I’m not sure what’s scarier… the fact that someone completely ignorant of his own country’s politics should be recruited to comment on the Middle East, or that his presence in Israel is being applauded by people in the name of pusuing the truth!

You know, I’m not sure which of those are scarier, but I’ll tell you what I find scary: that you don’t recognize the central misconception in this sentence: that knowledge of this country’s politics affects, or should affect, Joe’s ability to learn new things in Israel and explain them.

So here’s a thought: back in the old days, when horse-drawn carts were still being used in cities, the teamsters discovered cars in adjacent lanes frightened the horses. So they used a special device that restricted the horses’ ability to see in any direction except straight ahead. Now, horses are built, morphologically, to have a nearly 360 degree view; this is a survival factor for herd herbivores. They need to see what’s coming from any direction. Its only when they’re owned by a teamster that its desirable — for the teamster — to keep them from seeing everything.
These devices are called blinders.

Your objection, finally, comes down to the notion that Joe Wurzelbacher ought to be wearing blinders to match yours.

You might ask yourself why you are wearing blinders. And who your teamster is.