When does the fighting end?
I want to say whether you’re an Israel lover or hater or a Palestinian lover or hater – it’s never okay to destroy land. In the end Gaia will return to haunt those who have no respect – give me a front row seat.
I saw video footage of Israel bulldozing olive groves in the West Bank. This destruction occurred alongside multiple coordinated incidents where agricultural lands were leveled or torched by both state forces and Israeli settlers.
It’s not okay.
Israeli forces also decided to bulldoze private Palestinian-owned land in another nearby village.
Why? Well, because they can. And the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) justified their actions by citing immediate “security threats” and “operational considerations.”
Do your research on this – I highly recommend it.
How would each of you feel if someone came in and started destroying your land and you could do nothing about it?
When I asked myself that question, it occurred the Data Center issue could definitely be compared here since those AI centers are literally coming in and with little resistance destroying land around the US and definitely in Ellis County.
If you think it’s not the same, put your thinking cap on because the destruction of land and your property is the same whether you want to call it an ugly Israel or ugly AI war.
Even the devil can justify a “good thing” if he wants it bad enough.
The destruction of one person’s land today that you hate could be tomorrow’s destruction of your land by someone who could care less about you.
I’m just going to be quick right here about Israel because I’ve spent an entire column trying to explain the difference for those Bible readers who defend Israel because the Bible says so.
The Bible Israel and the current Zionist group does not match up.
Zionism has transformed from an ancient spiritual longing into a modern political movement and a highly debated state ideology.
The evolution of Zionism is defined by four distinct historical phases; the Biblical and pre-modern beginnings, late 19th to mid-20th century, post-1948 with the founding of Israel and the current era of diaspora divide.
So, with that said, remember there was a ceasefire between the United States and Iran a few weeks ago. It seems to be a little shaky now, but they have agreed to give it another go.
That “go” means Israel needs to have a little respect too.
But Israel’s Bibi was big mad about that ceasefire anyway since he was not invited to the party and he has explicitly rejected the constraints of the U.S.-Iran framework agreement.
In other words, I’m not playing.
I wonder how all those politicians are feeling about now since that money they got from AIPAC is partly about keeping Bibi happy.
And when Bibi is not happy, it does not appear the world is safe. And he has made it clear he is not going to compromise on his security interests for a deal negotiated between Washington and Tehran.
To hell with the rest of the world, come what may.
Remember, the U.S.-Iran memorandum called for terminating military operations on all fronts – including Lebanon – Netanyahu said no baby, not going to do it, I do not have to.
Why is Netanyahu so hellbent on aggression since he must have a soul in there somewhere.
Research indicates his military strategies are driven by a combination of intense national security doctrines, domestic political survival, and historical convictions.
Those convictions will get you every time, because integrity is not measured by how stubborn a person can be, but by how much they care about the bigger picture – the world view.
It was pointed out to me that Bibi’s coalition government depends on figures who advocate for maximum military force and the complete eradication of adversaries like Hamas and Hezbollah.
Is it safe to say if he compromised or accepted a long-term ceasefire then his far-right partners would oppose, and his government would collapse. And we know he does not want to be out of a job.
Netanyahu views the Islamic Republic of Iran as an existential menace dedicated to Israel’s annihilation. That view does seem to be getting tired.
The Arab Weekly reported public sentiment toward Bibi has reached a critical low, driven by widespread anger over his handling of the recent war with Iran and the subsequent U.S.-brokered ceasefire.
The bigger question, however, is why do humans believe destroying each other is the only answer?
Psychologists, historians, anthropologists all suggest interconnected reasons why humanity turns to violence.
From evolutionary biology to tribalism with the “Us vs. Them” mindset.
Then comes dehumanization, which we are seeing now with killing becoming psychologically accepted. Leaders and propaganda machines systematically strip away the humanity of the outgroup. When an enemy is viewed as dangerous “pests” or “evil,” killing them is framed not as murder, but as self-defense or a moral duty.
There’s also the security dilemma in which mankind believes (and this is in any divided group) that another group’s gain is their loss.
Or the spoon-fed cycle of fear that if Country A builds weapons purely for defense, Country B perceives it as an offensive threat and builds bigger weapons.
There’s also the ideological and religious absolutism since conflicts about land or money allows for humans to negotiate but bring in absolute ideologies and compromise turns to “big fat ego” and nothing is sane anymore.
And don’t forget about greed. We see that around the world and sadly very much in the United States’ political parties.
That’s how AIPAC wins the day – greed.
And remember, war provides a lucrative intersection of massive corporate profits, campaign funding, and strategic geopolitical dominance.
For entrenched political establishments, conflict is not just a tragic crisis to be managed, but a massive economic and strategic enterprise.
Just ask the U. S. Military-Industrial-Congressional Complex, or closer to home ask Ellis County’s Congressman Jake Ellzey.
In 1961, U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower warned against the “unwarranted influence” of the military-industrial complex. In the modern era, this has expanded into an interconnected financial loop.
Defense contractors (like Lockheed Martin, RTX/Raytheon, and General Dynamics) recruit heavily from retired military generals and former government officials. These individuals use their insider access to lobby for increased defense spending, and the loop continues.
Consider this – when the U.S. government passes a “billion-dollar package” to send weapons to foreign allies like Israel, most money never leaves the US.
Who gets it? Wink-wink – not you.
One more little rabbit hole about the defense contractor lobbying and politician stock trading.
Politicians are legally allowed to buy and sell stocks in companies they oversee, provided they disclose the trades within 45 days. Here is a short list of those U.S. lawmakers who hold or trade stocks in major military contractors and who are prominent members of Congress assigned to defense and foreign relations committees and have or still do actively trade defense industry shares:
• Rep. Gil Cisneros (D-CA) - House Armed Services Committee
• Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) - Senate Armed Services Committee
• Rep. Patrick Fallon (R-TX) - House Armed Services Committee
• Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) - House Armed Services Committee
• Rep. Dave Joyce (R-OH) - House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee
• Rep. John Rutherford (R-FL) - House Appropriations Committee
• Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) - Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee
• Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX) - high-ranking member and former Chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee
• Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA) - House Foreign Affairs Committee.
Nothing to see here.
Why end war when you can make money at it and gain power.
Why end making money when no one is going to stop you and certainly not the American people who keep voting, for example, Bibi in with every vote that promotes AIPACs agenda.
Rita Cook is a freelance writer for The Ellis County Press. She can be reached at rcook13@earthlink.net.