At 11:34 PM -0700 6/4/97, Tim May wrote:
At 11:26 PM -0700 6/4/97, Bill Frantz wrote:
as it is in northern Ireland, Palestine/Israel, and the USA. Neither side is likely to get tired and go home. The only long-term solution is to learn to live together. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
On this subject, my list colleague Bill and I are from different planets. The chasm that separates us is a Grand Canyon.
When I hear people talk about "why can't we just get along together?" and its variants, I reach for my .45.
"Learning to live together" is absurd when the other side has stolen your land.
I'm glad the Indians aren't acting on that precept. (But in the past they did act and got their asses whooped real good. That's why we can say, "We stole it fair and square.") More generally, if you haven't set foot on the land, and your father never set foot on the land, and so on, then trade and perhaps even friendship with whoever currently is on the land may be a better deal than poverty, blood, and death. YMMV, however you should not let religion/ideology/hate blind you to your long term rational self interest. I do agree with Tim that some things are worth fighting and even dieing for, but they should always be examined in terms of long term rational self interest. (If you're going to die anyway, then take enough of them with you to make a proper escort into paradise. If the nazi-commies are enslaving your country, then by all means take up arms in its defense. Etc.) IMHO, in northern Ireland and Palestine/Israel all the continued fighting promises is poverty, blood, and death. Accepting that possession is 100% of the law would let everyone live a better life (except the politicos who feed on hate). ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bill Frantz | The Internet was designed | Periwinkle -- Consulting (408)356-8506 | to protect the free world | 16345 Englewood Ave. frantz@netcom.com | from hostile governments. | Los Gatos, CA 95032, USA