MidEast Ablaze: Of Bombs and BandAids

Big-hearted America promised yesterday to send humanitarian aid to Lebanon, the fledgling democracy currently being beaten to a pulp by its vastly stronger neighbor Israel, whom just received an equally generous package of state-of-the-art missiles and bombs from big-hearted America to be used to beat the fledgling democracy of Lebanon to a pulp. Confused? You should be. Let ol’ Sensey simplify it for you: You pay for the bombs and you pay for the band-aids. Okay? Okay.

*

So what does the world say about all this?
The Arab World: Immediate cessation of hostilities
European Union: Immediate cessation of hostilities
United Nations: Immediate cessation of hostilities
America: Ahhhhhhh, let ‘er buck a while, would ya?

By the way, it’s official; the biggest obstacle to peace in the MidEast remains, as it has for decades, the breast beating, self-proclaimed champion of Peace, Justice and Democracy, the United States of America.

Dear America,

You’re full of shit.

Sincerely,

-the World

Yeah, we know it’s the MidEast. Yeah' we know it’s a powder keg. Chill out. We got a humdinger of a plan. Of course, these monkeys had a plan for Iraq too. Maybe it'll work out better this time. I hear Georgie works better when there's more complexity and nuance to the situation.

*

13 days into a monstrous injustice, Israel’s razing of Lebanon and the indiscriminate murder of hundreds of civilians continues, included in the mayhem, it turns out, a long established and clearly marked UN post.

Tough to get a read on this one, not enough information at this point. Gonna need details like proximity to battleground, what manner of artillery and what-not. But I endorsed Kofi in the beginning of this thing and I gotta stick with him. He says he thinks it was on purpose, I believe him. I don’t think he’d say it if he didn’t. Not here. Not right now.

See, my read on Kofi is that he knows precisely how serious this scene is at the MidEast and is doing what he can, given the limited power the United Nations is allowed by its member Nations. I endorsed him, I stand by his word. Call me a fool, call me an idiot, but do me a favor baby, just keep a’callin’.

While I’m being a fool…

Here’s the funny thing about the UN, folks. I think it might just end up being what We the People make it. How 'bout it? It’s not a country. It is a collection, an organization that represents the Nations of the World. Well, fine. I seek to be represented in democratic fashion, in its truest form. I want to vote on things. I think maybe we should all be able to vote on all sorts of things in this United Nations of ours. You?

I want to vote on it. I want the citizens of Ghana to be able to vote on the same question. And everybody else, too. Have to adjust for population differences, right? But that’s easy. Yeah, we all get votes.

Here’s a real laugh for you: Enough votes, so, representing the wide majority of Citizens on Earth and we can veto a veto. I know. Crazy talk. Sheer lunacy. Damn nigh impossible. Damn nigh. The mere thought would reduce even the fiercest of NeoCons to blubbering children. “Oh my god, we’ll have to answer to the larger community!?! To the People?!?!?!"

Hoho, too far there, Sensey. Too far. Right. Back to the comedic relief. What’s Dubya up to?

Ah forget it. He's freaking me out lately. Talking like six year old on a field trip to Putin, rubbing up the Chancellor of Germany. I'm predicting a total presidential meltdown (crying, carrying on, who knows?) or the reappearance of the mysterious little box under his suitjacket. (July 27, 2K6)

G'nite bloggers.

-iSC

MidEast Ablaze: Dr. Condi to the Rescue

A scant 13 days in, American diplomacy whisks to Lebanon to save the day for all concerned. Well, some of those concerned. No surprises so far and none expected.

"This is a different Middle East. It's a new Middle East. It's hard. We're going through a very violent time."
-Dr. Condy, ignoring calls for a cease-fire 13 days in. (July 24, 2K6)

Dr. StrangeRummy gave us “Old Europe.” Dr. Condi gives us the “New MidEast.” I guess the NeoCons, for all their twisted evil minds, sense change as well, eh? How's that for freaky? Making myself puke. Hold on. Yep, Old Europe, New MidEast and the only thing that’s certain is that nothing will ever be the same again.

Uncertainty! OneForce tells me the quantum physicists, at least, will be pleased. I almost get it and most likely you don't either. Don't worry about it.

New MidEast, eh? Let’s see, whattawe got? Political turmoil, ugly confrontations, destruction, dislocation, human suffering, the sustained killing of innocents and innocence. Hmmmm. This new Middle East of Condi’s sound a whole lot like the old Middle East to anybody else? How does one tell what is the new and what is the old? What part of the old MidEast wasn’t hard or violent again? I can’t remember. You?

Nope, no surprises here.

*

Syria, like Iran, is sounding pretty ballsy these days. Pretty ballsy.

"If Israel makes a land entry into Lebanon, they can get to within 20 kilometers of Damascus. What will we do? Stand by with our arms folded? Absolutely not. Without any doubt Syria will intervene in the conflict. I repeat, if Israel makes a land invasion of Lebanon and gets near us, Syria will not stand by with arms folded. It will enter the conflict."
Syrian information minister, Moshen Bilal (July 23, 2K6)

Syria says if Israel comes too close, Syria will fire. Iran promises a “crushing” response from the ‘Islamic World’ if Israel strikes Syria. Why are all these MidEast countries so ballsy lately? What’s that you say? After watching the horrible, ongoing clusterfuck of Gulf Deux some Nations are getting a little cocky? Yes, makes sense I suppose, but isn't it mildly possible that they have something up their sleeves here? What's the CIA saying, surely they have dudes on the ground that...what's that you say? The CIA is horribly incompetant and America's many varied intelligence agencies are more interested in fighting each other and spying on their own Citizens than anybody else?

I digress. Point, Sensey? Ah yes. Iran and Syria knows if they take on Israel they’re gonna be takin’ on the biggest of the Bigs, at the same time, right? They just sound so ballsy. Hmmmm.

Anyways, what's the call?

Syria strikes Israel and then the war’s official. Israel (and possibly America, given the current political climate) strikes back. Iran (and whoever else comprises the Islamic World, one supposes) jumps in because they said they would if Israel strikes Syria. Iran strikes Israel, America strikes Iran.

Anywho, that’s my call on the scene. For now. Subject to incoming information.

*

Remember all those Democrats like Lieberman and Kerry that voted in favor of Gulf Deux? Find me a single major American politician speaking out against Israel’s disproportionate response and the razing of Lebanon. Not a one of them. All of which begs the question, in fact the only real question in the whole rigged deal otherwise known as American Politics: “What’s it gonna be, America? Puppet on the Left or Puppet on the Right?”

Enjoy your day.

-iSC

p.p. I think the UN’s the WildCard in any real shot at an actual Peace process in the MidEast. Takes the People, also, wouldn’t you think? That’s what I think. Yeah, I know, call me a fool. Don’t care. When your alternative is Georgie and the NeoCons, well, you go ahead and make your own decisions.

NonRandomMP3age: “Losing My Religion” REM.

The MetaNews Game: MidEast Aflame

Be aware, Citizens, crank up those propaganda meters. High as they go. Gonna need 'em. For an indeterminate amount of Time.

Shit is happening. Right now.

Your best bet, or the way I play the MetaNews game is to assume everything but the very basics of the story is full of shit. Look, the one thing all of us seems to be able to agree upon is that there is bias in the Media. Some think it's Lefty, the others think it's Righty, so either way, we ALL know we're getting some bullshit here, even if we can't agree on the flavor. And when does the Media go into propaganda spin, where and when does propaganda flourish more than any other? War. Which we're in. So, the forecast calls for the heaviest of bullshit.

See if you can break down the incoming, tainted info to the most basic of non spun facts, that which is incontrovertible. Eliminate assumptions, guesses, analogies, the personal vignettes and angry editorializing, all that shit. Poke and prod what is the bare nugget from which all the spin originates and study it. Then take into account such MetaNews items as setting, interview choices, who is allowed to finish their sentences, who gets cut off, which side (if any) do we see only victims, which side (if any) do we see only as evil, and on and on and on...

Open your eyes. read from multiple sources. If you are a Righty, be aware and pissed of not only about the presence of Lefty spin but Righty spin also. Same with the Lefties. You see any spin and you're no longer reading Truth, which means, Righty or Lefty, you might as well be reading a comic book or chewing bubblegum or jerking off.

Move forward from all that and get, maybe, some inkling of what the Real Deal is. Cuz there's always a Real Deal out there somewhere, Citizens, you just have to look real hard for it these days. Reeeeaaaaal hard. Hey, omnipresent bullshit, what are you gonna do? We've been here for some time now.

You get what I'm saying here? Ask not who kidnapped the soldiers, but rather, ask if the soldiers ever even existed. Question EVERYTHING.

Get at the Truth, Citizens, as best you can.

That is all.

-iSenseChange. Don't you? Like, right now?

p.p. I did get one piece of pure Truth, and it was from CNN's Nick Robertson. What did he say? “All bets are off.” You got that right, Nick.

p.p.p. Wild Guess: Iran is about to get hit REALLY HARD. And not by Israel.