Ubuntu 11.10 makes Unity compulsory

[David Sanders]

> If we want to be really pedantic, "semitic" refers to a group of languages
> that basically derive from Aramaic. I think it's quite widely held that,
> irrespective of its technical accuracy, 'antisemitism' is the term people
> use to describe anti-Judaic things. English is like that; people aren't
> using the term in ignorance, but taking advantage of the self-corrupting
> nature of English.

I don't really agree with that. I believe that the ignorance of
history that leads to misuse of the term is a real issue when trying
to discuss the problem. The land that currently contains the state of
Israel isn't exclusively Jewish in any way, it's just part of an
historical area that is of significance to all kinds of people - most
of whom would have been considered Semitic. I consider it anti-Semitic
to bulldoze a refugee camp full of Semitic people and to gun down
Semitic civilians. Maybe the stupid, inflammatory phrase should just
go away so that the Israeli government can stop conflating their
modern day oppression of refugees with Jewish people being past
victims of oppression, which is disingenuous at best.

> On the other hand, it's also nigh on impossible to support any given Israeli
> action without the assumption that one also supports the eradication of any
> Palestinian nationhood. Very sith :)

I do agree with that, but the Israeli government can stop throwing
people out of a refugee camp before they get any of my sympathy.