Posted on 08/16/2006 3:15:27 PM PDT by A. Pole
KHIAM, Lebanon, Aug. 15 -- In military-style black shirt and pants, Abu Shaker had a gait that was a little light for someone in combat boots. He smiled through his red-tinted beard, as returning residents waved and shouted greetings. And he pointed with authority, guiding a bulldozer plowing the streets of this Shiite Muslim town, blocked by refuse from a month-long barrage of air raids and shelling.
For 34 days, Abu Shaker was a Hezbollah fighter. By 6:30 a.m. Tuesday, he had taken charge as a relief worker.
"We're going to work until we open all the streets in the city," he said, as the bulldozer thundered across a road.
He looked around at the town, nearly every house scarred. "Whatever the people need, we'll do it for them," he said.
[...]
More than simple reconstruction, the task before Hezbollah could decide the shape of postwar Lebanon. Nasrallah's order Monday to begin rebuilding -- without government coordination or approval -- poses one of the biggest tests for Lebanon's already weak government, which in the aftermath of the war has pledged to exercise its uncontested control all the way to the Israeli border.
[...]
Into the 1970s, some of the villagers here had no roads, hospitals or schools.
In that environment, Hezbollah distinguished itself as a social organization by its lack of corruption, ability to mobilize its people and success in fulfilling its promises. After the last Israeli campaign in 1996, Hezbollah said it repaired 5,000 Lebanese homes, rebuilt roads and provided compensation to 2,300 farmers.
[...]
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
I am all for understanding in the name of destroying them, but nothing more.
Armed With Iran's Millions, Fighters Turn To RebuildingA caller on El-Rushbo today made the excellent point of how the MSM highlights the Hezbos' reconstruction of Lebanon, but what of our military's far more numerous reconstruction projects in Iraq?
The US is only dedicating hundreds of billions to the reconstruction of Iraq.Iran is dedicating millions to the reconstruction of Lebanon! </sarcasm>
They don't want any foreign construction companies to get in there and find all the bunkers and weapon stashes, we can wait to see which building they rebuild first, thus are the buildings with bunker under them.
Rush was hilarious today suggesting the 'Hezbos' take over in place of the Red Cross (while blasting the NYT) for relief efforts since they got in so quick.
I think the western media has graudated to a new term. Rather than "drive by media" "main stream media" etc, I like to adapt Bush's quote and call them the "pro facist media." Or you could take it one step further, "collaborationist media".
Either way, they are accurately described as America hating bastards.
Which, of course, will be diverted to the Hezzballess, so their agents can pose and take credit.
Meanwhile, the EVIL U.S. and Israelis will continue to be portrayed as aggressors, and the innocent Lebonese, the victims of the aggression.
The world will still have enough pleasant people without these 9th-century barbarians that murder their own and their neighbors' kids as easy as 1-2-3!
HF
Good point. OTOH, the early Zionists didn't have underground bunkers filled with weapons and a 20,000+ missile collection worth over a billion dollars.
"the positions of Hezbollah fighter and relief worker are interchangeable."
Just ask the UN!
For 34 days, Abu Shaker was a Hezbollah fighter. By 6:30 a.m. Tuesday, he had taken charge as a relief worker.
As Freeper Go Army.com puts it:
"I think the western media has graduated to a new term. Rather than "drive by media" "main stream media" etc, I like to adapt Bush's quote and call them the "pro fascist media." Or you could take it one step further, "collaborationist media"."
"Either way, they are accurately described as America hating bastards."
=========
Amen to that.
Only millions?
Let them spend the billions they'd use to create innocent blood and war to instead rebuild what can be destroyed again unless they disarm and behave.
So if Habitat for Humanity acquires lots of automatic weapons and a bunch of rockets and antitank missiles to "deal with" the Hispanics that the HfH board has suddenly decided are "undesirables", it's OK?
It's beyond Kafkaesque...
"collaborationist media" works - then again, there's nothing wrong with
America hating bastards...
LOL so true..
I do not know about US dedicating hundreds of billions and Hezbollah/Iran contribution is going to be much larger than few millions.
Still, the key thing is to remember that US billions might be going to US based contractors and cost of US operations while Hezbollah/Iran's millions go to the local people whose services are incomparably cheaper.
In addition the money paid to the Lebanese workers will circulate locally causing multiplier effect and their efforts will not be sabotaged by the insurgents. Also the south of Lebanon has the population several times smaller.
So 10 million there might equal at least US billion in Iraq.
The total US expenditure in Iraq does run to the hundreds of billions - all of which is for the purpose of converting Iraq from a despotism which conducted a civil war of sorts against Iraq's people. Whatever it cost to conquer Saddam's forces you might deduct from the total if you wish, but that would be no more than the half of it, and you are still talking hundreds of billions, I think, in reconstruction and security efforts.and Hezbollah/Iran contribution is going to be much larger than few millions.
Perhaps so - but much of my sarcasm was directed at the article for mentioning "millions" as if that were real money in context. If a few millions - which is all the headline really indicates - is enough to fix Lebanon, then the collateral damage of Israel's attacks on Hezbollah is not only less than the news reports tried to suggest but even less than I supposed.Still, the key thing is to remember that US billions might be going to US based contractors and cost of US operations while Hezbollah/Iran's millions go to the local people whose services are incomparably cheaper.
In addition the money paid to the Lebanese workers will circulate locally causing multiplier effect and their efforts will not be sabotaged by the insurgents. Also the south of Lebanon has the population several times smaller.
IOW, the problem of reconstruction of Lebanon is not a humanitarian catastrophe but essentially trivial. But Lebanon would, the implication of the article is, be eternally endebted to Hezbollah for restoring South Lebanon to the status quo ante - which will unfortunately include the real purpose of Hezbollah, arming up for another battle with Israel.So 10 million there might equal at least US billion in Iraq.
. . . which still leaves a factor of a couple hundred between the likely Iranian reconstruction effort and the US reconstruction effort in Iraq.And the battle which Hezbollah plans will threaten Israel more effectively and that will force Israel to take the gloves off and cause more damage to South Lebanon than this last battle did. Which is all too certain to cancel out this reconstruction entirely, thereby mooting your assumed 100:1 advantage in cost effectiveness of Iranian vs US reconstruction.
Of course it has to be reckoned that a cut-and-run Democratic Congress in '07-'08 could moot the US effort in Iraq just about as effectively . . .
Armed terrorist groups are just another NGO to the WaPo.
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