of mice and martyrs

Where elephants jostle, mice are grease spots. The immediately preceding is my version of an African proverb. Wood'ja (?) buh-leave! It has a profound application to the situation, which was sparked by the very recent abductions of Israeli soldiers.

Supposedly, those two abductions are meant to force the Israeli government to swap "wanna'be martyrs", now incarcerated in Israeli prisons, for those abducted soldiers. Likely enough, the people, who did the abductions, have absolutely no idea about the alternatives, they have presented the Israeli government.

Ever so subtly, the commentators and the wize'asses in our American mass media are insinuating that "back-door" negotiations are taking place to resolve the situation in both Lebanon and Gaza. Meanwhile, the Israeli government is left to wonder about those alternatives.

One being, that government could sent back heroes. Just so happens, some of those heroes are spending a second stint in Israeli prisons. They were freed in a previous swap. It's a good guess the Israelis are loathe to give them a chance to spend a third stint.

Besides, there's a big problem with heroes, so far as the Israelis are concerned. Once freed, those re-polished or newly minted heroes will be sorely tempted to gad about, boasting about their exploits. In so doing, they're bound to inspire more heroes.

And even worse, they're living assurances that it would be possible for those, so inspired, to be freed in a future prisoner swap, should they be captured. Again, the Israelis are loathe to tolerate incarcerating more heroes.

Then there's the other alternative. The Israelis could create martyrs. One nice thing about martyrs, from the Israeli point of view, they're highly unlikely to gad about, boasting.

With regret, the Israeli government may soon announce that so many "wanna'be martyrs" died in their attempt to escape. The very next day, during the negotiations for a cease-fire to resolve the situation in Lebanon and Gaza, so many more "wanna'be martyrs" will have died in their attempt to escape.

From what little is available to judge the intent of the Israeli government and Israelis in general, this hunch is literally inevasible. They'll both cheerfully rot in hell, long before they'll send back heroes.

But there's a problem with martyrs, so might one cavil. Martyrs supply lots of inspiration for others to "take up the quarrel with the foe". So far as the Israelis are concerned, there's already a plethora of martyrs to supply more than enough inspiration. Tossing another batch of martyrs onto the pile won't make much of a difference, if any.

Oh, yeah, let's get to those grease spots, formerly mice.

Before going onto Lebanon, let's skim the situation in Gaza . . . ahnghgh, may as well begin with a sick joke that has Israelis whinging and chuckling at once. It wasn't the bombs and bullets that finally drove them out of Gaza. It was the stench.

From what American media has to report, no worthwhile Arab gives two shits about the suffering the Palestinians, who live in Gaza, are enduring. Anybody with such self-loathing as to voluntarily reside in Gaza is completely undeserving of respect or charity.

This contempt is even shared by colleague Palestinians. If the Palestinians, who live on the West Bank, cared about their Gaza siblings, the former would try to open another front in the current bloodshed. Shouldn't (?) they be trying to relieve the pressure on the "wanna'be martyrs" in Gaza!

Here's the thing about Lebanon. Before the decision was taken to abduct Israeli soldiers, Syrian intelligence warned the perpetrators about what the Israelis had in mind for the abductors. For five years, the Israelis had been planning their reprisal with just such a blunder in mind.

Well, just so happens, Iranian intelligence assured the abductors that Syrian intelligence was full of shit. Abducting those Israeli soldiers would lead necessarily to a prisoner swap. Consequently, the Muslim struggle against Israel would be enhanced.

So far as the Iranians are concerned, they're benefiting from the destruction of Lebanon, now taking place. It's a great distraction from their pursuit of weapons-grade nuclear material.

Again, let's go back to those grease spots, formerly mice.

It's all too obvious that the dumb shit fools, who abducted those Israeli soldiers had absolutely no business toying around in global Realpolitik. Now they're finding out the hard way that the money and weapons, which they received for harassing the Israelis, came with one hellacious price.

Lemme tell'ya sum't'n. Once than once, I've had to endure talks that had been introduced with the assurance, and I'm quoting, "boy, are we going to talk!"

Very shortly after the insinuated negotiations come to a conclusion, the dumb shit fools, directly responsible for abducting the Israeli soldiers, are in for talk that is, at least, hundred times greater in magnitude and intensity than I ever had to go through.

. . . no and no, I have absolutely no sympathy for anybody, stupid enough to necessitate just such talk.

toodles
...../
.he who is known as sefton




Well, I guess now is as good a time as any to promulgate . . . tah'dah! . . .

The SEFTON STATEMENT . . .

Yes and yes, again, I violate the American règle du jeu. And I do so in three specific ways.

First, I insist on the right to know better today than I did yesterday.

Second, I insist on thinking for myself.

Truth be told, I take pride in those first two ways, in which I violate "the rules". As for the third, I avouch that I have absolutely no right to take similar pride. So far as I'm concerned, it would be not unlike taking pride in my having been born with ten toes, and only one rectal orifice.

I mean something, over which I lack control. Although I do have some control over my snide sense of humor, and that means I'm not above paying a little homage to Lenny Bruce.

Here's the third way. Try as hard as I might, I am unable to take people, who dislike me, all that seriously.

With the exception of those three ways, in which I violate the rules, I'm pretty much law abiding. For example, if I get a parking ticket, I pay the fine. What's more, I deliberately comport myself in as courteous manner, as appropriate to the situation.

Here's a "for example". When some thirteen-year-old girl tried to lift my pocket, I broke her fingers.



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* * * * lye'kah * * * * * * * * * * *
* * * * * * * * * bolt * * * * * * * * *
* * * * * * * * * * * ah'da'dah * * *
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * blue * *

I know better today than I did yesterday. And so, I sent a reader's letter to the good people at The PRESS & SUN-BULLETIN, which is the paper of record for the twin tiers of New York's Broome County , and sort of for Pennsylvania's Susquehanna County. Anyway, here's the text, which is below and just after the colon:

"True enough, there are a couple links between the current situations, in which Lebanese and Palestinians are suffering. In a sense, the causative link happens to be a certain goal that is shared by two organizations. No sense being subtle, one may as well come out and say, "the destruction of Israel".

"According to our national media, both situations were occasioned by the abduction of Israeli military personnel. For no particular reason, I mused about what could be the topmost priority for either organization, just now alluded to.

"Is (?) their topmost priority the well being of the people, either organization claims to serve! Or is it something else. Is (?) their topmost priority the destruction of Israel.

"Musing just a little further, one might ask the question, which is concerned with the suffering, now afflicting Palestinians and Lebanese. What (?) is the greatest amount of suffering that can be justified by pursuing the destruction of Israel."


. . . okay, dear Reader, ever so discreetly, look around . . . make sure nobody's looking over your shoulder . . . what you're about to see is meant only for you and me and the monitor screen . . .

I'm almost ashamed to own up to it . . . but I did do a little self-censoring . . . here's text with which what I dearly wanted to conclude the above letter . . . the text is below and in red font . . .

The next time the Lebanese go to the polls and just before they cast their ballot, they should ask themselves this question. Is the person, for whom they're ultimately voting, a true Lebanese patriot? Or is that person a pathological Israel hater? . . . oh, yeah, the same applies to Palestinians.