Egypt reopens border with Gaza

I was disgusted by Congress, including Democrats, criticizing Obama for supporting the 1967 borders for Israel. I can't stand that Netanyahu and our own politicians make up these controversies and pretend that being against the Israeli settlements is being anti-semitic or pro-terrorist. Israel can't just grab land and keep it, let alone keep building on it. Besides, 57% of Israelis support Obama on those borders.

But if America can't do something to help the Palestinians right now, the newly democratic Egypt is opening the Gaza border more fully starting today. Not that everything is completely free and perfect yet. Palestinians still desperately need cement to rebuild their homes, and need to trade goods to have any sort of economy.

But still it's a hopeful sign. I hope more good things happen in the region, especially in Libya. Wouldn't it be a great Memorial Day weekend, if all the bloodshed could end, and Gaddafi could be gone?

Kate Warne

In other news, I finished reading another Pinkerton detective story, "The Fortune Teller and the Detective", which was in the same book with the "Somnambulist and the Detective" I read earlier. In the "fortune teller" story, we see Kate Warne again (playing the fortune teller) and in chapter 3, Pinkerton mentions that she is the Superintendent of his Female Department. He compliments not only her but all lady detectives in general, from his twenty years of experience with them in his agency. He argues that it is as respectable a profession as clerical and other similar work. He makes sure to say that it's moral too (lest anybody think such women are corrupted).

Can we get out now?

Well, I wasn't home the momentous night that Obama made the announcement of Bin Laden's death, but of course I learned the news soon enough. I was not so much joyful as simply relieved that the issue was finally resolved so that nobody can still say we're in these wars because of 9/11. I would have been just as happy with capturing him alive and putting him on trial, but this is just as well.

I never saw Obama's speech about how the struggle isn't over, so I don't know what he said. But I wish desperately that our troops can finally start coming home. Even if they can't all go, surely a substantial decrease would be all right, since we were already going to leave? And with the new poll saying 59% of Americans want out, I hope it may actually happen. Certainly we've got to get out of Iraq as well. Please can't we all agree on something and not let the war hawks keep us stuck there?