This is ridiculous.
The other day I wrote a post on the fight Israel is taking to Hezbollah, in response to recent provocations.
In an update I included a comment by a brand spanking new Blog calling for a "Free Lebanon", and my response to it.
I also wrote that "The Appeasers, Apologizers, and other assorted Moonbats are out, and about, helping spread disinformation on behalf of the enemies of Civilization."
Read: Israel, Lebanon, America, Iran, Genocidal Islamism and the Middle East.
I awoke this morning to find that someone calling themselves Narallah Lebanon was attempting to leave a comment.
Not just ANY comment, mind you, but what has to be the longest comment in the history of Blogging!
I certainly hope the Moonbat did a copy and paste of someone elses work. ;-D
The piece seemingly quoted half the Old Testament, and the Koran, to support its thesis that Israel has no right to exist because the ancient Jews and Christians re-arraigned, or deliberately misinterpretted, key elements of the story of Abraham and his sons to lay claim to a portion of Muslim land that they have no right to.
Just read the Koran, and compare!
God Almighty! I don't have time for this crap.
Rob, of Free Lebanon!, responded, on his blog, to my reply to his comment, and nothing he writes persuades me that the West should back down in its fight against Terrorists such as the Islamofascists running Hamas, Hezbollah, Al-Queda, and all the rest.
My reply follows...
Dear Rob:
The innocent people of the Muslim Middle East, under the thumb of religious fanatics, political dictatorships, and all combinations in between, are in the thoughts of all freedom loving people.
They are the victims here, and what has befallen them is the fault of the terrorists, and the leaders of their countries.
Also the victim here is Israel.
Religious fanatics, and not a few governments in power, would much prefer that, in light of the failure of ol' Adolf, the remaining Jews had set up a country elsewhere, conveniently forgetting that though Jews have always been in the region, the roots of modern Jewish settlement in the area goes back to the late 1800's, as a result of people fleeing Pogroms all across the European Continent, and no-one was whining about a country for the Palestinians, until 80 years later.
The policies of Israel have been consistent with the need to assure their survival as a people, and a nation, ever since their neighbors 1st waged war on them.
The policies of America, and other like minded nations in the West, have been consistent with finding ourselves in a War of Civilizations waged against us by Muslim Fanatics going back to at least the early 1970's when the nations who had their Asses kicked in head to head battle by the "Zionist Usurpers", put their money on terrorism, and school-age, male, and female, suicide bombers, and stone throwers -the kind of so-called "popular uprising" that brings publicity from the Leftist Media Culture in the West.
The "Nationalism", such as it is, at play in these regions is fueled by hardcore religious fanatics of various Muslim stripes, not by any true interest in having a "Palestinian State", or allowing an Israeli presence in the region, and is not pretty.
The policies of most European Union nations have been consistent with appeasement, and surrender of their historic legacy, as Muslim immigrants are on the verge of overwhelming them.
You call my analysis "Simplistic", and assume that I must be reading Ann Coulter to come up with such an opinion.
My analysis is "simplistic" only in the sense that I am no scholar, or political expert who can marshal reams of facts to back up my arguements.
I work for a living, and don't have time to spend 24/7 defending my views, and fighting the good fight.
Many others do that better than I, and that's why I link to them in posts, and in the sidebar.
What I do engage in is reading, and not just those pieces I might agree with.
What I continually see from the Left scares me, and why it took me so long to see through the nonsense confounds me now ( I was a moderate Liberal up until a few years ago. )
I didn't have to read the often exciteable Coulter to come to my conclusions, and have not yet got around to reading any of her books, anywhoo. ;-D
What you neglect to mention, Rob, is that Israel went into Lebanon the 1st time to kick the ass of Arafat, and HIS band of terrorists.
Hezbollah was formed, with the backing of anti-Israel nations in the region, to replace his band of fanatics.
You refuse to acknowledge one simple truth: For far too many Muslims there will be no peace in the Middle East until Israel no longer exists.
Iran, Syria, Hamas, Hezbollah, and Al-Queda don't give a shit for innocents in Palestine, Lebanon, Iraq, or elsewhere, despite all the nice coverage of the work the 2 H's do to keep the infrastructure running, and provide food, education, and medical care, for the people they manipulate.
These fanatics are secretly, and not so secretly, supported, and funded, by other individuals, and governments in the region, even from within countries that are our allies in the War Against Terror.
Terrorists, and religious fanatics, brainwash their followers, hiding themselves, and their military supplies, among the civilian population, and infrastructure, thus when Israeli, and American soldiers fight back, the resulting images are ready made for use in the propaganda war for the hearts and minds of an impressionable, and in many ways, non-modern, society in the Middle East, and for the gullable supporters among the people in the West.
What is happening to innocent civilians ( Willingly, or unwillingly, still in the immediate area of fighting ) is tragic, but the full blame is on the head of the enemies of Israel, and Western Civilization ( Israel warns the innocent of upcoming incoming, the terrorists don't give notice to Israeli towns they bomb, or when they are sending a suicide bomber over for a visit, and what bus, train, or plane, he/she/they will be riding on. ).
A crude way to look at this is a variation of a quote found by Glenn Reynolds ( Quoted, in the original, further along in this post. ): Hezbollah, and other terrorists, cause civilian casualties when they HIT their targets, Israel causes civilian casualties when it MISSES its targets.
As for your view that I am "devouring" propaganda regarding "fighting terrorism", and your points supposedly showing why this can't be so....
People far more knowledgeable than I have long since laid waste to that tripe from the Anti-American, Anti-West, Anti-War Against Terror, crowd.
In winding up your piece you twice bring up ol' Ann again ( Me thinks that if a book by Sean Hannity had been featured in my Amazon Ads, instead of one by Ann, you would have attacked HIM, and attacked me for reading him instead. ( Now, THAT I am guilty of! ) ) as you take the West to task for thinking that there is a Religious, and Cultural, "War of Civilizations" going on.
As for who you are, who you may be shilling for, and your beliefs...
I only know what you write, and who you link to, and have to judge by that since you do not explain who you are, and what your politics are.
In your piece you choose to rant against America, Israel, and poor, defenseless Ann, as a way to avoid discussing why you link to a catalog of the usual Leftwing suspects, including ones that spread the bile of the likes of Chomsky, and the Socialist International A.N.S.W.E.R., link to the Al-JustlovestheIslamofascists website, the "The Only Democracy in the Middle East", and lists Pro War Against Terror/Conservative sites as "Propaganda" Sites.
Whether the West finds itself in the early stages of WW 3, may be debatable, but there is absolutely NO doubt that, since the early 70's, at least, the West has been under attack by religious, and political, fanatics as part of a worldwide "War of Civilizations".
People need to realize that the terrorists, and their enablers ( Iran and Syria have backed Hamas, and Hezbollah since the Reagan era ), use the teachings of the Koran to justify their actions, and that until Islam, as a religion, enters the 21st century this will not end any time soon.
I look around and see, from my own backyard, to the streets of a failing Europe, ignorant people marching in the streets calling for an end to the Liberation of Iraq, and for israel to stop defending itself, and all this talk that is, essentually, appeasement, and wonder why these people don't understand that none of that will deter our enemies from their stated goals - the destruction of Israel, the United States, Europe, and the establishment of a worldwide Caliphate.
These people need a crash course in the events in Europe in the late 1930's.
No one-one promised that freeing Iraq from the tyranny of Sadaam would turn the region into a place where everyone would live in peace, harmony, and brotherly love, overnight ( Witness the struggle to keep Sunnis, and Shia, from killing each other in Iraq. ).
The region will change over time, and it won't be easy on either us, or the people who live there, under current despotic regimes ( Hell, even the guy in charge of the fledgling govt. of Iraq has to tread carefully, as can be seen in his words that condemn Israel, but not Hezbollah. ).
Israel was the victim in the run up to the current situation as their soldiers were ambushed, and kidnapped, and this happened despite the fact that Israel no longer occupied Lebanon or Gaza.
It is cleart that her enemies want israel to cause the maximum amount of collateral damage among civilians in order to bring on International outrage, and they do this by putting their missile launchers in the neighborhoods of their own neighbors, and family.
Despite giving warning the Israelis have no choice but to destroy the buildings, roads, runways, and bridges that their enemies use to keep their arsenals stocked.
As odd as it seems I agree with those who say that the only way to save Lebanon from Iran and Syria is to bomb it, and defeat their proxies, because if they take over the security of Israel, and moderate Sunni nations in the region will be at risk.
With modern weaponry easy to get, and the world media so varied, it is no longer unthinkable for our enemies to challenge armies bigger, and better than they are because "World Opinion", the U.N., and the "peace movements" have made it possible for them to get aggressive.
I agree with those who say that our enemies believe that we will hold back from kicking their collective Ass because the cry-babies on the Left, and other wussies, will jump up and down cater-wauling, like modern day Neville Chamberlains, for cease fires, negotiations, and concessions.
None of which have worked in the past.
When nearly every conflict in the world right now is Muslim-affiliated it is important to recognize that Islamic Militancy, Islamic Religious Fanaticism, and the Radicalism of Iran, among others, endangers Europe, and America.
Articles worth reading, and thinking about:
1. In the Wash. Post Charles Krauthammer has The Only Exit Strategy in the war against Hezbollah.
2. When those you use as human shields won’t provide that cover voluntarily, what else can you do except prevent them from headng out of harms way?
The IDF has found that Hizbullah is preventing civilians from leaving villages in southern Lebanon. Roadblocks have been set up outside some of the villages to prevent residents from leaving, while in other villages Hizbullah is preventing UN representatives from entering, who are trying to help residents leave. In two villages, exchanges of fire between residents and Hizbullah have broken out.
IDF: Hizbullah preventing civilians from leaving villages in southern Lebanon. ( Hat tip: Little Green Footballs and Ace of Spades. )
3. Captain's Quarters discusses an Alan Dershowitz article about the nature of civilian casualties in the 21st century.
Dershowitz is not discussing reprisals against unarmed civilians, which are rightly war crimes. He wants a distinction made between civilians killed in the course of battles as to their involvement with the engagement, especially in terms of terrorist attacks. That sounds good in theory, and one could easily apply the same concept in Iraq -- where many of those killed during battles harbored insurgents, if not actively assisted them in targeting Americans or other Iraqis. One could also apply the same thought process in Afghanistan, and pretty much any place where terrorists stage attacks that get military responses.
4. Having a time of it contemplating the absurdities of the proxy war Syria and Iran are waging against Israel from behind the Lebanese, and how the Bush Doctrine continues to be the success that it is?
Summing up the war:
Iran, and Syria, feel the noose tightening around their necks — especially the ring of democracies in nearby Afghanistan, Iraq, Turkey, and perhaps Lebanon
. Even the toothless U.N. finally is forced to focus on Iranian nukes and Syrian murder plots. And neither Syria can overturn the Lebanese government nor can Iran the Iraqi democracy. Instead, both are afraid that their rhetoric may soon earn some hard bombing, since their “air defenses” are hardly defenses at all.
So they tell Hamas and Hezbollah to tap their missile caches, kidnap a few soldiers, and generally try to turn the world’s attention to the collateral damage inflicted on “refugees” by a stirred-up Zionist enemy.....
5. Michael Totten makes 2 points worth mentioning up front, in a long informative article on the state of things in Lebanon:
A. Sectarian tensions and hatreds run deep in Lebanon, even so, far deeper than those of us in the West can begin to relate to. 32 years ago Beirut was the Paris of the Middle East. But 15 years ago Lebanon was the Somalia of the Middle East. It made the current troubles in Iraq look like a polite debate in a Canadian coffeeshop by comparison. There is no ethnic-religious majority in that country, and every major sect has been, at one time or another, a victim of all the others.
B. Most Lebanese who had warm feelings for Israel -- and there were more of these than you can possibly imagine -- no longer do.
This will not last.
My sources and friends in Beirut tell me most Lebanese are going easy on Hezbollah as much as they can while the bombs are still falling. But a terrible reckoning awaits them once this is over.
Some Lebanese can’t wait even that long. ( A Tip of the Hat to Instapundit. )
6. What about the next Hezballah?
Israel is not at war with the state of Lebanon; it is at war with a “non-state actor” in the parlance (Hezbollah), which happens to be in Lebanon. This is a fairly new concept in the era of the modern state. Barbarians, for example, may have besieged ancient Rome, but at the time the “state” was a minority. Today the state system is firmly entrenched, and the “barbarians” are largely within. My question is this, now what?
Austin Bay Blog: The Next Hezbollah: War With a “Non-State Actor”. ( HT to Instapundit. )
7. "The basic rule of international law in some people's minds seems to be that anything that the United States or Israel does is wrong."
"As one blog commenter noted (I forget where I saw it), the difference is that Israel causes civilian casualties when it misses its targets, Hezbollah causes civilian casualties when it hits its targets."
lnstapundit finds several articles on the question of proportionality, and civilian casualties, in war.
Websites of interest:
1. The Truth Laid Bear aggregator, the Pajamas Media coverage, and the Counterterrorism Blog, should be a regular stop if you're interested in what's going on with the war on terror.
2. Jihad Watch:
Why?
Because the West is facing a concerted effort by Islamic jihadists, the motives and goals of whom are largely ignored by the Western media, to destroy the West and bring it forcibly into the Islamic world -- and to commit violence to that end even while their overall goal remains out of reach. That effort goes under the general rubric of jihad....
3. Dhimmi Watch:
Why?
Dhimmitude is the status that Islamic law, the Sharia, mandates for non-Muslims, primarily Jews and Christians. Dhimmis, "protected people," are free to practice their religion in a Sharia regime, but are made subject to a number of humiliating regulations designed to enforce the Qur'an's command that they "feel themselves subdued" (Sura 9:29). This denial of equality of rights and dignity remains part of the Sharia, and, as such, is part of the law that global jihadists are laboring to impose everywhere, ultimately on the entire human race.
The dhimmi attitude of chastened subservience has entered into Western academic study of Islam, and from there into journalism, textbooks, and the popular discourse. One must not point out the depredations of jihad and dhimmitude; to do so would offend the multiculturalist ethos that prevails everywhere today.
But in this era of global terrorism this silence and distortion has become deadly. Therefore Dhimmi Watch seeks to bring public attention to the plight of the dhimmis, and by doing so, to bring them justice.
4. IslamistWatch ( Docs and Links ) "is a catalog of the writings, beliefs, motives, and methods of the Islamist movement. While Islamists have many goals, the ultimate one is establishing a worldwide Caliphate (Islamic state): to overthrow and destroy democratic governments accross the globe and replace them with a single Taliban-style Islamic fundamentalist theocracy. There would be one all-powerful head of state, the Caliph. Individuals would be governed by strict Shariah Law, religion would be for Allah alone, and personal liberty limited by Islamic jurisprudence. The writings on these pages are genuine, written by the Islamists themselves."
Books worth reading, just to whet your appetite:
1. WHILE EUROPE SLEPT: How Radical Islam is Destroying the West from Within by Bruce Bawer. ( See link in Sidebar. )
2. MENACE IN EUROPE: Why the Continent's Crisis is America's, Too by Claire Berlinski.
3. The Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam (and the Crusades) by Robert Spencer.
4. THE MYTH OF ISLAMIC TOLERANCE: How Islamic Law Treats Non-Muslims by Robert Spencer.
***UPDATE - 7/29***
Hezbolllah - The outfit future Terrorists will emulate? Are Western Militaries prepared for it?
FROM THE NY TIMES:
United States officials worry that they’re not prepared, either, for Hezbollah’s style of warfare — a kind that pits finders against hiders and favors the hiders....
Old labels, and old planning, do not apply. Certainly its style of 21st-century combat is known — on paper. The style even has its own labels, including network warfare, or net war, and fourth-generation warfare, although many in the military don’t care for such titles. But the battlefields of south Lebanon prove that it is here, and sooner than expected. And the American national security establishment is struggling to adapt....
Tom Maguire, of JustOneMinute, links to, and shares a good portion of, an interesting piece that appears in the New York Times.
Read: Net Warfare - a Real Army Of Davids.
A Tip of the Hat to Instapundit.
***END UPDATE***
***UPDATE 2 -- 7/30***
An important, new, award winning, documentary on the danger that is Radical Islam is soon going to hit theaters, and be available on DVD: Obession: Radical Islam’s War Against The West.
A Tip of the Hat to Raven, of And Rightly So!
***END UPDATE***
***UPDATE 3 -- 7/30***
A Blog I never knew about, but one that will be added to my Blogroll this morning:
Watch covers media reports about the terrorist attacks against America and the war against terrorism. Watch will not cover all aspects of the horrible attacks and their aftermath, but rather focus on them as attacks on the open society and keep track on reactions from that perspective.
Our main concern is to expose fundamentalism, apologetics, moral equivalence, anti-Americanism and anti-Semitism. But of course Watch also covers the main events and intelligent analysis, so hopefully the site will function as a resource for anyone interested in information about these historical events.
Check ot the Winds of Change Blog as well.
A Tip of the Hat to Europundits which has a great essay on the work of WATCH.
***END UPDATE***
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