Martha Steward is a name my wife has known all along. She say's it's the ultimate of etiquette. But now we've all heard rude accusations of her for insider trading. She saved several million by selling holdings on a tip that their value would fall. Now stock in her huge EnClone company has taken a second plunge on the market today. Looks to me like she's expected to be so nice that it was beneath her to be smart in business. What should she have done? Just ignore the warning given to her? Etiquette is one thing, but business is something else as I see it. Still I'll have to admit that male pride often doesn't allow us guys to cheer such amazing female financial success; maybe even to enjoy seeing it's downfall. We're more comfortable with women winning fame and glory in ways more noble and high minded than just cold cash i.e. Florence Nightingale, Susan Anthony or Nancy Reagan It makes me wonder if testosterone isn't largely to blame for all the terrorism causing this war we're now having. Clearly, most terrorists are male (though several suicide bombers were girls). Islam usually exhalts the masculine gender just the way ancient Israel did. Also, suicide runs highest among males, which is murder on one's self. I saw a report that 43% of America's homicide each year is in the 16 southern states, where murder rates exceed the national average in all major cities. Sociologists find that killing down there isn't usually in accomplishing some other crime i.e. robbery etc. but solely to protect one's own honor. Must be a vestige of the old South that was based on chivalry, where the nobility's self esteem counted for everything. Also makes me recall a quote from Napoleon, the greatest military general of the early 19th century: "Men will endure abuse, but never insult." He must have had it right from the way French soldiers followed his lead, but I consider his words to be a medieval attitude where the aristocracy had set standards for all. And some of that lingers even yet down in Dixie land, I'd say. Remember how duels were the way "noblemen" settled their disputes? Alexander Hamilton, pictured on our ten dollar bills, died from wounds in one such. Then in the old west it just became shoot outs where the fastest on the draw would win. Both ways, a man had to defend his honor so that being dead was better than living disgraced. I can remember the notion among boys at Lee Grade School where I began in the early thirties: "If you refuse a dare, you're a coward." There were school ground fist fights just because neither could stand bearing the stigma of "coward." Maybe a little estrogen could have helped. Later I went one summer to Woodland school down near Hennepin. It was hard times and the kids seemed really tough. Being from town, I think they saw me as a softie and I felt every boy student was looking for a scrap. We had a speaker at assembly who asked "What's the greatest thing a boy can make?" Various answers were given. Because I'd made one in Bible School, I spoke the only thing I could think of making, "a birdhouse." Finally one of the older boys said "a man." The speaker was pleased, but I wished I'd kept my mouth shut. I felt that his correct answer meant "he man" and I'd been thinking of the little birds. Ugh, how often I wanted to get rid of that memory. But finally I've seen how machismo can be Baalism in modern guise. Baal was a macho god and the towers of his sanctuary were phallic symbols. Remember how Elijah exposed them when he called down fire from Yahweh after 300 priests of Baal had prayed all day with no such result.
Evangelical Christians tend to see the establishment of Israel in 1948 as a miracle from heaven. It was GOD's hand in history bringing the first chosen people back to the land given their ancestor Abraham in very ancient days, as recorded in Genesis. The British had offered the idea to mankind in a Balfour Declaration early in the 20th century. Perhaps that's why the British empire was providentially allowed world dominion in the days of Great Britain. It's language became international and it's democracy keeps spreading, as Jews were allowed to form settlements all over Palestine (a name made up from "Philistine" and slanderously imposed by the Romans along with their expulsion of all Jews. Canaan was the original Biblical name but the Romans even changed the name of Jerusalem to something as pagan as Philistine). Christians and Muslims fought over Palestine during the crusades, though Jews maintained a presence there despite opposition. Lord Balfour's declaration meant that under the British mandate from WW I, Jews should be allowed to return to the whole area. Then Great Britain made deals with the Arabs to create Trans-Jordan where Judea had been and Syria to include Samaria/Galilee. That took over half the Promised Land. Britain turned hostile to the Jews and their empire disappeared. Now they are just a little country with global links to Commonwealth nations, but no rule over them beyond economic. So the Jews took the half that was left of their GOD promised land and declared a state in '48. One half of one percent of peoples in the Middle East are Israeli. The 99.5% are Arabs. Because the Israelis now have such a fine military, the news make them often look like bullies. But the Palestinians are backed by all those Arab states, athough they are not visible as a state in Bible prophecy. So I see it as doubtful whether that proposed Palestinian state is in the will of GOD Almighty, ultimate ruler of human affairs. It would take half the land promised to Jacob and his twelve sons. Now that Israel's building a wall down the green line to divide off the west bank, they'll have a difficult time protecting their Jewish settlements in the areas once known as Galilee/Samaria and Judea all of which which the Balfour Declaration intended them to reclaim.