I am very conflicted about that song: As a woman oppressed by the Patriarchy, Janis' pleas have much merit, but as a white benefiting from that Privilege, she her entitlement has already been over-indulged. Is there some way we can promote her second X chromosome while refusing to hire her Caucasian genes? Or maybe find out whom she sleeps with so that can break the tie? And one other thing: Is it obvious this issue has lately been on my mind even more than it ALWAYS is?

Still i Norge. My sleep "schedule" has been totally bizarre at least since age ten; "enhance" that with a year and a half of someone who needs constant supervision because she often falls over NOTHING, and wakes up whenever, and we get my current situation. Thank heaven for barnehagen, but that was the last of several long posts of which I was literally on the last two sentences when the toddler woke up; the wife got up with her because certain no one who had been awake 40 hours could be lucid and alert enough to care for a baby. So, me being me, when she went out to smoke I sat the kid on my shoulder, walked over to the window and pretended to lose my balance.

On behalf of the great nations of Chile and Texas, I thank you (OK, technically the cantons are different sizes, but that difference is so slight our Secy. of State sent out 2012 election fliers displaying THEIR flag. ) Some others are not terrible, but the big thing I noticed in that article was a reminder Nevadas nickname (displayed on the flag) is "Battle Born," a reference to its Civil War birth. That in turn reminded me its Civil War constitution authorizes any necessary force against anyone defying federal authority: Yet Clive Bundy insists he pointed guns at federal agents enforcing state law because he was "upholding the Nevada constitution." The one that essentially legalizes shooting rebels on sight.

Thanks, and yeah, the magnitude magnified shock: Arguably the MOST internationally and domestically peaceful nation hit with the worlds deadliest one-man murder spree EVER (several times over.) It would be as stunning as tragic anywhere, but HERE?! And Breiviks method and success are chilling: A former leader of TWO far right party youth chapters training its next generation leaders moves to decimating the LEFTS next generation of leaders while still kids--and the LEFTS blame for "slow response" his diversion ensured helps put his party in a ruling coalition for the first time EVER. That is an existential threat to democracy, but: How do we stop a guy who avoids even TRAFFIC TICKETS for a DECADE while plotting atrocity? The most vigorous laws and enforcement CANNOT, and if it can happen in a pacific leftist posterchild like Norway... in its own way, Utøya was as big as 911.

I did not know that about ISIS recruitment. Still, the total population is small enough even a few people can skew per capita stats; Breivik TRIPLED Norways per capita murder rate. On the other hand, he also proved even ONE homicidal terrorist is too many. Eternal vigilance--and a shotgun; people may be able to cut and paste or design convincing "uniform" logos, but not 3-D print kevlar. Parenthood changes ones willingness to rely exclusively on law enforcement to reach the helpless before armed homicidal people can, and on laws to prevent such attacks in the first place. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, but that is no reason to stop making penicillin.

Well, yes, but Americas founding repudiated much of our European cultural heritage: We had (theoretically) evolved beyond all but the good parts of European culture and would do it better. Like when Roger Williams gave the Western world the concept of liberty of conscience after the Thirty Years War, carrying it back to Britain amid their civil war, where it quickly spread to the continent and influenced a generation of social philosophers like Locke. Not that we have always been perfect, but revolutionary suggestions to make nondenominational Christianity the US state religion were shouted down in part out of respect for Jews in the Continental Congress and Army: No one should become a second class citizen in a nation their blood helped create. The bulk of US racial problems are shamefully of our own historically recent making.

Yet even were none of that so: How would our share of Europes antisemtic history (which covered at least 1600 years by any estimate) change modern Europes culpability for it? It may be another reason for the US to support Israel, but cannot be cause for Europe to oppose it.

Why would transferring Gaza to Egypt and the West Bank to Jordan be a problem though? Because of Palestinian nationalism, or the number of Palestinians uncompromisingly committed to possessing all of ISRAEL along with their existing state? Particularly those committed enough to murder everyone who stands in the way, and sacrifice anyone--even there own children--for that goal. Why did most refugees end up BACK in the Occupied Territories Israel STILL occupied? As I recall, King Hussein got tired of Arafat sneaking across the Jordan to murder civilians before fleeing back to Jordan with the IDF on his heels, then the PLO attempted a Jordanian coup because the King refused to condone them, and their welcome promptly expired.

It is a thought you and I have probably both considered more than Egypt or Syria have, but until/unless all militants on all sides are reformed, imprisoned or killed peace in the region must remain rare and brief. Breivik proved the only way to stop even one man who is intelligent, careful and committed to violence is to either lock him up or kill him. There is far more than one such man (and women) in and around the Palestinian State and Israel. And it is a Catch 22: If Hamas were pacified (as Fatah seems to be, which is a tribute to them and everyone involved in the protracted peace process) Israeli and international popular opinion would probably force out the settlers, but absent the terrorists "Palestinians" could live as peaceful full citizens of Israel, Egypt, Jordan or any state.

The legitimacy of a "nation" younger than some of its "citizens" remains dubious to me though; had Britain won the War of 1812 I and most "Americans" would likely consider Washington, Jefferson and the rest the foulest traitors, not our greatest heroes. Many "Palestinians" have lived elsewhere as long as or longer than they in the Palestinian State, whose legal existence is not much longer than the American Confederacys none but a few lunatics and traitors consider legitimate. Gaza is a nightmare which practicality argues be part of Egypt, Israel or ANYONE BUT the Palestinian State, else crossing from one part of the Palestinian State to another THROUGH Israel (and who does what on the way) will remain a major issue indefinitely. Gaza (especially as a route to the sea) would likely be an obstacle to peace even if itself peaceful--which it hardly is.

That is underscored by my response to the first point: Only ONE of the four cited governments was EUROPEAN rather than Turkish, Arab or whatever one classifies the Khazars as (certainly not European; one of the competing theories is that they were mainly ethnic JEWS, which would tend to preclude antisemitism.) Saying Jews were safe in parts of Europe ruled by NON-Europeans is not saying much for Europeans.

"Precise but indefinite" is so conflicted it took me a second to be sure the combination is even POSSIBLE; that is a bad metric for deciding dinner, much less the legitimacy of nations. It essentially means waiting till every refugee died or gave up would have legitimized Isreali ownership of the West Bank and Gaza; Bibi and his supporters might agree, but few others would. It was soon obvious Silesian Germans and Pakistani Hindus could never return because those who remained were slaughtered or imprisoned and the refugees were promised the same if they DID return. So if Israel WERE guilty of the genocide of which it is so often accused it would have the legal right to Gaza and the West Bank?! Some Israelis would be all too happy to “correct” that “error” now, but that is hardly a recipe for peace (or morality.) Stuff like this is why ancient Mideast cultures invented genocide simultaneously with Western civilization, but the latter is SUPPOSED to be beyond the former now.

Yet world history since the first Geneva Conventions increasingly suggests the only way to truly END genocide is to impose comprehensive martial law on nations guilty of it, then teach tolerance in schools everyone is forced to attend form birth till adulthood, purging the next generation of the notion ethnic cleansing is acceptable. The trouble is 1) unlike the postwar West, todays public refuses to sign on for that cost in men, material and time and 2) the UN nominally defines that as GENOCIDE ALSO (because it coercively eradicates an integral part of a culture.) Frankly, I think we must accept reality in acknowledging some cultural norms as crying out to be changed and that doing so is a GENERATIONAL commitment, not one of months or even years. People conditioned to genocide from birth cannot be talked out of it at a cafe over summer vacation.

Unless we accept the same level of commitment as in WW II, people like ISIS and Al Qaeda can only grow more powerful and proximate, because as they sweep through an area they leave no dissenters in their wake to raise future objections. Cultural norms can and should be respected where harmless, but that excludes intolerant violence. It is not OKAY to hate others, but is TOLERABLE; violence to sate hate is neither tolerable nor permissable.

Permanent refugee residence, even eventual citizenship, was long on the table in Egypt and Jordan, and nothing Israel did changed that: Salafism and Qutb did. “Palestinian” adherents continued anti-Israel terrorism from WITHIN Egypt and Jordan while native ones committed their own treason and/or terrorism in solidarity, both to force another war and topple their secular governments. Not only did Egypt and Jordan consistently and BADLY lose those wars of terrorists choosing, the fundamental pan-Islamic position caused violence and coups both as much for its own sake as to threaten Israel, which was (and IS) a mortal threat to Egypt and Jordans secular nationalist governments. Syrias, too, as ISIS and its ilk are finally forcing even Assads heir to acknowledge in practice if not name. To the extent Salafis and Qutbists have moderated their means (despite preserving their GOALS) the situation is improved, but it is debatable whether that ostensible moderation is sincere or but feigned to reduce public censure and alarmed domestic/international response.

More simply, “Palestinians” WHO DID NOT REFUSE could have lived as full citizens in any part of Israel at any time, and still can, as evidenced by the fact MANY DO: Arabs ALONE have been members of every Knesset in HISTORY, and currently hold 15% of seats, while Tawfik Toubi held one longer than ANYONE except Perez. Yet those who violently refused Israeli citizenship in “Palestine” naturally and equally refused Egyptian, Jordanian and Syrian citizenship in those countries, often with the same violence: Give them possession AND CONTROL of their native land or they will murder everyone. And other Arab-state citizens who violently rejected secular Islamic rule at home supported them because they equally violently rejected secular Jewish rule in what they also considered “home” (i.e. any and all parts of the Medieval Caliphate.) Take Jews out of the picture entirely and most of them would STILL be committing violence in Israel, just against (probably) Jordanian rule instead. They are as “pragmatically reasonable” as my one-year-old; fortunately, she does not have access to explosives and the knowledge to use them.