Saturday, October 18, 2014

Anatomy of a perpetual self-Destruction

Here is a tragi-comical case of: I didn't do it but I apologize, and will pay the applicable penalties. The tragedy is that the thing has been going on since the dawn of history. The comedy is that it is a case which is playing itself out in the upside-down mode. It sounds more like: They kicked me in the butt, but I don't mind it because they don't mind it.

That's what comes out a freakish piece that was written by the editors of the Wall Street Journal. It came under the title: “The Parliament of Palestine” and the subtitle: “British MPs show the extent of their anti-Israel leanings.” It was published in the Journal on October 18, 2014. And here is the summoner of both the smile and the tears: “The vote by the British Parliament to recognize a Palestinian state is being treated as a nonevent in both Jerusalem and London … But symbolism can also be revealing.”

The people at the Journal who wrote that passage are the same who bring out the bugles, the drums and the megaphones to trumpet to the world that there has been another unanimous and bipartisan vote in favor of Israel in the American Congress. How is that? It is that a handful of legislative cockroaches got together in the middle of the night, suspended the rules and voted – all half-dozen of them – on a nonbinding resolution which basically says nothing except that when it comes to choosing between serving the interests of America and those of Israel, the cockroaches always choose Israel.

Understood. But how does that compare with their view on what happened in the British Parliament? See for yourself. Here is their rendition on that score: “Though the margin of 274 to 12 was lopsided in favor of recognition, more than half the Parliament either abstained or didn't show up. The nonbinding resolution will have no effect on Britain's policy...” No bugles, no drums and no megaphones in this case to trumpet to the world that Palestine is one step closer to being born at last.

Instead of that, the editors have come up with the usual lamentations which are meant to say that the Jews didn't do it even if they apologized for it at times. Here is how they put it this time: “Some of the revelations came in comments by the MPs. A Tory offered the view that the U.S. was 'susceptible to well-funded lobbying groups in America.' A Liberal Democrat tweeted that he'd fire rockets at Israel if he were living in Gaza.” Well, let me ask: If this is not bipartisan, what is?

Still, the lamentation is not produced simply to lament and stop here. It is used as a tool to turn the whole matter upside-down. It is also used as a weapon to scare off anyone who might want to end the tragedy here and now – once and for all. Here is the tool: “The mindset such statements betray speaks for itself.” And here is the weapon: “It is particularly disturbing after witnessing anti-Semitic venom on Europe's streets.”

Used as a tool, the lamentation has the effect of saying that the Jews didn't do it because they never do anything wrong. If they periodically murder thousands of people they have been occupying for several generations, it is because these people have the habit of becoming restless for being robbed of their freedom. They become agitated instead of doing the right thing which is to love the Jews who keep them confined. Look at the American legislators, the more that the Jews screw them and screw their country, the more the legislators love the Jews. That's being civil. Why can't the Palestinians be like them?

To use the lamentation as a weapon, the editors of the Journal summon what has come to be known as the pretzel logic. With it, they contort the argument in such a way as to make mind blowing statements. A favorite of theirs is the one about there being a cause and effect relationship between say, someone wearing brown shoes on a Wednesday and the advent of World War III. A variation on that theme is used in their latest editorial. Here it is: “Meanwhile, ISIS is at the gates of Baghdad – realities Palestinian statehood does nothing to fix.”

To which billions of human beings on this planet are saying under their breath: If not, then maybe another holocaust will do the fixing. And that's no laughing matter … but here we go again.