I thought I was hardened.
9/11 led to the attack of Afghanistan because the US needed to let out its aggression. Somehow, this was tweaked into a long planned invasion of Iraq because something had to be done to secure American petrleum and begin the project of changing the geopolitical map of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). The second Palestinian Intifada came and continued and continued, towns and camps were bombed, seiged into submission until a new election led to results Israelis didn't like much better than the Intifada. Sharon doesn't even know his name and still Gaza is being attacked relentlessly. (And, no, the attacks didn't begin with the kidnapping of the Israeli soldier).
I thought that I could handle whatever came of this by now. And then came the invasion of Lebanon.
I've spent a lot of time researching Lebanese websites for organizations and news sources. After the extensive reading and research, I met and spoke with my Lebanese brothers and sisters. I don't know how to describe it. People that have always acted like the coolest cats on the block are tired--after days on days of trying to reach loved ones, waiting for news, hoping to get a glance of family members on CNN and hoping that this isn't going to turn out as another occupation not long after the last 18 year Israeil occupation of Lebanon, people are exhausted.
Meanwhile, Gaza is still under attack and Palestine is still militarily occupied. I used to think that there was a chance that the world just didn't know or didn't understand. Now, I'm thinking that most people don't care.
Iraq, Palestine, and Lebanon are burning; Afghanistan is hurting; thousands of people all over the world have taken to the streets. This is no time for governments of the MENA to play nice diplomacy.
The last oil embargo was over three decades ago. I think it's high time for another one.
