The alternatives to democracy haven't seemed workable. Your comments,
however, always make sense to me.

Sure, thedhimmi ~ all it takes is for the Palestinans (Christians excluded, evidently) to accept a Jewish state. Got borders?

If I believed in demons, it would seem appropriate to consider Israel of demonic nature.

There is more than one problem with the Israel-Palestine Conflict. I understand that "the whole idea of the Jewish state" is a fundamental issue that confused and confounded hopes for peace from the very beginning. I understand that the horrific experience of the second world war propelled the growth of the nation, for what were seen as good reasons. I understand that the Israeli assumption of authority to determine who, exactly, is a Jew lends it the appearance of authority. But, with reference to your recent post about "an elitist tea party," I didn't get the memo about Jews being the only people in America who pay taxes.

“The United States and Israel signed a Memorandum of Understanding in August 2007 committing the U.S. to give Israel $30 billion in military aid over the next decade. This is grant aid, given in cash at the start of each fiscal year. The only stipulation imposed on Israel’s use of this cash gift is that it spend 74 per cent to purchase U.S. military goods and services.
The first grant under this agreement was made in October 2008, for FY2009, in the amount of $2.55 billion. To bring the total 10-year amount to $30 billion, amounts in future years will gradually increase until an annual level of $3.1 billion is reached in FY2013. This will continue through FY2018." (counterpunch/christison/03.05.09.)

That's $7 million per day.

Operation Cast Lead 2009 resulted in ~$1.9 Billion damage to Gaza.(Haaretz) In 2006, the damage to Gaza was estimated at $46 million.(Guardian UK) Some 100 Palestinians have been granted special admission status to the US - Christian religious refugees. "We took out Saddam" because he was considered responsible for the suicide bombers, according to blogging by US military personnel, not all of whom are happy with our new adventure in Afghanistan.
5,038 US deaths (07.16.09)
1,320,110 Iraqi deaths
2.7 million Iraqi refugees
How many trillions of dollars to wage war; how many trillions of dollars to reconstruct a devastated Iraq, where electricity and water still are not consistently available?

Now we are ramping up again in the fight against the "Muslims" in Afghanistan. Aid to Afghanistan and Pakistan already exceeds that allocated for Israel. And still the drums are beating for war against "unholy" Iran.

Religion is an individual choice; how did the US come to be fighting a religious war against the Muslims? Where does it end?

The Israel's Project 2009 Global Language Dictionary (Newsweek) talks about the "major public relations challenge in America and Europe" required to keep stalling the Road Map for peace. It says Israel must be safe. A few statistics are footnoted: 28 deaths by rockets and mortars fired from Gaza into Israel 2001-2009. Includes Israelis, Palestinians and foreign workers; 1000 injuries from rockets and mortars fired from Gaza since 2001, including Israelis, Palestinians and foreign workers.

Israel is "safe."

Latest totals from IfAmericansKnew.com:
123 Israeli children dead
1,487 Palestinian children dead
1,072 total Israelis dead
6,348 total Palestinians dead
8,864 Israelis injured
39,019 Palestinans injured

Israel has "the most moral army" in the world - now preparing to defend itself against charges of war crimes.

Meanwhile, does anyone think the US is safer?

When did 'Morality hand in hand with Money' become the American Way of War?

Only the people of America, united, have the power to stop these wars.

Do you think it is easy to arrive at a new concept of justice within a
society in which injustice has been accepted as due and right for some
but not for others? Do you think that a personnel department has a
magical source for arriving at the perfect answer to the conundrum of
past and present? I don't. Sotomayor may not be perfect, but she is
no less perfect than the rest of the august group. Why hold her to
higher standards than others?

Yes - I realized I didn't remember anything specific to human rights.

What you've said about both didn't agree with what I thought the two ideas meant.

Living now in accord with such principles is worthwhile because of the benefits such actions bring now. Groups form because individuals share in action and beliefs. Social change comes from the united effort of individuals - bottom up, not top down.

lii -Target individuals for execution on the basis of nationality? No.

Thom - Your suspicions can be met with the fact of Israel's actions; continued as in the past, they would result in genocide.

Thom - First, quote from the HAMAS charter what you refer to, so we can see that it says what you say it says. Be prepared to defend the various statements made by Israel's visionaries, leaders and officials, included in charter documents, that Israel can exist only if the indigenous inhabitants are eliminated to provide space for immigrants.