Time To Get Serious Again
This Tuesday past, J, my substitute pilates teacher mentioned that she was just finding out about the current havoc in the middle east. Needless to say, she was pretty upset about the news that bombs were dropping like snowflakes in a blizzard. I'm pretty upset too, and even though I have no friends or family in that part of the world, I'm deeply concerned about the events unfolding. People are suffering on a grand scale.
I'm going to put it in simplistic terms, and if you think I'm a nutcase, then you're welcome to say so. I'm not a foreign policy expert, and I'm not privy to the discussions that have provoked this outrage either. I do know that events are seriously wrong.
It seems to me that the Israelis are going completely overboard. The kidnap of a handful of soldiers (not civilians) by a known military group has provoked a disproportionate response from the Israeli government and military. Is the life of a soldier or two worth bombing an entire country into oblivion? Lebanon has been turned into a nation of homeless people. There are literally millions of people fleeing for their lives, while western governments, unfortunately including my own, are saying the Israelis have a right to defend themselves. Defense? It sure looks like offense to me.
Using the pretext that a small group of militants has kidnapped a handful of soldiers, Israel has unleashed a terrible campaign of violence against the entire nation of Lebanon. Lebanon is not Hezbollah. The entire city of Beirut is not responsible for the kidnapping of the soldiers. What it all boils down to is, millions of people should not be paying for the misdeeds of a handful.
My heart goes out to the good people of Lebanon, and I hope they get some relief and soon. While the USA supports dictatorships in Saudi Arabia, and Egypt, the legitimately elected regime in Lebanon is in danger of collapsing under the strain of the Israeli-led and American-financed invasion. I have to ask "How is this helping spread stability and democracy?"
Might does not make right, and far too many people hold on to the mistaken impression that the opposite is true. To paraphrase Eisenhower, every weapon purchased is a diversion of money that could be better used to house, cloth, and feed people. Eisenhower was right and he ought to have known. He saw enough brutality during World War II to see it first hand. It's a travesty, and I'm getting irritated by all of the weapons and violence in the world.
The same self righteous bastards who claim they are defending themselves are ruining the lives of millions. They go to their churches, synagogues and mosques and pray for peace. It's a sickening contradiction. If there is a God, She's getting very angry.
I'm going to put it in simplistic terms, and if you think I'm a nutcase, then you're welcome to say so. I'm not a foreign policy expert, and I'm not privy to the discussions that have provoked this outrage either. I do know that events are seriously wrong.
It seems to me that the Israelis are going completely overboard. The kidnap of a handful of soldiers (not civilians) by a known military group has provoked a disproportionate response from the Israeli government and military. Is the life of a soldier or two worth bombing an entire country into oblivion? Lebanon has been turned into a nation of homeless people. There are literally millions of people fleeing for their lives, while western governments, unfortunately including my own, are saying the Israelis have a right to defend themselves. Defense? It sure looks like offense to me.
Using the pretext that a small group of militants has kidnapped a handful of soldiers, Israel has unleashed a terrible campaign of violence against the entire nation of Lebanon. Lebanon is not Hezbollah. The entire city of Beirut is not responsible for the kidnapping of the soldiers. What it all boils down to is, millions of people should not be paying for the misdeeds of a handful.
My heart goes out to the good people of Lebanon, and I hope they get some relief and soon. While the USA supports dictatorships in Saudi Arabia, and Egypt, the legitimately elected regime in Lebanon is in danger of collapsing under the strain of the Israeli-led and American-financed invasion. I have to ask "How is this helping spread stability and democracy?"
Might does not make right, and far too many people hold on to the mistaken impression that the opposite is true. To paraphrase Eisenhower, every weapon purchased is a diversion of money that could be better used to house, cloth, and feed people. Eisenhower was right and he ought to have known. He saw enough brutality during World War II to see it first hand. It's a travesty, and I'm getting irritated by all of the weapons and violence in the world.
The same self righteous bastards who claim they are defending themselves are ruining the lives of millions. They go to their churches, synagogues and mosques and pray for peace. It's a sickening contradiction. If there is a God, She's getting very angry.
posted by othercat @ 10:20 a.m.
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