What's interesting is how the "left wing" has been consistently wrong on everything relating to I-P conflict for at least the last 40 years. Oslo, Lebanon withdrawal, "two-state" solution, appeasements, disengagements, prisoner releases, construction freezes, literally every policy the clever "left" pushed lead exactly to the outcomes knuckle dragging right predicted.
One that my I noticed he didn't mention was that although the PLO didn't originally claim the "West Bank," it did claim all of Israel within the 1949 armistice lines. In other words, their main beef is Jewish soveignty within any borders and NOTHING ELSE. How damning is that?!
As I get older I'm less and less charmed by Heller's acerbic critiques of the silliness of war. As opposed to what? Does Heller imagine the hijinks and chaos of the Wehrmacht in its wave of destruction of eastern Europe or the comical asides of the Luftwaffe? I found out the last relative who fought in the Great Patriotic War passed away last month. It was a war of extermination. Them or us. Is war insane? Of course it is that's the point. I'm reminded of the artist Chuck Close who many years ago suffered a catastrophic spinal stroke rendering him mostly quadraplegic. When asked how he'd approach the making of art, he said "once you know how to make art it doesn't matter. If I have to spit paint on the canvass I'll do it". That's how I approach the war 'problem'. Total war requires total methods. Anything less is cowardice.
Dumped? Maybe I am misunderstanding you, but Catch-22 is considered one of the very best novels written in the English language during the 20th century.
https://www.algemeiner.com/2017/03/31/telling-the-truth-doesnt-make-us-right-wing/
ReplyDeleteWhat's interesting is how the "left wing" has been consistently wrong on everything relating to I-P conflict for at least the last 40 years. Oslo, Lebanon withdrawal, "two-state" solution, appeasements, disengagements, prisoner releases, construction freezes, literally every policy the clever "left" pushed lead exactly to the outcomes knuckle dragging right predicted.
DeleteMort Klein is a mensch.
DeleteOne that my I noticed he didn't mention was that although the PLO didn't originally claim the "West Bank," it did claim all of Israel within the 1949 armistice lines. In other words, their main beef is Jewish soveignty within any borders and NOTHING ELSE. How damning is that?!
Delete"Palestine" is wherever in the Middle East the Jews hold sovereignty. That might as well be its formal definition.
DeleteAs I get older I'm less and less charmed by Heller's acerbic critiques of the silliness of war. As opposed to what? Does Heller imagine the hijinks and chaos of the Wehrmacht in its wave of destruction of eastern Europe or the comical asides of the Luftwaffe? I found out the last relative who fought in the Great Patriotic War passed away last month. It was a war of extermination. Them or us. Is war insane? Of course it is that's the point. I'm reminded of the artist Chuck Close who many years ago suffered a catastrophic spinal stroke rendering him mostly quadraplegic. When asked how he'd approach the making of art, he said "once you know how to make art it doesn't matter. If I have to spit paint on the canvass I'll do it". That's how I approach the war 'problem'. Total war requires total methods. Anything less is cowardice.
ReplyDeleteI read this book when I was barely thirteen
ReplyDeleteIt was among a tea chest of books an uncle had picked up somewhere
It was hard cover I would not be sure if it was first edition
I probably started when I was twelve and I regret to say I read out portions of it to girls at Junior high school in an attempt to impress them
We would have dumped the book years ago
Dumped? Maybe I am misunderstanding you, but Catch-22 is considered one of the very best novels written in the English language during the 20th century.
DeleteC'mon, Geoff!
Don't know how I missed this. I couldn't agree more.
DeletePerhaps the most influential novel I have read.
Yeah mate. You misunderstood me. Disappointing.
You can be certain of one truth Mike.
ReplyDeleteI read Catch 22 years before you. 1969
Were you even born then?
Jeez, geoffff, I did not mean to insult you.
DeleteI simply misunderstood this:
"We would have dumped the book years ago"
It just sounded to me like you didn't like the book.
It's no big deal.