A New Middle East

Wasn't that what Condi said? A new Middle East. Made in whose image?

I love history. I especially enjoy learning about the days when we didn't need passports and border guards. My grandparents were from Greece but my grandfather looked quite oriental. A Chinese or Mongolian traveler must have made a stop in Greece centuries ago. At one time it was possible for ethnic groups to intermingle easily, without talk about visas and immigrant problems.

At one time, too, it was possible for a nation to establish it's own boundaries. Of course, another nation could come along and challenge those boundaries--this happened often--but then the conflict was generally restricted to those two nations. And war was fought one-on-one. No impersonal killing through bombs and landmines.

I am sick of all this international meddling. Each nation's sovereignty must be respected. Or if not, there must be a fair fight. Not a super power ganging up on a much smaller country--one which has been starved into weakness, in the case of Iraq--and not a super power which is in the process of pressuring other countries to join in--as in the case of Lebanon.

Muslims fight. But Islam teaches a fair fight. No civilian deaths. No unnecessary destruction of property. No killing by fire, chemicals, biological weapons, etc. Which is why the propaganda of Muslims waging a war with nuclear and other unconventional weapons is ridiculous. No practicing Muslim would do such a thing. I can't vouch for those who are Muslim in name only.

We must respect "self-determination." Each civilization has the right to choose it's own government. If Palestinians elect Hamas and Lebanon chooses members of Hezbullah, that's democracy. Trying to overthrow a democratically elected government is tyranny.