Tikkun Olam; The Achilles Heal of Israel

Tikkun Olam -- healing the world -- is a concept that has been bent and reshaped much as a plough share turned into a sword now pointed at Israel.  It's not the first time in history that something like this has been done.  Students of Greek history are aware of how Aristophanes took the Socratic method and refashioned it into low comedy.  In so doing, Aristophanes destroyed Socrates. the man whose genius guides us to this day.

If you want a more balanced approach to mankind, it would be better to turn to Hillel, who asked the folioing:   If I am not for myself, who shall be for me?  If I am not for the other man, what am I.  And, if not now, when.

Tukkun Olam, which originally referred to the destruction of idols has now been turned into a catch expression, much as has been done with the word, "peace."  Of course, we want peace.  All of us want peace. But if Jews are confronted by an enemy whose prime mission is to destroy them, what choice do they have.

But the Peaceniks never give up. They press ever foreword in their search as to why our enemy hates us.  If it's not this, it's that.  We don't give them enough dignity.  We don't allow them to prosper.
Etc., etc., etc.  Most amusing -- Israel has imperfections.  If we could only cure those imperfections the Palestinians, and the rest of the world, would love us Jews.  Really?

Respect for women, honoring the rights of gays, treating individuals of other religions as equals, free and open elections; all the traits not to be found in any of Israel's neighbors seem to matter not at all.

And where did all this unfairness start?  I maintain it began with Michael Lerner's campaign to cure the world of it's ills.  Is his target the UN, a nest of vipers if ever there was one?  No, it's Israel the land of the Jews.  Their crime?  They're not perfect.  They're worse than China which has subjugated Tibet.  They're worse than Russia which has taken chunks of land away from Georgia and the Ukraine and blasts those who have found intolerable the rule of Bashir Assad.

As to the Palestinians, where are their gay rights, where is their respect of minorities?  And yet muddle minded Jews will rally behind Lerner's banner.  These confused individuals are indeed a joy to the world's anti-Semites.

Realities Neither the Democrats or the Republicans Will Address

Should we have gone into Iraq?  The general attitude today is "no."  But what if our problems in Iraq were not due to the invasion, but something else?  I would argue it was the dismantling of the Baath Party, which was the glue that had held together Iraqi society.  This political party, I would argue, could have continued to function without Saddam Hussein.

The Republicans won't touch this argument, because it was under George Bush that the Baath Party was taken apart.  The Democrats won't touch it, because it could serve to approve our invasion of Iraq.

Second, should we have established a no-fly zone over Syria when Assad was barrel bombing his people and using gas?  Of course, we should have, but the situation has now changed.  Earlier, the Russians had not yet arrived.  Now, they are the ones who are managing the skies and we don't want to challenge them.  There might be a shoot out.  Had we done it before they came, it would have been a different situation.

The Democrats don't want to touch this because it underscores the failure of Obama's leadership.  The Republicans don't want to get into this matter because it would suggest to the voters that they are once again the war party.