The Palestinians are in a hopeless position because they are completely surrounded by a country which badly wants to get rid of them, a country which is willing to use both violence and siege tactics to achieve that objective.

The Israelis are in a hopeless position because their country defines itself as a religious and ethnic state. That is a terrible way to define a country under any circumstances, but it is catastrophically untenable when that country (in this case, Israel) is a tiny entity surrounded by much larger countries which are hostile to it.

Further, Israel as a Jewish state is doomed for another, closely related reason: the substantial and growing population of Muslims who are already citizens of the country. Demographic projections indicate that the number of Muslims will be increasing to such an extent that Jews will be in the minority within a few decades.

The only possible answer is mutual assimilation. Both countries have to open their borders and merge to become one. The two-state solution can never work, because the entities are just too small and too intermixed. Without merging the two countries and working out a way for their people to coexist, both countries will eventually go out of existence.

The excellent Prof. Cole exposes ten false beliefs fostered on the U.S. public by the the Bush Administration, with the all-too-willing cooperation of the U.S. corporate media.

6. The sole explanation for the fall in the monthly death rate for Iraqi civilians was the troop escalation or “surge” of 30,000 extra US troops in 2007.

In fact, troop levels had been that high before without major effect. The US military did good counter-insurgency in 2007. The major reason for the fall in the death toll, however, was that the Shiites won the war for Baghdad, ethnically cleansing hundreds of thousands of Sunnis from the capital, and turning it into a city with a Shiite majority of 75 to 80 percent. (When Bush invaded, Baghdad was about 50/50 Sunni and Shiite). The high death tolls in 2006 and 2007 were a by-product of this massive ethnic cleansing campaign. Now, a Shiite militiaman in Baghdad would have to drive for a while to find a Sunni Arab to kill.

Unless we continually compare everything we see or read with better sources, some of these corn-fed ideas gradually blend in with our perception of reality. Cole provides one good antidote. Cole’s article, while short, delivers a lot of information. Read the rest of the piece here.

El Presidente has reached a new low, possibly setting a worldwide record for public loss of dignity of a major power. This photo ought to be posted on billboards across the country to remind people of the benefits of Republican Party governance.

Above you see George W. Bush ducking, as the Shoe Of Maximum Disrespect barely misses his head. He seems to be enjoying the experience. Maybe he thinks he has finally experienced the thrill and heroism of combat in his own narcissistic little war.

No, Georgie, a million Iraqis and thousands of U.S. soldiers did not die like that. They perished because of all the guns and bombs and tanks and airplanes you sent to their country.

Finally, now that Citibank has been propped up to the tune of $20 billion, along with strong guarantees against future defaults, all is well with the markets.

Wait, no. All is almost all well with the markets. Or at least, almost all will soon be almost well. All will possibly someday be not quite as bad as things appear to be now! Hooray!

Or maybe not. Two or three times a week we hear that the latest rescue package is going to fix things up, and that “the economy will start growing again.” Yet somehow we never hear anyone ask the apparently obvious question, “What happens if all these rescue plans fail to work, despite multiple bailouts and many Encouraging Words?”

Apparently, that question is simply too horrible to ask. Failure, the experts like to say, “is unthinkable.”

So, while you are trying to unthink what you may already be thinking, I can highly recommend the following brief (under 5 minutes) video for an easy-to-follow explanation of the recent U.S. economic problems. Thanks to the clear explanation here, I feel a surge of confidence.

Did that grab you? Do you feel much better now? Yes, with understanding comes enlightenment. With enlightenment comes inner peace. With inner peace comes love, and with love comes happiness. Relax! Prosperity is just around the corner.

Like practically everyone — and not just Americans — I hope the U.S. will some day once again be known for good acts rather than evil ones. Since the absurd re-election of George W. Bush in 2004, I’ve assumed this would be a slow process, probably requiring decades.

My long-term expectations are still not high, but an encouraging Reuters story asserts that Brazil is examining its own racial issues in the light of Obama’s victory.

BRASILIA (Reuters) - Barack Obama’s rise to power in the United States has exposed cracks in Brazil’s self-image as a racially integrated society, with many seeing the Latin American giant years away from electing a black president.

I was one of those who believed Brazil to be a society largely lacking racial divisions. But informing readers is the proper function of real journalism; this piece constitutes a good example.

With only a few blacks in top government posts, deep-rooted, veiled racism in a country that is among the world’s most racially mixed has prevented the emergence of a serious black presidential candidate. …

With almost half the population considered black, Brazilians often boast that their country is a more harmonious melting pot than the United States. But analysts say that is only because blacks in Brazil have never posed a threat to the dominance of the white elite in politics and business. …

How long will colonialism stain the world?

Brazil was the last country in the Americas to abolish slavery in 1888 and is home to the largest black population outside of Africa.

I didn’t even realize Brazil once had slavery.

Blacks have played a major role in shaping its national identity, and the most famous Brazilian of all, soccer legend Pele, is black.

But latent discrimination is rampant, as illustrated in the scant presence of blacks in television and advertising. Blacks also fare among the worst in health and education indicators.

I hadn’t given any thought to the color of Brazil’s politicians. I don’t even know what their President, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, looks like.

Infant mortality among blacks is 40 percent higher than among whites, and illiteracy rates among blacks are also much higher.

That is sad, yet it is an unexpected pleasure to think that something happening in the U.S. might inspire the world. Thank you, Barack Obama.

Love and pride.

If you love Obama (and you do), this comic-historical gem of a video is sure to wet your eyes. Maybe you have seen it before, but watch again today.

To make this video, Ultimate Improv borrowed words and music from another context, but after living through an eight-year nightmare the result is just plain moving.

One day more!