Damn this put a damper on my Monday morning...

http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/07/29/btsc.perry/index.html

Quote :

""I love the people of America. It's the government I hate. Tell the American people that we received their gift. The missile that they gave to Israel - we have received it, and this is the result," he says, motioning to the coffins."

7/31/2006 11:11:31 AM

7/31/2006 11:13:15 AM

"Tell the American people that we have received their gift. The crumbled Berlin wall."

"Tell the American people that we have received their gift. A free South Korea."

"Tell the American people that we have received their gift. A France that speaks French."

"Tell the American people that we have received their gift. A free and independent Poland."

"Tell the American people that we have received their gift. Billions upon billions of dollars in foreign aid to every country known to man, including Lebanon."

7/31/2006 11:14:21 AM

yeah, i mean, that sucks

^ you can say good things about lots of stuff, that doesnt mean the bad dont exist

[Edited on July 31, 2006 at 11:14 AM. Reason : d]

7/31/2006 11:14:26 AM

"its, its the end of the world as we know it"

7/31/2006 11:14:37 AM

But I don't see how it's America's fault that israel is bombing the shit out of lebanon when hezbollah essentially runs the place and vows to remove israel from the map. I'd blow them up too.

7/31/2006 11:18:25 AM

yay, kill people

7/31/2006 11:19:31 AM

yay let militant factions kidnap your citizens

7/31/2006 11:20:27 AM

^6 Citing historical accomplishments of US foreign policy doesn't make the current one right

[Edited on July 31, 2006 at 11:24 AM. Reason : this is going to soap box quickly, i fear]

7/31/2006 11:21:16 AM

Citing an indirect link between America and Lebanon does not mean America killed the people in the coffins that guy motioned towards.

7/31/2006 11:27:39 AM

Quote :

"UNITED STATES - A boat carrying the first American aid arrived in Beirut on July 29, delivering blankets, tarpaulins and medical kits to support 10,000 people for three months. -- The United States said on July 24 it would contribute $30 million to an international appeal for humanitarian aid. -- The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has announced it will distribute more than $7 million in humanitarian assistance to U.N. agencies. Sources: Reuters/ReliefWeb"

7/31/2006 11:36:40 AM

but everything is america's fault.

7/31/2006 11:38:48 AM

indeed

[Edited on July 31, 2006 at 11:43 AM. Reason : lf]

7/31/2006 11:41:37 AM

reaction has nothing to do with fault

7/31/2006 11:49:53 AM

what about this put a damper on your day?

I don't see the big deal with what he said.

[Edited on July 31, 2006 at 11:56 AM. Reason : deal]

7/31/2006 11:50:40 AM

how is this america's fault?

7/31/2006 11:51:40 AM

im not saying it is america's fault

but you cant say that it isnt just based on reaction

7/31/2006 11:55:09 AM

When I hear stuff like this, I really wish our leaders would talk tough back pointing out all the aid we give them, how we rescued the world from a dictator, etc etc. Fuck this PC bullshit.

7/31/2006 11:56:35 AM

The story was about kids killed in the fighting for no other reason than being in the wrong place at the wrong time. It's not their fault stupid people instigate war and they become a casualty. It's sad that it happens and it's sad that people can't find ways around killing eachother in order to solve problems.

I must be a tree-hugging bush-hating anti-war hippy

7/31/2006 12:52:23 PM

^it's EXTREMELY sad, but is america really responsible for predicting what every single country we give aid to will do within the next 20 years? I mean at what point do we start blaming israel, and NOT America?

7/31/2006 12:56:46 PM

We obviously blame Israel.

The people getting bombed by Israel blame us because we made the bombs in our munitions factories and sold them to the Israelis. That and it's also very hip to talk shit about us right now.

7/31/2006 1:01:44 PM

^yea, I just really don't agree with that logic (the first part), I definetly agree that it is hip to talk shit about us right now. I saw a flyer today that said:

NO JUSTICE, NO PEACE, US OUT OF THE MIDDLE EAST

it then mentioned how we need to leave lebanon, palestine, and iraq, but is the us even in lebanon and palestine except for distributing blankets and shit? i mean wtf. Way to tie iraq in with two countries we have nothing to do with, and they also blamed it on oil, eventhough lebanon has no oil right? wtf

7/31/2006 1:04:38 PM

Quote :

"factories and sold them to the Israelis."

Sold? You mean given along with $2.5 Billion each year

7/31/2006 1:09:51 PM

Man, these guys would be like...

"Your tectonic plate shifted last week, which bumped into the African plate, which in turn caused turmoil in the form of earthquakes in the Arabian plate. Death to America!!11!la!la1la!la P.S. the blankets you sent as aide were the wrong color, which is an insult to Islam!!1!1lalala1!11"

7/31/2006 1:11:03 PM

Really Russia is to blame for a lot of the deaths, too. Didn't they sell the rockets to Iran who gave them to Hezbollah who shot them at Israel? Lets not forget all the Russian arms sold to fuel African civil wars, too. Why doesn't the world hate Russia, then?



...oh that's right, they're poor

7/31/2006 1:36:42 PM

So, did the Lebanese get the gift of the Jordanian Lockheed C-130s that expertly landed on the cratered runway of the Beirut airport? Does the US get a "thank you" note for that?

7/31/2006 1:47:09 PM

Quote :

""Your tectonic plate shifted last week, which bumped into the African plate, which in turn caused turmoil in the form of earthquakes in the Arabian plate. Death to America!!11!la!la1la!la P.S. the blankets you sent as aide were the wrong color, which is an insult to Islam!!1!1lalala1!11""

lol

7/31/2006 1:49:52 PM

So are they sending a thank you card or what?

7/31/2006 1:54:59 PM

ahaha

7/31/2006 1:56:31 PM

unfortunately, all the letters from Israelis thanking us for keeping them on the face of the planet aren't newsworthy apparently.

I really feel no sympathy for any of the people in Lebanon. They both actively supported Hezbolla or stood idly by and watched them seize power in their country and now they're forced to meet their doom when the wackos put missiles next to hospitals and schools. Fortunately, the Israelis aren't shy about taking out military targets when they are next to civilians.

7/31/2006 2:15:50 PM

Quote :

"They both actively supported Hezbolla or stood idly by and watched them seize power in their country"

both wrong. only about 30% of the country supports hezbollah. hezbollah does not have power in the government, they have power in arms. the lebanese army cannot compete w/ hezbollah in terms of funding and armaments. hezbollah acts independent of the lebanes government and the lebanese people. they claim to act for the people of lebanon but they have zero backing for this claim.

7/31/2006 2:22:13 PM

Quote :

"hezbollah does not have power in the government, they have power in arms."

I haven't followed this mess too closely, but I swear I heard on NPR that there are hezbollah sympathizers in their government ranks.

7/31/2006 2:26:33 PM

If the lebanese army can't bring hezbollah down, and hezbollah is not supported or tollerent of hezbollah, why haven't they then asked for some sort of international assistance / aid in bringing hezbollah down?

7/31/2006 2:27:42 PM

i never said hezbollah wasnt in the government at all

they are represented in the gov to the same tune they are represented in the people: ~30%

7/31/2006 2:28:06 PM

Quote :

"The people getting bombed by Israel blame us because we made the bombs in our munitions factories and sold them to the Israelis. That and it's also very hip to talk shit about us right now."

Quote :

"Sold? You mean given along with $2.5 Billion each year "

yep ... and it's also smith and wessons' fault when you shoot your wife .... or when you rob a store and shoot the clerk.

it's absolutly their fault...


lack of personal responsibility is going to be the downfall of our time.

7/31/2006 2:28:31 PM

Quote :

"The people getting bombed by Israel blame us because we made the bombs in our "

im just shocked to find out we still make anything anymore

[Edited on July 31, 2006 at 2:40 PM. Reason : .]

7/31/2006 2:40:11 PM

Quote :

"Tell the American people that we have received their gift. The crumbled Berlin wall." "Tell the American people that we have received their gift. A free South Korea." "Tell the American people that we have received their gift. A France that speaks French." "Tell the American people that we have received their gift. A free and independent Poland." "Tell the American people that we have received their gift. Billions upon billions of dollars in foreign aid to every country known to man, including Lebanon."

amen

7/31/2006 2:43:21 PM

it's all fucking propaganda. hezbollah is parading dead children in front of the tv cameras and reporters know this shit is propaganda. You don't think israeli kids have been killed? Why don't we see those pictures? Because israel doesn't feel the need to parade their dead in front of the cameras. The only thing more valuable to Hezbollah than a dead Israeli child is a dead muslim child. Because this is the only war they can win: the propaganda war.

Seems harsh, but think about it.

7/31/2006 2:50:18 PM

i don't know why everything comes back to America. Think about it. What other country has sent a million white men to fight and die to free a million black men? What other country sent troops to fight and die to free europe and then tax itself in the Marshall Plan to build it back up into a largely 1st world region? What other country will fight in its own defense but send rations to the populous the day after? We are not evil. We are not the Great Satan. America may not always be right, but somewhere inbetween the shades of gray, we are almost always doing things for a just cause.

7/31/2006 3:23:19 PM

rwoody:

When the government in Lebanon was as anemic as it was before this conflict began, power of arms = seized power.

Hezbolla is like a political party that has its own private militia. Democracy at the point of a gun is still a democracy I suppose. The fact of the matter is that the government (that supposed 70% of them that aren't for Hezbolla) did nothing to prevent Hez from sezing the so called "power of arms" and this is what results.

7/31/2006 3:23:53 PM

hard words deserve a hard drink

better make it a mikes

7/31/2006 3:24:24 PM

Leave it to the lebanese to blame the misspelled words on the pencil

/Larry the Cable Guy

7/31/2006 3:24:25 PM

^ that is exactly what is happening. It's ridiculous. This post was directly conceived and sponsored by Dell Computers.

7/31/2006 3:26:50 PM

You're not seriously quoting Larry the Cable Guy in a thread on foreign politics, are you?

7/31/2006 3:37:02 PM

well it is the lounge. Anything goes. Nonetheless, the logic is valid.

7/31/2006 3:42:11 PM

maybe hitler was on the right track. . .

7/31/2006 3:42:39 PM

Quote :

"""I love the people of America. It's the government I hate"

i'm so sick of hearing that

the government isn't some entity running around doing shit

it's people, humans, americans elected by americans

they hate americans

7/31/2006 3:52:27 PM

Look, he may be an inbecile comic, but that quote is more than just funny, it makes a salient point about the situation at hand.

Fuck you, if it had been Winston Churchill would that have made the comment more valid? If so, you are an idiot.

7/31/2006 3:54:58 PM

Quote :

"When the government in Lebanon was as anemic as it was before this conflict began, power of arms = seized power. Hezbolla is like a political party that has its own private militia. Democracy at the point of a gun is still a democracy I suppose. The fact of the matter is that the government (that supposed 70% of them that aren't for Hezbolla) did nothing to prevent Hez from sezing the so called "power of arms" and this is what results."

i suppose what i mean is that they didnt "seize" power so much as they had arms power already when this government came to power. Hezbollah armed themselves to remove israel from lebanon, in which they were successful. This is a point that allows them much sympathy in Lebanon. While they are not a sanctioned army, many see them as Lebanon's savior of sorts. Also, hezbollah has a much larger money base to pull from which is an international problem rather than a Lebanese problem. When Lebanon was stabilized and formed a real government, they were almost a puppet for Syria who, along with Iran, encourage Hezbollah as a means against Israel. Only recently has Lebanon been able to free themselves from the thumb of Syrian influence, however, in that time they have not built up the ability to remove and disarm Hezbollah. Many Lebanese curse Hezbollah in the same sentence with Israel as it was by no decision of the Lebanese people in general to kidnap two soldiers and continually fire rockets into Israel. But they are now being forced to pay the price.

7/31/2006 6:05:26 PM

Quote :

"it's people, humans, americans elected by americans they hate americans"

Yeah, and so do plenty of Americans.

7/31/2006 6:34:42 PM