“…I'm not sure where you are on this one Orn - can we really hope to leave it all alone - I still cling to the admittedly tenuous belief I may have done a bit of good as a cop or in Ireland?” – archy
…leave it all alone…difficult to say. As for ‘we’, this makes it more complex, no? I know that I still pull out my soap box on occasion and that idealism is at or near my core. And, perhaps I’ve just misinterpreted your rather simple (this time) question(s). The more I review my life, regardless of my hopes and beliefs about ‘doing good’, what I mostly see are the countless little events where/when I thought I was doing good and the long term effect was just the opposite. I talk about and apologize for many of ‘em w/my wife quite often these days. There is an internal sense that intuition and just plain ‘being’ rather that ‘doing’ may be underappreciated. While couched in more esoteric notions, a teacher says to ‘not touch the painting’. In such evaluations, where oh where is the realized self to be found? On Jan 19, 7:32 pm, archytas <[email protected]> wrote: > The lessons just aren't learned Pat, or rather we keep leaving people > in conditions where only the wrong ones can be. My only quibble with > what you are saying concerns the nature of the 'diplomatic table'. We > need a new one. I'm not sure where you are on this one Orn - can we > really hope to leave it all alone - I still cling to the admittedly > tenuous belief I may have done a bit of good as a cop or in Ireland? > > On 19 Jan, 13:04, Pat <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > On 18 Jan, 12:37, archytas <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > Another route into less xenophobic reasoning is to think in what > > > circumstances we would be fighting like the 'terrorists' = perhaps > > > against a technologically superior alien race bent on our destruction. > > > Or, perhaps for the very same reasons that sparked Bin Laden, the fact > > that there were people (Israelis, in the original case) mowing down > > homes of a fellow people (the Palestinians, in the original case), > > making them homeless and then, setting up new homes for their own > > people. I expect if people from, say, Iowa, decided to cross the > > border into Missouri, start mowing down homes and building new homes > > for 'Iowans', that Missourians would get rather upset and start > > fighting back. Not that that is particularly likely but, if you > > change the scenario to Canadians vs. Americans or, crossing a language > > barrier, Mexicans vs. Americans, then some sort of Intifada-like > > response would be a likely outcome. The fact that Israel are still > > doing this is the main reason that fuels the fire of so-called > > terrorists. Somebody needs to 'remind' Israel that, if they require > > new homes for an expanding population, then they can expand into the > > desert, rather than into Palestinian land. That, and, of course, the > > fact that 'Palestine' is in two parts, i.e., The West Bank and The > > Gaza Strip is another contributing factor. 'Palestine' needs to have > > contiguous borders, as does Israel and BOTH sides need to honour > > them. These problems are FAR from insurmountable, but there seems to > > be no will to address them--on EITHER side--as many feel it's easier > > to continue fighting, i.e., maintaining the status quo. But that only > > adds fuel to the fire. And silly responses like "we will not enter > > into dialogue with terrorists" is a self-defeatist policy. At some > > point, the enemy MUST be engaged at the diplomatic table, as the only > > alternative is genocide. And Israel, if they travel down that route, > > will demonstrate to the world that they didn't learn the lessons of > > WWII, which were directed against them. > > > > On 16 Jan, 16:27, ornamentalmind <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > This is a continuation of the "Are Muslims making you nervous?" topic. > > > > > For those who might be interested in experiencing all three ways of > > > > knowing about this subject, this author appears to provide the > > > > opportunity through more insight than most can provide. If you have > > > > the time to watch the Booktv video, the empathetical sense is evoked > > > > as well as analysis and analogy. > > > > >http://www.booktv.org/Watch/11072/A+Country+Called+Amreeka+Arab+Roots... > > > > > At one point she says “The main point is to not have fear.” > > > > > From one page of her websitehttp://aliamalek.com/isasynopsisof > > > > her book: > > > > > “Among the surfeit of narratives about Arabs that have been published > > > > in recent years, surprisingly little has been reported on Arabs in > > > > America — an increasingly relevant issue. This book is the most > > > > powerful approach imaginable: it is the story of the last forty-plus > > > > years of American history, told through the eyes of Arab Americans. It > > > > begins in 1963, before major federal legislative changes seismically > > > > transformed the course of American immigration forever. Each chapter > > > > describes an event in U.S. history — which may already be familiar to > > > > us — and invites us to live that moment in time in the skin of one > > > > Arab American. The chapters follow a timeline from 1963 to the > > > > present, and the characters live in every corner of this country. > > > > > These are dramatic narratives, describing the very human experiences > > > > of love, friendship, family, courage, hate, and success. There are the > > > > timeless tales of an immigrant community becoming American, the > > > > nostalgia for home, the alienation from a society sometimes as > > > > intolerant as its laws are generous. A Country Called Amreeka’s > > > > snapshots allow us the complexity of its characters’ lives with an > > > > impassioned narrative normally found in fiction. > > > > > Read separately, the chapters are entertaining and harrowing > > > > vignettes; read together, they add a new tile to the mosaic of our > > > > history. We meet fellow Americans of all creeds and colors, among them > > > > the Alabama football player who navigates the stringent racial mores > > > > of segregated Birmingham, where a church bombing wakes a nation to the > > > > need to make America a truly more equal place; the young wife from > > > > Ramallah — now living in Baltimore — who had to abandon her beautiful > > > > home and is now asked by a well-meaning American, “How do you like > > > > living in an apartment after living in a tent?”; the Detroit toughs > > > > and the potsmoking suburban teenagers, who in different decades become > > > > politicized and serious about their heritage despite their own wills; > > > > the homosexual man afraid to be gay in the Arab world and afraid to be > > > > Arab in America; the two formidable women who wind up working for > > > > opposing campaigns in the 2000 presidential election; the Marine > > > > fighting in Iraq who meets villagers who ask him, “What are you, an > > > > Arab, doing here?” We glimpse how America sees Arabs as much as how > > > > Arabs see America. We revisit the 1973 oil embargo that initiated the > > > > American perception of all Arabs as oil-rich sheikhs; the 1979 Iranian > > > > hostage crisis that heralded the arrival of Middle Eastern Islam in > > > > the American consciousness; bombings across three decades in Los > > > > Angeles, Oklahoma City, and New York City that bring terrorism to > > > > American soil; and both wars in Iraq that have posed Arabs as the > > > > enemies of America. > > > > > In a post-9/11 world, Arabic names are everywhere in America, but our > > > > eyes glaze over them; we sometimes don’t know how to pronounce them or > > > > understand whence they come. A Country Called Amreeka gives us the > > > > faces behind those names and tells the story of a community it has > > > > become essential for us to understand. We can’t afford to be > > > > oblivious.” > > > > > On another page is found different news presentations of her work > > > > including everything from the Christian Science Monitor to a program > > > > on Aljazeera. > > > > >http://aliamalek.com/in-the-news/Ablurbaboutthe latter program > > > > shown on YouTube here is printed on that page as follows: > > > > > “Arab Americans have been in the US since before its founding but are > > > > often treated with hostility and distrust by their countrymen. > > > > > With the American government heavily involved in the Middle East, they > > > > must deal with the political and emotional challenges of belonging to > > > > a country that sometimes pursues policies that are unpopular in their > > > > family's homeland. > > > > > Seen by potential immigrants as a utopia, does the 'promised land' > > > > offer the opportunity and freedom they expected? > > > > What is it like having your feet straddle two worlds? > > > > > On this episode of the Riz Khan show we look at the challenges and > > > > prospects facing Arab Americans today and ask a bigger question: The > > > > US is a nation of immigrants, but what does it take to actually become > > > > American and succeed? > > > > Joining the programme are Alia Malek, the author of A Country Called > > > > Amreeka: Arab Roots, American Stories, and Steven Roberts, the author > > > > of From Every End of This Earth: 13 Families and the New Lives They > > > > Made in America.”- Hide quoted text - > > > > - Show quoted text -- Hide quoted text - > > - Show quoted text -
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