"We're The Good Guys"

So why does Israel always end up being the bad guys. The answer is quite simple....Bad PR with the wrong effort being put into endearment.

It's not enough to be right. You have to prove you're right, not with rhetoric but by deeds and action.

Hezbollah has done everything right, they've placed a helpful compassionate protective wing over the southern Lebanese when nobody else seemed interested in doing so. This has made them fiercely popular. What has Israel done, dropped leaflets from the sky...sheesh what arrogance.

Israel and Jewery have to reinvent themselves into a more user friendly country/religion. That is their only hope. They simply must eradicate their superiority complex for real change to occur.

The same people who support Hezbollah and vilify Israel also protest against NAFTA, regardless of its proven benefits to Canada.

Deeds, actions and reinventions pale besides invented/distorted self-images of anti-establishment heroes 'fighting', (but not too close to the action), for the underdog.

"...Hezbollah has done everything right, they've placed a helpful compassionate protective wing over the southern Lebanese when nobody else seemed interested in doing so."

And Hitler and the Nazis provided full employment in Germany.

What a remarkably, stunningly, morally, factually bankrupt statement from Mr. Brown.

Israel and Jewery have to reinvent themselves into a more user friendly country/religion.

Sweetie, you are a raving lunatic.

In front of your nose, my friend, is the Death Cult with it's murder, mayhem, jihad, dhimmitude and all manner of intolerance and you think non-proselytizing and tolerant Judaism needs to be more user friendly?

Your anti-semitism has twisted reality for you to a point that you reside in a parallel universe.

Hezbollah, you twit, has put the lives of the very people that they imposed themselves upon in grave danger by lobbing rockets for months at Israeli civilians with impunity. So much for their concern about the women and children they they've endangered in Lebanon. They're too craven to remove themselves from the civilian population.

Israel has to stop being so nice and start telling the truth about Muslims. Not Hezbollah but Islam. The reason that so many innocent people did not leave is because they are not innocent. They support the Hez and as cult members they seek to die the death of a defender of the faith.
Muslims see Jews as cowards unwilling to die for their beliefs. Israel needs to comply with the saying.... when in Rome do as the Romans. They need to designate all muslims as valid targets the same as the Muslims desgnate all non muslims as valid targets. In war you do not say you will only target one segment of the enemy, you target the enemy and all it's capacity to make war not just it's guns...... guns don't kill people, people kill people. Target the people instead of the guns and muslims will understand that you mean bussiness. Any other modus operendi is futile and usless. Being nice is a choice just as being mean is a choice.

I think it's natural for the local people to support Hezbollah; after all - what else is there in their immediate environment other than these people who are, remember, their neighbors and their family members.

Michele Malkin and EU Referendum are taking a close and suspicious look at the claims of the 'Qana massacre' and more data is emerging to show that it was a staged photo-op by Hezbollah.
This is very important - for the agenda is to move Iran in as the saviour of the region.

I suspect this photo-op is not for the propaganda of the West as much as it is for the Arab States who are shrinking back from this conflict: Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, SA...
After all, the West is largely against Israel anyway - and photos like this add support to those opinions.

But, Iran wants a war in the region; it wants to move Syria back into Lebanon - and not have the other Arab states say a word against this. And, it wants to move itself into dominance - and not have the other arab states reject them.

I'm speculating..but...

Having been caught TWKICE- using fake CANADIAN Passports- ( after previously having been assurred that you would not do this any more)- do not expect any sympathy from this CANADIAN- okay?

Differing Perspectives

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060801/ap_on_re_mi_ea/lebanon_israel_655;_ylt=AlsN0r8q0s6JPeMUxhO8ZEQUvioA;_ylu=X3oDMTBiMW04NW9mBHNlYwMlJVRPUCUl

Heavy fighting raged Tuesday in the Lebanese border village of Aita al-Shaab, and Hezbollah television said 35 Israeli soldiers had been killed or wounded in the fighting. Israeli warplanes pounded Shiite Lebanese villages in many areas along the border and struck Hezbollah strongholds deep inside the country.

Israel Defense Forces troops engaged in heavy exchanges of fire with Hezbollah fighters in southern Lebanese village of Ayta a-Shab, near Zarit, on Tuesday.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/745131.html

A unit of paratroop soldiers have been operating in the village since Monday. The IDF said Tuesday that four Hezbollah guerillas were hit in the clashes, and that all had apparently been killed.

An IDF soldier was lightly hurt in Maroun A-Ras, also in southern Lebanon. He was evacuated to hospital in Safed.

OK, someone is lying here, I wonder who? However, both are agreed that 4 H'bollah are dead.

nemo: benefits of nafta ???

like, the benefits accrued by the americans whilst certain senators in lumber producing states lobbby and insert amendments to bills (doesnt matter what bill) creating the softwood lumber fiasco ??? those the 'benefits' you referring to ???

I dont think its any secret here that I have issues with the way Israel is conducting its campaign. However, while reading this, I couldnt quite come to terms with the author's grasp, or lack thereof, of the situation.

"Some locals stayed because they couldn’t afford to leave. I read that Lebanese taxis charge $1000 to go to Beirut. So someone please explain to me why these locals didn’t hide in a building where there were no rockets or any ammo dumps?"

How anybody expects civilians to turn back machine gun toting militants is beyond me. Frankly you ve got a better chance surviving an Israeli bomb than a militant Hizbollah willing to dispatch you to heaven.

Also, theres that case of not being able to escape. Someone on this very board was venting against the UN because Chinese UN engineers were repairing roads. The problem is that you need roads to get out. You cant destroy them and say "Get out of here".

Its also become quite apparent that the Israelis arent being particularly careful about their targetting. The Sri Lankan embassy has advised many Sri Lankans to avoid travelling in convoys, or on the road. And recently, British and Australian journalists came under fire despite being in contact with the Israels. In other words, its dangerous for them to get to Beirut and the Israelis arent making any guarantees.

3 weeks into the war, and I m not sure if the Israelis can even say they re winning yet. The innocents will continue to die. WE will continue to write them off as collateral damage, because frankly, muslim lives are not as valuable as Jewish lives, to most people here.

Davie,

I suspect you wouldn't have any sympathy for Da Joos in any case.

You're argument is also specious. If Mossad is supposed to blend in with the terrorists, what other passport would they use? Your liberal a$$holes gave Canadian passports to every islamofascist terrorist who wanted one so what other passports would you use to infiltrate them?

Brown:

Hezbollah is a terrorist organization. What is it going to take before they get bad PR? I suppose deliberately killing women and children isn't enough for you because they only target Da Joos?

How bout you both just F.O.A.D.

Robert J: A few years old, admittedly, but still valid:
http://www.fraserinstitute.ca/shared/readmore.asp?sNav=nr&id=409

Or do you believe that approximately 85% of our trade is overshadowed by (expected) disagreements? (And Canada does, in effect, with low stumpage fees, subsidize softwood lumber).

Are you kidding davie? Canadian passports are meaningless, Canada's been littering the world with them for years. It doesn't bother me at all if good guys, our allies, like the Israelis need to use them in their fight against the forces of evil. There's sure as hell plenty of Islamic terrorists travelling around on Canadian passports. How many Canadian passports did that scuzzy Khazar family "lose" when they were back visiting muslim countries? Ten? Twelve? I hope we will secretly provide the Israelis with some blanks that include any new security features. Maybe we can trade help with fake Canadian passports in return for Israeli intelligence on terrorist threats to Canada.

"Israel and Jewery [sic] have to reinvent themselves into a more user friendly country/religion. That is their only hope. They simply must eradicate their superiority complex for real change to occur."

This statement by David Brown shows what a PR-conscious, image-only-counts, lieberal dimwit he is.

If Israel and Jewry "reinvent themselves," as he suggests, they cease to be Israel and Jewry. DB is saying "Change your image, guys, and the world will love you. Pretend you're not who you are and all bad PR will stop." In other words, be wimps and cowards and the rest of the wimps and cowards in the world will slap you on the back and say "Way to go! Now you're one of us."

I don't think so.

Then DB disingenuously suggests that Israel and Israelis "eradicate their superiority complex." That's a pretty tall order. How are they to do this? Are they supposed to stop being good at what they're good at so that "the world," which always loves a loser and an underdog, will applaud their "victim" status?

This is always the liberal solution: Reinvent yourself, your party, your cause, into being "the victim" and watch world opinion rush to your defence.

I'm with Dennis Prager when he says "'World opinion' will never do a thing for
you. Never." 'Like it didn't for "1.5 million Armenians massacred by the Ottoman Turks; 6 million Ukrainians slaughtered by Stalin; or the tens of millions of other Soviet citizens killed by Stalin's Soviet Union; or the 6 million Jews murdered by the Nazis and their helpers throughout Europe; or the 60 million Chinese butchered by Mao; or the 2 million Cambodians murdered by Pol Pot; or the millions killed and enslaved in Sudan; or the Tutsis murdered in Rwanda's genocide; or the millions starved to death and enslaved in North Korea; or the million Tibetans killed by the Chinese; or the million-plus Afghans put to death by Brezhnev's Soviet Union." (jewishworldreview.com/0806/prager080106.php3)

And the list goes on and on.

Truth and doing the right thing count for something, David Brown. If you're "a useful idiot," however, I guess you'll never understand this and you'll continue to expect those fighting for the right to exist and to maintain the only democracy anywhere nearby to dumb themselves down to the "victim" status of their neighbours and to position themselves for a nice photo-op.

The recent event at Qana brings out the falsity of the argument that the locals are unable to get out because of destroyed roads and bridges. It appears the the worldwide MSM had no trouble at all getting into Qana immediately to attend H'bollah's afteraction show.

Would everyone please just stop addressing specifics in David Brown's comments and just take it for what it is...a troll putting out some outrageously ignorant comments looking for a reaction. Look at it this way, his sentence structure and spelling are very good so I don't think he's stupid. Think about it, how could someone truly believe in the analysis of the situation that he put forth.

I have been watching the live coverage of the meeting this a.m. where Peter Mac is appearing before the "inquisition" committee as regrards the Middle East.

He has put forth the position of Canada very well and has not waivered in what is/has been the position of the gov't re the current Middle East Crisis so far.

Is the gov't position different from that of the likes of MacDunna/McTeague and their liberal/NDP backers? Of course it is. The Canadian government is finally taking a strong/unwaivering position compared to the last 40 years of Fluff or the so-called nuanced position of being all things to all people and not a whole lot to anyone in particular (except of course for all manner of minorities).

Forget all of the academic/philosophical/whatever arguements. Relevent of course at times - but there is a time when reality must kick in and people must stand up and be counted.

It is time that Canadians stand up and be counted - now. Either we are for the stand of the present government or we are not. The world stage now has us in a situation where it is impacting Canada and it is time for a show down within Canada.

Either the majority in Canada take the country back or we resign to forever being ruled by a group of tightly woven minorites supporting the Liberal/NDP policies. I do not want the latter.

Either this country is run by a majority Conservative Government or it goes back to being run by the Liberals/NDP. There is absolutely no room for fence sitters right now in terms of the Middle East policy. Let the people decide in a national referendum - i.e. a vote in the house that will clearly be considered of vote of confidence (or not).

If there is going to be fall/spring vote of non-confidence - then let it be about the entire Middle East Question - what has been the policy during this crisis - what is the policy as it is shaping up at the time of the vote, and what it is likely to be going forward. This is not about political gamesmanship - it is about the future of the social fabric of Canada.

Let's not have a non-confidence vote about softwood lumber or some other lesser issue that pales in comparision to what is at stake for Canada as a nation. All Canadians should have a say in the handling of the Middle East Crisis - not just those elected under the current political system.

The last 40 years of Immigration/Refugee/Heritage/Multiculturalism/Human Rights/IRB legislation and policies have put us into a position where a national referendum can be justified on the Middle East Question. We should be happy that at least Canada has time to do something constructive to avoid the position of a number of other countries who have so sold out to minority rule that the minority has now in fact become the majority (or close to it)in those countries.

An apt caricature of the mighty H'bollah.

http://www.caglecartoons.com/images/preview/%7B0C30E586-1FEE-44A4-BB95-4338231DA4E8%7D.gif

Short and to the point.

I'm against national referendums on these questions, calgary clipper. Aristotle warned about the 'moods of the masses'. After all, that's essentially what the Liberals did; their policies were determined by polls, not by principles.

The average Canadian hasn't been educated in either issue. Most Canadians have never heard of the phrase 'stumpage fees' - and that's the root cause of the softwood dispute. Can you imagine- the basic cause of the dispute is completely unknown to the vast majority of Canadians. They instead conclude that the basic cause is the evil nature of the USA. Such a conclusion was quite useful for the election strategies of the Liberals but shouldn't be used as a basic for international decisions.

Equally, most Canadians don't know enough about the complex issues of the Middle East and again, a government should be basing its decisions on knowledge and principles. Not opinion.

"Its also become quite apparent that the Israelis arent being particularly careful about their targetting."
This is a war. Get it? Bombs going off, explosions. People will die accidentally and on purpose. Not all munitions are smart weapons. The majority are not.

The Israelis should be held to the same standard as its enemies. As far as i can understand it, that is the point of the Geneva conventions. When the one side continually and on purpose does not follow any laws of war, they are open to full retaliation.
enough

Polls are not referendum. For the most part the educated will vote whereas everyone gets polled regardless of intention to vote.

We found it neccessary to elect someone to go across the country, a voyage that would take weeks and they would by neccessity be gone for months. We have instantaneous communications, we travel in hours and we do not have to trust a representative to do what they think best for us. We can tell them as it happens or speak for ourselves in a referendum.

We are not children, this is our country. We need to take ownership of our government. The government does not own us, the government is us.
enough

enough - I disagree with you that only the educated vote. Both educated and uneducated vote. I also disagree that everyone gets polled. The majority do not get polled.

Representative government is just that; we elect a representative to govern. We do not individually run the gov't and we comment on their choices by letter, by phone, by blogs, by email and by elections. The MSM comments on their choices. Are the MSM journalists expressing our opinons accurately?
A representative gov't means that we elect them to make the decisions.

A government cannot operate according to the wishes of this first group, or that second group, or this third group or this fourth group - each of whom considers that they alone have the 'right conclusions'. There is no such thing as a 33 million population who all have the same conclusions.

And most certainly, the majority of Canadians are lacking the knowledge base to make decisions about, for example, softwood lumber and the ME. Again, I am astonished how many people have never heard of 'stumpage fees'.

Equally, why is it that Canadians for the most part, never question the assertion by the Liberals and MSM of the value of the long gun registry because it is 'accessed 5,000 times a day'. The fact that this is completely false - doesn't even occur to most people.

ET
Agreed - the last thing I would want to see is a referendum or an election about Softwood Lumber or a whole lot of other issues that would be more about political gamesmanship than about the issue per se - For all of the reasons you mentioned plus a whole lot more.

Sooooo - is it your contention that only those "academically trained people" are capable of having a well thought out position as regards the Middle East policy of Canada because they are the only ones who "truly understand" the situation as it affects Canada. How much more condescendingly elite does it get.

The national referendum at the time of the National Unity question served its purpose. The Middle East issue in its own way is also becoming a question of Canadian national unity. If the issue is right - the silent majority will become involved.

In any event - I'm not talking about a national referendum much less polls.

I'm talking about a federal election - sooner rather than later - and if it is to be because of a non-confidence motion, let it be one about Canada's foreign policy as regards the Middle East.

calgary clipper -
No, it is most certainly NOT the academically trained people who are necessarily the most knowledgeable about the ME. Many of them are socialists and mentally bogged down in the concepts of 'victim' and 'anti-capitalist' and so on.

But equally, it is most certainly not the average man on the street, whose information source is primarily the MSM - or the lecture hall - who has any knowledge.

I think it has to be our government, guided by a variety of information sources from experts of various backgrounds and ideologies. I, frankly, would trust our current CPC government to make a 'just decision', while I would not trust either the Liberals or NDP or the Bloc. All of these three would vote against Harper's ME policy, but, they won't vote against it, until they themselves are ready for an election.

I don't see what the ME has to do with Canadian national unity.

I don't think a federal election should be held until, the earliest, the fall of 2007 and better,2008. I think we have a remarkable government in place now, and want it to continue, even as the MSM, daily, relentlessly, tries to bring it down.

John and others,

I'm not a troll and I'm not being outrageous for the sake of looking for a reaction.

I'm also not an Anti-Semite. What have I said that is hateful? I believe that Israel and Jewery have every right to a peaceful existence. It's just they're obviously not going about it in the correct manner.

All I've said is that Hezbollah is doing a better job at winning the hearts and minds of the southern Lebanese people. It's a fact not a judgement.

I think the major players have to look at this branding of terrorist organizations and maybe start communicating with them.

The west is not winning the war by any stretch of the imagination and in fact things are getting worse. It's high time to lose the arrogance and start listening.

I can see these words on the page, so David Brown has to have written them, but I can barely believe my eyes:

"I think the major players have to look at this branding of terrorist organizations and maybe start communicating with them."

David, have you never heard the very-valid expression: "You can't negotiate with a terrorists," which I will expand to "You can never negotiate with terrorists."?

Where have you been in the past 15 years: Israel has communicated with Hezbollah and Hamas, the U.S. has communicated with Hezbollah and Hamas, the U.N. has communicated with Hezbollah and Hamas...

Do they EVER listen?

Update from Qana, aka Cana: "things" are going from worse to bad.

Red Cross says 28; obviously 29 are missing/in/action.

The Red Crescent report will clear this confusion. ...-

Red Cross publishes that 28 corpses evacuated from Qana, contrary to Lebanese reports that 57 people were killed Lebanon .... ynet

david - what does the word 'Jewery' mean? I'm not aware that it's in any dictionary. Do you mean Jews?

What do you mean by 'branding of terrorist organizations'? Do you mean that it's wrong to name them as 'terrorist'? What name should be given to them?

Actually, I think your facts are wrong about the 'hearts and minds' of southern Lebanese belonging to the Hezbollah. Many don't want them there, as they don't want to be involved with their agenda.

What do you mean by 'communicate with them'? The Hezbollah and Hamas organizations have an agenda, only one agenda. What is there to communicate about? They have communicated this agenda; and therefore, there is nothing more for them to say.

Which war are you talking about? The Israeli-Palestine conflict? The Islamic fascist agenda of world terrorism? The Iranian agenda of ME power? Which war?

We are, in my opinion, certainly winning the fascist war - but it will take time.
The Iranian agenda of ME domination will have to be dealt with by the ME states.
The Israeli-Palestinian situation has been sabotaged by both Islamic fascism and the Iranian agenda.

Could you explain what you mean by 'arrogance' and provide some examples? Even one?

Start listening? To what? To Bin Laden informing us that he wants us all dead? To the Iranian President informing us that the Holocaust never happened and he also, wants us all dead? To other imams preaching the same?
What is it that you are suggesting that we listen to?

new kid,

My knowledge of the situation is that the USA does not negotiate with terrorists. I take that to mean they do not communicate with them either. If you have hard evidence to the contrary I would like to see it.

I'm not saying we should give in to their demands. All I know as a contract negotiator is that if you fire missiles and launching warplanes at somebody, that is what you'll get back. However, if you communicate well (no matter how tough the client) and create trust it's amazing the results that can be obtained.

It's time we consider lulling these terrorists as missiles and rockets aren't working and in fact are antagonizing them into greater violence.

"All I know as a contract negotiator is that if you fire missiles and launching warplanes at somebody, that is what you'll get back"

Conveniently forgetting shitzbullah invaded, murdered and kidnapped IDF soldiers I see.

Never said that ONLY the educated vote. And by educated, I do not mean university educated or such. For the most part the woefully ignorant and the ones with no interest in more than themselves will not bother to vote. The ones who vote are generally going to be middle class or upper class.

We have a representative government. We do not elect them to make all decisions in a vacuum. We elect them but expect them to represent us and our ideals. Bread and circuses is not what we want but giving all responsibility over to those elected will get us just that.

The referendum on the Charlottetown Accord was approved by most politicians. The ignorant masses managed to call that one correctly.

Why should someone in Saskatchewan care about stumpage fees? Joe Blow in BC working in a hospital also has little concern.

The MSM works on the same principles as advertising. We all know we are being pandered to, yet we still watch advertising. When a company blows an advertising campaign crap happens. The MSM spouts their liberal nonsense and will continue until we force a change. This change is already happening with declining newspaper circulation, TV news declines etc. In the meantime, the sheep will keep listening until they wake up.

We need more gradual change. More examples of good government. Until people realise what good government looks like, they will keep re-electing the people that gives them flash over substance. The government has operated by pandering to all the groups. It seemed to work in the past. The Liberals and the NDP still think it will in the future.
enough

Hey David Brown, what say ISLAM reinvents itself so as to become more palatable to the rest of the world? Hmmmmmm???

This is where you and your limp-wristed ilk fall flat on your sissy faces and garner the label of "anti semite". (By telling the victim to kiss the bully's ass).

Call a spade a spade dufuss: Israel is the good guy. Hezbollah are TERRORISTS. Why can't you lefties compute this simple math? There IS such thing as black/white, right/wrong, despite what the touchy-feely pussy leftists tell you.

Is that why in the playground so many side with the bully? (don't rock the boat or he'll kick your ass too) Same goes for islamofacist terrorist scum, are you afraid to stand up to evil, or do you think that telling "jewery" to shut up and take their lumps your friendly neighborhood "Allahu Ahkbar" will not see you as an infidel? Give your head a shake, he'd just as soon slit your throat as a Jew's because you a weak horse decadent westerner and useful idiot in the advance of their convoluted "cause".

david brown - a terrorist group is not the same as a workers' union. It has nothing to negotiate; it has only one agenda - to drive you out. To negotiate with them gives them legitimacy as valid representatives of the people. They aren't valid representatives.

Would you negotiate with a criminal gang who demand that the police never enter 'their' section of town, and who demand 'safe protection fees' from the people who live in that section? Or would you move in and take them out, and give the town back to the people?

Terrorists are criminals. They have no validity as representatives of the people.

"I believe that Israel and Jewery have every right to a peaceful existence. It's just they're obviously not going about it in the correct manner."

Attention all Arabs who hate Israel and want Israel to be destroyed. This is Israel speaking, we just want to be your friend.

More correct manner, yes, David??

Let me get this straight mr. brown. Terrorists fire literally thousands of rockets into your country from a section of land that you previously occupied in order to prevent such a thing from happening in the first place, and you want to try to communicate with these terrorists? Every move the Israelis have done to try to appease the rifraf has done nothing but upset the Israeli settlers that had to give up their homes and businesses in Gaza so Hammas can have a closer base in which to toss rockets.

Better quit the hunger strike dude. you brain is being malnourished.

multirec,

I did not coveniently or intentionally forget the kidnapping of 2 or more IDF soldiers. That kidnapping was the spark that ignited the conflict. The fuel that stokes the war has been stockpiling on both sides of the border for quite a while now.

It should have never gotten to the point where so much fuel was stored in 1 place (the border region).

texas,

Since your brain is so well nourished please share with all of us what your solution is.

Your exact words, David Brown: "However, if you communicate well (no matter how tough the client) and create trust it's amazing the results that can be obtained."

WHA...???

Hezbollah, for a start, are not "clients." Whose "clients" are they? Second, maybe YOU could suggest how the Israelis are supposed to "communicate well" with the terrorists who have kidnapped their soldiers, killed some of them, and have lobbed missiles into Israel without warning any Israelis of the impending carnage, unlike the Israelis who warn the Lebanese of targeted areas BEFORE they attack so that civilians can leave before the missiles hit.

And it's possible to "create trust" behaving the way Hezbollah does? How should this trust be created between the Isralis and Hezbollah? I'd love to hear your prescription here.

In an ideal world, what you say might have some credence. But for you to make the statement you have just made just takes my breath away.

My last question: Why does it have to be Israel that makes all of the concessions? To quote Eskimo, "what say ISLAM reinvents itself so as to become more palatable to the rest of the world?" What say you to that idea?

As a competent professional negotiator, I can tell you that one of the biggest lessons in negotiating school is to know when to walk away from the table. A real negotiator recognizes when there's no point in further negotiation, you walk away and hope that, some day, other forces bring the other party back to the table in a different frame of mind. Of course, I'm talking about the real world where there's positive goals and and the parties are civilized, not B.S. endless meaningless fake negotiations with lying criminals who cannot be trusted.

new kid,

Clients are my frame of reference. I've dealt with ones that are every bit as wacked out as militant muslims, some just ranting and raving lunatics.

Usually it takes no more than sitting in a room until they run out of gas and realize this person across from them (me) is actually taking an interest in their concerns.

The one thing I've learned from leading a work force and through tough negotiations is that everybody wants to feel like someone who cares is listening.

If I were to rant and rave back everybody would just storm out of the room all pissed off with some seeking vengance...just like the ME everyone loses.

Dave, give Israel a couple of more weeks to clear Hezbollah out of a buffer zone. Then and only then should Isreal let Hezbollah try to open communications.

By the way, has Hezbollah tried to talk to anyone? I didn't think so.

anon,

There's a lot of truth to knowing when and how to walk away from the negotiating table. It's an art in itself and can be quite effective when done properly.

There's also methods for exposing BS, lies and nurturing trust.

Admittedly, there's no negotiating with the insane.

However, Hezbollah is too well organized to be led by insane people.

Leading your staff at a Mcdonalds is far different from negotiating with lying, murderers such as hezbollah.
Get a grip on reality, David.
enough

Pol Pot, Mao, Stalin, Lenin, Hitler. None insane as far as I know. Mass murderers all.
enough

Interesting commentary on the internal situation in Lebanon: http://www.ouwet.com/

EARTH TO DAVID BROWN, EARTH TO DAVID BROWN: COME IN...

Thanks ET, New Kid and Eskimo for bringing us back to earth from "Planet David Brown".

I think about five minutes in a room carefully listening to Hezbollah might redefine "wacked out" for DB.

Please help me, I've fallen into a troll trap!!

David Brown:

You claim to have experience having "dealt with ones that are every bit as wacked out as militant muslims" (What is a "militant muslim" anyway?....Same as an Islamofascist?) Have you ever negotiated for your life? Because that is what you are suggesting Israel do. Have you not heard that Hezbollah has made it their mandate to wipe Israel off the map? And you think it makes sense to communicate with these heathens. My Lord...you are pathetically naive.

People: If you find yourselves typing the word "troll" while responding to another commentor, and truly believe it to be the case - cancel your post and move on.

texas,

I just hope your right but with Iran and Syria supplying money as well as might this clearing process may never happen. Could be another Iraq with insurgents flooding in quicker than they can be cleared out.

Time will tell.

John,

As a mattter of fact I have. When I was 15 years old and was working late at a local covenience store a masked gunman stormed in and held a 38 calibre snubnose revolver to my head demanding cash. I could see the tips of the bullets in the chamber.

I gave him all the money in the till while talking softly to him. He ran out quickly and disappeared into the night.

Later at the police station I identified him out of a mug shot file and was also able to identify the weapon out of a book the police showed me.

This is a true story that really was a life altering experience. Nothing frightens me anymore.