It Has All Gone to Heck

Lori Lancaster | July 13, 2006
[hidden by request]

David Mitzman | July 13, 2006
1. they won't because Israel will not do a prisoner exchange. They will have to be rescued or they will probably not be found.

2. I think we're looking at full scale war this time. If the soldiers were not returned or confirmed dead, then it's pretty much "Hey Lebanon, watch this..." while Israel dessimates what's left of their country. The act of the kidnapping is obviously enough for Israel to go in. Bush said (and I finally agree with him on one thing) that Israel has every right to defend itself and I read in a newspaper article that the U.S. will not interfere with Israel. Olmert is not one to be taken lightly and I think he's the best thing to happen to Israel. I'm not a war monger and Israel has only gone on the offensive when it was absolutely needed. There's a reason their military is called the IDF (Israeli Defense Force). They don't exist for the purpose of conquest, only for protection. I'm not for war like I said, but I think this is a needed action and the UN does agree. Hezbolah is a recognized terrorist group and have been called to disarm by a UN resolution (I forget the resolution).

Lebanon had no reason to get involved, and now that they did they will pay the consequences. The only issue is that Syria is more than likely to get involved due to the fact that Syria is the reason that Lebanon and Israel are enemies (read back about 30 years ago and you'll see that Israel and Lebanon were once peaceful but then Syria caught the ear of Lebanon you can see what happened in 1981). This won't be like the '67 Six Day War, but if there is no outside interference telling Israel to back down or whatnot, we're probably going to see a very ruthless Israeli Military do what they should've done years ago; and that's to take out the enemies that have constantly called for and attempted their destruction.

Kris Weberg | July 17, 2006
What exactly did Lebanon, as opposed to Hezbollah, a group of well-armed Syrian/Iranian aligned terrorist within Lebanon, do?

The Lebanese lack the military strength to expel Hezbollah; that was proven during the civil war that raged there for so long. Ideally, of course,the sensible Lebanese would rise up against Hezbollah and push them out. Practically, people there are sick of civil war and the avergae person would rather believe that doing nothing will keep them from getting shot or blown up. That shouldn't be Israel's problem, but the overall effects are. And so non-Hezbollah Lebanese get blown up for sins of omission.

Morally, Israel is in the right; practically, I have a feeling that they're doing themselves no long-term favors.

But then, that's how having to fight a daily battle for survival works; you never get the opportunity to stand back and do the long-term things that would obviate the necessity of battle in the first place. The moment Israel stops fighting to plan peace or to try the carrot, a terrorist blows up a cafe or a nightclub and any failure to respond in kind just invites further bombings.

And everyone besides the terrorists suffers for it: Israelis, the 40% of Lebanese who are Christian and the non-militant and non-Shiite members of the 53% of Muslim Lebanese, and so on. Meanwhile, the arms dealers and the terrorist kingpins clean up financially, and a dozen regional tyrants get a reprieve by stirring their people up against Israel instead of against their own corruption and monstrosity.

It's been going on in one form or another for 48 years. There hasn't been a final battle yet, just a mutliplication of suffering and the perpetual filling of graveyards.