Billmon:
The problem is that there are many people in the IDF who are not cold-blooded murders, and by forcing them to choose whether to become such, Halutz and company have now put them in an increasingly intolerable position.
Back to Main
August 7, 2006
WB: Unsound Methods
Comments
Billmon, damn!
5000+ Israelis protest war
Haaretz reports on a major demonstration in Tel Aviv against the Israeli military assault on Lebanon:
More than 5,000 people marched in Tel Aviv on Saturday evening, to protest the ongoing Israel Defense Forces operation in Lebanon. Demonstrators set off from Dizengoff Street and marched along King George Street, which was closed to traffic, calling for an end to the conflict and the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Lebanon, and denouncing Defense Minister Amir Peretz.
Among the demonstrators was prominent Israeli writer and Tel Aviv deputy Mayor Yael Dayan, daughter of Israel’s most revered war hero, General Moshe Dayan. I’d like to see one of the shtarkers from AIPAC call her a “self-hating Jew” to her face!
Oh, and Jimmy Breslin: In case we all forgot, Americans are still dying in Iraq
Posted by: Uncle $cam | Aug 7 2006 6:17 utc | 1
I seriously doubt whether an American pilot would bat an eyelash before pulling the trigger or pushing the button or whatever it is they pull or push — as we’ve seen repeatedly in Iraq.
Not sure about the Air Force, but there were certainly US personnel at Abu Graib who refused orders to participate in torturing prisoners (a couple of dog trainers come to mind among others).
Seems when higher ups cowardly disown responsibility for the actions of their subordinates, it’s every bad apple’s conscience for himself.
That’s one reason the brass don’t want a draft. There was considerable refusing of orders in Vietnam w/a draft as well.
Posted by: jj | Aug 7 2006 6:27 utc | 3
As I said on my long OT post: Lies will destroy a country faster than weapons. Israel has more to fear fom its own population for its lies, than any Hizbullah rockets.
Posted by: Malooga | Aug 7 2006 6:27 utc | 4
Just passing this semi-scuttlebut info on …
Can’t vouch for this cite. But if true, better batten down the hatches…
cause this storm is gonna be a doosie.
US/Israel Selecting First-Strike Cruise Missile Targets… ?
Multiple military sources have told the Global Network that Pentagon personnel responsible for selecting targets for cruise missile first strike attacks have been sent to Israel.
This indicates that U.S. and Israeli military strategists are now likely meeting to plan a join attack on Syria and/or Iran.
The Persian Gulf war and the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq both began with cruise missile attacks by the U.S. from Naval ships.
It would be wise to recognize that Bush has decided to expand the current war and chaos into the entire Middle East region. The implications for the U.S. will be enormous.
Israel’s recent bombing of Lebanon near the Syrian border indicate to me that they are trying to draw a response from Syria. So far Syria has not responded. Look for more such efforts by Israel and the U.S. to provoke Syria.
I would highly recommend local peace groups call on their members of Congress and ask them to speak out against a further widening of this already insane war.
More and larger public protests should be organized immediately.
Bruce K. Gagnon Coordinator
Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space
PO Box 652 Brunswick, ME 04011 (207) 729-0517
http://www.space4peace.org global…@mindspring.com
space4peace.blogspot.com (our blog)
I don’t think this is propagenda, however, again I can’t say I can vouch for the info.
Posted by: Uncle $cam | Aug 7 2006 7:01 utc | 5
I don’t know if this is the right place to put this, but one thing is now absolutely certain:
This whole scenario – at least for the moment – is a disaster for the White House. Lebanon and now Syria are both feeling powerful enough to thumb their noses rather than knuckle under. And Peretz looks like a buffoon, he’s being undermined and derided by senior IDF officers (and has been for days even by some bold enough to speak to the media). Mostly right now, though, it’s the WH in the hot seat with a disaster on its hands. Maybe this disaster right now could be saving us from a bigger one down the road. Maybe.
There’s always that neocon doubling down thing, except politicians like to let go of losing bets as soon as possible.
Posted by: 2nd anonymous poster | Aug 7 2006 7:12 utc | 7
Uncle, I saw this, but having zippo interest in military details, I don’t understand what new capability this gives Israel.
Posted by: jj | Aug 7 2006 7:14 utc | 8
Agreed 2nd. There have been virtually daily demonstrations in the Arab world against Israel & US. The longer this drags on, I expect the more vehement will grow the opposition. Hopefully, it will lead the Saudis to withdraw their support in ways Wash. can’t ignore …you wanna petrodollars…you wanna have them recycled back to your country…well..then no more invasions kiddies…or something along those lines…
Posted by: jj | Aug 7 2006 7:17 utc | 9
someone sent me that link this morning uncle but i couldn’t find any resources that backed it up tho i googled. maybe he is just really connected. this is making the rounds of listserves.
Posted by: annie | Aug 7 2006 7:20 utc | 10
yeah, I broke my own rule. I usually wait till others pick it up, my rule is two other bloggers for colobration. Sorry kids…
Here, have this: (Remember reporting? Asking questions etc…bet ya forgot…)
Cutting through Israel’s propaganda war in the US
Posted by: Anonymous | Aug 7 2006 7:29 utc | 11
The U.S. emptied its Cruise missile stocks during Shock and Awe. Now they’ve had three years in which to build up the stock again.
You can be confident that part of the war gaming going on now (and the scenario training that took place long before hostilities) included using cruise missiles against targets inside Syria and Iran, should these nations take steps (or be provoked to take steps) against U.S. interests.
Having targeting specialists working together with Israelis, inside Israel, meanst that the U.S. has fully joined “the good fight”, apparently. Birth pangs, my ass – this one will be full systemic failure soon.
Posted by: SteinL | Aug 7 2006 7:54 utc | 12
The Peace Process: so close and now so far…
Increasing corroboration of the story of how Shin Bet scuppered unprecedented peace negotiations that made the current war in Lebanon inevitable, from a mainstream daily newspaper in New Zealand (of all places — why aren’t newspapers in London, Washington and Tel Aviv covering this?). The author of the piece, Chris Trotter, is a well-known political commentator in that country. Here, he draws on the reporting by myself (which was based on that of my colleague Graham Ennis from the Omega Institute) and Israeli journalist Arthur Neslan, as well as it seems his own sources to show how the entire narrative of the Middle East crisis has been subverted in favour of Israeli aggression.
“So close and now so far”
THE DOMINION POST
New Zealand
04 August 2006
why aren’t newspapers in London, Washington and Tel Aviv covering this?
Q. Why aren’t newspapers in London, Washington covering this???
A. ‘Cos they are in on it
Also see:
Lebanon: Invasion was on eve of peace agreement
And if these are true, –and I believe they are, that makes Israel as well as the U.S. accessories before the fact or “aiding and abetting” in legal parlance, which then means, it was planned ahead of time. The only question left is why. And I suspect we will know soon enough.
Bonus quote:
“if Israel, America and Britain succeed, I warn you not to be Iranian, I warn you not to be Syrian, I warn you not to be a Palestinian, I warn you not to be Iraqi … but if they lose tomorrow, I warn you not to be Mubarak, or Abdullah or the King of Saudi Arabia.”~St. George Galloway
Posted by: Uncle $cam | Aug 7 2006 8:53 utc | 13
gerrr #11 was unca..I implore you guys/gals to check that link out…
Posted by: Uncle $cam | Aug 7 2006 8:58 utc | 14
The only question left is why.
Because you can’t dominate the world through peace. You can’t sustain a hollow war economy through peace.
It is about time for anti-war activists to face the fact that the hollowing out and militarization of the US economy may have proceeded too far to reverse itself in any way but complete catastrophic failure. This is the single greatest threat facing the world. Europe knows it, but is powerless, and so appeases the monster.
Bush may be leading the disastrous flight forward, but it is this rotten economic edifice which impels him on.
Our only hope is to keep praying that Bush continues to fail as catastrophically in the future as he has in the past.
Lebanon was an even more spectacular, and less deadly, failure than Iraq. If he follows this trajectory, then we are very close to safety.
Posted by: Malooga | Aug 7 2006 12:21 utc | 15
Re Malooga #15,
Malooga, I hope you are right regarding U.S. failures but I don’t see it. Lebanon isn’t over yet, and may easily degenerate into even more massive death and destruction. Continued Bush/U.S. failures does not necessarily mean less death and destruction for the future. As Iraq becomes more of a failure with each passing day, innocent people seem to be dying more than ever in the MidEast. Continued failure may not stop the flight forward to an Iran/WWIII fiasco either. If Bush follows his same trajectories, everyone will be in big trouble, no one will be “very close to safety”.
I do agree that anti-war activists will have little effect, especially without a draft. Right now, too many people are apathetic. Unfortunately, offensive bombing campaigns do not need many troops. I think it would take impeachment now to stop this madness and I am losing hope there.
Posted by: Rick Happ | Aug 7 2006 16:43 utc | 16
Malooga #15–
You are SO optimistic. You cracked me up 😀
You are probably right though. The United States is now fated to collapse. That might not have been true even as late as the spring of 2004, but so much has changed since that non-collapse scenarios are now completely ruled out. Only the timing and the process are obscure.
Posted by: Gaianne | Aug 8 2006 7:51 utc | 17