A Little Something to Ensure my Permanent Place on the CIA List

I'm of the popular opinion of an unpopular group. I feel the way some folk in an Oped in the NYTIMES feel. I do not agree with Israel's choice in dealing with Hezbollah and its strategy to get rid of the strong hold Hezbollah Lebanon and its sovriegnty.

Though it has been on my mind, it was not until yesterday that it started to get under my skin. So much so, that I lost some sleep thinking about this post. Yesteday it hit home--literally. Cleveland has a very large Jewish population and a small, but well connected and active Lebanese community. Yesterday, 6 of the 7 Lebanese business in the area were closed. All of them, with signs in the window asking for prayer and indicating they did not know when they would be reopening. There was a small protest of about 700 people downtown denouncing the actions of Israel and a much larger rally of local jewish congregations in support of Israel's campaign.

This campaign neither sits well with me morally nor logistically. Three quite influential and much larger Countries sit back and encourage the continued violence of a small nation against another small nation--with much less to lose.

America will be sending guided missiles immediately to further aid the Israeli campaign. On the promise of anonymity, the Department of State told the NYT about the missiles. The White House did not plan to make it known publicly. To me it says, that the US is standing on the side of Israel they way the Syria and Iran are standing on the side of Hezbollah (not Lebanon) The US is sitting safely at home just like Syria and Iran. So it seems, Goliaths are working on both sides of David.

To me this says, that not only will the United States never say to Israel that they me be wrong. It will support Israel unconditionally whether right or wrong. As Syria and Iran will continue to support Hezbollah.

If Israel publicly blames Syria and Iran for the situation in Lebanon and the their supply of weapons to Hezbollah, why isn't Israel (now aided by the US) attacking Syria and Iran, like America chose to attack Iraq under the guise that they not only had the WMD but where supplying Taliban. ( Isn't Taliban mostly Afgani, by the way? We occupy the country but we are not at war there.) Is it because our military is spread so thin, that we are chosing to do business this way. Or is it more because we will never tell Israel that maybe they should rethink their use of miltary force? (not just in this instance)

I don't buy the argument that this was the only option. Through out history, soldiers and civilians have been taken prisoner by nations with which bad blood exists. You cross into that neighbors territory--and imprisonment it is. Where their no other options, truly? Seems Israel had this planned for awhile. It might be arguable that so did the US. What about a covert operation to retrieve the soldiers? What about negotiation?

Is it logical to insist that Lebanon exercise its sovereignty, while Hezbollah controls 23 seats in the parliament? Hezbollah, like the good ole' political machines of the 20-30's here in the US, have provided goods and services and security, to instill both cooperation and fear through out the country. Is blowing them out of the water in the middle of residential neighborhoods the most concise and strategic means of accomplishing the goal of eliminating them? Is this logical if neither Israel nor the US has offered military or diplomatic aid to help Lebanon exercise the sovereignty that Israel keeps requesting? Is it logical to believe that as you blow up everything people own, that the dissimination propaganda about the dangers of Hezbollah, will garner support from residents rendered homeless, injured, and in the process of burying a family member? The Lebanese government has absolutely no ability to exercise its sovereignty on its own and that is well known. To demand that they do so, without aid is preposterous.

This is going to be a bloody massacre of which the Lebanese have no control. Hezbollah will have to decide to stand down---and so will Israel. Otherwise, the Lebanese people will continue to be caught in the middle. The UN peacekeeping force and the UN security council will have to stand up and tell the US, Syria, and Iran to sit down.

I welcome your commentary.