Dec 27 2008

Does anyone remember Guernica?

 If anyone is wondering how much damage a lame-duck administration can manage on its way to historical infamy (or at best, oblivion), here’s what our Secretary of State had to say in response to the IAF attacks on Gaza (reminiscent,…  [more]

Permanent link to this article: https://levantium.com/2008/12/27/does-anyone-remember-guernica/

Dec 24 2008

Merry Christmas, everyone!

 Folksinger John McCutcheon’s “Christmas in the Trenches” — http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9coPzDx6tA  The following is from Jim Wallis’ (www.sojo.net) weekly email:  Silent Night, by Stanley Weintraub, is the story of Christmas Eve, 1914, on the World War I battlefield in…  [more]

Permanent link to this article: https://levantium.com/2008/12/24/merry-christmas-everyone/

Dec 23 2008

Israel & Palestine: a response to avaaz.org

 In reading about your various campaigns, I noted the following:  “Israeli and Palestinian Avaaz members, like other Avaaz members and the general public around the world, firmly support a peaceful, just, two-state solution for Israel and Palestine and respect for…  [more]

Permanent link to this article: https://levantium.com/2008/12/23/israel-palestine-a-response-to-avaaz-org/

Dec 23 2008

Lebanese-ness and Phoenician genetic markers

 There is an important section in Friedman’s “From Beirut to Jerusalem” that talks about the Phoenician-descent myth that Lebanese Christians invented for themselves, and how the Israelis bought into it hook-line-and-sinker as they were preparing for their first Lebanese invasion…  [more]

Permanent link to this article: https://levantium.com/2008/12/23/lebanese-ness-and-phoenician-genetic-markers/

Nov 13 2008

Think race wasn’t an issue?

 http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2008/11/12/politics/horserace/entry4596620.shtml?source=search_story 16% of the people who voted for McCain said they would have voted for Hillary had she been in the race.  21% of those admitted race was a factor, but 96% of that 16% were either white or Hispanic,…  [more]

Permanent link to this article: https://levantium.com/2008/11/13/think-race-wasnt-an-issue/

Nov 08 2008

The other side of Israel

 This afternoon I finished reading Susan Nathan’s “The other side of Israel: my journey across the Jewish-Arab divide” today (2005, ISBN 0-385-51456-5).  The links below are from the back of the book.  Equally interesting, near the end of the book, …  [more]

Permanent link to this article: https://levantium.com/2008/11/08/the-other-side-of-israel/

Nov 02 2008

Caesar or God?

 To my pastor: Appreciated today’s reminder that God is still sovereign, even if Americans don’t vote for Obama.  I wish you could have reminded people to try to rise above any lingering racism or other prejudices when deciding to vote. …  [more]

Permanent link to this article: https://levantium.com/2008/11/02/caesar-or-god/