"because of widespread Western racism" very few care about the Lebanese...

[leftchick]

http://www.juancole.com/

As always all of Juan's column today is a must read....

<snip>

Thousands of innocent Lebanese have been forced from their homes by the bombings, especially in the South, and have headed up to Beirut (which the Israelis are also indiscriminately bombing). Some 100,000 Lebanese have fled to Syria, though Israeli bombing of roads and bridges has not made it easy for them to get out. Although, because of widespread Western racism, very few over here care about these displaced persons, they face a desperate situation. Roads have been bombed out, and bridges are gone. Lebanese television reported on numerous villages bombed. Rescue teams attempting to take an injured woman to a better hospital with more supplies were blocked when they found the bridge destroyed.

If the reports coming out of Lebanon can be believed, the Israelis are only sometimes striking known Hizbullah safe houses or facilities or missile emplacements. A lot of their bombardment appears aimed at punishing civilian populations and forcing them north to Beirut. Such an approach would help explain the high number of civilian casualties. That is, there may be an element of ethnic cleansing in Israeli tactics.

The Irish Times reports:

' The civilian toll continued to mount in Lebanon yesterday as Israeli planes struck dozens of targets. Nine civilians, including two children, were killed when they were hit by a missile that struck a bridge in the southern port city of Sidon . In the southern city of Tyre , rescue workers pulled nine more bodies from the civil defence building that was hit on Sunday in an Israeli strike. Close to 200 civilians have been killed in Lebanon since the Israeli offensive began last week, when Hizbullah attacked an Israeli border patrol, killing three soldiers and capturing two. Five more soldiers were killed when they gave chase into Lebanon .'

[Laotra]

1. Western racism

Islamophobic and anti-semitic (PC shift from hating jews to hating arabs).

[Double T]

2. The abduction of two Israeli solders does not merit this level of......

destruction to people and property on both sides of the conflict. Both sides have contributed to the destruction and neither is without fault. The US As lack of involvement and neglect of this region has a large part to do with where things are today. Political terms like 'Road Map' don't get the job done, it takes 'two hands on' all the factions in this region all the time in order for a true 'peaceful' settlement to be reached. Look at all the destruction caused throughout the world by religious hatred and intolerance, it really makes you wonder what religion is really all about.

[cantstandbush]

3. I'm beginning to believe that our slow evacuation response is because

so many of those stranded are Lebanese-Americans. Can you imgine this slow a response or giving Israel a pass for no prior warning behind the scenes if there were 25,000 Halliburton or Lockheed employees there?

[leftchick]

4. I believe you are correct

That and the bottom line is bush does not give a fuck about any US citizens.

[sinkingfeeling]

5. You aren't listening to John Bolton. He says that those killed by Israel

in self-defense aren't as morally significant as those killed by 'terrorists'! If his words today aren't echoes of Nazis, nothing is.