Michael Totten is in the Middle East and advises that no matter what media and apologists would have you believe, this was a this was a terrorist war against civilians. It may also preview a shift in Islamist tactics that signal harder times ahead for Israel.
There is a lot of talk in the media and the blogosphere about Hezbollah's targets in Israel. Some insist that Hezbollah does too aim its Katyushas at the Israeli military. The "proof" is that 12 soldiers were killed by a rocket just before I arrived on the border.Here's the thing, though. Hezbollah hit a little of everything in Northern Israel: houses, trees, streams, grass, apartments, roads, vineyards, and cows. Thousands of rockets crashed and sprayed shrapnel inside their shooting gallery. The odds that none of the rockets would hit a single IDF soldier were microscopic. Hezbollah couldn't have achieved zero Israeli military casualties no matter how hard they tried unless they didn't fire those rockets at all.
I was far safer on military bases, in open fields, and on tiny kibbutzes than in cities during Hezbollah's terror war. Katyushas are nearly useless against an army but are devastatingly effective as terrorist weapons against civilian population centers even as they cause relatively light damage. Shrapnel may not hurt your apartment building too bad, but it will tear you to pieces if you're in the way.
The fact the Hezbollah packs their katyusha rockets full of shrapnel is proof that they are seeking to target civilians. Shrapnel is not very effective against re-inforced military installations or armoured vehicles, and arguably effective against soldiers equiped with body armour. If they wanted to hit military targets they would pack the full payload of the rocket with explosives. Instead they sacrifice explosive power for indiscriminate devistation. Also, much of nothern Israel was evacuated, that fact the the unguided katyushas hit a few soldiers does not indicate that Hezbollah targeted anything other than large urban centers with denser populations.
Even some Hollywood types know it is a war by terrorists against civilians. Maybe utopian Jews, who have historically followed the New York Times more closely than their Torah, will start to realize that it is possible that Israel might not exist if we in the West don’t all smarten up.
Maybe Jews will quit supporting John Kerry and Ned Lamont. Maybe they’ll cancel their NYTs and switch from CNN to Fox. Maybe they’ll get mugged by reality like Gerry Schwartz did.
We’re all Jews now, so it would be nice if the Jews would quit being utopians.
Israel would be better off bombin CBC, BBC, CNN, CBS and the UN next time. That and France...
The Hezbollah approach using Katyushas rockets is very similar to the Nazi use of V-1 and V-2 rockets on London during WW II.
That didn't work either.
Totten is right.
This is just intermission.
know the enemy.
then rip their living guts out.
that is my wish to happen to the hezbullshitists.
and the Star of David is still hanging in my living room waiting the arrival of the maple leaf and stars and stripes to come back in from the front of my house.
Well according to this idiot in the Ottawa Sun, there are no terrorists and Bush's war on terror is just like the Salem Witch Hunt.
http://www.ottawasun.com/News/Columnists/Harris_Michael/2006/08/18/1762605.html
Really. What an a$$hole.
I don’t know for sure but I think Harris is like Andrew Sullivan – a one issue guy – same sex marriage.
Sullivan was in favour of Iraq until Bush took a position on SSM that he didn’t like, now it’s either his AIDS medication or blind hatred that have caused him to go off the rails.
I’ve heard Harris on CFRA and he can be sensibly conservative until the subject of SSM comes up and then he goes into his anti-Harper witch hunt screed.
Well...it's Michael Harris. What did you expect? He's like Eric Margolis, only with less spittle flecking up his keyboard.
I think we can safely lump, political unrest in the Middles East in with, death and taxes as 3 things one can count on in this life.
Open Letter to the World
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6019699987160996228
Right on Topic
warwick: I think the ottawa sun writer also believes in the Tooth Fairy, Santa Claus, Easter Bunny & Peter(Mansbridge)Pan
Warwick & JamesHalifax.......you're both being waaay too easy on Michael Harris.
That individual epitomizes 'delusional appeasement'.
Paraphrasing an unnamed Lebanese soldier...
"Disarm Hezbullah?...To tell you the truth,my own brother is a member of Hezbullah,why would I disarm my own brother?"
This is far,far from over....
I am most dismayed,however,at the sadly predictable,naive,bigotted,pro-terrorist rantings coming from the left.These people seem to have the minds of children when it comes to understanding mankind's ingrained and historical use of war and death.To pretend ALL of us are something we are not is the pinnacle of dishonesty and stupidity.I myself have seen NO historical examples of dithering being a viable tactic to defeat or even survive a declared enemy.
Whether you find this distasteful or not(tough sh*t if you do)the only way to WIN a war is KILL your enemy.In a world where tens of millions have died in numerous wars over just the last 100 years,to pretend we are'suddenly'above this type of behavior is,well,stupid and actually an invitation to be targetted!You better be damn sure you are more deadly and ruthless than any enemy sworn to kill you.Anything less is suicidal and the bad guys deserve to win.
As we Canadians participate in this global war with terrorism,we are indeed fighting with one arm tied behind our back thanks to the gutless,pussified left.I can only hope that if we ever lose because of this weak,suicidal attitude,they behead all the lefties and their families first before they go after mine.
I also think this is just an intermission. This war is about control of Lebanon 1st, by Hezbollah, and it's backers, and destroying Isreal 2nd.
MEMRI had a video on the 16th of Nasrallah, almost pleading to not disarm Hezbollah right now. he said no matter what you hear they are wrong to question/criticize Hezbollah. Talk should be behind closed doors. He criticized the Lebanese government and army, made appeals and promises to the citizens of Lebanon. There is also much evidence of different groups within Lebanon and Syria fighting over the Golan Heights. One needs a score card of the different factions fighting within Lebanon. Now a Lebanese MP is p.o.'d at Syria for not fighting Isreal over the Golan Heights.
Last night I came across a bizarre CNN video of the Lebanese Army offering tea to the Isreali Army on August 10, when Israeli troops "took control" of the southern Lebanese town of Marjeyoun (http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/08/17/mideast.main/index.html)
It really makes me wonder who's war this really is. The media? Iran? China? France? Al Qaeda? Kofi Anan? Oh yes and France, in for the count one moment reneging and/or bolting the next.
I think Warwick is right about getting rid of the U.N. and MSM. Or at least use them to keep everyone in their own corners. Let Lebanon figure their own way out without outside interference.
Let's not be hard on France.
The French just want clarified Rules Of Engagement, so that they're not accused of 'delayed collaboration' or holding up Hezbollah resupply shipments from Syria.
Wasn't France negotiating this ceasefire?
If there's a ceasefire to be had, the French are first with their hands up.
Actually, I am a little more "sympathetic" to the Mike Harris article. No, I don't believe that it's all smoke and mirrors and that there is no terrorist threat. And no, I don't think that Bush and company are deliberately setting out on a witch-hunt. But, I am concerned that, just as it was with McCarthy, in 50 years, it may look that way.
When people put down and make fun of McCarthy, my usual response is to admit that, from today's point of view, it does seem to have been something that would fall into the range between silly paranoia and draconian fear-mongering. However, at the time and in the proper context, I kind of understand how McCarthy and his supporters must have felt. In 1945, on the Soviet Union was communist. By 1954, two-thirds of the world was under communist control (with more coming). And, in all cases, it was the result of an armed takeover by a minority with Russian-supplied weapons. Who could blame people in America for suspecting such an attempt might occur in their country. After all, the Depression had whipped up a good deal of mis-led "communist sympathizers."
Today, we have terrorist attacks and leftist hug-a-terrorist people within our midst. So, who could blame the U.S. administration for reacting with what may indeed (someday in the future - from a historical perspective) look like a witch-hunt. Already the US has become a "May I haff yer papers pleeez." country. That kind of makes me feel like the Islamic nut-jobs are scoring little victories.
Where I differ from Mike Harris-types and even the Bush Administration is on the solution. The actions of McCarthy and his ilk came about because rather than take an aggressive posture with external communists and deal with them decisively before they had nuclear capabilities, the US government took a defensive posture and thus, had nowhere else to go but to become fearful and paranoid about what may be going on in their own country.
If history does look back on this time and claim that the US administration conducted poorly targeted "witch-hunts" it will be for the same reason. We are not dealing with the Islamic states that sponsor terrorism aggressively and immediately. Instead we are taking too defensive a posture.
In other words, "Let's do whatever it takes to crush the capacity of these states that promote and harbour terrorist ideals and pave them over (if necessary) and the repercussions (however undesirable) will be dealt with more quickly and painlessly than if we take a defensive stance."
Bryceman..well done!
OMMAG
Interesting take from Iran's perspective if credible: 3w.debka.com/article.php?aid=1201
LGF; The Army that only goes where it's safe.
Now I understand why it only took a few days for France to move in it's peace keepers, when Isreal feared it would take 2 weeks or longer before they were in place.
re France:
Any of you warriors aware that the cheese-eating surrender monkeys put 1,700 troops on the ground in southern Lebanon to extricate French cicitzens during the late unpleasantness, and now have agreed to keep them there until further notice?
The war/wars will never end until Islamofascism is crushed. It's like a great white shark coming at you at a time when you have a bleeding cut... you know you must do what you must do, else it's over, for the nature of a shark who smells blood...
I'm hoping that telling the truth about Islam isn't ever going to be discouraged on SDA even if it offends some folks. The truth must be told. It's too important not to tell it. After all, if we could've told the world the truth about Nazism before Chamberlain's appeasement of Hitler by giving him a chunk of Czechoslovakia... maybe the world would've done something to prevent WWII in the first place.
Think about that.
As I heard it, the 1,700 French troops were 'in Naval vessels' NEAR Beirut, slightly different from being on the ground.
I was once in the same city as Michelle Pfeiffer, which wasn't at all like being on the ground with her.
Le Quai d'Orsay, Paris, is chagrined, poutine even. ...-
Canada won't send military to help UN mission in Lebanon: MacKay
ANTIGONISH, N.S. (CP) - Canada won't send any troops or ships to help enforce the United Nations-sponsored ceasefire in Lebanon, says Foreign Affairs Minister Peter MacKay.
Now, now, agitfact; tell the truth, please.
Actually, the "cheese-eating surrender monkeys" have said that their 1,700 strong unit will remain "near" Lebanon and NOT under UN jurisdiction. Even the oleaginous Kofi Annan is stunned at France's feebleness.
But now I'm wondering: if the UN cannot ante-up, is the cease-fire contract voided?
Could the UN possibly be more useless?
This may, once again, be academic. Breitbart is reporting that Israeli jets have fired on eastern Lebanon.
Is an apartment building housing military ordinance an apartment or a military bunker?
Do Islamists use civilians as human sheilds or are the civilians part of a defensive weapon designed to prevent being targeted while allowing outgoing fire?
There are Israeli commandos abandoned by Kadina at this minute in the Bekáa.!! 75 miles x 10 miles!? WTF?
.. I gotta ask..you, me and the fencepost.. Why do we allow Olmert and Calvert and the rest of the socialist goofs speak for us?
I ask. no reponse. fuck him. fuck them. 75 x 10??? Any province in Canada can form a militia to kill 10k terrorists anyway this side of sunday. wtf is wrong with Harper that hockey and Liberals are more important that we cant find 20k unemployed yahoos that know how to clean a rifle?? Where is everyone I used to know?
Let alone Jizzbullah, -all the Joo gurls in a NY minute got more hutzbah than what I see around here. Perhaps Canada gets off its ass and grasp the moment svp/pdq/rsvp.
suck it up and roll. And btw Kate..OT. gimme Mick la dik Regina. Please.. no more talk about the worst football team in CFL history. Nobody cares anymore. OK? Its unbecoming of a lady this side of Davidson ..and its embarassing enough that the Stones de’jevue a la pimp de jour Riderville. Says more about us than them.
Tip to SK (read people pretending to be conservatives): quit asking what high school I went to. I didnt. [cue the banjos]
half of SK should cop a plea: http://righttruth.typepad.com/right_truth/2005/12/bush_pardons_tw.html
/crawling under a rock -SK rant off
"Could the UN possibly be more useless?"
Posted by: Tom Penn at August 18, 2006 08:18 PM
---Could France possibly be more useless as well? Or perhaps they realize what's really happening and are wisely staying out of a war in which they have no bloody business, unless they see the ultimate ramifications of letting Islam win in the M.E. and proceed to attempt to win in the entire world, further proceeding to Islamify it?
I'm sure the French are as terrified as hell, while being also too terrified to really stand up for themselves, their Nation and their values, which are in direct conflict with Islamic fundamentalism.
Canadian Sentinel, Kate does not have the bandwidth and you don't have the time for me tell you what I think of the French.
This old canadian classic dialogue could not be more relevant today
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7_a2wa2dd4