I have been trying to keep politics out of this blog for a while, but I had to say something about this important visit.

I applaud Stephen Harper for making the decision to meet with the Dalai Lama publicly instead of the more common and cowardly option of meeting in private to avoid policital problems with China.

That said, I hope that some of His Holiness’s message gets through to our fearless leader. I think the government is simply responding to opinion polls in making this meeting happen, but there is almost no one on this earth who can not have a big smile on their face when listening His Holiness speak.

Stephen, I hope you end up with big smiles of compassion on your face this afternoon. Canada and the world needs your compassion.

It is with GREAT dismay that I watch Israel and Lebanon continue to escallate toward war.  Both sides are being totally unreasonable and I can’t help but comment on the conflict. 

Israel are almost always heavy handed in their response to Hezbollah attacks of any kind.  The soldier that was taken back in June is a perfect example.  They take one guy in a huge fire fight, and Israel totally loses it and launches every damn helicopter they have and start pounding away on every “suspected terror target” they can think of or create.  This sort of disproportionate response is totally in-character for the heavy handed and angry state of Israel.

But the damn Palestinians are just as dumb.  In the midst of heavy bombardment, Hezbollah have upped their demands, asking for the release of Arab/ Palestinian prisoners that Israel is holding.  WTF???  Why would you give a positively infuriated army more reason to bomb the hell out of you.

The use of civilian targets on both sides is very, very disturbing.  Israel have formed a sea and air blocade that is essentially cutting off Lebanon from the rest of the world.  Funny how one country can unilaterally form economic sanctions on a country and the rest of the world only “condemns” the action.  Where is the UN?  Where is the mighty USA?  Someone has to see reason!

Hezbollah are also using civilian targets as threats, recently threatening to bomb Haifa.  (A small village on the east coast.  My sister just got back from Haifa where she was attending university.)  These threats on small civilian cities gives legitimacy to the claims that Israel are fighting Palestinian terrorists, as opposed to a government.  (Everytime I write the word –terrorists–, I want to put it in quotes, but I’m still not sure that is appropriate given recent actions.)

I am totally dismayed by this senseless escallation of violence.  As two angry ideologies play out this drama with missiles and guns, the people just continue to die.