beginning with the end in mind

Tomorrow, I leave on my bike trek to Yorktown, VA. I had a last minute bike tuneup and total rear tire rebuild, thanks to Todd's new apprentice, who spent a larger part of the afternoon getting me ready to ride. I also indulged in a last minute buying spree at the Performance Bicycle Shop where I purchased a day-glo yellow raincoat that I may be needing quite a lot on this trip. Of course, if something goes wrong on this trip, I'm going to try and fix it and keep going. But, I am glad to know that if need be, I can just call la Juanita to pick me up that evening. Hopefully, like Bilbo Baggins, this will be a trip there and back again.

Of course, I always wonder what terrorists are trying to accomplish. Take this latest incident in God's own Holy Land. Now, I can understand that Hamas might be frustrated that Israel is fighting them, but the last time I checked, their official position was that Israel should be wiped from the map. Now, if that's not a declaration of war against Israel, then I don't know what is? So, now they are complaining that the Israelis might attack them after they commit an actual act of war in their concurrently declared war of annihilation against the state of Israel. I have to say that if Olmert does not attack the Gaza Strip over this, it will only be due to the interference of the Almighty himself. This is what I mean, the terrorists aren't fighting this war to win it, merely to prolong the struggle itself. If victory to them means the absolute annihilation of the Jewish people living in Palestine, then they are hoping for something even Hitler in all his genocidal fury could not accomplish. If victory means two states living side by side in a state of mutual distrust, then they should stop kidnapping Israelis and start letting Abbas do his job.

I am not saying that Islam is incompatible with the principles of non-violence, but I am saying that until the Palestinian government tears a page from Gandhi's playbook, they aren't going to impress anyone of any political power in the West. Maybe they have a supporter in Ahmadinejad, but he's giving them chicken feed in real dollars compared to what the West has offered.