Cease-Fire / Yes or No

Well it is Sunday evening, and here in the free world, that marks an end to the weekend. A world away in Lebanon, the United Nations is waving a carrot to the world labelled a "cease-fire", although I dont know what that means. Israel is still on Lebanon soil. And Hesbolah's entire reason for existance is to prevent or frustate any Israeli occupation. So even if the cease-fire goes into effect, what does that mean in regards to the Israeli soldiers still on the wrong side of the border. To put it bluntly it means nothing. It means that Israeli is still occupying a country. It means Israeli will continue to kill Lebanese citizen. However, it will mean that Hezbolah will be chastized if it attempt to use its resources to defend its own country.

I guess as a Canadian I have to ask myself "what would I do". If diplomacy ever eroded between my country and the superpower to the south, how would I feel about American tanks rolling over the border to protect American interests in the Oil Sands. Would I sit back and let them in, or would I pick up a rock and throw it at the tanks. Or even worse, after finding that rocks cannot hurt a tank, would I devolve into a more primal being and take the fight south. The truth is I dont know what I would do, and I hope I am never tested in such way on my principles. All I know is that today I live in a free country, well free in the sense that there are no guns pointed at me. And I am glad for that. But my heart goes out to all those people around the world that still live under the yoke of fear from occupation.

In my mind, and I am no political scientist, the fear of occupation is the greatest form of terrorism. I can live with the fear that someone could kill me tomorrow. I can live with the fear that gangs are on the streets, and could, move into my neighborhood. I can live with these form of terrorism, because I am still free to get out of the situation. This is not the case with Occupation. Occupation is pure fear, like the fear of being unjustly locked into a prison cell with no form of process or justice. There can be no justice, when one party is in control and the other party is impotant. And unfortunately this is an obvious truth that even a child from the ghettos understands.

I find it more than ironic that out of the holacaust a nation was born. A nation that now seems poised to make hezbolah supporters wear their own form of armband so that they can be "irradicated". It is an eye opening, and blood curtiling revolation when we realized that some muslims now associate israel and the United States with Hitler and the third reich. How does a people evolve from persecuted to persecutor. You would think that having gone through such hardship, that they would understand instinclty the plight of the other, but yet this is not the case. Instead Israel continues to look at much of the muslim community, in the same way that Hitler looked at them years ago. I dont know where I am going with this. I dont know if anyone knows where they are going with this. But I do know that father and mother, brothers and sisters, husbands and wives all want this to stop. And so, if they all want it to stop there must be something keeping it going. Just what is that? Who is that? and why?

Over the weekend I watched a great documentary. It has won many awards. It is called "Darwins Nightmare". I am not going to get into specifics but for those that have seen the movie, there are some telling similarities between Lenanon and Lake Victoria. Both, once fertile and full of promise, yet now in the grips of some unnamed force of economic and politic manipulation. Manipulation that might serve some macro agenda, but on the micro level is void of rhyme or reason.

I dont know whether that is a fare assessment. Please take the time to see the movie and let me know what you think. I will leave this blog with the immortal words of Sheryl Crow

"No one said it would be easy, No one said it'd be this hard"

Thats all from me. Hope everyone had a great weekend.