Tuesday, August 01, 2006

Due to overwhelming response: more Middle East ranting...

First: When did the terrorists take the moral high ground?
Israel air strikes a building in Qana, and it turns out there were 50-odd noncombatants in the basement, over thirty of them children. Israel says they believed rocket attacks were being launched from Qana, and the strike was meant to disrupt those attacks. The irony here is that folks on the ground there are angry that Israel would 'wage war on one and two year-olds'. Can you believe that? Folks living cheek and jowl with terrorists (who are currently lofting rockets at random into Israel) are shocked at civilian casualties. Does this mean the Lebanese people would denounce Hezbollah if one of those rockets comes down on an Israeli orphanage or children's hospital?

To me there's only two ways to look at this: Either the Lebanese people are truly (and rightfully) appalled by the deaths of their own civilians, and have until now simply not considered the full ramifications of association with terrorist groups. Or they are in fact not appalled by the deaths in the least, and are simply looking to spin them into the worst possible reflection on Israel and its war-making policies. Personally, I'm opting for the former. Meaning they need to seriously re-evaluate their tolerance for Hezbollah. Because Israel has stated and restated that their war is not with the Lebanese people, but with the terrorists who use them as willing camoflage.

Second, since when was the UN actually high school?
Jerusalem 90210

Imagine a stereotypical High School. Over there is the BMOC, Ulysses Smith-Anderson. Standing next to him his is friend Ishmael. Ish is a tough kid, been through the wringer a few times, knows how to take care of himself. But he's from the tough part of town, and he's got funny hair. A couple of other kids from the mean streets, Pally and Hezzy, have been picking a fight with Ishmael for a long time. Finally, after Pal and Hez steal some of Ish's stuff and refuse to return it, Ish commences laying a righteous schoolyard beating on both of them. Now Ish is a tough kid, and the rest of the school knows in a quiet under-the-radar kind of way that no one, not even the principal, Umran Natille can get a handle on. No one, that is, except Ulysses. So everyone keeps wandering over to Uly, saying, 'Jeez, you gotta get Ish to lay off, man. He's killing those guys.' Meanwhile Pal and Hez keep refusing to return the stolen stuff, and no one wants to interfere directly (except another tough kid from the 'hood, Ira Newton, who's making threatening noises) so the beating continues.

Someone get Joss Whedon on the phone. I think I have a new series for him.

Third, has everyone completely forgotten Iraq and Afganistan?
The every arab nation, Europe, and now the United Nations are pressuring the US to get Israel to stop fighting in Lebanon. Which is ironic, since not long ago the US decided to invade another country as a result of terrorist action, and not only did (and continue) to do so, but also supplanted the existing government and put in a new, more democratic (and America-friendly) puppet-show in its place. Oh wait. My bad. They invaded TWO countries as a result of terrorist action and supplanted two governments. Israel is not invading for the purpose of getting more land. They have no interest in overthrowing the existing governments and putting more Israel friendly folks in charge. They are forcing people not used to being terrorized to recognize the limits of their powers and abilities. Israel is resolute and steadfast, from the politicians and generals, to the privates with the guns, to the civilians back home cheering them on. The US asking them to cease operations would be as hypocritical as it would be futile. The sooner Western civilization (and especially its media) come to grips with that fact, the sooner the shooting will stop.

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