10 years ago, and could have been written today. Or it could be 100 years ago, 1000 years ago. Pick your favorite time frame....
10 Years Ago
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Paul Edwards

August 6, 2014 
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Haven't personally said a peep about the latest Israeli/Palestinian conflict, and I say latest because this has been going on since before I was born. I don't believe an issue has divided people so much since I have been on Facebook that I can remember. I have seen Facebook friendships break up over this one. And it seems the otherwise progressive leftist Jews circle the wagons around Israel when these things get going and suddenly side with Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh for a few weeks. That is always amusing at least.
My dad owned a fabric shop and my youth was spent in the Jewish garment district in LA and our main social interaction was with Jews. I even worked there later as an adult for a bit as a garment rack runner. In Detroit I had a large percentage of Arab Muslim real estate clients, as Detroit has the largest Arab population of any city in the USA. Both are an incredibly resourceful and intelligent people. I worked with the Arabs because so few of the other agents would after 9/11. I enjoyed it immensely. They knew how to wheel and deal and had money. I have many wonderful memories of those days and the gifts they gave me were amazing. They appreciated me working with them. I had many talks about 9/11, Gaza, Israel, etc. Many of their political views on these issues would surprise you, but that is another story.
The main lesson I am learning from all the Facebook posting is exactly the aspects of human nature that cause war to begin with. It is all right here on display. People not listening to each other, obvious propaganda being passed on as gospel, and trying to wrap up a very complicated situation in a few sentences while sitting comfortably behind a computer screen, safe and secure. None of us have a clue really. I know I don't.
I remember right after the Trayvon Martin shooting down here and talking with a 93 year old retired Washington DC beltway lawyer, who has since passed, about what he thought about that case. He said, and I paraphrase, " The truth lays where it always does, somewhere in the middle. But that's no fun. " This will be the first and last time I bring this topic up......

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