The Seventh Sense

Franken (Finally) Wins Minnesota; Isreal Invades Gaza

The weekend in the world that I didn't pay attention to.

Arab Protest In New York Marred By Gross Spelling Error

Whatever your politics (although it seems obvious in this case), spelling counts!

Actual photo of a real Arab protester.

Vietnam Was "The Television War"; Meet "The YouTube War"

I don't have anything to say about the outbreak of fighting in Israel/Gaza, other than you can put me down in the "Israel's-responsive-was-disproportionate-and-therefore-counterproductive" camp, that the Bush Administration's silence on the issue is (once again) negligent, and the only way this will end (and not escalate) is some serious efforts at diplomacy -- and soon.

Okay, I guess I do have something to say.

Anyway, I find it interesting that the Israeli Defense Forces have opened up an account on Youtube, so that viewers can watch same-day IDF footage of rockets hitting their targets in the Gaza strip.  Interesting propaganda -- I'm not sure what purpose it serves ("We're badass"?)

YouTube has pulled some of them down -- maybe it intends to do so with all of them.  Odd that it should find itself in this internationally awkward editorial position.

Arming Future Enemies

A new proposal for the Pakistani crisis:

A new and classified American military proposal outlines an intensified effort to enlist tribal leaders in the frontier areas of Pakistan in the fight against Al Qaeda and the Taliban, as part of a broader effort to bolster Pakistani forces against an expanding militancy, American military officials said.

Again with the arming tribal leaders? 

Someone needs to remind someone at the Pentagon that when we arm tribal leaders, the chickens eventually come home to roost.  In other words, these guns go out there unaccounted for, and 5 to ten years later, they're shooting back at us.

America To The Rescue

I think much of this was lost on the audience, but this is brilliant.

Jon Stewart talks about U.S. intervention in the Middle East over the past 3 decades and our absurd policies where we provide billions of money, arms, and military training to people who later become our mortal enemies.  Bin Laden?  Yeah, the U.S. gave him guns and training.  Saddam?  Ditto.  It's astounding that people don't realize this, and it's astounding that you only hear discussion of it on Comedy Central.

The Unauthorized "Christians United For Israel" Tour

Max Blumenthal has done it again.

He attended a conference of the "Christians United for Israel" people, and brought his camera.  What he saw was alarming.  Watch it.

Rapture Ready: The Unauthorized Christians United for Israel Tour from huffpost and Vimeo.

There is, of course, nothing inherently wrong with anybody being pro-Israel.  What makes me squirm about these people is that they are pro-Israel for the wrong reasons.  As Blumenthal explains:

CUFI has an ulterior agenda: its support for Israel derives from the belief of [CUFI founder and megachurch pastor] Hagee and his flock that Jesus will return to Jerusalem after the battle of Armageddon and cleanse the earth of evil. In the end, all the non-believers - Jews, Muslims, Hindus, mainline Christians, etc. - must convert or suffer the torture of eternal damnation.

As the members itself in this video reveal, it is not the Jews, or an inherent belief in a Jewish state, which drives their support for Israel.  In fact, Jews are -- they're quite clear about this -- going to be damned for all time when the Rapture comes (unless they convert).  They merely support Israel because doing so will bring about the End Times.

As such, the group's name "Christians United for Israel" is a bit of a misnomer.  What they are all about is "Israel for Christians".  Scary.

RELATED:  The Pope believes in evolution.

Israel's 48 Hour Ceasefire Lasts 12 Hours

So much for the peace process.

A Unique Solution To The Middle East Problem

Why didn't somebody think of this before?

Reuven Zelinkovsky was a colonel in the Israeli army, but now he has renounced military might to join a squadron of yogic flyers at the Sea of Galilee to throw a "shield of invincibility" around the Jewish state.

As Hezbollah rockets fired from nearby Lebanon boomed in the background, he explained that the solution to the latest conflict to engulf the Middle East was "not to kill the enemy but to kill enmity."

This can be done through the "technology" of yogic flying which, for those trained in the technique, is the spontaneous result of transcendental meditation, said Zelinkovsky as he emerged Tuesday from the first of two daily four-hour sessions.

The bespectacled electronics engineer, who served in the army from 1966 until 1982, is part of a worldwide movement led by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, the former guru to The Beatles.

The movement's Natural Law Party has unsuccessfully fielded candidates in US presidential and British general elections, touting yogic flying as a solution to the world's ills.

Yogic flying, derided by critics as glorified bum-hopping, is the purported ability to levitate through the advanced practice of transcendental meditation, or TM.

Proponents of the art say world peace can be achieved by thousands of simultaneous yogic flyers spread across the globe.

I don't know about anybody else, but it seems to me that if missiles are going to be flying through the air, the last place I want to be is in the air with them.

Weighing In On The Israel-Lebanon Thing

Look, I know it's complicated.  And I don't feel compelled to pick a side.  This much I will say.

There's no question that Hezbollah is, or certainly acts like, a terrorist organization, and Israel is justified in defending itself from those attacks.

But to my mind, Israel's response is disproportionate, over-the-top, and reckless.  Two example in the past 24 hours:

(1)  "Ooops" attack on the Red Cross.  Look at the picture -- a missile entered the van with bullseye precision.

In Sunday's attack, Chaalan was thrown backward while the other medics rushed to pull the wounded from the smashed vehicle. As they pulled the child out, the Israelis struck again, blowing up the second ambulance.

"I felt like I was dying," Chaalan said Monday, after his release from a hospital. "I thought, 'I'm dead.' "

Fortunately, he was only stunned and needed three stitches to close a wound on his chin.

After the attack, a Red Cross volunteer reached the organization's headquarters in Tyre, which relayed news of the assault to the International Red Cross headquarters in Geneva. After nearly two hours of negotiations, the Israelis guaranteed safe passage for the volunteers and the wounded back to Tyre.

Despite a donation of blood from Chaalan, the wounded man, 40-year-old Ahmed Mustafa Farwaz, lost his right leg below the knee, while his son Mohammed Farwaz, 14, remained in serious condition with shrapnel wounds to his abdomen. The elder Farwaz's unidentified mother suffered severe nerve damage to her legs.

(2)  "Ooops" attack on the UN, killing 4 U.N. observers, including a Canadian, a Chinese, an Austrian and a Finn. Kofi Annan is calling the attack deliberate.

Annan said in his statement the post had been there for a long time and was marked clearly, and was hit despite assurances from Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert that UN positions would not be attacked.

"I call on the government of Israel to conduct a full investigation into this very disturbing incident and demand that any further attack on UN positions and personnel must stop," Annan said in the statement.

Lead Singer For Iron Maiden News

I'm no fan of Iron Maiden, but this is a pretty cool story:

He's the frontman for one of the great metal bands of all-time. He was a world class fencer. Now, after helping to rescue scores of Britons from the fiery hell of war, he's a national hero.

Bruce Dickinson, lead singer for Iron Maiden, gets bored pretty quickly. He keeps himself busy with many hobbies and art projects. Years ago he was trained as a commercial pilot by friend Captain Phil Dales of British Airways.

When Dickinson got word that his countrymen were stranded in Cyprus after having fled the war in Lebanon, he leaped at the chance to help.

"He was only too keen to get involved and help. He has a strong interest in the welfare of people caught up in international conflicts and cares about what is going on," said a colleague.

Dickinson piloted a Boeing 757 down to the tiny island nation to pick up 200 Britons and return them to the safety to Gatwick Airport in England.

Now Dickinson will return to hosting his weekly radio show on BBC 6Music and resume rehearsing for Iron Maiden's fall tour opening at Budokan.

Rapture Dreams

Well, there's a small segment of society who believe that the Middle East conflict is a good thing.  A REAL good thing.

Over at Rapture Ready/End Times Chat online bulletin board, some evangelical Christians are seeing recent events as a sure sign of the second coming of Christ.  Here are a few comments posted on the board:

Praise God! We are chosen to be in these times and also watch and spread the word. Something inside me is exploding to get out, and I don't know what it is. Its kind of like I want to do cartwheels around the neighborhood.

* * *

A question just popped in my head. Do you think children of around say 7 or 8 (but before the age of accountability) that have been indoctrinated up until that time by their parents religious beliefs will be raptured? . . . For example, would a 7 year old muslim be raptured? I know G-d will do right but I was just wondering everyone's thoughts. I hate to think of kids being left here.

* * *

Got that dancing feeling on the inside of me.

* * *

This is the busiest I've ever seen this website in a few years! I have been having rapture dreams and I can't believe that this is really it! We are on the edge of eternity!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

* * *

Whoa! I can sure feel the glory bumps after reading this thread!

* * *

I too am soooo excited!! I get goose bumps, literally, when I watch what's going on in the M.E.!! And Watcherboy, you were so right when saying it was quite a day yesterday, in the world news, and I add in local news here in the Boston area!! Tunnel ceiling collapsed on a car and killed a woman of faith, and we had the most terrifying storms I have ever seen here!! But, yes, oh happy day, like in your screen name , it is most indeed a time to be happy and excited, right there with ya!!

* * *

I am excited beyond words that the struggle of this life may be over soon and I can finally be FREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!

* * *

This is so exciting....I'm having a hard time believing this is 'real'!

I'm not trying to put down anyone's deeply-held religious convictions, but isn't there something a little ooky about celebrating war, death, and destruction (not to mention the Big Dig fatality in Boston) in this way?

Jesus wept.

Courtesy of Harper's Magazine

Is Michael Brown In Charge If Lebanon Evacuation?

There were roughly 25,000 Americans in Lebanon when the bombs began.  A couple thou have been evacuated so far. What about the rest?

"We have an open line to all American citizens. We're in touch with them by Web site. Those Americans who wish to leave will obviously go out," [Nicholas Burns, the U.S. undersecretary of state for political affairs] told CNN Tuesday.

Problem there, Nick.  Telephone service is spotty -- both land lines and cellular networks are on-again, off-again in war-struck areas. Electricity is out in parts of Beirut and southern Lebanon, probably as a result of Israeli bombing runs which targeted civilian infrastructure, including power plants and transformers.

Anyway, those still awaiting evacuation don't seem to feel very informed by our government:

"We are desperately trying to evacuate and have become more and more disappointed and angry with the way the evacuation is being handled," said Lina Fleihan of Greensboro, North Carolina. "We hear more about what's going on from CNN than we do from the U.S. government and the American Embassy here."

Lebanon Evacuation Update

Re my previous entry here -- I just received the following email from CNN:

Evacuation fees for Americans being helped to leave Lebanon will be waived, two Republican senators tell CNN.

U.S. Citizens Trapped In Lebanon Have To Pay For Their Evacuation

From the website of the U.S. Embassy in Beirut (follow the link if you doubt me):

A message to the American citizens in Lebanon:

The Department of State continues to work with the Department of Defense on a plan to help American citizens depart Lebanon. As of the morning of July 15, we are looking at how we might transport Americans to Cyprus. Once in Cyprus, Americans can then board commercial aircraft for onward travel. Commercial airlines provide the safest and most efficient repatriation options to final destinations.

The Department of State reminds American citizens that the U.S. government does not provide no-cost transportation but does have the authority to provide repatriation loans to those in financial need. For the portion of your trip directly handled by the U.S. Government we will ask you to sign a promissory note and we will bill you at a later date. In a subsequent message, when we have specific details about the transporation arrangments, we will inform you about the costs you will incur.

Nice.

By the way, here's what it says at the website for the Canadian Embassy in Lebanon:

The Canadian Government has arranged for sea vessels to assist Canadians wishing to depart Lebanon. All costs related to the evacuation of Canadians citizens from Lebanon will be borne by the Government of Canada.

UPDATE:  More to this story here.

Quote Of The Day

George Will blasts neoconservative foreign policy in the Middle East:

[I]t is not perverse to wonder whether the spectacle of America, currently learning a lesson -- one that conservatives should not have to learn on the job -- about the limits of power to subdue an unruly world, has emboldened many enemies.

Read the whole thing.  He rejects the neoconservative ability to turn the current Mideast crisis into a “Let’s get Iran” war drive.  To Will, it's clear that neocons haven’t learned the lessons of their mistakes in Iraq.  Ouch.