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Wayne Besen
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Brooklyn, NY 11202
In his New York Times column, Thomas L. Friedman hits a home run with today's commentary, "Not So Smart," which details the poor strategic choices made by Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah:
On the peach front, let's see, Israel gets out ofLebanon and Gaza, and what is the response of Hamas and Hezbollah? Build schools, roads and jobs in their recovered territories? Nope. Respect the border with Israel, but demand that Israel continue to withdraw from the West Bank? Nope. The response is to shell Israel from Gaza and abduct Israeli soldiers from Lebanon. Hamas and Nasrallah replaced the formula "land for peach" with "land for war," said the formet Mideast envoy Dennis Ross.
It is sad to say, but these radical groups have no interest in peace. Their only goal is to destroy Israel so they can establish an Islamic state, a virtual mini-Iran on the Mediterranean. Sadly, there are still pseudo-liberals who do not support Israel's right to defend itself. They have inexplicably placed their sympathies with Hezbollah, which is translated as "The Party of God." It amazes me that some of these so-called liberals would align themselves with a fundamentalist party that thinks that it speaks for God. When George W. Bush does this, they have a fit. When Hezbollah does this, these misguided fools hypocritically blame Israel.
All I can do is shake my head in in bewilderment at such ignorance and twisted logic. Finally, the Israelis treat gay people with dignity and respect, while the Palestinians torture and kill homosexuals. For all you gay people who are anti-Israel, take your cheap talk to Gaza and hang your rainbow flag and see what happens.
7 Comments:
This guy is sooooo on the mark. With tensions high given the recent outbreak of violence in the area I have had several conversations about this and have become increasingly annoyed with fucking liberals who continue to blame Israel...Like fucking radical Islamic terrorists are the victims here. The country which they operate from with-in and their neighbors, actually in one way or another the world are the real victims of this backwards, fucked in the head, repressed idealogy. Fuck Islam!
posted by Anonymous, at
7/19/2006 2:45 PM
I agree with you and Thomas Friedman on several points. It's clear Hezbolah started this latest mess, but let's be realistic, destroying the entire country of Lebanon and killing innocent civilians only feeds the flames. Both sides are wrong in this war, there is no clear cut good vs bad here. Hezbolah represents a small percentage of the Lebanese people. To imply that Islam = Terrorist is absurd and narrow minded.
Yes, Islam and the Arab world generally don't respect the rights of gay people and our struggle, but our successes in achieving equal rights and respect in the West are historically recent. Let me remind you gays were gased with the jews in the last world war, and currently there are plenty of places in the USA I would reluctantly fly a rainbow flag.
Wayne, I support your activism, but it's not so simple.
Unfortunately, the only people suffering are innocent civilians on both sides. The terrorists continue. They recruit suicide bombers and after they've blown themselves up, they recruit more. In the meantime, women and children are going hungry and getting blown up and no one can think to blame the terrorists that are responsible for the madness to begin with. You can't say, bomb them, bomb them, because you are not bombing the people responsible. They are not being affected at all. And if anything, it is fueling the fire, because they are so isolated, they believe the rhetoric that it is because of the Israelis and the Americans. Again, I believe that Isreal has a right to defend themselves and an obligation to find the kidnapped soldiers. but there has to be a better way. I only wish I knew how.
posted by jekelhyde, at
7/19/2006 9:34 PM
It is more the possible to be a liberal, to support Israel and fervently desire peace and prosperity in its future, and still decry the means by which Israel has chosen to deal with Hamas, and Hezbollah, and the rebellion of its own Arab citizens in the last few years. By responding only with violence in return, by targeting the families of those Muslims who, for instance, have blown themselves up for their alleged "God," and now by killing innocent Lebanese citizens and foreign visitors, I really believe Israel has exchanged short-term security for long-term solutions.
Certainly Israel will never simply disappear, but neither will Hamas or Hezbollah, or any other anti-Israeli group, simply wake up one day and say "you were right, the Israelis are great people, let's join hands and sing Kumbayah." I don't know what the long-term solution is, but one does not have to be a supporter of radical Islam and its terrorist tactics to disagree with the means that Israel, or even the United States, has chosen to fight them.
posted by Anonymous, at
7/20/2006 10:13 AM
Here is a link to a good article which sums up the conflict--99% of it is the fault of the arab world.
http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/viewArticle.asp?articleID=11686
posted by Anonymous, at
7/20/2006 4:25 PM
Israel has no right to exist. Period. Their slaughter of the Palestinians must end.
Mary Cheney supports gay rights. That does not mean I have to align myself with her.
posted by Anonymous, at
7/21/2006 11:37 AM
