Is Kite Flying good for peace in the Middle East? Yesterday, I posted about the Kite Flying event aimed at bringing peace in the Middle East. I posed several questions for Leila. Leila replied to me on her site. (She had angrier replies, but she then edited them out. I told her that she should have kept them in. I believe that you should not reedit your posts after publishing them, but maybe I am an "original intent" blogger). I am not opposed to Kite Flying. Leila has the right to ask about what I am doing, for "peace in the Middle East" that is. Nothing, but I am not claiming otherwise. I have never claimed that anything I do (writing, teaching, or speaking) is for peace in the Middle East. Hell. I never even said that I want peace in the Middle East, especially when the American vision of peace in the Middle East has coexisted, if not embraced, Israeli killings and oppression. I have to go now. I need to eat some strawberries...for peace in the Middle East of course. Then I need to grade some papers...for peace in the Middle East, of course. I know that Leila is a good person who is well-meaning, but these things, as I said yesterday, could unwittingly belittle the issues, the scale, the scope, and the suffering. But I never say that she can't fly kites. If I have a kite, I would be flying it right now for peace in the Congo.