random memes }

Where the Sidewalk Ends

Raising Yousuf: a diary of a mother under occupation: Where the Sidewalk Ends Going to Erez always serves as a stark reminder of what Gaza has become, because it is sometimes easy to forget when you are trapped inside the snow globe that there is a glass dome surrounding you; it starkly reminds of the limits and the absolute control I am subject to; of the fact that I am a prisoner in my own land; that I am deprived of that most basic of human rights: freedom.

From the other side of the world, the mess in Israel is hard to really understand. Clearly after so many years of killing, there are going to be folks who are polarized and non-rational about their differences. Clearly there are folks of power and wealth playing games in the hope of gaining more wealth and power - games that get lots of ordinary folk killed. What we hear in the news tends to be distorted by the game players.

On the other hand, I firmly believe that ordinary decent folk on either side of this mess could meet over coffee, chat about their children, and generally just get along without trouble.

Laila's words offer a bit of insight, slightly polarized (easy to understand why) but apparently candid and honest. Worth reading.