U.S. Speeds Up Bomb Delivery for the Israelis

[DoYouEverWonder]

July 21 — The Bush administration is rushing a delivery of precision-guided bombs to Israel, which requested the expedited shipment last week after beginning its air campaign against Hezbollah targets in Lebanon, American officials said Friday.

The decision to quickly ship the weapons to Israel was made with relatively little debate within the Bush administration, the officials said. Its disclosure threatens to anger Arab governments and others because of the appearance that the United States is actively aiding the Israeli bombing campaign in a way that could be compared to Iran’s efforts to arm and resupply Hezbollah.

The munitions that the United States is sending to Israel are part of a multimillion-dollar arms sale package approved last year that Israel is able to draw on as needed, the officials said. But Israel’s request for expedited delivery of the satellite and laser-guided bombs was described as unusual by some military officers, and as an indication that Israel had a long list of targets in Lebanon still to strike.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Friday that she would head to Israel on Sunday at the beginning of a round of Middle Eastern diplomacy. The original plan was to include a stop to Cairo in her travels, but she did not announce any stops in Arab capitals.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/22/world/middleeast/22military.html?hp&ex=1153540800&en=3f2d5ce210ea0b64&ei=5094&partner=homepage


More proof that BushCo wants the ME conflict to escalate.

[Rose Siding]

1. Oh, man. Yeah we're SAFER.

Who can think this will work? The blood of innocents BREEDS terrorists. Now our name is on the death.

[Igel]

70. That would explain much of the

US's actions since 9/11, wouldn't it. And Israel's response to suicide bombers.

They put Islam's name on the death.

The blood of innocents BREEDS terrorists.

(Sounds rather different from that perspective, doesn't it?)

[The Stranger]

77. Well, according to that reasoning, Israel is breeding them in Lebanon

by bombing innocent Lebanese purportedly in attempting to fight Hezbollah.

[Igel]

129. It's a problem, isn't it.

Israel kills those fighting it, Israel's responsible for producing more people that want to kill it.

Israel's neighbors try to kill (or kill) Israelis, Israel's responsible for having produced more people that want to kill it.

Nobody's responsible for Israel's trying to kill people. They're in it because they're Zionist, expansionist, greedy, water-resource-sucking racists by nature. I don't know how many excuses I've heard on this board, trying to say Israel is bad for all sorts of reasons that might plausibly be true, but for which evidence has to be chosen carefully; and trying to say that Hezbollah is good for alls orts of reasons that might plausibly be true, but for which evidence has to be chosen even more carefully.

Every time Fatah, Jamaat islamiya, Hamas, Hezbollah, or any other of the variously named groups kills an Israeli--or tries to kill an Israeli--all they're doing is making Israelis hate them. And that makes it more likely that more will die.

[The Stranger]

164. No, the problem here is Israel is killing those who are not fighting it.

Then, when they tire of it and begin fighting back, Israel congratulates itself for its own problem.

[Igel]

167. Hence the reason for liking bunker busters.

One bomb that takes out a bunker that stores numerous missiles is better than hurling half a dozen bombs at it, and not taking out the missiles.

Even if they did build many of their bunkers in villages. Perhaps they wanted to avoid the long commute to work.

[The Stranger]

168. The salient fact screaming at you is that they are villagers.

That is why they build and live in villages. They don't have aircraft carriers or space stations.

Not every fact regarding everything is a conspiracy to destroy Israel (as disappointing as that may be for some).

[Pavulon]

72. Khobar towers, USS Cole etc...

this started long ago. Beirut attack on the US.

[The Stranger]

76. So did U.S. the support.

[High Plains]

114. Gee, why would anyone have attacked the Marines in Beirut

in 1983. I mean, they weren't taking sides in a civil war or anything like that, were they?

[MGD]

134. Yes, the Lebanese are so much better off now as Iranian puppets

nt

[IndianaGreen]

137. Is that why Israel bombed the "Iranian puppet" Christian Beirut?

or is anyone that doesn't look like us to be treated like an Emmanuel Goldstein to be hated on Hate Week?

[IndianaGreen]

169. USS Liberty, Sabra and Chatilla refugee camps

the tit-for-tat litany goes way back, and there is no one in the Middle East that wears a white hat.

[rurallib]

2. Let us hope that Hezbollah can get similar delivery

So it's an even game. This is just a game, right? Made for Fox News?

[still_one]

8. this is the same hezbollah that killed 300 marines in Lebanon

where they were as part of the UN peace force, are you happy about that too

[IndianaGreen]

15. Excuse me, it was the Navy that first shelled Shia neighborhoods in Beirut

The attack on the Marines was payback for the US choosing sides in Lebanon, and backing the Christian Phalange.

We are the ones that drew first blood!

[Name removed]

18. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[IndianaGreen]

24. You are defending the killers of innocent civilians in Beirut

and you are ignoring the history of what happened, and Reagan's blunder when he allied himself with the Christian rightwing and ordered the USS New Jersey to shell Beirut's Shia neighborhoods.

I am fed up with people that scream "terrorism" while ignoring their own, and more brutal, terrorism.

One might argue, and many Americans today might agree, that Hezbollah and Hamas started this round of war with their provocative kidnappings of Israeli soldiers. Lost in the headlines, however, is the fact that the Israelis have 9,000 Palestinian prisoners, and have negotiated prisoner swaps before. Others will blame the Islamists for incessant rocket attacks on Israel. But the roots of this virulent spiral of vengeance lie in the permanent occupation of Palestinian territories by the overconfident Israelis. As it did in 1982, Israel now admits that the war is not about prisoner exchanges or cease-fires; it is about eradicating Hezbollah and Hamas altogether, if necessary by an escalation against Syria or even Iran. It should be clear by now that the present Israeli government will never accept an independent Palestinian state, but rather harbors a colonial ambition to decide which Palestinian leaders are acceptable.

In 1982, Israel said the same thing about eliminating PLO sanctuaries in Lebanon. It was after that 1982 Israeli invasion that Hezbollah was born. I remember Israeli national security experts even taking credit for fostering Hamas and Islamic fundamentalism as safe, reclusive alternatives to Palestinian secular nationalism. I remember watching Israeli soldiers blow up Palestinian houses and carry out collective punishment because, they told me matter-of-factly, punishment is the only language that Arabs understand. Israelis are inflicting collective punishment on Lebanese civilians for the same reason today.

It is clear that apocalyptic forces, openly green-lighted by President Bush, are gambling on the impossible. They are trying to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat in Iraq through escalation in Lebanon and beyond. This is yet another faith-based initiative.

If the American people do not see through the headlines; if the Democrats turn hawkish; if the international community fails to intervene immediately, the peace movement may be sidelined to a prophetic and marginal role for the moment. But we can say the following for now:

Militarism and occupation cannot extinguish the force of Islamic nationalism. Billions in American tax dollars are funding the Israeli troops and bombs.

http://www.commondreams.org/views06/0721-24.htm

In 1983, a bloody civil war was raging in Lebanon, and U.S. naval forces were offshore to protect U.S. interests and U.S. Marines who had landed in the war-torn country. On September 19, after a period in which U.S. ships fired when U.S. position were attacked, USS Virginia (CGN 38) and USS John Rogers (DD 983) fired 338 rounds from their 5-inch guns in support of Lebanese Army forces defending the strategically important village of Sug el Gharb in the Shouf Mountains east of Beirut. This signaled a shift in U.S. policy, and on 25 September, New Jersey took up station off Beirut.

On 28 November, the U.S. government announced that New Jersey would be retained off Beirut although her crew would be rotated. On 14 December, New Jersey fired 11 projectiles from her 16-inch guns at hostile positions inland of Beirut. This is the first 16-inch shells fired for effect anywhere in the world since New Jersey ended her time on the gunline in Vietnam in 1969.

http://www.chinfo.navy.mil/navpalib/ships/battleships/newjersey/bb62-nj.html

[murray hill farm]

28. Thank you, Indianagreen!

Thanks for posting that piece. Off and on all day here, I have kept wondering what the hell...why are so many folks at DU just ignoring history here. So, thank you very much for that history lesson. I wish i could recommend your reply...and that folks here at DU would cease this rewriting or just ignoring the basic history of the area.

[AliceWonderland]

54. Yes, thank you IndianaGreen

Your posts emphasize history and equal standards of justice. I am aghast at some of the ahistorical posts I've read here. I shake my head at the disease of amnesia... and people all over the world die, and are condemned, from that disease.

[Stella_Artois]

60. Talking about Amnesia

IndianaGreen seems to have forgotten this

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/April_1983_US_Embassy_bombing


Months before the USS Jersey fired a single shot

I too am aghast at some of the ahistorical posts I've read here.

[54anickel]

79. And the motivation? From your link....

The attack was motivated by the American intervention in the Lebanese Civil War. In the aftermath of the massacre of Palestinians at the Sabra and Shatilla refugee camps by Lebanese Christian militiamen backed by nearby Israeli army units, American troops had landed to try and restore order and central government authority to the war ravaged country. Many groups within Lebanon were opposed to the American presence but the militant group Hezbollah, under the code name "Islamic Jihad," is believed to have been responsible for the attacks.

We can sit here and page through history forever claiming "but he/she started it" or we can finally sit down like adults and try to put a just and fair end to it for all sides. Wasn't that the Repuke claim - the adults are in charge?

[spinnaker]

140. is the glass half full ?

We can sit here and page through history forever claiming "but he/she started it" or we can finally sit down like adults and try to put a just and fair end to it for all sides. Wasn't that the Repuke claim - the adults are in charge?

Dont you get it ? How can you "put an end to it" when you dont have even the basic understanding of the history and the players and their motivation. It is that kind of wooly headed thinking that gets us into these situations.

[54anickel]

147. I "get it" and I do have more than just a "basic understanding of the

history and the players and their motivation". Most of the "players" have an understanding of the history, and it's many revisions as well. As far as "wooly headed thinking" getting us into these situations - gee thanks for the name calling. Like I said, where are the adults. :eyes:

[Zhade]

149. I think spinnaker was referring to post #60's ignorance.

NT!

[54anickel]

157. Oops, Thanks Zhade - my apologies to spinnaker if I misunderstood.

Get a bit testy sometimes when these flare-ups get going on DU. The place has gotten soooo big and has such hostile divisions sometimes. It's been especially bad with what's happening to Lebanon. Looks like I'm due for a time-out from DU again. :hangover:

[Zhade]

160. I've been thinking about the time-out thing, but I REALLY like to argue.

I mean, when I have the facts on hand, of course.

I hear you about the Lebanon thing - I've read some disgusting apologia for war crimes here, and it sickens me. This is really bad, and it's going to get worse.

[Zhade]

148. self-delete

It appears you understand the history IG brought up, and were referring to the person above who said IG had amnesia - that poster doesn't get it, as evidenced by the fact that their own link busted their argument!

So, ignore me.

[IndianaGreen]

109. The attack was motivated by the American intervention in the Lebanese..."

Seventeen of these were Americans, and eight of them worked for the Central Intelligence Agency, including the CIA's Middle East director.

<snip>

The attack was motivated by the American intervention in the Lebanese Civil War. In the aftermath of the massacre of Palestinians at the Sabra and Shatilla refugee camps by Lebanese Christian militiamen backed by nearby Israeli army units, American troops had landed to try and restore order and central government authority to the war ravaged country. Many groups within Lebanon were opposed to the American presence but the militant group Hezbollah, under the code name "Islamic Jihad," is believed to have been responsible for the attacks.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/April_1983_US_Embassy_bombing

So they have presented no evidence that it was Hezbollah, what you got is a "belief" much as there was a "belief" that Iraq had WMDs, and there is a "belief" that one or two Iranians witnessed a rocket launch in North Korea.

As to the CIA, we know them for the murderers and torturers that they are!

[spinnaker]

138. Dont forget why the marines were there in the first place

The murder of the marines was a tragedy. They should not have even been there. The ceasefire deal which ended the israeli siege of west bereiut gave safe passage out of lebanon for the plo fighters, leaving behind the remaining palestinians in the camps who were to be protected by the Americans. The US left after seventeen days; the israelis moved into west beirut and unleashed their christian phalange allies (a group whose founder drew inspiration from Nazi germany!!!) on the camps who massacred hundreds (possibly thousands) of palestinians (this is not in dispute, the television images from chatila and sabra were seared into my 12 year old head). It was this act which galvanized the multi national forces (MNF) of the US, Italy and France back into Beirut; who ultimately sided with the "Lebanese govt" (meaning the christian phalangist dominated govt) in what was quickly becoming an emerging civil war.

We should also not forget in those early days agree the marines were regularly harassed by gunfire from the Israelis. This was to force an agreement to coordinate between the US and Israeli forces. Stella_Artois is absolutely correct that the bombing of the embassy (which wiped out almost all the cia agents in the region) happened before the naval barrage but by then as far as the lebanese druze were concerned we were clearly allied with the israelis.

There are lesson in this in what is happening in Iraq; very soon we are going to be drawn into the civil war there. Are we going to side with the Iraqi govt (meaning Shia) or with the Sunni's (which I think would be the ultimate tragic irony).

[saigon68]

85. Thank you there are too many admirers of the Murdering Chimpanzee

And his Israeli hand maidens here

Thanks for pointing out there are 2 dogs in this fight

Neither of which is taking the "High Ground"

Somehow a lot of the idiots in the I/P forum have migrated over here with their drivel.

The number of deleted posts is 20 times more than usual.

CAN'T YOU FEEL THE LOVE.

[donkeyotay]

92. The neocons have shielded themselves with another slogan on this one

You're part of the "blame America first" crowd. Anytime you try to bring up our part in creating the conditions, they deflect it with that slogan. Do more of what hasn't worked, and above all, don't ask any questions. Don't hold bush accountable. Don't expect congress to do much more than a Pavlovian dog conditioned to slobber at the sound of "national security."

We're fighting a losing battle for the hearts and minds of America.

[The Stranger]

44. Then open your eyes.

Let the truth shine in.

[Name removed]

69. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[saigon68]

113. Au Revoir Enjoy your stay on this thread

[cantstandbush]

Not defending Hezbollah but blaming US military as they are guilty

of the bombing in Beirut. 300 Marines should never have been in Beirut. You can blame US and Israel as is now the case.

[cantstandbush]

84. Not defending Hezbollah but blaming US military as they are guilty

of the bombing in Beirut. 300 Marines should never have been in Beirut. You can blame US and Israel as is now the case.

[Stella_Artois]

59. 300 + dead vs ?

How many were killed by the New Jersey ?

Was it anywhere in the region of 300, 58 of whom by the way were in fact French, and had nothing to do with what the USS New Jersey did?

If not, wouldn't that make this a disproportionate response, something i believe DU has decided is a bad thing when Israel does it ?

[Stella_Artois]

61. Err hold on a second

The Marine barracks bombing was on October 23, 1983 the USS New Jersey didn't fire a shot until December 1983.

Unless you are talking about an incident in August 1983 where (IIRC) 8 Marines were killed in a gun battle and two other navy ships fired in support. I assume you are not arguing that its would have been OK the various militia to kill Marines with impunity. Besides those groups were not Hezbollah, in fact one of them was Christian

In August 1983, U.S. Marine forces fought with members of Shiite Muslim and Druze Christian militias. Several Marines were killed and others wounded. In response, the U.S. warships USS Virginia and USS John Rodgers shelled Shiite and Druze positions near Beirut.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multinational_Force_in_Lebanon

[CantForget]

36. Killing Marines

Hezbollah blew them up on a peace keeping mission while they were asleep in their barracks. The Administration sent over an inexperienced bomber who crashed, was taken prisoner and Jesse Jackson had to go over and get him released.

[IndianaGreen]

39. Peace keepers do not bombard a city with 16-inch guns!

And we have seen enough of the Marines' handiwork in Iraq to know that this is not something that they just started doing!

[Stella_Artois]

62. There you go again !

The USS Jersey incident was MONTHS after the barracks bombing !!

[bahrbearian]

40. Would you like an occupying force in your town ?

That shelled the civilians.

[bahrbearian]

38. Would you like an occupying force is you town ?

[Imagevision]

125. occupying force? as in US. military in Iraq

[The Stranger]

43. Actually, maybe a different group altogether.

U.S. officials vowed no change in U.S. policy as a result of the attack, the next strike proved harder to shrug off. Less than a month later, on April 18, 1983, a suicide bomber drove a truck loaded with high explosives into the U.S. embassy in Beirut. The blast killed 60 people, including 17 Americans. Hours later, an organization called Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility.

The United States now was confronted with a rather shadowy enemy. From the start, it seemed to U.S. intelligence analysts that Islamic Jihad and Hezbollah were in some way connected. Both organizations pledged fervent allegiance to Iran, both were based in the Baalbeck region of the Bekaa valley and both were known to have received weaponry from Syria. In addition, the groups shared the same leaders, including a man named Sheikh Hussein Mussawi.

U.S. intelligence sources began suggesting that Islamic Jihad was simply a cover used by Hezbollah for carrying out its terrorist attacks. This charge was repeatedly denied by Hezbollah's spiritual leader, Sheikh Muhammad Hussein Fadlallah, who insisted that Hezbollah stood for moderation and restraint.

The arrival in Lebanon of more American soldiers was met with swift and devastating force. On October 23, 1983, a truck bomb destroyed the U.S. Marine barracks at the Beirut airport, killing 241 American soldiers. Until September 11, 2001, this was considered the greatest loss in U.S. history of American lives in a terrorist attack. Islamic Jihad once again claimed responsibility.

http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/lebanon/tl03.html

The responsibility for the bombing is uncertain. Most (notably the U.S. government) believe the Hezbollah militant group, backed by Iran and Syria, was responsible for the bombings, as well as the bombing of the U.S. Embassy in Beirut in April of that year. Hezbollah, Iran and Syria, all staunch opponents of a Western presence in Lebanon, denied any involvement. Several Shia militant groups claimed responsibility for the attacks, and one, the Free Islamic Revolutionary Movement, identified the two suicide bombers as Abu Mazen, 26, and Abu Sijaan, 24.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1983_Beirut...

[IndianaGreen]

48. If Islamic Jihad took credit for the bombing of Marine barracks

why is the MSM saying now it was Hezbollah? Perhaps the answer lies in Orwell's 1984, you think?

Oceania has always been at war with Eastasia

The totalitarian government of Oceania is constantly at war with one of the other two totalitarian superpowers that dominate the world: Eurasia and Eastasia. The objective is not to win the war, but to maintain a constant state of war in order to keep its citizens under control. When it is at war with Eastasia, the government declares that it has always been at war with Eastasia, that its people are an eternally hated enemy that must be destroyed. When the sides change, the same thing is said about Eurasia. It is considered every patriotic citizen's duty to believe both statements are true.

http://www.everything2.com/index.pl?node_id=476745

Throughout the first half of the novel, Oceania is allied with Eastasia, and Oceania's forces are engaged with fighting Eurasian troops in northern Africa. Mid-way through the novel, the alliance breaks apart and Oceania, newly allied with Eurasia, begins a campaign against Eastasian forces in India. During "Hate Week" (a week of extreme focus on the evilness of Oceania's enemies), Oceania and Eurasia are enemies once again. The public is quite blind to the change, and when a speaker, mid-sentence, changes the enemy from Eurasia to Eastasia (speaking as if nothing had changed), the people are shocked as they notice all the flags and banners are wrong (they blame Goldstein and the Brotherhood) and quite effectively tear them down.

The book that Winston receives explains that the war is unwinnable, and that its only purpose is to use up human labor and the fruits of human labor so that each superstate's economy cannot support an equal (and high) standard of living for every citizen.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nineteen_Eighty-Four

[Stella_Artois]

63. Islamic Jihad = Hezbollah

According to lots of people anyway. I don't claim to be an expert on all the groups and their various names

Many groups within Lebanon were opposed to the American presence but the militant group Hezbollah, under the code name "Islamic Jihad," is believed to have been responsible for the attacks.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/April_1983_US_Embassy_bombing

[The Stranger]

78. That sort of thinking forced the U.S. into an Iraq war based on 911.

All of them are the same, is the implicit message. But these two groups would appear to be different.

[IndianaGreen]

98. Orwell called "the enemy" Emmanuel Goldstein in his novel 1984

Big Brother, who we love, is fighting the terrorist Emmanuel Goldstein. The evil Emmanuel Goldstein blew up the Marine barracks, the Kobar towers, the USS Maine, and he sunk the USS Arizona and flew one of the hijacked planes on 9-11.

[sinogirl]

102. Hizbollah IS NOT Islamic Jihad

... and Hizbollah had nothing to do with the 1983 bombing!

I doubt Hizbollah even existed then.

[IndianaGreen]

111. All Arabs look alike to most Americans

Never mind that most Lebanese are not Arabs, few Iranians are, and no Afghans are.

[Zhade]

150. Well, yes, according to uninformed idiots.

The same fools who fell for the "Iraq = 9/11" lies.

You're not one of them, right?

[Renew Deal]

132. You're sick

Waiting for your rapture ride?

[HereSince1628]

3. Whose GPS satellites will those satellite guided weapons use?

Just how much of a participant does that make the US? Think that Usama and his ilk won't remember that?

[Supersedeas]

127. this high impact concussion brought to you by the good ole US of A

[Solly Mack]

4. It's not personal, it's business

coughchokespew

[Zhade]

151. It's not business, it's murder.

Sick, isn't it?

[Solly Mack]

158. Yeah, it's all sick

:(

I was trying to imagine the Bush regime's response to the Arab governments they don't want to anger..."not personal, just business"

it's not you...it's us...we like the money

sheesh

[tanyev]

5. Oh, well, a cease-fire would have put the kibosh on that deal.

[bemildred]

Yep, wouldn't want them running out.

I don't expect we need them anyway, we have plenty.

[rodeodance]

6. Condi and misiles to the ME--what an image!!

[Canuckistanian]

32. They're both instruments of death

But Condi has nicer shoes.

[Barkley]

7. Wanna read something real funny?

The U.S. Arms Export Control Act restricts the use of U.S.
weapons to legitimate self-defense and internal policing;
U.S. weapons cannot be used to attack civilians in offensive
operations.



BWHAAAAHAHAHAHHAHA!!!!!

[bemildred]

9. Congress is reduced to being a propaganda organ.

They don't make law anymore, they make excuses.

[Solly Mack]

10. ain't that the truth!

[wtmusic]

12. But we're in a state of war

so Junior can do what he pleases.

The War Crimes Act of 1996 Title 18.2441 makes violations of Geneva specifically illegal.

The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act defines domestic wiretapping without a warrant as a felony.

Throw 'em all out the window.

[DoYouEverWonder]

11. Looks like we are going to be sending over some more bunker busters

Pentagon and military officials declined to describe in detail the size and contents of the shipment to Israel, and they would not say whether the munitions were being shipped by cargo aircraft or some other means. But an arms-sale package approved last year provides authority for Israel to purchase from the United States as many as 100 GBU-28’s, which are 5,000-pound laser-guided bombs intended to destroy concrete bunkers. The package also provides for selling satellite-guided munitions.

An announcement in 2005 that Israel was eligible to buy the “bunker buster” weapons described the GBU-28 as “ a special weapon that was developed for penetrating hardened command centers located deep underground.” The document added, “The Israeli Air Force will use these GBU-28’s on their F-15 aircraft.”



The Guided Bomb Unit-28 (GBU-28) is a special weapon developed for penetrating hardened Iraqi command centers located deep underground. The GBU-28 is a 5,000-pound laser-guided conventional munition that uses a 4,400-pound penetrating warhead. The bombs are modified Army artillery tubes, weigh 4,637 pounds, and contain 630 pounds of high explosives. They are fitted with GBU-27 LGB kits, 14.5 inches in diameter and almost 19 feet long. The operator illuminates a target with a laser designator and then the munition guides to a spot of laser energy reflected from the target.

[Name removed]

30. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[ShortnFiery]

13. Gosh, I hate our Military Industrial War Machine ...

The USA also has the blood of innocent Lebanese civilians on our hands. :cry:

[uppityperson]

14. shame on them, blood on their hands. shame

[Erika]

16. What if there was a war and the U.S. refused to fund it

Sorry, no chance under W. He never saw a war that didn't help out corporate profits.

[AliceWonderland]

55. Not a popular sentiment

But it's not all about W.

It's not even all about Republicans.

(gasp! did she really say that?!?)

[Zhade]

152. It's all about AIPAC.

Well, a good bit anyway.

[Harper_is_Bush]

17. wow

these are interesting times.

[daleo]

19. And yet a recent poll showed "Americans didn't want to get involved"

Involved.

[DoYouEverWonder]

20. Bushco doesn't care about

what the majority of Americans want or think.

[Sadie5]

21. The US was war free for years

Bush steals his way into office and suddenly there are wars everywhere. There are no peace talks anymore, just fighting all over the globe. Any other Prez would have already started the talk phase but not Bush. Along with Congress he see another chance to make a few $$. I'm beginning to think this misfit was born with $$ signs in his eyes.

[sinogirl]

94. There has always been an ongoing war

instigated by the US...

For example... The US has been behind nearly every single conflict in South America.

[IndianaGreen]

110. And the US armed and trained South American death squads

at Fort Benning, Georgia.

[hack89]

165. What about Operations Southern and Northern Watch?

during Clinton's years? What about Somalia and the cruise missle strike against Sudan?

[chookie]

22. Democracy is for sissies

Real Chimperors ram their personal ambitions down their nation's throat.

It is heartening to hear that most Americans do not want to get involved. As you say, oops, we sure are involved.

Is it just me, or is all of this stuff remarkably like the road to war with Iraq? All the same faces, all the same claims. It makes me worry that the nation as a whole is psychically right back where "we" were then, ready to be manipulated again. (BTW "we" doesn't include me and many here. who've known smirky was up to no good all along.) What do you think -- will it work again? Or are people rightfully suspicious now?

Oh boy -- wait till people see just how "involved" His Chimperial Highness is expecting us to be!! There will be no turning back -- that is his plan, as it was in Iraq.

[daleo]

25. There are forces that want to widen the war, and go on to Iran

I have a hunch it's not on yet - the Lebanon invasion seems to have lost momentum. I don't necessarily mean militarily, more like psychologically. But its just a hunch.

[chookie]

42. I hope you are right

I'd love to be an Eeyore about events unfolding under my nose.

[SOS]

96. You are most likely correct

Hezbollah captured 3 IDF soldiers in 2000, yet no war.
In 2006 it's suddenly a casus belli.
Israeli leaders, past and present, including Olmert, Barak and Netanyahu are pushing Bush hard for a full scale war with Iran. (source: Hardball, Matthews)
Sharon said in the Times of London, back in November 2002, that the US should invade Iran "the day after Baghdad falls".
The Lebanon offensive works to utilize the 2002 Iraq War Resolution as a basis for war against Iran. see Section 3, b, 2.
Bush can go to war against Iran now without having to consult Congress.
The College Republicans are in for a rude awakening when they are drafted and shipped to the front!

[daleo]

117. I read an analysis of a possible Iran invasion recently

This was a paper in the journal "Defense and Security", I think, by a Concordia University professor. Essentially, he said the U.S. could prevail, but at the cost of about 5000 dead, 5000 very seriously wounded, and 25,000 wounded less seriously. You could multiply all those numbers by 5 to 10 for the Iranian side, disregarding civilian deaths. And that's just the invasion phase (this analysis didn't include control of the whole country, just enough for "regime change"). As we know, the occupation phase is generally the more dangerous phase for U.S. soldiers.

He based these conclusions on standard methodologies for estimating such things - force structures, geography, etc. It was a sobering read, and one that "cakewalkers" need to know.

[Zhade]

154. Yeah, and some of them pimp that idea here.

And they're not freepers. It's terrifying.

[greccogirl]

80. Actually,

all the polls show overwhelming support for Israel.............

[IndianaGreen]

130. American support for Israel is neither limitless nor unconditional.

Israelis should know better than to take America for granted!

Her leaders are playing a dangerous game that fits the goals of the American neocons in their desperate attempts to expand their failures in Iraq to other countries in the region.

American support for Israel will vanish into thin air the moment Americans begin to die in a Middle East conflict that could have been avoided had the neocons in America and Israel paid as much attention to peacemaking as they have to war making.

American support for Israel's right to live in peace ("right to exist") does not extend to Israel's denial of that same right to the Lebanese. American support for Israel is neither limitless nor unconditional, and this support will crumble as more Americans realize that many of the problems in the region are caused by Israel's refusal to leave lands she occupied in 1967.

Israel's aggression in Lebanon has shown that her claim of "right to exist" is just a slogan to justify brutal policies in Lebanon and the Occupied Territories, just as Bush's endless invocation of 9-11 is just a pretext for American war crimes in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The challenge is to recognize when Israel is responding appropriately to a security threat, as she did in June 1967 and the Yom Kippur War, and when Israel is using her security as a pretext to pummel her neighbors and gobble up additional territory. The question is whether Israel is really looking for her captured soldiers in Lebanon, or engaging in a bloody charade to take control over the Litani River basin.

In other words, is this just a war for water?

[Zhade]

155. Lots of uninformed people in this country.

Like, those who support Israel's indiscriminate bombing of innocent Lebanese.

Well, they could just be evil fucks. Who knows?

[Zhade]

153. Yeah, I hope the fuckers here who support the indiscriminate bombing...

...and invasion of Lebanon enjoy their third war, because we're in it - people just don't know it yet.

Hey, apologists for the Israeli government's wildly disproportionate and brutal response that got us here - go sign up if you love war so much, assholes.

[leesa]

23. US and Israel...partners in war crimes.

Asia Times and quite a few other papers are sticking to their story that Israel's soldiers were captured in Lebanon, arrested at a town called Aitaa al-Chaab

[daleo]

26. That's the first I have heard of that

I had wondered if the initial event would become a point of contention, though.

[IndianaGreen]

45. Hezbollah captures two Israeli soldiers (inside Lebanon!)

Hezbollah captures two Israeli soldiers

By IANS
Wednesday July 12, 04:01 PM

Beirut, July 12 (DPA) The Lebanese Shiite Hezbollah movement announced Wednesday that its guerrillas have captured two Israeli soldiers in southern Lebanon.

'Implementing our promise to free Arab prisoners in Israeli jails, our strugglers have captured two Israeli soldiers in southern Lebanon,' a statement by Hezbollah said.

'The two soldiers have already been moved to a safe place,' it added.

The Lebanese police said that the two soldiers were captured as they 'infiltrated' into the town of Aitaa al-Chaab inside the Lebanese border.

Israeli aircraft were active in the air over southern Lebanon, the police said, with jets bombing roads leading to the market town of Nabatiyeh, 60 Kilometres south of Beirut.

http://in.news.yahoo.com/060712/43/65tzi.html

[daleo]

46. It is food for thought

I am surprised Hezbollah wouldn't have made a lot more of this, given that this is the pretext for the attack on Lebanon. Of course, even if this is true, they may feel it is beside the point now - clearly it won't change the plans of the IDF.

Still, it could have a considerable effect on world opinion - maybe Israeli opinion too, if people thought the war was based on a lie.

[DoYouEverWonder]

27. That sure would destoy

Israel's excuse for starting this whole mess now wouldn't it?

[katinmn]

29. US arms Israel. Syria/Iran arms Hezbollah. Doesn't take a genius to figure

out what comes next.

How can the US be walking into another war with Iran or Syria? Iran is NOTHING like Iraq. What fools.

We need mass protests to stop this.

[Name removed]

31. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[DoYouEverWonder]

34. Bush lives to see others die

He hates everyone and everything and the only way he can get is jollies anymore is to see new pictures of dead civilians and troops. He doesn't care if they are Iraqi, Lebanese, Israeli or American. Just as long as the blood is fresh.

[saigon68]

116. Au Revoir voyez-vous

[IChing]

33. Nothing to see here folks, move along, nothing here, except

carnage.

[Tellurian]

35. Ewww! The US is having their annual BOMB Sale!

will there be rainchecks if they run out?

[file83]

56. It's the Hanukkah in July Summer Bomb SALE!!!

Otherwise known as the Red Sale.

[bahrbearian]

37. FED-EXed no charge ,, good doing busniess with ya.

can you get the price of Oil a little higher, thanx shooter..

[psychopomp]

41. There it is

[6000eliot]

47. Evil fucks, all of them!

[Bozita]

49. NYT reporting US rushing more precision-guided munitions to Israel

just heard on KGO's news.

[Freedom_from_Chains]

50. Wow that's great, as long as they are not from Iran. n/t

[Bozita]

51. Here's the NYT article ...

No matter who's fighting as long as US corporations get a piece of the action.


http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/22/world/middleeast/22military.html?hp&ex=1153627200&en=ccb5206208860925&ei=5094&partner=homepage

July 22, 2006

Weapons

U.S. Speeds Up Bomb Delivery for the Israelis
By DAVID S. CLOUD and HELENE COOPER

WASHINGTON, July 21 — The Bush administration is rushing a delivery of precision-guided bombs to Israel, which requested the expedited shipment last week after beginning its air campaign against Hezbollah targets in Lebanon, American officials said Friday.

The decision to quickly ship the weapons to Israel was made with relatively little debate within the Bush administration, the officials said. Its disclosure threatens to anger Arab governments and others because of the appearance that the United States is actively aiding the Israeli bombing campaign in a way that could be compared to Iran’s efforts to arm and resupply Hezbollah.

The munitions that the United States is sending to Israel are part of a multimillion-dollar arms sale package approved last year that Israel is able to draw on as needed, the officials said. But Israel’s request for expedited delivery of the satellite and laser-guided bombs was described as unusual by some military officers, and as an indication that Israel still had a long list of targets in Lebanon to strike.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Friday that she would head to Israel on Sunday at the beginning of a round of Middle Eastern diplomacy. The original plan was to include a stop to Cairo in her travels, but she did not announce any stops in Arab capitals.

more...

[Bozita]

52. dupe ... link to original thread ...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x2405798

[DoYouEverWonder]

64. Ah, this is the originial thread?

The link you posted is for this thread.

Is there a different thread that this is a dupe of?

[stepnw1f]

53. Israel and the US

a marriage in hell, or cell?

[jonnyblitz]

67. two peas in a pod . no wonder the whole world hates both

countries.

[Pepper32]

57. Well, can't say I'm surprised....

[sg_]

65. That newspaper cover...

says it all.

[Little Star]

95. To bad our media hasn't seen that front page. n/t

[IndianaGreen]

124. Ahhh, a new Axis of Evil has been publicly exposed!

All three of them are hell-bent on plunging the world into a Middle East war!

[JackNewtown]

58. Bush: winning hearts and minds, one bombing of Arabs at a time

PR is a huge part of the war on terrorism and it is idiotic to provide this to Israel at this time. Israel has ample resources at its disposal to achieve its mission. Why give them this and further damage America's standing in the world, particularly the ME and the Muslim world? Just when I think Bush can't get the US's image to decline any further, he pulls a stunt like this.

How can the pro-US Lebanese government survive after the US sponsored, aided, and abetted what has happened to Lebanon?

[54anickel]

81. Add Objective Murray to that PR campaign

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=2405056

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1110AP_Iraq_Sold...

Soldiers say ordered to kill young men

EL PASO, Texas -- Four U.S. soldiers accused of murdering suspected insurgents during a raid in Iraq said they were under orders to "kill all military age males," according to sworn statements obtained by The Associated Press.

The soldiers first took some of the men into custody because they were using two women and a toddler as human shields. They shot three of the men after the women and child were safe and say the men attacked them.

"The ROE (rule of engagement) was to kill all military age males on Objective Murray," Staff Sgt. Raymond L. Girouard told investigators, referring to the target by its code name.

That target, an island on a canal in the northern Salahuddin province, was believed to be an al-Qaida training camp. The soldiers said officers in their chain of command gave them the order and explained that special forces had tried before to target the island and had come under fire from insurgents.

Doesn't look like it's made it into the international media - yet. Only 178 related stories - all appear to be based on the same AP source.
http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&ned=us&ie=UTF-8&q=%22Objective+Murray%22&btnG=Search+News

[PA Democrat]

66. Subtitle to article in my local paper: "Move could anger Arab governments"

Gee, ya think?

The U.S. cannot pretend to be an honest broker in ending this conflict. They have condemned more innocent people to death.

[DoYouEverWonder]

68. Isn't it apparent that the mask is off?

They aren't even trying to pretend anymore.

They don't care what anyone thinks because they have no intention of losing and they certainly have no intention of stepping down even when their terms are expired.

This is the culmination of all their hopes and dreams. The final phase of a long term plan to take over the ME, killing as many brown people as possible, including Israelis, in the process.

[54anickel]

74. Sure is looking like they are trying to meet a Nov deadline, doesn't

it? Fire up Armageddon before they loose the chance in a life-time? Usher in WW IV and martial law before it's too late? Create the neocon wet-dream of military-industrial-complex before they loose US hegemony? What's the motivation? What's the rush? Where's my country and can I have it back before there's nothing left?
Just :wtf: is really going on? :tinfoilhat:

[DoYouEverWonder]

82. It does seem they had to roll out their new product

a bit early this year.

[Zhade]

156. The mask is off, and people HERE are cheering this on!

And smearing those who don't support the deaths of innocents on either side (way more Lebanese, though) as anti-Semitic!

Fucking assholes. This has me royally pissed!

[DoYouEverWonder]

163. I find it appalling

I do not understand people who oppose US aggression in Iraq, but have no problem jumping on the band wagon for Israel's acts of aggression.

[Zhade]

166. I kinda do - it's the whole "protect the Jewish people" thing.

I fully support that idea - even with regards to Israel's bloody foundation, current Israelis didn't commit those crimes, so they should not pay for them.

It's just that these rabid defenders are wrong. This won't make Jews, or Israel, safer. If anything, this will ensure MORE deaths, on all sides.

[IndianaGreen]

101. Pro-Western Arab government are not loved by their people

People like Egypt's Mubarak, who oppresses and tortures his people, will likely be toppled for his collaboration with the US in the torture of CIA captives and his cozy relationship with Washington.

[Igel]

71. If they're bunker busters, good. n/t

[DoYouEverWonder]

83. What is good about bunker busters?

Would you care to explain?

[IndianaGreen]

112. "The bigger the bang, the more meat on the trees!"

Is what a military instructor I had used to say.

[ckramer]

73. Israeli kill people, America supplies the bombs

How nice.

And people keep asking questions like "Why do they hate us?"


LOL

[saigon68]

86. The people whose child this is don't have much use for us right now.

[Vidar]

75. Merchants of Death--the Anerican role.

[Joe Bacon]

87. Chucklenuts WANTS Armageddon so he can join THE GREAT FLOAT OFF

Chucklenuts really believes the rapture shit. He believes God made him president to bring Armageddon on. He can't wait to pour more gasoline on the fire because he believes this is what he has been predestined to do by The Invisible Cloud Being.

Just wait folks, only a week or 2 before Israel nukes Iran...

[DoYouEverWonder]

89. What most people don't realize in regards to the Rapture

is that it requires that all the Jews get killed too, or at the least convert to christianity. Either way, in order for their Jesus to come back, they have to get rid of all the Jews and Arabs and anyone else who stands between them and the destruction of the Temple Mount.

[smitty]

107. ...or Iran nukes Israel.

[IndianaGreen]

115. Iran doesn't have nukes, but if she did...

You wouldn't see Bush and the neocons in America and Israel trying to spook us into a war on Iran. They would be forced to deal with Iran by peaceful means, I believe it used to be called "diplomacy."

[Joe Bacon]

119. IG, the sad thing is they think "Diplomacy" is a board game

They think it's just like the board game where 7 players and a Gamesmaster stab each other in the back to get total control of Europe before World War 1.

The don't realize that game counters don't bleed, but people do.

[lumberjack_jeff]

88. Welcome to the proxy war. n/t

[Nothing Without Hope]

90. How's this for cynicism: I'm betting this report on more bombs was

deliberately played up to further inflame Syria and Iran. The bushies and the ruling radical elements in the Likud WANT major escalation, especially war with Iran. They hope this will incite attacks in the Middle East or elsewhere (including HERE) that will "justify" such an escalation.

Horrible. I don't have adjectives strong enough.

[Chico Man]

106. Yes. Israel invades from the West, and US from the east

Classic two prong approach.

[kineneb]

91. I hang my head in shame,

that more innocent people will die from munitions "made in the USA". I don't think that Corporate America cares who dies, who wins or who loses, as long as they can sell a few more bombs. It is all about money.
:cry:

[sinogirl]

93. Wake up everyone...

... We've been providing Israel with Billions of Dollars for decades, most of which goes to their military.


This cleansing of Hizbullah needs to end quickly. I predict another 2 weeks and it's all over.

[DoYouEverWonder]

97. I''ve been posting for the last year

that the next phase in their War on Terra was to be Israel's to fight.

The US is used up. Israel has a huge force, already in the region, that is well trained and well equipped. Plus they are young and eager to take care of their 'problems' once and for all.

[sinogirl]

99. that's so true... didn't think of it that way..

I guess the next intention is to provoke Syria and Iran .... Can Israel take them on, without us as well...

It's probably time to get the nukes out...

Then we could all have this great massive war orgy... (lasting well over 2 weeks)

[DoYouEverWonder]

100. It will be on and off

until we can get this cabal out of power.

[Chico Man]

103. It's US and Israel versus..

Hizbullah, Syria, and Iran. I wonder when Russia and China will get involved?

[sinogirl]

104. I dread to think

we'd do exactly the same as the Bush Cabal ...

How different will it be with Dems in Power.. (Their voices haven't been heard since the bombing started)

[Chico Man]

108. They probably fear losing the Jewish vote

Plus they probably have no idea what to do and are trying to avoid revealing their cluelessness..

[IndianaGreen]

133. Our politicians think that the Jewish vote is monolithic

and that we all look and think alike. Put ten of us in a room and you will get ten different opinions as to the war in Lebanon.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

145. We didn't see shit like that happening during the Clinton administration

Remember? When you looked at the situation in the ME, then looked again a month, or two, or a year later, and it was BETTER instead of WORSE?

That's what "we" Dems do.

[IndianaGreen]

118. The only cleansing Israel is doing is ethnic cleansing of the Lebanese

by turning a chunk of Lebanese territory into occupied Israeli territory, a land that includes the much coveted Litani River.

[welder union]

122. Peace at all costs?

So do you think if the Israelis did lay down there weapons they wouldn't be wiped from the area?

[IndianaGreen]

123. Israel has nukes, and because of them she won't be wiped out

and the meme that we are anti-Israel if we don't stand on the sidelines cheering Israel as she defends "her right to exist" by terminating the existence and homes of thousands of innocent civilians in Lebanon and elsewhere, is sounding more hollow as the corpses continue to pile on in Lebanon.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

144. Like Iraq huh? -nt

[VegasWolf]

105. Gotta make that munitions money while the window of opportunity is

still wide open. Wait for Bush to announce a slight improvement in the US's GDP numbers next quarter.

[Scurrilous]

120. IDF to residents of 10 south Lebanon villages: Leave by 7 P.M.

<snip>

"Israel Defense Forces troops urged residents of around 10 villages in southern Lebanon to leave by 7 P.M. (1500 GMT) on Saturday ahead of planned air strikes against suspected Hezbollah guerrillas, military sources said.

"In tackling the terrorists, we have two choices - either to send in troops or to bomb their infrastructure from the air. Clearly the latter is preferable, but we want to give the civilians time to leave," a military source said.

The source said the villagers had been asked to leave via broadcast messages and requests passed to community leaders, and that the deadline had been given "well in advance."

There was no immediate word on how many people were believed to be in the villages after 10 days of fighting in the region."

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/741318.html

[Sahra]

121. What is Hizbullah ?

Information comes from IslamOnline.net   Sorry my net skills
are limited to give the quick transfer to site. Hizbullah is
two words, hizb and Allah, Arabic for "The Party of
God".It's roots in the mid-1970s when Iranian cleric Iman
Moussa Sadr, moved to the south of Lebanon in 1960.Apart from
its belief that Israel is an illegitimate state that was
established on an occupied land,Hizbullah has two pressing
issues:the dispute over Shebaa Farms and the Arab prisoners in
Israel.Approximately 10,000 Palestinian and Arab
prisoners,including 2,000 Lebanese,are held in Israeli
prisons.Hizbullah is branded terrorist by Israel,the United
States,the United Kingdom,Canada,and Australia.Hizbullah is
armed with missiles supplied by Iran and,allegedly,
Syria.Hizbullah is a Shiite Lebanese organizational structure
and official representation in its country.Al-Qaeda, on the
other hand,is a global Sunni network with key figurehead Osama
bin Laden,and is branded terrorist by all official bodies.    
Talking with a 92 year old Air Force Lt.Col.,he said we made
some mistakes after WWII, looks like maybe bad planning years
ago.
I think we can say the same of the last 5 year bad
planning..............
                       
                       

[BenDavid]

126. Oh my my, oh what a wicked web

they weave when they practice to deceive.....Making war to bring peace is like fucking for virginity....

Remember this my friends....If a president will lie us into a war, he sure as hell will lie us into another.....

[DoYouEverWonder]

131. It seems you understand

what is at work here.

Glad you haven't been sucked into their support Israel bs.

[Supersedeas]

128. Odd how BOMBS can get there faster than CONDI

[IndianaGreen]

141. This shows you that Bush is more interested in war

War is easy for Bush. All Bush has to do is tell Rumsfeld to attack some country, and then he can take a nap. Peace is hard, for one has to work at it, and it takes a lot of patience and effort. Bush has no time for peace. Leisure is more important!

[sueragingroz]

135. Back to the original point of this thread...

Which is IMHO Blowback...

"Blowback" is a CIA term first used in March 1954 in a recently declassified report on the 1953 operation to overthrow the government of Mohammed Mossadegh in Iran. It is a metaphor for the unintended consequences of the US government's international activities that have been kept secret from the American people. The CIA's fears that there might ultimately be some blowback from its egregious interference in the affairs of Iran were well founded. Installing the Shah in power brought twenty-five years of tyranny and repression to the Iranian people and elicited the Ayatollah Khomeini's revolution. The staff of the American embassy in Teheran was held hostage for more than a year. This misguided "covert operation" of the US government helped convince many capable people throughout the Islamic world that the United States was an implacable enemy.

From: http://www.thenation.com/doc/20011015/johnson

[DoYouEverWonder]

136. The US does not perform well

in hostile situations. Despite all the training and high tech equipment half thse kids can't tell their ass from their elbow when things go wrong.

[citizen snips]

139. more US tax payer money going down the drain

[lovuian]

142. Hezbohlah bombs from Iran and israel bombs from USA

Iran is at war with USA already...

[Roland99]

143. Take Defense industry out of the picture & the US economy is in tatters!

[Name removed]

146. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[IndianaGreen]

162. It's the Israel Lobby, there is no Jewish Lobby

July 22-23, 2006

Elegy for Beirut

By ROBERT FISK

I go home and flick through my files, old pictures of the Israeli invasion of 1982. There are more photographs of dead children, of broken bridges. "Israelis Threaten to Storm Beirut", says one headline. "Israelis Retaliate". "Lebanon At War". "Beirut Under Siege". "Massacre at Sabra and Chatila".

Yes, how easily we forget these earlier slaughters. Up to 1,700 Palestinians were butchered at Sabra and Chatila by Israel's proxy Christian militia allies in September of 1982 while Israeli troops - as they later testified to Israel's own court of inquiry - watched the killings. I was there. I stopped counting the corpses when I reached 100. Many of the women had been raped before being knifed or shot.

Yet when I was fleeing the bombing of Ghobeiri with my driver Abed last week, we swept right past the entrance of the camp, the very spot where I saw the first murdered Palestinians. And we did not think of them. We did not remember them. They were dead in Beirut and we were trying to stay alive in Beirut, as I have been trying to stay alive here for 30 years.

I am back on the sea coast when my mobile phone rings. It is an Israeli woman calling me from the United States, the author of a fine novel about the Palestinians. "Robert, please take care," she says. "I am so, so sorry about what is being done to the Lebanese. It is unforgivable. I pray for the Lebanese people, and the Palestinians, and the Israelis." I thank her for her thoughtfulness and the graceful, generous way she condemned this slaughter.

Then, on my balcony - a glance to check the location of the Israeli gunboat far out in the sea-smog - I find older clippings. This is from an English paper in 1840, when Beirut was a great Ottoman city. "Beyrouth" was the dateline. "Anarchy is now the order of the day, our properties and personal safety are endangered, no satisfaction can be obtained, and crimes are committed with impunity. Several Europeans have quitted their houses and suspended their affairs, in order to find protection in more peaceable countries."

http://www.counterpunch.org/Fisk07222006.html

[54anickel]

159. So how does one expedite a shipment of bombs anyway? FedEx?

And where's the outrage regarding national security of it's true that "Its disclosure threatens to anger Arab governments and others because of the appearance that the United States is actively aiding the Israeli bombing campaign in a way that could be compared to Iran’s efforts to arm and resupply Hezbollah."

Parts of the article read like a damned WH press release - "Israel is strong!"

One American official said the shipment should not be compared to the kind of an “emergency resupply” of dwindling Israeli stockpiles that was provided during the 1973 Arab-Israeli war, when an American military airlift helped Israel recover from early Arab victories.

[unkachuck]

161. does this mean....

....I can stop believing what they told me in school? God-fearing, peace loving democracies don't start wars of aggression, only bad, evil dictatorships do....

....hey little Johnny, do they still tell you this bullshit in school?....don't believe it!