My take

Every once in awhile, the news of the world condition becomes so sad that I have to sit down and write about it. I do it for myself. I talk about it constantly to my family; more often than not, to myself. Considering my age, 74 and 11/12ths, I believe they often they write me off as an old fool. But, writing it down gives my thoughts some degree of permanence.

I am a long time subscriber to the Economist. I believe that this newspaper gives the clearest view of what is happening in the world. Yes, the Economist is a champion of capitalism while I am not. But that doesn't seem to effect their coverage of the news. I doubt that I am the only socialist that reads their newspaper.

I read the Economist every weekend (if it arrives on time) and compare this weeks news with last weeks. I also read the Economist on-line for a daily view of what's happening in the world. Then I top it off with daily readings on-line of the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times. If you follow world news yourself, you may wonder why I subject myself to such a depressing agenda. At times, I wonder about that as well. But, what I find more depressing is the fact that so few Americans even bother to read the world news. Most Americans read the headlines and call that good enough.

History and geography. The two school subjects that are almost universally hated, beginning in grammar school. So it is no wonder that Americans avoid the subjects once they are free from the constraints of the classroom. It would take better teachers, well paid teachers, to change this outcome...but that's a different story and for a different time. In the meantime, we have generations of Americans that do not know where Iran is or its history.They have no idea as to why 'they' hate us. They being the leaders of Iran. Most Americans don't know of the long association of the Bush family with the royal family of Saudi Arabia. Most Americans have no clue as to what the word 'Zionism' means. Since most of our politicians and news organizations are bought and paid for by Jewish Americans, most will never know of the Stern Gang, Irgun and similar terrorist organizations in Israel. Yes, the Stern Gang et al are ancient history but there are new names for the same terrorists. Most Americans have no idea that the British and the French divided up the Middle East as they saw fit after they defeated the Ottoman Empire. If you really want to know who caused the present unrest in the Middle East, look to London and Paris for the answer.

Okay, I've gone far enough for the day. I may write more later...