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Why Israel? ...,
One More Crusade ...,
Greetings from Pam Schuffert, daughter of Jake Schuffert/shot over Yugoslavia ...,
"Serbia's Secret War" (2 letters) ...,
Vagabond ...,
"Who Are Our Friends? ...,
The Future of the Jewish People ...,
Ad Memoriam ...,
Drinking the Sea of Terror ...,
Israel's Rendezvous with History ...,
How Many Jews ... ...,
Crime and Punishment ...
Dear William,
First of all Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and lots of inspiration and stamina for your Vagabond Pages!
I just saw Osama bin Laden's recent tape on TV where he says that the attack on the Trade Center was to stop U.S. support of Israel. Why, among all the conflicts between the U.S. and the Muslim world, is Israel the most important of all? Israel is only one of many issues. There are still great tensions about Saudi Arabia and the Emirates, strong crises concerning Iraq and Libya, Iran to a lesser extent perhaps. So even if Israel were not an issue that wouldn't necessarily mean peace between the U.S. and the Muslim world.
Apart from Israel most of the disagreements between the U.S. and the Muslim world are of long standing. U.S. patronage of decadent Emirates and Saudi regimes is an old story. The war against Iraq is a chronic result of the war started by Iraq. The Ayatollahs' regime in Iran was a reaction to American patronage of another decadent regime, the Shah's. The world has gotten used to those chronic conflicts in the sense that sooner or later they will be resolved; but it can wait. So, they are not necessarily a source of sharp terrorist outbursts.
Now, look at Israel's situation in regards to the Arab world: Israel conquered Sinai in war and as a result of negotiating for peace, gave it back to Egypt. Israel conquered the Golan Heights in a war and it remains a potential topic for future peace negotiations with Syria. Israel conquered Southern Lebanon in a war and gave it back in trade for a cease-fire. Israel made peace with Jordan giving nothing in exchange. Still the territories conquered previously by Jordan remain now for Israel as a token for negotiations with the Palestinians.
The only open ulcer that remains between Israel and the Arab and Muslim world is the crumbs of territory taken from Palestinians by Israeli settlers. Why does this handful of land with a handful of settlers cause more uproar than conflicts that mobilize countries and wealth on a global scale? This shows us that history is not the first result of clear-cut problems but those clear-cut problems are preceded by small ones, like skirmishes preceded old time battles. The most important is sometimes hidden by the least important which may be a result of subtle psychological pressures and a war of influences delaying the outcome of more urgent problems. The difference between tiny scraps of Palestinian territories grabbed by settlers and big territories like Sinai or the Golan Heights is that Israel conquered those territories in war so they remained a token of negotiation for peace. The Israeli settlers entered Palestinian territories and built their settlements not as the result of war but as a result of -- peace! After the agreement in Oslo that determined the borders of Palestinian territory, the settlers, exploiting the fact that nobody was there to stop them, simply hijacked whatever they wanted. A slap in the face to the meaning of peace agreement for the Palestinian authorities and the whole world. Here, no negotiation is possible because there was no war, it is like negotiating with robbers who enter your house and then flatly refuse to go away. So, from all the most important and crucial issues that face the world, the tiny one -- that of the Israeli settlers -- must be resolved first. It will create a remarkably relaxing atmosphere, a prelude to future more important negotiations on a wider scale. I read somewhere, maybe in Vagabond, about the Chinese philosopher who said that fluttering of wings in one part of the world can change history in another part of the world. The Chinese wisdom that speaks about hidden psychological connections deserves to be considered; this little concession to justice may bring remarkable changes in human relations far beyond the Gaza strip.
Bigner Brown
bignerb@yahoo.com
Dear Mr. Markiewicz,
I find this line in your recent article quite confusing: "and respect commerce of equal to equal between the oil producing and oil purchasing countries." What do you mean by this?
It was a glitch. I had decided not to develop the topic and forgot to eliminate the line. Sorry about that. WM
I was fascinated to find your website and article mentioning my father, Jake Schuffert, shot down over Yugoslavia and rescued by Chetniks...which he was. I am also angry over UN/NATO/PfP activities in former Yugoslavia and smell a rat. I would love to get into contact with you and find out more about you. GO to my website, www.AmericanHolocaust.50megs.com
Sincerely,
Pam Schuffert
MyTWaryor4JC@aol.com
Pam -- I visited your site. We are definitely at antipodes and I find it hard to believe that your father was ever a Satanist. WM
Dear Mr. Markiewicz,
Have you read the book "Serbia's Secret War?" If not, I'd be pleased to send you a copy, it would definitely enlighten you.
Respectfully,
Marko Mijat
"Mijat, Marko, MHA" Marko.Mijat@cshs.org
I have read excerpts from this book, one among many others of this kind. I was repelled by the enormous quantity of one-sided accusations. Practically none have the evocative power of those wagons of dentures, hair and crutches of Auschwitz or the Katyn grave. Mr. Cohen is a dentist, self-appointed historian. Why did no other historical event awake his researcher's passion? Or maybe he did write about something else, which might give him a bit of credibility. WM
Dear Mr. Markiewicz,
Thank you for your reply. I only met Dr. Cohen once and found him to be very
credible, he has no agenda except to tell the truth based on facts.
Therefore, I cannot speak for him but can only give you my observation.
What I find sad is how the serbs were able to deceive the media with their anti-Croatian progaganda to hide their anti-Semitism that was so rampant. It was Hitler who said how good a job the serbs did, making the world aware of belgrade as being the first city to be "Judenfrei". It was the serbs who had the anti-Semitic stamps and many other items endorsed by their orthodox church. As it was mentioned to me years ago by an American Jew familiar with the deplorable atrocities committed against Jews in serbia pre and during WWII - the reason that we don't hear anything is that the serbs did such a thorough job that there were basically none left.
My maternal grandfather was in Dachau and he told our family about what happened there. Also sadly, one also has to remember all the atrocities committed by the communists, especially right after WWII. One has to ask, would this have happened if the serbs chetniks did not join the partisans en masse at the end of WWII when they were being defeated? Also, when one looks at the demonic activities committed by the serbs in the 1990s, with the blessing of the orthodox church, one has to wonder who is the real butcher of the balkans.
When the Slovenians, Croatians, Bosnians, Macedonains all wanted nothing to do with serbia, that speaks for itself. Additionally, if Montenegro was not forced to have their montenegrin orthodox church replaced by the serbs, they would surely have sought independence from the serbs also.
Shalom,
Marko Mijat
"serbs", "belgrade", "orthodox church", "balkans", starting with lower case letters, then "Shalom" ... WM
I have great pleasure in presenting Phil Wagner's "Short Review" of Vagabond in his ICONOCLAST*. Thanks Phil! WM
VAGABONDPAGES.COM The motto of this most provocative site is: "Attached to nothing, aware of everything." Run by artist, scientist, gadfly, and world citizen William Markiewicz (presently living in Toronto), issues (nearly as may as we have put out) of the webzine deal with current events, sociology, philosophy, occasional fiction, and pretty much anything which goads its master into thought or opinion. Mr. Markiewicz is an original thinker who may inspire your own tangents -- or argument. As a bonus, the complete text of his ongoing magnum opus, EXTRACTS OF EXISTENCE is available online (indexed by category, too). This is a book of more than a thousand epigrams, bon mots, and conundrums penned over a lifetime by Mr. Markiewicz in pensive moments -- or on the fly. Here are a few samples from the updated text:
"Advice to the candidate for suicide: kill your past rather than your future."
"Those who invent Paradise or Hell haven't the courage to admit the eternity of nonexistence."
"Art can never be understood because at the moment I begin to 'feel' I cease to 'understand.'
"Try not to dwell on the unbearable; it's enough that it dwells on you."
"There are rules in the universe, but not for the universe."
Of course the actual, large, perfect-bound paperback book comes with wonderful artwork by the author. I believe it's a mere $19.95 (US). At any price, cheap for a lifetime's contemplation and delight. Check it out, then order it from the site (or, if internet is not available to you, write to ICONOCLAST and we'll provide a mail address for further details, queries, and/or orders).
*A literary and artistic magazine. For information write to The ICONOCLAST, 1675 Amazon Road, Mohegan Lake, NY 10547-1804.
You are right. And as pathetic as media's performance was in the Yugoslavia's mess, it is hard to feel sorry for them now. What is harder to understand is the masochistic (or maybe just opportunistic) streak in Yugoslavia ala Otpor.
J. Pavlovic
juraj_pavlovic@hp.com
My dear Wilek, I have a very simple answer to your question: the future of the Jews is Israel. It has resisted against all it's enemies for more than 50 years, and most Israelis are ready to fight 100 more years if the Arabs don't get it. But it is also ready to live in peace with it's neighbours as soon they accept it.
In summer 2000, Palestinians had been offered a state, and their dirigeants refused it, for absurd reasons: they did not want to postpone the difficult question of Jerusalem, and the "right of return" for Palestinians, who asked to be allowed... to choose Israeli citizenship if they wished! Some weeks later, they started their second Intifada.
Now, suicide attentates again... In New York, and Israel. All this because Arabs hate Jews as Christians did in the past. And in Europe, stupid left-wing idealists accuse the Jews of "racism"! Other intellectuals say "the jewish people does not exist".
Well... whether you believe, or not, in the existence of the Jews, their
answer is simple: WE THINK THAT WE EXIST, THAT WE HAVE RIGHT TO LIFE, AND WE'LL FIGHT FOR IT!
(Name deleted at sender's request.)
There is not yet an Israeli people only an Israeli nation. The former has historical connotations and the latter, a political one. As for Israel's situation, look at "Bush and Sharon Understood Nothing" in this issue. WM
From the April 18, 1885 issue of the Illustrated London News entitled "Russia and England in Asia" concerning a dispute over spheres of influence in Afghanistan. In light of Tony Blair's statements it makes interesting reading: "We feel concerned for the credit and influence of that general movement of civilisation, proceeding from modern European Christendom, which is at length finding its way into Asia, and which promises, if it be not untimely checked by the ambition of military conquest and by the vices of Imperial despotism, to afford the means of raising the Asiatic races of mankind to a higher standard of social life. Let us at once declare our conviction that Russia, as well as England, has evidently a genuine mission to perform in the improvement of the condition of Asia."
Best wishes,
Neil
"Neil Moran"
m6045758@hotmail.com
England, in its 1920's invasions, sowed destruction in Afghanistan. That's how she accomplished her mission "of raising the Asiatic races of mankind to a higher standard of social life." WM
Israel takes advantage of US helplessness and pounds the Palestinians while Hamas takes advantage of Israel's stupidity and provokes Israel. This fool's game may continue forever with growing international deterioration because of the everlasting flame of terrorism. There's only one way to stop this fool's game: Europe should intervene. The US won't like it because it would be an interruption of US hegemony in the Western alliance. But this hegemony is playing against American interests because nobody moves. It is in the whole world's best interests for a Western military-political alliance to show it's able to take some autonomous decision, which means that Europe must show logistic capacity to exercise pressure on Israel. In practice it should mean that some European peace salvation initiative should be ready to land in the Gaza strip with a mission to monitor establishment of peace between Israel and Palestinians. In the first stage, this means honoring the Oslo Peace Agreement that's been broken by Israeli settlers occupying Palestinian territory. The second stage would be to convince Israel to get out of the Palestinian territories, meaning the end of Israeli occupation of purely Arab populated areas like Arab Jerusalem and similar disputed territory.
Israel will be unable to resist this kind of European united pressure force. In Israel, all the doves will applaud the end of the impasse while the hawks will quickly realize that Israel has nothing to win facing confrontation with Europe. Israeli hawks would melt in 24 hours at the first determined gesture from Europe because these individuals are not brave; they capitalize on Israel's impunity from the USA, and Palestinian weakness. By the same token, literally within weeks, Hamas would lose support among the Palestinian population and the terrorist Kamikaze would stop functioning in Israel as well as in the rest of the world.
Bigner Brown
bignerb@yahoo.com
Sir,
My reasoning parallels your own. I am a sixth generation Scottish-American
who has gone from a '"warm, fuzzy support of Israel in the l950's and
l960's, even after I had served two combat tours in Vietnam, to a total
disgust with a bullying little power more like a faux Italy of the 1930's.
(Not Nazi Germany. THAT nightmare had an evil grandeur seldom seen). My
support for Israel was gravely wounded in l973, and now I have no support
for them at all. I do recognize that Israel should remain in existence. Not
because it has a "Right to Exist". Might is Right. What fool in today's
world could think otherwise? But it is not Just. And Justice is the problem.
I am incensed at the plight of the Palestinians. What right-thinking man
wouldn't be?
Your analysis is correct, I think. Israel had so much to bring to the "country cousins", the Palestinians. Instead, Israel holds out its hand and in its hand is Death, and worse, soul-killing servitude, without even the poor excuses of the white South Africans, or the institutionalized slavery of the Americans of old. But Israel has forgotten Outremer. And Bloodguilt. A fatal mistake. Can Israel survive as long as foredoomed Outremer. I doubt it. I think it Could survive, if the blood guilt is not too great. (People do not soon forget, you know. Witness Yugoslavia.) Thomas Jefferson once made a comment about the English that went something like, "Better persons as individuals than the ordinary Englishman you would be hard put to find; But when united with his brothers, he is untrustworthy and cruel". (Please forgive the quote, it is certainly not verbatim, but these old eyes are not up to looking it up at this time of night). I often think the same thing about American Israelis to my dismay. Until the subject of Israel is raised, the groups behavior is that of perhaps the most enlightened, thoughtful, wise group of people in the West. Where Israel is concerned, however, every lie, deception, brainwashing technique, et. al, is thought justified. Now they have allied themselves with the Christian Right Wing nuts who use the "Israeli connection" to affect and effect legitimacy. (This is the same group that as late as the l950's was the most anti-Jewish in the US.) This is a seemingly smart tactical move, but strategically, it is near suicide. What folly! Keep up your efforts. You are truly a voice crying in the Wilderness.
Above all, remember Outremer.
Max
"M. Cadenhead"
wilbur1@bellsouth.net
I visited my daughter at Brisbane-Red Cliff and local library has a book,where I found a picture of front page " THE PEOPLE-OCTOBER 17.1943. Hitler murdered or destroyed by planned starvation and pogroms, forced labor, and deportations, more than 3.000.000 of Europe's Jews according to a statement of the Institute of Jewish Affairs published in the United States. Russia and other countries have given asylum to 2.000.000 exiles says the report, leaving only 3.300.000 of Europ's pre-war Jewish population of 8.300 000 unaccounted for =B.U.P.
*
It is interesting that they say that in Hitler occupied Europe were only 3 millions jews, not 6 millions for reparation claims!!!! Jews themselves said this, it isn't antisemitic propaganda and has been publish at book. Please have look in your library and if you find more material please send to me some copy. ( Newspaper -magazine "THE PEOPLE" )
Robert
emunest@cyberinternet.com.au
In 1943 they didn't have too much information about what was going on. As you know, in my article, "How many Jews ...", I consider the currently accepted number of Jewish population in pre-war Europe as well as the toll of the Nazi extermination as largely underestimated. WM
William
Amongst many contradictions in world politics, I am 'amused' at the
expectations of western governments vs others. We have arrested someone
suspected of training pilots involved in the Sep11 terrorism, and the US
have requested his extradition. The UK legal system will provide him with
defence lawyers; the US will have to provide prima facie evidence, in UK
courts, against him; and even if the request is ultimately successful it may
take a couple of years and cost (according to estimates I have seen) from
£ 1m - £ 3m ($1.5m - $4.5m). In the past when the UK has requested the
extradition of IRA terrorists from the US, this has been refused on the
grounds that the crime was 'political'. But we are expecting the Afghan
government to hand over Mr bin Laden without any due process, under threat
of imminent and massive retaliation. Perhaps the US should try the same
threat on the UK government - they might get their man quicker.
Martin
"Martin Dasey"
martin@dasey.org.uk
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William Markiewicz