Quote:"Why not contrast this to the huge damage (in comparison) wrought by the
powerful bombs dropped by planes - an option Israel did not use in Jenin,
but which American and Europeans used in every war including Afghanistan,
to avoid risking their soldiers in such operations. No other army in the
world would have acted as the IDF.

Quote:The use of large yield explosives is not possible in the occupied territories without massive civilian casualties. It was possible in both Afghanistan & the Gulf War. In Afghanistan, AGAIN, we did not target population centers. In the Gulf War only smart bombs were used on high priority targets like anti-aircraft guns, radar stations, and military communications.

And yes, civilians got killed in both conflicts. But we did everything possible to minimize those numbers. I still haven't seen a count on civilian dead in Afghanistan. And almost all the civilian deaths in the Gulf were due to failures of the smart-bomb guidance systems.

Quote:If you don't like my comments, don't read them.

Quote:but these are the same people who were celebrating in the streets on sept 11.

Quote:where's the world crying for them? why is it only when israel goes in, do they say something??

Quote:Think about this. Why are Arafat, Bin Ladin, and all the others so successful at recruiting? I mean, if someone came around and tried to start a new Christian Crusade or something, 98% of the population would tell them to go fuck themselves. (You always get a few who want to run off and join a cult or become skinheads.) Why? becasue we're prosperous and happy.

Quote:Why? Because people are selfish and self-centered and so are governments. If the jews had picked option number 2 and set up their homeland in Madagascar instead of the Middle East, the U.S. wouldn't be giving them billions every year and if they had trouble there, they'd be left to their own devices, live or die.

Quote:Rising concern over anti-Semitism, as much as anything, has quashed debate among American Jews over Israeli politics and policies.

On Thursday, at a Brooklyn College class for retirees on current events, Helen Rosenberg, 86, an atheist, recalled a recent conversation with a friend in which she expressed sorrow that Palestinians were being killed. "That woman turned on me," Ms. Rosenberg said. "She said that I wanted Israel ruined."

After class, Barbara Rosenthal, a retired schoolteacher, said of Ms. Rosenberg, "I felt like telling that woman, `When they come for you, they're going to come whether you're atheist or religious.' "

Aryeh Cohen, a Talmud professor at the University of Judaism in Los Angeles, said critiques of Israel had been chilled in forums where there used to be open debate. Critics of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon were scarce at the Washington rally.

"It's really painful for me to feel completely alienated from a rally in support of Israel," said Professor Cohen, who lived in Israel for 12 years and fought in the 1982 war in Lebanon. "On a day-to-day basis, among colleagues and students, I do find myself in situations where I don't necessarily say what I think."

Quote:And Kid, you don't care becasue your a typical self-centered prick who doesn't care about anything that doesn't have an immediate and tangible effect on your life.

Quote:they don't need american money, but israel will in return, cut off all medical aid, techonlogy, and intelligence. what then will america do?

Quote:first of all, it was uganda, not madagascar. but did it ever accur to you that perhaps the jews chose israel for historic and holy significance?

Quote:Does anybody find it strange who is saying this?

Quote:It will soon. It will affect all of us whether we want it to or not.

Quote:kid, it is hot!

Quote:So age really does bring wisdom, huh?

Quote:Once the Arab world starts an offensive against Israel, it will be bloody and Israel will loose. The US will not be able to defend Israel without significant loss of American lives and American interests in the region.

Quote:A woman that can hold her own in any argument is mildly attractive, I'll give you that.

Quote:The Arab world did not go all out against Israel in the past because of concern about US involvement and because of US pressure. Now that the Sharon has exposed our weakness, the Arab world will not back down. Egypt and Syria is a very formidal opponent for Israel. An attack from both nations along with attacks from Hezballah is more than Israel can deal with. After Sharon has shunned us, Congress will have a difficult time supporting Bush in supporting a military initiative to support Israel.

Quote:CT, you are fun to debate with. We should try it after wild sex sometime.

Quote:THE LIES NEVER STOP

Sharon Nader Sloan, Esq. Lebanese-American, 19 April 2002

On Friday, April 12, Yasser Arafat spoke from his compound in Ramallah, via his cell phone, to a cathedral in Egypt packed with 5,000 Christian copts. He created an outburst of applause and adulation when he told them that the 200 killers holed up in the Church of the Nativity were there to protect the Christian “holy” site from the Israeli invaders. He vowed to protect, to the death, all holy Christian and Muslim sites in “holy” Jerusalem. He then continued: “The Israeli aggression on the Church of the Nativity is a crime, and we will continue to defend it.” Again, the whole cathedral applauded. The head of the Coptic Orthodox Church, Pope Shenouda, III, praised Arafat and said: “All our people are with you.”

This whole thing is so outrageous a lie that it makes one want to puke.

Aside from the fact that Arafat and his henchmen have been harassing and persecuting the Christians living under Palestinian rule to a degree that many of them escaped to live elsewhere, if Arafat wants to protect the Church of the Nativity, all he has to do is order his 200 murderers to leave the church. He knows they will not be killed. The Israeli army will only arrest them to be put on trial. And even if they are found guilty, they will not be executed, because Israel does not have the death penalty.

Arafat will not do this because he wants the world to intervene and set them free. He needs them to continue his war of terror on Israel.

There is a real possibility that he will get what he wants, because Europe and all the Arab countries are going to pretend to buy into this lie, and demand that Israel allow these terrorists to go free to continue their nefarious operations.

There is also a real possibility that America will save them, just like they saved Arafat and his thugs in Lebanon.

Certainly Arafat will not change his mind and order these people to leave the church, because whatever he may say, he really does not want peace with Israel. Arafat thrives on turmoil and conflict. If peace were forced on him tomorrow, he would not know what to do. He does not really want a Palestinian state either. He would have to provide schools, hospitals, roads, industry, and a democratic political structure, etc., etc. He does not want a state. Ehud Barak offered him a state. He rejected it. He only wants to fight for a state. He wants to be a hero to his people, not govern a nation.

Terrorists generally do not want peace to happen. If peace happens, what would they do? How would they be important? How would they be somebody? There would literally be nothing for them to do. So their whole raison d’etre is to keep the conflict going until death. Blood and terror is their whole life. Those who have experienced terrorists know that they really take great pleasure in hating and in killing. They do not want peace, so lasting peace with Arafat is never going to happen.

As far as the problem at the Church of the Nativity, the simple solution is for the Pope and the Vatican to order these men off their property.

The commandment in the Old Testament to give sanctuary to a murderer is only when refusing sanctuary would risk death for the murderer. Here this is not the case. At worst they would risk prison. Hence the Vatican should tell them to get out. That would solve the whole problem, because Arafat would not go against the Vatican.

Today I heard that there is a compromise being floated and Israel is buying into it; namely, that the terrorists in the church be deported.

Big mistake.

What do you think will happen after these terrorists are deported? Will they join the Salvation Army? No. They will immediately join Hezbolla and/or Al Queda. They will become more dangerous than before.

The Vatican, and whoever else owns the Church of the Nativity, must expel them, and Israel needs to put them on trial. If innocent, set them free. If guilty, put them in prison for life.

Sharon Nader Sloan, Esq. Lebanese-American