I have a German friend who's married to an Israeli. We talked about

the Middle East situation a couple of years ago when she was here on a visit, and came to the agreement that the answer was this:

The US should take 50% of the money it sends to Israel for military stuff, and use the other 50% to build factories in Palestinian areas (West Bank, Gaza). Making basic stuff that gets bought frequently: Paper towels, rubber gloves, dishwashing soap, brooms windshield wipers, and so on. Maybe mp3 players, too.

Short shipping distances should make their stuff price-competitive in Israel.

After ten years of this kid of trade, no more wars.

After all, you don't go to war against people you do business with, generally. The Israelis would be reluctant to blow up factories that make the stuff they buy, and on the Palestinian side, if Cousin Ahmed is getting ready to do a suicide bombing, his family will alert the cops, because they can't make any money from blown-up customers.

Redstone

If I were old enough to remember that. lol

so we must have come to a conclusion that makes sense.

Redstone

And yet, we blew it up.
Apples to oranges in some respects. But it exposes the flaw in the premise. At least when one side is psychotic.

You'd think a political party that wraps itself in commerce and prides itself in self-sufficiency would get the basic common sense in homegrown economies. But no, they're so accustomed to corporate subsidies that they can't think of any other way to exist.

Spend the money on positive stuff, helping people get what they need, make what they need. Improve living conditions for all, involve all sides in it. Very good idea.

In numerous posts here too...

If someone has a good job, a healthy family, and a happy life, they don't strap explosives to their chest or shoot rockets randomly into a neighboring country.

It's in Israel's best interests to economically develop Palestine and Lebanon.

the money; Israel doesn't.

Sthe $250 million a DAY we're pissing away in Iraq would build a LOT of factories and schools.

Redstone

Only one problem here -- no money for the war industry. What a beautiful dream.

wonder why something like that wasn't done long ago. What a great way to spend the billions now spent on death and destruction. I truly believe there could be peaceful solutions. Unfortunately, the black gold in the Middle East will prevent the US from wanting the solution.

carrying out simple, effective plans. Do they?

Redstone

anymore. That's why they sit around making up some of the ridiculous laws they come up with.

Redstone

In fact, I wish the U.S. would stop ALL military aid to everybody, especially military aid to Third World countries that can't feed their people.

Military aid is a sick legacy of the Cold War, when both the U.S. and the USSR were arming their respective allies for proxy wars, and yet this military aid was too often used by these countries to repress their own people instead of to fight any external enemy.

until the economic relationship was up and running. Then we could phase it out.

Just reality.

Redstone

vote republican, (pre 1980) I thought, loudly, the same thing, the benefit of experience has made a mockery of such simplicity.
The existence of a valued trade partner might stay the hand of some local warlord, but there is no record of it's having prevented any wars.
Moreover, the sad fact is that global gluttony is at such a fevered pitch and competitors are so anxious to usurp local supply lines that there are records of wars started and carried on with the specific purpose of quelling both global and local competitors.

Please tell me it doesn't.

Redstone

Eastern Standard Time?
ESTablished?
Energy Saving Trust?

I don't have a dog in this fight, of course, but I was just wondering what you think it means. If you don't want to say it aloud, you can IM me.

Seriously, I'm at a loss.

supposed to be lowercase "est." I don't remember precisely.

I went to high school with "Werner Erhard."

So, is that what it is, or is it something else? Just curious.

Redstone

was lower case.

Mr "Erhard."

That's not his real name, of course.

Redstone

when countries are intertwined economically they have to get along.