It's easy to dismiss the idea to the bin of just entertainment but Roddenberry hit upon quite a revelation. Outsiders with superior states of technological advancement and societal evolution need to stay the hell out of areas that haven't reached it.

I'm of the opinion that our country needs to stop playing policeman to the world because we absolutely suck at it. Study the history of the chaos we've created in Central and South America. Look at how badly we've done in Iraq and Afghanistan.

If one studies history, warring factions really only evolve to responsible neighbors through their own interaction and a gradual wearing down of tensions over years, often brought about by untold despair and pain and the eventual realization that nobody's winning anything. When some outside interest tries to speed up that process, they tend instead to delay the inevitable. It's much like a spouse or family member "enabling" the addict in the house by alternately catering to them and badgering them. If they'd just walk out, the addict would hit rock bottom sooner and have a chance for redemption.

Sure there's risks involved. Politicians that advocate a hands-off approach better not live in a district with a high population of citizens that connect with one side or the other in the conflict. Inaction is often used as a political battering ram against an opponent. There's also the risk that another powerful country will align themselves with the side you wouldn't necessarily pick and skew the odds. It's my contention though that they end up doing themselves harm by this tactic.

Look, the Palestinian/Israeli conflict matters to most citizens of the US for one reason only and it's not because they're the primary functional democracy in the region. The reason we care so much about this conflict is because Jesus grew up in Israel. If one adheres to the Christian Bible, there is a responsibility to protect the Holy Land. I know I bought into that meme back in my Christian days.

However, for our foreign policy to be effective, that special status cannot be part of the equation here. We have to look at the conflict coldly just as we do the tensions between India and Pakistan, any two warring African nations, Sweden and the Netherlands (like they'd ever fight. Now if they're women want to get into mud wrestling warfare, I'm there to help).

We are enablers to Israel. We've helped to make them incredibly powerful and deadly with our military assistance. They have a large nuclear arsenal. They're probably playing bully to the Palestinians because they can but I don't even care. The problem is not ours to fix. If we try we will take sides because it's what we do. We will continue to ramp up the danger and the scope.

There are factions within Israel that recognize the overreach and eventually, without outside meddling, will probably gain political power. This is natural societal evolution. It must be allowed to move naturally even if it feels like it's going interminably slow.

Art