John O'Connor's recent column on the Palestinian conflict, "Road map politics further violence," (SN 9/5) ended with a cute comment suggesting that if Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas can't control extremists on his side, perhaps Israeli military action can do a better job.
It reminds me of two jokes. First: The United Nations.
Second: "How many Israelis does it take to change a light bulb?"
The answer is five - a commander, a driver, a gunner and a loader - all in a U.S.-made Abrams (tank). The fifth guy is there to search the crater for the remains of the socket.
Michael Van Wynsberg
political science and chemistry senior
