The two paragraphs above seem to contradict each other since Joe is the
> one(only one?) on this list actually in Palestine!
>
It's not as contradictory as it might seem. This is another one of those conversations I have with other activists all the time: Everybody's looking for something. Out of all the things you could be doing, why this?
My answer, refined over time, is that I'm a Lord Byron-style romantic, wanting to be part of a struggle far greater than myself whose fruits will survive me. This is quite a bit different from self-promotion (put me next to one of those, and the distinction will be clear). But if someone want to chalk it up to another form of ego, it's probably not the most unfair reduction in the world.
Now the thing to do is keep an eye out for the man who claims his motives are entirely selfless. If he actually means it, he's not right in the head.
What puzzles me is why Carrol considered his accusation much of an accusation. Is this a generational thing? Did people not used to have these kinds of conversations? Somebody clue me in.
-- "Hige sceal þe heardra, heorte þe cenre, mod sceal þe mare, þe ure mægen lytlað."