"Arch" speaks his mind

Alan Archibald, a teacher from North Carolina, gets set off by my statement that Israel is very likely to destroy Iran's nuclear capability before it becomes usable.

Here is what he says:


Although Israel does have better intel than the United States, it is also more paranoid.

I can not imagine Iran nuking Israel.

Why?
There is not a nation on earth that doesn't assume Washington will OBLITERATE any polity that nukes Israel.

When Ahmadinejad talks about the destruction of Israel, he may envision -- as Ariel Sharon himself did -- that demographics are very much against Israel's survival while simultaneously favoring Palestinian “absorption” of Israel.

In terms of Palestine's ancient history, the day is not distant when Israel will become Palestinian due to changing demographics within Israel.

My sister's friend Dana used to perform "live" interpretation at the United Nations. Decades ago, Dana informed Janet that U.S. press coverage of Kruschov's proclamation “We will bury you” was substantively inaccurate. The more accurate translation would have been "We will leave you in the dust."

Israel, like many economically-developed countries is not replacing its population.

Although such reproductive shrinkage has evident downside effects concerning support for a large number of retirees and the need for lots of imported labor to service the burgeoning retiree population, it is also true that when societies fail to replace themselves a profound ennui takes root which does not bode well for future vitality.

Israel's greatest existential threat is that Israelis are not willing to have enough children.

I encourage you to listen to "Voice of Dissent" in which Iranian dissident Akbar Ganji supplies a view that diverges greatly – and very intelligently -- from the "official story" of Washington-Israel. Clearly, Ganji is NO friend of the mullahs. However, he also sees that military action against Iran is the worst imaginable tactic.

Although there is plenty of blame to go around, on balance the Israelis perpetrate more violence on Palestinians than vice versa.

More fundamentally, I do not honor modern Israel's territorial claim to Palestine, and therefore do not prioritize Israel’s "existential" concern.

The statute of limitations ran out sometime between the Diaspora in 70 A.D. and the establishment of the Israeli state in 1948.

Any American who thinks otherwise should support the return of the United States to Native American Tribes whose expropriation began in 1620 and ended in 1890. (Arguably the Seminoles “held out” – as did southern Quintana Roo Mayans -- til the 20th century.

Compromise?



O.K.



Just give Florida back.



Really.



Give it back.

As for recent Israeli belligerence, Olmert's war on Lebanon was an act of barbaric savagery.

I continue to wonder: “Where are the four Israeli soldiers whose "rescue" motivated the war - a war whose substantive outcome is that Arabs everywhere know that Israel is now beatable (except for her nukes).

As we will hopefully learn in Iraq, firepower is most persuasive when used as a threat and not as enacted policy.

Pax on both houses,

Alan