Author: gjreid

Writer of TV and Radio Documentaries and of fiction - both literary and nonliterary.

ERIC MARGOLIS VOTES THIRD PARTY CANDIDATE

While I have a certain sympathy for this I am not an admirer, particularly, of the pure-at-heart and holier-than-thou who can’t bear to vote for somebody who might win but is, alas, imperfect, and therefore the pure-of-heart give us, by default, the worst of all possible choices – this is the classic result that comes from the ‘scruples’ of the left. Think Mussolini, think Adolf Hitler. 
Israel is certainly a problem, but it is not the root of all evil. 
I think Hillary’s Hawkishness is perhaps exaggerated.  I imagine too – perhaps I am indulging in wishful thinking – that once in power, if she gets there, Hillary will think twice about a ‘no-fly’ zone in Syria or find some way to coordinate things with the Russians and Iranians. 
However, it is sweet that the Russians and Assad are killing, what, several hundred thousands men, women, and children and that a certain anti-American school seems loftily indifferent to this. After all, the killing is not being done by the US or Israel. Not sure whether this school includes Eric.
I agree that good relations with Russia are important, that the EU and US and NATO pushed too far east too fast and thus invited a Russian reaction; I also think the west was quite untactful on various occasions in dealing with Russian sensitivities and pride. Obama should never have dismissed Russia as ‘merely a regional power.’ And Stephen Harper was simply silly in going out of the way to insult Putin. Our biggest neighbor to the rapidly opening – and very vulnerable – north is the Russian Federation. This lack of tact tc has boomeranged. Russia, for very good reasons, does not want to see, cannot see, Ukraine as a hostile power. Russia has deep historical, geographic, structural, and present-day reasons to be paranoid; but then it often reacts in a way which earns it more enemies, and thus justifies its own paranoia, a vicious cycle. 
I agree too that Assad is part of the solution – alas – as well as part of the problem. I have thought this from the beginning and thought it was a mistake on the part of the West to require the departure of Assad as a precondition for peace; it meant there would be no peace. Also, however brutally, Assad was protecting legitimate interests: the survival of the non-Sunni minorities. 
I agree rebuilding infrastructure and education and social networks – and health care – should be on the US’s priority list. I agree too that ‘regime change’ is a stupid, self-defeating, idea. 
As for Trump, latest signal is he wants to move the US embassy to Jerusalem, so I would expect Trump to be more unabashedly in favor of Israel than Clinton. Besides which he would tear up the nuclear deal with Iran – to the delight of Bibi – and thus help set off a nuke arms race in the Middle East and probably a preventive or preemptive war. 
And of course, Trump would officially enthrone the cult of greed.
Besides which, he is insane. Even the Russians should wish for Clinton.  
I think by the way that Margolis’ description of Hillary Clinton supporters is superficial, racist, misogynous, stereotyped, and highly inaccurate.

DRIVERLESS CARS

It seems to me that a self-driving car will no longer have to be designed as a car, with seats looking forward and a steering-wheel and etc. It could be a mobile office, nursery, playroom, or bedroom. Also, the integration of self-driving cars into public – mass – transport will be interesting and could potentially make the capillary outreach of public transport much more flexible and ramified. The car, of course, is. like the suburbs, a great social isolator, whereas public transport forces one to rub shoulders with all sorts of people. Baron Haussmann’s rebuilding of Paris in 1850-1870, which resulted in the replacement of mixed neighborhoods where social classes cohabited – often vertically in the same building – higgledy-piggledy – with more socially homogeneous – and thus segregated neighborhoods, with the workers all concentrated in certain arrondissements – was one factor enabling the Paris Commune revolt of 1871. When you live cheek-by-jowl with people it is harder to demonize them. One of the rich human and humane sides of historic centers in Italian cities is the fact that due to history, architecture, and rent controls, a whole spectrum of social classes and income levels will live in the same building even, and certainly on the same street, and meet at the corner cafe. This was certainly true of my street in Rome, via Panico. The phenomenon was noted by a French observer of the Italian scene in the 1970s. Didn’t prevent radicalization, though, but radicalization remained a minority – youth – phenomenon. Such social integration is declining.

Our Driverless Future

Our Driverless Future

By Sue Halpern

For generations of Americans, driving and the open road promised a kind of freedom: the ability to light out for…

DE-RADICALIZATION

Opposing radicalization will I imagine require a broad-spectrum approach: theological arguments against it, and against the Apocalyptic-nihilistic vision which inspires much terrorism, and this to be conducted within the Islamic theological framework; cultural arguments to counter and ‘deconstruct’ the theme of ‘Western decadence’; ethical – and cultural and historical -arguments regarding the role of women in society and regarding too the desirability – or not – of violent, terrorist action; sociological and psychological arguments to counter and explain whatever experiences of racism or prejudice have been encountered; psychological arguments to dissect and counter various forms of ‘identity crisis’ and inner ‘identity conflict’ and ‘status anxiety’ felt by these young men and women; political arguments to counter the various themes of complaint – valid and less valid – about Western behavior and hypocrisy – the history of Western expansion and imperialism; the Israel-Palestine conflict; the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, the apparent indifference to Muslim suffering in Bosnia and ex-Yugoslavia, the apparent indifference to the suffering and civil war in Syria, and etc. A critique, too, of the claims of ISIS and other terrorist groups, and a critical – very critical – analysis of their ethics, their aims, the means they use, and so on. A critique – perhaps humorous and satirical, too, of the ‘style’ and pretensions of ISIS and other such groups: make it ridiculous and not sexy; that would be fatal.. All of which will require, on our part, a considerable dose of self-criticism and self-awareness. This comes down to establishing a dialogue – an ‘I-thou’ relationship. Then, too, there the social and family and ideological contexts and the role of evil doctrines and seductive gurus and teachers, and the financial flows which promote and back the preachers of intolerance, hatred, and jihad, all of which must be countered too.

TERRORISM – DE-RADICALIZATION

Opposing radicalization will I imagine require a broad-spectrum approach: theological arguments against it, and against the Apocalyptic-nihilistic vision which inspires much terrorism, and this to be conducted within the Islamic theological framework; cultural arguments to counter and ‘deconstruct’ the theme of ‘Western decadence’; ethical – and cultural and historical -arguments regarding the role of women in society and regarding too the desirability – or not – of violent, terrorist action; sociological and psychological arguments to counter and explain whatever experiences of racism or prejudice have been encountered; psychological arguments to dissect and counter various forms of ‘identity crisis’ and inner ‘identity conflict’ and ‘status anxiety’ felt by these young men and women; political arguments to counter the various themes of complaint – valid and less valid – about Western behavior and hypocrisy – the history of Western expansion and imperialism; the Israel-Palestine conflict; the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, the apparent indifference to Muslim suffering in Bosnia and ex-Yugoslavia, the apparent indifference to the suffering and civil war in Syria, and etc. A critique, too, of the claims of ISIS and other terrorist groups, and a critical – very critical – analysis of their ethics, their aims, the means they use, and so on. A critique – perhaps humorous and satirical, too, of the ‘style’ and pretensions of ISIS and other such groups: make it ridiculous and not sexy; that would be fatal.. All of which will require, on our part, a considerable dose of self-criticism and self-awareness. This comes down to establishing a dialogue – an ‘I-thou’ relationship. Then, too, there the social and family and ideological contexts and the role of evil doctrines and seductive gurus and teachers, and the financial flows which promote and back the preachers of intolerance, hatred, and jihad, all of which must be countered too.

Experiment

This is an experimental post, and my first on my WordPress site. I am just trying this out. I will be writing about things here that I often will know little about. It’s just to get going and to say what I think needs to be said and to raise questions that I think need to be raised.