I'm harping on David Brooks's column about his twelfth trip to Israel because Brooks is such an important voice. A wonderful writer, a wonderful presence on television. Very sharp and reasonable about Obama. But completely opaque about his religious investment, which surely played a role in his support for the Iraq war. Let alone in his sociological/religious observations in Bobos (a delightful book that paddles the WASPs but tugs nary a hair on Jews' chinny chin chins).
Last paragraph of his column the other day:
This conflict will go on for a generation or more. Israelis will keep up their insufferable and necessary barrage of self-assertion. And yet we still dream of peace and the day when I am standing in line at an Israeli cash register and an Israeli shopper sees a chance to butt in front of me, and — miracle of miracles — she will not try to take it.
Who's we?
Good for you, Phil. Keep chipping away at this.
I liked the Brooks article.
Phil,
You don't dream of peace? What do you dream of?
Please don't hide from this one.
Come out.
perhaps his dreams are for justice first and foremost.
Peace but not peace at any price.
I dream about not having my religion and to some extent, culture mixed up in a brutal colonial settler project. One that is doomed to fail, a Jewish Rhodesia.
I dream of a day when a Jewish-American Zionist media presence has an opportunity to insert a hasbara talking point in one of his columns, and miracle of miracles, he doesn't take it.
The "we" means "we Israelis." There is no other way to read he paragraph.
The triumph of Zionism. This tweedy American, who doesn't "look" Jewish or carry a Jewish name, as American as Bush, Obama or Lou Gehrig, sees himelf as an Israeli. Brilliant!
"Who's we"
Obviously, Brooks thinks of himself as a Jewish housewife. Maybe we should start calling him "Frumah David".
Phil, it's okay. You don't have to feel threatened by Israel or Israelis. Nobody is demanding or even asking that you join us here. In fact, I don't think we really want you here. You should be a malcontent right where you are.
And it's not about religion; at least any more than, say, the PA Draft Constitution or Hamas Covenant which both speak about Islam as being the official religion of Palestine and of the land of Palestine belonging to the Muslim waqf.
Oh, BTW, the Zionists drempt of "peace"? You can dis-abuse yourself of that notion right away.
http://lawrenceofcyberia.blogs.com/news/2009/01/a-land-without-a-people.html
Wow, Phil found a Zionist who lies without swearing, and he's smitten.
"And it's not about religion; at least any more than, say, the PA Draft Constitution or Hamas Covenant which both speak about Islam as being the official religion of Palestine and of the land of Palestine belonging to the Muslim waqf."
JES
Oh, stop complaining, JES, you are right were you want to be, fighting for the "Holy Land". You didn't know Islam could be a politically unifying and disciplining force when you got there?
I guess the Zionists just figured they could do what the British couldn't. Ooh- maybe that's why the Zionists kicked the British out.
RE: "Who's we?"
MY REPLY: Why, us Amerisraelis…of course!
A FEW SELECTED COMMENTS from "The Times" (U.K.) article titled "Israel stands ready to bomb Iran's nuclear sites", 04-18-09:
You Go Israel I am praying for your leaders and for the people of Israel. God Loves his people the Jews and he is the reason we live and have our being. I pray each day for God to protect you and give you Victory. Please know Christian Americans will stand with you all the way.
- SHIRLEY, jamestown, United States
G*d bless and keep you , isreal.
Our prayers are with you.
if G*d is with you, who could be against you.
My prayer for you, for wisdom, strength, and courage.
- Walker, Middletown, USA
Like many Americans, excluding perhaps the current administration, I am praying for Israel's safety and success. Although most Israelis are not believers in the one true God, He believes in them and has made promises that He will bring about. Thousands of fulfilled Biblical prophecies attest to it.
- Cynthia Moak, San Antonio, USA
ARTICLE AND COMMENTS – link to timesonline.co.uk
/>
PS.-
“Gog and Magog are at work in the Middle East"
FROM THE ARTICLE "When God Spoke to Me": …..During those private interviews, Jacque Chirac had purportedly confessed to the journalist some personal remarks regarding the faith of George W. Bush that seemed quite daunting. He told the journalist that the latter called him twice beseeching him basically, in the name of their common “spiritual faith”, i.e., “Christianity”, to join the collective effort of the coalition being formed to wage a preemptive war against Iraq. In his first telephonic call he reportedly said to Jacque Chirac: “Gog and Magog are at work in the Middle East” and then added that “the biblical prophecies are being fulfilled”…..
ENTIRE ARTICLE -
link to palestinechronicle.com
/>
This is something I noticed back in college (circa 1983) about the members of Hillel: When they talked about Israel, they referred to its people as "we," even if they themselves, as individuals, had never been within 10,000 miles of Tel Aviv. Even other Jewish students I knew found this behavior sort of bizarre.
Mooser: "Obviously, Brooks thinks of himself as a Jewish housewife"
I wonder if Brooks doesn't have something going on the side in Israel, given how often he visits there, and his grocery store pique when he goes. Someone who makes him dress up in makeup and panty-hose, and later, go down to the market to pick up the man of the twosome some meat and potatoes, where he gets into scrums with other Jewish housewives.
I was a bit taken aback by the claim that Brooks is such an important voice since I took dismissed the man shortly after he started on the Times. It took me much longer to hm, get over Friedman. I'll give Brooks another chance.
"Someone who makes him dress up in makeup and panty-hose…"
Brooks couldn't run a glat Kosher kitchen if his life depended on it.
"I'll give Brooks another chance."
Now that you know he's a transvestite American Israel-firster?
Sounds good to me.
Mooser, since I hear that I miscategorized Brooks as some rightwing featherweight.
good heavens, Witty writes:
"Phil,
You don't dream of peace? What do you dream of?
Please don't hide from this one.
Come out."
Frankly I think that Mr Richard Witty could misread a menu.
"Today, Israel is stuck in a period of frustrating stasis. Iran poses an existential threat that is too big for Israel to deal with alone. Hamas and Hezbollah will frustrate peace plans, even if the Israelis magically do everything right.
This conflict will go on for a generation or more. Israelis will keep up their insufferable and necessary barrage of self-assertion. And yet we still dream of peace and the day when I am standing in line at an Israeli cash register and an Israeli shopper sees a chance to butt in front of me, and — miracle of miracles — she will not try to take it."
What sort of Jewish pride is this? And what do the selected Christian comments by DICKERSON3870 represent? Compare the egos.
What would Jesus do when in line at an Israeli cash register?
Is it one thing to watch the Seinfeld reruns, and another to live any episode in real life?
Would you want such people as your neighbors? How about in a foxhole next to you?
When's the last time you saw a hillbilly show where your hero butted in front of you in the cash register line?
If that was the show, the hillbilly would be standing in line for hours when the jew waltzed up and, talking fast, slipped ahead–and was out of there before the dumb hillbilly put 2 & 2 together. The end-timers would all laugh, thinking they knew better as they were the chosen ones.
Then they'd step out of their trailer, walk past their pink flamingo, and take a deep breath of good fresh air. Tomorrow, they'd go to the US Army recruiting station.
Good for them.
Nothing like useful fools.
"…and an Israeli shopper sees a chance to butt in front of me, and — miracle of miracles — she will not try to take it. "
Growing up in Chicago, this was an experience my pleasant and caring German neighbors always got pissed about–somebody doing this sort of thing while they waited patiently in line…. the intense change that came over their usual jovial way was a sight to behold.
What does this mean?
This difference in psychology?
"This conflict will go on for a generation or more. Israelis will keep up their insufferable and necessary barrage of self-assertion. And yet we still dream of peace and the day when I am standing in line at an Israeli cash register and an Israeli shopper sees a chance to butt in front of me, and — miracle of miracles — she will not try to take it."
Insufferable, yes. Necessary?
That's certainly debatable. To say the least.
Is it cute?
Or despicable?
I've known those who think each–they are cookie cutter types in this sense. You guess who is who.
I haven't read Brooks regularly for a long time, but I've always been struck by the fact that I can never explain what any of his pieces are actually about, even immediately after reading one.
He is very good at creating an illusion of profound insight with clever phrasing and stereotyping, yet he never defines or develops his ideas in any systematic way.
I think Brooks is a good example of a decent mind destroyed by a lifetime spent in the east coast intellectual echo chamber.
I'm somewhat astounded by Weiss's encomium to Brooks. Weiss does happen to be a capable writer. Brooks is a purveyor of equal parts cliche, dreck, non-sense, sanitized right-wing ideology, psycho-babble, and low-brow meaninglessness. He's a complete fool.
"Very Sharp"? A "wonderful writer"?
Serious??
Jewbonics
I second maxa as to the clumsy and dreadful Brooks.
Spinoza, he aint.