one state, two state, red state, blue state

(okay, that was an inappropriately light title for a post on a serious topic. my bad.)

As with so many others, this is more ramblings than actual position. Maybe that excuses the title a little?

Israel. Palestine. What's a person to think?

First blush - does this have to be a unique question? Why is this somehow a 'special question" for the USA? If we're following the Jefferson admonition re foreign policy ("Commerce with all nations, alliance with none, should be our motto."), aren't we equally hands-off here? Is it even necessary to have a position?

If our 'foreign policy' (if that's what you'd call it) is to be non-involved, non-aligned, and choosing to lead by the example that we set (both in dealing with our neighbors and internally with our own citizens), then perhaps what we have to contribute is commitment to the rights of the individual. And the mutual pledge/bond of our citizens to each other to defend and protect even our most outlandish tinfoil hatters. If that commitment were to exist in the Middle East, would it matter if there was one state or two? It should never ever matter here if it's a red state or blue.

national security

Again, this is mostly a placeholder.

I know we're sure that we Americans have no interest in taking over the world. You and I have no desire to mess with the lives of people in other countries. Heck, the whole idea is just absurd.

Try telling that to people in other countries. Understandably, from their point of view, they're the good guys with pure motives. Now if this were just a case of them being pissed off about the bad morals that Hollywood pumps out in movies, we'd be talking about a annoying small minority in certain countries who would rant and rave to no real effect because most of the rest of their countrymen wouldn't much care. Except that if there are American soldiers in their country or in the country next door, then the rest of their countrymen start wondering if the madmen ranting about the great American Satan don't maybe have some kind of point.

We - you & me, not the government in Washington - would never stand for the soldiers of any other country in our country. Just because sometimes a country's government (e.g., Iraq & Afganistan) are okay with having our soldiers there, what makes us believe that the guy in the street over there feels any differently than we would?

Bring 'em home. From Iraq. From Afganistan. From Germany. From Japan. From everywhere the USA flag doesn't fly.