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rufusmac

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Posts posted by rufusmac

  1. Posted

    Quote[/b] ]I suggest you visit some gorgeous communities, like Kfar Darom, Beit El, Karnei Shomron and so many more, before you cast you stereotype perverted view on everyone living east of the Green Line.

    Its clear that we have a division in opinion here, and I would stress that my coments were not meant to be stereotyped against those in the WB or GS.  The first family I stayed with when I came here were very close family friends who live in mitzpe Nevo in Maale Adumim.  They are strong advocates of the "transfer" solution as are many in that particular community (A Kach brochure is given out at shul every shabbat).  I do not hold any resentment towards them or the right in general, I just disagree with their approach.  I wasn't categorizing "settlers" as a group with the Dan-Picards.  I was stereotyping the Dan-Picards as Dan-Picards.  A comment like theirs represents a body of opinion that certainly exists in Israel; and I feel it is dangerous towards peace.  I can understand it, but I do not support it.

    I know that certain views shaped by a general lack of experience can be construed as naive, but I also believe that views shaped by traumatic experiences can be just as naive and dangerously inflexible.

    P.S. I do not consider myself left-of-center, nor do I consider Avon to be "rabid-right".

    Quote[/b] ]BTW, it's amazing what a double standard he has. And he calls me a racist?! And what about you? Are you a racist?
     While some may think so, I don't see members of the yishuv as a different "race" than other Israeli's. tounge_o.gif    And I stand by my comments.  I don't want this to get into a religious thing, but kahana was not right, and groups like Kahana-chai and the JDL act to incite, not educate.  It doesn't take a brochure or a pamphlet (as you noted) to develop views like the dan-picards.  BUT i would wager a guess that they held them before they even moved to Kfar-Darom - and who convinced them to move their? While maybe not an organization like Kach persay', I don't think it was because of a juicy subsidy either.  If my speculation is in fact sterotypical than so be it, 10 to 1 odds i'm right about it.

    P.P.S  In this sentence

    Quote[/b] ] The Israeli government does not indoctrinate the settlers with religious ideology and anti-arab sentiment.

    I meant to say "these settlers", which should clear this up some.

    Quote[/b] ]What I wonder, what do you rufusmac and avon think about the Geneva Accord.

    nope

  2. Posted

    Today's New York Times has an article about Israeli settlers in the Gaza strip.  The story closed with the following:
    Quote[/b] ]... Meanwhile, new settlers continue to arrive. Meyer and Adi Dana-Picard were only in Kfar Darom a few weeks when an antitank missile exploded near them. Both escaped with minor injuries. But Ms. Dana-Picard, who is pregnant with the couple's second child, argued that in many ways the settlement was a healthy environment for children.

    "In Jerusalem, when you see an Arab you don't know whether he's with you or against you," she said, but here if you see an Arab you know he's dangerous and you shoot him."

    Healthy?  rock.gif

    Is that the reporter's jab? It's not a quote from the Dan-Picards.

    If so, it's reporter Smith's snide editorializing.

    From the article it seems like it's a direct quote and it would make sense in the context. Why would somebody in Gaza, discussing the situation there make an off-hand remark about Jerusalem without relating it to Gaza?

    Bernadotte was referring to the word "healthy". It is not part of the quote.

    Yes, I also found it hard to believe that she said that.  However, I would have more difficulty believing that the NYT reporter merely fabricated it.

    so are we to assume that one family's extreme views (i actually know a few that think like this) define israeli policy? Heres a key point of note. The Israeli government does not indoctrinate the settlers with religious ideology and anti-arab sentiment. They get it from people groups like Kach (who israel considers illegal and has arrested numerous members of). Yet, when discussing palestinian "policy", it seems to be taken as verbatim that terrorism (or resistance crazy_o.gif ) is the de-facto standard. What's wrong with this picture? Israel certainly has some housekeeping to do, but the Palestinian government-controlled media certainly pumps out propoganda that says things that would make the Dan-Picard's blush. oh, and another point while I am rolling...

    When people like the Dan-Picard family say things like that, they are a minority. Every friday night, hundreds of israelis would pack into rabin square and cry for peace. Only a few kilometers away, thousands upon thousands of palestinians march down the street waving guns shouting "death to israel."

  3. Posted

    Today's New York Times has an article about Israeli settlers in the Gaza strip.  The story closed with the following:
    Quote[/b] ]... Meanwhile, new settlers continue to arrive. Meyer and Adi Dana-Picard were only in Kfar Darom a few weeks when an antitank missile exploded near them. Both escaped with minor injuries. But Ms. Dana-Picard, who is pregnant with the couple's second child, argued that in many ways the settlement was a healthy environment for children.

    "In Jerusalem, when you see an Arab you don't know whether he's with you or against you," she said, but here if you see an Arab you know he's dangerous and you shoot him."

    Healthy?  rock.gif

    Don't even get me started on bad parenting.

    MotherlyHate-X.gif

  4. Posted

    Quote[/b] ]2.  Why do you think 3/4 of a million Palestinians left their homes, farms and property in around 1948 to become refugees?  And why have they not been allowed to return?

    Two possibilities, both completely reasonable explantions.  

    1: They were told by the arab armies to leave, in order to facilitate their "routing" of israel.  You can find this claim anywhere, like the Dershowitz book I talked about, im too lazy right now to dig up an exact source.

    2: The Haganah kicked them out to make room for the jewish state.

    Why haven't they been let back?  Well, why don't we ask that same question to the Americans concerning pretty much their whole country vis a vis the native americans.

    In addition to what Apollo wrote, about the morality of your justification I'd like to point out 2 other things:

    1.  Palestinian Arabs lost property that was legally owned by them and recorded in land registries recognised under international law.  Native Americans did not.

    2.  Native Americans were ultimately allowed to become US citizens once America had drawn its borders around their captured territories.  According to you, Palestinians in Israel's captured territories will never be allowed to attain Israeli citizenship.

    Ok, alot to cover here.

    First, to explain the palestine comment, Avon was right. I meant to say that a Palestinian Arab Nationality never existed. This is not a slur, its a fact. It shapes the history and defines the region.

    Secondly, good point apollo. The most I can say is don't look too far into the colonial argument, because I was making based on the premise that Israel is a colonial power, which it is not (at this time). The point I was stressing, which you both missed, is that the moral argument is pointless. I don't morally justify american colonialism at all, nor do I justify certain israeli acts commited in the late 40's and early 50's. But, in the big picture, the creation of a Jewish state was an absolute good (to me), and the early Zionists acheived that in a number of ways, some good, some bad. No country has a perfect record, and I'll be the first to admit that Israel's is not; BUT...

    Future peace arrangements cannot be determined by moral superiority (which seems to be the whole gist of this board) because its a stupid meaningless term (in this case). Again, for every percieved wrongdoing on the part of Israel, the native arabs certainly responded in kind. Everyone thinks they have the moral high ground. Hamas thinks they are doing the work of god, as do the settlers (who i in no way wish to compare to Hamas). Im not arguing moral relativism, i'm arguing that the past needs to be forgotten to make room for the future. (Taking reality into account)

    If it isn't clear to you all already, i'm not going to respond to every illlegal act by israel as justified. Nor am I going to harp on the atrocities of the Palestinians. I find it strange that you all think that you can back me or Avon into a wall with a "new angle" or argument we haven't heard before. You have to believe me when I say that the answers to all your questions are easy to find, but they are not important. Would it surprise you to know that every settlement that was built after 67' was PURCHASED from palestinian land owners? Does that even matter? To me, no.

    Quote[/b] ]According to you, Palestinians in Israel's captured territories will never be allowed to attain Israeli citizenship.

    Precisely, they will have their own state. Eventually. Thats the idea. I'm a strong advocate of a Palestinian state, just not yet. I will get into how and when in a later post (when I have the energy)

    Ps. To clear up this time issue, I'm in America right now (where its -13 degrees crazy_o.gif ) I'm not going back to israel until June. Where are you from Bernadotte?

  5. Posted

    Quote[/b] ]1.  According to this article, Likud central committee member, Uzi Cohen, has said he represents a group that intends to present a plan to the congress for the "voluntary transfer" of Palestinians to Jordan.  Considering that there is really nothing stopping Palestinians from moving to Jordan right now, how does this Israeli MP intend to convince Palestinians to move out voluntarily?

    He cant, and shouldn't. Its a ridiculous idea and he doesn't have any "true" political weight to bring it to fruition.  Him and Gila Gamliel (likud member) are furious at Sharon for even thinking of the possibility of a Pal state.

    Quote[/b] ]2.  Why do you think 3/4 of a million Palestinians left their homes, farms and property in around 1948 to become refugees?  And why have they not been allowed to return?

    Two possibilities, both completely reasonable explantions.  

    1: They were told by the arab armies to leave, in order to facilitate their "routing" of israel.  You can find this claim anywhere, like the Dershowitz book I talked about, im too lazy right now to dig up an exact source.

    2: The Haganah kicked them out to make room for the jewish state.

    Why haven't they been let back?  Well, why don't we ask that same question to the Americans concerning pretty much their whole country vis a vis the native americans.  Or the French and English, or so on, I can go on forever.  I don't envision their farms and huts in old Jaffo are still intact.  Change happens (I will touch on this important point later)

    Quote[/b] ]3.  Why didn't Israel even allow the 30 - 40,000 internally displaced Palestinians who remained within Israel to return to their homes?  (ref: ReliefWeb)

    See previous answer

    Quote[/b] ]5.  Why did Israel demolish over 400 Palestinian towns and villages in the late 40s and early 50s?  (And if you don't believe it happened then please explain what Israeli author A.B Yehoshua's famous short story "Facing the Forest" was based on.)

    Im impressed with your knowlege of israeli literary culture.  Another painfully blunt answer here... Why do they demolish homes today?  War.

    BTW:  The 400 figure is a gross overestimate.  Source: In that same book.  (I should buy you a copy

    tounge_o.gif )

    Quote[/b] ]6.  Given that Israel won the 1967 war, drew its international borders around the West Bank and proceeded to settle that conquered land, why didn't Israel allow the inhabitants to become citizens like nearly every other conquering nation has ever done throughout history?  (Think Scotland, Wales, Texas, etc.)

    Good question, and it shines on one of the greatest dangers facing israel today.  Hint: Its not terrorism.  Its babies.  Lots of em.  Palestinian demographics show an average family size much larger than the ones in Israel.  The three words that best define israel's character, IN THIS SPECIFIC ORDER, are a Jewish, Democratic, State.  The most important thing about israel is that it is a jewish state, period.  There is only 1 in the world.  There are many other democracies, but only 1 jewish state.  So, if all of a sudden, 5 million non-jewish people get the vote, the state becomes the not-so-jewish state, and then eventually, a muslim state.  This is why even hawks like Sharon understand the neccesity of a palestinian state, and why a one state solution will never, ever, be accepted by Israel.

    Ok, so I mentioned something before about "change happens"... the idea here is that present realities supercede past principles. (Repeat that twice).  The right of return for the Palestinians is a matter of principal, not reality.  Their homes are long gone, and even the people who took their homes are long gone.  They can leave their squalid refugee lives if only they would drop this point-of-principal and face reality... (im enjoying this)  Life in a refugee camp is hell, i've seen them, i've been in them.  That is the reality.  They can have better lives as citizens in any other nation (particularly Palestine when it comes about), but giving them back their old homes means uprooting someone else from theirs.  Most of the Israelis living in israel now did not even exist when the state was created.  They had nothing to do with the refugee crisis.  Why should their reality be sacrificed for someone elses principal.  Furthermore, the idea that Palestinians can go back to their cultural hertiage - olive tree covered farms with small shacks and quiet serenity - in modern day israel is absurd.  Their homes have been turned into dense suburbs and sprawling urban metropoli(sp?).  They have an oppurtunity to continue life as citizens of another country, which of course is a problem, because no country seems to want them. (btw, big point here, there never was a palestinian state to begin with, they held egyptian, jordanian, or ottoman citizenship)

    So, you have to understand that the basic moral concepts of "right intentions" and "wrong intentions" are completely abstract to politics.  Israel did what it was doing in its own interests, which is all that anyone can ever expect a nation to do.  I'm not completely lambasting human rights here, what I am saying is, it is pointless for you to harp on every little supposed wrongdoing by Israel.  For every one you find, someone can surely retort equally against the Palestinians.  The idea is that, we should strive for a point of convergance, where interests coincide.  (thanks to Thomas Jefferson on that one).

    /rant

  6. Posted

    Quote[/b] ]Don't you get tired of always trolling my posts with your racist propaganda, only to run away whenever I attempt to inform you about your own country?

    Seriously, this needs to stop...  "Inform you about your own country"?!  Jeez Bernadotte, I didn't realize you had so much concern for Israel's self awareness...  

    Not just me, rufusmac.  Open any newspaper in the world!  Was there one day during the past 5 decades when an article about Israel did not make the top ten international news headlines?  Or are you equally amazed with the major news organisations' obsession with Israel.  I just happen to have a lot of friends and some family there if you really need me to justify my concern to you.  ...Not to mention that innocent people are being killed everyday.

    Maybe after me or Avon finishes reading your posts, we will pack up our things and leave this cursed aparthied state.  And to heck with those American tax dollars too, I'm moving to Europe!

    Look!  Why not try something a bit more constructive and answer some of the questions on page 57 that Avon chose to <s>run away from</s> ignore.

    And thank you for not calling us all confused anti-Semites as she does, although I'll never understand why she spared m21man that label, after his Hitler-was-just-being-truthful post.

    To be honest, I don't have the energy Avon has to defend israel on this forum.  As you can tell, I hardly post here, although I read often.  Its not that I'm running from the questions, for I don't even know which ones you are talking about; Its just that I see bickering over past wrongs pointless. Whether or not Deir Yassin was a massacre or Jenin was a massacre, or whatever else Israel has "done" actually happened is truthfully not that important, because as Is being shown with you and Avon, the perception is far more powerful than the truth.

    Eg.

    I've read convincing reports stating that Mohammed Al-Dura was shot by Palestinians, not Israelis.  FOR THE SAKE OF ARGUMENT, lets say these reports are true.  What difference would it make in the overall conflict?  He is the poster boy for the al-aqsa intifada.  That will not change.  You can find strong evidence to back up essentially any claim these days, thanks in part to the internet.  The truth is usually hidden far behind a mere newspaper article or editorial.  But that's irrelevant, and I digress.

    Perceptions:

    The palestinian perceptions of Israel as a brutal apartheid state and Israeli  perceptions of Palestinians hellbent on wiping Israel off the map are responsible for the conflict.  The truth (which IMHO will show that Israel wants security and the Palestinians want '67 borders) is irrelevant.

    To better understand this concept of perceptions, study Nietzsche's "slave morality" concept... This a good starting point for Nietzsche's Geneolpgy of Morals in which he discusses this concept.

    Another good book, which may shed some light onto why you sometimes find yourselves arguing with an iron wall is, well, The Iron Wall by Avi Shlaim.  It delves deeper into the concepts of Machpolitik Vs. discourse theory which I have touched on before.

    Lastly, here is an amazing book if you want to find "responses" to the questions you posted called The Case for Israel by Alan Dershowitz.  I implore you to read it, for I have surely read almost all of Edward Said's work, as well as works by Amira Hass and other palestinian authors.

    Final Edit: Amira Hass is not a Palestinian author, but Said is, sorry if that sentence seemed awkward.

  7. Posted

    Quote[/b] ]Don't you get tired of always trolling my posts with your racist propaganda, only to run away whenever I attempt to inform you about your own country?

    Seriously, this needs to stop... "Inform you about your own country"?! Jeez Bernadotte, I didn't realize you had so much concern for Israel's self awareness... Maybe after me or Avon finishes reading your posts, we will pack up our things and leave this cursed aparthied state. And to heck with those American tax dollars too, I'm moving to Europe!

    Look, you both are clearly past the point of discourse. I have little faith you will be able to convince each other to meet at any middle ground at all.

  10. Posted

    Cool! I have an offer for you! I'll send you a box of Israeli "Nobles", and you send me back Finnish one

    OT: Oh lord! I smoked Nobless for a whole year on kibbutz (choice was nobless or time, ech!) Thought my lungs would explode... btw I heard a rumor that nobbless was a secret army code, turn the pack upside down and read the english side...

  15. Posted

    This is a fantastic addon, but I have a strange bug to report. This only happened 3 times out of 10, but I figured I would report it.

    I made a group of two "Eagles" with a pair of empty RHS t54's as target practice. After blowing one of the T54s to pieces, I launched a smokescreen, and then, inexplicably, the other tank started firing on me! I think he may be firing at the smoke and hits me instead, but its still a strange phenomenon.

    BTW: Is the smoke AI invisible?

  17. Posted

    This may set off some flames but...

    I want to see the AI take cover like the Ghost Recon AI.

    I feel that the AI in that game was spectacular in this regard.

    How I think it can be implemented...

    1: Erase the ridiculous weapon switching pauses: When opening fire on a "SAFE" enemy, it is too easy to peg them as they freeze. It should be a smooth motion, coupled with running (maybe even running without taking out the weapon). The first thing any AI should do when under fire is try and find cover, the more frantically, the better. (will also add challenge in maintaining unit cohesion).

    2: Cover fire should work: The AI should be afraid of bullets. I do appreciate the flanking behaviour of the AI, but they don't really respond to covering fire (which is why the machinegun is so crippled)

    3: Use real cover: The OFP world is filled with fantastic cover, why do they always drop to the ground in an open field?

    These effects shouldn't be too difficult to implement, and would add alot more atmosphere to the game (specifically the chaos and confusion)

  18. Posted

    This may set off some flames but...

    I want to see the AI take cover like the Ghost Recon AI.

    I feel that the AI in that game was spectacular in this regard.

    How I think it can be implemented...

    1:  Erase the ridiculous weapon switching pauses:  When opening fire on a "SAFE" enemy, it is too easy to peg them as they freeze.  It should be a smooth motion, coupled with running (maybe even running without taking out the weapon).  The first thing any AI should do when under fire is try and find cover, the more frantically, the better. (will also add challenge in maintaining unit cohesion).

    2: Cover fire should work:  The AI should be afraid of bullets.  I do appreciate the flanking behaviour of the AI, but they don't really respond to covering fire (which is why the machinegun is so crippled)

    3:  Use real cover:  The OFP world is filled with fantastic cover, why do they always drop to the ground in an open field?

    These effects shouldn't be too difficult to implement, and would add alot more atmosphere to the game (specifically the chaos and confusion)

  20. Posted

    I'd like to point out that OFP has its own failure rate.  Like when scripts mysteriously refuse to be called.  I think it happens more to players with low CPU overhead, but I dont think you need to add an artificial failure rate - especially considering there is a greater than .00001 chance that your foot will slip and unplug your power strip - thus ending the virtual universe entirely (how's that for failure rate...

    and sentence length too!).   tounge_o.gif

  22. Posted

    21, braving the frigid winds of Rochester, NY.  Studying public policy/int relations.  Being a student and all that it entails...

    Finally, another western New Yorker! I thought I was all alone. blues.gif

    although I'm just studying here...  i'm moving back to Israel once I get my masters, then to the army (haven't decided what unit I want/can join)

    Rochester is... cold

    Although the nightlife is surprisingly active.

    I noodle around with some Eastman School students at a few of the local Jazz bars (Usually struggling to keep up with them)  tounge_o.gif

  23. Posted

    Well, I tried the Demo. Someone at work burnt it for me (I miss high speed sad_o.gif ), and on all the lowest settings it runs fine :P. (the only thing that pisses me off is I can't turn Effects on at all, or my aircraft is invisible  mad_o.gif. It means I don't get to see missile or vapour trails, or even aircraft on fire. Anyways, I'm happy with the fight model and avionics, I didn't have to do much to get comfortable with the MiG-29 except remember my Flanker 1.0 days, but the demo IS buggy as hell (The forementioned Effects issue, which might be the fault of my antiquated Radeon 7500, the hat switch on my joystick only changes the view half the time when I use it and I found myself having to use the numeric keypad in order to use the Shlemm properly, my joystick wont fire even though I changed the button myself in the settings!!!  mad_o.gif Only Spacebar does the trick). Then you have the inaccuracies such as only 100 cannon rounds and an active jammer in the MiG-29 9.12 (A) which in fact is a leftover of Flanker 2.0's MiG-29 9.13K. I'm wondering if the reason the Mirage outmaneuvers the MiG easily on the horizontal plane in the demo is the fact that they are also using the heavier mass of the MiG-29K. Anyways, I see a lot of potential, but things need to get fixed and I need to upgrade before I buy this one, which will probably be later rather than sooner.

    All these bugs are addressed at numerous points throughout the official forum...

    Some people have even modded R-77s onto the 29A for the demo mission!

    Speaking of the mods, people who cant wait for the release should download the "unofficial" patches and Sam packs.  They really add alot, and address a few bugs (like no moon).

    Look for the "ultimate mods thread" on general discussion forum.

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