It's the Economy, Stupid

Senator Chuck Schumer thinks it is okay "to strangle them [Gazans] economically until they see that’s not the way to go." He does make some allowances for humanitarian aid, but still... What the hell is wrong with people? The people in Gaza democratically elect Hamas, then everything hits the fan when the US and Israel don't like the outcome of the election. So Gaza ends up blockaded, and starving, for daring to oust the corrupt ruling party that was in charge?

The current blockade is not working. Instead of spending the last three years talking to Hamas, and trying to work with them, and moderate them, Israel has only succeeded in making them stronger and in turning the world against itself.

This was a completely wasted opportunity. If Israel had not stopped turning over tax money to the government of Gaza, once Hamas took over, they would have had the upper hand in saying "See, we're dealing fairly with you. Why won't you acknowledge our existence?"

Edit: In other news, President Obama has promised $400 million to the Palestinian Territories; hopefully that includes Gaza.

It's the Economy, Stupid

Yes, an old Clinton line. BBC News had an article earlier this week about how the Middle East stock markets are falling. And a brief glance at a few Middle East news sites show headlines about the economy. This is definitely world-wide now, which makes sense as so many economies are globalized. Who knows where things will go from here.

Let's All Blame the Terrorists

A friend pointed this out to me: Did terrorists cause the housing mess? At first I thought it would be on Fox Faux News, but it's actually on MSN. It's not a completely crazy propaganda article, it's actually serious and thought out. That doesn't mean I agree with it. I doubt that al-Qaeda timed the attack for economic reasons. The actual economic mess probably isn't even icing on the cake for them, more like sprinkles on the icing. Economics isn't my strong suit so I'll let you judge for yourself.