Desert_Seg
08-07-2006, 10:18 AM
I'm sure some of you have heard that tune before. After all, it was a popular song in the '70's that in one chorus line encapsulates the atrocities happening in Lebanon. Can anybody tell me what good is going to come out of this war? Does anybody even think any good will come? Unfortunately, it's evident that nothing has changed since 1970. No good will come from this war either.
Sadly, however, there are some ugly things coming out of this war, real ugly things. There is the lasting devastation of families on BOTH sides of the border, the random and indiscriminate killings on BOTH sides of the border, and the destruction of a country by BOTH sides.
By now I'm sure you've noticed my emphasis on the word BOTH. I use it to describe what the Hezbollah and the Israeli military are doing on each side of their opponent's border and, unfortunately, what BOTH parties are jointly doing to destroy Lebanon and devastate the Lebanese people. That's right, BOTH the Hezbollah and Israel are responsible for the devastation of Lebanon, BOTH are responsible for the death and destruction that is happening right now, and BOTH are responsible for the awful imagery that we now see each and every day.
Ok, now that I've got your attention, and I’m sure am getting cursed at by at least one or two readers, let me explain. You see, Newton’s Third Law of Motion applies here. That is, for every action there is an equal, but opposite, reaction. Simply put, none of this would be happening if the Hezbollah hadn't kidnapped the two Israeli soldiers, none of this destruction would have happened if they had returned the soldiers, none of this death and mayhem would have happened, none, if the Hezbollah hadn't breached the tenuous peace that had been in place for years.
I don't doubt that I'm not alone in my thoughts but I feel like I'm standing all by myself. Where are the calls for Hezbollah to stop their missile attacks? Where are the calls for the Hezbollah to stop the indiscriminate killing of civilians? Where are the calls for the Hezbollah to disarm, to turn the security of Lebanon over to the Lebanese government? More importantly, where are the calls for the Hezbollah to return those kidnapped soldiers?
You don’t hear them because almost everybody is turning a blind eye to the joint responsibility of these two warring parties. Why? Because the "popular" voice is to condemn Israel and say nothing about the Hezbollah. Well I for one won't stand by and be silent. I don't mind being the voice that condemns the actions of both sides. The voice that reminds everybody that it takes TWO to fight, that with one fell swoop Hezbollah could put an end to this destruction but won’t.
It’s sad to know that each day that the Hezbollah continues to hold these two soldiers hostage is another day that they are responsible for the destruction of Lebanon and the deaths of countless Lebanese. And yet they do nothing to remedy the situation. So, while bombs, missiles, mortar rounds and bullets may come from the Israeli war machine, the drive, the push, the force behind this battle comes at the hands of the Hezbollah.
As Edwin Starr so eloquently put it back in 1970:
War! It ain’t nothing but a heartbreaker
War! It’s got one friend, that’s the undertaker
War has shattered many a young man’s dreams
Made him disabled bitter and mean
Life is much too precious to spend fighting wars these days
War can’t give life, it can only take it away
Therefore, I challenge each of you to stand up and tell the Hezbollah and Israel to stop playing games with other people’s lives. I challenge each of you to stand up and tell the Hezbollah and Israel to stop destroying a country. Let’s all stand up and shout out that our lives, our children’s lives, our neighbor’s lives, are much too precious to be toyed with.
But let’s make sure that when we do shout it out that we shout out the truth, that we shout out that BOTH parties need to stop, and that the easiest way to make this stop is to give back those two kidnapped soldiers. Sadly, I’m afraid this isn’t going to happen any time soon.
So I say it again…. War! What is it good for? Absolutely Nothing!
[This is an OpEd I was asked to write for a local publication. Originally published in the ME on 8/6/2006]
Sadly, however, there are some ugly things coming out of this war, real ugly things. There is the lasting devastation of families on BOTH sides of the border, the random and indiscriminate killings on BOTH sides of the border, and the destruction of a country by BOTH sides.
By now I'm sure you've noticed my emphasis on the word BOTH. I use it to describe what the Hezbollah and the Israeli military are doing on each side of their opponent's border and, unfortunately, what BOTH parties are jointly doing to destroy Lebanon and devastate the Lebanese people. That's right, BOTH the Hezbollah and Israel are responsible for the devastation of Lebanon, BOTH are responsible for the death and destruction that is happening right now, and BOTH are responsible for the awful imagery that we now see each and every day.
Ok, now that I've got your attention, and I’m sure am getting cursed at by at least one or two readers, let me explain. You see, Newton’s Third Law of Motion applies here. That is, for every action there is an equal, but opposite, reaction. Simply put, none of this would be happening if the Hezbollah hadn't kidnapped the two Israeli soldiers, none of this destruction would have happened if they had returned the soldiers, none of this death and mayhem would have happened, none, if the Hezbollah hadn't breached the tenuous peace that had been in place for years.
I don't doubt that I'm not alone in my thoughts but I feel like I'm standing all by myself. Where are the calls for Hezbollah to stop their missile attacks? Where are the calls for the Hezbollah to stop the indiscriminate killing of civilians? Where are the calls for the Hezbollah to disarm, to turn the security of Lebanon over to the Lebanese government? More importantly, where are the calls for the Hezbollah to return those kidnapped soldiers?
You don’t hear them because almost everybody is turning a blind eye to the joint responsibility of these two warring parties. Why? Because the "popular" voice is to condemn Israel and say nothing about the Hezbollah. Well I for one won't stand by and be silent. I don't mind being the voice that condemns the actions of both sides. The voice that reminds everybody that it takes TWO to fight, that with one fell swoop Hezbollah could put an end to this destruction but won’t.
It’s sad to know that each day that the Hezbollah continues to hold these two soldiers hostage is another day that they are responsible for the destruction of Lebanon and the deaths of countless Lebanese. And yet they do nothing to remedy the situation. So, while bombs, missiles, mortar rounds and bullets may come from the Israeli war machine, the drive, the push, the force behind this battle comes at the hands of the Hezbollah.
As Edwin Starr so eloquently put it back in 1970:
War! It ain’t nothing but a heartbreaker
War! It’s got one friend, that’s the undertaker
War has shattered many a young man’s dreams
Made him disabled bitter and mean
Life is much too precious to spend fighting wars these days
War can’t give life, it can only take it away
Therefore, I challenge each of you to stand up and tell the Hezbollah and Israel to stop playing games with other people’s lives. I challenge each of you to stand up and tell the Hezbollah and Israel to stop destroying a country. Let’s all stand up and shout out that our lives, our children’s lives, our neighbor’s lives, are much too precious to be toyed with.
But let’s make sure that when we do shout it out that we shout out the truth, that we shout out that BOTH parties need to stop, and that the easiest way to make this stop is to give back those two kidnapped soldiers. Sadly, I’m afraid this isn’t going to happen any time soon.
So I say it again…. War! What is it good for? Absolutely Nothing!
[This is an OpEd I was asked to write for a local publication. Originally published in the ME on 8/6/2006]