Karen wrote:
One can always intellectually admire art - but good work will also get you in the gut. The eviction of the Jews in "Fiddler" was so unnecessary. Another film that got to me was Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451. You'll recall the society that burned books. At the end, we cut to a camp somewhere in which people were passing on books orally so their content wouldn't die. That brought tears to my eyes.Harry, I also enjoyed the movie Fiddler on the Roof and its global story themes of loss as tradition and change collide in one's lifetime amidst larger themes of sense of place. But I try not to let good theatre dominate my political eyes and ears. After all, there is some really bad theatre out there, too. Think Reds.
I never told Ray that his book didn't affect me as much as the film. Perhaps it was because the book was an intellectual exercise, whereas seeing people memorizing the great classics so they wouldn't die was emotional and more affecting.
You'll remember I said that ardor and emotion are great to awaken you to injustice. Also, they are needed to spur you to the action necessary to correct the injustice. But, in between, when you are thinking about what must be done - emotion can be a direct route to wrong decision.
What is happening in Israel is what is happening in many places. It is difficult to fight guerrillas. If the guerrilla band is (say) 200 in strength, the defender must have the capacity to defend against 200 everywhere. So an army of 40,000 may be required to defend against the small band.
We find this in the US where defence against possible single guerrillas is costing the earth - not just in money, but in inconvenience, fear, and erosion of basic rights. One notes the new "guerrilla" - the Washington sniper. How soon before this becomes an item of policy for terrorism. One man with a long gun can practically close down a city. One shudders at the thought of some of our own crazies.
Just heard a radio report - a bomb just blew up a bus in Israel. People were trapped in the back of the bus and were burned alive. Oh, well.
Guerrillas are likely to disappear into the local population, which makes things nasty. When this happens, civilians are going to be killed. It is likely that the civilians are completely innocent - even scared of what the guerrillas will do to them. (The IRA were fond of knee-capping their own people.)
Hamaas disappears into the local population - including the refugee camps. If you want to get them, you are likely to kill civilians.
So, should they be stalked relentlessly - or left alone?
You gave us a slew of things that ought to be done - principally talk, talk, talk. But the talk will be between the Israelis and official Palestine - even as unofficial Palestine is blowing up buses.
Come to think of it (as is their lot) innocents, whether Israelis or Palestinians, will be the victims of political failure.
Harry
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Harry Pollard
Henry George School of LA
Box 655
Tujunga CA 91042
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Tel: (818) 352-4141
Fax: (818) 353-2242
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