One think everyone would agree with, is that in any political discourse the reasoning and analysis are the keys in understanding the world events. However, when we in our countless political discourses, news and articles, always characterize the parties in concern with derogatory labels, we put an end to any objectivity and sanity we claim to master.

We do that every time, everywhere, all the time, day and night whenever and wherever we talk or write on politics, on national or world affairs. It is an American political culture we all are trapped in. Just read any article, any discussion, any news...by any one, they all are full of derogatory labels characterizing various groups and parties: “Liberal” (or “libs"); “right-wing”; “left-wing”; “neo-cons”; “radical”;
“centrists”; “Christian-fundamentalist”; and so on.  We do that not only here within the United States among ourselves, we also do that to others beyond USA, to all of those who oppose our policy. We label them as “militants”;
“jihadists”; “terrorists”; “radicals”; “mullahs”, “insurgents”; “right-wing-Islamist”; and so on.  The article by Joe Conason is not an exception.

The constant usage of such derogatory labels among ourselves here within the USA and towards groups and parties outside the US, is the reflection of our inability to be objective, reasonable observers and thinkers in national and world events. By characterizing someone right from the beginning with derogatory labels as the party to be condemned, you already have ended the discussion. You made up your mind. You refuse to reason. 

After hearing hundreds of times days and nights in our mass media for years after years of Hammas being a terrorist group who governs current Palestine, I was shocked to learn by reading one comment here, that many members of governing body Hammas in today’s Palestine are highly educated people of engineers, doctors, and professors. The author of that comment went beyond the label “terrorists” and discovered a new world for all of us.

For the last several years we hear all the time the question “Why They Hate Us?”
I found the answer today, because “We Hate Them.”

Conason says to “revive international initiative toward a political solution.” Curious to know what political solution might work.  Israel withdrew from Lebanon some years ago, but Hezbollah did not demilitarize.  Gaza still swarms with militants.  Would Hamas or Fatah do any different if Israel withdrew from the West Bank?  No Palestinian faction has put the “right of return” tenet on the table for negotiation, even hypothetically.  Let’s not exchange one set of daydreams for another.

Frankly, the cheapest and surest solution would be to give a Green Card and $25,000 in relocation cupons to everyone in Lebanon, Israel, Jordan, and the Occupied Territories, followed by a complete cutoff in any further aid.

Excuse me Mr. Joe Conason! The Hamas leadership are not the “suicide-bombing terrorists” as you describe them; they are called freedom-fighters by their people and the majority of the world! Most of Hamas leadership are doctors, engineers, professors and other proffessionals. Their intellectual caliber is much higher than what you would claim for yourself!

Then remember that those you called terrorists were popularly elected in the most clean and honest election in modern human history; that’s with the testimony of Western observers, including President J. Carter. At least, that election was far more cleaner and honest than the last two American elections that brought evil, fanatic and incompetent Bush to power.

It’s indeed an irony that while you correctly outline the failures and disastars brought by the Bush administration to America and the world, with which I agree and concur, you fail miserably when you use the same language of the Bush administration and their racist propaganda language against those they do not like. You need a little bit of education on how to be totally honest and above stereotypes.

Not only has every country in the Middle East (except Israel) turned totally against the United States (compared to over 60% favorable approval of us after 9/11), but even traditional allies have a motivation to try to weaken an aggressive, militaristic bully like the US and I’m sure they’re doing what they can behind the scenes (like stalling the WTO,Japan boycotting US beef, etc). Many people thought Bush was a fluke in 2000, but after he (very questionably) won in 2004 feeling hardened against us. Bush has ruined Tony Blair and brought ‘regime change’ to Italy & Spain. Almost all of the ‘coalition of the willing’ have slunk off realizing they were had by Bush and Co.

What’s truly scary is all these shouting heads such as Kristol, Gingrich and the repulsive O’Reilly dropping the phrase “World War III” like it was some exciting thriller movie coming out for late summer release. They are so disassociated from the real world that they don’t realise this means millions of people dying in horrible, screaming ways. It’s Lord Acton’s absolute corruption of power, where they believe the U.S. has the power to kill everyone it wants like they were ants, and suffer no consequences.

When phrases like this are repeated often enough, it desensitises the American public to the notion of a new worldwide war. One of these years before 2008, President “Edgar” Cheney (Ron Suskind tells us who really runs things) will decide to drop nuclear weapons on Iran. That will be because Iran has taken control of the shambles America has created in the Middle East. U.S. actions have put Iran in a position to sow chaos in Israel and Saudi Arabia. That’s going to lead to worldwide economic disruption. And with the unthinking American public (not you folks here, of course) primed with repetition of “WW III, WW III” it will seem like no big deal. Kill a million people in one day? Well heck, we’re in World War III.

I’d say “May God have pity on the souls of Americans” if I believed in God. I do say “Thank goodness I got out of the U.S.” Good luck, people. If there is a God, your good thoughts ought to count for something…

One can hope that when congress changes sides that Bushie Jr. will be impeached.

Margaret from Portland Oregon

Greg writes:

“It’s wrong to think that the president of the United States of Everything will demand that Israel stop their war crimes spree. To say Bush is stupid or incompetent is missing the point, which is that what is happening all over the Middle East - from Iraq to Lebanon and soon to be Syria and Iran - is exactly what the US wants to happen. The Muslims of the world are the Native Americans in Christanity’s continuning use of bullets and bibles to please their god by making the whole world bow down to Him.”

I thought it worth repeating.

Dismayingly, Joe Conason managed to get through an entire column on the current crisis without mentioning The Wall or the Zionist annexation of indigenous Palestinian people’s land.

It’s wrong to think that the president of the United States of Everything will demand that Israel stop their war crimes spree. To say Bush is stupid or incompetent is missing the point, which is that what is happening all over the Middle East - from Iraq to Lebanon and soon to be Syria and Iran - is exactly what the US wants to happen. The Muslims of the world are the Native Americans in Christanity’s continuning use of bullets and bibles to please their god by making the whole world bow down to Him.

Joe, you might want to try your own recommendations and get informed before you decide to write another piece of Zionist propaganda. Unprovoked aggression, suicide-bombing terrorists of Hamas, defiant Islamic radical, are just few nonsenses you wrote in this article.
It would be hard even for Stupidman
( http://feral.mediaturtle.com/look/weekly1/naslovnica.t pl?IdLanguage=7&IdPublication=1&NrArticle=13985& ;NrIssue=1087&NrSection=17 )
to say more nonsense in so short article.

Yuck

Bushie Jr.’s behavior at the conference was beyond pitiful, but the fact that he thought China was only a few hours’ flight means that he never bothered to look at a map. He’s still behaving like a stupid, drunken frat brother who thinks knowing anything is for losers. Anyone with a brain bigger than a mouse turd will despise him, leaving only 50 million microbrained morons who still think he’s great.

Once again, Joe has hit the nail on the head of our puppet president.  He is hopeless and helpless and doesn’t have a clue of foreign policy beyond trying to give a head of state another backrub.  We are in serious trouble for the next two years.  The only hope is for a Democratic Congress to freeze him in his tracks until 2008.  Let’s get to work ....