Rand McNally and Merriam-Webster wipe Gaza off the map

A friend writes:

War is God's way of teaching Americans geography, noted Ambrose Bierce. Unfortunately, Rand McNally is interfering with this grand American tradition. This weekend I purchased a $16 laminated Rand McNally world map for my nephew. After seeing images of wounded Palestinians in Gaza, he asked me where Gaza was. “Let's go to the map and find it,” I said. I couldn't find it. Or at least not a labeled Gaza Strip. Unfortunately the map does not label Gaza. Nor the West Bank. Historical Palestine is shaded in one color and referred to as Israel. Jerusalem is shown as the capital city. Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus is not indicated.

How aptly named is that Palestinian hellhole-the Gaza Strip. Israel has stripped its residents of their land and much of their dignity. Why not strip the name from world maps? Should not stateless people live in a nameless hellhole?

Merriam-Webster online dictionary declares the population of Gaza to be 57,000. Maybe that's a projection after the next bout of cleansing. I looked up my Webster's Ninth New Collegiate dictionary that I purchased in 1989. The dictionary lists Gaza with a population of 118,300. The Gaza Strip is referred to parenthetically under Gaza. It's sort of funny how the population of “Gaza” has dropped from 118,300 in my 1989 edition to 57,000 online today. There is no mention of the population of the Gaza Strip. I suppose that Golda Meir might say that since the Palestinians aren't really a people why bother to count them at all?

Comments

[Jim Haygood]

'I suppose that Golda Meir might say that since the Palestinians aren't really a people why bother to count them at all?'

Golda's not around no more, so perhaps SecState Clinton can propose an enlightened American-style compromise. Quoting from the original U.S. constitution:

'Representatives and direct Taxes shall be apportioned ... by adding to the whole Number of free Persons, including those bound to Service for a Term of Years, and excluding Indians not taxed, three fifths of all other Persons.' [i.e., Negro slaves were counted as three-fifths of a white person.]

Of course, it's gonna take some hard bargaining, since zionist doctrine holds that a Palestinian is only equal to one hundredth of a Jew in value.

Hillary: 'I see your hundredth, and raise you a hundredth.'

Livni: 'NO-O-O-O-O-O-O .... too much!'

Hillary: 'Give me a hundredth!'

Livni: 'Ninety-five!'

Hillary: 'I won't take under.'

Livni: 'Ninety-five.'

Hillary: 'But the bus's a wonder ... it ROLLS ... like thunder.'

Oops, sorry. Listening to 'Live at Leeds' and typing at the same time. My bad.

[Colin Murray]

This reminds me of Bolshevik juggling of census figures for the Ukraine after the terror famine. I'm pretty sure that I read about it in The Harvest of Sorrow.

[Informed and Objective]

Phil previously wrote of reading some of the work of the great man Israel Shahak.Anyone who is intrested in Jewish history,Israel,Orthodox Judaism or Jewish influence on American culture and foreign policy should immediately pick up one or more of his inexpensive books at Amazon.You won't find his work at your local book store because of the thought police.He survived the camps in WWII and went to Israel,surved in the IDF and went on to get his PhD.He was a great scholar and human rights activist.I promise that if you read some of his work he will profoundly impact your thinking.You can also access much of his work on the internet.

[Paul Malfara]

@Jim Haygood,

"Hillary: 'But the bus's a wonder ... it ROLLS ... like thunder.'

Oops, sorry. Listening to 'Live at Leeds' and typing at the same time. My bad"

Folks,

Now THAT is definitely the real Jim Haygood!!

PM

[Michael W]

Most people can't locate Israel on a map anyway because it's just a sliver of land. Trying to find Gaza on a map is like trying to find Monaco on a map.