Stir up the old Progressive pot, make sure everyone jumps on with their typically one sided furious agreement with one another. Uh, ok there.

should be utterly uncontroversial so I'm always amazed when people dispute this basic truth:

All people are basically the same.

There seems to be an infinite variety of subtle differences but the basic circuitry (and degree of self interest) is pretty much Universal. I only bring it up becuase whenever I hear someone accusing someone else of being fundementally different (perhaps irrational or lacking the proper measure of self interest), I know they are lying.

What exactly are we talking about here? I must have missed a step. Do the Hamasniks want to negotiate with Israel? The subjects at issue here, such as the captive soldier, are bilateral. Is there an open offer by Hamas to negotiate with Israel, of which I'm not aware? If they won't negotiate with Israel, to what purpose would the US negotiate with them? If the entire story here is that most Israelis would like to see their government negotiate, if negotiations were available, then why don't we worry about all this when the other side changes its tune, and the possibility of progress exists? Otherwise, it's a pointless exercise in rhetoric.

Afghan journalist for CTV labelled 'unlawful enemy combatant'

Last Updated: Wednesday, February 27, 2008 | 8:27 AM ET

The Associated Press

The U.S. military has designated a journalist employed by CTV* in Afghanistan as an unlawful enemy combatant.

A military spokesman told the Associated Press that a review board has determined Jawed Ahmad, an Afghan national, is a danger to foreign troops and the Afghan government.

Ahmad has been held for the last four months at the U.S. military compound in Bagram, 50 kilometres north of the capital, Kabul. U.S. officials alleged he had Taliban phone numbers and videos in his possession when he was picked up.

Maj. Chris Belcher, a spokesman for the U.S.-led coalition, says Ahmad was given an opportunity to provide a statement to the military's enemy combatant review board.

Belcher did not say when the review took place or whether Ahmad was represented by counsel.

Belcher also refused to provide details about what he called "credible information" against Ahmad. Nor would he say whether the military believed Ahmad had any more contact with the Taliban than other journalists working in Afghanistan.

It is common for journalists in Afghanistan to have contact information on Taliban fighters so that they can seek comments for news stories.

(link in signature)

* - CTV is a Canadian network - S

The only people who 'feel' persecuted are you, who utterly cannot tolerate any PoV that deviates in the slightest from your own. Me? I don't worry about it. Enjoy

Clearly the straitjacket of the mind is a difficult thing to escape.

You do it with aplomb.

Thank you once again for a great post. Mainstream discussion of Israel (MSM and politicians) is so utterly corrupt that it's hard to believe.

Somehow, unconditional support for the minority hard-right position has been conflated with American patriotism. Though it's expressed in its most debased form by the evangelical right, it's just about as bad on the Democratic side.

Since the view inside Israel is virtually never acknowledged here, one has to conclude that the establishment view of what's best for Israel has far more to do with us than them. Not a pretty picture.

RAMALLAH, West Bank, Jan. 26 2007-- The radical Islamic movement Hamas won a large majority in the new Palestinian parliament, according to official election results announced Thursday, trouncing the governing Fatah party in a contest that could dramatically reshape the Palestinians' relations with Israel and the rest of the world.

Outstanding article, as usual. Is Hamas not the democratically-elected government of Palestine? Or is it a case of Israel being able to disregard election results it doesn't care for?

Of course Israel has enemies but you don't lessen the threat by crushing ordinary people until they hate you. We have seen how incompetent the RW is at governing in the US; why would anyone think they are any more capable of governing in Israel (OK, Mossad mostly gets the people they're aiming for). What's good for the militant Israeli right wing is not necessarily what's good for Israel.

And here is the obligatory, I'm Jewish, to keep the flames down a bit.

And let me add, Glenn

The only people who 'feel' persecuted are you, who utterly cannot tolerate any PoV that deviates in the slightest from your own. Me? I don't worry about it. Enjoy

--Anonymous

In the absence of jeering spectators, I'm going to pick up my toys and play elsewhere.

In which a girl and a guy in a pink bunny suit discuss assassinating a Danish cartoonist for drawing cartoons that were offensive to Muslims. An exchange from the clip:

Bunny Rabbit: "If they do it again, Saraa, we will kill them, right?"

Little Girl: "Allah willing."

Bunny: "I will bite them and eat them up."

Little Girl: "Yes." ...

Little Girl: "What do you have to say to the cartoonist who started all this, and affronted the Prophet by drawing him?"

Bunny: "He's a criminal..."

Little Girl: "Yes, a criminal."

Guy who calls in: "I say to him, and to all of them, that no matter how much they try to hide him, we will manage to kill him, to assassinate him."

You can watch the whole thing here.

http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/1693.htm

Is there an open offer by Hamas to negotiate with Israel, of which I'm not aware?

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/937060.html

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/07/AR2006040700137.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/24/world/middleeast/24cnd-mideast.html?ex=1322024400&en=92746136c81be76c&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

http://goliath.ecnext.com/coms2/gi_0199-630043/Hamas-Makes-an-Offer-to.html

Hoping to get some kind of sorely needed dialogue on it. Its not just Likud. Right wing, left wing paradigms cannot simply be overlayed on Israel. As early as 1967, Labor came up with a plan to take control over the West Bank land, while giving population control over to some other body. Back then it was Jordan and this was called the Allon Plan. In the nineties it was the Palestinian Authority and it was called Oslo.

During Oslo, the Labor party doubled settlement population, and cantonized the West Bank using Israeli only access roads, non-autonomous regions and checkpoints. The injustices from Labor's stewardship of the so-called peace process led to the Intifada, and the first year or so of Israel's inhuman response to mostly unarmed demonstrations was managed by the Labor party. Likud, is certainly more reactionary in rhetoric, but there are few real political differences towards Palestine.