I read in Mireille piece “As a Jewish friend tells me, she cries every time she watches the news at the killings in Lebanon.” straight after scanning a report about a certain Aussie actor in strife in LA.

If Mel Gibson’s recent drunken comments do hide a deep seated anti-semiticism then they need to be roundly denounced. However if they, and his spectacular fall from the wagon, are the product of the same anguish and horror felt by Mireille’s friend, myself, and many of those I talk to, over the killing and destruction, then might they not be seen in a different light?

While I’m not depressed enough to try a Mr Gibson style attempt at self medication I can see how feelings of despair and helplessness about the situation in the ME might tip an artistic, passionate and emotional person over the edge.

Also I also wonder if our individual sense of helplessness is exacerbated by not just the ‘silence’ of our elected representatives but by their active styming of efforts at resolution.

Then again, although I hope not, Mel Gibson might just be a bigoted pisshead deserving of all he gets.

Boaz_David
Whether I am off topic depends on how far back you want to go. The ultimate cuase of the war is the Old Testament. No OT: No Jewish nation:No war.
I reject the OT because of its immorality and I am in good company when I do so as Jesus did the same. Reread Matt 5 v21-48 which culminates in v43, the wonderful advice to love your enemy, the OT version being to hate your enemy.

• Mireille Astore: The theory that I find most plausible at the moment was devised four decades ago by the Jewish Philosopher, Hannah Arendt. In Eichmann in Jerusalem, she draws attention to the similarity between the racist foundation of the state of Israel and the 1935 Nuremburg laws. Both laws were based on an idea of Judaism as a race, not as a religious practice, regardless of whether individuals identified themselves as a Jew or belonged to the Jewish religious community.

• Leo Braun: Certainly, I am compelled to comment as to the tip of an iceberg reflected the common denominator of the Jew dilemma. Concerning the utmost controversial issue in question on the planet earth. Sought resolution of which (for the humanity sake), to remain insurmountable without resolving the principal lingo-essence as what kind of JEWS, we were talking about? When a deeper analysis of the macabre-dilemma inspires to quote the principle, which is quite true in itself, that in the big-lie there is always some sleazy force of machiavellian credibility.

Naive populous has-often fallen-for, because gullible-masses are always more easily swayed and corrupted in-a-deeper strata of their emotional nature (than consciously or voluntarily). Where in a primitive simplicity of their idle-minds, they more readily fall victims to the big-lies (than-little-fibs). As they themselves often tell small handy-lies in little benefit matters, but would be held-back to resort to a large-scale falsehoods. Hence, would never come into dopey heads the realisation that the almighty chosen-supremacists to fabricate so colossal untruths.

No wonder as-so sheepishly desensitised minds couldn't ever-grasp consequently that Zionist run-global-establishments, courtesy of a cuckoo-nest incubated rulers-and-preachers world-wide, could have had such-a-bloody chutzpah to distort truths so incredibly. When even the clear-cut facts exposing heinous fraud perpetuation by the lying-rodent-trinity to-be brought to the dill-flock's attention, amazingly the careless sucker heads still to doubt, waver and continue to think that there may-be some-other explanation. Because such grossly impudent lies leave always its smeared trace behind it (even after-it-has been nailed-down already).

For an eye opener proceed to ... http://forum.onlineopinion.com.au/thread.asp?article=4632

• Leo Braun: This is the fact, which was known extremely well to all Jew-expert liars in this world. Who conspired together worldwide in their supremacist art of the impeccable lying. Perpetrated as a matter-of-fact throughout the millenniums, courtesy-of-devious charlatans ingenuity knack. Who knew only too-well how-to-use falsehood for the basest purposes, then never-ever to-admit-any-wrong. Synonymous with the racist ashke-Nazim, who have known better than any others on earth, how falsehood and calumny can-be exploited. Isn't their very existence, was founded on one GREAT LIE? Namely that JEWS are a religious interbreed. When in reality, JEWS are a RACE.

And what-a-unique race, preset since time immemorial to deal with any alternative ideologies notion (ever-to-rise from the grass-roots of conscientious souls). Perpetually filling even the vacuum-cells via adhered supremacist rule-motto: "SHOULD ANYONE BE EVER ABSENT FROM US ... HE WILL BE THEN AGAINST US"! Thus having aristocratic-Jew-echelon masters throughout the millenniums firmly-to-place their bets each way ... they always-to-score their steadfast incubated winners worldwide. Impersonating an-exclusive tyrant-entity breed of the limitless significance.

Assuring thus global-apartheid via fait-accompli elimination-regimes. Starting right from a kindergarten via compulsory schooling and cultivated universities buffers, which to yield an-ample-of-disposable puppets. Accompanied over the years with connived-referees issued clandestine dossiers-as-norm. No wonder the imbeciles lot to-be nurtured with-a-carte blanche, whilst incorruptible souls of the role-model citizens to-endure devious wrath. Still, so many of-ill-informed minds failed even-to-realise what hit them indeed. Without expecting in the wildest-dream to face such-a-nightmare of the utterly insidious act.

• Hannah Arendt: During its first few years, Hitler's rise to power appeared to the Zionists chiefly as 'the decisive defeat of assimilationism'. Hence, the Zionists could, for a time, at least, engage in a certain amount of 'non-criminal' cooperation with the Nazi Reich; the Zionists too believed that 'dissimilation', combined with the emigration to Palestine of Jewish youngsters and, they hoped, Jewish capitalists, could be a 'mutually fair solution'. At the time, many German officials held this opinion, and this kind of talk seems to have been quite common up to the end ... http://www.lastsuperpower.net/docs/nzccontents

For zion-nazi collaboration exposé proceed to ... http://forum.onlineopinion.com.au/thread.asp?article=4632#48915

Hezbollah is not the first group to use civilian shields. And Israel is not the first country to attack despite those shields. During the 'bush war', the Rhodesian Army occasionally invaded refugee camps and (surprise, surprise) captured tanks and other arms that for some reason or another were hidden amongst the human 'casualties of war'. And again, they weren't the only ones.

I am not saying this because I think either side is right - but you can't keep surrounding your rocket launchers with the frail and helpless and then cry because they are getting killed. At least the Israelis are being somewhat transparent about what they are doing.

That said, it is always hard to back the side with greater firepower, especially if they use it. To the casual observer, Israel's attack seems to be a bit of overkill. But if the purpose of the army is to defend the interests of the state, then it makes sense to do it as well as you can. And Israel is doing that.

Innocent people are being killed, because two Israel soldiers were taken by Hezbollah. Israel soldiers take two Hezbollah soldiers.
What has this got to do with those innocent people, who are dying, maimed and homeless .
Israel move back to the original borders of Israel 1946, then accept what you have. Communicate, talk to each other. Idealistic? too true! enough is enough.