Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/358511
TheareaofmodernIsraelisabouthalfthe size ofCosta Rica, and is located roughly on the site of theancient kingdoms of Israel and Judahexcept that these ancient kingdoms also included what is now theWest Bank. It is the birthplace of the Abrahamic religions and contains sites sacred to Judaism, Chris- tianity, Islam, Druze andBahá'í Faith. Althoughcomingun- der the sway of vari- ous empires and home to a variety of ethnic- ities, the area of an- cient Israel was pre- dominantly Jewish un- til the Jewish—Roman wars after which Jews became a minority in most regions, except Gali- lee. The area became increas- ingly Christian after the 3rd century and then largely Mus- lim from the 7th century con- quest until well past the mid- dle of the 20th century. It was a focal point of conflict be- tween Christianity and Is- lam between 1096 and 1291, and from the end of the Cru- sades until the British con- quest in 1917 was part of the Syrian province of first the Mamluk Sultanate of Egypt and then (from 1517) the Ottoman Empire. In the late-19th century, persecution of Jews, particu- larly in Europe, led to the cre- ation of the Zionist movement. Following the British conquest of Syria, the Balfour Declara- tion in World War I and the formation of the Mandate of Palestine, Jewish immigration to the Land of Israel increased and gave rise to Arab—Jew- ish tensions, and a collision of the Arab and Jewish na- tionalist movements. Israeli independence in 1948 was marked by massive migration of Jews from both Europe and the Muslim countries to Israel, and of Arabs from Israel lead- ing to the extensive Arab—Is- raeli conflict. Today about 42% of the world's Jews live in Israel. Since about 1970, the United States has become the prin- cipal ally of Israel and in 1979 the Egypt—Israel Peace Treaty was signed based on the Camp David Accords ne- gotiated by Jimmy Carter. In 1993 Israel signed Oslo I Ac- cord with the Palestine Lib- eration Organization and in 1994 the Israel—Jordan Treaty of Peace was signed. Unfortu- nately despite efforts to estab- lish peace between Israel and Palestinians, many of whom live in Israel or in Israeli-occu- pied territories, conflict con- tinues to this day. Palestinians in the Gaza strip adjoining Israel, Egypt and the Mediterranean have been subjected to a crushing blockade of their borders by Is- rael for the past seven years along with severe restrictions on travel to and through Israel. This has left the residents impov- erished and isolated in what many consider an open air prison subject to the whims of those that persecute them. It is no wonder that tunnels are constructed to break the blockade or that a terrorist or- ganization called Hamas has emerged to strike back with hopes of destroying their op- pressors. Few question the right of Israel to protect its citizens but when is enough enough? More than 1,500 civilians have been killed by Israel, count- less women and children have been injured and entire com- munities have been decimated. The only power plant has been destroyed plunging all of Gaza in darkness, and disabling power for refrigeration, hospi- tals and humanitarian relief. Israel even justifies the bomb- ing of civilian enclaves oper- ated by the United Nations al- though provided with coordi- nates over 30 times justifying such action by claiming that rockets were fired or stored there or nearby. Yes Israel has the right to defend itself but it does not have the moral right to en- danger civilians. The car- nage they are unleashing is contemptible because with our help they have the tech- nology to effectively neutral- ize rocket attacks and have the ability to be more pre- cise in their offensive attacks. In light of their cavalier and horrendous murder of women and children the United States should pull the plug on our ally, force them to the negotiating table, and divert the $750 we give annually to every Israeli citizen to ease the suffering of the perse- cuted citizens of Gaza. Doing all this on the condition that Hamas cease their attacks might just provide a bulwark for peace and help restore re- spect for U.S. foreign policy. Indeed the only lasting so- lution to this carnage is to cease fire and craft programs and policies that ease suffer- ing, end persecution, and help rebuild what has been de- stroyed. Israel has such tre- mendous potential to do good with support from peace lov- ing nations that is damna- ble that those once persecuted now use their Jewish home- land to continue a pathos of persecution. RichardMazzucchiisare- tired research engineer spe- cializing in energy efficiency and renewable energy. He has travelled extensively and now makes his home in Los Molinos, where he is striv- ing to manifest a sustainable and spiritual lifestyle and op- erate a barbecue equipment and supply business. He can be reached at living-green@ att.net. Positivepoint A pathos of persecution plagues Israel Cartoonist's take Late arriving Tea Party Patri- ots meeting note: Bob Martin fills us in on the Eureka to Gerber rail- road, the dog park and Lake Red Bluff. Sometimes you can find a place while trav- eling—specifically camping—that lends it- self to an almost unreal detach- ment from the woes of modern life and strife. Camping is, for many, the ideal means for qual- ity, low stress family together- ness. For us—our motorhome parked in the prettiest spot available, with fresh water and refuse tanks allowing for weeks of campsite enjoyment—it's rec- reation unlike either skiing or relaxing at home. Setting aside the routines of work, school, social and enter- tainment habits is a great way to really step out of life's de- mands and focus on the basics. Campfires and stoves churn out food tasting better because it's outdoors; hiking on tree-lined trails rewards you with views; venturing out on the water in crafts of all sizes and designs gives the timeless challenge of enticing one of those fin-bear- ing creatures onto a hook and thence a fry pan. Limited (or even nonexis- tent) Internet access, spotty cell phone coverage, and marginal radio reception remind us that the nation's foolishness and the world's tragedies carry on. Hence, book reading or listen- ing become day-passing preoc- cupations. Currently, a lake at 6,300 feet with highs in the 70s helps us to figure out how to avoid an unpleasant return to a 100+ de- gree outdoor furnace. Much that I've observed is inspira- tional; seeing families recre- ate outdoors together, with chil- dren and kids of various ages acting out their God-given, in- nocent natures, restores my faith in American values and culture. Remember when turning kids loose in the summer was, with little trepidation, standard procedure? They/we would play, bike, run and live out fantasies, knowing when and where lunch was. In the case of "families en- joying East Lake" (one of two alpine lakes in the Newberry Caldera Na- tional Volcanic Monu- ment), some vignettes beg recounting: Give kids some life vests and a variety of hard and in- flatable floating toys, and their playful industriousness takes over. They'll easily pad- dle, even with hands; a small kayak, turned over, becomes a hull to sit on. The smooth gravelly shore begs to be kicked, thrown, piled up, mixed with water or just run upon with little bare feet. A rope, a floating log and yards of shore can turn into hours of fun. A camp road might be- come an "art walk" with chalk etchings overnight. Combining kids, worms, poles and water clear enough to see the "fishies" down there produces some surefire, nearly- endless activity for them, and entertainment for those observ- ing the passing scene. One time I was napping and heard a big splash, opened my eyes to hear a boy yell "A fish" and watch him pull in what appeared to be a good sized one. This 18-incher turned out to be, when I asked him later, not only the biggest one on this trip but the biggest in his short life. After that, I called Leon (his name) "the mighty fisherman" to his delight. (Within an hour there were five little fishers at that obvious "hot spot" until boredom sent them to other di- versions.) Another young girl, tak- ing her turn with her dad fish- ing from a canoe, hauled in a 12-incher; she proudly beamed that it was the first fish she ever caught. Overheard from one group was the exclamation "Look, there's only half a worm" (and it won't be the last one that gets away). A major source of…inspira- tion maybe…is seeing extended families of grandparents, broth- ers, sisters, parents, cousins all behaving in a warm, inter- active, loving manner. They're all just visiting and having fun without any self-created soap operas or strife (with occa- sional exceptions). The kids— from 2- and 3-year-old munch- kins to preteens—are mostly playing together, rarely stop, and are, physically, the spindly, non-bloated creatures I remem- ber from my childhood. For all of the government's efforts to fight obesity, these kids seem to have found answers in the out- doors: playing, fishing and rid- ing bikes and scooters all day. Just sayin'. As wild fires plague Califor- nia and Oregon, a news report and interview on Lars Larsen's radio show gave perspective to the efforts to tie all things nat- ural to global warming/climate change, etc. Some Oregon of- ficial pronounced, at a news event, that the fire season is "60 to 80 days longer" due, of coarse, to climate change/dis- ruption/whatever. Larson interviewed a long- tenured professor of forest stud- ies who, together with col- leagues, had studied literally decades of growth and fire pat- terns; they had made rather specific predictions for the places and years that were most likely to experience conflagra- tions (predictions proven accu- rate). They researched, recorded and analyzed overstocked for- ests, due to decades of fire sup- pression and opposition to log- ging, and concluded that when lightning strikes find an abun- dance of fuel, modest, localized fires inevitably become mas- sive, nearly unstoppable confla- grations. I was reminded, on a plaque at a Newberry Caldera overlook, that native tribes thinned the forests by starting fires to cre- ate open meadow for their food source, deer. The anti-logging fanatics have promulgated forest pol- icy so adverse to healthy forests that they have created these wildfire catastrophes. And that longer fire season? The profes- sor has documented that there has been no discernible length- ening of the fire season for 200 years, warming alarmism aside. Don Polson has called Red Bluff home since 1988. He can be reached by e-mail at donplsn@ yahoo.com. The way I see it Campsite journal; fire season and global warming alarmism Yes Israel has the right to defend itself but it does not have the moral right to endanger civilians. The carnage they are unleashing is contemptible because with our help they have the technology to effectively neutralize rocket attacks and have the ability to be more precise in their offensive attacks. Sounding off Alookatwhatreadersaresayingincommentsonourwebsiteandonsocialmedia. Iamsohappytohearthatalotofpeopleare getting help from this agency, so kudos to those who operate this agency and thanks for being so kind. Jane Ruggiero: On Community Action Partnership's recent Day of Service event Another classic waste of Red Bluff money. Suggest you idiots fix the streets around the city and county buildings so 4-wheel drive is not needed when in the area. Alfred Cushman: On progress of replacing the boat launch facility at River Park. Greg Stevens, Publisher Chip Thompson, Editor EDITORIAL BOARD How to have your say: Letters must be signed and provide the writer's home street address and home phone number. Anonymous letters, open letters to others, pen names and petition-style letters will not be allowed. Letters should be typed and no more than two double-spaced pages or 500words. When several letters address the same issue, a cross section will be published. 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