One over, another begun!

That title could apply to many things. The years, interests, books...OK, let's talk about books. My holiday break gave me time to finish two I've been working on; Myths, Lies and Downright Stupidity by John Stossel, and Exile by Richard North Patterson. Both books were entertaining and educational in their own way.

Stossel's book tackles and summarizes many of same subjects covered in his ABC 20/20 broadcasts. He piles head-on into many of the basic misconceptions many Americans have about their government and the media. Additionally he raises the covers on many "common knowledge" beliefs ranging from prescription drugs, relationships, parenting and so on. I a few areas I think he fails to fully/fairly cover the subject, preferring to focus on a portion of the misperception while ignoring the validity of the opposing argument. Not every subject can be boiled down to "either/or" "black and white."

That takes me to the next book on the list, Exile by Patterson. Talk about a complex subject, the complexity of the Middle East can be summarized in the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. Fully nuanced, villains and heroes, victims and oppressors on both sides. We often hear in the news about the Palestinian suicide bombers and the Israelis are constantly characterized as oppressors in their response to these and in their attempts to protect against further bombings.

Were it was so simple to parse. There's plenty of blame to go around on this matter, and it doesn't end with the primary participants. Syria, Egypt, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and then even the west all play a role in the destruction and the bigotry. Most of all, the inability of both Israelis and Palestinians to move away from entrenched positions of hatred and perceived privilege to compromise, tolerance and honest negotiation.

Will it happen in our lifetime, in any lifetime? Patterson leaves you doubtful, yet, if enough real people begin to think like the few mentioned in the book, who knows...