A Response to Sprague's Response

Charlie Sprague, in the comment section of The Forum, has written a characteristically eloquent (insert sarcasm) response to my response on his post about Israel. Here it is:

CJ,

You're the one who is clearly not familiar with the issues at hand. There's no such thing as the "Palestine Authority". There's only a "Palestinian Authority" (technically the "Palestinian National Authority"). I would be more forgiving of a minor lack of knowledge on your part, but you are the one who raised the issue of lack of knowledge.

Also, you claim I'm ignorant of the situation at hand and then provide not one piece of solid evidence to back up your claim. I realize that some of these housing units are close to the Green Line, but they are still in violation of international law and a clear "fuck you" to the Palestinians. You can't accuse me of ignorance simply for not including every single detail you find relevant.

You clearly aren't willing to have a mature debate on this topic and instead want to slander your opponents. I can see why you're a Republican. Jenny Tulls isn't behaving respectfully, but you have no moral authority to criticize him/her. Charles, people don't hate you because of your opinions. People hate you because you're a douche. [Emphasis added]

In truth, my use of the phrase “Palestine Authority” was rather deliberate. There is no such thing as a “Palestinian,” nor could they be said to have anything resembling “authority” with the split between Gaza and the West Bank. They certainly do not have moral authority given their dancing on the streets after 9-11 or the teaching of anti-Semitism in their schools and textbooks.
Indeed, the people currently living in those locations were originally members of Transjordan and indeed, when they were brought into Jordan, they tried to topple the regime. They only became “Palestinian” when the Arab bloc decided to use them to achieve in public opinion (or that misnomer international law) what they could not on the battlefields.

You need not take my opinion on it. Witness what the Dutch newspaper, Trouw published in an interview with the Palestine Liberation Organization – notice the word Palestine, not “Palestinian” – executive committee member Zahir Muhsein. The date of the interview is March 31, 1977, so awhile back.

The Palestinian people does not exist. The creation of a Palestinian state is only a means for continuing our struggle against the state of Israel for our Arab unity. In reality today there is no difference between Jordanians, Palestinians, Syrians and Lebanese. Only for political and tactical reasons do we speak today about the existence of a Palestinian people, since Arab national interests demand that we posit the existence of a distinct "Palestinian people" to oppose Zionism.

For tactical reasons, Jordan, which is a sovereign state with defined borders, cannot raise claims to Haifa and Jaffa, while as a Palestinian, I can undoubtedly demand Haifa, Jaffa, Beer-Sheva and Jerusalem. However, the moment we reclaim our right to all of Palestine, we will not wait even a minute to unite Palestine and Jordan.

I needn’t belabor that point, but I find your faith in international law perplexing, to say the least. It’s a faith that Israelis rightly don’t share. In 2006-2007, in the 61st General Assembly, the countries enacted 22 anti-Israel resolutions in that year alone. Not a single resolution was authored on the genocide in Darfur. Conference after conference has focused on Israel as a threat to world peace, but Iran – a real threat to world peace – is angling for a spot on the U.N. Human Rights Council. Your international law is a cruel joke. Maybe if you didn’t spend so much time focusing on Israel – a nation, by the way, which probably has a better human rights record than the U.S. – more could be done to prevent the genocides and predatory regimes plaguing our world.

The reason I mention the Green Line is this: If Israelis cannot build in East Jerusalem on the Green Line; they cannot build anywhere – something which is becoming abundantly clear. Israelis are beginning to recognize that many in the Arab world would refuse to recognize an Israel that is even “the size of a postage stamp,” to use a phrase of the British-appointed Peel Commission. And American Jews who support Israel, ought to start recognize that their only friend in the United States is the Republican Party.

As for the rest of it, I believe Mr. Sprague's mouth, as well as his mind, could use a good cleaning, so I don't much mind being called a douche. And no, "people" don't hate me. I got fourteen percent of the vote, after all!

David Dreier Has Cheap Lease on Car

The Politico has a story about tax-payer funded leases for members of Congress. Rather unsurprisingly, the top ten wasters are all Democrats, save one. Each spends well over $1000 in taxpayer money on his or her car lease. Yes, at a time of national recession, these congressmen are having us pick up their tab for riding in the lap of luxury. How crooked is that.

That's not all that caught my eye, though. Our very own David Dreier CMC '75 is one of the more frugal members of the House, spends a paltry $366 a month. Of course this may well be a function of just how long he's been there. In this blogger's honest (and sometimes humble) opinion and despite Mr. Dreier's benefit to the campus, its time to retire.