--Today is laundry day. I will be writing this in between running up
and down the stairs to the basement to switch loads, so if the blog̢۪s
a wee bit schizo, you̢۪ll forgive me. I hope. Bone in midair. Ahem. Laundry Tip O̢۪ the Day:
For blanc de blanc whites, fill up the tub of your washer with hot
water, add one cup of powder dishwasher detergent (like Cascade or
Electrasol, but don’t buy thatâ€Â¦too freaking expensive. A generic
variant will do) to the water. Let dissolve. Add your whites and let
soak for a half hour. Spin the load out and then wash as usual. You
will find that this will get your whites whiter than if you had used
bleach. Don̢۪t know exactly why
it works, but it does. There are water softeners in dishwasher
detergent. I know this much. And I̢۪m pretty sure there̢۪s bleach,
too. Perhaps it̢۪s the combination of the two that works? I don̢۪t
really know and I don̢۪t honestly care. All I know is that the
husband̢۪s socks have lasted for two whole years since I̢۪ve been using this trick and are still
without holes. Before, when I used bleach, they lasted a yearâ€Â¦max.
Yeah, I know. Laundry tips are lame. But what do you want? Tips on how
to make a homemade nuclear bomb? I told you I was half haus frau. Haus
fraus don̢۪t get into fission. There̢۪s not enough space in the
kitchen for that sort of thing and it would undoubtedly mess up my
floor. --If pressed, I would have to admit that my favorite magazine is
“The Economist.” I first started reading this journal in college,
back in the heady days when I was in charge of the Econ/Soc Reading
Room for two hours at a time and had it at my disposal. The best way to
describe it is that it’s the British variant of “Time,” but
without the hand wringing, Chicken Little attitude, or the mediocre
reporting. Their editorials are no-nonsense and generally (in my
opinion) right on the money. And the best part is that their writers
have a wit no American has ever seen the likes of. They slap down sheer
idiocy in a tsk-tsk, school marm-y tone that would do any headmaster
proud. Perhaps their cockiness is because they̢۪ve been in business
for a hundred and sixty years ,
but I would like to think it̢۪s just because they̢۪re not going to
take crap off anyone. It̢۪s always fun to sit down and read the thing,
but I will apologize for my North American-ness, which causes me to get
the magazine only a few days before the next issue is published. I̢۪m
behind the times, of course, but it̢۪s all right with me because the
content is as juicy as a freshly rolled lime. I̢۪ll probably share a
few tidbits every now and again, but this week̢۪s issue had some
seriously good stuff. --In their “World Politics This Week”
section: "It was
reported from the State Department that if Israel persists in driving
its “security wall” deep into Palestinian territory, America will
reduce its loan guarantees by the amount Israel spends on building the
wall."
I must have missed this one in the American media. I hadn̢۪t heard a
thing about it. I don̢۪t know why I̢۪m surprised, though; the Israeli
wall is one of the most underreported stories of this year. In case you
didn̢۪t know, Sharon is building a lovely little wall right through
the heart of the West Bank with the stated purpose of stopping the
terrorists from going into Israel and suicide bombing their citizens.
The main problem the US government has with this wall is that, besides
being a major obstacle to the Road Map, is that it is cutting
Palestinians off from their jobs, their homesâ€Â¦that average, day to
day stuff you need to have a life. And it̢۪s a fair, middle of the
road position to take from the stance of a negotiator. The reason for
the wall, of course, is the security of Israel, which is their number
one reason for doing anything. And I can understand that. I really can.
Your life and limb are on the line if you live in Israel. And Israel
most assuredly has the right to exist. But a wall? This
is your best solution to the problem?
Hmmmm. When have walls worked in the history of man? Did The Great Wall
keep the mongol hordes out of China? Nope. Did Hadrian̢۪s little folly
keep the Anglos and Saxons from sweeping down into southern England? Or
for that matter, did it keep the Normans from going North? Nope.
Berlin? Nope. That sucker came down. When walls are used in this
context the message boils down to a big "SO THERE!" We can build a
wall, and you can't. We have something on the other side worthwhile
enough to want to keep you out of. "Now, go away before I taunt you a second time!"
Ah, if only Sharon could hire John Cleese to deliver his insults. Then
again, I don't think Cleese speaks either Hebrew or Arabic.
What walls do have is have a fair amount of success in creating a
bottleneck effect, forcing everyone to go through at a certain point so
they can be monitored. But does Israel really need that? Isn̢۪t travel
already restricted? Aren't there tons of checkpoints? What is the point
of restricting travel even more if it̢۪s not going to solve the
security issues? I have to think that Ariel Sharon would probably agree
with me. I don̢۪t think this wall is about making Israel more secure.
I think it̢۪s about cutting the Palestinians off even further than
they already are, and that is a monstrous mistake. The story of Israel
is a testimony to what a group of people can do when they put their
minds to it. A persecuted people start their own state in their
historic homeland and not only survive, they succeed against what even
the most optimistic of bookies would call overwhelming odds. But
somewhere along that historical line of righteousness the tide turned.
I don̢۪t know if it was Sabra and Shatila, if it was the Israeli
occupation of southern Lebanon, or if it was the fact they retaliated
at rock throwing with bullets. I would assume that it̢۪s a combination
of all those, but it̢۪s hard to put a finger on it. At some time,
though, they got a little big for their britches and I don̢۪t know if
it rings true to who they are as a country. They̢۪re brave, and this
wall is anything but. It̢۪s a bullying tactic. I say, yes, Israel has
a right to exist, but it does not have a right to make things worse
than they already are. The Exodus
romanticism of that country doesn̢۪t cut it for me anymore. It has
occurred to me recently that the Israelis and the Palestinians are so
battle hardened, so ready to jump at the opportunity to fight, that
they will pick a fight if one̢۪s not presently going on. Survival has
taken on a new meaning for both parties that I don't know that we in
the west can possibly ever understand. Even though the Intifada̢۪s
still going like gangbusters, this is what Sharon is doing. He̢۪s
picking a fight with this wall that will result in even more suicide
bombings, more support from other Muslims---whether national or just
financial---for Palestinian extracurricular activities, and ultimately,
more slain Israelis. Tell me how this wall is going to make Israel more
secure in the long run because I̢۪m just not getting it.
Only rarely has the US Government threatened to cut off financial
support for Israel, and if memory serves, I don̢۪t think it̢۪s ever
actually happened. I̢۪m fairly certain, however, this President is
different. He̢۪ll snag Israel̢۪s ATM card quicker than you can spit.
And good for him. That wall is not about making peace. It̢۪s about
making war and it̢۪s time for it to go. --Well, that will teach me to
have a big ol lead in and not follow through. You have to pay to get
premium content from The Economist. I apologize. Suffice it to say, if
you pick it up at the newsstand or chuck out the coin for the online
content, you̢۪ll find a wonderful editorial about Steven Horkulak̢۪s
lawsuit against Cantor Fitzgerald in which he scored a whopping ₤
912,000 for being cussed at; a fantastic article about how the late
Senator Wellstone̢۪s supporters are setting up politician training
camps; and a funny and introspective commentary about European vs.
American vacation times. Ah, well. Go here and drool.

--Ah, a blackout on the east coast. How fun.

Anyone want to start making bets on how many blackout babies there will be nine months from now?

--You were waiting for it, weren̢۪t you? The chuckle of the day:

I won̢۪t be watching, but if you̢۪re up for some buffoonery, this is the guy to give it you. Enjoy.

----Oh, and almost forgot. Vodkaboy has written an insightful screed about soft fascism. Way to coin a phrase there and worth checking out.

I'm off. Laundry calls.

Posted by: Kathy at 05:11 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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