7/20 Middle East Live Thread

FR Live Thread ^ | 7/20/06 | me

[txrangerette]

Fox and friends was showing some footage of several evacuees as they blabbed to the media after getting out. One guy with dual Lebanese and American citizenship (or was he just a Lebanese American...it gets so confusing) blasted "George Bush and Israel" over and over on a long rant.

He was bummed out about them in regard to EVERYTHING. Israel started bombing during a wedding he was attending. Bush is helping Israel massacre civilians. Israel isn't really just defending herself as Bush said but is an aggressor. He got out of Lebanon but family members he was visiting can't leave...they're Lebanese, and he's so sad leaving them behind because Israel is going to bring an even greater disaster on Lebanon, thanks to Bush. And everyone he knows feels the same way.....

I'm sorry, but he made me wish he had been left to rot (or worse) in the control of Hezbollah. And I don't normally react that way. I'm so angry, guess my sense of justice and fair play and truth was so overwhelmingly violated, I let it get the better of me!

[television is just wrong]

The U.S. does not recognize dual citizenships, not to say they don't exist.

[sageb1]

"Middle Eastern politics, as practiced by those states hostile to the West, is just disinformation and two-faced deception cloaked in dissimulation."

Right. We would do well to remember that this same deception is also practiced by the American Muslim organizations inside the U.S. Every time you see a CAIR or MPAC rep on the news, you can assume he or she is lying.

[JustaCowgirl]

It makes your blood boil listening to these ungrateful sods, doesn't it?

It's all about THEM. The rest of the world be damned.

[mtbopfuyn]

Elazon, who left his native Lebanon 34 years ago, was with his 20-year-old daughter, Anna, who was visiting the country for the first time. His wife departed just before the fighting erupted.

Now see, here's sort of another one. Don't families travel together anymore? Why was he and his daughter staying? Mom is back in the states but dad and the kid/s are in the ME.

[television is just wrong]

thanks.

[mtbopfuyn]

Make that Helen's great-great-great grandson.

[debg]

David Merhige

[RDTF]

that guy needs to be sent back asap

[txrangerette]

Yes, nevermind the TERRORISTS. They're barely even incidental, bit players in a drama about THIS GUY and his hatred of Bush and Israel and even his own country, the United States of America.

[AdmSmith]

I got a copy of the letter that Ahmadinejad sent to Germany yesterday. It is very similar to the letter that was sent to President Bush, so I have deleted most of the pseudo-philosphical stuff. Here goes:

Mrs. Angela Merkel,
Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany,

For some time now I have been thinking, how one can justify the undeniable contradictions that exist in the international arena and which are being constantly debated, especially in political forums and among university students. Can we trust the will of the people?, do all humans have equal rights?, are there such things as freedom of thought, conscience, expression, opinion and religion?

snip

Young people, university students, and ordinary people have many questions about the phenomenon of Israel. I am sure you are familiar with some of them. Why is this regime being supported? Is support for this regime in line with the teachings of Jesus Christ (PBUH) or Moses (PBUH) or liberal values? Or are we to understand that allowing the original inhabitants of these lands, i.e. homo erectus or homo ergaster -- inside and outside Palestine -- whether they are Christian, Muslim, or Jewish, to determine their own faith runs contrary to principles of democracy, human rights, and the teachings of the prophets?

snip

Chancellor, history tells us that repressive and cruel governments do not survive. God has entrusted the fate of man to them. The Almighty has not left the universe and humanity to their own devices. Many things have happened contrary to the wishes and plans of governments.

Can one deny the signs of change in the world today? Is this situation of the world today comparable to that of 27 years ago? Changes happen fast and come at a furious pace. The people of the world are not happy with the status quo and pay little heed to the promises and comments of a number of influential world leaders. Many people around the world feel insecure and oppose the spread of insecurity and war and do not approve of or accept dubious policies undertaken by our government. The people are protesting the increasing gap between the haves and the have-nots and the rich and poor. The people are disgusted with increasing corruption in my country. The people of many Islamic countries are angry about the attacks on their cultural foundations and the disintegration of families. They are equally dismayed with the fading of care and compassion.

snip

Chancellor whether we like it or not, the world is gravitating toward faith in the Almighty and justice and the will of God will prevail over all things.

Peace to him who follows the rightfully guided Mahmud Ahmedintheyard
President of the Islamic Republic of Iran

P.S. Are you an Angel?

[RDTF]

what a sweet photo that is

[redgolum]

Self ping for later.

Anything big coming up today?

[Rte66]

There might be a tiny ray of hope, now that I've thought about it.

A 12-year-old girl from here in town was in Lebanon for the first time with her father, who is Lebanese. Her mother is American and the girl is native-born in America, too. The parents are divorced. I was never clear as to whether the father in a naturalized American or not - they just said Lebanese. The daughter was traveling with him.

They got out through Syria the first day. The mom had been frantic, so got on TV to cry about it. (She was nice, I didn't mean for it to sound that way - the media sought her out.)

They eventually got to Rome, then Paris, then home to Houston. Cameras were at the passenger lounge to welcome them home, right at the door of the jetway.

The young girl came out, her mom hugged her, her little friends hugged her, she got flowers - so on. I'm sure she had been scared to death and was still in shock, as she never smiled and she kept her head down. Her mom had to push the baseball cap up on her forehead so you could see her face. She did seem more animated when her friends welcomed her.

The camera kept waiting and waiting, focusing on the door - no Dad ever came out. She talked a bit about her dad bribing their way out of the country and through Syria. How lucky they were that he spoke Arabic. Still no Dad coming off the plane.

Eventually, they cut away and the news anchor said the dad had been detained at Immigration. I don't know why, they never said or followed up with it. Can you imagine if there was something in their custody agreement or something like that - like not going overseas or only staying a certain amount of time, whatever - and then war breaks out?

I did see the dad later; he's a firefighter here and seemed OK. Now, that was just one single evacuation, not a whole glob of a crowd - but maybe someone really is checking each and every one out as they arrive. We can hope!

[debg]

He made me wish evil thoughts on his tongue piercing.