Sam's L33t Journal

I'll have time to talk about more prosaic things on the home front eventually, maybe, but to add to this year's parade of horrors, Israel is now at war, kicked off by Hamas launching a brutal series of cross-border terrorist attacks. It's been appalling to see some nominally-liberal people completely lose the plot with this, to the extent that they ever had it. Hamas are a bunch of nihilistic monsters. There's a difference between recognizing that injustice and desperation are conditions that bring out the worst in people (and help the already-worst people rise to prominence and power) and thinking that the worst in people is actually somehow good. Some means are never justified, and "ends justifies the means" arguments also require that the ends be both good and achievable. Hamas aren't going to accomplish any larger geopolitical end, and it would be terrible if they did.

I'm terrified that Israel is heading towards ends that are similarly genocidal. (Reports that the Netenyahu government actively bolstered Hamas and dismissed warnings about the current attack increase my fears that they are also willing or even hoping to have the situation tumble over some sort of precipice.) Hopes of a two-state solution seem dead, there's only so much de facto control someone can have over a territory before you start to seriously damage your ability to comprehend the situation by denying that de facto sovereignty, even if you were trying to hold space for some once-potential future.

Israel (the world, but especially Israel) has a powerful need to change the circumstances of the people in Gaza and the West Bank. As powerful, perhaps, as the Palestinians' need to change their own circumstances. Enacting that change through mass displacement or mass murder is simply not acceptable. Expecting that the status quo can be maintained while things get worse forever is not reasonable. It's too important to be about whose need is greater or who is more responsible. It's too important not to put the burden on whoever can get it done. Which includes Israel, if anyone. It sure seems like a task where having a functioning economy, an actual military, and pluralistic, democratic political institutions (to the extent that it does and can keep them) would help.

Then again, maybe no one is up to the task. It's easy to succumb to despair.

There is a powerful need in the world for justice and peace. You can't have the former without the latter. Good luck getting the latter without the former. An attitude of "we'll have peace after one last settling of scores" won't get it. There is some sense in which the wrongs of the past can never be righted, the past is immutable. At best you can right the wrongs of the present, a task that needs grounding in historical context but is not the same as turning back the clock.

Still, modern history does have its share of cases where vicious, hateful conflicts somehow managed to end. It's not impossible. It's maybe not impossible.

Today, Wikileaks released a video of US military massacring over a dozen unarmed civilians in Bagdhad, including two Reuters journalists and civilians trying to evacuate the wounded, injuring some civilian children in the process. The attack occurred on July 12, 2007. After the attack, the US government falsely claimed that the journalists were killed in the midst of combat, but the cameras were confiscated and the government refused to release their own video despite FOIA requests from Reuters. The encrypted video (along with substantiating documents) were given to Wikileaks by an anonymous source or sources within the military, the encryption was cracked through brute force (apparently).

Yesterday, a Chinese ship ran aground on the Great Barrier Reef. The ship is carrying hundreds of 65,000 tons of coal and 300,000 gallons of fuel oil. So far, no major spills, but salvage crews are still worried that the ship might break apart.

Also yesterday, a major earthquake hit Mexicali, Mexico. This is quite a year for earthquakes, evidently.

Unfortunately, that last post isn't all that's been on my mind lately. The news has been rather depressing (and/or alarming):

On Monday, a woman was crushed by a three-ton piece of falling concrete in one of the Big Dig road tunnels. Investigators have since found that the tunnel is totally falling apart.

Yesterday, 174 people were killed and 464 injured in a series of bomb attacks on trains in Mumbai.

Today, Israel attacked Lebanon in retaliation for the kidnapping of Israeli soldiers by Hizbullah guerrillas (backed by Iran). Israel struck hundreds of targets (including the Beirut airport). They've mobilized their reserves in preparation for an attack, and claimed that the terrorists plan to move their hostages to Iran. Sploid has an excellent summary of these events (complete with tinfoil-hattery), cheerily titled World War III.

The price of oil is currently $79.99 a barrel (it hit a peak of $78.35 today).

I took today off work because I'm currently limited to 20 hrs. a week, even though I would rather work a 25-30 hr. schedule. With any luck, I'll be able to get increased hours next week.

Anime club was fun.

A few items of news to share: Apparently, Ohio Republicans lost $10M from the Workers' Compensation fund when they invested the money in rare coins. alternet has an article on the Downing Street Minutes. And, speaking of GOP corruption, a House subcommittee just passed a proposal that would devastate public broadcasting by substantially cutting its funding.