that God or various governments gave you a stake to claim is retro-progressive at best. And more to point, I don’t think Jesus would have anything nice to say about the present scenario. With well over 800 people dead, mostly in Gaza, it’s hard to fathom the circumstances in which two of the most open and loving religions can brutally slaughter one-another. With a bit of remorse I should clarify that I am neither a Zionist, a Muslim nor an anti-establishment advocate. I do feel that both sides are wrongly accusatory in this subject. If ever there existed a scenario in which neither side of a conflict was right, this would be that scenario. Where ever killing is involved and beliefs lie at the heart of the issue, neither side can be without fault. Living in the US, I have found the media rhetoric seems to support Israel and what they are calling their “right to self defense” but lets be honest here. Of the hundreds dying in Gaza, Israel was upset that it lost 4 soldiers one week of which 3 were killed from friendly crossfire. The numbers bar no comparison to each other and the Israeli offensive is in no means an act of “self defense.” On the opposing end, no one has the right to blow anyone up! The only impact the Hezbollah have had on the Middle East is to provide for further isolation of Israel and more indifferent hatred in the region. This has become a self-fulfilling prophecy for many of the Middle Eastern viewpoints against Israel and has only shown as further example that the US is willing to stand behind their friends more so than their morals. That is not a view point I share, but one that I think many people in the US do not understand. By supporting Israel we are reaffirming their every action to all the people of the Middle East. My father called it “digging your own grave,” I call it stupid. Any suggests or ideas I would bare into this struggle would be seen as short-sighted or all together impossible, which is an unfortunate circumstance. However I wanted to add my own view to this cluster-**** and see if it resonated with anyone else out there?
