Here I was, all set to write a big scathing post concerning the constant whining I hear about gas prices…and I remembered that I already did, about a year ago. Too bad; my fingers were itchin’ to type. I need another reason to vent my spleen.

Ah…the Middle East! Right.

• Israel may have the right to defend itself, but self-defense is not what’s been happening for the past month. Focused and surgical strikes — which Israeli armed forces are very good at — against Hezbollah would make sense, not destroying infrastructure and killing hundreds of civilians.
• America is sitting on the sidelines for political reasons, not logical or humanitarian reasons. Not that this should surprise anyone. However, Canada’s taking an equally passive approach; I think that’s surprising.
• I’m not sure where Israel plans to go from here. I don’t see an end to this; they can’t hope to wipe out Hezbollah entirely. The draft UN resolution will only move the fighting to another location. Lebanon doesn’t have the ability to wipe out Hezbollah on their own, and neither Syria nor Iran are politically motivated to do so. I really can’t see where this will go.
• Despite what Bill Maher thinks, criticizing Israeli military tactics does not make one an anti-semite. That’s a cheap accusation, an attempt to deflect the world’s conversation away from the real issue at hand. Does criticizing Guantanamo Bay torture make me anti-Christian?

[tags]gas prices, israel, lebanon, bill maher, anti-semitism[/tags]