What would you suggest?

Post #261,915 by bluke 7/17/06 4:33:24 AM Reply	What would you suggest? The most fundamental responsibility of a government is the protection of it's citizens. No government can sit by and allow rockets to fall on civilians. Imagine if rockets were falling on towns in Texas from Mexico, what would the US do?
Post #261,920 by Another Scott 7/17/06 7:53:39 AM Reply	Disagree. I think the most fundamental responsibility of a government is to obey its laws - including international treaties, etc. Too often laws are broken in the name of defense and security. Imagine if rockets were falling on towns in Texas from Mexico, what would the US do? I don't think the US would bomb Mexico's power plants, airports and impose a air and naval blockade in such circumstances. Israel's in a bad situation now, and it certainly needs to act to protect itself. But it also needs to act in ways that don't make the situation worse for itself and innocents. Luck. Cheers, Scott.
Post #261,926 by bluke 7/17/06 9:50:38 AM Reply	You have to understand the reasons here The air and naval blockade is very simple. Hezbollah has been getting arms from Syria and Iran by ship and by air. Israel is trying to cut off the arms supply. I think the US would impose a Naval blockade in a similar situation, think back to the Cuban missile crisis.
Post #261,930 by Another Scott 7/17/06 10:17:43 AM Reply	They're hardly comparable situations. Cuba is an island. Cuba is ruled by a powerful government. The naval blockade was set up with the ships far from the coast and there was no direct conflict between the ships. The rockets were intermediate range, nuclear capable missiles. The US didn't bomb sites in Cuba. In this case, the rockets hitting Israel are very small. The [link\|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fajr-3_rocket\|Fajr-3] has a range of 25-45 miles, depending on the model. They can only do very limited damage to small areas. It's very difficult to block shipment of such relatively small missiles into a country via land routes. Surely Hezbollah had a large stockpile of rockets before they started the current hostilities. What seems most likely to me is that Hezbollah will continue to receive support, overland via Syria, and that all that the blockade and damage to the airport will do is anger civilians and weaken the government - making it less likely that Israel will be secure on its northern border in the future. Yes, Israel needed to respond. But attacking power plants and the airport isn't going to help them win this conflict or further their aims, IMHO. Israel could have, and should in the future, handle(d) the situation better. They need to realize that they won't achieve their goal of peaceful relations with their neighbors by wholesale destruction. I hope this conflict ends soon, and that the governments in the area find a way to keep it from starting up again. I think I've had my say. Good luck. Cheers, Scott.
Post #261,932 by bepatient 7/17/06 10:27:13 AM Reply	In addition, sat coverage is much better now that in the early 60s. We've got birds over that area 24/7. We're friends, those assets could be leveraged by Israel if only for the asking. As far as I can see, there is zero reason for the continued bombing of the airport. The only thing that is doing is keeping foreign nationals from getting out..it does nothing to keep the bad guys from getting in. Noone argues Israel's right to defense. THIS, however, is looking to me like they are over-reacting just a bit or, at least, handling the situation very poorly. Too much of today's music is fashionable crap dressed as artistry._{Adrian Belew}
Post #262,028 by bluke 7/18/06 9:19:22 AM Reply	Re: In addition, From your mouth to the NSA's ears. The US is not always so generous with satellite data (remember the whole Jonathan Pollard affair in the 80's). The fact is that the airport is being used to bring in weapons from Iran.
Post #262,042 by bepatient 7/18/06 12:18:03 PM Reply	No thats not the fact If Iran was flying weapons in, that would be easily detected, even without NSA. Continued airport bombings (especially of the fuel supply) is simply making it impossible for people who want to leave to actually do it. Same with the naval blockade, since the only alternative to the airport is ferry to cyprus or highway to the border (also being bombed). Its akin to trying to shoot between the eyes with rifle birdshot. You may actually hit your target...but the collateral damage caused is much more extensive. Simply not the best way to get what you want. In my opinion, these tactics are specifically designed to ensure that US and other countries engage...and the PR effort is designed for them to engage on the side of Israel. Too much of today's music is fashionable crap dressed as artistry._{Adrian Belew}
Post #262,029 by bluke 7/18/06 9:21:24 AM Reply	That is easy for you to say It is not your house being blown up and your friends/relative being killed by these rockets. Israel is trying to block the shipment of weapons in any way possible.
Post #262,048 by jake123 7/18/06 1:01:55 PM Reply	Where are people actually dying from this? Oh yeah, Lebanon, not Israel. That argument's specious under the most charitable of readings. --\n-------------------------------------------------------------------\n* Jack Troughton jake at consultron.ca \n [link\|http://consultron.ca\|http://consultron.ca] [link\|irc://irc.ecomstation.ca\|irc://irc.ecomstation.ca] \n Kingston Ontario Canada [link\|news://news.consultron.ca\|news://news.consultron.ca] *\n-------------------------------------------------------------------
Post #262,051 by boxley 7/18/06 1:33:57 PM Reply	so no deaths in Israel, whatju smokin? Any opinions expressed by me are mine alone, posted from my home computer, on my own time as a free american and do not reflect the opinions of any person or company that I have had professional relations with in the past 50 years. meep
Post #262,062 by jake123 7/18/06 3:01:13 PM Reply	Look at the numbers Israel is doing a much better job of wasting civilians. This doesn't make Israel any better than Hezballah, just more efficient at it. In fact, it might not even do that; it would be interesting to see a dollar/death ratio on how well the two sides are doing at killing efficiency. After all, if you're trying to rein in Hezballah, the first obvious step is to take the nascent (and still weak) democracy they're parasitically exploiting and trashing the shit out of it, just to make sure that everyone realises that that new democracy can't really protect them. You should ignore the powerful neighbours that are funding and arming them (ie- Syria and Iran) to go for the Other Democracy in the region, simply because they're not yet powerful enough to police their entire country yet. After all, if you want them to police Hezballah out of existence, it's clear you should trash their airports, blockade their shipping, destroy their power infrastructure, and blow up their fuel dumps to absolutely ensure the state's complete and utter inability to deal with the problem. My view on this is that Lebanon is being used as an arena for Israel to try and deal with Iran and Syria's delusions of grandeur. As one of the few countries that actually has a democratic government, Israel being manipulated into using Lebanon for the fields of battle seems a little misguided in the long term. They should have invaded Syria instead. Oh, wait, perhaps the real problem here is that Syria would be a much more costly show of force... despite the fact that they have a lot more to do with the provocation than Lebanon's government has. Maybe the real issue here is that Lebanon is weak, and therefore easily picked on. --\n-------------------------------------------------------------------\n* Jack Troughton jake at consultron.ca \n [link\|http://consultron.ca\|http://consultron.ca] [link\|irc://irc.ecomstation.ca\|irc://irc.ecomstation.ca] \n Kingston Ontario Canada [link\|news://news.consultron.ca\|news://news.consultron.ca] *\n-------------------------------------------------------------------
Post #262,064 by drewk 7/18/06 3:17:50 PM Reply	Parallels They should have invaded Syria instead. Oh, wait, perhaps the real problem here is that Syria would be a much more costly show of force... despite the fact that they have a lot more to do with the provocation than Lebanon's government has. Maybe the real issue here is that Lebanon is weak, and therefore easily picked on. They should have invaded Saudi Arabia \| North Korea instead. Oh, wait, perhaps the real problem here is that Saudi Arabia \| North Korea would be a much more costly show of force... despite the fact that they have a lot more to do with the provocation than Iraq's government has. Maybe the real issue here is that Iraq is weak, and therefore easily picked on. I couldn't decide if that should be Saudi Arabia or North Korea. I guess it depends on whether you're going with the "9/11 provocation" or the "WMD provocation". === Purveyor of Doc Hope's [link\|http://DocHope.com\|fresh-baked dog biscuits and pet treats]. [link\|http://DocHope.com\|http://DocHope.com]
Post #262,066 by boxley 7/18/06 3:22:03 PM Reply	not saying they are doing the right thing but ignoring the rockets killing your people isnt going to work either. thanx, bill Any opinions expressed by me are mine alone, posted from my home computer, on my own time as a free american and do not reflect the opinions of any person or company that I have had professional relations with in the past 50 years. meep
Post #262,126 by bluke 7/19/06 6:06:15 AM Reply	The answer is very simple Hezbollah is firing rockets specifically and only at civilians. In addition Hezbollah like many other terrorist groups specifically hides and shoots rockets from civilian areas and therefore they are the cause of the civilian casualties. Israel is only attacking military and strategic targets and has warned the civilian population. It is Hezbollah's tactics that are causing the civilian deaths.
Post #262,152 by jake123 7/19/06 10:25:16 AM Reply	Re: The answer is very simple Hezbollah is firing rockets specifically and only at civilians. In addition Hezbollah like many other terrorist groups specifically hides and shoots rockets from civilian areas and therefore they are the cause of the civilian casualties. Israel is only attacking military and strategic targets and has warned the civilian population. It is Hezbollah's tactics that are causing the civilian deaths. We're just the triggerman, but it's really their own fault. That's why it's OK. --\n-------------------------------------------------------------------\n* Jack Troughton jake at consultron.ca \n [link\|http://consultron.ca\|http://consultron.ca] [link\|irc://irc.ecomstation.ca\|irc://irc.ecomstation.ca] \n Kingston Ontario Canada [link\|news://news.consultron.ca\|news://news.consultron.ca] *\n-------------------------------------------------------------------
Post #262,266 by bluke 7/20/06 3:22:39 AM Reply	Are you prepared to commit suicide? The fact is that both the Palestinians and Hezbollah are shooting rockets at Israeli civilians from highly populated civilian areas. What should Israel do sit back and do nothing while missiles are raining down on Haifa, Safed, etc.?
Post #262,299 by jake123 7/20/06 2:00:56 PM Reply	No, when did I say that? I said nothing of the sort. I DID say that what Israel IS doing was wrong from an ethical perspective, and furthermore that they're really hurting their own interests anyway. Israel is doing a really great job of creating enemies where they did not formerly exist. Good going. --\n-------------------------------------------------------------------\n* Jack Troughton jake at consultron.ca \n [link\|http://consultron.ca\|http://consultron.ca] [link\|irc://irc.ecomstation.ca\|irc://irc.ecomstation.ca] \n Kingston Ontario Canada [link\|news://news.consultron.ca\|news://news.consultron.ca] *\n-------------------------------------------------------------------
Post #262,353 by bluke 7/21/06 4:28:53 AM Reply	When they did not exist? What are you talking about? What new enemies has Israel created?
Post #262,372 by jake123 7/21/06 10:01:01 AM Reply	A whole bunch of people in Lebanon that didn't care before do very deeply now. Was the new Lebanese government your enemy before? They are now. --\n-------------------------------------------------------------------\n* Jack Troughton jake at consultron.ca \n [link\|http://consultron.ca\|http://consultron.ca] [link\|irc://irc.ecomstation.ca\|irc://irc.ecomstation.ca] \n Kingston Ontario Canada [link\|news://news.consultron.ca\|news://news.consultron.ca] *\n-------------------------------------------------------------------
Post #262,378 by Simon_Jester 7/21/06 12:08:41 PM Reply	Jake...relax. his argument that they were all against him before hand is far more telling. (You don't need to say any more at this point. :-) )
Post #262,125 by bluke 7/19/06 6:02:51 AM Reply	Are you blind deaf and dumb? tell that to the 8 railroad workers killed by a rocket falling on the garage. Tell that to the women killed by a rocket sitting on her balcony drinking coffee, etc. There are at least 25 civilians dead as a result of rocket attacks and many many more wounded.
Post #262,151 by jake123 7/19/06 10:24:10 AM Reply	How many civilians has Israel killed in the last fifty years vs how many they've lost? Oh yeah, that's right, Israel doesn't think of most of them as civilians. In fact, I kinda wonder whether or not they think of them as underhumans. From a lot of the stuff I've heard emanating out of the mouths of a lot of Israelis that I've seen on TV, it's pretty clear that a pretty big chunk of them do, though the Israeli government is pretty good at the mealy-mouthed euphemistic marketing speak so as not to actually come out and say it. For an example of the kind of thing I mean, see my response to your other post. --\n-------------------------------------------------------------------\n* Jack Troughton jake at consultron.ca \n [link\|http://consultron.ca\|http://consultron.ca] [link\|irc://irc.ecomstation.ca\|irc://irc.ecomstation.ca] \n Kingston Ontario Canada [link\|news://news.consultron.ca\|news://news.consultron.ca] *\n-------------------------------------------------------------------
Post #262,153 by boxley 7/19/06 10:35:00 AM Reply	how many civilians has Canada killed in the last 50 years vs how many they've lost? Oh yeah, that's right, Canada doesn't think of most of them as civilians. In fact, I kinda wonder whether or not they think of them as underhumans. From a lot of the stuff I've heard emanating out of the mouths of a lot of Canadians that I've seen on TV, it's pretty clear that a pretty big chunk of them do, though the Canadian government is pretty good at the mealy-mouthed euphemistic marketing speak so as not to actually come out and say it. what a nice fit to the troubles on the reservations. thanx, bill Any opinions expressed by me are mine alone, posted from my home computer, on my own time as a free american and do not reflect the opinions of any person or company that I have had professional relations with in the past 50 years. meep
Post #262,158 by jake123 7/19/06 11:29:36 AM Reply	Nice red herring box and you already know my position on that part of Canada's history too. 'nuff said. --\n-------------------------------------------------------------------\n* Jack Troughton jake at consultron.ca \n [link\|http://consultron.ca\|http://consultron.ca] [link\|irc://irc.ecomstation.ca\|irc://irc.ecomstation.ca] \n Kingston Ontario Canada [link\|news://news.consultron.ca\|news://news.consultron.ca] *\n-------------------------------------------------------------------
Post #262,161 by boxley 7/19/06 12:14:10 PM Reply	April 28th 2006 is HISTORY? WTF [link\|http://auto_sol.tao.ca/node/view/2041\|http://auto_sol.tao.ca/node/view/2041] thanx, bill Any opinions expressed by me are mine alone, posted from my home computer, on my own time as a free american and do not reflect the opinions of any person or company that I have had professional relations with in the past 50 years. meep
Post #262,181 by jake123 7/19/06 2:07:49 PM 7/19/06 2:09:23 PM Reply	Not resolving here You talking about Caledonia? And what does that have to do with how Israel is doing to Lebanon? It's still a red herring Box. --\n-------------------------------------------------------------------\n* Jack Troughton jake at consultron.ca \n [link\|http://consultron.ca\|http://consultron.ca] [link\|irc://irc.ecomstation.ca\|irc://irc.ecomstation.ca] \n Kingston Ontario Canada [link\|news://news.consultron.ca\|news://news.consultron.ca] *\n------------------------------------------------------------------- Edited by jake123 July 19, 2006, 02:09:23 PM EDT Expand All History
Post #262,265 by bluke 7/20/06 3:19:46 AM Reply	What does that have to do with anything? Basically what you are saying is that more Lebanese/Palestinians have died than Israelis and therefore Israel is guilty. This bizarre calculus implies that if only more Israelis had been killed by Hezbollah rockets, there would be no moral quandary. While proportionality may be a relevant measure in some situations \ufffd baseball statistics and model cars come to mind \ufffd the appropriateness of Israel\ufffds response to the Hezbollah attacks should not be measured by the number of people who are killed in Lebanon. This argument distorts the real question. The Arab world has little regard for the value of life. Are you including the suicide bombers in the equation? What about the "militants" who fire from the houses or crowds of civilians? In addition, Israel should not be punished for having invested in bomb shelters and early-warning systems. These have cost the Israeli public dearly over the years. The question is whether the goals of the military action are justified. The goals of the present conflict are for Hezbollah to shoot as many rockets as possible into populated city centers to kill as many civilians as possible; and for Israel to uproot the terrorist infrastructure, missile launching pads and the terrorists themselves by using intelligence gathering and precise bombing. Rather than seeking "an eye for an eye" or retribution, Israel is seeking to eliminate the threat of future attacks on its cities. This response will be successful not if it is proportional, but if it results in the elimination of this threat. In December 1941, would anyone have suggested that the United States\ufffd response was appropriately "proportional" and complete after the first 2,400 Japanese had been killed? How many German and Japanes civilians died in WWII compared to American civilians?
Post #262,274 by Another Scott 7/20/06 7:50:29 AM Reply	You severely underestimate Hezbollah's goals. The question is whether the goals of the military action are justified. The goals of the present conflict are for Hezbollah to shoot as many rockets as possible into populated city centers to kill as many civilians as possible; and for Israel to uproot the terrorist infrastructure, missile launching pads and the terrorists themselves by using intelligence gathering and precise bombing. Hezbollah's goals aren't to kill as many civilians as possible. In thinking so, you're painting yourself into a corner. Hezbollah has several goals in the present conflict: 1) Force Israel to negotiate the [link\|http://www.voanews.com/english/2006-07-17-voa15.cfm\|release of prisoners]. Their public posture is that Israel has refused to negotiate the release of Lebanese prisoners, so they "have no choice". 2) Steal some of the press attention back from Hamaas. 3) Open a 2nd front on Israel. 4) Take pressure off Iran about its nuclear activities, and force the US to directly negotiate with Iran. 5) Demonstrate that the US must deal with Syria for there to be any stability around Israel. 6) Goad Israel into over-reacting to strengthen Hezbollah's position with the Lebanese Shia population, and thus in Lebanon, while simultaneously causing international opinion to again turn against Israel. If Israel attacks severely, it shows that Hezbollah needs arms to defend Lebanon. If they don't, it shows that Nasrallah is a great leader who can stand up to Israel. Either way, Nasrallah wins. If you only see Hezbollah as a group of bloodthirsty terrorists who want to murder Israelis, then you'll never choose to act in ways that further Israel's long-term interests. Separate the goals from the tactics. You've got to understand their goals even while you condemn their tactics and even while you argue against them achieving their goals. Few disagree that Israel has the right to kill those people who are attacking it, and everyone understands that Hezbollah is operating from civilian areas. Few are arguing that if Hezbollah sends 10 missiles into Haifa, then Israel should only send 10 missiles back. That's not what people mean when they talk about proportional response. The problem is that Israel seems to feel that dropping leaflets and saying "we're sorry, but it's their fault" when Lebanese (or [link\|http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/story.html?id=6d361bec-134b-4993-99ca-5addb300c450\|Canadians] are killed or, when [link\|http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20060720.MIDEASTLLEBAN20/TPStory/TPInternational/Africa/\| a UN compound is shelled] is sufficient. It's not. Many of us recognize that Israel is in a bad situation, but only Israel chooses the targets that it attacks. Saying that Israel is only attacking Hezbollah or "strategic" targets just excuses every mistake on the IDF's part. Bombing highway bridges and airports isn't going to stop rockets from hitting Haifa. It punishes civilians - the people that must ultimately be on your side for there to be peace - while doing nothing to affect the capabilities of the small bands who are firing the rockets. Flattening southern Lebanon isn't going to get rid of Hezbollah nor get Israel back its soldiers. Israel needs to adjust its tactics and recognize that the IDF and IAF aren't the be-all and end-all of its future security. It can no-longer expect peace simply by defeating an enemy. It's not 1967. What happened to the IDF of [link\|http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/july/4/newsid_2786000/2786967.stm\|Entebbe]? Cheers, Scott.
Post #262,277 by bluke 7/20/06 8:32:43 AM Reply	You are right about Hezbollah goals Many in Israel are still scarred from the last time Israel sent ground trips into Lebanon (1982), just like the US for many years was scarred by Vietnam. This means that Israel is very reluctant to commit ground troops. Therefore, the reliance on air power. The problem with what you are suggesting is that the international community has consistently dissapointed Israel. In 1967 U Thant pulled out the UN troops in the Sinai paving the way to the 6 day war, a few years ago, UN troops in Lebanon stood by and watched as Hezbollah kidnapped 3 Israeli soldiers. Relying on anyone else to guarantee Israel's security is a very dangerous and losing proposition.
Post #262,267 by bluke 7/20/06 3:37:40 AM Reply	Proportion and number of civilian deaths [link\|http://www.opinionjournal.com/best/?id=110008675\|Keeping Things in Proportion] What's more, if this report from [link\|http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3278026,00.html\|YnetNews.com] is correct, Hezbollah is trying to maximize Lebanese civilian deaths, presumably for its own propaganda purposes: The IDF [Israel Defense Forces] 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. As hard as it may be for people brought up in the West to understand this, the value of life in the Arab world is just not the same as in the West.

Welcome to IWETHEY!