Hi Dan,
>PLATT
> > Whoever initiated pysical force is at fault, regardless of how long
> > the conflict lasts. Each side can claim it is defending itself, but
> > only one acted in self-defense at the beginning.
> >
>
>Jonathan:
>Platt, as a resident of Israel and a father of 4 children
>I must say that I find your approach lacking in utility.
>
DAN
>I cannot imagine living under the constant threat of suicide bombings
and
>fanatical retributions and I doubt many Americans could. I say a prayer
for
the innocents but prayers won't stop bullets and bombs any better than
words
>will stop crime. I am reminded of the part in Lila where the professor
>friend of Phaedrus is moving out of a crime-ridden neighborhood and who
>explodes at Phaedrus when he asks why.
Dan, it wasn't for nothing that I mentioned both Israel and my 4
children. My kids, like all children, often squabble. As a parent, I
know it is not always necessary or useful to identify the guilty child
who initiated the fight. Apportioning blame is not the way to end a
fight. Answering the fears and concerns of the adversaries is much more
productive.
Now that I have said that, you can probably guess my take on the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
I should add, that Platt incorrectly implies that self-defence follows
an initial act of violence.
That would be retribution or retaliation. Self defence by definition
must PRECEDE and pre-empt a threat, and may itself be the first violent
act.
DAN
>I feel very fortunate to live in the quiet little corner of the world I
>happen to live in. I ask myself if I would stay if that quiet changed
into
>an atmosphere of violence and I don't have an answer to that question.
It is
>my home. But there are values here that make it my home, and if those
values
>changed somehow perhaps it would no longer feel like home at all.
>
>Why do you stay Jonathan?
Contrary to the image given by CNN, I live a quiet life (except for the
4 kids). The worst that I've suffered is occasionally being delayed
while the bomb squad comes to deal with a suspicious package. On the
positive side, the town where I live is one where my wife or teenage
daughter can safely be out on the street alone at any time of day or
night.
Jonathan
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