Political Cortex: Brain Food for the Body Politic

The article continued by illustrating the quiet support the U.S.A. provided to Israel during the 34-day war.  Now the proof is in.  The U.S.A. has been providing Israel with the latest military equipment to bomb the hell out of Lebanon, allegedly in retaliation for Hezbollah's kidnapping of 2 Israeli soldiers.

Although it appears that Israel was just waiting for the least provocation to strike with the U.S. supplied weapons, this fact is often denied.  The U.S. has subsidized Israel almost from its origin so, of course, Israel was well equipped to smash any opposition to their war-like response and continuous occupation of Gaza.  

When the Palestinians conducted a democratic vote and Hamas won, the Israelis clearly displayed their total contempt with democratically elected leaders.  Their response was to kidnap some of the Hamas elected officials, not just 2 soldiers being kidnapped, as they claimed Hezbollah had done.  They belligerently kidnapped duly elected officials.

Did Lebanon have a right to defend itself against the horrifying Israeli destruction rained down on men, women, and children if they thought any Hezbollah suspect might be hit?  During the Lebanon-Israeli war David S. Cloud wrote on August 10:

"Israel asks U.S. to ship rockets with wide blast.  Quick delivery is sought.  Concerns are raised over potential for casualties among the civilians.  Israel has asked the Bush Administration to speed delivery of short range anti-personnel rockets armed with cluster munitions, which it could use to strike Hezbollah's missile sites, two officials said.

"But some State Department officials have sought to delay the approval because of concerns over the likelihood of civilian casualties."

In USA Today David W. Thomas in a letter to the editors wrote, "Never before have I witnessed a war such as the battle raging in the Middle East.  Israel vows no cease fire soon."

Since the Israelis are doing the bombing and killing it seems only fair to place the entire blame on Israel, but consider the role of the United States, which provides Israelis with war bombs and materials.  Shouldn't Washington share the blame?    

To answer that logical question on CNN, Sunday, August 20, a representative from a humanitarian anti-war organization presented the case for subjecting to war crime trials Israel and its bomb suppliers, who gave the green light to the Lebanon continuous massacre of civilians, men, women, and children.  

Some estimates claim that 1,000 Lebanese lost their lives.  Hezbollah killed over 100 Israelis and should also be held accountable in a war crimes tribunal.

Israel, Hezbollah, and the U.S.A. should be brought to the International Court of Justice at The Hague.  Since when did it become the duty of this alleged Christian nation to kill civilians by proxy?  Israel, backed by U.S. intelligence and mass killer bombs, are guilty for the entire world to witness on TV.  

Just to make its presence fully felt in the Palestinian area, a power plant providing electricity to approximately 500,000 civilians was bombed.  Is this Israel's way of winning friends and influencing people in the Arab world?  

Prior to this devastating human rights attack, the U.S. agreed to reimburse $40 million for reconstruction in the event the power plant was attacked.  What a sweet deal for contractors, no doubt.  Halliburton and Bechtel are waiting in the wings.  How much hell can the U.S. taxpayer fund when Israeli and U.S. diplomats flunk miserably?  

Already Condoleezza Rice has said that the U.S. will provide $230 million for Lebanese reconstruction.  The U.S. taxpayer saw Bush give Israel the green light to destroy Lebanon's infrastructure and civilians.  Now the U.S. taxpayer will be forced to fund another Republican Administration misadventure.  

According to Joel Stein in Time, August 14, Israel represents 0.02 percent of the world's population.  The U.S.A. represents 5 percent of the world's population, using 40 percent of the world's oil.  The U.S. supplies 50 percent of the world's pollution.  

Hundreds of scientists claim that this causes the Greenhouse gas effect, generating drastic heat waves all over the U.S.  For example, recent temperatures recorded figures of 120 degrees in Palm Springs, 122 in Arizona, and 104 in New York City.

Also hurricanes have devastated Florida and the Gulf States.  But brain trust Bush, loyal to oil, would never think of attending Kyoto environmental conferences.  The U.S. needs oil, but with our one-sided support of Israel with cash and bombs we have foolishly thrown away important positive diplomacy while demonstrating arrogant unwillingness to confer with Syria and Iran.  

There are religious extremists in the Muslim world and there are religious extremists in Israel.  Israel's religious extremists believe that the historical Abraham promised them the Holy Land, which they define as where Israel is located in 2006.  

What if someone attempts to use logic in analyzing an alleged Abraham's promise?  Allegedly Abraham once told Sarah that God was speaking to him, telling him to sacrifice his son Isaac on a sacrificial altar.  

The reason given for this was a divine test to prove Abraham trusted and loved Jehovah (God) by sacrificing his son.  According to the biblical account, just as Abraham raised his hand to slaughter Isaac, Jehovah halted his effort in mid-flight.  His arm suddenly stopped in mid-air.  

Analyzing this event today, we might consider it myth, allegory, or simply a mental delusion of a tired old man.  Today in 2006 if a man of any faith, Jewish, Christian, or Muslim, said God wanted him to kill his son, we would consider the man insane, and possessing dangerous dementia delusions.  

If this represents the basis or even a serious consideration of Israel's claim to the land they consider holy, they are on contradictory ground.  Moses allegedly received the Ten Commandments written by God's own hand, one Commandment being, "Thou shalt not kill!"  

Who was it then who told Abraham to kill Isaac?  It surely couldn't be God or Moses was a faker.  

Who was it that counseled George Bush when he claimed he consulted with his "other father"?  If he claims that God told him to launch the Iraq War we know now that it certainly wasn't God.