Those five of you who read this here blog know that I am not one to pull punches. I have an opinion. I write my opinion about certain things on this blog. If you agree or disagree with my opinions, you can comment below the particular opinion I wrote. Not terribly sophisticated, but the older I am getting the less I seem to desire sophistication.
Occasionally, I like to read Nashville's first (and only) major news network blog aggregator with full blog posting and commentary- Nashville Is Talking (NIT). NIT was created by Mike Sechrist, one of the directors of NewsChannel 2 here in Nashville, and Sechrist selected one of Nashville's longest running bloggers to "man (woman?) the posts" so to speak, Brittney Gilbert. Ms. Gilbert is a very nice woman. I have met her before at the very first Nashville Bloggers meet up. Ms. Gilbert is unabashedly liberal and progressive. I don't think she'd mind me stating this as fact. If she doesn't, well, you'll probably hear about it on NIT.
Because of Ms. Gilbert's political slant, the majority of the political posts at NIT tend to be liberally biased. I will admit that she doesn't seem to consciously attempt to be biased, and she does try at times to throw some balance in. But I have stopped visiting as much recently at NIT because the quality of debate there between opposing viewpoints has continued its downward spiral towards "either you're a liberal and hate Bush and his neoconfascistoilgrubbingwarmongerers" or "you're an idiot Coulter/Limbaugh fellater." Used to be a little more broad, now, not so much.
I recently couldn't resist commenting on a discussion Brittney posted about one of the latest cartoons from my favorite political cartoonists- Cox and Forkum.
The comments immediately descended to the following-these are the first three.
"Continuing the myth of Israel's Victimization with quality artistry."
"The most hilariously disingenuous misrepresentation here is the pope: "You're hurting civilians."
Israel isn't hurting civilians -- they are killing them."
You show me a Cox and Forkum cartoon, and I'll show you an unlikely victim. What a tired formula."
I am done attempting to have a discussion there about this issue, or any other for that matter. It is a pointless waste of pixels.
Here is my perspective on the situation in Israel right now.
Whatever Israel needs to do to stop the armed militias from Hamas and Hezbollah from killing their citizens, they should do. If that means forcing the militias to disarm by killing each and every last person pointing a weaapon at Israel, so be it. Israel has a right to defend itself, and even more so from people who rabidly preach that their entire country should be destroyed, that every last Jew be driven in to the sea.
I can tell you that the US wouldn't show as much restraint as Israel has if the US had to put up with the equivalent of an Oklahoma City bombing once a week. And yet we have US politicians openly calling for "Israeli restraint".
Screw That. Israel, do what you have to do.
The Sane people in the US are behind you full stop.
One of the links I posted at NIT during the comments back and forth hit very close to home for me. There was an 8 old year boy who was one of the victims killed on my birthday, November 26th, 2002, by a suicide bomber who killed 11 total that day. What freaks me out is that he looks JUST LIKE I DID WHEN I WAS 8. Say what you want about the equivalent palestinian 8 year old, the Israeli Defense Forces don't have suicide bombers. If they wanted dead 8 year olds, there would be piles of them.
That there aren't should tell you something. I wish for a speedy end to the violence, and a full recognition of Israels right to exist from the surrounding nation. I don't want to see any innocent life taken on either side.
But Israel is officially out of options.
As always, I defer to comedian Larry Miller to truly express in accurate terms the nature of the intifada- he's better with the words.
"Whosoever Blesses Them"
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