Sharon the Wise

Submitted by Dan Weil (United States), Apr 5, 2005 at 19:29

DeGaulle withdrew from Algeria; Nixon went to China; Gorbachev presided over the demise of the Communist Party and Soviet Union; Carter gave the Canal and American land (and homes) back to the Panamanians; FDR ousted American citizens of Japanese descent from their lawful homes; 7 US Presidents presided over the ousting of American Indians from their rightful lands; upon achieving democracy, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia forced citizens of Russian descent who lived on the land for generations to leave the countries. And the list goes on.

I have no personal opinion as to the correctness, by any standard, of Sharon's decision to withdraw the settlements from the Gaza plains. I am sure that one of the reasons the government over the years allowed and even encouraged such settlements was as a bargaining tool down the road, just as they incarcerated innocent Palestinians simply to use them as bargaining chips. But these are matters beyond my ken. Still, I pause to criticize Sharon on the simple, perhaps obnoxious or offensive, basis that he is a warrior who seems to have gained wisdom over the years but is still, at heart, a warrior. That doesn't make him right (entendre) but it does give me some confidence in his judgment.

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