Wesley, people being forced out of their homes, herded like cattle, treated like prisoners when they have committed no crime -- this is not nit-picking.

The baby-killing is a symptom of something much larger, which until it's solved, will (alas!) produce more and more dead children, as well as adults.

We're not trying to "score points" -- we're trying to understand a very difficult and complex situation, because until we understand it, we can't do anything to solve it.

Yelling at the Israelis and Palestinians, "Stop it! Somebody is going to get hurt!" isn't going to solve the problem, as much as you might like it to.

Of course every child should have the right to grow up in safety. Do you think Irwin or I don't know this? You remind me of the line in Tom Lehrer's brilliantly biting satire, Folk Song Army:

We're the folk song army
Every one of us cares
We all hate poverty, war, and injustice
Unlike the rest of you squares.

Guess what, Wes? We all hate these things. Not just you.

Alex