War...again in the Middle East

To All,

The last set of weeks we have seen a crisis (if one can call it a crisis when viewed through a historical lens) of uneven proportions in Israel and Lebanon. Like the volcanoes of the world, the undercurrent of hatred, injustice, and fear have caused an erruption of war that grips two nations with displacement and hardening personal, racial and religious views of each other. It is no secret that Israel has the upper hand when it comes to military might. Afterall, their gunships are American made, their tanks, rifles, artillery pieces and some practices are American. They attack and enter a nation that has, as a part of their people, the group Hezbollah. I wonder...?

What would happen if the Mexican government said that the Klan, operating inside the United States were creating terroist type attacks inside of their country by running drugs and or weapons that were killing their people. Would we allow a foreign military to attack "strongholds" of the Klan and then move their military into our nation to seek out these people Mexico has determined as terroists?

I don't support terrorists nor do I support cowards who kill innocent people anywhere in the world. I am just amazed at the world's response to Israel attacking Lebanon. I know they say it is to push Hezbollah out and end their ability to create terror on Israel, but is that possible? By all military accounts you cannot kill off people who fight the cause because they are everyday people. Hezbollah members are community members. They are shop owners and they are construction workers and civil servants. They are the people of their community. As this is the case, their families and friends are benefiting from the "humanity" they provide their own when the larger society, somewhat dominated by ethnic differences and hatred, fail to address human issues for all. Therefore, the members of Hezbollah fight, some die, and new ones are created.

I wonder how long it will be before Lebanon, as a nation, will decide to allow foreign soldiers destroying their nation. Israel has said it is not just after the soldiers that Hezbollah fighters have taken, it is also after a larger mission that involves the nation of Lebanon. It sounds familiar to the US position on the war on terror. We knew Iraq was not responsible for 9-11, but we found a way to invade that nation and occupy it because of a threat that we thought could happen. It is a unique phenomena to witness the world asking the US to broker a peace deal for Lebanon when we told the world just three years ago that we have the right to eliminate threats to the US. Israel is saying the very same thing and I don't see how the influence of the US can work to provide relief to the people of Lebanon when we have not found out how to provide relief to the people of Iraq.

Iraq-funny how for a short time Iraq escapes modern media. The story there is the same. US generals have moved troops back into Baghdad. Civilians are dying daily in large numbers. No one is able to stop the two warring groups from killing each other. The leader of Iraq says he will not have his nation fall into civil war-some say you are already there.

In the middle of all of this are hundreds of people displaced. Homes and lifes uprooted and destroyed. Death and hatred are in large supply. Peace, love and tolerance almost extinct. What will the US do to help? Can we tell a nation to stop doing what we are doing? Time will tell.