"The Israel News Agency is asking the Israel public, Jews and Christians worldwide to display the Israel flag and to coordinate rallies in support of Israel at this critical time," Laura Lee reminds us, noting "The Peace process has been on life-support for years." L'Chiam!
"I saw people stopping their car at the edge of a blown-up bridge, crossing it on foot and exchanging car keys with people coming from the other side," writes Frustrated Arab American of Stuck in Beirut [via The Truth Laid Bear], whose "suitcases are packed, but we are waiting for a lull in the action before we make another final final decision" to leave the city:
I have to believe that they knew each other, but it struck me as an ingenious solution to an impossible situation . . .
Who can resist blogs from the front? You wouldn't want to be there yourself -- unless you're Michael Yon or Michael Totten -- but can't get enough first-hand reports. The choice of anecdote above was inspired and original. It reveals something good and true and tragicomic about our species' resilience. But then Frustrated Arab American gets into the litany of CW things she/he has read or heard in the MSM, and things go downhill fast:
The feeling on the street is that the taking of the hostages may have been very foolish and misguided, but that Israel's reaction has grown very disproportionate in terms of punishing the Lebanese population as a whole. Everyone is also very disappointed in the world community's failure to secure a quick cease-fire. Meantime life goes on.
Way too facile, that string of certified international progressivist catchphrases:
The feeling on the street. Who, exactly, is "the" street, and what is their agenda? Also, how do you happen to know what said street "feels"?
Yes, but. A classic dismissal of terrorist Islamist tactics in order to place blame where it belongs -- in Bill Kristol's words -- on "liberal democratic civilization."
Disproportionate in terms of punishing. We and a host of our fellow bloggers on the right side of the aisle -- including neo-neocon, Betsy Newmark and The Anchoress -- picked up right away on that "disproportionate" thing, and as far as "punishment," it misses the point. Israel is in the business of defanging a viper, fergossake.
World community's failure. While we count on the "world community's" failure, this blogger appears to be shocked, shocked.
Speaking of "yes, but," we can only empathize with everyday folk caught in the crosshairs of horrific battles not of their own making. BUT. As budding novelists are told early on, write about what you know. The anguished cry of Zadigvoltaire of Beirut Notes -- to pick just one out of dozens of worthwhile what-it's-like-being-there posts out there -- rings all too true:
These criminals have decided to fight Israel to the last Lebanese. These criminals have decided to wipe out the future of our children.
The Israelis are killing our children and mothers and Nasrallah wants to fight on. Who is he to decide to fight on? Who gave him the right to fight on?
We, the Lebanese people, have elected a parliament and a government, and they decide our future, not some ignorant cleric.
We all know how powerful and criminal Israel can be and we all saw what it did in Gaza. So what is this bearded monkey doing?
He is an agent to the Iranians and the Syrians, the most cowardly regimes in the world. Look how quick Iran and Syria were in denying news that they were somehow involved in the current situation.
As Glenn Reynolds writes, "I might as well hope, because it's all I can do":
One hopes, also, that those with more influence on the region are using it constructively . . . Dan Riehl says I'm wrong to be depressed. On the other hand, this guy (who I haven't read before) says I'm wrong to be hopeful. At least they agree that I'm wrong -- I'm a uniter, not a divider . . .
I think FAA's comments about "the street" relate more to the street on which he lives right now in Beirut, not the proverbial "Arab street" to which the MSM is so attached.
I know FAA, and I know that he is not an "international progressivist." He is expressing the feelings that he and those around him have at this moment. We may not agree with them, and he may feel differently in the weeks and months to come. But I believe the words he writes are what he sees and feels right now in the midst of it all.
That being said, thanks for the link to his site and the commentary. I thought the "ingenious solution" was pretty cool too. Let's hope that there are some creative people at higher levels in Lebanon and Israel who can come up with some more ingenious solutions.
Posted by: jbfricks | July 16, 2006 at 06:29 PM
Proud to display support for the wonderful People of Israel...
We have been watching this nonsense "disproportionate" conception for years now, after 9-11...
Certainly, these biased critics have used different names, terms, etc...
Some, even labeled many amazing Americans as 'Chickenhawks'...
Posted by: hNAV | July 16, 2006 at 10:17 PM
You have shown us a picture from an Arab street. I suspect the solution to power madness is the removal of nut-cake leaders such as Nasrallah and those in N. Korea, Iran, and others throughout the world.
Posted by: goomp | July 17, 2006 at 08:27 AM
How does one proportionately respond to a river after a barracuda bite?
Posted by: ScottSA | July 17, 2006 at 10:24 AM