And on the other hand….
This blog reports that the anti-war demonstrations are looking slightly more mainstream and slightly less like a fringe phenomenon.
Not Looking Good for Olmert in the Blogosphere
Yael sums up the general consensus in this post, calling him “a weak and indecisive idiot.”
That seems to be what just about everyone on the left is saying –just imagine what the right, and the right religious will be saying (the latter once they get back to their computers tomorrow with shabbat over). Rinat who is definitely leftier than me says he is a weak, indecisive leader and she is ashamed to have him as a prime minister. Live from an Israeli bunker echoes my thoughts from the other day but says it and much more much better. The folks over at Neither here Nor There feel sure that we will be doing the election thing again this year and note that Olmert and company might want to take a little trip: “I and many like us would be happy to pay for air fare. One way naturally.”
The only person I’ve been able to find that is happy about the agreeing to a “let’s go back to square one and have another war once Hezbollah has had a chance to rearm with much bigger and nastier weapons in a just a few years” UN resolution and our prime minister who has acted more like a squirrel trying to cross a street with a car coming along at it (forward, no back, no forward no….!!!!!!) is Stefanella.
And it seems that the UN and Olmert have all forgotten 2 very important things: Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev.
And thanks to the U.N. Lebanon is going to get to play host to Hezbollah for who-knows-how-long. Lebanon will get pushed around and in essence taken over once again by Syria and with added influence by Iran. We have two countries with a massive amount of damage, not to mention loss of life, nothing to show for it and nothing good likely to come out of it because Hezbollah, Syria and Iran will start this all over again in the future. It is not a matter of if, it is a matter of when.
****The folks over at Ouwet Front who are very smart cookies have just made me feel a bit better about the outlook in general (though not about Mr. Squirrel). They seem to think that Hezbollah has come out the biggest loser and that “Lebanon and Israel won equally.” However, they seem to think we’ve (Israel) pretty much wiped out Hezbollah whereas from all the information I’ve heard it would take another 3 weeks of fighting for that to happen. Still they point to some other things that indicate some advances for the Lebanese people and for Israel. Worth a read.
Beaches and Weddings and Helicopters
Imshin took some time off from war-watching over the weekend. But reminders were always hovering overhead.
If you are reading this from Israel and you are in a safe zone (and not keeping Shabbat, in which case you won’t be reading this for a few hours anyway), you really should head for the beach, if you haven’t been already. The water is lovely. White flag. Don’t forget plenty of sunscreen, or perhaps you should wait a few hours till it gets cooler.
Youngest and I went early-ish, on our bikes.
Bish’s work associate was released from reserve duty in the north for his wedding, which took place yesterday at lunchtime. We were told quite a few of his friends were abscent, because they weren’t released.
Here are some photos I took during the event, with my cell:
This is the Chuppa, the wedding canopy
Note the helicopter in the sky. There were quite a few of those going passed all the time. Just in case anyone thinks we forgot for a moment that there was a war going on.
House Calls
An Israeli doctor has just started blogging. Judging from this description of his day, it is a miracle that he had time to sit down at the computer and write anything…it is an amazing stream of consciousness, though, so I’m glad he did.
Another day of turmoil. Computer at work open on news, clicking and watching the list of morning alarms with relatively small amount of damage in life. One Missile hit a house, two others landed on the ground. Only a few casualties. Headache patient, low back pain patient. The UN is drafting a cease fire resolution, our forces prepare for a massive assault. Baby with otitis media. Amoxycillin Hezbollah refuses to accept cease fire draft, our leaders are not happy with it. Something must be right. I have noticed that in war unlike business there is no win win situation. Win lose or lose win usually means defeat destruction and horror in one side. Lose lose is the optimal outcome of war. It means both parties will have to think hard before the next round. House call. Blue blue skies, morning sun, whistling a war tune. Back to the office for some paperwork. More missiles on Haifa. Another building was hit. I forget the papers just sit and stare at the screen. The nurse / slave driver enters and drives me back to work. Tachycardia, chest pain, Minot injury, sick leave. Driving back home. News on the radio. I can’t stop listening.
Back home, drop the bag. Going to pick up the children. The cabinet authorizes an expansion of the war. What? Cease fire? More war? What? Confusion. I was drafted so I am looking for a replacement. Not easy. Afternoon, Shabat enters we light candles wishing for an end. Dinner in the dining room. The kibbutz is packet with refugees from up north. Talking to friends. Again news on TV confusion. I cannot study, read, love. Life as a know it stopped a month ago.
Good night
.
An “Ordinary” Day?
David Lisbona describes what he calls an ordinary day in Haifa during these times — and it appears to turn the definition of “ordinary” on its ear…
The day started (not particularly early – thank you Nasrallah) with an air-raid siren . It caught Irit just while she was exercising , but, no choice, we run down to the shelter. We’ve tidied up our shelter and put in some more chairs because we’re expecting the visit of Irit’s daughter-in-law, Einat and her 3 children. Irit’s elder son has also been called up into emergency reserve in the army (we now have 3 family members who’ve been called up) and Einat doesn’t feel comfortable staying alone in their apartment with 3 children (including a 6 week old baby). They are, as it were, internal refugees in Haifa. We are happy to have them stay with us – it’s nice to have children around the house.
They come at about 10 a.m. and soon afterwards the siren goes off again and 8 of us rush down to the shelter – Irit, Shiri (from the upstairs apartment) , Einat, her 3 children, me and the dog.
The next alarm catches me outside walking the dog. I find shelter but our dog, Sushi, gets rather nervous when we hear a rocket explosion not that far away. So as not to give the Hezbollah aiming information, radio and televsion no longer announce the precise landing spots of the rockets in and around Haifa. But we all have friends all around Haifa so after a few phone calls we find out that one of the rockets landed near the coastal road (to Tel Aviv). That’s scary because we use that road sometimes. At lunchtime I pass by there and see police cars and workmen repairing the road.
In the afternoon we only have one air raid and in the evening my 94-year old father and another elderly relative come for dinner. As I take them home, I wonder what I and they should do if they’re an air aid while we’re in the car. If driving when an alarm goes off, one is supposed to stop the car, get out and run for shelter. But this doesn’t seem a very practical odea for the over 8o’s and 90′s . I don’t have a satisfactory plan but fortunately it doesn’t happen.
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