On The Syrians, Teddy Ruxpin, And Rap

They say that March goes in like a lion and out like a lamb, but the entire month has been a writing dead zone with me. The same old battles rage and the same old cliches are lobbed haphazardly. I also have no idea what the hell the lion and lamb thing means either. I thought that writing a blog could stir up debate, but just about the only debate I have generated was by posting an article by Sy Hirsch from The New Yorker on my Facebook page about the possibilities that peace between Syria and Israel could create with regard to the Arab-Israeli conflict and the ongoing standoff with Iran. The first reaction was why would we sit down with these people and have tea, which I thought was a rather British reaction. The second was a nonsensical rant about how the U.S. had to invade Iraq because it was much like a child and a parent, and that the parent’s word would not be obeyed unless it was enforced, which had nothing to do with Israel and Syria.

First I’m struck often by the argument that we cannot sit down and speak to people that we have issues with in the middle east because that would give them legitimacy. Politics and diplomacy never mix well. First off that strikes me as the hight of arrogance that simply speaking to someone gives them this holy glow about them. Ronald Reagan sat down and spoke to the Soviets when he had referred to them as “The Evil Empire.” Plus, I’m also always amazed that the conservatives treat Syria as a declared enemy of the United States. This is a country that America has normalized diplomatic relations with. They are by no means a bunch of Teddy Ruxpins as far as I’m concerned, but it’s not North Korea we’re talking about. The Syrians didn’t even make the Axis of Evil. They must have been a bubble team that went to the NIT of Evil. Also, conservatives routinely regard the UN with nothing but contempt, but suddenly it becomes the most important of world bodies politically when it came to just that one vague UN resolution with regard to Iraq.

Really though, what is the harm in talking. So they say something about your mother, we have thick skin. Obama is heading to Europe this morning and the Clinton News Network was stating that despite his popularity Europeans blame the United States for the global economic slowdown. Those around the world love the benefits of American largess when the good times are rolling, but now the bad times are all your fault. Well to hell with you and you can do without our Ipods, rap, television shows, and blue jeans and suck it.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, March 31st, 2009 at 11:11 am and is filed under History, Iraq War, Politics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.