==Ollie

What is equally dismaying is the notion that even should we successfully vacate Iraq prior to the onset of any civil unrest, the resulting alignment with the Iranian (Shiite) forces will create a homogeneous, nuclear-tipped “super-nation” stretching from Afghanistan through Syria and, you guessed it, right up to the Israeli border.

You tell me. Is it better to reinforce military elements already in country, or to (re)invade a much larger and stronger “unified” Islamic front?

Or, does anyone actually think that such a brave new Muslim world will, all of a sudden, become pacifistic in nature?

I am a Republican by genetic code and usually vote that way. This past election was no exception. Unlike some of my family & friends, who shall remain nameless, I must admit to being somewhat energized by the prospects of having a Black American becoming the 44th President of the United States of America.

This is so not simply because he is Black, but for the faith and promise he proposes to lavish upon the American people.

I shall not attempt trivialize, in a single sentence, all that you and countless others have written about Jim Crow and the shameful legacy that that mindset once had and yet continues to wreak upon a lasting perception of the Black mystique in this country.

Duly noted are the exploits of those who had cobbled together the courage and fortitude to rise above those stigmatizations.

Sadly, there are elements on BOTH sides of the color spectrum that are to blame for their continuance.

Let’s return to the concept of the role model that was mentioned earlier, specifically the BLACK role model.

Arguably, the music (Rap) and sports (Football, Basketball, Baseball) arenas serve to form the largest pools from which role models are typically culled in today’s Black culture.

Just who are these “Role Models” anyway? All too often classless and morally decrepit souls that might otherwise comprise the lower rungs on the social ladder were it not for a singular talent in a particular field that has no useful purpose other than to serve to supply an endless source for a ridiculously overpaid role in an ever expanding recreative marketplace.

All too frequently their elevated stature does little to elevate their moral status and often serves to further their prurient interests. This bizarre transformation creates an “elitist” who is (mistakenly) presumed to be exempt from the very laws and moral codes of conduct that the “commoners” of our society are duty bound to adhere to.

…but it doesn’t end there. How often does one pick up the paper only to discover that a Black, holding high office, has been indicted for yet another transgression upon the very society they were entrusted to serve?

It would appear that even education and the discipline to seemingly rise above the shackles of their getto heritage are insufficient to dissuade them from behaving like their forbears, albeit on a higher plain.

Hush!……………..One cannot speak this way in today’s culture, lest we sound akin to the Jim Crows of the past.

Ownership must be taken by both sides to the fence if the Black population is ever to be truly “free”.

Free from prejudice. Free from indigency. Free from the sort of behavior that serves to swell our welfare roles and expand our prison populations.

As long as the parasympathetic response of virtually all self styled Black leadership is to cry “outrage” rather than seek introspection, an eternal impasse shall be imposed on the very people who seek social and economic parity with their White counterparts.

For a guy who often has a lot to say, I am startlingly NOT a very well read person. This deficiency becomes glaringly apparent in instances such as these.

During my stint, as a 2nd Lieutenant at the Basic School, we were “indoctrinated” with varying degrees of Marine Corps history, much of which covered individuals who, over the course of history, achieved some sort of notability for their contributions and/or sacrifices to the Marine Corps, justice and the American way (sorry all you Superman fans).

With no intent to diminish this mans stature in any way whatsoever, the year in question (1973) would probably have predated his ascension to a “hall-of-fame” stature at that point.

Beyond all of this, I take great pride in being part of an organization that has established a veritable pantheon so many vaunted personalities that it is in its own way inadvertently serves to diminish all but its most venerable. The flip side of this is, of course, the humbling side effects that these celebrities have had on my own crumbling persona.

Not to digress any further into a whimpering and totally irrelevant direction; it is always a pleasure to learn more about persons whose courage and integrity (should) form the cornerstones of true role models in our society.

This last remark serves as a rather slick segue into my/your next topic: MLK & Barack Obama’s inauguration.

Ollie, I am afraid that we are now looking over the edge of an enormous crevasse, which could allow for an eternal exchange of point and counter point, with respect to the futility of the Palestinian situation, without the bottom ever becoming visible.

In a bizarre sort of way, Hamas continues to maintain a macabre advantage over the IDF. As long as it can survive and continue to take an occasional pot shot at an Israeli citizen or soldier, it can perpetually maintain a justification for its purpose.

Sadly it is this sort of absurdity that forms the basis for virtually all extremist Muslim organizations world wide. How can any rational human being deal with the irrational?

You spoke of “total annihilation” as being the only certain way, albeit tongue-and-cheek, for the Israelis to prevail. Clearly neither one of us can begin to contemplate that as the “final solution”. Other people at other places in time tried that one. I suspect that with the possible exception of what Rome inflicted upon Carthage, it hasn’t worked since.

What’s left then?

I suspect that we’re back to that slippery slope previously referred to as the “hearts and minds” approach.

This will be an up hill battle indeed for it will require the formation of a MODERATE Muslim coalition of nations and humanitarian organizations that can supplant the ubiquitous hate mongering that consumes so much of the Muslim world.

This will pose a tremendous challenge for anyone that proposes moderation in the face of extremism, by extolling the true tenants of Islam, is sure to be placed on someone’s hit list. If countries such as Saudi Arabia and Pakistan feel compelled, to this present day, to talk out of both sides of their mouth for fear of Wahhabist reprisal what chance can there be for any true reformation in the Muslim world?

I do not believe that there is currently a think tank any where in the universe that is expansive enough to figure that one out.

Hopefully one will pop up soon and put a little egg on Nostradamous’s face.

I certainly can’t argue that Gaza is a big mess, just as the West Bank is and a bunch of other places in the Middle East are. I think that Obama summed up the situation well yesterday morning in his interview by George Stephanopoulos when he said that the primary duty of any government is to protect its citizens. Rockets raining on your cities tend to elicit strong responses.

My point wasn’t that they shouldn’t have gone into the Gaza, but rather that anything short of total annihilation will probably not work. At best it will neutralize the terrorists for a while while your hopefully well-prepared second offensive takes them out. Problem is, nobody seems to know what that is. I talked to a couple of Israeli business acquaintances a few months ago and one comment stood out: in the past (10 or 15 years ago) Israelis were hopeful that the situation was improving, if glacially. Today there is no hope.

That sentiment was echoed by Stephanopoulos’s fellow commentators. Tom Friedman, I believe, said that this is the worst he has ever seen the Middle East. They basically had no thoughts of a solution. Unfortunately the momentum toward any kind of peace in Palestine reversed when Arafat rejected the final Clinton peace proposals in 2000. It has been all down hill since then.