CEASE FIRE! Do you find the events now taking place in the mid-east far too complicated for even a cursory understanding of what might be amiss there to allow such conditions to continue day by day. You are, to be sure, not the only persons who feel inadequate - to put it mildly - even ignorant when asked to explain any facet of it all.
It strikes that the rotten apple in the badly tumbled barrel as these frenzied "Hezbollah" militia". I hate to classify these terrorist persons as being any type of military personnel - soldiers in the historic sense of the words.
I regret some leader or our element saying today that "Israel should stop bombing..." It would be even more valid and more "honest" to tell the Ayatollah militia to "stop firing their thirteen thousand rockets". It was "fifteen" earlier, I believe, and enough to make them think that will accomplish whatever they had in mind trying to do. They will pop away until last one is gone hoping the last few will do the trick for them.
Both sides need to cease firing, not just Israel. Too often the demand is for Israel to do so now -right way away - turn off everything and wait around to see if Hezbollah hothead does the same!
At that point, neither side has accomplished anything.
It it, I think, quite obvious that destruction in Lebanon has been unusually heavy. We have no facts telling which sites have been militia controlled at the time they were bombarded. Certainly no one could doubt the stated intent of the Israeli forces to do a much damage as possible to enemy occupied sites. Such damage can only be expected to increase as Israeli forces advanced into Lebanon proper. They have already crossed the border the mode of small, infiltering groups for better artillery positions., but if the Hezbollah feel they must continue until their very last left-over rocket has been launched to complete the massive cloud of terror which supposed the develop in all lands to the west.
A "You, first!" cease fire? No, thank you.
Andrew McCaskey amccsr@adelphia.net 7-20-06 [c365wds]
