- Mrs. Jellyby, whose face reflected none of the uneasiness which we could not help showing in our own faces as the dear child's head recorded its passage with a bump on every stair--Richard afterwards said he counted seven, besides one for the landing--received us with perfect equanimity. She was a pretty, very diminutive, plump woman of from forty to fifty, with handsome eyes, though they had a curious habit of seeming to look a long way off. As if--I am quoting Richard again--they could see nothing nearer than Africa!
E. J. Dionne:
- Today, with Israeli troops battling on their northern and southern borders, with Iran ignoring calls for negotiations on nuclear weapons, with Baghdad in flames and with many of Iraq's moderates living in fear, those Cheney sentences stand as the most telling indictment of the administration's failures.
- Hey, but by the time I wake up out here in the western United States, who knows what could have happened. One thing I believe, no matter the outcome, is that none of this would have happened if Hezbollah and Israel, our ally, didn't feel we were in a weakened state, due to Iraq and President Bush's lack of credibility, which has set us all on an unknown course.
- Some in the Bush administration clearly want to widen the conflict to the United States attacking Iran. What are the drawbacks of attacking Iran? How is the Israel lobby pushing the United States toward war with Iran?
- As we watch the latest sparring between Israel and Lebanon I had a lot to discuss with you. However I find it necessary to mention the latest and include links for you to read. We are hearing many say they fear this conflict could lead to a total middle east breakdown. It has broken down and the world better realize that, act accordingly, and thank Bush for setting it in motion.
Nothing from the left side of the blogosphere addresses the geopolitical situation. Nowhere is Iran or Syria or the wider global Islamofascist Jihad discussed except within the context of American blundering. It's as if we are the primary agent of instability in a region that without us would be peaceful and prosperous.
The right side of the blogosphere, with uneasiness which we can not help showing, is debating and examining the issues. The left has cultivated the curious habit of seeming to look past these issues, as if they can see nothing but their hatred for George Bush.
A special thanks to Hugh Hewitt, Austin Bay and Pajamas Media for providing outstanding summaries of the situation.
15 comments:
A dissection of the bigoted euphamism "Islamofacism."
"Islamo" one assumes refers to the Muslim religion. "Fascism" means a system of government that exercises a dictatorship of the extreme right, typically through the merging of state and business leadership, together with a belligerent nationalism.
al Quaeda does not run a government, & doesn't mix their leadership with business interests.
IF one were to use the term "Islamofascist" -- & try to with any precision --one person comes to mind -- the former Shah of Iran. In that sense the U.S. government has been a supporter of "Islamofascism" in the Middle East.
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The term is used to evoke hysteria.
Thanks for the comment! Even if I disagree with you, I appreciate you taking the time to write.
Islamofascist separates Moslems from fascist Moslems and therefor describes and denigrates a chosen characteristic rather than a race or creed. Ergo, it is not bigoted.
Al Qaeda most certainly does run businesses and governments. Witness Somalia and the poppy fields of Taliban Afghanistan.
Even assuming that it was true, to claim the people outside of a government or business cannot have political characteristics puts in doubt the entire purpose of, say, the Green Party.
You might want to widen your lens a bit. While the Shah can be used as an example from the Jimmy Carter era to tar the US, you'll need to rationalize the Islamofascist's use of children with Down's Syndrome slathered in Semtex to kill innocent civilians in order to differentiate the two.
Well then, you must be a big fan of Israel's new child-seeking missile.
You can verify the accuracy of the child-seeking missile for yourself here.
Please rationalize the Judeofascist's use of steel packed with Semtex to kill innocent civilians, so we can differentiate the two.
For a second, I thought you were serious. Having worked in signal processing, while the link was coming up I was trying to figure out what signature you would use to lock on to a child over background clutter and other people.
Of course, there is no such thing. This was a case of collateral damage. You seem to assert that Israel is deliberately going after civilians and do not acknowledge a broader scope.
Please discuss the combat effectiveness of the Israeli military and how it might be employed in such an anti-child campaign. What would the results look like? Compare and contrast that with what we are seeing right now.
Sorry, we're all human beings first. You engage in dehumanizing one side of the conflict. Either the innocent victims of Gaza's semtex and Israel's semtex are all collateral damage, or they're all innocent civilians. I choose the latter.
Again, you have narrowed your field of view until you can't tell the difference between the two sides. Imagine that both had the same goals. What would the end result look like?
Hamas has only the most rudimentary military power. They can blow up pizza parlors. This they do. The Israelis have a sophisticated and well-equipped military. When such a force decides to go after civilians, this is what it looks like.
Is that what it looks like in Gaza or Lebanon?
The actions of both sides lay bare the lack of any moral or ethical high ground on either side. Might does not make right. Dialogue and peace are not fostered by the use of inflammatory terms like Islamofascist or Judeofascist. In fact, your use of the suffix "-facist" reveals your ignorance. A more accurate term would be fanatics or extremists, but there are Christian and Zionist fanatics and extremists fanning the flames of war as well.
If you are against peace, please state so. For all the bombs and killing the west has done in the Middle East in the past 5 years, we are no more secure or closer to peace; sadly, we've created a lot more enemies.
Whoa, Nellie! We're a lot closer to peace in the Middle East than we were before. 8 Arab nations have come out and criticized Hezbollah for attacking the Israelis in the first place. That is a monumental step towards peace. That, the elections in Egypt and the overthrow of the Syrian government in Lebanon would never have happened before.
Things are going in the right direction. It's just going to take some time and the road is going to be bumpy for a while.
That's a pretty neat response from those 8 Arabic nations, considering the US media left out half the story. Here's the missing part of the story, courtesy of the Asia Times, which is not heavily self-censored like the US media:
"It all started on July 12 when Israel troops were ambushed on Lebanon's side of the border with Israel. Hezbollah, which commands the Lebanese south, immediately seized on their crossing. They arrested two Israeli soldiers, killed eight Israelis and wounded over 20 in attacks inside Israeli territory."
Escalating the killing is hardly "closer to peace," unless you view one side as decidedly less than human. Here's what's missing in American TV news, as reported on TV in Cyprus:
"I'm watching Cypriot TV...and here we have refugees fleeing on Cypriot planes via Damascus since early Friday... the first people to leave are of various nationalities...they are being interviewed as they arrive at Larnaca Int. Airport here in Cyprus - the 1st country to get its nationals out - or try to - and they are all terrified and crying and worried about friends and relatives they've left behind in a WAR ZONE...they themselves left everything behind..running for their lives...they say there is no water ..there is NO FOOD...innocent people have been killed including Jewish and Christian children and no one has any idea WHY THEY are being targeted! Coaches have to fly the flags of Greece and Cyprus so they won't be ambushed on the road to Damascus but now it is too treacherous and some families have been split up... the country is in half...this doean't appear to have anything to do with 'tit for tat' shelling because soldiers were kidnapped... WHY is the western media not reporting this thing accurately??? Even the British Military radio here has sent out warnings to personnel not to travel to Lebanon,Israel and Syria...what is being planned? Why are innocent people who are not linked to any government, and the tourists and businessmen being killed in Lebanon? This is what everyone should be asking today! What is behind this tragedy?"
Here's what's being reported by Australia's TV news:
Australian TV is speaking with the first Australians to arrive home from Lebanon just now .
One woman told of Israeli aircraft strafing refugees on the road to the Syrian border,and of bombs being dropped on a border post as people we attempting to cross to Syria.
She said the Syrians has been wonderful.They were helped to Damascus,from where they had a long wait for a plane,as all were crowded.
The Syrians provided food and other medical assistance to the Australians waiting at Damascus airport.She also spoke of the terrible damage done in the Lebanese countryside,where the Israeli have bombed most towms and destroyed facilities,such as water and power and even local farmers markets.
There is also a food shortage as all road bridges are down.
She said the Lebanese are determined not to be beaten and their morale is high,though all blame the US as much as they blame Israel. Over 150,000 people are thought to have crossed to Syria,she said,which may need aid to feed and clothe many of the refugee,as many have children who are in a pitiful state.
Doesn't sound at all like peace to me, and it dehumanizes us all to dismiss the dead civilians on all sides as bumps in the road.
Wow! You certainly are resourceful and tenacious. Well done with that research.
I do not believe the choice is between war and peace. For Israel, the near-term choice is between war and war. One war has them as passive targets as Hezbollah and Hamas sling rockets over the border. The other choice is for the Israeli army to cross the border and stop the attacks.
I would suggest that the wall and the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza was an experiment in passive resistence as a peace process. The result was rocket attacks and a tunnel dug under the border to attack Israel and kidnap a soldier.
That tunnel was no fluke. It was a concentrated, dedicated effort to undermine the peace process.
Get it? "Undermine?" Hahahaha!
Sorry, I just couldn't help it.
Mr. K T Cat:
It is only because we are separated by this digital distance that you are able to breath continuously for the 10 seconds when instead I would cut off your air supply by applying a gripping force to your esophagus.
I hope you have lucid dreams of someone you care deeply for getting blown into meaty pieces by an Israeli missile.
[from the original Anonymous, not 12:13]
When one frames the choices as being between war and war, one will get war. To frame any political issue in black-and-white by saying "What choice do we have?" is the hallmark of failed diplomacy, and reveals an incredible lack of imagination and creativity. Another, more sane choice would be honest negotiations. Israel frames the answer to that as being they can't negotiate with the Palestinians: what they really mean is that they refuse to negotiate in good faith with the Palestinians. So far, the diplomatic steps taken to restore sanity and peace have been vetoed by the US at the UN. It would be nice if my country actually stood for peace, and not the misguided belief that peace is achieved by bombing, and that the ends somehow justifies the means.
Get it? "Misguided." Like the feeble Qassam rockets that rarely hurt anyone, and have Israelis cowering in their bunkers while innocents pay the price of their arrogant, disproportionate response. Ha ha ha!
Sorry, I couldn't resist.
I sincerely hope this war does not spread further, lest Jacob the Syrian Hamster be targeted as an insurgent.
Allow me to wish both of you a very pleasant evening wherever you are and happy and prosperous lives. If you need some inspiration for pleasant dreams, try this.
Same wishes for you and Jacob. We all keep trying our best to do good in the world.
Every 4 years we get a new President. Every 4 years, the previous 4 years' peace process is scrapped and begins anew. Every 4 years, we kid ourselves that the extremists on both sides want peace. Niether side's extremists have a monopoly on truth or justice. I have figured out that the many innocents on both sides are deserving of a lasting peace.
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