It Looks Like War: Israel - Lebanon

[Marc Chevalier]

I just threw sand in your face. What are you gonna do about it?

.

 

[TommySalieri]

I think I'll poke you with a log of blue cheese.

 

[jamespowers]

I'll hit you with a scud.

 

[TommySalieri]

Better yet, I think I'll launch entire salvos of nuclear-tipped ICBM's at your bathroom's toilet. Serves ya right for throwing sand in MY eye. :rage:

 

[Tony in Tarzana]

The world's turning into an episode of South Park.

 

[jamespowers]

The world's turning into an episode of South Park.

"They killed Kenny! You *******s!"

 

[Marc Chevalier]

Except these Kennys are real, and they won't be resurrected next week.

.

 

[Serial Hero]

Who need's cartoons? I just turn on the nightly news.

 

[Andykev]

Well, the Bible does state that Armageddon will begin in the Middle East.

I'll keep a good eye on this one.

Secretary of State Rice was quoted on the news today regarding events in the Middle East, that this situation is on the scale of an apocalypse. Surely, those of you that have been watching the rouge states, North Korea, and Iran, and Syria, there are very, very dangerous and grave circumstances on the horizon.

I don't know when, but the end of the world will come out of the Middle East. There is a religious war of Islam and Christians. Things are grim.

 

[Hemingway Jones]

Just remember folks, we have members who are in the thick of this thing. A very good friend of mine who is a member of this site, ...well, his wife is in Beirut. The airport is closed, people are hoarding food, roads are being closed, and explosions are going off in the distance.

This situation deserves our prayers and concern.

 

[Daisy Buchanan]

Come on, you can see a difference, I hope!

I can understand how people might come to the conlusion, given the distorting and patronising media coverage in the West, to say the least, but please don't take the comfortable position of "they're all the same anyway, spiral of violence, blabla". And I'm not even a Zionist.[huh]

There are differences. So compare, but don't equate.‚Ñ¢

I couldn't agree more, Shaul-Ike.....It does get tiresome, hearing all these people call everybody "dumb" and "idiots". There are big differences, and huge causes at stake. I'm not saying that I agree with all that is going on. I find it quite disturbing and scary. But, I try to get the full story by first of all watching various news channels, because we all know that no matter how many times they say they're not, news channels are biased. Secondly, I never watch CNN, I just don't trust that I'll get the full real story from them. Just a side of the story that is agreeable to it's reporters and those who watch them. They act as if they know everything, and that only they're reports are correct. I find this intolerable and un-watchable.
As Shaul said "compare, but do not equate", make sure too, that you are getting the correct information to compare, so your efforts will bear fruit! You cannot equate one to the other. They are not the same, be careful, there are some people who might take you seriously and could be insulted.

 

[Serial Hero]

Ok, I feel the need to clarify.

When I say “idiots” I am referring to politicians, government officials, head’s of state.

Not the every day Joe citizen on the street. These people have my prayers and sympathy. I have friends that have family over there on both sides of the conflict, who are just tying to live their lives and do the best for their families.

My apologies,

I never watch CNN, I just don't trust that I'll get the full real story from them. Just a side of the story that is agreeable to it's reporters and those who watch them. They act as if they know everything, and that only they're reports are correct. I find this intolerable and un-watchable.

Ditto for Fox News

 

[pablocham]

When I say “idiots” I am referring to politicians, government officials, head’s of state.

Yeah, I also think that the word 'jerks' is very apt for the people on both sides and for practically everybody in the U.S. government as well as every other government. The people on the ground, of course, are the ones who will be harmed by this. The only people who stand to gain from this are the oil and munitions industries. This is really bad for Israel, really bad for the U.S., and really bad for Lebanon.
I can hardly find words to express how depressing this is.

 

[Marc Chevalier]

There is a religious war of Islam and Christians.

You forgot one religion in the mix.

.

 

[Serial Hero]

Yeah, I also think that the word 'jerks' is very apt for the people on both sides and for practically everybody in the U.S. government as well as every other government.

I totally agree

 

[Julius Xavier]

*

The Middle East has been long over due for a huge parking lot for quite sometime now.




-DocIndyJones

 

[The Mad Hatter]

One of the most intelligent discussions of not just the MidEast and the so-called "War on Terror," but on the evolution of modern warfare and things generally is John Robb's Global Guerrillas blog.

According to Robb, we are moving into a new era where loosely structured networks of "Global Guerrillas" can pose serious challenges to the traditional conventional militaries of nation-states such as the United States or Israel.

This has broader implications, because it suggests that the nation-state as the normative form of social and political organization is becoming obsolete much as the feudal system, for example, became obsolete.

As appled to the MidEast, Israel is a nation-state with a conventional army, which is placing it in an increasingly problematical position. Iraq, for all its chaos, actually is evolving toward the post-modern global guerrilla status and Israel's current strikes at Lebanon probably will serve to hasten Lebanon's evolution in that direction. (Robb does not rejoice at all this - he regards global guerrillas as often quite criminal. He is just calling things the way he sees them.)

Insofar as my own MidEast policy goes, which is influenced by Robb, I regard this as an episode in the struggle for Islamic domination between Salafi and Sufi. Salafis believe in strict and literal application of Islamic law. The Saudi Wahbbis, al Qaeda, the Taliban, and Hamas are all salafis. Note, however, that other salafis also exists who are not so extreme. Sufis are more exotic. The great Persian poets were sufi. The "Jewel" in The Jewel of the Nile, was a sufi. Some sufis drink alcohol or grant great status to women. Others incorporate Hindu, Buddhist, Christian, or other non-Islamic practices or believes. Note, however, that the Mahdi and the dervishes who killed Chinese Gordon in Khartom were sufis as well as many other Muslim revolutionaries. They are peaceful but by no means pacifist.

Although often characterized as "medieval" fundamentalists, salafis actually are quite recent - being a reaction to Western imperialism. Sufi's, in contrast, are part of Islam's ancient tradition - dating back well over a thousand years.

Salafis regard Sufis as heretics; while Sufis think salafism betrays the spirit of Islam. All salafis are Sunni; most sufis also are sunni, but some are shi'ites. Generally speaking, however, the Shi'ites stand apart from this salafi / sufi split. ( Although Shi'tes and sufis generally get along. )

Being a Romantic, I naturally favor the Sufis, who happen to oppose the people we now are contending with ( excepting Iran and Hamas ). Following Robb, I believe the MidEast is heading in a Global Guerrilla direction. The question is, what sort of guerrillas are we going to end up with - salafist or sufi? While the Sufis would not be pushovers - as Gordon learned at Khartom - they represent the humane element of a great civilization. We can live with them.

I would suggest that we therefore promote them.

 

[Lincsong]

We need to bring some bulldogs into the State Dept. and act as though the media and pollsters don't exist.:rage:

 

[Viola]

I blame both sides.

I don't. What was Israel supposed to do?

 

[Hondo]

It is a sort of "Yawn, what's new situation."
Hezbollah should have known better. If you hit them they hit you back ten times as hard. [huh]

Oh for reals, They have been going at each other throats for so long its no wonder it didn’t happen sooner. I do understand Israel’s point, the Hamms or Hezbollah should have known better, stupid as stupid goes.
"Yawn, what war?"