Katrina and the Plot to Kill Black People

On the one year anniversary of hurricane Katrina I have many memories of that disaster. Death, total destruction, a city underwater...and Louis Farrakhan.

The leader of the Nation of Islam stands out in my mind because of his belief that the White House wanted black people dead. Soon after the levees broke, Farrakhan announced that he had "reliable information" which proved that underneath the levees were craters that were blown up so that black neighborhoods would be flooded thereby eliminating the threat to white neighborhoods.

Sure, Farrakhan is a kook, but don't doubt that there are a lot of people who hang on his every word as truth. People can be very blind when it comes to religion, as was proven to us in situations like the Jonestown Massacre.

Take New Orleans Mayor, Ray Nagin, for example. After consulting with Farrakhan and some other assorted nuts from the Nation of Islam after Katrina, he made a speech in that city on Martin Luther King Day saying that Katrina was God's punishment to the US for the war in Iraq, which was the same point Farrakhan brought up later in a speech to a Methodist Church in New Orleans. Unfortunately, the remarks were met by the black congregation "with enthusiasm."

The destruction caused during Katrina was not only physical, but political as well. Look for liberals to blame Katrina itself on the Republican Party in the 2008 Presidential Election, and for them to try and alienate black voters from conservatives by bringing the levee rumors to the surface again.

Ernesto Who?

The hype is on! I love the Weather Channel, but they are just a little too excited about Tropical Storm Ernesto. Max sustained windspeeds blowing at a death-defying 35 miles per hour. No real rain to speak of, and no damage.

On the Weather Channel this morning, they interviewed their on-location reporter, Mike Seidel, who was toughing it out on Miami Beach this morning.

"Any damage where you are Mike?"
"Uh, well, I see this branch here that was blow off of a palm tree (bends down to pick up the branch), but other than that, nothing really to speak of."
"How about power outages? That's always a concern."
"Have not heard that any were reported."
"What about rain?"
"Well, that was one of things we were looking for with Ernesto, but so far no real dramatic rainfall totals. HOWEVER, it is supposed to rain today, so that will certainly add some to the totals."

Certainly.

Janine Albert's report was just as terrifying.

"It's very quiet out on the beach here. As you see, no one is on the beach, which is usually full this time of year. Currently it is raining."

Riveting!

The truth is, the major hurricane season that was forecasted has bombed out. To put it in perspective, this season, as of today, we have 5 named storms in the Atlantic Basin. Only one was a hurricane (Ernesto) but only for a couple of hours.

In the 2005 hurricane season, as of this date last year, there were already 13 named storms in the Atlantic Basin, and 5 of them were hurricanes, including Katrina.

Uh-oh. Looks like Al Gore will have to wait another year to try and blame the hurricanes on global warming and George Bush.

My expert opinion for the weak hurricane season does not take into account wind shears or the jet stream; I believe that it is all in the names.

In 2005, storms had bold names like Bret and Gert and Dennis. Phillipe and Rita. Maria and Stan. I think Bret and Dennis could hold their own in any barroom fight. Maria and Rita are feisty Latin American women who talk loud and don't take any crap from anyone. Gert is tough because he has to be just because everyone makes fun of his name.

In 2006, we are limping along with Beryl and Debbie. It doesn't get any better, either, with Florence and Leslie coming up soon. Florence is your maid's name. Debbie and Leslie are pretty busy with sorority rush week to care too much about hurricanes. And what kind of a name is Beryl? Did someone at the National Weather Service think it would be great to hear Jim Cantore announce "Beryl is barreling up the East Coast!"

We need names like Scout and Tristan. Or Paul and Steve. Ivan and Pablo. What about Cynthia or Jane? Greta and Casey.

So that's the secret to hurricanes. Strong names = big seasons. Wimpy names = low ratings for the Weather Channel.

As Ernesto dies a slow death I will be steering clear of the WC's Hurricane Central.

Iran Again

Iran has fired another test-missile. While the UN deadline for this terrorist nation to abandon all nuclear activities is only days away, Iran continues to display a "we don't give a crap" attitude.

In their latest "military maneuvers" Iran launched a long-range, radar-evading, sea-to-air missile from a submarine in the Gulf. The Sagheb missile was fired to demonstrate the Islamic Republic's ability to "respond to any threat." Anyone with an IQ over 15 knows that the only "threat" to Iran is Israel.

Once the end of August rolls around, how do you think the UN will respond to Iran, and their blatant refusal to cease all nuclear enrichment activities? My guess is that they will issue vanilla statements and baseless threats.

Look for Iran to strike Israel in the next 12 months with some sort of nuclear device.

This is not going to be pretty.

Lucas With the Lid Off

I searched forever for this video, and here it is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dahONyptuo0

It was 1994, and I remember that this video was pretty great. In my searching online I was reminded that this was all done in one take. Amazing!

Too bad Lucas bombed out as a one-hit-wonder.

Here are all of the sets/scenes that video director Michel Gondry used:

1,8 : the stairwell, with piano
2 : "reggae man," drunk at table, with projected band playing behind him
3,11,24 : Lucas's studio, with projection of the woman, computer screen of "reggae man"
4 : under table of drunk "reggae man", projected bottom half of band behind him
5 : below 4's floorboards, a shot of Lucas on his bed in his hotel room
6 : a ceiling shot of 57 : physical model of Hotel, tiny projections of Lucas and band inside windows
9 : facing three people inside the car; with projection
10,23 : back of woman's head, inside car; with projection
12 : film of Lucas heading to train station
13 : Lucas inside station, moving train lights projected onto set
14 : film of moving train
15 : Lucas in train with couple, mirrored, projection of outdoors behind them
16 : outside cab of train, looking at couple; projection reflected on glass
17 : Lucas at restaurant, outside projected onto window
18 : cinema model, with projection of Lucas walking into cinema
19, 21 : in theater, people watching With the Lid Off on screen
20 : camera turns around, Lucas and players in theater seats
22 : outside, with piano; projection on piano face

I will be back soon with more news from the Middle East, but I thought you would enjoy this.

A Mystery

If you put a very large yellow Panama hat on Tony Hadley, the lead singer for the 80's band Spandau Ballet, he would look exactly like The Man in the Yellow Hat from the Curious George books. Very weird. Come to think of it, I have never seen Tony Hadley and The Man in the Yellow Hat together. Could they be the same person???????

Decide for yourself:

http://www.tony-hadley.com/start.html

http://www.abc-kid.com/curious/index15.html

Islam

I would encourage you to read this blog: http://thejourney2islam-team.blogspot.com/ and visit this website: http://faithfulhanifah.tripod.com//index.html for information about Islam. Many people criticize Islam but have not read the Qur'an. I hold to my belief that Islam is intolerant of "infidels" (i.e. non-Muslims) and that Allah has instructed Muslims to eliminate the infidels, but you should read the Qur'an and decide for yourself.

I also encourage you to read the Bible, especially the New Testament. I do not know of any Christians today who resort to killing non-Christians, but we find this prevalent among Muslims who readily kill non-Muslims. I also dare anyone to find a place in the Bible that says that killing non-Christians gives you automatic entry into Heaven. Unfortunately, Islam says that being a martyr (i.e. murdering non-Muslims) is a ticket to Heaven. Very sad.

Until I find otherwise, I will continue to view Islam by the violent and intolerant fruit it bears. My heart goes out to Muslims, and I pray that they all will see that the religion they have been following lacks the true love that is found in Christ Jesus.

Pasta for Palestine

The Italians are the latest to sound off about Lebanon, promising to rebuild what US "aggression" has torn down. The Italian Foreign Minister says it is time for the EU to take control and restore peace to the region, even promising to do the same for Gaza.

Yes, Italy makes great bikes and olive oil. Yes, it is a beautiful country. But no, it does not have the strength or resolve to work with BOTH sides of the Lebanon/Israel conflict to bring any kind of peace.

On the heels of this, France has all of a sudden decided to send 2,000 troops to Lebanon. Remember that during the France-US Cease Fire Proposal that the Frenchies promised to lead the UN peacekeeping team in Lebanon, should the cease fire be accepted. Then, a day after the cease fire took affect, they backed down and promised only 200 troops. Why the change?

Well, one can assume that this was done to make the US look bad and not supported.

Here's my take: let's get out of the way and let Europe try and restore peace to the Middle East. If they don't like our aggressiveness, then let's see them do it better with their style. Can you imagine? Hezbollah and Hamas would eat them alive. Can you say "retreat"?
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So, a radical Muslim group has kidnapped two FOX News reporters and wants to exchange them for ALL of the Muslims imprisoned in the US.

Does anyone smell something unusual here? Yes, Gaza is a breeding ground for Islamic terrorist groups, but the Holy Jihad Brigades is a group that has never been identified before now. Sniff again. Do you smell that? Yes, you're right. It smells like Iran.

Anyway, they want this done within 72 hours, and we all know the US doesn't negotiate with terrorists. So, look for some beheadings this weekend. Remember the beheadings (by knife) in Iraq last year? Ugly. Still want to say Islam is a religion of love? Can you imagine a group of Christians chopping off the head of a Muslim? Need I say more?

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Speaking of Islamic love, I watched a program the other night on the history of the Qur'an. Thinking it would be an actual history of the Qur'an, I tuned in, only to turn it off 30 minutes later disgusted, as it was not a history but a defense of Islam.

What really got my blood flowing was the story of the Crusaders taking over Jerusalem from the Muslims. According to their account, the Crusaders were so bloodthirsty during the taking of Jerusalem that the Muslims have never forgotten it. Nice.

Of course, the program glossed over the passages in the Qur'an that call for elimination of all non-Muslims, saying that those passages are misunderstood, and that passages of love far outnumber the "violent" passages.

All of that was not enough to make me turn off the TV until they went into the explanation of Jihad as an "inner struggle" for individual peace. Yeah, right. Click...
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As I said last week, Egypt is a tough country to pin down as far as loyalty, and they have just pissed off Syria with their latest statements accusing Syria of everything from massacres in Lebanon (Syria controlled Lebanon for 19 years) and Syria (true), to the Syrian president (an opthomologist by trade) to having no legitimacy. Other comments include taunting the Syrian President's name (which is translated "lion") to reminding Syria that Egypt has bailed it out on numerous occasions.

This attack is in response to Egypt criticizing Hezbollah.

Go Egypt.

Paris in Lebanon

You know, maybe a good idea would be to ask Paris Hilton to negotiate peace between Israel and Lebanon. What could it hurt? Sure, she's a floozy and overrated, but I'll bet she could do better than the UN. Come to think of it, ANYONE could do better than the UN.

UNIFIL=United Nations is Failing in Lebanon

Nothing to Lose

So, if the Arab states (read: all of the Middle East and any Muslim) hate Israel, and if Israel will be criticized however they handle ANY situation, then why should it worry about PR? This shaky cease-fire (read: lull in fighting that gives Hezbollah time to rearm and find more civilian homes to fire missiles from) will certainly end soon enough. That's no big secret. And, Iran and Syria continue to be long-term threats as they stockpile and produce weapons.

If Israel wants to be proactive in preventing more civilian losses, and is truly committed to suppressing radical Islam, then here are the steps they need to take:

1. Kidnap any Hamas, Hezbollah, Islamic Jihad, etc. leader they can get their hands on and place those abductees in various places around Israel. You need to get the leaders because, while they implore the rank-and-file radicals to sacrifice their lives for Islam, the leaders, as we have seen time and again, are more likely to go into hiding than to risk death. Placing them in custody in small groups around Israel puts the terror groups in a quandary, since they would not know if retaliatory bombing would kill their leaders.
2. Take over all Islamic organizations, businesses, mosques, etc. in Israel. Relocate all Islamic people from Israel to Gaza, where they can be closely monitored. Freeze all Islamic assets in Israel.
3. Bomb all major airports (any that can accommodate a military transport plane) in Lebanon and Syria. Concentrate bombing to eliminate military planes and put large holes in runways, rendering them useless.
4. Pull all Israeli troops 2 miles back from border with Lebanon.
5. Start air strikes at the Litany River and work south, forcing Hezbollah to flee towards the Blue Line.
6. When Hezbollah is forced to cross the Blue Line, and are out in the open, start shooting. First using shoulder-launched missiles and mortars, then a huge airstrike.

1,2,&3 should happen simultaneously, and should not take more than 10 days.

4 should happen halfway through Phase 1.

5 should commence at the end of Phase 1.

6 relies on implementation and timeliness of 5.

The entire process should take no longer than 30 days.

Why not? What does Israel have to lose? Arab PR? Who cares? UN disapproval? That doesn't seem to concern other countries (see: Iran, Bosnia, Iraq, Sudan, etc.).

It's time to fish or cut bait, Israel. Stop complaining about the threat and eliminate it, or at least reduce it by showing some tenacity and strategy. Waiting around to respond defensively to the radicals is no way to win a war.

Lost in Translation

For years radical Muslims have been guilty of two media identities. One is the statements they release in English, which the liberal US press eats up, painting a picture of Islam as a tortured entity, fighting for what is rightfully theirs, and representing a religion of love. The other identity is more telling, and can be seen in what appears in Arabic in Middle Eastern media sources. This is the real Islam, who has one sole purpose, which is to eliminate the "infidels", which means kill all non-Muslims.

If you live in the US and do not speak Arabic, then you are shielded from the truth. However, there is an organization dedicated to exposing the deceit and offering in several different languages the translations to statements made in Arabic by Islamic readers, as well as numerous videos you won't see on CNN. The Palestinian Media Watch website is fascinating, and I suggest if you would like to be more informed to check it out: http://www.pmw.org.il/
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Israel has threatened to stop by force any imported arms into Lebanon bound for Hezbollah. They are forced to this position by the lack of a mechanism in place by either Lebanon or the woefully inadequate UNIFIL to stop these shipments.

Israel is also predicting the fighting will start again in "weeks or months" if they do not see strong action to disarm Hezbollah.
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10 days away from the UN deadline to halt its nuclear program, Iran gave the finger once again to the world today, test-firing 10 surface-to-surface missiles in the dessert, about 150 miles southeast of Tehran. The Saegheh missiles have a range up to 150 miles, although I don't believe they can carry nuclear warheads, as the Shahab-3 missiles can. While the Saegheh would not be able to reach Israel, it would be perfect for bombing US troops in Iraq, or, in the hands of Hezbollah in South Lebanon, would give those terrorists a formidable weapon to use against Israel, compared to the inaccurate Katyusha missiles they currently utilize.
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Egypt is an interesting player in the Middle East game. A week ago the police in Cairo clashed with pro-Hezbollah groups as they attempted to march in favor of the terror group. Egypt also backed away from requests by Syria and Jordan to intervene in Lebanon to help defend against Israel, and instead engaged in talks with Israel to send humanitarian aid to Gaza.

On the other hand, the main enforcer of Islamic law in Egypt strongly backs Hezbollah, and other groups in Egypt have warned the Middle East of Israel using chemical warfare, especially in Gaza.
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Closing funny note: Lebanon's defense minister, today said that he was sure that Hezbollah would not break the cease-fire.

Home Alone

With the wimpy Europeans backing down on sending troops to Lebanon as part of the new UNIFIL, it is becoming apparent that Israel and the US are alone in fighting the global threat of radical Islam.

So why is that? One would assume the French, given the recent Muslim uprisings in Paris, would want to do what they could to weaken Hezbollah, Hamas, Islamic Jihad, etc. Actually, why isn't all of Europe banding together as an alliance against terror? The Middle East is much closer in proximity to them than the US, and, despite our weak borders with Canada and Mexico, it is easier to move about the EU than cross the border into the US in Texas, for example.

So maybe that is one answer. Keeping the neighbors happy so they won't lob missiles at them. This, of course, is short-sighted, as no one is innocent to radical Islamics. They will continue to use the non-commital attitude of the EU for their benefit. This is one of the reasons why terror cells are great in number in those countries.

We can see more of the answer to this question in the UK, where Tony Blair is constantly bombarded for leaning hard in the direction of the US regarding the terror battle. There, the population is wary of the US to begin with (see: Revolutionary War) and has never wanted to be seen as an ally. Of course, the US has bent over backwards to involve itself in European matters of security, as in WW1 & 2. Adolph Hitler was a ruthless demon dictator, and, one could argue, without the intervention of US troops, Europe could be German-controlled today. Remember, Hitler, like the current Muslim leadership, wanted to see the entire world ruled over by Germany (or "Germania" as he was going to rename his new kingdom).

And, of course, none of the first-world nations, except the US, have ever truly backed the Jews, and we see that today with Israel. There is little trust of the Jewish population, and, again, we see that documented as early as the Old Testament.

So, the US and Israel fight this battle alone, with Israel on the very front lines. Without the support of the EU, they will continue to fail, and the terrorist groups will continue to strengthen.

There are not many more safe places in the world today.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Quotes

OK, I'm back. Still frustrated and disgusted, but back.

You may be riding the fence on whether or not Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is either a crazed, sadistic lunatic or just someone who is well-meaning but misunderstood (note: this is how Dan Rather saw him in a recent interview). Here are some quotes that may help you understand this man a little better. Remember as you read this that this is the same man who is enriching uranium that could be used in nuclear weapons. Question: do you want this guy to have nuclear capabilities at his fingertips?

On the holocaust

"They have invented a myth that Jews were massacred and place this above God, religions and the prophets."

"We ask the West to remove what they created sixty years ago and if they do not listen to our recommendations, then the Palestinian nation and other nations will eventually do this for them."

On Israel

"Anybody who recognizes Israel will burn in the fire of the Islamic nation's fury."

"Israel is a rotten, dried tree that will be annihilated in one storm."

"The skirmishes in the occupied land are part of a war of destiny. The outcome of hundreds of years of war will be defined in Palestinian land. As the Imam said, Israel must be wiped off the map."

On Relations with the Western Nations

"[There is] no significant need for the United States."

On the UN Resolution, which goes into effect Aug. 30, for Iran to stop enriching Uranium

"Do you think you are dealing with a 4-year-old child to whom you can give some walnuts and chocolates and get gold from him?"

Deja Vu

So far, this whole cease fire has been a maddening rerun of every other cease fire in the Middle East.

• Everyone stops fighting, save for a few skirmishes, mostly on or near the Blue Line
• The UN picks some random countries that will send "peacekeeping" forces (France is promising to send a whopping 200 troops to the region--thanks for the big sacrifice! Bangladesh is sending 2,000 troops for goodness sake!)
• Israel gives back whatever ground it took
• Lebanon gladly accepts Israel's retreat ("Whew, lucked out again!")
• Each side claims victory
• The shadowy terrorist group gets quiet as they look to the next conflict (AND they get to keep the land they occupy while Israel retreats)

I mean, could something just happen?? Anything? They fight and people die and it is all for nothing. No one gained anything, except Hezbollah, who were able to prove once again that Israel has no stomach for a fight and doesn't have the guts to close the deal. Seriously! It's like that bully on the episode of the Andy Griffith Show. He just keeps on taking Opie's lunch money until Opie stands up for himself and won't budge. Hezbollah is a bully, and while they have some pretty decent weaponry from Iran, pound for pound they are no match for Israel. If Israel would just once take off the kid gloves, put a deaf ear to all the criticism from Arab and liberal (wimpy) countries about civilian casualties, and wipe Hezbollah off the map, we would all be better off.

And so everyone thinks Lebanon--who is putting troops south of the Litany River for the first time in 30 years--is going to help disarm Hezbollah. But guess what, they have already said that the aren't going to touch Hezbollah, anymore than the UN is.

30 years is a pretty long time to virtually ignore a very violent and disputed area. That would be like saying US troops have not deployed south of San Diego in 30 years.

And Iran is celebrating Hezbollah's "victory" over Israel with gusto. Last week a public transportation company in Tehran declared a "free travel day" in celebration. Wheeee!!!

Anyway, I'm disgusted with the whole thing. I'm disgusted that Israel negotiates with countries who willingly harbor terrorists. I'm disgusted that the UN has so much power (we're going to be very sorry about that one day soon). And I'm disgusted that I have to watch this happen again and again.

So, since I'm disgusted, unless something major happens, I am taking a day or two off from Middle east updates. Someone let me know when Iran moves into South Lebanon.

How To Help

As many thousands of Lebanese return to their homes following the cease-fire, many will find that they have no home left.

Unfortunately, Hezbollah is trying to further strengthen its hold on the people of Lebanon by promising to rebuild all the damaged and demolished homes by next year.

There are a number of organizations who will be working in Lebanon to help rebuild. If you want to help, I would suggest that you donate to one of these or one of your choice. It would be great to rebuild and restore without the Lebanese having to rely on terrorists for help.

World Vision
http://www.worldvision.org

The Alliance
http://www.cmalliance.org

MAP International
http://www.map.org/site/PageServer

Doctors Without Borders
http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org

The Devil in The Details

Both sides are claiming victory in the Middle East cease-fire. However, from the looks of it, Israel has not gained anything and actually lost ground, while Hezbollah can claim victory for forcing Israel out, which is what they wanted all along (thanks UN).

Not only have the kidnapped Israeli soldiers not been returned, as required by the accord, but the long-standing issue of Shebba Farms remains unresolved. This region is a virtual no-man's land as both Lebanon and Israel claim the rights to occupy, but the area is actually owned by Syria, who wants no part of it. Why is this important? Well, Shebba Farms is one of the reasons why Hezbollah has been lobbing bombs at Israel for the past year.

To top it all off, Israel is saying now that it may negotiate for the return of the 2 captured Israeli soldiers by releasing 13 Hezbollah prisoners. I'm no negotiation expert, but who do you think is getting the better end of this deal? Hmmmm.......
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Two reporters, one an American, were kidnapped yesterday by Palestinian operatives in Gaza. Dude, what is it going to take to get really tough with the Palestinians?
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Iran is mouthing off again. Yesterday a top Iranian cleric warned Israel that Iran would bomb Tel Aviv if Israel attacked them. And, Iran has the capabilities, since it has a long-range ground-to-ground missile (Shahab-3) that has a 1,250 mile range, and, as an added bonus, can carry nuclear warheads. Can you say mushroom cloud?

Iran hates Israel. Their dictator-fanatic-lunatic President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has repeatedly called for the destruction of Israel. He obviously will not be getting any Bar Mitzvah invitations any time soon.
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The French will be leading the UN peacekeeping force, along several other countries, to try and keep peace in Southern Lebanon. Try not to laugh too loud.

The US was opposed to France leading this force at first, but my guess is that the White House, remembering France's opposition to the US in Iraq, sees a great opportunity to "educate" the French on just how much fun trying to keep peace in a Muslim state can be.

Let's see how the Frenchies react when the first French soldier is killed.

France, meet Hezbollah. Hope you enjoy your stay!

Catch-22

Have you ever seen a circle? How about this one:

Lebanon will not put its troops into South Lebanon until Hezbollah is disarmed.

Hezbollah will not stop fighting until Israel leaves South Lebanon.

Israel will not leave South Lebanon completely until there is some sort of Lebanese force in place to subdue Hezbollah.

"What we have here is, failure to communicate."
Civil War
Guns and Roses

Not Good PR

From what I am reading coming out of Israel, the general population is not happy with the US forcing this cease-fire before Israel had the chance to do some real damage to Hezbollah.

Last Call

Hezbollah fired more than 250 missiles at Israel today as the cease-fire deadline grew near. Israel pounded Beirut today and dropped leaflets saying that they would retaliate should they be attacked.

Israel estimates it will take 10 days to withdraw it's troops from Lebanon completely, giving time for the Lebanese army and UNIFIL to advance and set-up in South Lebanon, supposedly to suppress Hezbollah. Yeah, right. Like trying to fight an M-16 with a BB gun.

The cease-fire starts 50 minutes from now.

Lebanon Has an Army? Really??

There's been a lot of talk about the 15,000 army troops that the Lebanese government is promising to send to South Lebanon to help suppress Hezbollah. Here are my top five reasons why this will never work:

5. Lebanese Army underequipped and not modernized. Example: still uses tanks from 1940's. Helicopters inadequate (single engine).

4. Lebanese army weak overall. Syrian forces were in Lebanon until last year (after controlling Lebanon for 19 years). Syria backs Hezbollah and wants it to be as strong as possible. In order to do this, Syria had to be sure Lebanese army was ill-equipped and ill-prepared. They were successful.

3. Hezbollah is too modernized, especially compared to the antiquated Lebanese army, to be defeated. Thank you to Syria and Iran.

2. The Lebanese army's membership is divided by party (and religious) lines. A house divided upon itself will never stand.

1. If the army fails, the police force must take up the flag. Unfortunately, of 20,000 in the police force, only about half even have weapons.

Game over.

This cease-fire is just putting off the next conflict.

UN Resolution/Comments

The UN unanimously passed the cease-fire resolution Friday. Both Hezbollah and Lebanon have agreed to the resolution. Israel has not met to decide. Of course, logic tells us they will accept, or receive worldwide backlash.

Lebanon was pleased with the resolution, noting that "the whole world is behind Lebanon." Interesting comment.

Hezbollah "reluctantly" accepted the resolution, most likely to gain a reputation among it's critics as an organization dedicated to peace. This is absolutely a ruse. Look for Hezbollah terror activities to continue, using Israel as a scapegoat to justify their violence.

The text of the resolution is below. I have added some comments in italics. NOTE: PP means preambular paragraph, basically summing up the history that lead to the resolution. OP means operative paragraph, which tells what the UN is proposing as action.

PP1. Recalling all its previous resolutions on Lebanon, in particular resolutions 425 (1978), 426 (1978), 520 (1982), 1559 (2004), 1655 (2006) 1680 (2006) and 1697 (2006), as well as the statements of its President on the situation in Lebanon, in particular the statements of 18 June 2000 (S/PRST/2000/21), of 19 October 2004 (S/PRST/2004/36), of 4 May 2005 (S/PRST/2005/17) of 23 January 2006 (S/PRST/2006/3) and of 30 July 2006 (S/PRST/2006/35),

PP2. Expressing its utmost concern at the continuing escalation of hostilities in Lebanon and in Israel since Hezbollah's attack on Israel on 12 July 2006, which has already caused hundreds of deaths and injuries on both sides, extensive damage to civilian infrastructure and hundreds of thousands of internally displaced persons,
I was pleased that it is noted here that the root of the fighting was Hezbollah's attack on Israel.

PP3. Emphasizing the need for an end of violence, but at the same time emphasizing the need to address urgently the causes that have given rise to the current crisis, including by the unconditional release of the abducted Israeli soldiers,

PP4: Mindful of the sensitivity of the issue of prisoners and encouraging the efforts aimed at urgently settling the issue of the Lebanese prisoners detained in Israel,
Just a guess, but I'll bet that the US fought hard not to have a prisoner exchange between the Israeli soldiers and Lebanese prisoners. And rightfully so. The Lebanese help in Israel have committed a crime. The Israeli soldiers were abducted at random.

PP5. Welcoming the efforts of the Lebanese Prime Minister and the commitment of the government of Lebanon, in its seven-point plan, to extend its authority over its territory, through its own legitimate armed forces, such that there will be no weapons without the consent of the government of Lebanon and no authority other than that of the government of Lebanon, welcoming also its commitment to a UN force that is supplemented and enhanced in numbers, equipment, mandate and scope of operation, and bearing in mind its request in this plan for an immediate withdrawal of the Israeli forces from Southern Lebanon,
Time will tell if Lebanon's seven-point plan will see the light of day. The Lebanese government is so divided and crippled that actually putting legs on any plan will be tough to do.

PP6. Determined to act for this withdrawal to happen at the earliest,

PP7. Taking due note of the proposals made in the seven-point plan regarding the Shebaa farms area,
One of the disputed areas between Israel and Lebanon.

PP8. Welcoming the unanimous decision by the government of Lebanon on 7 August 2006 to deploy a Lebanese armed force of 15,000 troops in South Lebanon as the Israeli army withdraws behind the Blue Line and to request the assistance of additional forces from UNIFIL as needed, to facilitate the entry of the Lebanese armed forces into the region and to restate its intention to strengthen the Lebanese armed forces with material as needed to enable it to perform its duties,

PP9. Aware of its responsibilities to help secure a permanent ceasefire and a long-term solution to the conflict,

PP10. Determining that the situation in Lebanon constitutes a threat to international peace and security,


OP1. Calls for a full cessation of hostilities based upon, in particular, the immediate cessation by Hezbollah of all attacks and the immediate cessation by Israel of all offensive military operations;
The word "offensive" here is important. This allows Israel to defend itself using force should they be attacked. Note that Hezbollah was not given the same option.

OP2. Upon full cessation of hostilities, calls upon the government of Lebanon and UNIFIL as authorized by paragraph 11 to deploy their forces together throughout the South and calls upon the government of Israel, as that deployment begins, to withdraw all of its forces from Southern Lebanon in parallel;
UNIFIL (United Nations in Lebanon) is a joke.

OP3. Emphasizes the importance of the extension of the control of the government of Lebanon over all Lebanese territory in accordance with the provisions of resolution 1559 (2004) and resolution 1680 (2006), and of the relevant provisions of the Taif Accords, for it to exercise its full sovereignty, so that there will be no weapons without the consent of the government of Lebanon and no authority other than that of the government of Lebanon;
Don't see how Lebanon is going to control weapon importation, or if they will even try and do it. And, if they don't, how do you hold them accountable without being more specific?

OP4. Reiterates its strong support for full respect for the Blue Line;

OP5. Also reiterates its strong support, as recalled in all its previous relevant resolutions, for the territorial integrity, sovereignty and political independence of Lebanon within its internationally recognized borders, as contemplated by the Israeli-Lebanese General Armistice Agreement of 23 March 1949;

OP6. Calls on the international community to take immediate steps to extend its financial and humanitarian assistance to the Lebanese people, including through facilitating the safe return of displaced persons and, under the authority of the Government of Lebanon, reopening airports and harbours, consistent with paragraphs 14 and 15, and calls on it also to consider further assistance in the future to contribute to the reconstruction and development of Lebanon;

OP7. Affirms that all parties are responsible for ensuring that no action is taken contrary to paragraph 1 that might adversely affect the search for a long-term solution, humanitarian access to civilian populations, including safe passage for humanitarian convoys, or the voluntary and safe return of displaced persons, and calls on all parties to comply with this responsibility and to cooperate with the Security Council;

OP8. Calls for Israel and Lebanon to support a permanent ceasefire and a long-term solution based on the following principles and elements:
— full respect for the Blue Line by both parties,
— security arrangements to prevent the resumption of hostilities, including the establishment between the Blue Line and the Litani river of an area free of any armed personnel, assets and weapons other than those of the government of Lebanon and of UNIFIL as authorized in paragraph 11, deployed in this area,
— full implementation of the relevant provisions of the Taif Accords, and of resolutions 1559 (2004) and 1680 (2006), that require the disarmament of all armed groups in Lebanon, so that, pursuant to the Lebanese cabinet decision of July 27, 2006, there will be no weapons or authority in Lebanon other than that of the Lebanese state,
— no foreign forces in Lebanon without the consent of its government,
— no sales or supply of arms and related materiel to Lebanon except as authorized by its government,
— provision to the United Nations of all remaining maps of land mines in Lebanon in Israel's possession;

OP9. Invites the Secretary General to support efforts to secure as soon as possible agreements in principle from the Government of Lebanon and the Government of Israel to the principles and elements for a long-term solution as set forth in paragraph 8, and expresses its intention to be actively involved;

OP10. Requests the Secretary General to develop, in liaison with relevant international actors and the concerned parties, proposals to implement the relevant provisions of the Taif Accords, and resolutions 1559 (2004) and 1680 (2006), including disarmament, and for delineation of the international borders of Lebanon, especially in those areas where the border is disputed or uncertain, including by dealing with the Shebaa farms area, and to present to the Security Council those proposals within thirty days;
If this happens within 30 days I will be extremely surprised. None of the abovementioned accords and resolutions have been able to do this.

OP11. Decides, in order to supplement and enhance the force in numbers, equipment, mandate and scope of operations, to authorize an increase in the force strength of UNIFIL to a maximum of 15,000 troops, and that the force shall, in addition to carrying out its mandate under resolutions 425 and 426 (1978):
a. Monitor the cessation of hostilities;
b. Accompany and support the Lebanese armed forces as they deploy throughout the South, including along the Blue Line, as Israel withdraws its armed forces from Lebanon as provided in paragraph 2;
c. Coordinate its activities related to paragraph 11 (b) with the Government of Lebanon and the Government of Israel;
d. Extend its assistance to help ensure humanitarian access to civilian populations and the voluntary and safe return of displaced persons;
e. Assist the Lebanese armed forces in taking steps towards the establishment of the area as referred to in paragraph 8;
f. Assist the government of Lebanon, at its request, to implement paragraph 14;
You could send in 1,000,000 UNIFIL troops and they would be impotent. Look for France to be more involved in UNIFIL or a new UN Peacekeeping force. And don't think that their "partnership" with the US in drafting this resolution was some sort of effort at better relations between the two countries. France is trying to better it's reputation with Arab countries, especially in light of the recent Muslim violence in Paris. Instead of fighting radical Islam, they are bowing down to it.

OP12. Acting in support of a request from the government of Lebanon to deploy an international force to assist it to exercise its authority throughout the territory, authorizes UNIFIL to take all necessary action in areas of deployment of its forces and as it deems within its capabilities, to ensure that its area of operations is not utilized for hostile activities of any kind, to resist attempts by forceful means to prevent it from discharging its duties under the mandate of the Security Council, and to protect United Nations personnel, facilities, installations and equipment, ensure the security and freedom of movement of United Nations personnel, humanitarian workers, and, without prejudice to the responsibility of the government of Lebanon, to protect civilians under imminent threat of physical violence;
Again, my son's kindergarten class could be more effective than UNIFIL.

OP13. Requests the Secretary General urgently to put in place measures to ensure UNIFIL is able to carry out the functions envisaged in this resolution, urges Member States to consider making appropriate contributions to UNIFIL and to respond positively to requests for assistance from the Force, and expresses its strong appreciation to those who have contributed to UNIFIL in the past;

OP14. Calls upon the Government of Lebanon to secure its borders and other entry points to prevent the entry in Lebanon without its consent of arms or related materiel and requests UNIFIL as authorized in paragraph 11 to assist the Government of Lebanon at its request;

OP15. Decides further that all states shall take the necessary measures to prevent, by their nationals or from their territories or using their flag vessels or aircraft,
(a) the sale or supply to any entity or individual in Lebanon of arms and related materiel of all types, including weapons and ammunition, military vehicles and equipment, paramilitary equipment, and spare parts for the aforementioned, whether or not originating in their territories, and
(b) the provision to any entity or individual in Lebanon of any technical training or assistance related to the provision, manufacture, maintenance or use of the items listed in subparagraph (a) above,except that these prohibitions shall not apply to arms, related material, training or assistance authorized by the Government of Lebanon or by UNIFIL as authorized in paragraph 11;
Again, Lebanon is so weak and divided that this will never happen.

OP16. Decides to extend the mandate of UNIFIL until 31 August 2007, and expresses its intention to consider in a later resolution further enhancements to the mandate and other steps to contribute to the implementation of a permanent ceasefire and a long-term solution;

OP17. Requests the Secretary-General to report to the Council within one week on the implementation of this resolution and subsequently on a regular basis;

OP18. Stresses the importance of, and the need to achieve, a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the Middle East, based on all its relevant resolutions including its resolutions 242 (1967) of 22 November 1967 and 338 (1973) of 22 October 1973;

OP19. Decides to remain actively seized of the matter.

It is not comforting to me that the UN remains actively "seized" of the matter. As with any Middle East resolution, this one will follow the same pattern. Dispute over borders will divide Israel and Lebanon, Hezbollah, or another group like it, will rise and cause trouble. And let us not forget that Hamas is still in control of the Palestinian Authority, and that Hamas promotes violence in the elimination of Israel.

So, let me translate this resolution for you in three simple words: "Blah, blah, blah."

Finally Peace!

No, not in the Middle East, but between France and the US over the proposed cease-fire resolution. The UN still has to approve, and then it must be accepted by all parties involved. Don't get out your Southern Lebanon vacation literature yet, though. Actually, with the stabbing of a tourist today in Jerusalem, I wouldn't plan on any travel to the Middle East right now.

It will be interesting to see if Hezbollah is involved at all in the peace talks. All along this has been touted as Lebanon v. Israel, but it's not.

The new resolution calls for Israel to pull out of Lebanon to be replaced by a UN multi-national force, much like UNIFIL (United Nations in Lebanon) but hopefully stronger since UNIFIL is a useless money drain. While nothing in the resolution calls for disarming Hezbollah, it does mention cutting off supply lines so that Iran and Syria specifically cannot get any additional arms in for Hezbollah.

Those are the highlights. The language of the resolution will be what will be important. Israel will be looking for words allowing them to attack in defense, for example, and Lebanon will probably be wanting definitions of exactly when Israel gets out and how far back to the south they back up.

I am skeptical any of this will work. It will either fall apart tomorrow at the UN, or it will not be ratified by Lebanon and/or Israel, or, if it is ratified, Hezbollah is not going to bow out gracefully, so they will not honor the cease-fire.

Whatever happens, both Israel and Hezbollah will continue to bomb the crap out of each other in case a cease-fire is ratified. This weekend will probably see high casualty numbers. Israel, in particular, is going to pull out all the stops. Since Hezbollah will not agree to a cease-fire, the Israelis need to cripple them as much as possible.

Pretty Please?

I would think it would hard to be a spokesperson for any Islamic government. I think I would rather be a tax attorney. My reasoning? How do you keep your integrity and even a straight face when you go before the press when you know what you are saying is either ridiculous or downright deceptive.

Case in point: Iran. The UN gave them all kinds of incentives to stop their nuclear enrichment by August 31. Three days ago, their nuclear spokesman announced that not only were the incentives not good enough, but they are through negotiating, and plan on stepping up their nuclear project.

Incentives not good enough. That's a hoot. Can you imagine if police negotiations went like UN negotiations. "OK, Charlie, if you don't rob this store we'll give you $100,000."

The Meltdown

As predicted in my post yesterday, the France/US sponsored peace proposal to the UN is falling apart. The divide centers around Israel pulling out of Southern Lebanon should a cease-fire happen. France wants them to, the US doesn't. And they shouldn't. Southern Lebanon is filled with Hezbollah, and without troops dedicated to keep Hezbollah down, the situation will just get worse.

Other language is also in question, and French President, Jacques Chirac, said today that the French may just draft their own proposal for the UN, without the US.

Tell me this--how can a peace proposal be taken seriously if the countries writing it can't even work together.
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Venezuela President Hugo Chavez is threatening to cut off diplomatic ties with Israel. Let's hope that this Castro "mini-me" can see the big picture here. Clearly, the only reason it even makes the headlines is because Chavez is anti-US and pro-communism and his country sits on a lot of oil. His power and influence are mainly contained within his very poor country. Let's face it, without oil, his announcement would be received about the same as "Greenland Severs Diplomatic Ties With Israel." I mean, who cares?

However, if I were Chavez, I would speak softly and carry a lot of oil. He doesn't want to rile anyone up, especially the US, who could take over Venezuela in about the time it takes to run your SUV through a car wash.

Oh, and he also compared Israel with Hitler. Nice. Chavez is a winner.

I really could have my own blog on this man, but we're here to talk about the Middle East. Sorry.

Oh, THAT Hezbollah

It seems that the Lebanese government is ready to take strong actions against Hezbollah. Some say it may be too late. And it may.

Weird how it took this long for them to realize that Israel is kicking their butts and destroying their already shaky economy. They are essentially being used by Hezbollah as a launching pad for missiles. Don't think for a minute that Hezbollah values the Lebanese people. Everyone and everything is fair game for destruction in the name of Allah and the destruction of Israel.

Can you say tunnel-vision?

Lebanon's puppet Premier Fouad Siniora broke down and cried during a gathering of Arab foreign ministers, mourning mounting losses in his country. How did the crowd react? It was very telling that most of them looked down at the ground embarrassed. Why? Because by crying, Siniora was insinuating that the lives of people and his country were as important as wiping all Jews off the face of the planet. How dare he!

I can't count how many times I have heard that Islam is a religion of love. Love for who, or what? Love of killing, war, terror, fear, hate, deceit, bloodshed?

Siniora also promised to send 15,000 troops to south Lebanon in an attempt to control Hezbollah. Don't fall for this, though. Not only would this action infuriate other Arab countries, it would not placate Israel since there is a huge lack of trust of the Lebanese. And, why now? Lebanon has 70,000 troops. You'd think if they had wanted to they would disperse them all over Lebanon to put down Hezbollah.

Remember too that Lebanese troops have joined up with Hezbollah on numerous occasions during the past two weeks to fire on the Israelis. What does that tell you?

Oh, and the most important thing: Lebanon will only send the troops if Israel withdraws from the area.

The witty Israeli Prime Minister called the proposal "interesting" and that he would "consider" it. He actually said this with a straight face, too.
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Israel has promised to shoot at anyone driving in Southern Lebanon. They also imposed a 10pm curfew and warned that anyone seen "moving around outside" would be "at risk."
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Look for the peace talks to crumble later this week. No one can agree on what it should say, and a contingent from the UN, led by Germany, traveled to the region today to try and reach an agreement on the wording.

Yeah, that's a good idea. Let's send Germany to negotiate with a Jewish state. Lots of love there. Warm and fuzzy.

Lebanon is facing reality and wants to talk turkey (not Turkey), but Hezbollah, who Lebanon cannot control, promised to keep fighting until Israeli forces are removed from Lebanon. Israel is not going to retreat now.

Meanwhile, in case a cease-fire agreement is signed, Israel is taking the opportunity to pummel Lebanon. Last night more than 80 air strikes were reported. Hezbollah responded with more than 140 Katyusha strikes.

You have to wonder how many missiles Hezbollah has left? I'm talking just Katyushas here, not ground-to-air or anti-tank rockets. The hits just keep on coming with no let-up. By my very rough tally, they have fired more than 1700 Katyushas since the fighting began.

And that's another reason not to trust anything Lebanon says. You don't get thousands of missiles into a country without the government knowing about it.

If this continues, Lebanon is going to pay the price for turning a blind eye to terrorism. Israel is going to bomb them back into the 18th century.

Thank You Hezbollah

Great editorial. A well-done, albeit sad, tongue and cheek "thank you" note to the Hezbollah terrorists from Lebanon.

http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=23713

Fooled in Qana

Last week I put up a post mourning the dead women and children in the Israeli bombing of a Qana apartment building.

According to the human rights group, Human Rights Watch, the death toll was exaggerated by the Lebanese government. Still a tragedy, although it seems that it was also not reported that before the attack Israel had dropped leaflets and broadcasts warnings on the radio telling civilians to leave the area.

Human Rights Watch is a legitimate organization with a long history. Read more at http://www.hrw.org/

I am amazed that I only found this story at CNN.

Knock-Knock. Who's There?

I forgot to add this:

You may have heard that Hamas leader, and member of the Lebanese Parliament, Aziz Dweik (think the other kids made fun of his name when he was in elementary school?) was taken into Israeli custody.

What you probably did not know is that he was captured in his PJ's. Better yet, all the Israeli soldiers had to do was to knock on his door. He answered, thinking, perhaps, it was the pizza guy.

What is also truly amazing is that Dweik alluded capture twice before! I guess no one had thought to just knock on his door.

Crickets are Smart

If you don't have a thermometer handy and you want to know what the temperature is, just count how many times a cricket chirps in a minute and add 40. That should get you pretty close.

I tried it tonight and the "cricket temperature" was 76 while the thermometer read 74 degrees. Not bad.

Uncle Osama Wants You!

Don't spend any time worrying about the much-publicized "union" of the Egyptian militant group, Gamaa, and al-Qaida. Apparently, a few rogue members of Gamaa have joined up with Osama's crew, but the majority (read: most) of Gamaa is staying put.

Why? Well, their goals and viewpoints aren't the same at all. While Gamaa was engaged in some guerilla warfare against the Egyptian government in the 1990's, they were suppressed by Egypt and many of their members were jailed for many years. Since then, they have pretty much abided by the terms of their release, in which they were made to promise not to use violence to overthrow the government.

They also had to write on the blackboard 1,000 times "I will not overthrow Egypt; I will not overthrow Egypt..."

Come to think of it, maybe Lebanon could take a lesson from their Egyptian neighbors. Snuffing Out Insurgents 101.
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In other news, the city of Qiryat Shemons was hit yesterday by more than 20 Katyusha missiles, killing 12 Israeli soldiers.

Qiryat Shemons, also being called Kiryat Semona by the Western press corps (I don't know why this is), is located just east of a 2,000 ft ridgeline which separates Lebanon and Israel. The city is evacuated, except for the military. While precariously close to Lebanon, for some strange reason the city is known as a tourist destination. Maybe for "extreme" vacations?

The Katyusha is manufactured by Iran and is similar, at least in accuracy (or lack of accuracy), to the Scud missile, also manufactured by the Iranians. It is only accurate within a little less than a mile, which is perfect for bombing a city, but not perfect for being able to control civilian casualties. I'm not sure Hezbollah is real concerned about civilian casualties, though, so I am sure they are OK with it.
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Looks like Syria wants into the game now. Their president announced that they were more than willing to engage in "regional warfare" and that Syria was "at the disposal" of Hezbollah.

No surprise here. They are just making it official, since it is well-known that Syria is supplying arms to Hezbollah. All this does is just move the war a little closer to Iraq, which borders Syria to the east. If this continues to escalate, it will suck in most of the Middle East, and then we're looking at some serious end-times stuff going on.

Of course, it's really just a matter of time when this will happen. Maybe not this go-around, but it will happen.

So, if you have booked travel to the Middle East, you may want to shy away from Israel, Lebanon, and Syria. Jordan is OK, since they take a hands-off stance most of the time, and Egypt is OK, although I would bet they will be the next to jump on the "kill the Israeli" bandwagon.

No Soup For You!!

Both Lebanon and Hezbollah have rejected the France/American proposal for a cease-fire. Lebanon is willing to see it rewritten with their "demands" included (at this point we don't know what those demands are, but one would assume it would be that Israel pull completely out of Lebanon). Hezbollah is not willing to stop fighting unless Israel leaves Lebanon.

Now, this presents a bit of a sticky situation. First of all, Israel, unless they are out of their minds, should not pull out of Lebanon because, if they do, they will be sitting ducks.

Secondly, even if Israel does pull out, the entire Blue Line, or border between Israel and Lebanon, is not intact. Meaning, there are still portions of the Line that are disputed. So, this gives Lebanon and Hezbollah a loophole in which to argue Israel is still on Lebanese soil.

The whole proposal is vague and ridiculous, and looks straight out of a UN training manual. Calling for a "respect" from both countries of the Blue Line, it also states that Lebanon not participate or allow any importation of arms from a foreign country. No mention of Hezbollah, but the last point of the proposal does say that Lebanon should eliminate "foreign forces in Lebanon without the consent of its government."

HELLO!? Did anyone notice that Hezbollah controls, by elected seats, 30% of the Lebanese government, and that roughly 90% of the Muslim population in Lebanon support Hezbollah? Has anyone noticed that when Israel pushes troops into Lebanon it is BOTH Hezbollah and the Lebanese army shooting at them? Does it sound to you like Hezbollah falls under the category of a force within Lebanon borders that does not have the consent of the government??

Wow, good thing France got involved here. What would we do without them? (please read dripping sarcasm) And what is Bush thinking?? Has he suddenly gotten the UN Flu?

If I was Israel, I would just level the place. Make Lebanon a parking lot. I read an article somewhere that called Hezbollah the "cockroach of the Middle East." Meaning, if you leave those suckers alone they're not going to stop, but keeping multiplying and scurrying around.

It's time to exterminate.

Mel Gibson

John 8:1-11

But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus, "Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?" They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.

But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her." Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.

At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there.

Jesus straightened up and asked her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?"

"No one, sir," she said.

"Then neither do I condemn you," Jesus declared. "Go now and leave your life of sin."

France?

Anything can and will happen, and, while it is not completely a surprise, it is unusual to have France and the U.S. partnering to end violence in Lebanon. But, don't be fooled by all of the smiley happy faces. While they are working together, each nation is world's apart on how to bring peace to the region. France wants to end the fighting immediately, and the U.S., like Israel, is smart enough to see that Hezbollah needs to be further crippled before anyone lays down arms.

The tensions between France and the U.S. run deep regarding Israel v. Lebanon (or, more accurately, Hezbollah). The U.S. has always maintained support for Israel, but Lebanon used to be controlled by the French, which adds tension.

But, seemingly, France is just as concerned about disarming Hezbollah as the U.S. is, so that can be seen as positive.

NOTE: the U.S. Congressional Cafeteria just last week started serving French Fries and French Toast again, after those items were renamed following the division of France and the U.S. over the Iraqi War.
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Things are definitely heating up. Israel is trying to cut off supplies to Hezbollah by bombing roads and bridges to Syria. Unfortunately, one of the areas they bombed is of mostly Christian population.

Hezbollah was able to penetrate 50 miles into Israel with a missile, which is a new record for them.

I know all of the tricky circumstances, but doesn't it seem like Israel with it's tanks and jets and troops could, and should, just up the ante and bear down very hard on Hezbollah and actually prevail? Why do I feel like Israel is holding back, while Hezbollah seems unfazed by the half-hearted Israeli effort? I mean, Hezbollah doesn't even have any planes, much less troop carriers and tanks and navigational equipment. Pretty much all they have is missiles.

So, my plan, if I was the Israeli P.M., would be to announce to the government of Lebanon that it had 12 hours to stop Hezbollah. If they can't, then a massive bombing attack will start and not end until every known Hezbollah site or arms storage facility is leveled. Put the pressure on Lebanon. They are the ones allowing Hezbollah to fight and even exist.

Chaos, Weeping, Frustration, Civil War

And I'm not even talking about the Middle East. We are fighting the dust/clutter/odor battle as we enter our second week of remodeling. Hopefully we can have a peace treaty with it all by next week when the painters come. My contractor described the painter's crew this way: "The owner's name is Jose and two of the guys that work for him have green cards. The other guys? Well, let's just say I don't ask."

Great. So I guess this means I can never run for any public office should anyone ever dig up the fact that I had some illegals painting my living room. Bummer.

Honestly I only glanced at the headlines today. I see that finally a Hezbollah bombing is a headline. The violence in Iraq continues to escalate, but we seem to have forgotten all of that. Which, of course, is part of the overall terrorist plan. We Americans seem to live up to our reputation for 20 minute attention spans.

The Flight 93 movie seems to have been the groundbreaker for what will probably be a host of 9/11-themed flicks. I fully expect to also see some sort of network mini-series as well with 9/11 as the main theme.

Anyway, I believe the movie is called the Twin Towers. I could be wrong about the title, but I do know that Nicholas Cage stars. Let's just hope Hollywood sticks to the story and doesn't run down any conspiracy rabbit trails.

I'm going to close today with some lyrics. The group Live is one of my all-time favorites, and the lead singer, Ed Kowalski, has been on a real spiritual journey for the past 15 years. Hinduism, TM, Christianity...he's covered all of the bases. I still think he is mixing a Christianity/Eastern Religion cocktail, but I was pretty impressed with some of the spiritual maturity in their last two CDs (Songs From Black Mountain and Birds of Pray). Anyway, here's a taste from a Black Mountain song called "Where Do We Go From Here," which reminds me very much of my relationship with the Lord.

I wanted a mountain,
You gave me a sea.
I wanted a hurricane,
You gave me a breeze.
I wanted to run,
You made me stand there and breathe.

I wanted to dream,
You made me sleep.
I wanted to touch the bottom,
It was too deep.
I wanted a revolution,
You said I was already free.

On Hold

I have been busy this week and have not had the time to put up a decent post. After tomorrow I will be back on track.

However, I have been reading news stories from several different perspectives, and I'd like to pass this site along to you. It is defintely pro-Israel, but is also a realistic site that takes into account the shortcomings of the Israeli government as well.

http://www.israelnewswire.com/