War is Hell

The SJ Merc published an interesting letter (1/4/09, 12A) about the current Middle East war:

The similarity between the Native American Indians and the Palestinians is that in the case of both people, lands were taken from them by violence, and their people were decimated so that someone else could establish a new nation on their land. The difference between them is that Native American Indians eventually gave up, accepted their fate and moved to reservations. The Palestinians have never given up, and they still want their land back.

Bob Christensen
San Jose

I am a fervent believer in non-violence, but as an attorney, I also accept the legal principle of self-defense. This principle states:

Use of force is justified when a person reasonably believes that it is necessary for the defense of oneself or another against the immediate use of unlawful force. However, a person must use no more force than appears reasonably necessary in the circumstances.

Force likely to cause death or great bodily harm is justified in self-defense only if a person reasonably believes that such force is necessary to prevent death or great bodily harm.

The following line, from above, strikes me as pivotal: "However, a person must use no more force than appears reasonably necessary in the circumstances." Its essential meaning is that self-defense must be proportionate.

The Gaza Strip, because it is densely populated, presents an interesting moral question. When dealing with one of the most densely populated places in the world, how does a country attack and defend itself proportionately? If it uses ground troops in an effort to avoid indiscriminate bombing, it will sustain more deaths on its side. On the other hand, if it uses air attacks, it will knowingly kill many more civilians than necessary, but with fewer losses on its own side.

Palestine is also presented with difficult moral questions. It appears its neighbor is continuing to annex more Palestinian land through settlements, an action both the U.N. and the U.S. have opposed. Palestine's weaponry is not as sophisticated as its neighbor's, so attacking only military installations would be impossible or futile. If, however, it is completely non-violent, then it will lose more land and civilian lives as Israel builds more settlements and protects those settlements with force. Malcolm X once pointed out that nonviolence isn't always wise: "Concerning nonviolence: It is criminal to teach a man not to defend himself when he is the constant victim of brutal attacks. It is legal and lawful to own a shotgun or a rifle. We believe in obeying the law." (Of course, both Israelis and Palestinians could use this Malcolm X quote to justify their actions.)

In the end, neutral observers are left with a Catch-22 situation. When confronted with a Catch-22 situation, any ethical action must involve extricating both sides from the Catch-22. This means creating an environment where each side has viable options. What makes this goal so complicated is the presence of religion (i.e., Jerusalem) and an absence of products that can create substantial trade.

Palestinians, being generally poor, cannot afford high-margin Israeli products, which are generally marketed to developed countries. While Palestinians can function as laborers for the generally more affluent Israelis, even this potential economic cooperation is complicated because of the limited land in Israel and Palestine. The fact that land is limited creates disincentives for Israel to treat Palestinian workers as anything more than short-term, throw-away workers. Just as Palestinians oppose the building of settlements on their land, Israel will most likely never accept substantial Palestinian immigration or permanent settlement. As a result, Israel is forced to treat Palestinian workers as means to an end, rather than an end in itself. When the best-case scenario violates Kant's rule, we can see why this situation is so complex. (In contrast, America has vast tracts of land and liberal citizenship laws, allowing America to more easily accept and assimilate Mexicans.)

I have always believed economics is the key to any successful relationship, because it causes each side to be useful to each other, which leads to a natural interest in each side's long-term health. After all, one cannot sell products to a dead man, no matter how great the product, or how much money the dead man has.

From my non-expert angle, I see peace only when the following occurs: one, territorial boundaries are firmly established and protected (temporarily) by a strong, neutral third-party; and two, Palestinians become more affluent through trade--which requires them to manufacture products needed in neighboring countries and to be able and willing to trade with Israelis and other neighbors.

Update on January 6, 2009:

A U.N. school has been hit by an Israeli mortar:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090107/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_israel_palestinians

Also, according to CNN, "A Hamas rocket penetrated farther than ever before into Israel on Tuesday, landing in the town of Gadera, about 23 miles (36 kilometers) north of the Gaza border, the Israeli military said. On Monday, a rocket hit a kindergarten in Ashdod, about 16 miles (26 kilometers) north of Gaza." The school was vacant at the time, so no civilian casualties were reported.

Bombing any densely populated area will knowingly result in civilian casualties. Thus, no matter how civilized a society is, and no matter how much it strives not to target civilians, bombing densely populated areas is an automatically uncivilized course of action. Call me an idealist, but I just can't wrap my head around the concept of "collateral damage." I agree with Mohandas K. Gandhi when he said, "What does it matter to the dead, the orphans, and the homeless whether the mad destruction is wrought under the name of totalitarianism or the holy name of liberty or democracy?"

Idealism aside, the question still remains: "How can the world persuade Hamas to stop firing rockets?" Hamas has agreed to several cease-fires, which shows that it will respond to various incentives. If the British were able to persuade the Irish Republican Army to disarm, especially after bombs like this, there must be a way to persuade Hamas to disarm as well. The alternative is more civilian deaths on both sides, more images Hamas will use to recruit more men, and more pain and suffering on both sides.

Here is one idea to reduce civilian casualties: prior to an attack or war, Israel should offer safehouses on its own soil. All children under 18 years of age and all women would be able to cross the border into the safehouses. These Palestinian residents would be returned after the war or attack was over. I am not an expert on war, but there must be some way to mitigate civilian casualties so that schoolchildren are not at risk.

_________

"I like to believe that people in the long run are going to do more to promote peace than our governments. Indeed, I think that people want peace so much that one of these days governments had better get out of the way and let them have it." -- President Dwight D. Eisenhower

_________

Update on January 8, 2009: Charlie Rose interviewed Bob Simon with a special focus on the Israeli-Palestinian situation. The result is an informative primer for anyone searching for answers on how to improve Israel-Palestinian relations:

http://www.charlierose.com/view/interview/9900

Readers who prefer a transcript rather than video should scroll down and hit the "Transcript" tab (located next to "Comments").

More info: here is a NY Times op-ed, from the Palestinian perspective ("What You Don't Know about Gaza").

Update on January 10, 2010: here is a WSJ op-ed (this link doesn't appear to work, so you may want to google ALAN M. DERSHOWITZ, July 3, 2009, "Has Obama Turned on Israel?"). Dershowitz agrees with and quotes Yousef Munayyer: "'Obama should make it clear to the Israelis that settlers should feel free to grow their families as long as their settlements grow vertically, and not horizontally,'" he wrote last month in the Boston Globe. In other words, build 'up' rather than 'out.'"

Also, here is an interview with Mr. Olmert (NYT, by Ethan Bronner, 9/29/08):

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said in an interview published on Monday that Israel must withdraw from nearly all of the West Bank as well as East Jerusalem to attain peace with the Palestinians and that any occupied land it held onto would have to be exchanged for the same quantity of Israeli territory.

Steve Nash Video

Although Reggie Miller will always be my favorite NBA player, Steve Nash isn't far behind on my personal list. For those of you who don't follow basketball, the white player is former NBA MVP Steve Nash, who attended Santa Clara University and who plays for the Phoenix Suns. The other player is Baron Davis, who was born in L.A. and who rejuvenated the Golden State Warriors. Wait till you see Nash and Davis street dancing:

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/blog/ball_dont_lie/post/Video-Gold-Steve-Nash-and-Baron-Davis-are-Step?urn=nba,97409

Oh, the awesomeness.

NY Times and Madoff

Today's NY Times mentions Madoff. Michael Lewis says that Wall Street's misaligned incentives led to corruption.

Poetry and My Poems

Once in a while, I like to take a break from economics and read poetry. Here are some of my favorites:

AUBADE, by Rick Barot

Scintillas of the anatomical
on the vines, buds opening—
make me a figure
for the woken.

On the vines, buds opening—
blue, little throats.
For the woken,
this different tin sky.

Blue, little throats
speak to me in the right voice.
This different tin sky,
the playground thawing.

Speak to me in the right voice,
only clean, sweeter.
The playground thawing
into its primary colors.

Only clean, sweeter,
briary as honeysuckle,
into their primary colors
the words come: bitter, astral.

Full version after the jump: http://enskyment.org/poetsatog.html

I am sharing part of Barot's poem for educational purposes. It sounds and reads perfectly--a difficult combination. Even the unusual repetition, "bitter, astral," feels perfectly placed. The only blemish is the phrase, "blue little throats," which seems too harsh among "clean, sweeter," and "honeysuckle." This poetic form, which relies on repetition, is the "lilibonelle." More on poetry forms at Sol Magazine.

I also love a poem by C. Milosz called "Hymn," but I can't find it online. Here are the first few lines:

There is no one between you and me.
Neither a plant drawing sap from the depths of the earth
nor wind walking between the clouds.
The most beautiful bodies are like transparent glass.

Here is an interview with Mr. Milosz.

Another poem by Bill Watterson is a must-read. It's from Calvin and Hobbes' Indispensable Treasury:

I made a big decision a little while ago.
I don't remember what it was, which prob'ly goes to show
That many times a simple choice can prove to be essential
Even though it often might appear inconsequential.

I must have been distracted when I left my home because
Left or right I'm sure I went. (I wonder which it was!)
Anyway, I never veered: I walked in that direction
Utterly absorbed, it seems, in quiet introspection.

For no reason I can think of, I've wandered far astray.
And that is how I got to where I find myself today.

As you can see, poetry doesn't have to be in a Norton Anthology to be required reading. I own the complete Calvin and Hobbes collection, and Calvin has so many lines that are poetic in their own right. I shared the above lines to show readers that poetry can be found in unexpected places and to encourage readers to discover Calvin and Hobbes if they haven't already done so. Newer fans can share their thoughts on Calvin and Hobbes here.

Oh, the beauty.

___________

Here are a few poems I found today, which I wrote about 10 years ago:

Haiku

The mahogany maelstrom
stares at me.

Charred black holes
peeking through space,
gentle lashes nurturing
smoldering volcanoes.

copyright Matthew Rafat (written 1995-1999)

Embezzlement

Bank statements invade dreams
Of holding hands, making babies, laughing for no reason;
And eyes that once sparkled are now jaundiced,
Critiquing every missing George Washington,
Forgetting the spontaneous smiles
That once would follow accidental breaking of dishes.
Now your reassuring voice seems like an important historical event
One should remember, but can't,
Like the date of the Missouri Compromise or the victor at Yorktown.
The laundry undone and the mold growing
Used to sit patiently while we lay on our backs feeling the wind brush our faces--
And it would be okay if we missed dinner
When I wanted to see your face above mine,
Your falling sweat sticking to my just-showered stomach.
But bringing Benjamin Franklin in the bedroom
Made you sexually insolvent, and I felt cheated, because I never invited him in--
It was as if you were making me part of a threesome without my consent,
Allowing little green men to rape me while you watched and did nothing.
Even the prospect of your copper-stained hands going through my hair
Would have aroused in me forgiveness--
But you always just plopped down next to me in the dark, faceless and foreboding.
One day, as you mentioned going down a tax bracket,
I packed my bags and left without your interest
And with the realization I would never be included
In your value estimations.

copyright Matthew Rafat (written 1995-1999)

Pellucid Life

Children dance their songs of glee,
Roses approve with laughs of scent,
The sun joins in, beaming smiles of light.
Women cradle bundles of sound,
Men walk with words of friends,
The world turns with slow of sure.
I sit amidst sights of smell,
Enjoying feel of touch,
Remembering you of love.

copyright Matthew Rafat (written 1995-1999)

Dupont Circle was one of my favorite hangouts when I lived in D.C. around 1999. I loved its coffeeshops and used bookstores. Back in the day, as soon as you got off the Metro and exited the escalator, you saw the aptly-named Xanadu's Cafe on your left. Dupont has become much more gentrified since then.

Dupont Circle

"No talking please,"
"No talking please,"
The jolly old man bellowed out,
Hovering over the chessboard,
About to devour his opponent,
Another old man, teeth and glasses broken,
Reflecting his shattered condition.
The old man must have wanted to be more than a wino once--
Whatever the dreams were, they certainly never included
Prostituting his knowledge of a queen's gambit for a ham and cheese sandwich.
The words of death didn't need to be said,
And they weren't, but the black king lay prostrate on the board
As 25 dollars exchanged trembling hands.

A drunk Physics major stumbled about,
Mumbling, "A win is a win is a win is a win,"
But then lost the next two games.

"Pow! Pow! Pow!"
In the corner, an entrenched Vietnam Vet, between sips,
Echoed out threats
Against the man who had just
Refused his request for a light.
A size six waist and double Ds walked in,
Capturing the crowd,
And I remembered thinking,
"God I wish those are real."
But they're not, and they're just as empty and heavy
As the old men's machismo
And their dances and drunkenness,
Gambling money they don't have,
Hollering words without force,
Trying to find connections in a city
That offers none,
As sorry and hopeful
As those two pneumatic sacks.

copyright Matthew Rafat

Answer to W.H. Auden

At the party,
Go sit in your dismal, desolate corner--
Good friends laugh and play
As you deem yourself their official mourner.

Blow the cobwebs from the mirror,
See the face of optimism resisted;
You cannot plunge the penknife
Into a heart that never existed.

Time will only say "I told you so,"
You've said over and over;
Let Time watch from the shadows--
I will kiss while it coughs, and be Life's lover.

copyright Matthew Rafat

Gift Cards and Refunds

Now that the X-Mas shopping is done and the gifts opened, what happens if you want to return your gift? Or, if you received a gift card, do you know when you can get cash from the card? Here are some tips, prepared by the Consumer Protection Unit of the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office, relating to refunds/returns and gift cards:

Refunds

A retail store in California does not have to accept your return of merchandise simply because you have changed your mind.

A retail store in California can set its own policy on returning merchandise. It may elect to refuse any returns once a purchase has been made, or accept returned merchandise for a store credit only.

However, if a retail store elects not to give a full refund or store credit within 7 days after purchase, it must post that written refund policy:
*on a sign at each cash register and sales counter;
*on tags associated with that merchandise;
*at each public entrance; or
*on order forms.

The policy must state:
*whether the store will give a cash refund, store credit, or exchange for the full amount of the purchase price;
*the time within which the return must be made; and
*any other conditions related to the policy.

There are exceptions under this law so be a wise shopper and ask to see the refund policy.

Gift cards and gift certificates

While gift cards and certificates make for very flexible and easy gifts, you should keep in mind the restrictions allowed under California law.

While the gift card or certificate cannot have an expiration date, the card may include a dormancy fee (a fee charged for not using the card or certificate within a certain time period); such fees are required to be printed on the front or back of the card or certificate. You also need to consider the likelihood that the store will close before you can use the card or certificate.

Finally, sellers of gift cards and certificates must redeem them only when the balance on them falls below $10.00.

Memories of 10 Years Ago

I am going through some old items and re-discovered two old songs I love.

This one's from Meatloaf, and this one's an incredible old-school rap song.

I also discovered an Atlantic article written by Miranda Seymour--Seymour's review so captivated me, I saved it. I must have been in a really foul mood at the time:

This is, even for Brookner, an unusually cheerless work, about the moral education of a young woman as assessed by herself in retrospect. The lesson she learns is that a wise woman expects nothing from life and will probably get it. Only a fool, Brookner suggests, would believe the lessons offered by the novels and fairy tales in which Zoë, like many of her predecessors, has rashly placed her trust. Poor girls who sit and wait to become princesses get nowhere. Ordeals may lead only to further suffering. There are no rewards for virtue beyond self-respect. Life is best viewed as a journey toward death, to be lived with attentive restraint.

Ah, memories.

Wise Consumer Tips (California)

My readers are no doubt enjoying the new year--the Nasdaq is up 3.5% and the Dow is up almost 3%. But stock market gains mean nothing if you get scammed in personal economic transactions. To help my California readers avoid fraud, I found some excellent consumer tips, prepared by the Consumer Protection Unit of the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office. The resolutions/tips are very helpful and definitely worth a look:

As a consumer, I resolve, in 2009, to:

-read and understand every consumer contract, especially when purchasing or leasing a car, BEFORE signing it and get all oral promises added to the contract in writing

-check with the Contractors State Licensing Board on the status of a contractor before hiring one to work on my home (Licenses can be checked by telephoning the Board at 1-800-321-CSLB or using the Board’s website at www.cslb.ca.gov .)

-understand the refund/return policy before purchasing in a store or from a store online

-watch the register when items are being scanned to catch pricing errors (Consumers may call the Santa Clara County Department of Weights and Measures’ toll-free scanner hotline at 1-866-SCANNER to complain or ask questions about scanning devices at stores.)

-use my credit card for purchases, whenever possible and reasonable, so I can write to my credit card company to dispute any charge

-make all car payments on schedule to avoid repossession and a bad credit record

-obtain a written estimate for any auto repair and ask for replaced parts, if I need them (Licenses can be checked by telephoning the Bureau of Automotive Repair at 1-800-952-5210 or using the Bureau’s website at www.bar.ca.gov .)

-review my itinerary and cancellation terms before purchasing travel arrangements, whether online or through a travel agent

-not disclose my personal or financial information, such as credit card or bank account numbers, over the telephone or online to any organization I cannot verify as reputable

-check with the Better Business Bureau, Consumer Reports, the Bay Area Consumer Checkbook or simply do an internet search on any company from which I am purchasing

For more information, call the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office, Consumer Protection Unit at 408-792-2880.

[Note: this number goes to a local D.A.'s office, designed to assist residents of Santa Clara County, or those complaining about businesses in Santa Clara County.]