According to most damage assessments of the Israel-Hezbollah war, the terrorists won. The offensive may have impaired Hezbollah’s ability to terrorize Israelis with its rockets, the thinking goes, but not so much that it offset Hezbollah’s gain in stature and credibility.
Given that, Eagle editorial board members found it encouraging to hear the more optimistic view of Barukh Binah (in photo), consul general of Israel based in Chicago. While in Wichita Thursday, Binah acknowledged that the “Lebanese people paid a price,” but he emphasized that Hezbollah launches missiles from residential neighborhoods and that civilians were warned to leave. Most important, Binah said, people in the region are newly asking questions, especially about the involvement of Iran and Syria in Hezbollah’s activities, and the United Nations for the first time has passed a resolution allowing Israel to defend itself. Now, he said, if Western nations don’t step up and help rebuild southern Lebanon, the Iranians will.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
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87 Comments
AHHH, that grinning, evil zionist has some nerve! They bomb Lebanon and the American taxpayers are expected to pick up the tab, again? The time has come to pull the plug on theses bloodsucking shylocks; not one more penny of American aid for israel!
The Iranians have already started resupplying Hezbollah with even longer range missiles so the buffer zone will be meaningless. Also, the Hezbollah are giving those who lost their homes $12000 US each. Heck, even FEMA wasn’t that generous or efficient after Katrina.
V.L.R.B!!!
Rebuild Lebanon on our dime? NO! This is your mess and you should rebuild it.
Just because we provided the Marshall Plan, doesn’t mean that we rebuild everybodies country in every conflict regardless if we are involved or not.
We don’t have an infinate amount of cash handy and we already are strapped with other problems and rebuilding another nation.
No! We shouldn’t pay a dime to rebuild Lebanon.
Not by any stretch of the imagination was Israel defending itself. Israel violated international law and attacked a peaceful nation committing murder and massive unjustifiable destruction.
For Israel to try to hide behind that worn-out slogan of Israel has a right to defend itself is ridiculous. All they did was to go on just another of their usual war-crime filled murdering sprees.
People had to die for the Israelis to bolster their self-imposed sense of importance, which is disgusting.
And an unearned distinction.
Over 1000 Lebanese had to die, have their homes and their lives and their villages destroyed, for a reason which does not exist.
The Israel experiment has failed.
New York Times”Europeans Delay Decision on Role Inside Lebanon”
“We don’t have any confidence in it. It is not going to have the mandate to disarm Hezbollah.”
The truth of the matter is that Israel is trying to give the so-called “peace=keeping” force the assignment of disarming Hezbollah and Hezbollah is not the one that needs to be disarmed, Israel was clearly the aggressor, which started this conflict, as usual, and they’re the ones who need to be disarmed.
Israel is the “Terrorist Organization,” always has been, NOT Hezbollah. The EU doesn’t want to be tricked into trying to destroy Lebanon’s defense, which is Hezbollah.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/21/world/middleeast/21mideast.html?_r=1&th&emc=th&oref=slogin
Well good morning Ed.I see you’re checking out the NY Times.Did you subscribe to Times Select?
Well, good morning to you as well Tracy. No I haven’t subscribed yet. What was that article?
I DON’T REMEMBER!I think it was in Friday’s times.Since it was a payed deal I didn’t pay much attention.However, I know it was something that agreed with what you’ve been preaching.
I don’t “preach,” Tracy, I simply inform the uninformed:-}
“…..the terrorists won.”
Rhonda dear? Your bias is showing again.
Once again, Rhonda lets that GOP framing sweep her off her feet.
Rhonda: “the terrorist won”….” The offensive may have impaired Hezbollah’s ability to terrorize Israelis with its rockets,”
There is the crux of the problem: The mislabeling of Hezbollah as “terrorists,” which they are not, Hezbollah’s ability to terrorize Israelis” which they did not.
Hezbollah, part of the Lebaese government, fought back after being attacked.
This type of reporting gives the American People a false view of what took place.
Terrorist Israel attacked Lebanon without justifiable cause, murdering Lebanese, bombing their infrastructure, schools, hospitals, water works, electrical grid, destroying entire villages and the Hezbollah inflicted enough pain on the terrorist Israelis to cause them to stop and retreat back across their borders.
The United States was complicit in furnishing the laser-guided bombs, cluster bombs, planes, tanks, helicopters, Gunboats, guns and ammunition.
The United States and terrorist Israel have clearly committed war crimes and the United States is busily amending their agreement with the Geneva Conventions so American and Israel leaders won’t hang for their war-crimes.
That’s a truthful account of what happened.
“Now, he said, if Western nations don’t step up and help rebuild southern Lebanon, the Iranians will.”
Well, Israel is a western nation – are they writing chacks?
[Over 1000 Lebanese had to die, have their homes and their lives and their villages destroyed, for a reason which does not exist.]
Perhaps none of that would have happened if Hezbollah had not come into Israel and taken hostages.
And perhaps that would not have happened if Israel had released their hostages, quit doing illegal overflights, and provided maps for the mine fields inside Lebanon.
[neo-Liberal Mantra]
Israel, regardless of the truth, is always at fault.
Repeat 10,000 time per day.
involved Joe? With emergency shipments of cluster bombs etc and threats to veto UN resolutions we have been heavily involved.
PNAC/Neo-Con Mantra:
Israel can do no wrong.
Repeat ad nauseum.
I’m not new nor a conservative.
Other than that, great point!
LRB is a conservative. This is part of her “deny provable simple facts” campaign to drive us all nuts.
If your every point matches the conservative line time and time again, you’re a conservative.
The only thing critical you’ve ever said of any one in this administration is that Rumsfeld couldn’t run a bicycle shop.
Not exactly harsh words for an administration that has sent 2700 patriotic Americans to their deaths based on a pack of lies.
You walk like a conservative. You quack like a conservative. You’re a conservative.
[q]The only thing critical you’ve ever said of any one in this administration is that Rumsfeld couldn’t run a bicycle shop.[/q]
George W. Bush should be taken from the White House, dragged behind a car to the Lincoln Memorial, and hung from the nearest tree. Right next to Bill “Hey Baby” Clinton.
Is that clearer?
not conservative capn – PNAC Neo-Con. There is a difference.
Why, LRB?
You support his tax cuts for the rich, you support his war in Iraq.
You told me to “get over” his faux-”victory” when the Supreme Court shut down the mandatory recount.
Moral: you can’t have a rational discussion with someone who isn’t rational.
[not conservative capn -]
Try Progressive. I rejected my liberal hive-mind implant long ago. Someday you might take the “red pill” and begin to think for yourself.
“red pill” – so you are taking downers?
[You support his tax cuts for the rich,]
Wrong. I support tax cuts for the working families of this nation.
[ you support his war in Iraq.]
Wrong. We should be fighting in Iran. That’s the Quelle of all terrorism.
[You told me to "get over" his faux-"victory" when the Supreme Court shut down the mandatory recount.]
If Al Gore had won his home state the entire issue would be mute. Face it. The democrats lost. Lick your wounds and try again next time.
Kerry was not trustworthy and the people reject him. Why not focus on trying to find an electable candidate?
[Moral: you can't have a rational discussion with someone who isn't rational.]
I keep trying here.
["red pill" - so you are taking downers?]
A reference to the Matrix. Sorry if it scooted over your head.
That’s exactly what I’m talking about, LRB.
You can call yourself whatever you want. But when you support positions that Progressives hate, like foreign wars that benefit only multinational corporations (when Progressives are anti-war) and tax cuts for the rich (when Progressives believe that the poor, not the rich, need gov’t help), your support in no way matches your political affiliation.
You can call yourself an “independent mind” all you want. Mental illness is characterized by such “independence” coupled with a messiah complex.
LRB
Interesting.
Liberals have a “hive” mind. And yet you seem to have a mind entirely closed to alternate views of Israel. Now you DID invite Ben to share information with you. He did so. But you just do not seem able to even concede that Israel may have some faults of its own to answer for. Why not open your mind just a little to that? It would make you look a little less like a hypocrite. You MIGHT learn something as well.
I wonder how long Israel will be a friend to America after the oil dries up in the Middle East?Does Israel currently hold the position of advance guard? What about it’s role as a training area for pentagon. A place to test new weapons and tactics in a real world setting.Did Hezbollah learn from events in Iraq? After all isn’t the Israels military a mirror image of US weapons and tactics.
LRB
“Perhaps none of that would have happened if Hezbollah had not come into Israel and taken hostages.”
The Israelis jailed over 10,000 Palestinians without charges. Hezbollah has taken soldiers in the past and traded them for the release of those Palestinians unjustly jailed. Nothing new there, as the Israelis have traded many many times.
So, that excuse won’t fly.
The Israelis had planned this invasion well in advance.
The Israel experiment has failed.
They have turned into a culture of crime, a capital of crimes, read about it. Educate yourself.
Morg
The Torture techniques were perfected in Israel’s “Facility 1391,” which has now been airbrushed off all maps in Israel, even the road leading up to it.
Those are the torture techniques, which showed-up in Abu Ghraib Prison.
BYW, I know three newspaper editors who lost their jobs by not following the Neocon line of propaganda.
Our first amendment and free press is under siege.
[Hezbollah has taken soldiers in the past and traded them for the release of those Palestinians unjustly jailed.]
I guess as Hezbollah now trie to eat and sleep in the rubble of what was once their homes, they realize this little game no longer works.
Ed,I’m just speculating out loud.Just wondering what will happen next. Everyones doing things to further their own self interests.No one seems to be interested in the greater good.
““The international community must now designate the leadershipof this new international force, give it robust rules of engagementand deploy it as quickly as possible to secure the peace,” Bushsaid.”
On this I agree with Bush. The international force should shoot down any fighter aircraft who invade Lebanese airspace.
Well, morg, Israel has already violated the cease-fire numerous times. They keep violating Lebanese airspace just as they have always done.
[you seem to have a mind entirely closed to alternate views of Israel. ]
When this alternate view has Israel as the one who started the current war or the view that the holocaust was a myth, yup, I’m a guilty as charged.
Is Israel blameless? Of course not. All the parties in this conflict are equally insane. But Iran needed to shift the attention of the UNSC in their nuke development program – so they unleashed Hezbollah on Israel. You have to be a complete idiot not to see this.
[On this I agree with Bush. The international force should shoot down any fighter aircraft who invade Lebanese airspace.]
Should they also destroy any truck convoys filled with katusha rockets coming into Lebanon from Syria?
Here’s an bone dig on LRB.
Her rabid liberal hatred makes her sound just like a conservative.
See if you don’t agree:
Liberal Mantra – “It’s Bush’s Fault.”Repeat 128 times per day. More if necessary.
Posted by: LRB | August 19, 2006 at 07:55 AM
But one thing is quite clear. Either John Kerry or a group of vets are lying.I’ll side with vets over a career politican anyday.
Posted by: LRB | August 18, 2006 at 01:23 PM
Watching you liberals trying to make a cogent argument is actually quite a lot of fun.You are such shills for the democratic party you have lost all touch with reality.
Posted by: LRB | August 18, 2006 at 07:31 PM
John Kerry is the liar. His defense was funded by liberals. And all liberals are liars.
Posted by: LRB | August 18, 2006 at 07:45 PM
After the primary we had a big bash downtown. There Mayor Daley remarked that he could always deliver the n*gger vote for the democrats. Everyonelaughed.
I stopped being a democrat that day.
Never looked back.
Posted by: LRB | August 18, 2006 at 08:34 PM
(Comment: Apparently Daley was so successful in delivering “the n*gger vote” that Chicago elected its first African American mayor, Harold Washington in 1983.
How many African-American big-city mayors ran on the Progressive ticket? Or the Republican? Or any other party’s ticket? Answer: none)
Perhaps after millions of Americans die some liberals will discover we are at war.
Posted by: LRB | August 19, 2006 at 03:56 PM
I have learned that people around the world are the same. Except for American liberals. They are a species onto themselves.
While the most rabid ex-soviet apparatchik can let go once in a while the American version carries his seething, burning hatred of all things not like himself to the point of mental illness.
Posted by: LRB | August 19, 2006 at 10:23 PM
“LRB,
I could say the same for some conservatives and their brothers, the neocons.”
That’s because you have the liberal disease.
Posted by: LRB | August 19, 2006 at 10:54 PM
******
When one directs all her criticism at “liberals” and “democrats,” it’s hard to that from any other conservative poster.
When one supports the position that Islamic jihadis are the “biggest threat to humanity today,” (forget about AIDS or global warming or malaria or overpopulation or pollution) and that we who do not share that fear DESERVE TO DIE, I say like any other sentient being that such a person is a conservative, and a particularly virulant form of conservative too.
Should we bomb Mexico City because they have done nothing to curb illegal immigration?How about we invade Russia for not securing it’s nuclear arsenal?
[Her rabid liberal hatred makes her sound just like a conservative.]
If this blog were filled with born-again Wal*Mart conservatives, I would pick on them just the same. Since most of you here are liberals, you get the truth. Perhaps one of you will start to think on his/her own. But I rather doubt it.
Since most of you here are liberals, you get the truth. Perhaps one of you will start to think on his/her own. But I rather doubt it.
Posted by: LRB | August 21, 2006 at 12:58 PM
Enlighten us. Just what is the truth LRB??????
Morg
The first thing is to take back the congress. Then we can start cleaning-up this Bush mess.
LBR { Lying Retarded Bitch }
[Enlighten us. Just what is the truth LRB]
1. The only difference between Republican and Democratic candidates is the speed at which they’ll drop to their knees in front of a pile of campaign cash.
2. Neither party gives a f*ck about you. Dick Cheney would sell you into slavery for a $10 bill while Ted Kennedy would sell your children for another bottle of Whiskey.
3. This has been going on for a long, long time.
4. You ain’t going to change this by continuing to vote for democrats or republicans.
LRB { Lying Retarded Bitch }
LRB maybe you should join the new roller derby league and work off some of that aggression.Ed, couldn’t agree with you more.
“Should they also destroy any truck convoys filled with katusha rockets coming into Lebanon from Syria?”
Divert the weapons to the Lebanese Army. They need them to defend their country.
Ed don’t do that.
LRB you are here only as a provocateur? Why ? If you were provoking thought I’d say good on you. But you are provoking only reaction. This is not the same thing and it is not productive. And don’t go putting it on the “audience” here either.
[LRB you are here only as a provocateur? Why ? ]
Then this on for size. Anyone who presents a view opposed to the liberal mind set is automatically a provocateur. It the Liberal Logic © resonse #4. You seemed to learn it well.
I can give you good examples. According to the hive mind I am a bitch. A liar. A neo-con. A republican. A war mongerer. In favor of the Bush Administration. In favor of tax cuts for the rich. Blah blah blah. None of which I actually support. But because I reject your liberal view I must, and there can be no other logical explanation, must be one of the Bush Supporters. Your world is divided into black and white. Ones and zeros.
Somehow I represent a threat to that Potemkin Village known as your liberal belief structure.
Good. If you show original thought I won’t take much issue with it. If you just use the blog to download the standard issue liberal algorithm, I will take liberties to make fun of it.
I’ll invite you to cite proof of any of the labels you just assigned to me LRB. I cannot speak for other posters but I find your over generalization laughable.
Is the blog polarized? Yup. It is a microcosm of the country which is similarly polarized. You seem to at once decry that while working to encourage it. I don’t see anyone else here telling a poster in disagreement to drink bleach as you did upthread.
What exactly is the liberal viewpoint? Sorry to be so dense, guess I didn’t get the memo.
[I don't see anyone else here telling a poster in disagreement to drink bleach as you did upthread.]
I say that to all Holocaust deniers.
My bad.
The liberal viewpoint is based upon relativism.
If you think a terrorist is no worse that a US soldier fighting for his life in Baghdad, you and I will disagree.
If you think you have nothing to fear from terrorist becuase you share their pain, you and I will disagree.
If you think that Israel and Hezbollah are the same, you and I will disagree.
How mush bandwidth shall I chew up? I could go on for several pages.
I think I have reassessed my original thoughts on Isreal winning.
Not only do I think Hezbollah won, I think that the media, the world, and even Ben and a few others here are glad that they won.
You constantly demanded that Israel stop, the media constantly portrayed Israel as being wrong and killing civilians (even doctoring photos) to make Israel look bad, and the world was crying for them to stop.
People here attacked Bush for not trying to stop Israel…
And now that everyone got what they wanted, we declare Hezbollah the victor! ( I can hear JR and Ben snickering)
What a wierd world we live in. We must root out and kill the terrorists and stop playing these stupid political games.
Nathan
I am indeed pleased that the agenda of Israel has been foiled. The more I understand that agenda the less I like it. I call it valuable that Israel is being more truly defined here. I am learning much.
[Not only do I think Hezbollah won, I think that the media, the world, and even Ben and a few others here are glad that they won.]
Not only that, these same liberal hive-minders are cheering as Hezbollah terrorists (Liberals: freedom fighters) are receiveing even more lethal Iranian built anti-personal rockets (Liberals: self defense weapons) meant for innocent ciilians in Israel (Liberals: the Jooooos). After all, the Israelis deserve it. The commited some act against somebody 3000 years ago.
Relativism expresses the view that the meaning and value of human beliefs and behaviors have no absolute reference. Relativists claim that humans understand and evaluate beliefs and behaviours only in terms of, for example, their historical or cultural context.
Philosophers identify many different kinds of relativism depending upon what allegedly depends on something and what something depends on. The term often refers to truth relativism – the doctrine that no absolute truth exists, but that truth is always relative to some particular frame of reference, such as language or culture.
from wilkopedia
[I'll invite you to cite proof of any of the labels you just assigned to me LRB.]
|||V
[I am indeed pleased that the agenda of Israel has been foiled. The more I understand that agenda the less I like it. I call it valuable that Israel is being more truly defined here. I am learning much.]
It only took one more post.
Congratulations LRB!!
You just became an expert on my attitude re Israel…..in your own mind!
What because I question Israel’s agenda I am suddenly a Jew hater?
I call it having an open mind seeking truth. I know that is a concept you are not familiar with. My efforts to help you in that aside.
[I call it having an open mind seeking truth. I know that is a concept you are not familiar with. My efforts to help you in that aside.]
An open mind? Interesting.
What if Iran and Hezbollah abducted the Israelis hoping to start a war to take atendion away from Irans nuclear program and soon to be approved UN sanctions?
Of coure you could have an open mind and believe the Jooos just started it because they wanted to kill as many Lebanese children as possible.
It’s up to you to decide your own reality.
http://www.colorado.edu/conflict/peace/treatment/mirror.htm
Mirrors are devices that allow people to see themselves the way others see them. Mirror imaging is a technique designed to help people see how their approach to conflict looks to others. Mirror imaging does not require that the parties follow a lot of complicated procedures and tricks. It simply requires that they to put aside their prejudices and stereotypes and, at least temporarily, look at the world from the perspective of others. This techniques helps people understand why proposals that may seem perfectly reasonable to them are viewed as unacceptably selfish by others. It also helps people understand why strategies that a party thinks are reasonable and moderate are viewed as provocative and inflammatory by other
Link time again cosmos or anybody.
What if the reverse of your supposition is true LRB?
Seymour Hersh suggests that the bush administration pushed Israel to act on Lebanon as a trial run for a bombing of Iran. Too, they could have been hoping Iran would take the bait of the Lebanon situation and give Israel an excuse to attack Iran.
What if you have it exactly backward LRB?
Lets take your assumption LRB about Iran. Had Israel responded with reasonable measures carefully targeting Hizbollah rather than the widespread terror-bombing then it would not have worked. It would have been over in a few days and Iran would have been back on center stage.
Don’t have a link but I read somewhere that Bush and Olmert had already planned the destruction of Lebanon and were just waiting for an excuse. Since Israel was carrying out routine incursions into Lebanese airspace it was certain that something would happen. So, once it did, they unleashed their carefully planned widespread bombing campaign. The diea was to see if bombing alone would work as a practice run for Bush’s desired attack on Iran.
Before the hive-head BushBots deny this out-of-hand notice that Iraq was already on the BushdaBum drawing boards before 9/11
http://globalguerrillas.typepad.com/globalguerrillas/
Quote: Hezbollah and the Inversion of Legitimacy”Hezbollah’s strength (derives from) the gross vacuum left by the state.” Hezbollah is not a state within a state, but rather “a state within a nonstate.” Amal Saad-Ghorayeb, a professor at the Lebanese American University.John Kifner. “Hezbollah Leads Work to Rebuild, Gaining Stature.” The New York Times. August 16, 2006.
It’s clear that Hezbollah has advanced in more than the violence of 4GW, it is also demonstrating an ability to solidify its position by providing sys-admin like functionality (ala Barnett’s “Blueprint for Action” and my “State Failure 101″). There is an important cycle that inverts legitimacy at work here:In order to fight a non-state enemy, other states hollowed out a state. Whether Hezbollah is at fault or not is a non-issue.The non-state enemy proves (through 4GW) it is the only force capable of defending the people.the non-state builds alliances with other non-states and states to gather essential support.The non-state provides services (political goods) at a higher level of efficiency and value than the state (sys-admin).In short, Hezbollah gains legitimacy at the expense of the state. Expect to see this cycle again and again from 4GW groups (in contrast, networked non-states like al Qaeda operate in a different way entirely –
Wide spread terror bombing?
LOL, Ben you are such a load.
This is the second thread where Nathan has abandoned discourse in favor of name calling. Telling.
Seymour Hersh’s’Washington’s interests in Israel’s war.’http://www.newyorker.com/printables/fact/060821fa_fact
Thank you again cosmos.
There ya go LRB. The reverse of YOUR scenario and far more credible.
Thanks nathan – as in “Lock and … “
[There ya go LRB. The reverse of YOUR scenario and far more credible.]
Unless, of course any practice in attacking Iran could be carried out in Iraq 24/7/365.
So much for your little theory.
In other news …
http://www.forbes.com/technology/feeds/ap/2006/08/21/ap2962318.html
good post morg. That applies to hamas as well – it stepped into the vacuum created by the destruction of fatah.
LRB: “Unless, of course any practice in attacking Iran could be carried out in Iraq 24/7/365. So much for your little theory.
‘Washington’s interests in Israel’s war.’http://www.newyorker.com/printables/fact/060821fa_fact“The White House was more focussed on stripping Hezbollah of its missiles, because, if there was to be a military option against Iran’s nuclear facilities, it had to get rid of the weapons that Hezbollah could use in a potential retaliation at Israel.
“The big question for our Air Force was how to hit a series of hard targets in Iran successfully,”
“Everybody knows that Iranian engineers have been advising Hezbollah on tunnels and underground gun emplacements. “
["The big question for our Air Force was how to hit a series of hard targets in Iran successfully,"]
That was the same thing said before the first Gulf War. Then Saddam had the best European and Russan Engineers. It didn’t seem to be a problem then o destroy them. I doubt the Iranian can muster the technology to be any better.
No, you’re dead wrong.
The only thing is to make peace with the Arabs. Any other action will destroy us with endless wars.
Peace with the Arabs solves a host of problems, and idiots like you and Mr. Goofy are the problem.
You’re too stupid………
Ed, LRB seems to enjoy violence, and causing pain. Note her 11:51 AM post upthread.
All this talk about war with Iran and to what end? To make it safe for Israel to grab more land and oil or both.
Peace with the Arabs mean Israel will have to behave themselves and is that such a bad thing?
Peace is not a bad thing, but catering to Israeli greed is, and that has spiked the price of crude oil, causing 4 dollar gasoline.
And Americans have to live their lives waiting for the other shoe to drop. Israeli greed isn’t worth it.
What I find odd is that the Eagle printed this excerpt as “Barukh Binah, counsul general of Israel based in Chicago, offered The Eagle’s editorial board a more optimistic view of the war against Hezbollah than many analysts.” I thought that was one of the funniest sentences I’ve ever read. Uh, should we be surprised that the Israeli cousul general would offer a more “optimistic account” of the war against “Hezbollah”–notice how newspaper editors shilling for Israel will use Israeli propaganda without a blink of the eye and expect no one to notice. Calling it a war against “Hezbollah” makes it seem as if “Lebanon” and “Hezbollah” are two distinct entities. This is a key piece of Israeli public relations re: the war on Lebanon. They make it seem as if Hezbollah isn’t Lebanese. It is, has been and will be, and the obscuring of that fact merely keeps the Eagle’s readers ignorant of the political forces inside Lebanon, which are Lebanese. Hassan Nasrallah speaks Arabic, not Farsi, and it doesn’t take a genius to know this. You just have to have some basic research skills to find this out.
The other funny thing about Holman’s post is that the consul general said that “people in the region” are “newly asking questions”–what kind of grammar is that–especially about the involvement of Iran and Syria. Uh, yeah, we know Iran funds Hezbollah, just as everyone in the Arab world knows that the U.S. funds Israel. So where exactly is the “news”?
But the most hilarious moment in this “optimistism” was in saying the UN had for the first time passed a resolution allowing Israel to “defend itself.” This made me burst out laughing when I read it. First, the UN doesn’t pass resolutions saying so and so has a right to defend itself. Israel is not being occupied by the Palestinians or the Lebanese or the Syrians. Israel is on their land, not the other way around.
The facts of this war were available for all to see. Israel failed to achieve anything from it, and, my favorite, “people in the region,” (who, where?) are not “newly asking” questions about Hezbollah. Arab public opinion polls show Hezbollah is more popular than ever, and Hassan Nasrallah is the seen as the most popular leader among Arabs from North Africa to the Gulf to Egypt.
It’s too bad Holman didn’t ask the consul general some tough questions based on some basic investigation of the subject, and then report about that exchange. She would have served her readers had she implemented professional standards rather than merely repeated what anyone could see was propaganda. All wars that don’t go as planned involve efforts to spin them as if everything were coming up roses–hello, anyone ever heard of Iraq?
But this one for Israel was such a disaster that even the spin is incredibly primitive. I’m surprised that editors don’t have the intellectual nerve to see through it.
Even if you “love” Israel, you don’t have to give up the right to think.
Good points endanti.
I got another one.
The eagle prints what it calls “blog excerpts” on its opinion page. Actually these are only “blog excerpts” in that they are copies of the thread headers posted here. They’ve stopped running stuff from the blog.
Note the published header vs. the one Rhonda gave us here. Go ahead look.
Rhonda’s little “the terrorist won” take on the situation didn’t make the cut for the paper. Cooler and more objective heads must have prevailed.
“4. You ain’t going to change this by continuing to vote for democrats or republicans.”
LRB, are you suggesting a 3rd party? It’s hard to tell what you’re trying to say because of your continous blizzard of bullshit. Who do you suggest supporting if not a Democrat or a republican?
By the way, I’m still waiting for that email to make arrangments to call me a coward to my face in front of my family and my little dog. I’m really dissapointed. You don’t seem to have a snappy one-liner for this comment.
Maybe you don’t have the courage to back up your convictions?
Dr. Bernard Lewis, professor emeritus at Princeton, expects Iran to Nuke Israel tommorow August 22 and it will mark the begining of the Nuclear Holocaust.
http://www.opinionjournal.com/extra/?id=110008768
Have a nice day.
[LRB, are you suggesting a 3rd party? It's hard to tell what you're trying to say because of your continous blizzard of bullshit. Who do you suggest supporting if not a Democrat or a republican?]
Yes. It took you a while to figure that our.
[By the way, I'm still waiting for that email to make arrangments to call me a coward to my face in front of my family and my little dog. I'm really dissapointed. You don't seem to have a snappy one-liner for this comment.
Maybe you don't have the courage to back up your convictions?]
I’ll call you what I want. And there is noting you can do about. Even though I’m a middle aged woman I could still kick your little ass.
LRB I have done more than anyone on this forum to try and encourage you to be something more than a ranting pest.
I’m awfully sorry I did that. You make of that what you want.
You will not call friends of mine who I have met names or question their character unless you want my full on wrath darlin’.
XXX served in Vietnam. Where was your service honey?
[XXX served in Vietnam. Where was your service honey?]
I lost a son in Iraq.
Good bye.
LRB
Despite your “goodbye”, I know that you will read this.
Lauren. Sometime ago (maybe 3 weeks ago?) I suggested to the forum that your zeal here might be personally motivated. I invited and even encouraged you at that time to say so, so that we might all better understand you. You did not answer or further advise. In a way, I do not blame you given your just confessed pain.
But you must understand that by only lashing out, you never gave anyone a chance to try and help you in your loss.
I no doubt hit you real hard with my last post. You see? My friend XXX has tragedies of his own. You took a swing at him and I swung back hard.
But the thing is? XXX is a known quantity to me. You are not.
I’m assuming your name is Lauren. That is in your email.
Lauren? This forum is NOT without compassion. It is FULL of it! (I hope that brought a small smile) Compassion I mean.
I am going to take you at your word. I guess I should have started with that.
Lauren I am so sorry for your loss. I am even sorrier if I have hurt you in any way.But you did not give us a chance to help you.
I champion the rights of another Mother Cindy Sheehan the right to her zeal. I guess I owe you the same.
I am not a praying person. I feel some responsibililty for you for encouraging you here. I had guessed at your pain before. Maybe I should have explored that better.
This doesn’t mean people who disagree with you are automatically wrong. Your son died for their right to be wrong.
I know I speak for the entire forum when I offer our condolences and extend to you our best wishes and any efforts we can to comfort you.
Respectfully,
Jay Rimel
Wow!In hindsight I think we all need a little sensitivity training. Please remember that in the human mind, perception is reality. We all have preconceived notions of beauty, truth, in short, reality. People get into heated arguments when their own perception differs from another. In this environment where information is passed down so quickly and impersonally, it is easy to forget that we are dealing with living, breathing human beings. We should all afford one another the due respect a person deserves as if we were talking to that person face to face. Remember that you can still hurt someone by what you post.
August 22 – the day is half gone in the Middle east. We shall see.
I think the guy got some bad crack.