What you, in Israel, and we, in the U.S., desperately need is someone who can lead and inspire us to greatness once again. We haven't had such a leader here since John F. Kennedy. In Israel? You tell me. There is so much self-doubt in the west. Enough! No more apologies.

Good luck to you sir.

I weep for Israel.
I posted this on my very infrequent blog and the very frequent forum with which I exchange views:

Stand, Men of the West!
August 4th, 2006

It’s erev Shabbos - the hours before the Sabbath.
And I am incensed. Insane. Ticked off. Really not a happy camper.
Life is barely beautiful all the time…

Israel is now the front line on the civilized world’s war against Islamist Arab fascist death cults and their imperial dream of world domination.
I read the blogosphere extensively. I listen to the radio all day long. I write on several other forums as well as this one, sharing my views with a scared 16 year old Lebanese teenager who thinks that Israel is the cause of the world’s ills and a curious 17 year old Israeli teenager who wonders what life is like in America, as well as many other people.

Hezbollah. Al Qaeda. Iran. Syria. Hamas. Islamic Jihad. The Muslim brotherhood. The clerics in Wahhabi Saudi Arabia. And all of the other Islamist and Arab folk who really, really want to destroy your world and you too, are the enemy.

The fact that the LA Times had an op-ed piece by the Syrian ambassodor today is very creepy and very scary.

These people are the enemy.

I want you, fellow LNF’ers, on the fence or on the side of G-d and Country, to spread the word; to attack; to rouse the people from their torpid indifference.
Israel is bearing the brunt and the suffering and the hard fighting of OUR War against this wretched philosophy that believes that it is their right to make us all slaves, Muslims, or dead.

This will not stand.
We will change the world and their insipid opinions that “everything is all the same;” that we need to consider “their” point of view.
No.
We do not need to consider their point of view.

I ask you all to Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem.
Support Israel in this horrific fight.
Support the United States of America and President Bush as one of the last bastions of moral decency left in our poor world.

We are faced by this:
It’s erev Shabbos - the hours before the Sabbath.
And I am incensed. Insane. Ticked off. Really not a happy camper.
Life is barely beautiful all the time…

Israel is now the front line on the civilized world’s war against Islamist Arab fascist death cults and their imperial dream of world domination.
I read the blogosphere extensively. I listen to the radio all day long. I write on several other forums as well as this one, sharing my views with a scared 16 year old Lebanese teenager who thinks that Israel is the cause of the world’s ills and a curious 17 year old Israeli teenager who wonders what life is like in America, as well as many other people.

Hezbollah. Al Qaeda. Iran. Syria. Hamas. Islamic Jihad. The Muslim brotherhood. The clerics in Wahhabi Saudi Arabia. And all of the other Islamist and Arab folk who really, really want to destroy your world and you too, are the enemy.

The fact that the LA Times had an op-ed piece by the Syrian ambassodor today is very creepy and very scary.

These people are the enemy.

I want you, fellow LNF’ers, on the fence or on the side of G-d and Country, to spread the word; to attack; to rouse the people from their torpid indifference.
Israel is bearing the brunt and the suffering and the hard fighting of OUR War against this wretched philosophy that believes that it is their right to make us all slaves, Muslims, or dead.

This will not stand.
We will change the world and their insipid opinions that “everything is all the same;” that we need to consider “their” point of view.
No.
We do not need to consider their point of view.

I ask you all to Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem.
Support Israel in this horrific fight.
Support the United States of America and President Bush as one of the last bastions of moral decency left in our poor world.

We are faced by this:

IT’S IN THE KORAN

In our days of glory
Now centuries past
The kingdom of Islam
Stood mighty and vast
Then we failed our faith
And watched your power grow
But soon our greatness will return
And this is how we know

Because it’s in the Koran
It’s written in the Koran
A world united under Allah is
The future of man
How could it not be so
When most opposing us panic
And surrender once a few of them have bled

We’re happy to torture
We’re eager to rape
We savor your last screams
On videotape
We massacre children
We ransack a shrine
And all our acts are sanctified
By Suras 2 through 9

Because it’s in the Koran
It’s written in the Koran
That we should fight and slay the infidels
However we can
We’ll blow ourselves to bits
If that gives us an advantage
Or we’ll slit your throats while you’re asleep in bed

Those heathens who scold us
Are wasting their breath
Over the millions we’ve butchered
And starved
We’re men who would let girls
Be trampled to death
Rather than see them in public
Unscarved

So don’t look for mercy
When you’re at our feet
The justice we’ll give you
Is harsh and complete
We danced in delight
When your Twin Towers fell
And you’ll weep with your slaughtered
As you burn with them in Hell

Because it’s in the Koran
It’s written in the Koran
Your fate was settled long before
This latest battle began
We’ve found our holy purpose
And we’ll never abandon it
As long as there’s a sinner to behead

In other words we won’t rest
Till everyone in the west
Is a slave, a Muslim or dead

But, I tell you, we must be this:

My brothers! I see in your eyes the same fear that would take the heart of me. A day may come when the courage of men fails; when we forsake our friends and break all bonds of fellowship… but it is not this day! An hour of wolves and shattered shields, when the Age of Men comes crashing down! But it is not this day! This day we fight! By all that you hold dear on this good earth, I bid you stand, Men of the West!
- Aragorn in the movie “Lord of the Rings”

Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem.
Gut Shabbos.

I apologize for the redundancy and lack of editing...
I will try and do better.
Gut Shabbos.

I don't want to think about Olmert right now. I get enraged, and it's unproductive, because I, personally, can't even vote in Israeli elections much less resign. However, I can do what's in my pwer to explain what's happening in Israel right now... and so can others. I have to say, you've been doing an outstanding job with all those updates and articles. By the way, you may be interested in this legal analysis of "proportionality" that someone tipped me: (I posted it on my blog as well)

http://www.tnr.com/docprint.mhtml?i=w060724&s=brook072806

Robert:

This is a sad post but I know in my heart that I agree with what you say. I'm 35 years old and I can't remember a time when I was so afraid for Israel and the Jews. It's agonizing to see Israel slogging through this while the world hopes for its demise.

As far as Hezbollah's building itself up, a very good friend of mine is a Lebanese Christian who is furious that they have been allowed to build to this capacity over twenty years. She said that every other militia was forced to disarm after the war and that Hezbollah and Syria have been calling the shots. She basically sees it as deception with the aid of the international community.

Regardless, it's pretty depressing.

I agree the old Sharon would have fought it differently, but who knows how the New Sharon would have fought it? Sharon demoralized everyone in the end. Sharon ran off anyone who disagreed with his disengagement plan no matter how talented. I have read of many cases where talented soldiers were edged out of service from the IDF because they were classified as "religious"?

I think this is the first war Israel has not called back the old guard for active duty. To think of all that experience of fighting in Lebanon against Hezbollah left unutilized in this war? Its almost a crime. Think what would have happened if Sharon had not been called up from retirement in 1967? Or if in 1973 Sharon was not again called back from retirement - there would have been no crossing of the Sinai.

If there is anything good that could possibly come out of this war - I hope and I pray that the dangerous policies of land for peace are abandoned as bankrupt and the secular and religious will stop perceiving each as not only the "other" but the "enemy" as well.

"He would have moved to crush Hizbullah as soon as possible because Sharon understood the Arab world. He understood that victory in the mind is as important as on the battlefield."

The victories of 56 and 67 were awe (or fear) inspiring for the arabs not just because of the land they lost, but the brevity of the wars themselves. yom kippur was a victory for the arabs not just because very little land changes hands, but because it lasted for whopping 20 (!) days. And let's not even bring up the first lebanon war and the intifades, and now the second lebanon war.

on that depressing note, shavu'ah tov!

Irina:

Thanks so much for your level-headed comment. I have to admit that I have been seething since the third day of this war and being, duh, a writer-- I wrote what I felt, once again. Not that it will do any good, or change any facts on the ground. But it does make my lower back feel better.

Thanks for the link. Personally, I've never had a problem with proportionality. That's war: one side overwhelms the other with massive power and utterly destroys them so the enemy will never be a threat.

Brooklynsax:

Yes, it is depressing. But I should point out that things would be even more depressing if this war had been delayed even longer and the Hizbullah had been allowed to stockpile technologically more advanced missiles. Thanks so much for writing. Chazak V'ematz.

Kateland:

To me the greatest tip-off that thiis war was not going well was when the air war continued for so long and was clearly ineffective as the hizbullar rockets kept pouring in. Chalutz is an air force man, not the ideal Chief of Staf, and his strategy has been dismal.

I agree that the land for peace policies should hopefully be abandoned. But you know, it's a funny thing about the left. They have a habit of never apologizing for their errors. They usually come back and say something like: "Well, our policies were not carrioed out properly."

Wait and see, that will be the line, and we''ll be right back where we started. The left are incapable of recognizing evil.

Thanks so much for stopping into Seraphic Secret and writing.

Yes, General Sharon would have handled it better. But I think PM Sharon would have been just as much of a disaster.

Olmert resigning? I cannot think of another Israeli politician that has the ability to do this right.

Arie:

Let's agree to disagree about the Yom Kippur War. Egypt's mighty Third Army was entirely encircled and Syria's complete tank corps was crushed. Neither state has dared to go to war against Israel since. Syria has fought proxie terrorist wars ever since, and is now a client of Iran. First Lebanon, was a disaster, agreed. The terrorist wars are handled poorly. There are no consequences for terrorist actions. The appeasing Peace Now mind-set has settled in too deeply. Time to eradicate that mentality forever.

Yehupitz:

It's a funny thing about history, when a crisis hits, the right man has the ability to step forward and do the right thing. As long as the mediocre at the helm is pushed aside. Witness Chamberlin stepping aside in favor of Churchill.