Not Alarmed?

Still not alarmed-what will it take?

GS Don Morris, Ph.D.

August 28,2006

Iran’s leadership has declared that Israel has no right to exist any longer and has warned that it will eliminate the country. Actually, the Iranian leader said that 'God has revealed to him and him alone that the Jews must go'. Wait, this same country has also threatened the USA and Great Britain. We infidels in the West can either convert to Islam, fight or die- these are our realistic choices. Recently we saw Iran test not only Israel but also the entire Western World by fighting a proxy war in Lebanon. While it funded, organized, managed, and supplied weapons for the conflict the world simply watched the daily TV news.

Iran lost nothing; it considered the war a sound investment of a few hundred million of petrol dollars. In return for its investment what did it learn?

In terms of military knowledge Iran learned that Israel was not prepared for the guerrilla strategies employed by Hezbollah.

It acquired information about Israel’s attack strategies, what it does and how it does it.

It learned if and how Israel could adapt on the battlefield.

It realized that its new field communication system could effectively decommission Israel’s ability to listen into their battlefield instructions-the years of technological investment paid dividends when put to the test of battle.

It learned that the coordination between government cabinets and Generals in charge of executing the political decisions was cumbersome, bloated and ineffective. This gave Iran an insight as to how Israeli strategies are implemented and how Iran can abuse this type of political-war-battlefield communication lag to its advantage.

It learned that Israel is held on an international leash and all that Iran must do is survive Israel’s initial bluster and it can come out swinging. This reminded me of a heavy weight fight; one fighter comes out, unloads everything in his arsenal attempting to either knock out his opponent or so intimidate him that he cruises through the next rounds. Survive the first round and you can win.

Iran acquired some very important political information-again, with no cost to itself. It learned that, for the most part, the international media was on Iran's side when it came to reporting the war. Photos were created –staged and distorted - to make the perpetrators of the evil look like the victims. Furthermore media stories were constructed based more upon fiction than fact and sold to the world as truth.

This newly gleaned information will come in handy during the next war that is being planned as I write. Iran has learned that there is no need to invest in any public relations firm, or hire PR strategists, or create a disinformation bureau; no, it has learned the “free press” will do just fine by them. Its newly acquired tactic will be expanded during the next war. Iran was able to encourage Arab countries - remember Iran is not an Arab country - to go directly to the USA Congress and pressure it to begin an investigation regarding the type of weapons Israel used to fight the Hizzbollah. This immediately stopped the USA from sending necessary armaments to Israel. The urgent delivery of munitions desperately needed by Israel to fight the inevitable battle already announced by Iran has been placed on indefinite hold. The enemy of the free world has learned that whining, complaining, and attacking politically it is possible to derail the war strategies of two countries. We can be assured that this lesson will be re-played time and again – not only by Iran but all of the enemies of the free world.

Iran also was able to fight a battle, controlling the war plan timeline while it created political heat using the media, politicians, and special interest groups. Israel was not allowed to win; just as the war was turning, the USA and the West folded their tents, capitulated to the international pressures, to their internal Muslim power groups and called the war done! Then they created and imposed a document that in spite of their bluster was contrived to put Israel in a no-win position. The language of this document actually grants permission for Hizzbollah to re-stock, courtesy of its benefactor Iran. It does not require that this terrorist group stand down, disarm, or return our kidnapped prisoners. Compare the words of Israel, USA, and the West during days one and two to the language of UN 1701 and it is obvious that Iran brought us, not just

Israel -I am talking about the West - to our knees. Iran realizes now that we have lost our moral compass, our integrity and courage to stand up for our own values. We are not what we purport to be, not any longer. This will come back to haunt us.

Iran has learned it can fool all the people all of the time. Implant a proxy army inside “civilian” populations and win by crying 'deliberate massacre'. Win the world’s opinion

even as rockets intentionally fired upon Israeli civilians kill and maim and win even more when “protected” civilians are killed in collateral damage. The awful truth is, the more Lebanese killed, the better it was for Iran; this, too, will be used over and over again until we stand up and say - Stop the madness!

The second awful truth is that the more Lebanese children and civilians maimed or killed by bombs not yet exploded, the better for Iran. Why? Israel is to blame! Question-why are people being allowed back into a war zone before unexploded ordinance has been located and properly discharged? Point of information; here in Israel we also have hundreds of similar ordinance-the difference is we do not allow our citizens back in until we have cleared the area. We care about our people and we will not use or abuse them to gain political support.

Iran has learned that money can be exploited to implement its plans to hold the western world hostage. Not only is this true we are providing them the money to keep us in chains. We pay them, we finance them and we support our own destruction. Look what petrol dollars has bought them:

• Ahmadinejad has inaugurated a heavy-water plant that can be used to produce plutonium; the bomb is almost here.
• The army successfully test-fired a top speed long-range sub-to-surface missile off the Persian Gulf.
• Iran has a missile, called Thaqeb or Jupiter; it was built based on domestic know-how, although outside experts say much of its missile technology originated from other countries such as Russia and China.
• Iran already is equipped with the Shahab-3 missile, which means "shooting star" in Farsi, and is capable of carrying a nuclear warhead.
• Iran also tested a new land-to-sea missile, the Kowsar, with remote-control and searching systems that cannot be scrambled, as well as a high-speed missile boat that skims above the water and is undetectable by radar
• It announced in early 2005 that it had begun production of torpedoes.
• Iran has the "Hoot," Farsi for "whale," which was tested for the first time in April, capable of moving at some 223 mph, up to four times faster than a normal torpedo
• The progress in naval technology has raised concerns in the West that Iran now has a greater array of weapons that can hit oil shipments in the Gulf

Yes, the West has provided the dollars needed to develop these systems and these are but a few they possess. Iran’s only source of income is oil- it does not even process much of it- it must import over 40% of the automobile gasoline it uses. Thus, we have an enemy who has spent decades gearing up and preparing for war while we have sat back and simply observed. We started raising our voices when we saw that we had underestimated the country. We realized too late, I believe, that Iran was serious about equipping itself with the ultimate weapons of authority and superiority. Iran has every intention of making good on promises previously presented in this document. Iran's actions have been congruent with its intentions and now we are concerned.

Solutions - there are many. Do we have the courage to engage them? This will be the historical question of our time. I do know this, take away the flowers and the bees will die. My solution is simple in concept, difficult to practice. Take away Iran’s source of income- oil. It need not be done in a belligerent fashion-there is a non-violent strategy:

1. Announce tomorrow that the USA is launching a 5-year plan to reduce its dependency upon oil by 50%.
2. Identify annual benchmarks of lessening oil dependency over the second five- year period of time.
3. Gather in Washington the major oil companies, green energy owners and other energy directed leaders. Identify energy as our number one domestic goal and indicate that not only is our national security at stake, but we must face the fact that our very existence is as well. Involve these leaders in the creation of a plan to cope with this urgency. Provide financial incentives to the oil companies and to the green energy companies. Use the business concepts within the market place to motivate and drive early implementation of this plan.

In a subsequent article I will offer specific details for such incentives; the focus of this article is the overall concept of taking away the enemy’s source of income that drives and fuels its unimpugned horror on the Western world. We can do what President Kennedy did back in 1960. Instead of placing a human on the moon or Mars, we can become energy independent, create fuel sources that positively impact our environment and take away our enemy’s ability to wreak havoc upon the world. We can stand up for our values, we can live our lives as we desire and not be ashamed of what we have accomplished. I promise you, merely taking this stand will cause the price of the current oil to drop dramatically; this will have an immediate impact upon Iran. As we move toward goal completion the entire political dynamic will shift toward us. I see no other alternative.

Same Values, Same Rules?

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Absurdity

The Absurdity of All This Discussion

GS Don Morris, Ph.D.

August 17, 2006

"The resolution is clear that Hizbullah needs to be removed from the border area, embargoed and dismantled," the official said. "If the resolution is not implemented, we will have to take action to prevent the rearming of Hizbullah. I don't think backtracking will serve any useful purpose. There has to be pressure on Hizbullah to disarm or there will have to be another round." (1)

Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni is expected to raise the issue when she meets in New York on Wednesday with UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan.

“The issue of disarmament is not on the agenda,” senior Hizbullah official Hassan Fadlallah said on Wednesday, jeopardizing the fragile cease-fire in the region. The UN cease-fire resolution clearly states that the area south of the Litani river must be demilitarized.

According to Fadlallah, who spoke with al-Jazeera, Hizbullah will not evacuate its operatives from southern Lebanon since they are the ones who populate the region. "Any such withdrawal means the evacuation of southern Lebanon," he said.

Annan angered Israeli officials when he told Channel 2 on Tuesday that "dismantling Hizbullah is not the direct mandate of the UN," which could only help Lebanon disarm the organization.

The UN has not received any formal offers of troops for UNIFIL, although France, Italy, Turkey, Malaysia and Indonesia have indicated they would make significant contributions. A dozen other countries have also expressed a willingness to help.(1)

Lots of talk. Israel spends an amazing amount of effort explaining, correcting, teaching everyone about its position relative to UN 1701. The strategy seems to be to make sure we are perfectly clear about what the resolution says and we should also be clear as to who has specific responsibilities to make this resolution work. Each Israeli speaker puts forth a great deal of effort to ensure that we understand not only the intent of the resolution but that we understand each paragraph. In addition, we are expending so much energy on the topic of Olemert and gang’s resignation(s). The angst of it all!

Meanwhile, the Lebanese government has cut a deal with Hizzbollah-they do not have to disarm and in the south as long as they do not publicly display their arms it is OK to have them. What a sound strategy-mandate that their arms be hidden, out of view-so, hide them in the bunkers, in civilians homes, under baby cribs and in mosques. Yes, by the way, this does meet the resolution’s criteria; Israel does not have a leg to stand on-we are being goaded into starting the war again. I direct your attention to OP3 of the resolution: so that there will be no weapons without the consent of the government of Lebanon and no authority other than that of Lebanon. (2) Furthermore in OP 8 additional permissions are granted. The language clearly states that if permission is granted by Lebanon, Hizzbollah can have arms; this is precisely what has occurred.

While the officials spent the last 36 hours talking, explaining and teaching, convoys of arms and renewed supplies have left Syria, actually tracked by Israel and allowed to arrive at their destinations. Hizzbolah fighters/terrorists, as far as I am concerned, have hidden among the returning civilians and are taking up positions among the civilians.Again, please understand the resolution allows this to happen, given a particular interpretation. So, Hizzbollah re-arms, gains more rockets and missiles of death, imports fresh new “soldiers” and Israel keeps on explaining.

Let me take you back to the beginning of this piece-note that Hizzbollah does not mince words: they will not disarm, period! No explanation, no need to teach us what was just said-we understand completely.

If the preceding is not an absurdity I do not know what is. Back to Israel-the TV news and talk shows are spending their time explaining, teaching and assisting us simple civilians to rationalize the events of the past month. We are discussing the incorrect concepts and continuing to lose the PR war that is as critical, in some ways, as is the military war. Yesterday Hizzbollah, made public(1)that it was making its men and money available to the civilian populations in Lebanon to help them rebuild their homes and lives-homes and lives destroyed by the occupier, evil Israelis. The international news, Arab news have made an enormous play on this story. For me this is only another tactic. Of course, Hizzbollah wants to rebuild civilian populations; it needs to hide among them, store arms and missiles among them. How can any thoughtful person believe that these terrorists truly, in a western manner of conscious, care about civilians when they use them as shields and know they will be killed? This demonstrates human love and care? You really find legitimate the excuse Hizzbollah uses when it murders its own citizens and other Arabs when its missiles land incorrectly among these populations? The excuse is that they are shaheeds ; interview the relatives of these murdered individuals, you will discover the dead did not ask to become martyrs.

What should we be concentrating on? We do not have the luxury of playing the blame game; they are developing a new battle plan; we must be doing the same. Never mind fault, identify the mistakes made, take immediate action to correct them. Develop another set of strategies to take out the enemy in order to regain the air of deterrence - one of our best offensive weapons - that has been decimated this past month.

Now for as important strategy as developing a battle plan: take on the conventional wisdom of the Geneva Convention and application of same to what is truly an asymmetrical war. I suggest the following: international countries across the political and ideological spectrum are trumpeting the Geneva Convention accords in a manner that supports their political and PR positions.

The Geneva Conventions consist of treaties formulated in Geneva, Switzerland, that set the standards of international law for humanitarian concerns during time of war. The conventions, their agreements and two added protocols are as follows: First Geneva Convention (1864): Treatment of battlefield casualties and creation of International Red Cross Second Geneva Convention (1906): Extended the principles from the first convention to apply also to war at sea.

Third Geneva Convention (1929): Treatment of Prisoner of war.

Fourth Geneva Convention (1949): Treatment relating to the protection of civilians during times of war "in the hands" of an enemy and under any occupation by a foreign power.

Protocol I ( 1977): Protocol Additional to the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949, and relating to the Protection of Victims of International Armed Conflicts Protocol II (1977): Protocol Additional to the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949, and relating to the Protection of Victims of Non-International Armed Conflicts (3)

All of the preceding conventions occurred after the horror of war had once again dealt its misery upon human beings. One can notice over time that people attempted to make war less painful and less grotesque by attempting to get the world community to adopt more humane behavior and actions specific to the title of each convention.

Sovereign countries voted to participate or not follow these rules. It is time for an appendix. Today we have a sovereign country, Israel, agreeing to follow and apply the rules of war. However, we are not fighting another sovereign country-we are fighting a terrorist militia. They are not beholden to any war agreements-they do not have to and certainly have demonstrated that they could not care less about them. This asymmetrical application of war rules has caused and will continue to cause Israel and the West defeat. Furthermore, a new definition, during time of war, of who is a civilian and/or combatant, what are their responsibilities and what the new rules of engagement are to be-all of this must be re-defined immediately. Israel develops war plans based upon rules of war, Hizzbollah and Iran do not follow any such rules and develop plans accordingly. Time to shift the equation. In the absence of taking on this difficult but mandatory task, our war plans, strategies and ability to defeat this “new enemy” may mean the destruction of our way of life. Trust me, Hizzbollah, Iran and all of the other fascist Islamists are counting on our inability to understand this simple principle. The clock is ticking!

End Notes

1. Hizbullah: Disarmament not on agenda, http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1154525882124&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle FshowFull, August. 16, 2006
2. UNSC Resolution 1701, August ‏2006
3. Morris, GS Don, “Understanding The Fourth Geneva Convention”, posted www.PRIMERct.org

Civilian Shields

The World Has Just Rewarded Civilian Shields

By

GS Don Morris, Ph.D.

August 11, 2006

It is Friday evening here in Israel. Families here, as I am sure is the same in Lebanon, are anxious, worried and confused. It appears that the United Nations has finally put together a resolution designed to stop the death and destruction in both countries. Interesting that the world is in a rush to stop the war and THE answer suddenly appears-it is called a ceasefire resolution. Perhaps this rush to judgment is the result of photos, video, story lines that focus upon primarily the action among the Lebanese people. Perhaps the PR campaign of doctored photos, staged scenes of destruction, and “forced” story lines have lead otherwise intelligent, caring people to fall for the oldest trick in the terrorist book. Emotion nearly always over rides analysis based upon facts. Hezzbllah’s PR campaign has overwhelmed the world. People actually believe the only way out of this situation is with a ceasefire, buffer troop resolution-you bought this hook, line and sinker. The situation I am talking about is the alleged death rate of civilians. The entire motivation for this resolution is based upon a false assumption. You have now rushed to judgment-there are multiple other possibilities for resolving this situation-no one seems to want to discuss them and Israel is displaying its inept public relations.

A great deal of diligent work and effort was expended by hundreds of people in order to finally arrive at this resolution. Many people in the international community will rejoice this evening-I am not one of them.

If this resolution is enacted, Israel and the free West will have been dealt a catastrophic blow for freedom. There are many questions left either asked or unanswered by governments, media types and citizens of the world.

Why a new resolution when the UN had one already in place-UN 1559? As written, if enforced, this war would never have begun; therefore there would be no need for another resolution to stop it.

If you can’t enforce UN 1559, what makes anyone think this “cease-fire” resolution can be successfully implemented? The recent history of UN resolutions being implemented successfully has been comparable the number of times the Red Sox have won the World Series.

“The essence of this new resolution is it would give UN forces in south Lebanon a mandate under Chapter 6 of the UN Charter - which Israel has previously opposed.

The mandate would be modified to make the force stronger than it has been in the 28 years it has been in south Lebanon. The UN force, known by its acronym UNIFIL, would help coordinate the deployment of Lebanese forces to the south, which has been under de facto control of Hizbullah for years. IDF troops that have been operating in the area in more than four weeks of war would then withdraw. “

If I understand this correctly, the UNIFIL troop base will be expanded while assisting the Lebanese army to deploy on the border. Isn’t this the same UNIFIL who has failed repeatedly when a peacekeeping action was needed on the border? Isn’t this the same Lebanese army that has been described as weak and unable to deter in any manner Hezzbollah as reported by the Lebanese PM himself? Isn’t this the same army whose members have been assisting Hezzbollah on the battlefield? What has changed with either to make any of us believe they can produce a ceasefire? The data is that UNIFIL and the Lebanese army are weak, poorly armed and without proper training relative to the Iranian army wing we call Hezzbollah. Both were so ineffective that they allowed the weapons of mass death to be imported into Lebanon, they allowed for over 5 years the country side to be radically change by permitting deep, enforced bunkers to be built. These bunkers were built for munitions, missiles and terrorists-none were built for the Lebanese people.

What country when attacked is told it may not respond in any manner it deems necessary and is then told you have a timeline to complete whatever military action you are going to take? As far as I know this has applied to only Israel. A stopwatch has literally been placed upon a sovereign country-do you not see the injustice of this? You have just rewarded Hezzbollah and Iran. You have also rewarded all other countries and/or terrorist groups who will next engage in battle with countries other than Israel.

Do you realize that you have immediately provided a reward for battles accruing civilian deaths? Do you look the other way when challenged by those of us who realize you have given Hezzbollah, Iran and fascist Islam a new winning strategy? You reward them by not holding Hezzbollah accountable for its actions. You reward Hezzbollah and Iran when you allow them to violate most of the Geneva Convention rules when it comes to combatant rules of war. Hamas has already said it will use these same tactics. Imagine what has occurred and will take place with munitions, nuclear plants and missile launchers in Iran. You have made it profitable to have civilians killed-you have rewarded one of the most despicable human behaviors known to humankind!

Have you given consideration that this resolution has established a precedent when it comes to across border fighting? Was this also your intention? Israel, correctly so I might suggest, has had a policy of not allowing such an action to occur. The 15,000 person group will serve as shields for Hezzbollah. Can you imagine Israel responding to fire from Hezzbollah and returning fire over the heads of this force? What happens when Hezzbollah deliberately fires into this group, kills and maims soldiers and then blames Israel? How will you deal with this and the media jumping on the action to once again denigrate Israel?

What are the rules of engagement for this resolution? How long will these troops be deployed on our border? What is the exit strategy? What are the performance markers used to determine if the group is effective? Without answers to all of these and other questions, this resolution should never see the light of day.

Do you not see that you have given our enemies a new strategy to limit us while strengthening them? One of the outcomes of this kind of resolution is any aggressor can operate freely with the knowledge that in less than 31 days, the international community will step in and rescue it while punishing the victim country. It is precisely this unspoken outcome that begins the death nil for the West. Once again we failed to honor our beliefs and our way of life. We have capitulated to the enemy.

Clear defined beliefs lead to the establishment of precise goals. The goals enable us to make decisions about what we know we have to do as well as dictate what we need to do. It is time to once again state with clarity of vision and precision of thought what we stand for as well as what we believe our way of life should look like. We need to be resolute in our convictions and then develop the goals leading us into action-a nation’s soul depends upon this. We need to have congruity between what we say and what we do. I call this acting within integrity-perhaps we have lost some along the way. We can regain our lost souls as a country and as a nation-let us begin now. By requesting that the UN demonstrate its ability by asking the international community for implementation of 1559 before we attempt another new resolution.

Courage

Courage is more than a Word

GS Don Morris, Ph.D.

Last night I watched Arab television-yes we access it here in Israel. I listened as Hassan Nasrallah’s recorded statement over Hizballah’s Al Manar television, at 20:15 local time, was delivered. There was a brief delay as his talk was translated for me. In summary he said, “Under no circumstances would he accept a multinational force in South Lebanon. He warned the Lebanese prime minister not to give an inch on this issue.” There was lots of other words spoken, none worth repeating thereby providing him a further stage on which to perform. He acknowledged that the resolution and any further resolutions would not be considered-he basically informed the world that diplomacy was a non-starter.

I waited for Lebanon’s PM Siniora –to no one’s surprise he obeyed. This weak administrator of an even weaker government has complied with Hezzbollah-the result is simple to understand-diplomacy is a non-starter.

I turned back to Israeli television and watched intently as our thousands of troops were in their final stages on our northern border. At 10:20 pm, we saw a massive movement of Israeli ground troops and tanks begin to thunder across into Lebanon. The much awaited ground war was beginning. A courageous action was being initiated-the “C” word had returned to Israeli actions.

Yet this was not to be-the Bush administration, stepped back into the operations of a sovereign state and pulled the plug on the ground offensive. Our troops stopped in their tracks, not by our vengeful enemy, but by our number one ally-America. Bush managed to do what no Arab country has ever been able to do, he accomplished something that Nasrallah was not able to do-he forced Israel to retreat behind her borders.

Let us put this into perspective. Let us explain why this was one of the most missed opportunities in our history and it will come back to do great damage to both of our countries. It took courage to develop a large ground offensive, it took even more courage to let it begin. However, no sooner had courage returned, it was abruptly loss or thrown away-people lost their “C” power and today the West lost a huge edge in its battle against radical Islam, i.e., war against terror. True leaders not only possess courage, they actually execute it in the face of unbelievable odds and in the face of growing international complaints. The leaders took the advantage away from Israel by stopping the offensive just as it began. We sarcastically have said time and again that the Palestinians never missed an opportunity to miss an opportunity. Good colleagues and friends, add the USA and Israel to that banter.

We had the enemy on the ropes. Intelligence had reported that Hezzbollah’s army was tired, weakened by our attacks. For all intensive purposes we had deprived them of being supplied either with weapons, munitions or new fighters. They spent much of each day under ground. They knew we were coming after them with 40,000 fresh and highly motivated troops. They knew we had learned on the battle field and we had changed our tactics. Worry and concern was finally present. We have been told this by the captured Hezzbollah soldiers.

Furthermore, their leader along with the PM of Lebanon had just told the world that Israel should “bring it on.” OK, these are my words, they did say that diplomacy was a non-started. How many times and by how many enemy leaders do we have to be told this until we finally comprehend what is believed by the other side?

The situation is even more disturbing than what I have written thus far. Here is the rest of the not mentioned, yet to be told, story. Leading up to yesterday, 40,000 Israeli citizens were called suddenly to active duty. We tore them away from their normal daily lives to come fight for their country’s existence-yes existence. The turn out was 102% soldiers answered their country’s call. That’s correct, even those not called showed up for active duty. Men within minutes of receiving the phone call, grabbed their gear and found the way north to join their units. They walked away from their jobs in high tech, medicine, laws, education, agriculture, construction to mention but a few professions. They left their wives, their children-they left their comfort zone, they left everything secure in their world. Most did not even get to say goodbye, share a final hug with their loved ones-they simply had to go.

Let me fast forward to what occurred prior to last night. The men turned in their cell phones yesterday afternoon. When asked by their anxious wives/friend/parents where and when they might go, they could not provide an answer-the army required a blackout. We understand but it is not easy to accept; thus the families and friends were now part of the 40,000 soldiers facing the unknown. Yet not one I know, including friends and families, would say or act in a contrary manner to the assignment the soldiers were soon to embark upon. Those of us left to watch and listen do not even know the number of the unit the men are in; this too, must remain a secret. All we can do is wait, watch and pray for their safety.

These men and their families possess courage and they act in accordance with this courage. The men prepared themselves for battle. They prepped their weapons, they put on full battle gear, their faces took on the camouflage paint and they listened to their instructions. Each soldier prepared psychologically for this in their own way. Some prayed, some sought solitude, others sat and talked about their civilian lives. Each did what was necessary to get ready to go into harm’s way; a nice way to say go into the hell of war. Yet each man did this and the time came to move. The war was about to become real for these reservists and as they began their entry into Lebanon, the word came down to halt the operation.

It was stopped because some people lost their courage. President Bush et al told Olmert to stand down the operation. Olmert and his group lost their courage and stopped the operation. Here is the problem: 40,000 men had psychologically and logistically prepared to fight. Also, 40,000 families had prepared for this fight. Thousands of businesses had made arrangements for this fight. Friends and others in the country were ready to pay an incredible price in order to preserve their country from our enemy committed to wipe us off the face of the planet.

Courage is the state or quality of mind or spirit that enables one to face danger, fear, or vicissitudes with self-possession, confidence, and resolution with the demonstration of bravery. If you believe your are correct and also right, if you believe that your plan is sound, if you do not falter with your thinking, it only takes courage to execute the battle plan. To be persuaded at the last minute that your thinking was flawed and to second guess yourself or worse yet allow other’s to do the same, is an example of lack of courage. To possess courage means that you are willing to act upon your convictions not knowing, and not having any guarantees that the desired results will materialize. This allows fear to supercede courage. Fear is to be expected and is normal. Our soldiers were not about to let fear stop them or get in their way of doing what they had to do.

Yet, it seems today that our leaders skipped a beat and allowed their courage to be undermined. We had Hezzbollah “on the ropes”. They have been hit hard, they are tired and running low on motivation. We had 40,000 motivated, basically fresh troops ready to take them apart. For once, the West was going to stand up to the enemy, we were going to say to the world, no matter what you yell, no matter how much you cry out, we are going to put a stop to tyranny, brutality and a desire to impose your way of life upon us.

Instead we backed down. We gave Hezzbollah, Syria and Iran another victory. We gave Hezzbollah another strategy to use to stop our Israeli army-it is called supplant courage with fear. We missed an incredible opportunity to make a statement-to draw the “line in the sand.’

The action to stop the operation has occurred. I would now only accept full implementation of UN 1559-nothing else will do. The reality is that Hezzbollah and Iran have said they want Israel gone from the earth. They have further stated that diplomacy is a non-starter. We have had 58 plus years of failed diplomacy. We have Palestinian government leaders telling us that thanks to Oslo, the pride and joy of the diplomatic bunch, was the one event that allowed them to start the latest Intifada. So I ask you leaders a question: if you are attacked, if your citizens are maimed and killed, buildings ruined, an economy now in a desperate situation, would you have us allow the invading enemy to continue their attacks or would you defend yourself? The answer is obvious!

I have but a few remaining questions for Mr. Bush and Mr. Olmert: if the operational plan was carefully and thoughtfully developed, if you knew that your enemy’s leaders had indicated that continued diplomacy was over, why did you “bail out” on our troops? Did you even consider that the enemy today can fire missiles down onto to our massed troops at the border? Did you loose your courage along with your moral clarity?