Thar He Blows!

I've been watching CNN and reading some articles on the Internet about the Middle East crisis, and I'm feeling mighty angry and fed up with the whole, damn mess. I just posted the following comment on Colmar3000's site. It may sound totally out of character for me, especially if you've read much of this blog, but I think I'll agree with it even after my anger has subsided, because I think there comes a time when you just have to say enough is enough to groups like Hezbollah, to nations that allow them to operate inside their borders and attack other nations, and to nations that condemn the attacked nation for defending itself instead of condemning the attacker.

Thanks for the Krauthammer article and your other posts on this crisis. I can't help but agree with Krauthammer. I agree that Israel has a right to use massive force to defend itself if that's what it takes to succeed, and, for the most part, I believe that it has gone far out of its way to minimize the death of innocent people. I can't imagine any country, including the United States, being more restrained under that level of provocation.

I understand that Lebanese troups are engaging Israeli soldiers. What they should be doing is engaging Hezbollah and running them the hell out of the country, or helping Israel to do so. What they should have done is never allow Hezbollah to set up shop there in the first place, and if they were incapable of preventing it, they should have asked the international community for assistance.

I think Israel should warn the Lebanese government and civilians that, from this point forward, any sites from which Hezbollah launches missiles at Israel will be subject, without warning, to massive air strikes aimed at obliterating the aggressors and their hiding places, and if the Lebanese government wants to allow Hezbollah to continue its operations without opposition and if Lebanese civilians want to hang around where those operations are being conducted, then let them face the consequences.

I don't believe that the Israelis are saints and that the Palestinian people and even Hezbollah don't have legitimate grievances against them, but, in this instance, I believe that Israel is fully justified in taking the action it's taking and in taking far stronger action if need be.

Terrorist groups need to learn, for now and in the future, that they can no longer hide behind "human shields" without having those shields blown up in their faces, and governments need to learn that they can no longer allow terrorist groups to establish themselves in their countries and hide behind civilians in their aggressions against Israel or other nations.

This is a very hard line, and all the more so coming from me. But I'm coming more and more to agree with those who say that a soft line of attempted reconcilliation and appeasement just won't work against the likes of Hezbollah, al Queda, and other Islamicist thugs.