The Gaza pullout

I've been meaning to write something about this recently, and Alex reminded me...

I am very pro-Israel. As I joke, I am "to the right of Sharon." Israel is the jewel of the Middle East--they have the highest literacy rate, they're the only democracy (until Iraq gets its shit together), they're a stablizing force in that cauldron of chaos. Plus, personally, I think Jewish culture is cool as shit.

With that in mind, I have two reactions to the Gaza pullout--emotional (ideological) and pragmatic. Ideologically I think the Jewish settlers should be able to stay there as long as we can enforce their right to stay, because that land was captured in a series of wars that the Arabs started and then lost and then whined about losing the land. Too bad, so sad--the lesson is, don't start wars based on the premise of wiping out Israel (which has always been the premise for any Arab-Israeli war--until the Egyptian peace accord, all Arab countries were unilaterally against Israel's right even to exist). Because Israel will find a way to kick your ass.

Now, pragmatically, I think the Gaza pullout is a good idea. As long as Arafat was alive, Israel and the Palestinians were in a death spiral--tit for tat, terrorist bombings were met with retaliation, egged on by Hamas (openly) and Arafat (less openly). Arafat paid only lip service to the peace process for a variety of reasons--I wonder why his whole psychology was based on Palestinian "liberation" since he wasn't really Palestinian himself but Egyptian. Now that Arafat is dead, I think the new Palestinian President, Abbas, may be able to do what Arafat would not--convince the Palestinians that peace is in their best interest. The Gaza pullout is part of this peace process--it's a gesture of good faith, because Gaza was part of the occupied territories that the Palestinians lost--but it also makes sense, because if Israel wants to remain a democracy, it needs to have a majority Israeli population, and Palestinians far outnumber Israelis in the occupied territories.

After the pullout, the next step is up to the Palestinians--if they can maintain control and keep Hamas (which openly declares its intent to destroy Israel--they are not shy about that) from destroying everything, the next step will probably be the West Bank, after which I guess the Palestinians have their own state, in effect. The two-state solution, which I think is best, although the West Bank is a LOT of land--I hope they don't pull out of all of that land. But it all depends on the willingness of the Palestinians to make this work--my brother and I have talked about the peculiar psychology of the Palestinian culture, and how they always cast themselves in the role of victims. Can they cast that aside and prove themselves worthy of statehood? I think they can. I think they'll see peace is in their best interest.

Ave Imperator!

Doug and I went up to Inwood last night to pick up Tiberius and bring him back. He was unhappy at being stuck in a mostly dark box, with roaring scary noises from outside, and mewled a lot of tiny kitten meows. Doug was holding the box and hissing at Tiberius "Shut up, just act natural" as we walked down the sidewalk which I found hilarious. We got him into the apartment and let him go where he promptly hid under my entertainment console. Doug and I went out to get something to eat and when I came back, he crept out timidly and stared at me with big eyes. He has an absolutely ADORABLE face, all round and fluffy with huge honey/jade-colored eyes. Slowly he started to explore the living room--he is still quite timid but as he gained confidence, he started acting a bit more aggressively. When he comes across something suspicious (like my foot moving), he'll rear up slightly on his hind legs which makes me expire with the cuteness. I have to move slowly around him for now, because he's still nervous.

Things I've learned from my kitten:

1) Curled up receipts lying on the floor are highly suspicious and should be checked out and attacked, if necessary.

2) No matter how much room you have to run around in, the room that's off limits is MUCH more interesting.

3) Subways are really noisy.

4) Stand your ground when a larger cat hisses at you, even if she is your sister. It also helps to fluff up your fur to look more intimidating, although she still outweighs you by quite a bit.

Tatia is not happy, needless to say. When she first saw him in the living room, she hissed and then retired to the loft. She is curious though, and sometimes creeps down to catch a glimpse, as if she's thinking "Was that just a horrible nightmare?" Of course she'll see him and hiss again, to which Tibby responds by humping up his back and looking like Halloween Kitty. I have to soothe her, send her back upstairs, and then soothe him and pet his fluffed-up fur. Tatia isn't taking it out on me though; she was quite affectionate last night when I went to bed. She was all Drape-y Kitty, as if to say "yeah, but she sleeps up HERE, with ME."

I think I'll go for a walk outside now, the summer sun's callin' my name...

GORGEOUS day outside. Sunny, warm but not hot, a nice breeze...it makes me smile. I wanted to dance up Fifth Avenue.

I have a new kitten and a Best Actress nomination and a hot boyfriend....what more could I ask for?