Rules of the Playground

Well, if you read the thread of arguments under tne "Obe Down . . . ." posting, you'll see that both Mysticfire and Kirk in SLO have decided to take their toys and go elsewhere, giving up on trying to argue with the other bloggers. They appear frustrated that they can't convince anyone with their arguments, especially Bob.

They've both come after me repeatedly. Kirk doesn't like it when I cut and paste articles, but then he attacks me for not proving my points. Which was it, Kirk? Was I depending too much on outside sources and not giving my own opinions, or was it that I was just giving too many opinions and not backing them up? If you go back over the last few months on this blog, I have documented every accusation I have made against the Bush administration, using outside sources and experts.

And Bob has been quite prolific in sharing his links to different articles and he made his case on various issues.

But Mysticfire and Kirk always found a way to dismiss our arguments out of hand without sharing specific evidence to support their arguments.

So good luck, guys, and thanks for participating when you did. Bob and I will continue to offer our combination of evidence and reasoning and analysis to make our case on local and international issues. There are probably a ton of right wing blogs ouot there where you'll be more comfortable.

Marilyn from Lebanon Appeals to KVEC Listeners

Marilyn Farhat has appeared on my show for the last three Tuesdays in a row, attempting to explain the Lebanese perspective on the current Middle East fighting. She has taken a ton of grief from the callers for her positions and I share this email from her with you, inviting your comments:

"I wanted to thank you for giving me the opportunity to be on the show despite the barrage of hate and anger I encountered, but I did bring that up a few weeks ago that when we advocate for people in the Middle East, such behavior emerges.

I know it is an emotional topic for many, but I hope I do not inflict the same kind of hateful comments towards the listeners or others.

I just wanted you know that the last 4 weeks have been difficult and things are catching up. I am trying to figure out a way to get my mom out of her place. The bombing is getting close to her. We have many family members we have not heard from.

I wonder how many of your callers have been through war? How many have had a gun pointed at them?

How many have had to run from one room to the other to escape the bombing? How many had to live with rats in those shelters? How many had to watch their friends and neighbors die daily month after month?

How many heard the screams of tortured victims? How many have seen people kidnapped at gunpoint? How many have seen women being assaulted by the military? How many have been pushed and shoved because some arrogant male with a gun felt like it?

How many had no food except bread and canned meat for days? How many had no water to bathe for weeks? How many tried to intervene to rescue people who were being abused?
How many have been in that position and still tried to go to school or work or just try to survive?

Do they know what it feels like when a 1000 kilogram bomb explodes a couple of hundred yards away? I do. It does something to your brain. It does far worse to your soul. Those are the realities of war and violence that people do not want to think about.

I really would like to know if they have been through that when they call and yell their obscenities.

It is easy to act tough from behind a phone, especially with a woman. There is so much your listeners do not know about me and what I have seen and done.

They do not know about the panic attacks and PTSD that plague you day after day, the medication you had to take just to survive and be able to function. They do not know that the people of Lebanon after years of war are hooked on drugs because of the trauma and PTSD. Those battles, you fight till the last day of your life and they never go away, many of them are from within because someone out there had no respect for human life and somehow you feel you could have done more (the guilt).

Isn't it ironic that the people I found most understanding, although they may disagree with me, are the ones that have been through all that, the combat veterans. They know when to step back and keep quiet. They know that grief and anger are part of the trauma and people should be allowed to grieve and be angry. They know not to shove your grief in your face and call you names. They know not to rub the pain in to justify their belief. They know not to think in black and white. But, they too are the silent ones and they have many stories to tell. But we do not listen to them after we are done with them in war.

Most people have not been to the Middle East and never had to go through what the people there are going through right now and have gone through for half a century. I was hoping to be able to focus more on civilians and international law. There is a trend nowadays to try to negate those laws to justify the murder of civilians. I am tired of talking about Hezbollah. They are a symptom of the problem not the cause of it. They are the boogie man "de jour." Tomorrow it will be some other "terrorist" group.

My intent when I went on the show was to educate people with facts that they may not have been aware of and I have tried to back up most of my information and I have given people sources they can go to. It is turning into a tit-for-tat event.

I know this is good for ratings and people get a kick our of bashing a Muslim woman from the Middle East, but I feel that what I am trying to do is important because it is right by the average person. I am really taking a lot of time and energy out of my life amidst a very difficult time for my family in Lebanon. I am not exaggerating when I say they are in dire straits.

I write articles monthly in Information Press, about war/peace, politics, the Middle East, the military, women's and children's issues around the world, and justice issues. This month's issue is about Israel and its war against civilians. I should have left a copy with you. I also work with criminals and I have to learn to treat, yes, even criminals, with respect and dignity although they did not treat their victims respectfully. I do it, we all do it, because it is the right thing to do and it is the humam thing to do. Revenge is not a creed we live by in our daily lives, so why should we tolerate it when the guns are "ablazing?"

I am exhausted, sad, and sometimes angry, but I hope to god that I never treat my fellow citizens the way some of those callers treat your guests sometimes. But I guess that tells a little bit why people are vicious in their fighting fighting all the time.

I would like to thank you again for being a gracious host. I am willing to go back on the show if you want me again (and if you survive the assault)."

Marilyn

One down . . . . . .

One by one, we will take this country back from the neo-cons. This is a GREAT first start.

Lieberman loses in Democratic primary

Three-term Sen. Joe Lieberman fell to anti-war challenger Ned Lamont in Connecticut's Democratic primary Tuesday, the first major election-year test of sentiment over the conflict that has claimed the lives of more than 2,500 U.S. troops in Iraq.

"Tonight we voted for big change," a jubilant Lamont told supporters. Unbowed, Lieberman vowed to fight on, announcing plans to run as an independent this fall.

"Of course I am disappointed by the results, but I am not discouraged," Lieberman said. "For the sake of our state, our country and my party, I cannot and will not let that result stand."

Lamont won with 52 percent of the vote, or 146,061, to 48 percent for Lieberman, with 136,042, with 99 percent of precincts reporting. Turnout was projected at twice the norm for a primary.

Lieberman's loss made him only the fourth incumbent senator to lose a primary since 1980, and came just six years after he was the Democrats' choice for vice president.