Reflections on the Middle East

Introduction

In spite of what’s implied by my title, I’m not going to offer “Reflections on the Entire Middle East.” But I do want to share some material I encountered while searching the internet for info on the Six Day War. That’s how I started out, trying to glean some insight into possibly the strangest war ever fought on this planet.

But while searching for bits about the Six Day War, I broadened my scope to the Yom Kippur War (an equally strange affair), which occurred only six years later. And that led, naturally enough, to posts on miracles connected to both wars. It’s so true: One thing does lead to another.

Of course, as I scanned the internet for “information” (yeah, right, that’s got to be put in quotation marks for sure), I was struck by a variety of thoughts. I will share some of those with you.

Go ahead, call me skeptical!

I’m very much a dues-paying member of this school: “Things are not as they seem.” So naturally I would be attracted to a subject like the Six Day War. In spite of oft-repeated claims to the contrary, I firmly believe the United States decisively aided Israel during that conflict. And I don’t mean by just providing weapons or reconnaissance. And I don’t mean that US assistance was merely incidental to Israel’s success.

What do I mean? Or, more precisely, what can I prove? I mean, the US government had access to help of a supernatural nature. And, no, I can’t prove that, except to lay out a circumstantial case, which I’ll open with this quote:

QUOTE:

Indeed, a West Point general once remarked that though the US Military Academy studies wars fought throughout the world, they do not study the Six Day War - because what concerns West Point is strategy and tactics, not miracles. [source: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Articles/Article.aspx/7133 ]

:UNQUOTE.

Let’s assume what this general is claiming is true – that “what concerns West Point is strategy and tactics, not miracles.” And that this is the reason the Six Day War isn’t studied at West Point. Even if that’s true, you’d better believe the Pentagon/CIA pays a great deal of attention to such miracles. And, moreover, they help generate such miracles. It is well-known that the Russians (also) have for decades (and the Nazis as well) paid a great deal of attention to paranormal forces. And to the search for extraterrestrial beings as allies in their endeavors.

As for miracles

As a Buddhist, I believe in extraordinary events, but I do not believe in miracles. That is, I don’t believe in magic. Things happen for reasons, though to the unsophisticated viewer such things might appear to happen magically. That’s just another way of saying, “I see but I don’t understand why.” Fair enough…but too many people aren’t honest enough to say “I don’t know,” preferring instead to attribute miracles to their gods.

When I started practicing Buddhism as part of an established group (before I became a lone practitioner), I was taught to respect the miracles of other religions. We weren’t supposed to be dismissive (as in “why are you so special as to be entitled to a miracle?”); and we weren’t supposed to say “You’re exaggerating; it didn’t happen.” Perhaps “it” didn’t happen for the reasons cited, but we can be reasonably sure that “something happened” that was out of the ordinary.

Sometimes, though, it is useful to governments and other powerful entities for people to be convinced that inexplicable events do occur. Even if the powerful know just how explicable these events really are. I will return to the subject of miracles (providing some examples) in a bit, but first some questions.

Some questions and speculations

ONE: On May 22, 1967 (less than two weeks before Israel attacked), Egypt declared the Straits of Tiran closed to Israeli shipping. Since this was openly viewed by Israel as an act of war, and since prolonged closure would devastate its economy, why didn’t the United States unilaterally send ships to break that blockade?

TWO:  It could be argued that the United States was, in effect, encouraging Egypt to attack Israel by insisting on remaining “neutral” in this affair. If the United States knew in advance that a multi-state attack against Israel was doomed to a disastrous conclusion, it might have wanted to bring about this conclusion in an effort to knock Egypt’s President Nasser down from his pedestal. He was the dominant voice of Arab self-consciousness, and was allied with the USSR.

THREE:  This link, containing the following quote, inspires a very key question:

https://www.cia.gov/library/center-for-the-study-of-intelligence/csi-publications/csi-studies/studies/vol49no1/html_files/arab_israeli_war_1.html

[This link is to an article by David S. Robarge:  “CIA Analysis of the 1967 Arab-Israeli War: Getting It Right.”]

 QUOTE:

The CIA was right about the timing, duration, and outcome of the war…

The second paper Helms had brought—the “who will win” memo—was the crucial one. It stated that Israel could “defend successfully against simultaneous Arab attacks on all fronts . . . or hold on any three fronts while mounting successfully a major offensive on the fourth.” [Okay, here’s the “key question” I referred to above: “But how could this have been assured without knowing in advance that Israel would have total air superiority?”]

That paper—issued the following afternoon with the title “Military Capabilities of Israel and the Arab States”—is the illustrious “special estimate” in which the CIA (in collaboration with the Defense Intelligence Agency) purportedly called the war right, from its outcome down to the day it would end.

:QUOTE.

FOUR:  It should have been obvious to the Arab powers that Israel had to attack. Since the Straits of Tiran were closed, thereby denying vital imports to Israel, and (due to the demands of military mobilization of reserves) large numbers of Israelis were absent from their workplaces (thereby further weakening its economy), it had to be obvious that Israel had no choice but to attack. Time wasn’t on their side. That being the case, why did the Egyptian air force keep most of their jets on the ground? It would have made more sense for (say) half to have been airborne at any time.

FIVE:  Why didn’t the miracles (some of which are cited in the next section) that seemed to aid only the Israelis during the Six Day War discourage Egypt from trying yet another war a mere six years later (the Yom Kippur War or, if you prefer, the Ramadan War)?

SIX:  I read accounts of the US having provided LSD-25 gas to the Israelis, which was used to spray Egyptian soldiers in order to disorient and incapacitate them just before Israel bombed Egypt’s Sinai-based airfields. This, of course, is a ridiculous assertion, since there haven’t been any claims of psychedelic trips from the victimized soldiers.

SEVEN:  Did the US intentionally place the USS Liberty in harm’s way? By “allowing” the Israeli’s to attack this ship, the US could have defused rumors of any larger collusion between the US and Israel in this war.

EIGHT:  For decades, I’ve read speculations about how the Jews were going to come around to the world view held by certain US fundamentalist Christian sects and accept Jesus as the Messiah. I wouldn’t be so sure, since the abundance of miracles showered on the Israelis during the Six Day and Yom Kippur wars should serve to convince them of the righteousness of their own views.

NINE:  According to the Wikipedia article on Yitzhak Rabin, the Israeli army’s chief of staff in 1967:  “In the days leading up to the war, it was reported that Rabin suffered a nervous breakdown and was unable to function.  After [a] short hiatus, he resumed full command over the IDF [in time to leading it to a smashing victory].”  I find it unconvincing that one can overcome a nervous breakdown within a few days. However, I find it very convincing to feign such a condition and publicize that fact in order to embolden one’s enemies into continuing their brinksmanship.

TEN:  In the instances of miracles, there were stories of mass “hallucinations” featuring angels bearing flaming swords. Did the US government possess the technology at the time to generate such visions? Or is this where extra-terrestrial allies were summoned by the US – in exchange for what, God only knows? But I do know this much: Pipers like to be paid.

ELEVEN:  I haven’t managed to find any accounts of miracles (or the intervention of Allah) helping the Arab cause during these wars. In fact, the bumbling performance of the Arab militaries appears, for all intents and purposes, to be self-inflicted – perhaps intentionally so. If so, I’m at a total loss for a rationale.

TWELVE:  I would love to read accounts of how the Egyptian veterans who survived these wars felt about what transpired, but I can’t find any.

THIRTEEN:  I still can’t understand why Egypt’s official name is “The Arab Republic of Egypt.” Egyptians are not Arabs!

FOURTEEN:  Maybe Egypt’s incredible loss in the Six Day War was Divine retribution for the Nasser government’s vicious attacks against the Muslim Brotherhood.

Miracles

I’m going to quote some material, while inserting some questions/observations of my own (some in brackets):

QUOTE:

A story is told of a small Jewish community, Pekiin under siege by Arabs who were determined to wipe them out. However, they encountered huge strange beings with flaming swords, and they ran away in great fear, as the astonished village rabbi watched them. [I wouldn’t be too quick to claim that these were Angels of the Lord.]

During the 1967 six day war, Gershon Saloman lay badly wounded and saw Syrian soldiers moving into their area shooting wounded Israeli soldiers. They were about to shoot him, when all of a sudden they fled the area leaving their weapons behind. [Why would they leave their weapons behind?] The Syrian soldiers later reported to UN officers that they saw "thousands of angels" surrounding the wounded soldier and that was why they ran away. [But why did those “angels” come to the aid of this one particular soldier?]

There is no end to the stories that have been documented from the battles: of the Egyptian tank commander in the Sinai Desert who surrendered to a vastly inferior Israeli force on the second day of the war, because a desert mirage [or a generated illusion?] made him see hundreds of Israeli tanks where there were no more than a dozen; of the Jordanian forces who welcomed the Israeli tanks under the command of Colonel Uri Ram into Shechem on the third day of the war, because faulty communications misled the Arabs into thinking that these were Iraqi tanks come to reinforce them. [Wouldn’t the markings on the tanks dispel that illusion?]

:UNQUOTE:  [source:http://elijahmantle.typepad.com/blog/2009/11/miracles-during-the-6-day-war-in-1967.html ]

QUOTE:

…twenty-one-year-old Lieutenant Greengold was home on leave when Egypt and Syria launched a coordinated surprise attack on two fronts. … he hitchhiked to Nafekh…in the Golan Heights, where he initially helped with the wounded, as no tanks were available. When two damaged Centurion tanks were repaired, Greengold was put in charge of them and sent with hastily-assembled scratch crews down the Tapline Road.

…[AND]….

For the next 20 hours, he fought, sometimes alone, sometimes in conjunction with other tanks, displaying an uncanny knack for showing up again and again at the critical moment to tip the scales of a skirmish. He had to change vehicles "half a dozen times” [Where did these replacement vehicles come from? How did he acquire new crewmen, assuming some of his had been killed along the way?] as his tanks were knocked out…

Afterward, he claimed 20 enemy tanks destroyed; other estimates place his tally at 40 or more.

:UNQUOTE.

I really don’t know what to think of this episode. There are people among us who have a sense of mission and (knowingly, I believe) are protected as they fulfill that mission. As to whether they serve as proof of the righteousness of their side in an armed conflict, that’s impossible to say. It may well be that proving righteousness isn’t relevant but that allowing the survival of a threatened group is – at least for the moment. But, as the old saying goes, “The past doesn’t guarantee the future.”

And it’s the future that matters – our future as a human race rather than the future of particular states which tend to divide us. As for the Egyptian national anthem (“My country, my country, my country”), in the final analysis, countries don’t matter; how individuals treat other individuals does – and countries don’t do a very good job of encouraging that. As for Israel’s national anthem (“The Hope”), “The Hope” should be for a flowering of world peace and not for the illusion of security earned at the expense of hardship incurred by one’s brothers (or, in this case, one’s half-brothers).

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Steven Searle for US President in 2012
Founder of The Independent Contractors’ Party

“It’s always good to maintain an abundance of skepticism, for there are powerful forces out there laboring mightily to destroy our free will, which is more dependent than it should be on good information.”


Contact me at bpa_cinc@yahoo.com

US Presidential Candidate seeks Muslim support

This is to announce: I am hereby actively soliciting American Muslims to support my campaign for the US presidency in 2012.

Of course, I welcome any and all support – from Muslims and non-Muslims alike. But here and now, I want to emphasize that I am specifically seeking Muslim support. I wish to make a bold public declaration of my support for the US Islamic community, without any assurance they would in turn respond by embracing my campaign.

One reason I seek their support is to stand in opposition to my opponents – all of whom insist they will support Israeli policy no matter what. All of whom pledge to continue spending billions of dollars every year to support the Israeli war machine.

Another reason I seek Muslim support: A local Muslim leader I know challenged me, “If you can prepare a position paper showing why I and my community should support you, I can promise you 50 votes.” To which I replied, “Well, that would make a grand total of 50 votes I’ve earned so far.”

It would have been easy for me to tell this community leader, who had voted for and believed in Barack Obama, “If you want to know about my positions and about me personally, read my blog.” But, as the old saying goes, that would be too much information. So I prepared this brief statement, which follows. But…for anyone who wants more information, here’s the link to my blog: http://ind4prez2012.blogspot.com/

Why should a Muslim vote for

Steven Searle for US President in 2012?

I will start with some simple statements:

·       If elected, I will grant diplomatic recognition to Palestine.

·       If elected, I will revoke US diplomatic recognition of Israel.

·       If elected, I will withdraw all US troops from Iraq and Afghanistan – withdrawal to be completed within 90 days of my inauguration.

·       If elected, I will order US forces to stop attacking Libya.

·       If elected, I will urge the American people – Muslim and non-Muslim alike – to embrace my main campaign theme:

“Declare your independence by voting for independents.”

That last point is actually the most important of all. As much as the followers of the Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.) might be pleased with my first four points, it is really that last point which will prove to be of greatest importance to them.

Every loyal citizen of this country will come to appreciate the importance of electing officials who are totally independent of any political party. There is a profound danger in continuing to be governed by the two major political parties which are forever at war with each other. Each major party, seeking its own advantage, cares nothing about the future of America.

Therefore, I am appealing to all Americans to unite behind my efforts to destroy these two great enemies of our people – the Democratic and Republican parties.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

It would have been tempting for me to list points involving only the Middle East. But I did not wish to disrespect my Muslim readers, who are also loyal American citizens, by speaking only of those issues. There are others which are of keen interest to American Muslims – issues which have nothing to do with the politics of the Middle East.  And if I did not mention any of those in this document, I would be guilty of pandering to my audience.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The most important and distinctive feature of my campaign: I am the only candidate for president who is running on the basis of a written contract. No other such candidate in the entire history of this country has done this. The basic idea is quite simple: If I violate any of my campaign promises which are listed in my written contract, I would be forced to give up the presidency.

And why not? Every American understands the importance of a written contract as it applies in our daily lives. If two people sign a contract, both are obligated to follow the terms of that contract. If they don’t, they have to pay some kind of penalty. In this case, the two “people” who are “signing” this contract are:

1)   Me…My signature will be on a document which details what I will do if elected, although I intend to do much more than what I list in that document.

2)   I said there are two “people” who are “signing” this contract. I am the first person; the American people are the second of these two “people.” The American “people” can’t sign my contract – at least not directly. But by voting for me, they are entering into a contractual relationship with me, which has the same force as their signatures.

My name isn’t Barack Obama – who offered you “Change you can believe in.”

My name is Steven Searle – who offers you my legally-binding contract which tells you exactly what I’ll do if elected.

I am proposing a trade: If you give me your vote, I’ll do what my contract says I must do. It’s important to note here that I will only list the goals which I myself can accomplish. These are kind of goals that won’t need the support of Congress. To show you what I mean, I will repeat the four goals listed above, but this time I’ll state why I can meet these goals by myself, without needing the support or approval of anyone else:

·       If elected, I will grant diplomatic recognition to Palestine. [The US president is the only person with the power to grant or revoke diplomatic recognition. It’s true that he cannot appoint ambassadors without the approval of the Senate, but that has no effect on his basic power to grant or revoke such recognition.]

·       If elected, I will revoke US diplomatic recognition of Israel. [I could do this for the same reason as listed immediately above.]

·       If elected, I will withdraw all US troops from Iraq and Afghanistan – withdrawal to be completed within 90 days of my inauguration. [The President, who is the Commander in Chief of all US armed forces, doesn’t need the approval of any other person or agency to stop US participation in a war. The President, and only the President, is the supreme and final authority on the placement and behavior of our military forces.]

·       If elected, I will order US forces to stop attacking Libya. [Same reason as above.]

You are intelligent people, so you surely must know that no political candidate can be taken to court for violating his campaign promises – not even if those had been written down. Most people understand this to mean that no candidate, once elected, can be held to account for failing to keep his word. But that’s not true. I have thought of a way to force a presidential candidate to keep his word, which I will quote from my 2008 contract (from the time I had run against Obama and McCain):

QUOTE:

ONE:  If I violate any of the terms of this contract, I will be removed from office by means of impeachment. I hereby affirm, in advance, that I will not defend myself nor authorize any other party to defend me against any impeachment activity in the House or trial by the Senate. I further agree to a speedy trial - within less than 10 minutes, if deemed necessary by the Senate.

:UNQUOTE.

If you are interested in what my 2008 contract looked like, you can see many of its 47-points here: http://ind4prez2012.blogspot.com/2010/09/written-political-contracts.html

However, I have not completed my 2012 contract yet, though I am working on it. There are parts of my old contract which won’t be included in the new version. Obviously, you would be wise to wait until I post my 2012 contract before making any final decision about voting for me. You would also be wise to thoroughly review my blog at: http://ind4prez2012.blogspot.com/ . There is much on that blog that has nothing to do with politics, which will however give you an idea of the kind of man I am. And that’s important to know.

I want you to know that I myself am not a Muslim. I am a Buddhist, the details of which I’ve written on my blog.

Other aspects of my political contract

I have already given you enough information, above, to make some kind of initial determination about supporting my candidacy. Of course, to be fair, there are other candidates for this office, and you should give them a fair and honest evaluation as well.

For those of you who are curious, though, I will offer more information in this section. The following links are to essays I’ve written on a variety of topics:

·       This link describes a system I invented called Cross-Sectional Representation, which I propose as the basis for a new U.S. Constitution, to completely replace the old:

http://ind4prez2012.blogspot.com/2011/05/alternatives-to-fourth-reich.html

·       This link connects to an essay called, “Why we fear Muslims…really!”

http://ind4prez2012.blogspot.com/2011/04/why-we-fear-muslimsreally.html

·       This link describes how a Zero Party could replace the Democrats and Republicans:

http://ind4prez2012.blogspot.com/2010/09/zero-party-system-for-us-politics.html

·       This link describes a practical method which can be used by activists in order to effectively challenge the current governing system. Its title: General Strike Declared by Steven Searle. Though the idea of a General Strike is well known, I offer a unique variation:

http://ind4prez2012.blogspot.com/2011/05/general-strike-declared-by-steven.html

·       This link is called Palestinian Possibilities, analyzes the current situation in that region:

http://ind4prez2012.blogspot.com/2011/05/palestinian-possibilities.html

The Supreme Court

I will leave you with this final example of the power of the political contract:

Supreme Court judges are not given a “lifetime appointment.” The Constitution says these judges “…shall hold their offices during good behavior …” This allows for an innovation I’m introducing in the upcoming campaign. If I have a chance to appoint a Supreme Court judge, I will insist (as a condition of my nomination) that he publicly sign a written contract. This will stipulate:

·       He can serve for only five years after which he must resign;

·       If he doesn't resign, he will most surely be impeached and removed from the bench since he had admitted (in this contract) that failure to resign would constitute the impeachable offense of failing to maintain “good behavior.” [NOTE: If a man swears an oath and violates that oath, he is guilty of bad behavior – and all of my nominees will swear an oath to uphold his nomination contract.]

·       When he resigns, he could be eligible for renomination.

My intention, which will be stated on my own contract, is to demand that all currently sitting Supreme Court justices resign immediately upon my inauguration. My contract will state that I will automatically renominate them for the Senate’s consideration, but only if they sign a contract limiting their term to five years. If the American people would actually vote for me with this kind of language in my contract, the currently sitting justices would be hard put to defy the will of the people.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Conclusion:

Once again, I appeal to American Muslims for their support. If you help elect me as your next president, I will not disappoint you. Most importantly, my contract will not let me disappoint you. As I’m fond of asking, “If you wouldn’t sell your house without a written contract, why just give your vote away?

Steven Searle for US President in 2012

Founder of The Independent Contractors’ Party

      “If you decide to support someone else for President, I hope you will encourage him or her to give strong consideration to at least some of the proposals I’ve detailed here.”

Contact me at bpa_cinc@yahoo.com

Palestinian Possibilities

I will address the following topics in today’s blog post:

·       Stopping missile attacks against Israel

·       Who is Been-Jammin’ Knittin’-Yahoo? [Think: Yosemite Sam]

·       Selected comments regarding Obama’s May 22, 2011 speech to AIPAC

·       Selected comments regarding Netanyahu’s May 24, 2011 speech to the US Congress

·       Suggestions and observations concerning Israeli/Palestinian prospects for peace

·       US divestment of investments in Israel, including a ban on the purchase of Israeli War Bonds

·       My campaign commercial featuring an overly-compliant US Congress

Stopping missile attacks against Israel

There is a practical, nuts-and-bolts way to stop missile attacks against Israel – at least the ones coming from the Palestinians. But first, I offer something I tried to post on Yahoo News yesterday, which was censored (oh, well):

QUOTE:

"[Knittin' Yahoo's] rejection of a return to what he called the "indefensible" borders that Israel had before the 1967 Mideast war."

Wait a minute. "Indefensible," you say? Those borders had proved more than defensible during that particular war. What's different now? Israel is only stronger, not to mention having 200 nukes (okay, I'll mention it...I hope the PM isn't going to be a Nuke Denier).

Steven Searle for US President in 2012

"How does our Congress give this walking/talking Fascist Major Obstacle to Peace 12 standing ovations? What a bunch of k*ss a**es!"

:UNQUOTE.

What the Prime Minister is really asking for are impenetrable borders – even though he had used the word defensible. No nation on earth has absolutely inviolable borders, so he might as well stop asking for the impossible.

Even if Netanyahu got his way – his heart’s desire – that is, total annexation of the West Bank and Gaza City with Palestinians somehow magically disappearing…even under those conditions, Israel’s borders would still be “indefensible.” If Israel maintains its current course, fueled by its current attitude, this is what it can look forward to:

·       Some state or non-state actor is going to figure out how to get at Israel – with either missiles, germs, hack attack or something totally unanticipated at this present time. Bottom line? If any person or entity thinks it can treat the whole world as if it’s a mortal enemy over a long enough period of time, that will become a self-fulfilling prophecy.

·       Concerning missiles: Technology – especially guidance systems – are only going to get better. So far, Israel’s been lucky that rockets fired by Hamas almost never hit their targets. Because of lack of a guidance mechanism or only having one that’s primitive! But that could change…if Israel decides it wants to be stubborn and try to keep the Palestinian issue in a permanent state of non-resolution.

As promised – here’s how I propose to stop terrorist rocket attacks:

The United States should take the aid money it gives to Israel and Egypt (given since 1976), and instead give it to the Palestinian man & woman on the street – that is, to the ordinary Palestinian citizen. My figures are rough, but you’ll get the general idea: The amount in question is $5 billion which, divided evenly among all Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza (about 4 million people) works out to an annual stipend of $1,250 for each man, woman, and child – annually.

Even better – arrange for a number of contributors in addition to (or even instead of) the United States: Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and even (eventually) Iraq come to mind. The idea of Muslim taking care of Muslim has a nice ring to it, which would (ironically) help Israel finally resolve this long standing dispute.

However, there should be one condition: The bounty stops if the rocket attacks resume. Each Palestinian would stand to lose an awful lot in that event, so they would vigorously self-police.

Selected comments regarding

Obama’s May 22, 2011 speech to AIPAC

In my usual fashion, I will quote from Obama’s speech, and follow with my own comments:

QUOTE: No vote at the United Nations will ever create an independent Palestinian state.

COMMENT: Why not? After all, Israel came into existence due to the machinations of the UN. Israel might not always be able to count on the US to use its Security Council veto power to thwart such a UN move. As Israel knows all too well – changes in administration can produce changes in policy. Translation? The US might get so sick of Israeli intransigence that it will throw its support behind any UN move to create a Palestinian state.

QUOTE: Moreover, we know that peace demands a partner –- which is why I said that Israel cannot be expected to negotiate with Palestinians who do not recognize its right to exist.

COMMENT: There will always be some Palestinians who will never recognize this right, so I hope Obama isn’t hoping for unanimity on this count. Besides, there are Jews who do not recognize Palestine’s right to exist, simply because they think God gave all of that land to the Jewish tribe. Should Palestine shun negotiations with any of them – or just continue plotting and scheming long enough until they hit on a plan or unique combination of circumstances that will deal Israel a mighty blow? As they say, every dog has its day.

QUOTE: I said that the United States believes that negotiations should result in two states, with permanent Palestinian borders with Israel, Jordan, and Egypt, and permanent Israeli borders with Palestine.  The borders of Israel and Palestine should be based on the 1967 lines with mutually agreed swaps -- (applause) -- so that secure and recognized borders are established for both states. The Palestinian people must have the right to govern themselves, and reach their potential, in a sovereign and contiguous state.

COMMENT: Obama got into a bit of trouble with that bit about starting negotiations “based on the 1967 lines.” Some thought he was urging an Israeli withdrawal behind those lines. However, Obama later pointed out that he had added the condition about “mutually agreed land swaps.” I’m confused, though, about how “mutually agreeable” any land swaps can be, since Israel holds all the cards.

But the thorniest issue would involve Palestine as a “contiguous state.” One way that might happen (my suggestion): The Gaza strip should be ceded to Israel, and all Israeli settlements in the West Bank should be ceded to Palestine. Also, Israel should give up any notion of holding onto the West Bank of the Jordan River. An army can’t be maintained there unless access is allowed through Palestine – which would be a violation of its sovereignty.

Also, Jerusalem should become an international city under the jurisdiction of the UN – with its headquarters relocated there.

Perhaps (again my suggestion) that $1,250 stipend could also be offered to Palestinians who are citizens of and living in Israel – if they would leave Israel and relocate to the newly-independent state of Palestine. Of course, this implies that Palestinians would give up the Right of Return (to Israel), but they weren’t about to get that anyway.

QUOTE: As for security, every state has the right to self-defense, and Israel must be able to defend itself –- by itself -– against any threat.

COMMENT: Defend itself “by itself – against any threat?” That’s simply not possible. Oh, nations can try to defend themselves but not even we are always 100% successful – the 9/11 attacks and Pearl Harbor come to mind. If the US couldn’t do it, how could anyone else?

The best way for Israel to guarantee its security is to find a way to make friends, and one way to do that would be if it helped the Palestinians prosper. And, as I mentioned above, the stipend I’m proposing for each Palestinian, courtesy of the US Treasury, would help. But I’m hoping Israel somehow manages to assist in this enterprise, possibly in terms of joint enterprises.

Selected comments regarding

Netanyahu’s May 24, 2011 speech to Congress

In my usual fashion, I will quote from Netanyahu’s speech, and follow with my own comments:

QUOTE: So it’s therefore vital, absolutely vital, that a Palestinian state be fully demilitarized.

COMMENT: Frankly, it would be great if Palestine spared itself the expense of maintaining an armed force. And it might well decide to do just that – for now. But what about the future? Will a duly-elected leader decide his country has to join the ranks of the militarized? If so, does that mean Israel starts throwing bombs? Bottom line: There’s no way to guarantee permanent disarmament, even on condition of the US promising to continue stipend payments (described above) in perpetuity. [Maybe Congress might pull the plug on that or Palestine might acquire a real enemy it feels needs discouraging.]


QUOTE: And it’s vital, absolutely vital, that Israel maintain a long-term military presence along the Jordan River.

COMMENT: Why? “Absolutely vital,” you say? Does Netanyahu hope that will be a front line of defense against waves of Jordanian tanks crossing the river on make-shift bridges? If he thinks Israel might be invaded through Palestine, maybe Palestine should be militarized after all. Anyway, maintaining an Israeli army on the west of the Jordan River wouldn’t be necessary in the face of Jordanian hostilities. Aerial surveillance will detect any massing of the king’s forces which can be promptly dealt with by the IDF.

          At this point, I have to say, “If Netanyahu is afraid of the Jordanians, I wonder how many other enemies he thinks he has hiding under his bed?” The Jordanians? No offense but, are you kidding?

          The real reason Netanyahu insists on this “absolutely vital” (though nonsensical) provision is to set up yet another discouraging roadblock for Palestinian negotiators. For the PM doesn’t really care to negotiate at all and will set up any obstacles he can imagine. That is the sad truth of the matter.

Question: Who is Been-Jammin’ Knittin’-Yahoo?

Answer: Benjamin Netanyahu

Before I talk about B-J K-Y, I’ll tell you upfront: I not only dislike the Prime Minister, I detest him since I think he’s a pathologically violent man. Now, you might ask: “If you really feel that way, but end up (somehow) being elected US President, won’t your first face-to-face with him be a bit awkward?”

Answer: He and I will never meet face-to-face. For one thing, I will instruct the State Department to reject any request for the PM to even enter the United States. And I’m certainly not going to Israel any time soon. Since I will have voided our diplomatic recognition of Israel, Knittin’-Yahoo and I won’t have any reason to speak. So we won’t. And that’s that.

As to the meaning of the joke name:

First, I refer you to a YouTube clip of a famous cartoon character known as Yosemite Sam – an angry little man quick to engage in violence: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOUhGcsHqDM

That’s how I see the Prime Minister, who is really just an old war dog with no sense of how to create a lasting peace – with justice for all.

To break down my name for him:

Been-Jammin’ – two possible meanings here: (1) As in “been jamming” up the peace process (obfuscating and gumming up the works) every chance he gets; (2) as in “been jamming” in the sense of musicians having a jam session*; (3) as in “been jammin’” this stick up yo butt for so long, you don’t even notice it.

*  More on the “jam session” meaning: A “jam session” is often between musicians who do not usually play together and just play off one another for the fun of it, especially without any preconceived ideas as to outcome [sounds like the peace process]. It might refer to musicians filling the stage (that is, jamming to capacity) - as often an open jam session would result in a lot of participants – for better or worse [again, sounds like the peace process].

Knittin’ – I have this vision of a mercurial, excitable Yosemite Sam-type PM animatedly “knitting” his eyebrows as he angrily denounces enemies and allies alike.

Yahoo – A Yahoo is either a member of a race of brutes in Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels, who have all the vices of and the form of (but aren’t necessarily) humans, or a yahoo is a boorish, crass, or stupid person. [No, I won’t call the PM “stupid” – except in the ways of peace – for all and not just members of his tribe.]

US divestment of investments in Israel,

including a ban on the purchase of Israeli War Bonds

I call them “Israeli War Bonds” even though the purpose of their sale is to raise cash for peaceful development. However, any money Israel raises for peace serves to free up money which can be spent to maintain its status as a permanently armed camp. I am tired of our politicians bleating about how much we support Israel and will do so forever under all circumstances. Our leaders proudly say, “Nobody tells Israel what to do.”

          Fine…I will be the last person to try to boss Israel around. But I think we can exert influence on their thinking. They certainly believe they can influence ours! And it’s looking more and more like we’ll have to use that influence in the name of tough love. In this post, I’m only offering a range of options, not all of which we have to engage at once. But I don’t much like the status quo. I don’t approve of sharing our highest level military technology, our annual multi-billion dollar cash giveaway, or swearing our eternal allegiance to Israel’s security.

          As far as I’m concerned, all nations are equally deserving of our respect and treatment, until they give us reason to think otherwise. And we don’t serve ourselves or anyone else well by singling out “special” relationships. Israel will rise and fall on its merits (as will we all, countries and individuals alike) due to the nature of its karma. And no one should expect any more or less than what their karma dictates. If they don’t like where they think that might lead them, then it’s time to make the amends necessary to change that karma.

My campaign commercials

I’ve posted scripted scenarios on this blog regarding commercials, in support of my presidential campaign, I hope might end up on YouTube. Add this concept to that pile:

I would love to see a spot showing a live clip of our fawning Congressmen giving Netanyahu twelve standing ovations. But the speaker would be the Yosemite Sam cartoon character mentioned above, spouting the PM’s rhetoric in Sam’s voice. Sam could even draw his 6-shooter and fire some emphasizing shots into the ceiling as he harangues our leaders.

I’m hard-put to figure out why the PM was invited to address our Congress in the first place. I read the text of his speech and saw nothing there requiring the physical presence of our representatives. Don’t they have more pressing business than to gather to hear a prepared text? Or maybe they had to be there or AIPAC would “note” their absence and start working against their reelection.

My campaign slogan would work well in such a commercial:

“Join the New American Revolution: Declare your independence by voting for independents.”

As the camera pans the faces of our fawning Congressmen (12 standing ovations, indeed!), a voiceover could point out: “Been-Jammin’ Knittin’-Yahoo obviously has the undivided attention of our elected leadership. Question: When will We-the-People get that kind of attention? Answer: We won’t – unless we get rid of the Dem/Pubs who insist on business as usual – like giving Israel everything it wants. We need independents who will give us everything we want.”

This might be a little over the top but here goes: As those Congressmen are applauding the PM, computer-generated images of trolls in yarmulkes could be seen circulating among that audience, stuffing dollar bills into their pockets. That’s not much of exaggeration of our current political reality.

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Steven Searle for US President in 2012

Founder of The Independent Contractors’ Party

“Peace is possible, but not at the hands of the usual suspects – and not without independent Congressmen watching out for our interests.”

Contact me at bpa_cinc@yahoo.com