First, I want to acknowledge the tragic death of Karen Diamond. Ms. Diamond died as a result of injuries sustained during the Pearl Street attack, which occurred while she was peacefully protesting the continuing imprisonment of the Israeli hostages. Her death should be an impetus for all of us to consider anew how we respond to the situation in Gaza.

To that end, I want to raise the possibility that we are asking the wrong question. Rather than figuring out how to conduct city council meetings in the midst of a highly charged political atmosphere, we might do better to focus on figuring out how to channel the energy being expended by those of us outraged by the Middle East situation into effective action. The main problem is not that Boulder residents are passionate about what’s going on in Gaza; the main problem is that the public officials who actually determine foreign policy seem unreachable and/or indifferent to popular protest. In this context, the Boulder City Council may seem like the best — or only — access to our government. While we cannot rule out the possibility that a city council statement on the situation in Gaza might contribute to changing norms or exert a butterfly effect on national policy in the long run, its more immediate impact on U.S. actions in the area would likely be negligible at best.

Right now, the power to set foreign policy — including the use of our military — has been almost completely abdicated by Congress. This means that those of us who want to influence U.S. policies toward Gaza should be targeting our efforts in one of two directions. First, we could concentrate on influencing President Trump, who currently has virtually total control over international relations. Such an approach might involve, for example, writing or calling the White House, contacting the media outlets he favors, or trying to communicate with local leaders who may have his ear. This strategy could be used either in support of or in opposition to his policies. Second, we could channel our passion into electing members of Congress who will stand up to/support the President when it comes to foreign policy, depending on the position we favor.

I submit that the utter destruction of life that we are witnessing in Gaza calls for more than local gestures that may morph into social norms or nudges in the right direction in the long run. It calls for more practical strategies designed to steer actual U.S. policies and make the best use of the limited resources of people on all sides. Real change in the U.S. policy toward Gaza is more likely to follow from appeals to national rather than local leaders — regardless of your position on Israel, Palestine and the Middle East.

Elyse Morgan, emorgan2975@gmail.com

Sampson, in the Book of Judges, has come to symbolize undisciplined and impulsive violence. A mythic character of super-human strength, he kills a lion with his bare hands, defeated a thousand Philistines with the “jawbone of an ass,” and, while in Gaza, is tied to the pillars of the Philistine temple, pushes the columns apart killing himself and thousands of others.

The present-day war in Gaza is anchored in the Biblical narrative. Ancient divisions have resurfaced in the 21st century as we are trapped in a cycle of unending violence that now plays out in microcosm in the chambers of the Boulder City Council.

Mayor Aaron Brockett laments that “international affairs are not the business of the Boulder City Council … our work is to clean the streets and make sure the water comes out when you turn the tap.” True enough, but past councils have historically weighed in on global concerns clearly outside their purview and have adopted resolutions against the war in Iraq as well as the conflicts in Myanmar and South Africa. A precedent has been set, which makes the current silence all the more frustrating for some Boulderites who are strongly moved by humanitarian concerns.

Pro-Palestinian protestors want their voices heard and the council to take action and bear witness to the tragedy unfolding in Gaza. I fear that we have failed to recognize, as a city and a nation, the intergenerational trauma on both sides.

Revenge without resolution and indiscriminate bombings will not forge a path to peace. We are at a stalemate in our city and in our world. So, how do we get unstuck? We must employ the tactics of expectation sabotage and love our neighbor. Do the unexpected. This is not a platitude, but the only option left open to us. We must remind ourselves as Martin Luther King has often noted, that love in this instance is not a feeling of affection, but an action. We must show works of mercy, regard and kindness on our streets and in our world. I fear these thoughts will be dismissed as naïve, but they live in the deepest core of my heart. The only other option is that we will once again be bound to the pillars of the Dagon Temple and in our frustration and fear, “would tear this building down.”

Jim Vacca, jamespvacca1@gmail.com

Along with most of Boulder, I’ve become frustrated with the constant haranguing about Gaza at city council meetings. I’m going to assume, possibly incorrectly, that the haranguers are not idiots. They know that no one in Gaza or Israel has ever heard of Boulder and, if they had, couldn’t possibly care less what we do. And that absolutely nothing that Boulder does will have any effect on the situation there. So, it isn’t about Gazans or Palestinians, it’s all about them. For what else could it be? Unless my initial assumption is wrong.

If these protestors did care about Islamists, they would have been protesting when many more of them were being killed in Syria. But they did not. If they cared about massacres of the innocent, they’d have protested about the many conflicts in Africa. But they did not. If they cared about justice, then all their pleas would start with a demand for Hamas to release the hostages. But they do not. If they cared about genocide, then they’d call for the destruction of Hamas, where genocide is a core tenet of their charter. But they do not. If they really cared about the situation in Gaza, they’d be in Washington, Jerusalem or Tel Aviv. But they are not.

The protestors might indeed be driven solely by an unshakeable belief that they are right. In this case, debate is fruitless. You cannot reason a person out of a position they were not reasoned into. Yet, at each meeting, the council has to listen to nonsense instead of conducting city business.

When our rules were written, we didn’t envision two years of tantrums, but now we know better. Our populace is more juvenile than we originally thought possible. Okay, time to adjust to our new reality. Here’s what I propose. During the open session, a citizen must start with a single sentence describing how their topic relates to city business. Immediately afterward, at least two city council members must raise their hands for the person to proceed; otherwise, their turn is over, and the meeting moves on to the next person. These meetings should be about the city of Boulder and the issues that affect the residents. It shouldn’t be a platform for ideologues to aggrandize themselves.

Bill Wright, bill@wwwright.com