July 31, 2006

Why Being Anti-Terror Isn't Anti-Semitic

Boy. Ohhh, boy.

The news this weekend sucked. The cable shows were in a frenzy with everything being about either bombs, guns or what happens to people's body parts and an entire country when bombs and guns are put in the hands of small-dicked assholes full of hatred for the next guy over. It was literally depressing. If I flipped through the news channel block on our local cable network for even half a second, I felt like Harry Potter did when he ran into those Azkaban guards- like the life force was sucked out of me. So, I did what comes natural- I watched 10 hours of Mama's Family.

If you don't remember Mama's Family, let me refresh you. It's a spin-off of The Carol Burnett Show. It was s kit in which Carol Burnett played a Midwestern hag named Eunice Higgins. Her slug of a husband was of course played by Harvey Korman and Vickie Lawrence played her mother, Thelma Harper. The skit was a huge hit on TCBS and then spun off into it's own TV show in 1983 starring Thelma and her son, Vinton, his wife, Naomi and various grandchildren and neighbors. It ran intermittently until 1990 and since then has been in syndication. Sadly, I've just learned it was cancelled by TBS and will stop airing in late August (fuckers... I should write them an open letter, too).

My hubby hates the show with the same passion in which I love it, so I usually watch it alone with my dog. It's not the most intellectual or most creative or even the most interesting of shows, but it reminds me of every dead relative I had when I was a kid growing up in the South. Colorful characters who lacked any serious bigotry (unless you were a darkie they didn't know), with simple lives who needed very little in the way of money or power or even recognition. Honest, god-fearing, Southern-Midwesterners with a penchant for yelling at each other or doing the unthinkable.

Damn. I wish life were that simple.

It's not.

Hell, look at Israel. On one hand, they need to protect themselves, but on the other they need to support democracy in Lebanon. And then Hezbollah, they want Golan Heights back and want to stand out from their former backers in Syria and Iran. They're trying to act like they're out of training pants when they aren't IMHO. And the Lebanese government and everyone else is caught in the middle of what boils down to a triangle of hate between the Jews- the Shi'a- and the Sunnis. (Now, if you can remember..... it's the Shi'a and Sunni who are blowing the shit out of each other in Iraq with US troops in the way. So think of this as just as explosive and just as stupid.)

I say fuck 'em. Especially Israel for going to far. They're behavior in killing over 50 kids in Qana this weekend and UN observers last week is just too damn much. They've brought an Howitzer to a rock fight. They're terrorizing an entire nation and the US is letting them get away with it.

No one wants to get into this fray for fear of being labeled a Jew hater or a Nazi. I think that's ball-less. I say Israel ought to step the fuck back and get to the table. If they don't, its leaders should be tried for war crimes and crimes against humanity (but then again I think Bush and Rumsfeld should be too).

I'm not Jewish, and for some that means I'll never understand the Jewish plight. Whatever. That's a bullshit argument. I'm not black either, but I sure like Mary J. Blige and Burger King. I'm not Vietnamese, but I damn sure like fish sauce. I'm not a gay man, but I sure like watching two hot guys get it on. Yeah, espcailly that....but I digress.

One of my favorite commentators is Jewish and is very active in the Jewish community and is known for being outspoken and proud of his religious and ethnic heritage. Who is he? Dr. Eric Alterman, of course. IMHO he is one of the brightest minds in journalism and political commentary that this country has. He is a regular contributor to "The Nation" and a well-respected writer, blogger and former professor. And guess what- he friggin' agrees with me about Israel going too far. Check out his latest post on the US Jewish community's fractured and almost knee jerk response to the conflict.

Think about it and start asking yourselves why we aren't out in the street protesting this bullshit? Why do we sit around in our safe homes, with air conditioning and a large supply of ice cream (we almost always have at least 3 flavors in our house at any time) watching reruns of a show that's been dead for 16 years instead of marching en mass against the death and destruction our "ally" rains down upon a sovereign, democratic nation? What happened to Americans being against terrorism? Does it only count when the victims aren't Muslim? How fucking Christian is that?

Hell, just ask yourself something. A this point, I'm convinced most Amerikans are fucking retarded. Give them a soundbite and they'll goosestep right along side every other asshole without a brain or balls. Start a dialogue somewhere. Do some damn research about Middle Eastern history and culture. E-mail someone who might know someone who knows someone who knows someone.

But whatever you do- don't zone out. If this shit keeps up, you'll need to know how many MRE's to stock in your bunker.

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