Back to Blogging

Hi everyone. This is just a quick note to apologize for the long absence from the blog. When I was home over the holidays I didn't blog due to a combination of only sporadic Internet access and not having the inclination. But I'll be getting back to it now.

I also want to take a moment to unequivocally condemn the bombardment and now invasion of the Gaza Strip by Israel. Israel is exacting vastly disproportionate revenge through collective punishment. It claims that this most recent brutalization of the Palestinians is a necessary response to the rockets launched from Gaza over the last eight years, some thousands of them. Sure, when you give the number of rockets, it sounds bad, but then think about the number of deaths. From eight years from 2000 to 2008, rockets fired from Gaza killed 21 Israelis. In the eight days this offensive has lasted, more than 440 Palestinians have been killed. In the month of December, rockets killed four Israelis. This means that in December, Israel killed 110 Palestinians (including at least 100 people with no connection to Hamas) for every Israeli killed. How that is defensible to anyone is beyond my understanding. Israel is engaging in an Orwellian effort to brutalize the people of Palestine into turning against Hamas. They tried that in Lebanon in 2006 vis-a-vis Hezbollah. Anyone want to remind me how that turned out? If Israel wants peace, they must also create the conditions for Palestinians to live in peace, and this includes withdrawing from occupied territories, tearing down the apartheid wall and lifting the seige of Gaza.

Days Remaining in Bush Presidency: 16