After a couple of days of mucho brain strain, and contemplation of my navel, I have finally posted a reply to this post of yours!

Just follow the link in my name, and all will be revealed. ;-D

BTW, yer E-mail inbox must still be full, and your TB URLS still ar not co-operating. ;-D

I appreciate your comments; please feel free to write anything and everything here and get those feelings out.

Also, I pray for your family in Lebanon.

Rob,

For the past two weeks since this horrible war started I have been following Lebanese blogs everywhere to find out news about what is actually happening in Lebanon. Most of my family is still there and although they are currently “safe” in the more northern parts of Lebanon, we do not know for how long that will last.

In my frustration trying to explain the situation to others who have been brainwashed by the neocon viewpoint here in Canada I get so emotional that words escape me.

Thank you for being able to put into words that which I can not and explaining to those willing to listen what is really going on.

May God bless you and everyone in this effort to inform people and may He end this war soon.
~ a non-neocon Christian

See doing as I suggested, and taking the time to reply was not so hard! ;-D

Seriously…

I appreciate that you took the effort to give a reply, though I may disagree with it.

I am so used to the hystericalness of many of my former comrades of the Left. ;-D

More later, as I am on break at work.

Welcome to the Blogosphere!

Interesting place you have begun here, and interesting Fellow Travellers you have as well. ;-D

Just thought you would be pleased to know I have responded to your comment by including both in an update to the original post. ;-D

Whether you will be pleased with what I said is another thing entirely. ;-D

BTW, your Trackback URLS don’t seem to be working.

Robb,

In solidarity,
halla

The Lebanese people are caught in the middle, unfortunately.

But the targeting of civilians, after Israeli “warnings” to leave and seek safety, is unacceptable. Not to mention that Israel has bombed away all means to actually leave (i.e. roads) before Israeli bombing campaigns.

But waging a war against a people to “root” out Hezbollah will not solve anything. Do you really believe it will? Massive retaliation by powers in response to terrorism or guerilla warfare tactics by the weak has historically proved ineffective. In fact, it has the opposite effect of creating more opposition.

The injustice committed by Israel as it submits Lebanon to the harshest punishment, will have the effect of creating wider resistance. Anti-Americanism has surged since these military campaigns in Lebanon. Israel is now perceived with even greater contempt.

This is the same fallacy that the US practiced in Iraq. All reports and indications points to a US inspired Jihadist movement that parallels the Mujahadeen in Afghanistan when the US sponsored their resistance against the Soviet Union in the 1980’s. We created new terrorists because of our massive retaliation, just as political analysts and terrorism experts predicted.

You see people don’t appreciate your benevolent missions when you happen to blow up their family and crush their homes. It creates indignation, and new resistance movements to seek justice.

This is a cycle of violence that Israeli aggression will only serve to further. Take away all the rhetoric and what you have is terrorist acts committed by Hezbollah and Israel, though Israel’s crimes far outnumber Hezbollah’s. The Israeli government has killed civilians in a ratio of something like 50 for every one combatant. If you look at what Hezbollah has done there is really no comparison. Factor in the thousands of Lebanese injured and you have one of the biggest terrorist acts outside of what the US has done to Iraq.

How do you propose we root out Israeli government officials carrying out these terrorists acts? Please don’t say send American and British fighting jets to level the country.