Sometimes One Cheers, Sometimes One Cries

For all the corruption and Byzantine insanity that is the Israeli political and governmental system, mostly fair and free elections are again on their way. At this writing almost 51% of the entire electorate are voting. Unlike America, criminals vote. And soldiers, except in very specific circumstances, are also voting 'live.'

Compare these elections, with the conspicuous lack of folks getting killed, with every other Middle Eastern "democracy." Horribly, we allow fascist right-wingers to run for office. And Arabs, so long as they don't actively support Israel's enemies. Heck, we even have the senior citizens and marijuana legalization parties running in support of each other!

I hope sanity wins, but I'm not optimistic: the latest Gaza offensive (can't really all it a war, sorry) injected adrenaline into the Israeli conscience; belligerent Israelis are more right wing Israelis. Just when Israel needs Meretz most, it'll have it least. But that's my free opinion as an Israeli, in a land where I'm free to have such points of view.

So a shehecheyanu on our making it to one more round of elections; I wish the new ruling coalition more success than its predecessor. Oh, and a little less corruption would be nice!

[Image courtesy Google Israel]