tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10032287.post115567877346173694..comments2023-09-08T00:47:50.511-07:00Comments on Naked Reflections: The Israeli Withdrawal From LebanonStevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02549770321948541384noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10032287.post-1156122976610542452006-08-20T18:16:00.000-07:002006-08-20T18:16:00.000-07:00Perhaps anonymous 12:44 has a blog of his own. If...Perhaps anonymous 12:44 has a blog of his own. If he does, I'm sure it's far better than my humble effort. So, I hope he'll do us all a wonderful favor and tell us where it is so that we might experience the joy of reading it and reveling in its profound and glorious wisdom.<BR/><BR/>If not, he's welcome to continue sharing his uplifting wisdom with us here.Stevehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02549770321948541384noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10032287.post-1156115480012604732006-08-20T16:11:00.000-07:002006-08-20T16:11:00.000-07:00anonymous 12:44 It seems you have some dislike of ...anonymous 12:44 It seems you have some dislike of the owner of this blog. Why don't you come out from behind your anon name and show us how you could make it better. Or do you prefer to attack anonymously from the security of a keyboard? That seems to be the cowards way of saying anything does it not?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10032287.post-1155874467600001162006-08-17T21:14:00.000-07:002006-08-17T21:14:00.000-07:00What "pretense and fantasy" do you think I need to...What "pretense and fantasy" do you think I need to drop, my friend?Stevehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02549770321948541384noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10032287.post-1155870229923227412006-08-17T20:03:00.000-07:002006-08-17T20:03:00.000-07:00You'll need to drop the pretense and fantasy in or...You'll need to drop the pretense and fantasy in order to grow spiritually, otherwise you'll remain confused and corraled by your own ego driven thoughts.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10032287.post-1155856539370966142006-08-17T16:15:00.000-07:002006-08-17T16:15:00.000-07:00Colmar IS an intelligent person. I assume that he...Colmar IS an intelligent person. I assume that he's a man. I enjoy his posts and perspective.<BR/><BR/>I couldn't agree more that the real Nagarjuna towered above me intellectually, as he probably did most of us. But I still like the name and the ideal of someone who was apparently able to integrate extraordinary levels of intellect and intuition, knowledge and wisdom. Though I can never reasonably hope to come within light-years of equalling his success in this regard, I can strive to progress as far as my meager abilities will allow, adopting his name as my inspiration. <BR/><BR/>Thank you for reminding me of this.Stevehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02549770321948541384noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10032287.post-1155737996064763592006-08-16T07:19:00.000-07:002006-08-16T07:19:00.000-07:00Colmar, this isn't a group blog. I wrote all of t...Colmar, this isn't a group blog. I wrote all of the post to which you've graciously responded. Thanks for clarifying where you agree and disagree with the Bush administration and what you think about Israel's withdrawal from Lebanon as well as the Middle Eastern situation in general.<BR/><BR/>Briefly, I think we need to be careful about trying to force democracy on nations and people who aren't ready for it. We should perhaps concentrate instead on fostering economic, social, and cultural conditions in those parts of the world in which democracy can eventually develop by itself. <BR/><BR/>I'm not sure how we could prevent people from coming into this country illegally from over our southern borders except by finding ways to stop illegals from being hired for virtually all jobs. I don't see how we can stop them with more fences, national guard troops, and immigration patrols. Illegals can climb over, dig under, or break down the fences, and there can never be enough personnel to thoroughly guard the borders from encroachment.<BR/><BR/>Why do you think the Bush Medicare drug program is a "farce"? What would you like to see instead? I'd like to see cradle-to-grave guaranteed healthcare for all.<BR/><BR/>What do you see as "outrageous pork barrel spending"? I believe that the Bush tax cuts are an obscenity not only because they overwhelmingly favor the richest people in America, but also because they're causing a staggering escalation in the national debt that can produce terrible longterm economic consequences that can be reduced only by draconian cuts to vital social and other federally funded programs to help people who need help, which is most of us at one time or other, and rebuild and revitalize our national infrastructure.<BR/><BR/>I believe, for reasons too numerous to list, that Bush was wrong to invade Iraq and that neither this country, the people of Iraq, nor the world at large are likely to end up better off as a result, while we've squandered hundreds of BILLIONS of dollars there, lost THOUSANDS of precious American lives, and physically and psychologically maimed and scarred thousands more Americans for life.<BR/><BR/>I'm inclined to agree with you that Israel could have remained "massed" on the border, but I have grave doubts that Hezbollah would have "blinked" or that any agreement could have been reached without a long continuation of the conflict, death, and destruction that ultimately would have done little or nothing to make Israel safer or the forces of terrorism in the region weaker.<BR/><BR/>Colmar, I share your pessimism. I don't see the world coming together to stop nuclear proliferation in "Islamofacist" nations or terrorism supported by these nations. Therefore, I believe that some extremely dangerous, difficult, and even catastrophic times lie ahead. However, I also believe that our best chances of preventing or at least minimizing this is to take what Ken Wilber would call an "integral" or AQAL approach to addressing these problems that does not place a disproportionate number of its eggs in the military basket. Exactly how this would be done, it'll take far brighter minds than mine to figure out. :-)<BR/><BR/>Thank you for your comments, Colmar.Stevehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02549770321948541384noreply@blogger.com