Gaza Strip

My final note on the Gaza situation is prompted by the interesting use of analogy to explain Israeli actions. The analogy being effectively promoted by the Israeli PR efforts has been duly picked up US politicians and media is to ask "what would Texans do if Mexico was lobbing missals into Texas". We all know the answer to that one -- basically they would bomb the bejesus out of Mexico and think nothing of it. The Palestinian side as usual has no counter other than the scenes of destruction that most of us believe they brought upon themselves this time. Its a good argument.

This analogy of course has its use as it brings home the issue so as we can understand and relate to it. The problem with it is that it is effectively a "it all started when he hit me back" scenario. To be accurate we have to go back further in time and ask what Texans would do if Mexican immigration into Texas got to the point that these new arrivals decided they rightfully should be an independent state of their own (incorrectly and immorally stolen from Mexico as one version of history would support), secede from the union, make Spanish the official language and Roman Catholicism the only accepted religion. I think we would all agree this would lead to a Texan civil war which is exactly what happened in Palestine when Israel was established. To carry the analogy further suppose the "Anglo" side lost in this civil war "and the Mexican side won resulting into thousands upon thousands of "Anglo" Texans uprooted forced out of their homes loosing everything they had and ending up in the desert in camps in the

What would Texans do if Mexico was lobbing missals into Texas?

parts of Texas that did not fall to the new Mexico/Texas state. And suppose further that China, Russia and the rest of the world recognized this new state and indeed began giving it vast sums of money to make a go of it and even more, all the latest weaponry to keep what they had and even take more as the years went on. Do we imagine that the Texans would go quietly and accept their new lot without a fight? I think we can all imagine that many would fight forever to get back their land and rights and be considered heroes for doing so. Suppose in this process that the Mexican Texas now built settlements and road blocks in the lands that the "Anglos" had been pushed into so that life for them was much like house arrest, no jobs, no prospects, no respect. I think we can imagine what that would lead to. Sound familiar?

The first Israeli analogy is relevant. But without the second one we cannot understand the issue in its entirety.

It's a shame that good people from all religions suffer from those who pervert religion to justify evil actions. In that all religions are equal.