Reflections

Reflections:
The News is full of American political events.  In addition, there is the tragedy occurring in Syria and the continued genocide in Palestine.  As an American living abroad, I am frequently asked about the political events in the US as well as my opinion about the events in the Middle East.  These are difficult questions to answer and much depends on who is asking the questions.  One can try to be politically correct and take a neutral approach or simply tell it like I see it.  Another consideration is whether my response will be used for some unknown purpose.   My opinions derive from what I see and hear.  As an American, the first impulse is to defend my country.  Trying to defend our system of voting where the popular vote is not recognized, but rather a system using an electoral college is not easy to defend especially when I don’t believe that the system is proper in that it is not true democracy.  Trying to explain or justify this method is difficult.  Those asking the questions normally have formed their own opinions about the Candidate(s). Their perceptions are primarily influenced by the media.
As for the Middle East, it is recognized that the invasion of Iraq was wrong and that much of subsequent events are attributed to this.  One tends to single out a current event as with Syria without understanding the history of the area and the politics involved.  Trying to stop ISIS by bombing is killing many innocent people.  The destructions of homes are one thing.  The destruction of ancient historical sites cannot be replaced is just another horrible thing.  That happened in Iraq and now in Syria.  While the attention is diverted to Syria and ISIS, ethnic cleansing continues in Palestine.  Attempts to stop ISIS or replace Assad in Syria haven’t worked.  The usual response is to use military force and that means destruction of life and property.  What we learn from history is that we don’t learn from history.  We know that for every action there is a reaction.  That reaction is often in the form of retaliation.  Repeating mistakes thinking that the wrong will turn out right the next time is foolish, but we seem to do this.  Saddam Hussein was targeted for elimination and he was eliminated.  Hindsight says that he ruled with a strong hand and would have controlled or even stopped the spread of ISIS.  Muammar Gaddafi was targeted for elimination.  Primary reason was that he planned to eliminate the dollar and use the Euro as the currency for oil transactions.  Eliminating Gadaffi was another mistake.  Now the West wants to eliminate Baschar al-Assad.  In the process thousands of people have already been killed and more can be expected.  As with Hussein, Gadaffi or with Assad where it is claimed that they committed crimes against their own people, what is the difference who did the killing?  Dead is dead regardless of the method. 
The illegal occupation of Palestine by the Israelis is the cause.  Withdrawal from occupied territory is the solution.  Israel’s goal is to acquire all the territory belonging to the Palestinians.  Unless/until the Israelis are forced to adhere to UN Resolutions and stop the genocide being committed, their actions will continue and the continuation is supported by America.  Billions of dollars along with the latest military hardware will be used for the purpose of killing.  Then there is the danger of the nuclear weapons on hand. 
There is seldom a simple solution. Working for a peaceful solution is difficult, but the right thing to do.

Not at all an easy situation.  I am glad it is not my problem to deal with.  Neither  Hillary nor Trump need this to deal with at their advancing ages.

I feel there should be younger people running things now.