Not only are there too many motivating factors for violence to categorize "religion" as the main one, but violence is also difficult to compare across large groups. The "new atheists" blame Islam for causing violence, yet I haven't seen any good evidence that Muslims are more violent. Should we count deaths in conflict, and if so, only those of the initiator of the conflict (both sides will always blame the other, of course)? What about crime? What about torture and threats by governments, when do they cross over into violence? I don't think there's a good measure for violence.
Curious you don't mention smashing Israel's rivals as a substantial motive for the invasion of Iraq and current sanctions plus enmity towards Iran. From that standpoint, the U.S. interventions have been incredibly successful. Other than that, it's a great rant. The interventions have done nothing to protect U.S. people or U.S. interests but rather done more to hurt us, and with lets say at least a million dead and untold misery, have caused incredible harm to the people of the region. Who I think will remember for a long time.
Plenty of UC courses espouse a pro-Israel one-sided perspective. The "suspension" of the course was itself a one-sided pro-Israel political act. UC should begin requiring the Palestinian perspective for balance on any course having anything to do with Israel, and not the "Palestinian-perspective-as-told-by-Zionists" like this one http://www.decal.org/courses/4218
I'm not sure why you think a country like Israel that bans most of its native people (Palestinian Arabs) from life or citizenship within its borders, because of their religion, is aligned with American values. Or one that forbids democratic vote in the administration that rules them for 1/3 the people under its rule, and has done so for the large majority of its existence. I hate to believe that religious discrimination, ethnic cleansing or murder based on ethnicity are American values.
The motive of ISIS and Palestinian youth aren't at all similar. If the victims of ISIS fought back with suicide bombs I would applaud them, of course, unlike Israel ISIS doesn't have much in the way of civilian targets. In the sense that Zionists seek to rid Israel of people of the "wrong" faith, and because they've used mass murder and terror to impose their political reign and rid Israel of people of the unwanted ethnicity, and has even been known to ban Jews of the "wrong" political persuasion from entry, it's Zionism that should be compared to the ISIS ideology.
I think they should indite all the settlers too - and the punishment should be a fine at least equal to the value of their homes per year, something sufficient to discourage the activity.
As for punishing the Palestinians for the move, well, perhaps it's a war crime to withhold their own tax funds too.
Sadly, Nimoy's summary of the Palestine/Israel conflict is mythical. They haven't been fighting for 1000s of years, just 100. They know why they're fighting, Israel is fighting for ethnic purity and Jewish supremacy within historic Palestine, Palestinians are fighting to end a brutal occupation and Israel's confiscation of territory and resources that belongs to the Palestinians. Since the 1930s, Palestinians have demanded equal rights regardless of creed, earlier Zionists refused it because they couldn't establish a Jewish state if the people had equal rights and democracy, Zionists lately have insisted the demand for equal rights is equivalent to advocating the destruction of Israel.
Nimoy is right on one thing, an alien visitor wouldn't be able to tell the difference between the varieties of human beings in the conflict. Why does one type (Israeli zionist) insist that Jews should be privileged over the Palestinians?
Not only are there too many motivating factors for violence to categorize "religion" as the main one, but violence is also difficult to compare across large groups. The "new atheists" blame Islam for causing violence, yet I haven't seen any good evidence that Muslims are more violent. Should we count deaths in conflict, and if so, only those of the initiator of the conflict (both sides will always blame the other, of course)? What about crime? What about torture and threats by governments, when do they cross over into violence? I don't think there's a good measure for violence.
Curious you don't mention smashing Israel's rivals as a substantial motive for the invasion of Iraq and current sanctions plus enmity towards Iran. From that standpoint, the U.S. interventions have been incredibly successful. Other than that, it's a great rant. The interventions have done nothing to protect U.S. people or U.S. interests but rather done more to hurt us, and with lets say at least a million dead and untold misery, have caused incredible harm to the people of the region. Who I think will remember for a long time.
Plenty of UC courses espouse a pro-Israel one-sided perspective. The "suspension" of the course was itself a one-sided pro-Israel political act. UC should begin requiring the Palestinian perspective for balance on any course having anything to do with Israel, and not the "Palestinian-perspective-as-told-by-Zionists" like this one http://www.decal.org/courses/4218
I'm not sure why you think a country like Israel that bans most of its native people (Palestinian Arabs) from life or citizenship within its borders, because of their religion, is aligned with American values. Or one that forbids democratic vote in the administration that rules them for 1/3 the people under its rule, and has done so for the large majority of its existence. I hate to believe that religious discrimination, ethnic cleansing or murder based on ethnicity are American values.
Can we find out what YouTube/Google think they agreed to, and protest any attempt to censor?
The motive of ISIS and Palestinian youth aren't at all similar. If the victims of ISIS fought back with suicide bombs I would applaud them, of course, unlike Israel ISIS doesn't have much in the way of civilian targets. In the sense that Zionists seek to rid Israel of people of the "wrong" faith, and because they've used mass murder and terror to impose their political reign and rid Israel of people of the unwanted ethnicity, and has even been known to ban Jews of the "wrong" political persuasion from entry, it's Zionism that should be compared to the ISIS ideology.
I think they should indite all the settlers too - and the punishment should be a fine at least equal to the value of their homes per year, something sufficient to discourage the activity.
As for punishing the Palestinians for the move, well, perhaps it's a war crime to withhold their own tax funds too.
Simply and clearly stated
Sadly, Nimoy's summary of the Palestine/Israel conflict is mythical. They haven't been fighting for 1000s of years, just 100. They know why they're fighting, Israel is fighting for ethnic purity and Jewish supremacy within historic Palestine, Palestinians are fighting to end a brutal occupation and Israel's confiscation of territory and resources that belongs to the Palestinians. Since the 1930s, Palestinians have demanded equal rights regardless of creed, earlier Zionists refused it because they couldn't establish a Jewish state if the people had equal rights and democracy, Zionists lately have insisted the demand for equal rights is equivalent to advocating the destruction of Israel.
Nimoy is right on one thing, an alien visitor wouldn't be able to tell the difference between the varieties of human beings in the conflict. Why does one type (Israeli zionist) insist that Jews should be privileged over the Palestinians?