New: Israel is taking land from Palestinians!

So many Israeli settlements, in particular Ma'ale Adumim, are built largely on private Palestinian land. So that accounts for about 40 percent of their land area. So?

This information was leaked from inside the Civil Administration (the Israeli government body responsible for the occupied territories). The Yesha Council, as usual, responded by lying (see the Ha'aretz article cited below) and the government responded in its usual way--by essentially admitting that this was true and saying nothing. For example: "Miri Eisin, a spokesperson for Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, said that Israeli officials would have to see the data and the maps and added that ownership is complicated and delicate." Of course they need to see the data and the maps, it's not as though they've had access to them before! Inevitably they will have to conclude (after seeing the data and the maps for the first time) that the expropriated land is necessary to protect Israeli citizens from terrorism.

I find it interesting that the organizers (Peace Now) apparently placed as much emphasis on getting the information to The New York Times--where it was reported prominently, and who actually spoke to the informant--as to the Israeli public, though they did, according to Ha'aretz, hold a press conference in Jerusalem. The American public doesn't already know these facts. The Israeli public is well aware already, and by and large, doesn't care.

Yes, this should cause an outrage, but it's just another one of those things that should cause an outrage that is all too common in this conflict and won't really change anything.

Rwanda's reaction

Predictably, the BBC notes,

Rwanda has angrily rejected calls by a French judge for President Paul Kagame to stand trial over the killing of his predecessor, which sparked genocide.

Rwanda's foreign minister said France was trying to cover up its own complicity in the 1994 killings of some 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus.

Maybe Kagame and RPF were involved. The downing of Habyarimana's plane still hasn't been solved, though Hutu extremists in the Rwandan armed forces and presidential guard have been blamed (see my previous post) and it makes more sense that they were responsible given the apparently non-spontaneous nature of the events that followed. As the Wikipedia article notes, though, there is substantial dispute.

Either way, of course, there is no chance of getting Kagame to stand trial.

Everyone's day on a dollar

Caveat: This blog headline is not at all original, as it basically copies The New York Times. And they weren't original either.

So, apparently the plan is to put every president on a dollar coin, much as every state was on a quarter. I think we can all agree that every state deserves its own quarter... well, maybe the Dakotas should have shared one, but for the most part, every state.

But every president? Do Zachary Taylor, Millard Fillmore and William Henry Harrison deserve their time on a dollar? Franklin Pierce? James Buchanan? Those presidents truly deserving of recognition are already on currency (Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, FDR, JFK). Jackson and Grant are also on currency; admittedly, the former was a formative figure, if someone I can't stand, and the latter was a good general, so perhaps can be justified under the same criteria of "important person," as we (justifiably) have Hamilton and Franklin on currency as well.

But really, there are better characters than Taylor, Fillmore and Harrison (either of them, for that matter) to populate our money. Are we really avoiding recognizing them because deciding which ones to recognize might cause a controversy? That's the kind of discussion that should be in the public discourse!

Okay, of presidents, I could countenance the following--John Adams, Madison, TR, Wilson, Truman, LBJ, and Reagan. Take off LBJ if you think I am being too partisan. The rest of the deserving are already on money. Madison gets on not for his presidency but for the Constitution.

Other notable figures abound in American history. This is a chance to honor women and minority figures of note, as well as other contributors who happen to have been white and male. Yes, this digs up a lot of questions about anti-Semitism or other racism (Henry Ford et al); the economic system (well, Ford again, and the "robber barons"); and the rightness of war (generals, especially Western generals). But can we agree that Tecumseh and Chief Joseph deserve the honor? How about Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, and for that matter, Thurgood Marshall? Martin Luther King Jr. or Susan B. Anthony (well, okay, she already got it--how about Elizabeth Cady Stanton)?

I think that someone with more time on his/her hands could develop a great list of American innovators, thinkers, and leaders that deserve recognition more than an undistinguished, unelected president who, after leaving office, ran again as a candidate for a group of xenophobic nationalists.* Or the 30-day president who is otherwise best known for crushing Indian tribes.** Or the guy who was only even elected as part of a corrupt bargain that ended Reconstruction in the South and handed it back to the white elite.***

I don't know... what do you think?

*Millard Fillmore
**William Henry Harrison
***Rutherford Hayes

Let's go bowling

Quick, if you played college football, which one would you rather play in...

San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl
PapaJohns.com Bowl\
New Mexico Bowl
Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl Presented by Bridgestone
Chick-fil-A Bowl
MPC Computers Bowl
GMAC Bowl

If you're wishing for the days of the (now-defunct) Silicon Valley Classic or galleryfurniture.com bowl, you're not alone. Of course, as a Huskies fan, I am just hoping for a shot at New Mexico...

France annoys people, again

A French judge says that Rwandan President Kagame should be tried for the murder of ex-president Habyarimana in 1994, the event that started the Rwandan genocide.

Now, Kagame has done plenty of things that I (and, more importantly, other people who matter) don't like, such as throwing ex-president Bizimungu (his own hand-picked transitional president) into jail for opposing him, and silencing dissent on the grounds that it "provokes genocide."

However, it is generally agreed that Kagame and the RPF didn't kill Habyarimana, but that it was planned and executed by Hutu-extremist elements within the former Rwandan armed forces which then used it as a pretext to carry out the genocide. France, meanwhile, provided cover and support (military and diplomatic) to the genocidaires, with whom it had close ties. Which makes the issuing of a warrant for Kagame, in addition to unenforceable, just another ridiculous example of the French superiority/inferiority complex.

If you want to know more about Rwanda, I have read this book about four times, and highly recommend it. Note that the author is sympathetic to Kagame and the RPF (but who should he have sympathized with? the genocidaires?).

Juice

Fox and its subsidiaries have canceled everything they had to do with O.J. Simpson's new book.

I would say "good for them" and "they reversed a mistake"... but it's Fox, so they knew exactly what they were doing. Even if they weren't, this was a book about how O.J. Simpson hypothetically would have killed people that he actually killed.* I rarely want to throw up (except after going on those spinny things at the carnival) but that brings me pretty close.

*probably.

UPDATE: Watching CNN, they note that 55% characterize it as "offensive," 30% as "inappropriate" and 12% as "nothing wrong." I wasn't sure at first whether they were referring to the Bush presidency but on review, it does appear they were talking about O.J.

Apple Cup, and the other important game

Dawgs win! Unfortunately, because we lost to Stanford (of all teams) last week, we will not be bowl-eligible, at 5-6. But there is some reason for future optimism.

#1 Ohio State beat #2 Michigan--the second #2 they have beaten this year (the other one being Texas). Michigan is still the #2 team in the country, but they probably won't go to the national championship. But, of course, there should be a playoff. Right after they get the Big East out of the equation.

Where will undefeated Boise State go? Not to the BCS...

A new strategy in Gaza

So, Palestinians are using human shields en masse to block IAF targeted bombings of houses (BBC, Ha'aretz). A couple quick reactions, both of which are actually negative for the Palestinians:

(1) Bad publicity. Supports those who say that Palestinians deserve the treatment they get because they are supportive of terror in their midst. Generally, this is rebutted by the assertion that Palestinians in places such as Beit Hanoun have no choice because they would be killed/hurt if they object to the launching of Qassam missiles (or suicide bombings or what have you).

(2) Paves the way to let Israel launch these attacks unannounced, based on the negative publicity of (1). Deliberately putting citizens in harm's way is a crime, regardless of who is doing it. Citizens who decide to put themselves in harm's way are becoming combatants.

I don't think this is a good way to go. As regards my point (1), I still don't agree with it--I just assert that a lot of people will invoke it. This is one way that the Palestinians in Beit Hanoun can show their opposition to Israel. I don't think it necessarily shows that they support Qassam launching, just that they can't do anything about it, and they may as well express their anger about the situation in some sort of manner that may help save some people or houses as well. It's like the Lebanese who were caught in the Israel-Hezbollah conflict: what are they supposed to do, side with Israel?

The decline continues

What kind of country allows this sort of statement from a member of its government?

I mean, we all knew. But for Olmert and, especially, Peretz and Labor to sit there and act like this is acceptable is disgusting.

To say that any statement made by a member of the government automatically represents the government is false; but there are certain lines that should not be crossed.

An eventful weekend

Well, I was doing a lot of work this weekend, but I did manage to do a couple of really fun things, which I will talk about in chronological order.

First, I got to go see Borat on Friday night. Of course, everyone was looking forward to this. I was wondering what sort of reception it would get. No worries. It was a bit more lowbrow than I expected (not sure why I expected it would be any more sophisticated) and while it had its moments of higher-level humor it had plenty of gross-out antics as well (more than plenty, really). I think everyone was fairly satisfied. Personally, I give it 3 of 4 stars - of course, the same as Berardinelli.

Second, I got to go to the TAMU-OU football game on Saturday in College Station. It was a close A&M loss (17-16). I did get some cool pictures which I will try to post when I get a chance (probably on Facebook first though). I guess Coach Franchione has been taking some heat all year for questionable calls and there were definitely some in this game. A&M's defense made good adjustments and was great after a tough first quarter, but the offense never came through, and Franchione made two decisions to kick field goals in the second half rather than going for it on fourth down. Had they made it once on fourth down and gone on to score a touchdown, they would have at least tied this game.