Ken, again, no disrespect, just simple disbelief that someone with your reasoning ability.......cannot, or simply will not address the 'bizarre logic' that accompanies both Israel's and the ruling elite of America's substantial role in the world's press toward the precipice.
Actually, most Americans are unaware that many high income christian fundamentalist groups in the US regularly channel million of dollars into the elections in Israel in an effort to strengthen the hard line right wing politicians over there. Why? Because they seem to think that, with the right Israeli politicians in control of the government there, they can finally deport the 2.4 million Palestinians from their territories and then that would allow the ancient kingdom of Israel to be re-established according the the borders given in the Old Testament books of the Bible. Once this minor detail is taken care of, then, surely, Jesus will finally return and the Second Coming can take place as predicted in the New Testament. Like me, they are bothered by the failure of Jesus' major prophecy to have taken place during the last 1900+ years. Unlike me, they are not content to accept that it will not take place, but want to actually try to "force" it to take place!
That kind of "logic" is, in my opinion, very dangerous and the last thing that is needed in the Holy Lands and the Middle East. I favor a two state solution to the Israeli / Palestinian mess and it seems to me that it is the Palestinians, not the Israelis, that are mostly the problem with implementing it. Eventually, the Israelis will return all of the Palestinian lands that were captured in the '67 Arab/Israeli War and, I bet, that the attacks against the Israelis will still continue.
Now we have the president of a major, and soon to be nuclear unless stopped, military power in the Middle East publicly stating such ridiculous things like the Holocaust never took place and that Israel should be wiped off of the map. I suspect that rhetoric is based upon Iran's religious leaders' interpretation of the muslim equivalent of "end time" prophecies and is just as dangerous as Christian prophetic interpretations that anticipate global warfare between religious groups.
This is one of the reasons that I always try to advocate keeping one's focus on the moral and ethical teachings of the great faiths and not on distorted interpretations of their various prophecies. This is a new world were ancient failed prophecies just do not fit in. We have to concentrate on getting along with each other and working for our common good.
Well, on a different topic, has everybody noticed what is happening to the price of crude oil lately?
Yesterday, on the New York Mercantile Exchange, oil futures hit a record high of $71.35 USD per barrel and I just saw on this morning's cable tv financial news that the price of a barrel of the Brent crude oil (most of what Brittain uses) was up to $74 USD! All of this is, apparently, due to the rising "tensions" in the Middle East and experts are predicting that $100 USD per barrel oil is not far away.
Gasoline prices in the US are currently approaching $3 USD per gallon, but at $100 USD per barrel of oil, the gasoline price at the pump could reach $4+ USD per gallon.
This, of course, will translate into additional problems for the US's ailing automotive companies as the sales of the formerly profitable SUV's continue to plummet. The automotive industry has many smaller manufacturing companies associated with it and the chain reaction will, no doubt, result in many layoffs or plant closures across the US taking place. Just what we need during a time of record budget deficits as the "war" on terrorism drags on.
And, those price projections for oil and gasoline assume that there is no attack on Iran's nuclear facilities. When there finally is, there is no telling what the price of gasoline, worldwide, will go to!
Meanwhile, Osama sits in his safehouse and watches the events of our times play out on the various Arab language television stations. He praises Allah and smiles contentedly knowing that his plans to bankrupt the Western powers are proceeding smoothly...
ken
