It does appear, however, that it was more open and inclusive than similar decisions made under the past administration. That is good!!

I don't agree with the decision to surge the troops. We need to get out of the game. I'm not sure we need to even be trying to referee the game.

My personal opinion is that it is a losing game. It's like getting involved in some one else's family fight. The family will cooperate long enough to kick your rear and then resume their own fight. When the family feud is over, if you were backing the losing side, you are vulnerable to revenge by the winning side. And, with a culture like we are dealing with in the Middle East, that means serious punishment. It also means that the losing members of the family will be waiting in the shadows for a chance to prove they were not happy about the outcome. They will strike at the easiest target.

Either get in or get out! We are like a cat playing with a mouse. While we play another nest hatches. I have observed from experience that you can’t keep enough cats involved to rid an area of a serious infestation of rodents. You have to clean up the area and remove or destroy the habitat that is conducive to the rodents life style.

Whoa now! I’m not calling those people rodents! I’m only using that as an illustration. The culture and attitude of the people in that area has got to change.

That area is inhabited by ethnic groups that have maintained their identity, almost, from the beginning of recorded history. Family inheritance and religious blessing seems to be when the feud began. Property rights and religion has kept that feud alive for all these centuries. One of our EverydayCitizen writers suggested we had to forget history. That won’t happen.

How then do we change the environment and culture (remove or destroy the habitat) of that area?

First of all, you’ve got to convince them that the value of the original inheritance has long ceased to be significant. Due to circumstances beyond any of their individual control, those property rights have been lost, regained, traded, etc. over and over. The establishment of the present day Nation of Israel is an example of that. The Jews (Israelis) nor the Palestinians had the power to make it happen nor to prevent it from happening. Modern history is full of examples of colonial attempts of foreign nations to extract wealth from the area. Is it any wonder they are all suspicious of outside interference.

It would be great if reparation for lost properties could be made. But, who is responsible to pay and who determines the value? It would take more than the wisdom of Solomon to settle that dispute. I guess the only solution might be; possession is nine tenths of the law and forget the other tenth. We have to start somewhere.

The religious battles have been waged by the radical extremists and outside forces, with ulterior motives to satisfy greed for both economic and political power. Those religious battles are still very much evident at the present time. Those battles will not cease until they, themselves, guarantee absolute religious freedom of the individual to practice their choice of religion, only so long as it doesn’t physically interfere with someone else’s health or freedom. Jihad and resumption of the Crusades is not acceptable.

Incidentally, we need to be very jealous of the freedom of religion guaranteed by our own constitution. That guarantee is being attacked and eroded by both Christian and Non Christian elements of our society. We need to be protective of our freedom of speech. We can’t allow the voice of wealth to drown out the voice of poverty (recent Supreme Court ruling).

I’m not Solomon. I don’t have the magic answer. Do you?