Right and Wrong

Lots. Watched Munich last night. Tweedledum went off to sleep but I had to finish it since that is the only time I get the laptop. And I loved the movie. He's managed to play off both sides beautifully. The Arabs with their struggle for a home which has gotten snatched away. Creating mayhem but with no other alternative to gain world attention. And then the Israelis. The feeling of centuries of persecution, the sense of rejoicing because they now have a land where their rules prevail but also the sense of wrong-doing. The protagonist is trying to pep up his team and says that they cannot afford to be decent after the Munich killings and one of the team members turns around with - 'I don't think we were ever decent'. I never thought I would see this on the big scene. It was momentuous. To have come in, thrown out a race of people from their homeland and created your own country and then at the end of it, to claim to be the persecuted race - it had never made sense to me. And the movie brings up the questions in a very subtle way. His mother, in speaking of Israel, says that we had to take it because noone would give it to us. Do they realise that the people already living there were not camels or domesticated animals to be shooed away and then they say they have righteousness. I'm glad Tweedledum went to sleep. Can't even begin to imagine the arguments we would have ended up having if he had been watching. Somehow it bought back to mind my trip to Paris with Golda Meir. Dont remember the flow of the conversation, but I remember her saying Israel came about in 1946 (right date, I think) and then with this sad smile she continued - 'World events dictated it'. Felt like questionning with an innocent, straight face - 'So what existed there before this large scale migration and the modern day creation of a new state. Wasn't it someone else's?'

Enough said on the subject. I'll just end with the line attributed to Meir.

'Every civilization finds it necessary to negotiate compromises with its own values'.

Alchoholics Anonymous and Shy person were over for dinner yesterday. And we had a good time till we drove AA away by asking about first crushes. The minute the conversation turned in that direction and the three of us starting recounting our tales, he started putting on his shoes and jacket. It was actually quite funny. The faux-pas of the evening was talking about the Roos and mother-in-law. She does misbehave with the old lady in public but why the hell did I speak of it - to him. They are his friends. The only excuse is that it really must have been playing on my mind. Also, we tried Mama's Spanish wine yesterday and I really liked it. The experts might say too vinegary and all that jazz but I just love the tanginess of some white wines. Must remember to save the name.