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Impressively accurate

Reader comment on item: The Palestinian Economy in Shambles
in response to reader comment: The Palestinians are no different from the other Arabs

Submitted by Ron Thompson (United States), Dec 31, 2007 at 17:04

Just wanted to say I think this comment says many accurate things, especially the sentence that makes up the 3rd paragraph, about how corruption at the top becomes an excuse for so many at the bottom to avoid personal responsibility. I might also note a different kind of personal faliure, perhaps harder to face, a failure by large numbers of Arabs to acknowledge that their societies are failing to thrive economically and politically for reasons that are systemic to those societies, and have absolutely nothing to do with Israel.

One could mention the failure of the Muslim World to ever have a Reformation, a reformation in particular based on a demand for respect towards the individual and not the mass conscience. Such a Reformation first occurred in the 16th century in Europe, and, 500 years later, has yet to occur anywhere in the Muslim world.

Or the failure of the Muslim World to ever have an Enlightenment, that is based on a direct confrontation with the power of superstition and the totalitarianism of any religion that refuses to respect Reason. This ability to stand up to and face down Organized Religion with regard to freedom of thought, has never been an organic part of any Muslim society anywhere.

If common sense, not to mention a sense of the West's national security interest, were widespread, comments like Ken Besig's would have already spontaneously appeared, by many authors, on the Opinion pages of major papers all over the world. The fact that they don't keeps us all in a state of existential threat from the Muslim World (even if, by far the most serious and comprehensive threat is to Israel).

Submitting....

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Reader comments (34) on this item

Title Commenter Date Thread
No creative ideas in islam [120 words]Phil GreendApr 3, 2008 18:18124564
a rat hole [117 words]jennifer solisJan 17, 2008 23:47118432
Why should they... [56 words]joe roseJan 7, 2008 12:37117657
Israel is among the MOST legal country in the world [236 words]Jake L.Jan 7, 2008 20:27117657
A "Palestinian Economy" may be an "oxymoron" [396 words]A BisselJan 3, 2008 21:22117481
Build a house [100 words]PDMDec 31, 2007 22:06117251
What is the purpose of the donations [297 words]yuval Brandstetter MDDec 31, 2007 01:59117191
ECONOMIC PROSPERITY CAN BE ACHIEVED ON CONDITION OF PERMANENT PEACE AND STATEHOOD. [121 words]TTSDec 31, 2007 01:47117190
wrong on all counts [104 words]yuval Brandstetter MDJan 1, 2008 01:16117190
What to Do? [42 words]BlackspeareDec 30, 2007 14:02117134
The Fact Of The Matter [90 words]JayDec 30, 2007 10:31117114
poor palestinans and idiot muslims of arabia [61 words]syed mohammad aliDec 29, 2007 03:15117072
Pipes`s arguments ... [60 words]emanuelDec 28, 2007 05:43117034
Misunderstanding the Power of Money in the Middle East [450 words]M. ToveyDec 27, 2007 19:30117016
Exhilaration? [180 words]Gunther H. SchiffDec 27, 2007 17:25117009
The price of Aid. [58 words]Charles SmythDec 27, 2007 15:39117002
"Palestinian shamble" [68 words]steven LDec 27, 2007 14:26116991
How can the Palestinian economy and culture rise from its own ashes? [278 words]Charles W. DavisDec 27, 2007 14:14116990
Too many eggs in one basket [62 words]David W. LincolnDec 27, 2007 14:14116989
Palestinian poverty [154 words]Janusz KowalikDec 27, 2007 13:15116980
Palestinians are not that rational [147 words]Charles MartelDec 27, 2007 13:11116979
Helping Palestinians [47 words]Janusz KowalikDec 27, 2007 13:02116978
5 Days After Reward $7.4 Billion May "Go Up in Smoke." Condi and Blair "Shocked and Dismayed" by Close Associate "Suddenly" Turning Anti-American [371 words]Sofa SogoodDec 27, 2007 12:40116974
And Yet, Somehow, The Logical Conclusion Still Doesn't Follow [506 words]Ron ThompsonDec 27, 2007 11:12116969
I so hope you're right, but I don't think so [1324 words]Sofa SogoodDec 27, 2007 10:41116968
Response to your last sentence [267 words]Ron ThompsonDec 31, 2007 17:35116968
Does Tony Blair have the power to monitor the distribution of the current handouts? [23 words]J SheffDec 27, 2007 10:34116967
You're getting warmer, Dr. Pipes... [123 words]Raphael PintoDec 27, 2007 10:11116966
Almost [94 words]BlackspeareDec 30, 2007 22:21116966
I am confused: last week said "Fund the Palestinians--Bad Idea; now it's "a long-term positive development." [25 words]
w/response from Daniel Pipes
Mark GoldDec 27, 2007 09:40116965
Let it continue in shambles [214 words]RickDec 27, 2007 09:32116964
The Palestinians are no different from the other Arabs [262 words]Ken BesigDec 27, 2007 05:01116961
Impressively accurate [278 words]Ron ThompsonDec 31, 2007 17:04116961
Wasn't that the point? [82 words]jennifer solisJan 18, 2008 00:20116961

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