Comments on: EDITORIAL: Surf’s up… while the bombs fall http://warincontext.org/2008/12/28/surfs-up-while-the-bombs-fall/ ... with attention to the unseen Thu, 09 Feb 2012 08:49:09 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Rick Signor http://warincontext.org/2008/12/28/surfs-up-while-the-bombs-fall/comment-page-1/#comment-3266 Rick Signor Mon, 29 Dec 2008 13:58:52 +0000 http://warincontext.org/?p=1376#comment-3266 The farther we get from the election, it becomes all too apparent that we grow much closer to the behavior of the failed administration we were presumably replacing on the 20th of January 2009. I am an American citizen, Veteran, self employed farmer, whom is and has been been disgusted by our Nations leaders continual support for Israel, and it's brutal and inhumane treatment of the Palestinans, whether they be from Gaza, The West Bank or Israeli Arabs. It's a dehumanizing progrom they impose upon the residents of the Territories, Barak Obama needs to put his words into action. To para-phrase Walter Mondale Where's the change? The farther we get from the election, it becomes all too apparent that we grow much closer to the behavior of the failed administration we were presumably replacing on the 20th of January 2009.

I am an American citizen, Veteran, self employed farmer, whom is and has been been disgusted by our Nations leaders continual support for Israel, and it’s brutal and inhumane treatment of the Palestinans, whether they be from Gaza, The West Bank or Israeli Arabs. It’s a dehumanizing progrom they impose upon the residents of the Territories,

Barak Obama needs to put his words into action. To para-phrase Walter Mondale Where’s the change?

]]> By: John Robertson http://warincontext.org/2008/12/28/surfs-up-while-the-bombs-fall/comment-page-1/#comment-3260 John Robertson Sun, 28 Dec 2008 17:13:19 +0000 http://warincontext.org/?p=1376#comment-3260 Bravo, Paul! I can only second heartily your comments. For Mr. Peres to profess mystification with Hamas' stance and actions is disingenuous at best . . . and Ms. Kloosterman or anyone else who claims knowledge or some modicum of understanding of Israeli-Palestinian history over the last several decades ought to know better than to accept Peres at his word. Bravo, Paul! I can only second heartily your comments. For Mr. Peres to profess mystification with Hamas’ stance and actions is disingenuous at best . . . and Ms. Kloosterman or anyone else who claims knowledge or some modicum of understanding of Israeli-Palestinian history over the last several decades ought to know better than to accept Peres at his word.

]]> By: Paul Woodward http://warincontext.org/2008/12/28/surfs-up-while-the-bombs-fall/comment-page-1/#comment-3259 Paul Woodward Sun, 28 Dec 2008 16:55:32 +0000 http://warincontext.org/?p=1376#comment-3259 Karin -- Thanks for your comment. The reason I put the words "a member of the press" in quotation marks was not in doubt that you are a journalist but in order to underline your apparent unwillingness to apply critical scrutiny to political propaganda. As an Israeli (I'm assuming you are), you're entitled to take on faith the words of your president, but as a member of the Fourth Estate in a country that professes to be democratic, you have a duty to test the validity of political statements when measured against the facts. If as Shimon Peres claims, Israel is so utterly mystified about what motivates Hamas, how could it even intelligently attempt to craft a solution to the attacks that afflict the residents of southern Israel? The philosophy that one must beat ones opponents senseless and then, perhaps, try to understand what drives them, is the mindset of a thug: hit first; ask questions later. (In actuality, Peres is surely not as mystified by Hamas' motives as he claims to be. His problem -- and that of the rest of Israel's political leadership -- is that he cannot accept Hamas as political reality that must be engaged -- as opposed to an adversary that must be crushed.) Sure, I know in my soul what is just and good, but I don't believe in faith-based politics or faith-based wars. Heartfelt convictions are not what brings the world together. If they did, we could all be relieved of the burden of thinking and struggling to arrive at an objective understanding of the conflicts that tear people apart. A journalist isn't -- or at least shouldn't be -- a parrot. It's not your job to get me or anyone else to listen to the words of your president as though they will be a salve for the soul. It's your job to apply your own intelligence in applying critical analysis to his words. Karin — Thanks for your comment. The reason I put the words “a member of the press” in quotation marks was not in doubt that you are a journalist but in order to underline your apparent unwillingness to apply critical scrutiny to political propaganda.

As an Israeli (I’m assuming you are), you’re entitled to take on faith the words of your president, but as a member of the Fourth Estate in a country that professes to be democratic, you have a duty to test the validity of political statements when measured against the facts.

If as Shimon Peres claims, Israel is so utterly mystified about what motivates Hamas, how could it even intelligently attempt to craft a solution to the attacks that afflict the residents of southern Israel?

The philosophy that one must beat ones opponents senseless and then, perhaps, try to understand what drives them, is the mindset of a thug: hit first; ask questions later.

(In actuality, Peres is surely not as mystified by Hamas’ motives as he claims to be. His problem — and that of the rest of Israel’s political leadership — is that he cannot accept Hamas as political reality that must be engaged — as opposed to an adversary that must be crushed.)

Sure, I know in my soul what is just and good, but I don’t believe in faith-based politics or faith-based wars. Heartfelt convictions are not what brings the world together. If they did, we could all be relieved of the burden of thinking and struggling to arrive at an objective understanding of the conflicts that tear people apart.

A journalist isn’t — or at least shouldn’t be — a parrot. It’s not your job to get me or anyone else to listen to the words of your president as though they will be a salve for the soul. It’s your job to apply your own intelligence in applying critical analysis to his words.

]]> By: Karin kloosterman http://warincontext.org/2008/12/28/surfs-up-while-the-bombs-fall/comment-page-1/#comment-3258 Karin kloosterman Sun, 28 Dec 2008 15:58:29 +0000 http://warincontext.org/?p=1376#comment-3258 Paul –– Well, I am a member of the press... and Gaza reeks from "blood and explosives" out of Hamas' own doings. How much longer can a country sit with mercy and absorb the rockets, upwards of one hundred a day, fired at it without retaliating? It's obvious which side of the fence you sit on. But I accomplished what I intended: to get you to read Peres' speech. Somewhere in your soul you know what is just and good. Paul –– Well, I am a member of the press… and Gaza reeks from “blood and explosives” out of Hamas’ own doings. How much longer can a country sit with mercy and absorb the rockets, upwards of one hundred a day, fired at it without retaliating? It’s obvious which side of the fence you sit on. But I accomplished what I intended: to get you to read Peres’ speech. Somewhere in your soul you know what is just and good.

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