Homeland

If you are Irish or of Irish descent, you can celebrate your Irish culture and heritage anywhere in the world. You can make occasional trips to the 'old country' and enjoy yourself even if your Irish ancestors had to leave Ireland over a century ago or starve. If you live in Ireland, you can make a yearly shopping trip, as many Irish so do, from Dublin to New York and Boston. If you are American-Irish, you can celebrate St. Patrick's Day along with the millions who are not Irish and parade in the streets, wear green, drink Guinness and gorge on corned beef (or boiled bacon) and cabbage. If you are Irish you have a culture and a homeland: Ireland. Doesn't matter if you are Catholic or Protestant; you have a homeland. If you are of Irish descent you are welcome just about everywhere.

If you are Italian or or Italian descent, you can celebrate your traditional Italian heritage all over the world. Consume Italian food at a local restaurant. Have a parade on Columbus Day. Visit Italy and search for your relatives. You have a homeland also: Italy. Never mind that your ancestors may have fled Italy over a century ago, or that Italy was on the wrong side of the war in WWII. If you are of Italian descent you are welcome just about everywhere and everybody celebrates with you.

Almost every nationality and culture can tell this same story. Despite hardships, despite discrimination, even despite national laws to keep you in your place, you can celebrate your culture, honor your past, and practice your group traditions. And somewhere on the planet you have a 'homeland'. You might not want to actually live there but it exists. No matter how 'outside' you may sometimes feel, you know emotionally that there is a cultural home somewhere.

Until the mid-twentieth century however, the ideal of cultural identity and celebration was not true for one particular group: Jews. Until 1948, Jews worldwide were a culture without a homeland. A powerless minority, Jews were discriminated against legally in almost every nation on earth for millennia; marginalized, robbed, raped, and murdered - ghettoized in some nations, kicked out of others. Expelled from England in 1290; expelled from Spain in 1492; forced into ghettos in Italy in 1516; taxed excessively, socially restricted; the occasional murder, and barely tolerated in Muslim nations. It made no difference even if Jews tried to fully blend in and integrate into the national culture. German Jews were more German then most Germans in the early 20th century and we all know how that turned out. America was the only tolerant nation although anti-semitism continued to be a strong social force until the later part of the 20th century.

Jews have felt like outsiders in every nation on Earth and no amount of adaptation to the dominate culture made a difference. Even in America, the Jewish joke was to 'always kept a packed bag just in case you needed to flee in a hurry'.

Jews would dream like the Lion, Scarecrow and Tin Man in 'The Wizard of Oz': 'If we only had a home". This then was the essence of Zionism: Let us have a home so that we are no longer outsiders in an unfriendly world. The dream came true with the creation of the nation-state of Israel. Many people were surprised that it actually happened, including Palestinian Jews. They had not asked for a country, just a homeland, but even that was unacceptable to their fellow Arab Palestinians and neighboring Arab nations. So the nation-state of Israel, a secular nation, emerged out of violence in 1948 and was given little chance of actual success. But it did. American Jews were somewhat ambivalent about Israel at first. Most folks have either forgotten that. It wasn't until 1967 that American Jews gave their full support to Israel. The reason? For some it was pride in defeating Arab nations in the 1967 War against overwhelming odds, but I believe that it was really because it took 20 years for Jews worldwide to realize that they finally had a homeland: a small piece of real estate that they could culturally identify with even if the reality of Israel bore little resemblance to their everyday lives . It is significant that it was after 1967 that Jews worldwide began to immigrate to Israel, not because they had no other place to go, but because they wanted to be there.

Until the late 1960's there were only 3 reasons why Jews immigrated to Israel: One, they were very religious and were tolerated in a secular Israel. Two, they were European DPs, displaced persons with no other place to go, survivors of the holocaust, who were not welcomed back in their home countries. Three, they were among the 700,000 Arab Jews who were kicked out or fled from their homes in Arab states like Morocco, Syria, etc. By the way, I would have more respect for those who champion Palestinian Arabs if the fact of displaced Jews was treated with equal importance as displaced Arabs.

Jews have a sense of homeland in Israel; a cultural home. They may have little desire to actually live there. They may often disagree with the nation's policies. But it is still a place of culturally identification. It has nothing to do with religion. After all, how many Jewish American actually like hummus. Unfortunately, it is not that simple for Jews in the world. Just as Jews were outsiders in every nation they ever lived in, the Jewish 'homeland' of Israel is treated as an outsider in the world of nations.

Jews are still the globe's pariah. Once Jews were only unacceptable in the nation they lived in; perennial outcasts no mater how French, Spanish, Italian, or German they tried to be. Now that Jewish culture has a homeland nothing much has changed. The nation of Israel, the first Jewish homeland in 2000 years, is treated the same as Jews have always been. The nation, the culture, the people, have no right to exist except in servitude. Is there any doubt among those who understand history that if the state of Israel had been not created in the 1940's that Jewish culture would have disappeared? Where would the DPs have gone? What would the status have been of Arab Jews? An historical fact that has perplexed scholars for decades is why was the percentage of American anti-semitism higher after WWII than before it?

Why is it so difficult for the world, particularly the Arab world to allow a small homeland for Jewish culture? Sure, Israelis can be irritating, righteous, and argumentative, but we don't use other culture's stereotypical characteristics as excuses for mass annihilation. When was the last time you heard: Those Irish are all a bunch of drunks, let's drive them into the sea? Bernard Lewis, Middle Eastern scholar, was once asked what he though would satisfy the Islamic world concerning the fate of Israel. His response: other than total annihilation, move to Mars.

(see http://www.aviperry.org/uploads/1/7/2/5/172566/on_the_jewish_question.pdf)

I will soon be visiting Israel for the first time. I have little in common with Israel as a nation. I'm an American from the midwest. I may like my time there or I might not. I am not religious, I do not speak Hebrew, I do not follow dietary law. I am critical of some national policies. But it still feels like I'm going home. And that's the last word on the subject.

Poor Palestine

The plight of the poor Palestinians. Nobody in this world every gives them a break. Chased from nation to nation, massacred, raped, bombed, denied basic human rights, no country of refuge of their own. A powerless people that by necessity resorts to violence at times, but they are such a small population that there is no hope of salvation without sponsorship by the more powerful nations of the world. Most of the world however would rather that they just disappear, but that was tried for a time and it just didn't work. Left alone they thrive because they are an intelligent and industrious people. Most of the world refuses to do that though, and now that they have their own tiny corner of the world that they can call their home, not recognized as such by many nations, they still need to withstand constant attempts by a powerful neighbor to destroy them. What hold back their final destruction? Many it is because they have the atomic bomb?

Oh? Are you confused? Did you think I was writing about the Palestinian Arabs? No. I am writing about the original Palestinians. Those who called themselves Palestinians and were known as Palestinians before they became a nation named Israel and before the word 'Palestinian' was appropriated in 1967 by Yassir Arafat. Before the original Palestinians began to call themselves 'Israelis'. The Jewish men and women who when asked who they were would always answer 'Palestinian' because there was no Israel until 1948. The Jews who were members of the Palestinian Brigade during WWII, who were members of the Palestinian Assembly of Representatives, and the Jewish National Council in the Palestine Mandate.

I bring this up because I need to highlight one of the many great successes of the Arab world: To change the meanings of words and the history of the area previously known as Palestine.

See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Mandate_of_Palestine for an informative Wiki on the British Mandate.

Appropriating language is a common practice in the world. Right-wing reactionaries do it all the time in this country. Left-wingers seem to be less successful. Consider how 'liberal' became a dirty word, how ''anti-abortion' became 'pro-life'. Zealots know that if you change the language and alter the meaning of words, you can control the direction of the argument. Similarly, if you repeat a lie often enough, eventually many people will believe it to be true and you can re-write the historical record.

Think about it. This is NOT the last word I will have on this subject.

Rudes of the Road III

I never thought I'd need to rant again about drivers. But I never thought that driving would become more hazardous then it already was. It has. Thanks to cell phones and the bad habits of drivers, driving has become a combat sport. Let's not mince words here: The problem is not cell phones, it is bad drivers who risk both their lives and ours every day on the road because they are too self absorbed to pay attention to the task of driving an automobile.

The facts are undeniable. Human behavior is at fault in combining cell phone use and driving. People who use a cell phone while driving, and particularly those who text while driving, put everyone on the road at risk. Although data is limited and difficult to obtain, the available data and most current research on cell phone use proves beyond a doubt that cell phone use while driving is dangerous.

Each year, 21% of all teen fatal car crashes are the result of cell phone usage. This fatality percentage is rising. Talking on cell phones also causes 25% of all adult auto accidents.

One third of all teen drivers text on cell phones while driving. One fifth of all adult drivers also do it. A 2007 insurance survey revealed that 73% of all drivers use cell phones while driving, And although 84% of all drivers are aware of the dangers of cell phone use while driving, they continue to do so. Recent university research has proven that reaction time is significantly slower, alertness is hampered, vision is impaired, and, despite popular myth, there is no such thing as multi-tasking in human beings. Computers, yes; humans, no..

We see the effects everyday. Humans behind the wheel slowing down traffic, driving through stop signs, weaving out of lane; causing a countless number of almost accidents and too many real ones. In Pennsylvania, from 2003 through 2006, 50 auto deaths were directly linked to cell phone use. During that same time period, the state also reported 5715 cell phone related car accidents.

There have been only 2 beneficiaries of this lack of common driver sense: Lawyers involved in auto personal injury and death and insurance companies that can raise rates. There is perversely one other benefit. Grisly as it may seem, bad drivers have made some drivers, who may never use a cell phone behind the wheel, more vigilant and defensive.

I have spoken often about bad driving. Sometimes out loud while driving to the amusement of any passengers. See that woman eating a sandwich with one hand and a cigarette in the other? Look at that man reading a notepad while behind the wheel. All dangerous but also astonishingly stupid. I once saw a woman painting her toe nails while driving. Use your imagination to figure out how that was done. However there is nothing funny about recent increase in deaths and accidents caused by cell phone users. It is criminal behavior and should be treated as such by our legal system. 50 nations currently ban cell phone use while driving and a few have added prison sentences for violations. In the US, 6 states out of 50 have cell phone bans and one state is considering adding a mandatory 15 year sentence to any auto death caused by a cell phone user.

Cell phones and texting while driving are symptoms of a larger problem. There are too many poor drivers in the USA. The reason why the US has so many bad drivers is the relative ease that a person can obtain and retain a state driving license. Most drivers learn to drive by driving the family car and taking a High School Driver's Ed course. High School Driver's Ed is woefully inadequate and usually assumes that someone has already taught the prospective driver how to control a vehicle. Since Driver's Ed is part of a high school curriculum, student's often treat the course like any other dumb school requirement and work as little as possible for driving certification. It as an easy way to get a state driver's license with little sweat, little work, and not much real learning beyond the basics of handling an automobile. After you get your permit, unless you mess up with too many tickets and those pesky accidents, you get to keep your driving license forever. Some states offer restricted licensing, but most of these are based on age, not skill.

My driving training of many years ago was not much better. High schools in my day did not have Driver's Ed but commercial Driving Schools were in abundance. For a fee, you were taught the basics, sort of, and you were prepared to take the state driving test, sort of. If you were lucky, you passed the state driving test on the first try. If not you retook it until you passed. State driving tests, at least in my state of birth, were hard. The driving test was precise and there was no room for error. Any little mistake meant a failure. My children could not have passed my birth state's driving test with the minimal training they received in high school. Modern state driving tests are easy in comparison.

The most interesting driving test I had ever taken was to obtain a driving license in Puerto Rico. Here is the driving test: Study a sheet of sample driving questions, take a written test which, surprise surprise, were the same as the sample questions, and then take the driving test. Start the car, drive down the street, pull up to the curb, park, turn the motor off. I passed the test. Got my license. After taking the test, I understood the underlying cause of the nature of Puerto Rican driving skills. I assume that driver training and licensing in Puerto Rico has improved since my days behind the wheel in P.R.

I was a typical American driver until I was required to take a driving course while in the military in order to be authorized to drive military vehicles . The defense driving skills I learned in that class influenced my driving skills forever. Even then I wondered why all citizens were not required to take such a course. I later discovered that there were places that it was, just not in the USA.

I have traveled extensively around the world. I had been told horror stories about how awful driving was in other countries. The stories were only partially correct. Driving in some countries is frightening and difficult, but the drivers in some were not. They were good, well trained, and paid attention to their driving. Only superficially, through American eyes, did drivers in countries like Ireland, England, or Italy appear reckless. International auto fatality data for 2004 ranks the USA 40th out of 52 for per capita death rate per nation. We are not the worst, Portugal holds that honor, but statistically 11 states of the USA have worse death rates than Portugal. Other nations are not without their traffic problems but many of them have something we do not: a stricter driver licensing procedure. Unlike in the USA, where a license is considered a 'right', Some foreign nations consider it a 'privilege' that must be earned. Recently, particularly in the EU, there has been pressure to ease the requirements for licensure to attain consistency between European nations. Germany is known for the most rigorous procedures.

Let's take New Zealand as an example. New Zealand has a graduated driver licensing system. Each stage requires a test, medical exams, and driver education. New Zealand drivers start out with a learner's license like the USA except you cannot drive alone. After 6 months, a driver applies for a 'restricted' license which is similar to the US learners permit ( no driving at night, no passengers, automatic transmission cars only). After 18 months if you are under 25 years old, you can apply for a 'full' license. The total cost for entire process, not including driving classes is $282 NZ dollars. There is also a 'no tolerance' policy for alcohol if you are under 20 years old. New Zealand is not without it's driver problems. It is 27th out of 52 on the per capita death rate index and the nation is currently debating raising the minimum driving age from 15 to 17. NZ also does not ban all cell phones yet but the issue is currently being debated and, as of November 2009, cell phone use by transport drivers will be banned. Now compare NZ to the USA and consider that this example is one of a nation that does not have tough driving regulations.

The solution should be obvious. Not only does the US need a ban on cell phone use while driving but tougher driver licensing. Humans cause auto accidents and more needs to be done to reduce driver risk. A 1977 study concluded that human error was the cause of 57% of all auto accidents and was a contributing factor in over 90% of them. Only 2.4% was due to mechanical failure and only 4.7% were due to environmental factors. 90% of all drivers believe that they are good drivers. Yet 90% of all accidents and deaths are due to driver error. How can this be?

The sad truth is that people have bought into the myth that driving is easy. It is not. It is a complex task that takes intense concentration and the key to becoming a good driver is a high standard of driver instruction, monitoring, and learning how to be both a good driver and a safe driver. And this must include legal enforcement of minimizing distractions such as cell phones usage.

I would like to think that this will be my last word on this subject but I fear it will not.