Mikkel

....like giving away your freedom.

Exercising your freedom of expression is giving away your freedom now? I pity the people who associate freedom with gun ownership, rather than associate freedom with, amongst other things, the possibility of owning a gun.

By the same logic you could justify Arab brutality just the same. Advocating an "eye for an eye" mentality is never rational if you have any desire for resolving a conflict. Israeli military actions and illegal occupation are irrational responses to a threat of retaliation for their past and current crimes. If you want to be left alone, you don't rough people up and claim their property. Palestinian guerilla warfare and disdain for civilian lives, while a consequence of the militarily asymmetrical circumstances of the conflict, are irrational responses to a desire for what they see as justice and fairness. If you want sympathy and support, you don't retaliate violently and amorally.

There's not a single ounce of rationality present in the general actions of either side, and it's never going to end until Israel gives up its illegal occupation and militarily confrontational demeanor, and its Arab neighbours resign themselves to the fact that Israel isn't going to go away.

Interesting article. But you could also argue that Israeli actions have been supremely rational as they have permitted them to control the lives of an entire people - without even so much as allowing them the right to vote - for the past 41 years. Their violent actions have also permitted them to maintain control over all the territory they won from the Arabs in 1948 and 1967, and they have never had to discuss allowing any of the hundreds of thousands of Palestinians back to the lands from which they were expelled, lands which have been controlled by Israel for the past two generations.

One could argue that, without being brutal, Israel would have had to give into Palestinian nationalism, or the rights of refugees to return, or Palestinian access to their capital in Israeli-controlled Jerusalem. Israelis would also argue that they have tried to limit Palestinian civilian casualties, something impossible since the Palestinians are fighting a guerrilla-style combat in which the guerrillas live - and are nourished by - the population just as a fish lives in and is nourished by water. (That last bit is from Mao).

My fiancée's still in college, and she doesn't know a word of Danish, so it's just a whole lot more practical for me to go to the US. =p I really like the US, too. There's an overwhelming sense of freedom and possibilities compared to Denmark, and I feel much more at home there with her, than having her here with me. My experience with Americans, both working with them and socialising is that they're either competent, friendly or both, and that's such a refreshing change from Denmark where people are often neither of the two. I know that there are idiots in the US, just like everywhere else, but you've only got the company you keep, and I've kept excellent company so far. =)

Sending in the I-129F on Friday! \o/