Madness

The World Is Ugly.

And The People Are Sad.

I cannot believe the sorry state of affairs around the world today. It is just sickening.

My uncle and his family live in Mumbai (Bombay to me), but thankfully none of them were harmed in the bombings. However, that train line was the line my uncle takes to work. Fortunately he did not have to go in that day.

The Middle East situation is just so terrible. I have friends from Lebanon, and I know they are just beside themselves with worry and concern for their friends and family. I imagine that there is much worry and concern on the part of those with friends and family in northern area of Israel that sits in harm's way of Hizbullah's attacks.

The Israeli-Arab conflict is one that inspires many conflicting feelings for me, but I think Billmon summed it all best when he wrote this:

I've felt many emotions about the Israelis before. I've admired them for their accomplishments -- building a flourishing state out of almost nothing. I've hated them for their systematic dispossession of the Palestinians -- even as they smugly congratulated themselves for being the Middle East's only "democracy." I've pitied them for the cruel fate history inflicted on the Jewish diaspora, respected them for their boldness and daring, honored them for their cultural and intellectual achievements . . . .

He goes on to describe how he now feels contempt. Now this was July 27th, 3 days before Qana II. I can only imagine how he feels today.

I'm not the expert he is on these matters (frankly, I'm not an expert at all), but I cannot watch what is going on without feeling despair. I never thought I would pine for the days of Bill Clinton's faux even-handedness, but that would be a WELCOME relief to President Frat Boy's bemused disengagement.

Since all this news is so depressing, I was going to end this with a picture of what I think Paradise looks like, but I can't get Blogger, or my computer or both to work properly. Maybe tomorrow.