Points to Ponder.

[weswilson]

From The Age:

HEZBOLLAH has created a "state within a state" in Lebanon and must be disarmed, the country's Prime Minister says.

(...)

Mr Siniora said Lebanon was still too weak to attack Hezbollah's stranglehold in the south of the country without outside help.

"The important thing now is to restore full Lebanese sovereignty in the south, dismantling any armed militia parallel to the national army," he said.

"The Syrians are inside our home and we are still too weak to defend ourselves. The terrible memories of the civil war are still too alive and no one is ready to take up arms."

There is other stuff in there that says Israel needs to release prisoners and leave Sheba Farms... but I think the Lebonese Prime Minister just said what I've been debating for days now. There is a nation there that Lebanon has been unable to deal with... a nation of people who are attacking Israel. It is a shame that the Lebonese people were unable to handle it, but it is far from surprising that the Israelis would step in and crush those that the Lebonese didn't have the will and power to deal with.

Comments

The official flag of Hezbollah...

[alladinsane.livejournal.com]

[weswilson]

I do hope that happens.

But I heard something on NPR yesterday that reminded me why Israel is behaving the way that it is. Some Lebonese official said, "Hezbollah committed a MAJOR miscalculation by underestimating the Israeli response to their actions." And as sad as it may be, those malevolent murderers need to be shown that expecting a civilized reaction to uncivilized behavior isn't a luxury that they can afford.

Sometimes, a lack of civility is important.

[weswilson]

Good point.

I was rather amazed to find out over a thousand rockets have been fired into Israel from Gaza since the pullout from the Gaza Strip last year. I just don't understand this kind of behavior.

[dunce-at-large.livejournal.com]

Conservative (as opposed to the New Radicals, the neo-cons) columnist George Will made a good point: it seems that both Israel and the Arabs have been emboldened by America's recent war ventures there. Yet another unanticipated side-effect in a deluge (of many more to come, it seems).
When I was a kid, growing up in the 70's, I admired Israel's daring underdog military actions, like the time their ever-ready air force "bombed" Saudi territory... with empty oil barrels. Point well made.
And I agree with wes that retaliation was inevitable, and even deserved. Rockets are deadlier than rhetoric. But, as is apparent in Iraq, the world will only tolerate so many civilian casualities. Make your operations quick and lean (the Israelis seem to be quite good at this form of counter-terrorism. But they've had lots of practice).
I learned a lot working for an Iranian family during the Iran/Iraq war in the late 80's early 90's. This was when Saddam was getting material and logistic support from the U.S. And where was all the noble rhetoric when Saddam was launching Scud missiles into civilian Iran? At one point, a missile a day was launched from Basra into northern Iran. The notoriously inaccurate Scuds would sometimes land in an empty field, sometimes into a crowded marketplace. The Kurds were being gassed and tortured, Iraqi children were being sent into the field as mine sweepers and in human wave assaults, and the U.S. outrage over such blatant terrorist activity was nil.
Until Saddam crossed the line by invading Kuwait. Like Noriega and Pinochet before him, undemocratic brutality was tolerated and even clandestinely supported as long as he played by the rules. Our rules.
I have a pretty good idea "why they hate us." And it has nothing at all to do with the democratic values that elected Hamas in Palestine, or put a smiley face on anarchy in Iraq and corruption in Afghanistan.
I guess the classic line from the old Pogo comic strip is in no danger of becoming dated: "We have met the enemy, and he is us."