A different spin on things.

[Matt Attallah]

NEW YORK (CNN) -- We Americans like to think we're a pretty smart people, even when evidence to the contrary is overwhelming. And nowhere is that evidence more overwhelming than in the Middle East. History in the Middle East is everything, and we Americans seem to learn nothing from it.

President Harry Truman took about 20 minutes to recognize the state of Israel when it declared independence in 1948. Since then, more than 58 years of war, terrorism and blood-letting have led to the events of the past week.

Even now, as Katyusha rockets rain down on northern Israel and Israeli fighter jets blast Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon, we simultaneously decry radical Islamist terrorism and Israel's lack of restraint in defending itself.

And the U.S. government, which wants no part of a cease-fire until Israel is given every opportunity to rescue its kidnapped soldiers and destroy as many Hezbollah and Hezbollah armaments as possible, urges caution in the interest of preserving a nascent and fragile democratic government in Lebanon. Could we be more conflicted?

While the United States provides about $2.5 billion in military and economic aid to Israel each year, U.S. aid to Lebanon amounts to no more than $40 million. This despite the fact that the per capita GDP of Israel is among the highest in the world at $24,600, nearly four times as high as Lebanon's GDP per capita of $6,200.

Lebanon's lack of wealth is matched by the Palestinians -- three out of every four Palestinians live below the poverty line. Yet the vast majority of our giving in the region flows to Israel. This kind of geopolitical inconsistency and shortsightedness has contributed to the Arab-Israeli conflict that the Western world seems content to allow to perpetuate endlessly.

After a week of escalating violence, around two dozen Israelis and roughly 200 Lebanese have died. That has been sufficient bloodshed for United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan and British Prime Minister Tony Blair to join in the call for an international security force, ignoring the fact that a U.N. force is already in Southern Lebanon, having failed to secure the border against Hezbollah's incursions and attacks and the murder and kidnapping of Israeli soldiers.

As our airwaves fill with images and sounds of exploding Hezbollah rockets and Israeli bombs, this seven-day conflict has completely displaced from our view another war in which 10 Americans and more than 300 Iraqis have died during the same week. And it is a conflict now of more than three years duration that has claimed almost 15,000 lives so far this year alone.

An estimated 50,000 Iraqis and more than 2,500 American troops have been killed since the insurgency began in March of 2003, which by some estimates is more than the number of dead on both sides of the Arab-Israeli conflict over the past 58 years of wars and intifadas.

Yet we have seen no rescue ships moving up the Euphrates for Iraqis who are dying in their streets, markets and mosques each day. French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin has not leaped to Baghdad as he did Beirut. And there are no meetings of the Arab League, and no U.S. diplomacy with Egypt, Syria and Jordan directed at ending the Iraqi conflict.

In the Middle East, where is our sense of proportion? Where is our sense of perspective? Where is our sense of decency? And, finally, just how smart are we?

[KenWittlief]

just how smart are we?

how smart are we? as a race? as a nation? as a political party?

show me a part of the universe where humans have stopped killing each other, and we will follow their lead.

When you have nations like Iran, who's president has called for the state of Israel to be driven into the sea, I dont think the problem is that we are giving too much money to one group and not enough to the other.

Its not as if the world has had no interest in the events of the middle east for the last 50 years - just the opposite. The events that happen in this part of the world effect the global economy.

Military leaders dont speak of whether or not there will be an all out nuclear war in the middle east, they say its only a matter of when?

When two groups oppose each other to the point of war, history shows us the conflict only ends when one side is completely overthrown.

So what are we to do?

[Madison]

What's the use in copying a news article, in its entirety, and posting it here while adding nothing of consequence to it? If I'd wanted to read the news, I'd have read the news.

[Elgin Clock]

Originally Posted by KenWittlief

show me a part of the universe where humans have stopped killing each other, and we will follow their lead.

Why follow when you can lead?
<looks to the microcosm of the world known in our little circle as FIRST>
Yep.. Lead.

[skimoose]

Originally Posted by Elgin Clock

Why follow when you can lead?
<looks to the microcosm of the world known in our little circle as FIRST>
Yep.. Lead.

Elgin's right. Education is the answer, well educated people will choose diplomacy, cohabitation, and peace over war in which there will be no winners just losers...

[JoeXIII'007]

Originally Posted by Elgin Clock

Why follow when you can lead?
<looks to the microcosm of the world known in our little circle as FIRST>
Yep.. Lead.

agreed.

Originally Posted by skimoose

Elgin's right. Education is the answer, well educated people will choose diplomacy, cohabitation, and peace over war in which there will be no winners just losers...

hmmm... that is a pretty high hurdle to jump isn't it. The biggest problem is that there are too many people focused on trying to "have a life" and thus in with that the only thing on their mind, it makes it really hard for teachers to teach people how to run the world. How we can shift people's attention from having a life to making it better for everyone is something I'd have to ask God about because I am clueless.

[David55]

Truthfully, I don't understand what the actual point of posting this article is, but I would just like to say that I have never seen so much BS in one article.


In my opinion, this thread should be removed. this is not the place for political discussion and nothing good and positive can come out of here.

[Matt Attallah]

You're serious?

It's not getting nasty. I want the world to realise what is going on. There are facts stated here.

Everything I have posted here and in my other thread I have posted in every fourm that I am apart of. I want people to get the WHOLE picture. It's not getting nasty at all. I DON'T see a problem with this thread. People know me here, if I think it would of caused an uprawr i would of NOT posted this, but I honestly DO NOT see a problem.

[Adam Richards]

Originally Posted by KenWittlief

Its not as if the world has had no interest in the events of the middle east for the last 50 years - just the opposite. The events that happen in this part of the world effect the global economy.

Last 50? I think its more like the last 5000... just the small territory known as Israel as gone through control changes like almost no other place on earth. Israel, Egypt, Israel, Israel and Judea, Assyria, Babylonia, Persia, Greece, Judea, Rome, Byzantine Empire, Persia, Byzantine Empire, Arab, European Crusaders, Mamluk, Ottoman Empire, British Empire, and now finally back to Israel.

Originally Posted by David55

Truthfully, I don't understand what the actual point of posting this article is, but I would just like to say that I have never seen so much BS in one article.

BS that the US is overextended and hipocritical?

Originally Posted by David55

In my opinion, this thread should be removed. this is not the place for political discussion and nothing good and positive can come out of here.

The Chit-Chat forum has been proven time and again as the only place for this type of discussion. Where is this thread? The Chit-Chat forum.

[Eugenia Gabrielov]

There are very few occasions upon which volunteering large segments of your population to die is a smart move.

Edit:
I was asked to clarify and will be more than happy to do so. I do not believe war is a smart move, except under very special circumstances. I do not target a country, a group of people, or a CD poster with this message.

In an area where a nuclear war has been predicted and is anticipated, do you truly believe that nuclear warheads only impact military bases and armed conflict zones? Entering a situation where nuclear power can get involved and can and will destroy you even if you "win" the war is not a smart thing to plan for by any means.

[David55]

Originally Posted by Matt Attallah

You're serious?

It's not getting nasty. I want the world to realise what is going on. There are facts stated here.

Everything I have posted here and in my other thread I have posted in every fourm that I am apart of. I want people to get the WHOLE picture. It's not getting nasty at all. I DON'T see a problem with this thread. People know me here, if I think it would of caused an uprawr i would of NOT posted this, but I honestly DO NOT see a problem.

Sorry, I may have misunderstood your message. At first it was kind of unclear what you were trying to say because it started talking about the situation in the ME and then moved to talking about the war in Iraq and how it has been forgotten about.

Just out of curiosity...what "whole picture" do you want people to see? what is your standing about the situation in the ME?

(I apologize for any spelling mistakes. For some odd reason I am unable to open the spellchecker.)

[Matt Attallah]

Everything for what it is.

Israel is claiming they are after Hezbollah - yet screwing EVERYONE there, INCLUDING AMERICANS.

How is this even 1/2 fair. IMHO, now if any Arab country did that to Israel - you'd see all hell breaks loose and the US would get involved w/o any hesitation.

After reading this post - I DO want to say that yes, I am 1/2 Palestinian but that has NO BEARING WHAT SO EVER on my views. I was born an American and I have very good friends that are of Jewish Decent. THIS DOES NOT CLOUD MY THOUGHTS before it becomes a huge flame on my part.

Ever watch the Arab network news via Satellite? You should, that'll give you both sides of the story...

[Dylan]

What I find stupid is that this is really all over a patch of barren desert, just because both sides say that their god gave it to them. Perhaps they should consider the following:

1. Isn't it possible that if their god gave it to both of them that they are supposed to share it?

2.It's desert. IMHO, if god gives you a big patch of barren desert, he doesn't like you too much. Why couldn't it have been a lush forest, or a prairie?


(please note that I am only looking at this from a logical standpoint, and not in any way insulting these people's culture or religion. I also do not have any religious bias, because I am not religious. So please don't neg or flame me. I am only speaking my mind)

[Matt Attallah]

Originally Posted by Dylan

What I find stupid is that this is really all over a patch of barren desert, just because both sides say that their god gave it to them. Perhaps they should consider the following:

1. Isn't it possible that if their god gave it to both of them that they are supposed to share it?

2.It's desert. IMHO, if god gives you a big patch of barren desert, he doesn't like you too much. Why couldn't it have been a lush forest, or a prairie?


(please note that I am only looking at this from a logical standpoint, and not in any way insulting these people's culture or religion. I also do not have any religious bias, because I am not religious. So please don't neg or flame me. I am only speaking my mind)

Ya know, that's the truth - but religon is a powerful thing. I guess it's eather all or nothing, and it's not so much that god gave them a desert - it's what happened there that sacred...

[Steve W]

I will ask that all keep this thread civil and continue the discussion. No matter how you look at this thread there is a mixture of religion and politics. There have been reports to the mods. I will continue to monitor and as long as all remains civil the thread will remain open. Thanks in advance