Saturday, July 29, 2006

Israel's Plight

There is no high tech weapon in the world that can defeat hate. Evidence of this is that the most militarily sophisticated machine in the world has been bogged down in a war of attrition for the past three years against Iraqi citizens that build weapons from under their kitchen sinks. And the more they kill Iraqis, the more hate they manufacture.

Israel, no stranger to hatred in the Middle East, has suddenly taken the spotlight away from America. The Israelis however are in a much more perilous position than the American state or the American people. The Israeli people have been duped. They have been duped by their own politicians and by America. The Israeli State receives three billion dollars annually from America as their foothold in the oil rich Middle East. A foothold that will soon become obsolete and will be disposed of.

The fallacy of serving death and destruction to the Lebanese, the Palestinians, and to Muslims in general, places the Israeli people in an extremely precarious situation. Israel is surrounded by approximately one billion Muslims; a population that is increasingly willing to do anything to rid their region of the Israeli war machine.

The people of Israel have been sold a bill of goods that will result in either their destruction in one fell swoop, or, in a best case scenario, their sons and daughters for generations will be fending off a constant barrage of attacks. This bill of goods is provided by and sold to them by the American State. Beside the three billion dollars in military aid they receive from America, they buy even more in weaponry from arms sellers.

The notion of using fear, death and destruction to ensure security is as daft as it appears to be. This approach has been in place for decades; and what is the result? Israel is in more danger now than ever. And as time goes by, the danger increases. The futility of this is clear. It's not like this scenario is new. Israel has been trying to secure themselves through force for decades and it is now in a deeper and more dangerous hole then ever before.

In 1978 Israel invaded Lebanon in order to maintain security. They secured a 12 mile strip of land in southern Lebanon as a buffer. In 1882 Begin and Sharon tried to crush the PLO with a new and deeper invasion. In this bloody mess, the Israelis allied with right wing fascists in Lebanon and slaughtered thousands of Palestinians. The Americans also supported this fiasco and shelled poor Palestinian settlements. All in all, they manufactured sufficient hate that the Americans were chased out, running for their lives. Out of this, Hezbollah emerged a powerful and potent force that had not only driven out the Americans, but the Israelis as well.

And now, in 2006, Israel, at the behest of the USA, is repeating the same mistakes all over again. And now, the situation in the full Middle East is far more unstable. And now, the Muslim populations are far more politicized and organized to fight. Now, if you are Israeli, is no time to bang war drums.

America has clearly become far more ambitious in their designs on control of oil and petro-dollars. They have become far more savage than any modern state has been in living memory. To suggest that they are using Israel to further its aims is not unreasonable. There isn't any doubt, especially in light of their recent public proclamations. They have brought Israel onto their own front lines in a global war for oil.

The Breaking Point

In the Middle East, America holds in place numerous dictators that operate against the wishes and interests of their own populations and in the interests of themselves and in the interests of America. This is a growing source of tension and the spoiled royals of Saud, the quisling dictator in Pakistan, Musharraf, as well as all the rest of the tyrants in that region are up against increasing hostility. The mad American State fully intends to install dictatorial puppets in Lebanon, Syria, and Iran. Even without this developing pressure in the Middle East, there is increasing strain between the dictators and the people. It is tension that will eventually break. It may snap in a unified Muslim rebellion where they are all thrown out in one movement or, it may be a matter of ongoing and disparate rebellions. In any case, the situation is bleak for the people of Israel. America will cut and run eventually, as they do, when the situation gets to a certain point. And long before they do, they will abandon Israel.

The alliance between American corporate interests and the anti-Arab racist politicians of Israel provides the Israeli politicians free reign to slaughter Palestinians with impunity. Their reasoning is that if life is miserable enough in Gaza and the West Bank, the Palestinians will leave and settle in Jordan, Lebanon, and elsewhere. What it is doing is manufacturing hatred, to the extreme, not only in Palestine, but all over the Islamic world and even in the non-Islamic world. What few understand is that this is not the work of the Israeli people, but part of the systematic push to subjugate the peoples of the Middle East, a push from the unholy alliance between Washington and the racist politicians in control in Israel.

Condi Rice's recent statement that America intends to create a new Middle East is an admission that they intend to explicitly dominate the region. They will change the map of the Middle East and first on the list is undoubtedly Iraq. The civil war they have created will make gerrymandering seem a brilliant stroke in peacemaking. In so doing, they will punish the Sunnis into a future of poverty and at the same time, have better control of petro-dollars from Shiite regions. That is the plan.

As America deals with increased hostility, that hostility will be directed toward Israel. Israel finds itself in increasing danger as America grows ever bolder in its quest to control the economies of the world. But Israel in not an American state and when it is no longer feasible for them to funnel billions into Israel, Israel will be on its own. If there is a notion that America will remain loyal to Israel when the going gets tough, the nature of monopoly capitalism is out of focus.

America will not succeed in their subjugation of the people of the Middle East. It's a matter of time. The specious and forced politics of the Middle East naturally builds tension and resistance movements; movements that are becoming ever more politically and militarily savvy. The Saudis vast military expenditures will not save them. The Egyptian puppets will fall under the weight of increasing Islamic radicalism. The military dictator in Pakistan will assassinated or forced out. Whatever is installed in Iraq will have to endure war until it is gone. The royals in Kuwait will have to flee to America when the people of Middle Eastern nations organize sufficiently to rise against the dictators. The King of Jordan will be right behind them. This American adventure will make Vietnam a tea party in contrast.

At some point, America will abandon Israel. Then what? What will be the fate of the Israeli people? The Americans can go home.

The Logic of Peace

Much Israeli support for war and a strong defense is grounded in noble sentiment. They see themselves surrounded in a sea of hate and are fearful for their sons and daughters, their neighbours, and themselves. They want protection and the mafioso of the planet is offering it up on a silver platter. Uncle Sam smiles and provides all the latest weapon gagetry and dictates to Israeli leaders what to do. It's not hard to see how and why the people get sucked into this nefarious deal with the devil.

If we examine the situation in a purely logical way, we may suggest that Israel is arming itself and attacking enemies as a result of the hatred that exists, locally, against them. Further deepening the hatred is going to result in what? Peace? Do the people of Israel want their sons and daughters to live like this into the distant future? If so, how long will it be before something really horrible happens to the land and the people of Israel?

For the sake of the future, for the sake of not only peace for the children of Israel, but for the well being of the Lebanese, the Palestinians, and the people of the Middle East in general, tireless efforts must be made to forge peace and stop the violence. Unity between Israelis and Palestinians must be established. Hate mongers and fear mongers on both sides have been in control for far too long. It's time to stand up against them and it's time to stop being duped by American madness.

Peace is possible. If you were told in 1980 that the mighty USSR would fall without a shot being fired, you wouldn't believe it. If you were told that peace would happen in Northern Ireland, you wouldn't believe it. Peace is not only possible, but there is no choice. Think of the alternative. What is it? To implant more stooges loyal to America that are against the people from Afghanistan to Morocco? The reality for Israel is that it exists within a sea of Islam, and the potential for peace in that sea is tremendous. If you don't believe that, pick up a Koran. The sons and daughters of Lebanon and the sons and daughters of Israel and the sons and daughters of Palestine deserve peace. More than anything else, you all deserve peace.

Although, at this point, conciliation may sound absurd, but it isn't. In fact, there is no choice. And peace, realistically, is more than just the cessation of violence. It is also the cessation of silent violence; the violence of hunger, oppression, racism and so on. There are many Israelis that hunger for it and there are many Palestinians that hunger for it. Get on the internet, get together, make in happen in spite of the politicians, the hate mongers, and the Americans. It is time to scream for peace, as many of us here outside Israel having been doing since the Americans started slaughtering Muslims. It is no time to walk peacefully and silently and merely show a good example. It is time to jump up and down, to face the politicians and the war mongers and to demand an end to the collective, nationalistic, insanity that will result in the death of your family members and neighbours as well as a lifetime of fear and trepidation for those that continue on. Nobody should have to live this way.

This is not to suggest that all the problems are the fault of Israel. In fact, there is no time to assign blame. Let historical wrongs, on both sides, stand in history. To end the legacy of violence, is to develop a future; period. There is only time to accept responsibility and to be generous, to accept your enemies as brothers. Because, at the end of the day, the average Joe in Israel and the average Joe in Palestine have far more in common with each other than either of them do with Bush, Bin Laden, or Sharon.

Saturday, July 22, 2006

A New Front: Not a New War

The bombing and upcoming invasion of Lebanon is not a new war. It is a third and massive new front on an ongoing gambit aimed at subduing the whole of the Middle East. Afghanistan, Iraq, and now Lebanon are flash points in American designs on ideally positioning themselves in the middle of the global chessboard. Control of this area is important at a time when Asian thirst for oil is growing.

The USA is installing, as Chomsky puts it, "a unipolar world" where the USA aims to subdue all. Nothing will be able to challenge its absolute power. In such a world, the USA takes on the role of the UN. There is no need for a proper United Nations because the USA is to be the Imperial World Ruler. With the role of world dictator secure, it will deal with opposition with ruthless brutality and efficiency. This has started. The UN has been deemed irrelevant by the New World Order. Kofi Annan is a lost voice in the wilderness while the real politics of American international domination dictate real politics. As for ruthless brutality, the USA has been busy redefining what is acceptable in terms of state ruthlessness over the past several years. At this point, we wouldn't be surprised at anything except perhaps for the use of nuclear weapons.

The Middle East is to be subject to the rule of the Chalabis, the Allawis, and future quislings. The ongoing authoritarian rulers, the kings and tyrants in Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and others are secured by American support. Threats to them are designated as terrorist. The Shah of Iran was planted and secured by American oil interests. The people of Iran have overthrown through a popular uprising. America is hell bent on not only preventing a recurrence, they aim to secure, subdue and pacify the whole region. The problem for them is, the more they try, the more elusive the goal becomes.

It is a gambit and a gambit that is doomed to fail. Just as they have underestimated the resolve and determination of Iraqis, they are in for lesson they will never forget in Lebanon. Pity the people that live there on both sides of the borders; the Lebanese and the Israelis. It is they that will pay the price.

Lebanon

The war hawks have aimed at the weakest targets they can find. Contrary to expectations, the America/Israeli war machine's next target was the relatively impotent Lebanon as opposed to Syria or Iran. But we might have guessed and would have if we respected the law of American cowardice properly.

Lebanon has been a pro-Western nation for the most part. That it also houses many Palestinians and Islamic populations has been an important factor - alongside that military weakness. The fact that it is/was a democratic nation has also been an unpalatable and intolerable condition. They need a King, a Shah, or a tyrant of any stripe. For these reasons, Lebanon had to be subdued and completely humiliated. It will be surprising if the Americans back away prior to the installation of a dictatorship or a bloody mess that will demand they run. Contrary to what they spin, democracy is the last thing the Americans want or will tolerate.

Lebanon is not only guilty of harbouring non-compliant Muslims. It is also guilty of not being hawkish enough against it's own Islamic population as well as neighbouring Muslim populations. Lebanon is also guilty of having Hezbollah elected and holding over 30 seats within it's government, including members of cabinet. The same Hezbollah that ran the American Marines as well as Israel out of Lebanon. The Americans naturally demanded that the organization disarm.

Obviously, weak nations are under threat of war by the Imperial US of A. Lebanon has no military to speak of. They cannot manage Israel, which is armed to the teeth by the USA. This condition begs all nations to heavily arm themselves as a deterrent. This is another desirable condition in the world of imperial capitalism. Those that are marching around the world slaughtering people also happen to be the same folks that profit from weapons sales.

Various Israeli talking heads suggested recently, a nation has a right and responsibility to protect it's people. By admitting this, they absolve Hezbollah. They also absolve pretty much all other so-called terrorist organizations including the resistance in Iraq, the resistance in Afghanistan, Hamas and so on. They are inadvertently excusing hostile and aggressive actions against their own people. They are demanding it.

When a society is invaded and the people slaughtered and tortured by a foreign war machine, you might expect a response. What choices do the people and particularly the Islamic people of the Middle East, and at the moment, Lebanon face? Can we blame Hamas? Can we blame Hezbollah and the resistance in Iraq and Afghanistan? Can we say with a clear conscience that these people do not have a right to defend themselves. The answer is clear and the answer is 'NO'. Hezbollah is a result of American and Israeli aims at trying to destroy Lebanon. This invasion confirms, with no shadow of doubt in the minds of Muslim people, the necessity of Hezbollah.


All War All the Time


Condoleeza Rice recently said that a cease fire would be a false promise. In other words, the is promoting the doctrine of 'war is peace'. She is talking about pre-emptive war. They have crossed the line and lowered the standards for future war rationalizations. The Nuremberg Tribunals had defined what is most unacceptable. To paraphrase; 'The act of initiating war by invading another country is the supreme war crime containing within it all other war crimes'. To quote Chomsky, "Preventive war is, very simply, the supreme crime condemned at Nuremberg". Collectively, we cannot afford the Americans and the Israelis define what is acceptable. We cannot afford a future of barbarism.

Although this is part of a grand American global domination war, the micro situation between Lebanon and Israel is ostensibly different than the situation between Iraq and America. As a result, the rationalization is different. What is similar between Israel's rationalations and America's is the notion of preemptive war. Within that context (the aim to dominate the world), we may witness more war fronts opening to prevent future terrorist attacks. Ironically, this is precisely what is needed to not only to make resistance movements desirable, but necessary.

The most dangerous aspect of accepting pre-emptive war, especially in this climate, is that is opens the planet for continual war.

The potential rationalizations in the future are endless and few could be as flimsy as what we've seen thus far. This war will not stop until the Americans feel too much pain to continue. There is no way they are going to subdue the Muslim populations. If they actually hold that assumption, then they are assuming that other societies are as weak of character as they themselves are. Whether by design or through stupidity, they are creating conditions for more war; for all war all the time. At the moment it isn't painful for America. In the future it will be. As it is, this state of endlesswar may be supported by much of the American population. This will remain the case until a critical mass in that country realize that they have no business in Iraq, Afghanistan or Lebanon. And when a critical mass of Americans die for profit, and when average Joe American realizes this, America will retreat. They will have no fighters.

It is absolutely tragic and sad that this condition exists.

But 'all war all the time' will end. The question of when is up to the people of America.

Wednesday, July 19, 2006

America's Slaughter in Lebanon

Unthinkable.

We are used to watching the mass slaughter of Iraqis and Afghanis and people in Latin America and other so-called third world regions of the world.

Lebanon was apparently promoted to first world status. Wealthy vacationers and business elites go there to relax or do business. It was supposed to be off the limits of carnage, atrocities, and in your face war crimes.

But this is exactly what we are witnessing now. And make no mistake. America is behind it.

But why?

Well, for one thing, Osama bin Laden appears to hold Lebanon close to his heart. He said in October, 2004, that the twin towers were hit in revenge for the massive and brutal killings by America and Israel in the 1980s. His point is in no way controversial. There is no debate that Israel and America slaughtered thousands in Lebanon in the 80s.

Bin Laden said in 2004, "And as I looked at those demolished towers in Lebanon, it entered my mind that we should punish the oppressor in kind and that we should destroy towers in America in order that they taste some of what we tasted and so that they be deterred from killing our women and children."

But perhaps more to the point is Hezbollah. It was Hezbollah that massacred several hundred American marines sending America running with its tail between its legs. A mighty embarrasment to the almighty US of A.

Recent history suggests, quite strongly, that America is not above collective punishment, revenge, torture, and war crimes of many flavours. We like to think of America as cold psychopathic killer and operates under strictly pragmatic motivations. This may still be the case although it looks as if the almightly is as neurotic as Woody Allen. America has been sending a mesage to the world and the message seems clear. They are telling the world that they are not above revenge attacks, war crimes, and collective punishment. Collective punishment, for instance, persumes that the locals will not tolerate their own local fighters such as Hamas, Hezbollah, or al Qaeda. It has very cold and calculating reasoning beneath it.

So then, perhaps we can maintain our image of America as a cruel and calculating psychopath. So cold and calculating that they promote themselves as reactionary and passionate. This promotes the super-state as quite dangerous as neurotics. The truth however is that they are far more dangerous than that. They are beating their own myths to death. Myths that may get in the way.

For instance, the myths of democracies not warring against each other and of modern capitalistic nations being just and fair are taking a beating. Hezbollah and Hamas were democratically elected and modern capitalistic states are unbelievably brutal.

On one hand, those of us that are cynical had not believed the myths to begin with. But for those that protect themselves under a cloud of pie in the sky naivity, you'd better prepare yourself for significant cognitive dissonance. But don't worry, your masters will soon educate you about the wonders and benefits of fascism or some quasi-fascistic ideology.

We should wonder how long Hezbollah and Bin Laden will continue to play into the Americans hands. If they do, they will attack an American sacred cow; again.