Lev,

Have your really thought through your ideas of libertarian and social democracy as applied in the Palestinian area. You ignore the realities of time and place. By doing so, you demonstrate a pretentiousness and cognitive bankruptcy in its most ludicrous form. Are you one of those narcissistic liberals, so intent on appearing so open-minded, that you either ignore the horrors that Palestinians are inflicting on each other, or see them as somehow authentic.

An Arab intellectual remarked that the high priests of political correctness choose to ignore the plight of his people and in doing so, relegate them to the position they had as “the white man’s burden”.

George Ibrahim stated: “The average Palestinian is not a terorrist; but they are being exploited and sacrificed by terrorist organisations, organisations from which Israel has every right to defend itself.”

Do you really think feminist and gay rights (which are a positive feature in Israel)could be introduced if Hamas takes control.
Israel is a completely modern State; Hamas are traditional. No amount of social engineering will change this.

Read:

The Betrayal of Liberalism
How the Disciples of Freedom and Equality Helped Foster the Illiberal Politics of Coercion and Control by Hilton Kramer & Roger Kimball (Ivan R. Dee: Chicago, 1999)

You need to be educated. Freedom fighters never target their own. Malays hated the communists, who were certainly not freedom fighters. They were terrorists, and no amount of “window-dressing” changes this. Your tacit approval of terrorism. Is this relative morality, or moral bankruptcy.

Sir Gerald Templar (a colonialist) drew up the blue-print for Malay Independence prior to the communist emergency. Only after the communists were put down, could it be implemented. Every colonial officer answerable to Whitehall was dischared, and was then contracted by the new Malay government. There wasn’t a hiccup in the change-over ... administration continued exactly as before. In fact, Malay nationals didn’t assume administrative positions until 1970’s.

One of my colleagues had a very large rubber stamp “BU . L SH . T” which he hovered over his students’ papers; I thought it most inappropriate ..

Danielle,

It appears that both yourself and Paul are incapable of reading and increasingly so. Perhaps your emotion is clouding your reason. No I do not think that feminist [sic] and gay rights can be introduced if Hamas takes control; I do not want Hamas to take control. I do not know where you get this idea from.

Paul,

At last it comes clear; you have a hatred of Islam. We at least we know to ignore you from now on.

Regards,

More Realpolitik needed?

Paul, you should know by now that I do not support Putin and Hu Jintao to rule the world. But at the same time I do not support Cheney and Bush in their rhetoric on Iran, which behind the threats is not so much the defense of global democracy, but a chance for the US to get its own back on Iran. Further, as I mentioned there is also Iran’s valuable oil deposits Cheney surely has his mind on.

That is the reason as a philosopher, Paul, I refuse to take sides and would rather employ methods where for example, potential enemies like Russia and China can be used to produce a period of peace, part of which could be to allow Iran to go martially nuclear under supervision to match Israel, as happened between India and Pakistan.
There are rumours, in fact, that Iran might already have atomic warheads supplied illegally from outside to fit its long-range rockets, somewhat similar to what happened when Pakistan was offered secret info’ on its nuclear technology.

After I graduated way back in the late 1980s Paul, I was advised to think the way I do right now, not to take sides, and not even to go into politics, but to not only learn how wars can be caused by over-harshness on a defeated nation, as when Maynard Keynes predicted the rise of a German tyrant after Versailles, and also near the end of WW2, during the Bretton Woods Agreement before he died he helped draw up a plan not only to end colonialism but also an outline towards the later very beneficial and democratic Marshall Plan.

More to Come - BB, WA.

BB - Part Two

Certainly if alive right now, it is believed Keynes would be taking the same view as many social philosophers, who today in their Power Balance teachings declare that Israel in today’s Middle East with its array of nuclear missiles at the ready backed by a unipolar US, virtually holds undemocratic sway over the whole Middle East.

What makes it worse is America’s Secretary of State’s Condoleeza Rice’s privilege to move into the Middle East post-haste ahead, whenever the voice of the UN is needed particularly regarding the Israeli-Arab problem.

As I have also reported previously, true democracy in this world will not be achieved by blasting with missiles, as the Americans did with Baghdad, not like the British with its gunboat diplomacy on 19th century China, but more like the UN should be using it as a democratic backstop, the UN shifted from New York - New York to some little place truly neutral like Belgium or Switzerland, with Condy staying back in the White House because the lady’s not a true UN Rep’.

PS. Looks like it was Keith , not Danielle, I should blame for calling my favourite philosopher John Locke a twit. Too much literary confusion through a lack of inverted commas and such?

Cheers - BB

Bushbred

I never called Locke a twit. Looks very much like Danielle's propaganda has led to a 'major' misunderstanding.

Keith

Utmost apologies, Keith, for the inferr-ment - but I guess after this case, other contributors' radical little clips, could be used by others to stir things up even more?

Certainly hope it blows over?

Cheers, mate.

Best Regards, BB - WA.