George W. Better Stop "Losing Lebanon" (Ralph Nader)

[Mr_Jefferson_24]

by Ralph Nader

http://www.commondreams.org/views06/0725-26.htm

<snip>

The horrific stillness is in the civilian neighborhoods mostly populated by the innocent poor and their children. The New York Times reports "In Srifa, a neighborhood was wiped out - 15 houses flattened, 21 people killed, 30 wounded - in an Israeli air strike. The town's mayor, Afif Najdi called it a massacre." Half-a-million civilians and growing are homeless.

In the Palestinian refugee camp of Al Bourj holding 20,000 people, Israeli bombers unleashed explosives. In a frantic appeal for help to anyone on the global internet a charitable rescue organization entered the area and described a scene of "total devastation with all the buildings and roads totally smashed. There was the smell of death and destruction everywhere."

And so the rain of Israeli terror fell over this utterly defenseless country, while Bush does nothing but emit go signals to the fifth most powerful military in the world. He repeats again and again that "Israel has a right to defend itself." Of course, but not against millions of people (including tens of thousands of Arab-Americans and other US citizens living or visiting there) who had nothing whatsoever to do with the border raid by Hezbollah.

The Israeli practice of collective punishment, a war crime under the Geneva Convention, is standard against the Palestinians, who lost 78% of their land in the 1940s and want to preserve the 22% that is left to them (the 1967 boundaries). More collective punishments against the Lebanese now, just like during the unprovoked invasion of 1982...

[Erika]

1. Israel appears to be totally out of control

Maybe we should cut off their funding checks.

[Mr_Jefferson_24]

2. DUers have been polled on this...

...question and the idea seems to have some support here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=124x134550

[rodeodance]

3. Ralph is right on this one--the collective punishment is wrong!

[izzie]

4. I see no point in the whole thing but I am sure we tax payers will

pay for most of it. And every day people will die in all places and as always the ones who die most are the ones we do not back.I am to old to have to worry to much about the blow back but my grand children will be in the front roll for it.