Years before I came to the internet, I used to say that there never would be peace until both sides stood up to their crazies. While the media and our political leaders have painted Hamas as crazy, they haven’t looked at the Israeli government where the crazies are also in control.

way ahead of me. don’t think i paid much attention at all prior to 9/12/01 other than probably a vaguely pro-israeli orientation absorbed from the npr, etc. have been trying though to catch up since then.

one problem i see is that sometimes groups of people, including whole societies seem to take on pathologies that affect the individual members. in such situations, the potential for abuse by bullies and demagogues is particularly great (see the usa after 911). and maybe, as in cases of domestic violence or addiction, a little outside intervention (of the non-bomb dropping variety) can be helpful? especially perhaps in providing assistance (solidarity, moral support, amplification of message, etc) to those who are trying to stand up to the crazies?

i don’t know, but it seems a low risk approach to try.

I don’t see anything there about what Hamas would undertake to do or not do, but I did read that it was rushed.

Hamas leadership in Damascus whose personal asses are safe from the carnage have “made it quite clear” that they’d prefer for their Gazan brethren to keep right on being slaughtered — AND for the conflict to escalate — rather than negotiate with the evil Zionist empire on any kind of terms other than their own — i.e., we’ll fire our fucking rockets whenever the fuck we want to.

i read supporting link and didn’t see anything to support your statement. would you please quote your reference to show how in the world you get to this conclusion?

here is what i read – from your link:

Khaled Meshaal, Hamas’s Damascus-based leader, told the opening session of an emergency conference on Gaza his group would not accept Israeli conditions for a truce and would fight on until the offensive ended.

“Despite all the destruction in Gaza, I assure you: we will not accept Israel’s conditions for a ceasefire,” Meshaal said.

this doesn’t say anything about an unwillingness to negotiate – only that the israeli gov. conditions were not acceptable.

I agree with your evaluation of the Hamas terms of agreement. IMO, that is why the rushed-up “agreement” between Rice and Livni; it excludes Hamas altogether. Hamas has no voice in the terms Rice has imposed upon our government. It is as if they are a non-people or a sub-form of humanity without the right to speak for their position.

I hope congress challenges this agreement (Kucinich?) on the basis that treaties with foreign countries must be approved by Congress.

WHAT is your authority for the assertion that “Hamas has made it quite clear that they are willing to agree to a cease-fire under reasonable terms”?

Hamas leadership in Damascus whose personal asses are safe from the carnage have “made it quite clear” that they’d prefer for their Gazan brethren to keep right on being slaughtered — AND for the conflict to escalate — rather than negotiate with the evil Zionist empire on any kind of terms other than their own — i.e., we’ll fire our fucking rockets whenever the fuck we want to.

http://uk.reuters.com/article/…..UKLG462043

Though I’m sure there’s a way to blame that, too, on Israel.