israeloutlook.com

Rumors are circulating that Israeli politicians are trying to do deals on Jerusalem – as in, give away parts of the Old City (Ir Attiqa), in addition to most (if not all) of East Jerusalem.

I would love to say that this is just rumor. No, I don’t have insiders whispering in my ear. I don’t need them, and you wouldn’t either, if you’d spent more than 20 years watching Israeli politicians deal with the issue of Jerusalem.

Rumors are circulating that Israeli politicians are trying to do deals on Jerusalem – as in, give away parts of the Old City (Ir Attiqa), in addition to most (if not all) of East Jerusalem.

I would love to say that this is just rumor. No, I don’t have insiders whispering in my ear. I don’t need them, and you wouldn’t either, if you’d spent more than 20 years watching Israeli politicians deal with the issue of Jerusalem.

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Getting started yesterday was tough – extra tough.

I’m not quite sure why. I DID manage to slither out of bed eventually and blearily stumbled around the house yesterday morning in a kind of lethargic panic. As I staggered from room to room, my brain was vainly trying to get itself (and the rest of me) coordinated and conscious. It was still pressing the restart button when the news came on. Headlining the news at the top of the hour were two proposals for a new Constitutional Amendment to ensure that the US government would be resurrected 48 hours after it was destroyed.

Getting started yesterday was tough – extra tough.

I’m not quite sure why. I DID manage to slither out of bed eventually and blearily stumbled around the house yesterday morning in a kind of lethargic panic. As I staggered from room to room, my brain was vainly trying to get itself (and the rest of me) coordinated and conscious. It was still pressing the restart button when the news came on. Headlining the news at the top of the hour were two proposals for a new Constitutional Amendment to ensure that the US government would be resurrected 48 hours after it was destroyed.

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There are days when I really just don’t feel like being fair. It’s so much easier to sling sticky mud and spread tarnish over reputations. Pointing out some of the better qualities of your victims is just… well, it’s not nearly as satisfying as watching a beautifully thrown bit of criticism arch into the sky and make a perfect three point hit on the object of your ire.

(sigh)

But, there’s this integrity thing that I keep yammering about, which means that I need to have some if I’m going to accuse others of not having any. I’m saying all this because Anna raised a relevant point in her comment to my latest post.

There are days when I really just don’t feel like being fair. It’s so much easier to sling sticky mud and spread tarnish over reputations. Pointing out some of the better qualities of your victims is just… well, it’s not nearly as satisfying as watching a beautifully thrown bit of criticism arch into the sky and make a perfect three point hit on the object of your ire.

(sigh)

But, there’s this integrity thing that I keep yammering about, which means that I need to have some if I’m going to accuse others of not having any. I’m saying all this because Anna raised a relevant point in her comment to my latest post.

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My piece on Christiane Amanpour, A Terrible Disservice, brought a long-standing principle to mind:

The more intelligent you are,
the less common sense you have

Now, it is true that there have been brilliant people who had a lot of common sense. Einstein was one. R.P. Feynman was another. They both were able to maintain their connection to the average person. And, like the truly brilliant, they had the gift of being able to communicate their insights to the average Joe and Josephine.

My piece on Christiane Amanpour, A Terrible Disservice, brought a long-standing principle to mind:

The more intelligent you are,
the less common sense you have

Now, it is true that there have been brilliant people who had a lot of common sense. Einstein was one. R.P. Feynman was another. They both were able to maintain their connection to the average person. And, like the truly brilliant, they had the gift of being able to communicate their insights to the average Joe and Josephine.

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I don’t watch TV.

I’m not necessarily against it, but the information content is so low that it just doesn’t make any sense to spend the time. And, the shows that are supposed to be entertaining… well, so many of them aren’t that I don’t bother.

So, I don’t watch TV.

However, I made an exception this past Saturday.

I was doing something pretty mindless and had a few brain cells left for a television program. So, I turned on CNN. They had something mildly interesting on, the Lou Dobbs show. Then, at 4 p.m. they broadcast a special report on Ahmadinejad by Christiane Amanpour. The report was appropriately titled Soldier of God. To the uninitiated, the program would have been excellent. And, as a general intro to the leader of Iran, it was pretty good.

I don’t watch TV.

I’m not necessarily against it, but the information content is so low that it just doesn’t make any sense to spend the time. And, the shows that are supposed to be entertaining… well, so many of them aren’t that I don’t bother.

So, I don’t watch TV.

However, I made an exception this past Saturday.

I was doing something pretty mindless and had a few brain cells left for a television program. So, I turned on CNN. They had something mildly interesting on, the Lou Dobbs show. Then, at 4 p.m. they broadcast a special report on Ahmadinejad by Christiane Amanpour. The report was appropriately titled Soldier of God. To the uninitiated, the program would have been excellent. And, as a general intro to the leader of Iran, it was pretty good.

Read Full Post »