Hot Summer in Lebanon

Possible reasons for the fighting in North Lebanon: from Link T.V.

Nahr El-Bared

Fighting in Nahr El-Bared Refugee Camp in North Lebanon: Lebanese Army and Fateh El-Islam, June 2007

Remember the Men

Since the emergence of the Feminist Movement in the twentieth century, much focus has been placed, and rightfully so, on remedying the conditions that contributed to the mistreatment and neglect of women. National and international laws, including affirmative action, have attempted to narrow the gap between the genders.

Society imposes certain roles on men as it does on women. The negative effects of such roles on the men have usually gone unrecognized. While men, as a gender, have generally not been oppressed by women or by society, they have been socialized into roles that have added to their burden and compromised their physical and emotional health.

The primary responsibility of providing for the family and the socio-economic pressures that ensued have led, over time, to an identity stereotype that is based on a strong work ethic, long work hours, and degree of financial success. There are cultural differences, of course, across groups, nations, and families. Traditionally, farming communities relied on the labor of both men and women. In modern times, and in an industrialized and market economy, the “traditional” breadwinning roles between men and women have become more defined, with the men making most of the money and controlling it and the women staying at home and working on the domestic front.

Gender roles began shifting in the 1960s in a post-industrialized world where the structure and definition of family were changing. Two-parent, male and female, households and extended families are no longer the norm. With such changes, some of the economic burdens have shifted to women, leading many women with small children into the mainstream work force, therefore increasing their level of stress. Most women have, however, entered the work force as a means of independence and self-reliance. Despite that fact, the self esteem of men is still centered on the work place. In a way, the burdens of both have increased in a market economy.

Men have traditionally encountered emotional and physical issues that are peculiar to their gender due to society’s expectations and due to their work burdens. Society tends to be more accepting of less economic achievement and less physical, mental, or emotional “courage” from women than from men. In situations where men have been emotionally, mentally, or even physically, abused by women or other men, society is very harsh in the way it treats the male victim. Men are usually laughed at or asked to just deal with it, actions we would never even contemplate repeating if the woman were the victim.

Some of the jobs that have been held mostly by men include the following: the military (with certain branches being solely theirs), construction and other physically demanding jobs, contractor jobs in war torn areas, rescue workers, presidents, heads of corporations, mining, and critical medicine. Men sometimes bury their sorrows in alcohol or work; they become alcoholics or workaholics. When anger builds up without proper family or community support, they lash out and, sometimes very violently. Suicide is a real issue among men. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC):

- Suicide is the eighth leading cause of death for all U.S. men;

- Males are four times as likely to die from suicide than females although three times as many women as men attempt suicide (CDC 2004);

- In 2001, suicide took the lives of 30, 622 people, 24, 672 of whom were men (CDC 2004);

- Of the 24,672 male suicide deaths reported in 2001, 60% involved the use of a firearm;

- In 2005, 4 people out of 100,000 in the United States died of injuries at work. Males accounted for 93% of those deaths at a rate 12 times that of women;

- The leading causes of death of men of all races in the United States in 2002 are the following in descending order: heart disease, cancer, unintentional injuries, stroke, chronic respiratory diseases, diabetes, influenza and pneumonia, suicide, kidney disease, and chronic liver disease.

There is evidence to suggest that more women than men suffer from depression. Men, however, are more reluctant to seek help due to the social stigma of mental difficulties. Men do not report such difficulties because they are afraid of losing their jobs or because of self-esteem considerations. That is one reason why men can feel trapped in a society that does not encourage verbal or emotional expression to release tension and why they are more successful in their suicide attempts.

Suffering in silence is the burden that we, as a society, have encouraged by our neglect of the issues that face men in a world that values appearances and materialism over holistic well-being and in a world that emphasizes our differences versus our commonalities.

Men may have historically had the upper hand as a group in most spheres in life. As individuals, however, they have faced horrendous circumstances in addition to their daily responsibilities with the “understanding” that they should “tough it out” because they are men. This is an inhuman and very detrimental outlook and it devalues the other 48% of our species.

People returning from the war zones of the Middle East are mostly men. They are in need of much emotional and financial support. Are we astute enough to notice what they are going through or do we continue to live by the motto “don’t show and don’t tell?”

June is International Men's Month. This is a good website for resources on men's issues. http://www.menstuff.org/frameindex.html.

The Plight of A Grieving Mother and An Advocate for Life

Cindy Sheehan's decision to take a hiatus and her subsequent letter explaining her decision to resign as the "face of the peace movement" have brought attention to the question of the need for a new political direction within the United States. Sheehan, the symbol of grieving motherhood who transcended ideological and party lines to advocate for what is right versus what is Republican or Democrat, or what is Right or Left, has become the newest victim of a movement that has not fully grasped the meaning of activism. Justice and right to life are not values that we can ignore for politically strategic posturing and campaigning. Sheehan's famous statment: "I guess no one paid attention to me when I said that the issue of peace and people dying for no reason is not a matter of 'left or right,' but 'right and wrong" continues to be misunderstood and ignored.

Partisanship is a very destructive form of activism because it can place party and ideology, no matter how contradictory or illogical, above human dignity, freedom, and the right to life. The Democrats' inability to take a firm stand on the war and their quick willingness to abuse the woman who carried the peace movement on her grieving shoulders despite ailing health and destroyed marriage, point to the complicity of such a movement in the continuation of this war and the killing. Be it in their support of an ongoing occupation, or their inability to form cohesive policies that encourage human dignity in a corporate/military controlled world, they have shown that they cannot handle criticism nor do they have the ability to reflect upon where the movement has come and ways to strengthen it.

Sheehan represented to many the symbol of conciliation and was a major driving force within different groups in the "peace movement." She was able to do it because she succeeded in transcending the partisan hatred and speaking to the mother within all of us.

Occupation, Walls of Segregation, and Fuelling Sectarian Conflict: the Crimes of the Powerful Psychopaths

The talk of "escalating" sectarian conflict in Iraq and the rest of the Middle East has become the arguing point between the two criminally minded parties in the U.S., Republicans and Democrats. The newly discovered and extensively exploited phrase is laying the burden of responsibility for the disastrous outcome of the war on the Iraqis instead of at the feet of those who started the war, mainly the criminal Neo-Conservatives and their military-corporate-government complexes, the spineless Democrats, the mainstream media, the religious establishment, and all the enlightened citizens of the strongest and supposedly wealthiest democracy in the world who supported and continue to support this genocide.

In the midst of the obscenity that continues to be the occupation of Iraq, Military Channel, and other reality style entertainment, we have become accustomed to actual violence. We are desensitized to the humiliation that is inflicted on the Iraqi people on a daily basis.

The people of Iraq are struggling on more the one level. The refugee problem of 4 million Iraqis has reached crisis proportions and those fleeing the economic, physical, and psychological effects of this war are trapped with little help in the present and no hope for the future.

Now, a new "Wall of Segregation" is being built to protect a Sunni sector of Baghdad. What may be forgotten here is: that which prevents you from going in also prevents you from coming out. The unfolding Orwellian surrealism of the situation in Palestine and, now, Iraq, reminds me of a movie I saw a few months ago, CHILDREN OF MEN.

Riverbend is an Iraqi blogger who has been on the blogsphere since the beginning of the war. She has articulated what many Iraqis have felt for years and, in this piece, she shares what many who are caught in prolonged war go through and the dilemmas they face.

Maybe, one day, we can all meet that courageous girl around the bend where "hearts can heal and souls can mend."

International Earth Day

"The Earth Flag is my symbol of the task before us all. Only in the last quarter of my life have we come to know what it means to be custodians of the future of the Earth - to know that unless we care, unless we check the rapacious exploitations of our Earth and protect it, we are endangering the future of our children and our children's children. We did not know this before, except in little pieces. People knew that they had to take care of their own ... but it was not until we saw the picture of the Earth, from the Moon, that we realized how small and how helpless this planet is - something that we must hold in our arms and care for."

Margaret Mead, March 21, 1977

April 22nd marks International Earth Day. It is celebrated every year across the globe. San Luis Obispo had its Earth Day gathering yesterday at the Mission Plaza downtown. A well-participated in and attended event, it had a somber and urgent message: ---we are running out of time but these are the ways in which individuals can help.

The main giveaway items were reusable grocery bags and spiral energy efficient bulbs. Electric, hybrid, bio-diesel, and other alternative modes of transportation were on display. Participating local businesses and groups with environmentally conscious philosophies and practices were thrilled to be there: computer businesses, skin and make-up sales representatives and local producers, the California Conservation Corps, Code Pink, The Green Party, ECOSLO, Health food vendors, water treating businesses, Air America, and many other participants, helped educate visitors, including children, on the necessity of individual responsibility in initiating the reversal of environmental degradation.

The people absent were, of course, the war mongers, the big corporations, and the greedy of society.

Earthday Network has put out an urgent call for action globally. Their website is a good resource for ways to implement change.

Clowns Without Borders

Along the lines of Doctors Without Borders and Artists Without Border, Clowns Without Borders (CWB) offer children around the world the opportunity to maintain a sense of childhood and laughter in the middle of conflict and violence. CWB organizations can be found in the United States, Canada, France, Belgium, Spain, and Sweden. They visit different areas of conflict around the world.

Their motto: No Child Without a Smile

Mercenaries for Hire: An Old Strategy in a New World

According to a United Nations report published recently, the number of mercenaries in Iraq and Afghanistan has been increasing steadily and now comprises the second largest military force in the region. One third of the “Coalition of the Willing” are mercenaries.

This is an old world practice that is quickly proliferating in an age that is marked by an indefinite “War on Terror.” The United States government, in the absence of a draft during a long and drawn out war, is resorting to private “contracting” firms for help.

American, British, and other security companies are supplying the private armies in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Eastern Europe. The Center for Public Integrity publishes a list of all the firms that are currently operating in the Middle East. Mercenaries come from different backgrounds: ex Special Forces and other military from places like the United States, Britain, Jordan, the Philippines, and even from within Iraq, or world citizens who are looking for a quick way to get rich and see some action. All have one thing in common: their role is not well-defined and, although technically they fall under the jurisdiction of the occupying armies, they have engaged in questionable and criminal behavior without proper oversight. At the same time, they also have been subject to extremely dangerous and unpredictable events. In fact, the time is coming when such mercenaries will be entitled to "labor rights" like any immigrant laborer holding a work visa. Apparently, Filipino recruits, like many of their counterparts in other areas of the world, are being rushed through their training and lack the necessary skills for the military jobs they are expected to do.

According to Al-Akhbar, a Lebanese newspaper, many of these mercenaries have no clear mission and lack an understanding of their exact role in the war zone. Their only direct order is to shoot at anyone who "appears" hostile towards the Occupation Forces.

It is worth noting that mercenary activity is prohibited by the Office of the United Nations Commissioner for Human Rights.

Article 2 of the United Nations International Convention against the Recruitment, Use, Financing and Training of Mercenaries (ratified in 1989 and went into effect in 2001) states "Any person who recruits, uses, finances or trains mercenaries, as defined in article 1 of the present Convention, commits an offence for the purposes of the Convention."

However, many of those recruits are in legal limbo because they do not fall under the technical definition of "mercenary" (see Article 1 of the above Convention). They are hired as "security" personnel to protect officials and the offices of international organizations.

Many mercenaries have been engaged in acts of torture, murder, theft and destruction of property. The pay for such lawless activity?

Mercenaries from poorer countries, $4,000 a month.

U.S. and other posh ex Special Forces: up to $1,500 a day.

Where else can tough guys relive their old and gone days of glory while fattening their bank accounts and posing for their trophy pictures to brag about back home?

ISN'T WAR GREAT!

A Peculiar Outrage

The treatment of Faye Turney is wrong - but not in the same league as British and US abuses

Ronan Bennett
Friday March 30, 2007

It's right that the government and media should be concerned about the treatment the 15 captured marines and sailors are receiving in Iran. Faye Turney's letters bear the marks of coercion, while parading the prisoners in front of TV cameras was demeaning. But the outrage expressed by ministers and leader writers is curious given the recent record of the "coalition of the willing" on the way it deals with prisoners.

Turney may have been "forced to wear the hijab", as the Daily Mail noted with fury, but so far as we know she has not been forced into an orange jumpsuit. Her comrades have not been shackled, blindfolded, forced into excruciating physical contortions for long periods, or denied liquids and food. As far as we know they have not had the Bible spat on, torn up or urinated on in front of their faces. They have not had electrodes attached to their genitals or been set on by attack dogs.......Continued from "The Guardian."

Iran Attack: Will We or Won't We?

With talk of an imminent attack on Iran and its enrichment sites (April 6th as some are suggesting), U.S. allies in the Gulf region are announcing that they will not allow the launching of strikes from their territories (really?). At the same time, the projected strike has briefly spiked the price of oil by $5.00 a barrel. But what is the likelihood of an attack and what will the actual consequences be, especially if "tactical" nukes are used?

Is America Ready for the Troops When They Come Home?

Sergeant Kevin and Monica Benderman, Benderman's Bridge.

There are many in the United States who say they “support the troops.” There are many more who yell that phrase in others’ faces to make a point.

What does supporting the troops really look like and does troop support imply constant sloganeering? There are those who live their beliefs through thought and action with little talk. Then there are those who are quick to remind others how much they care and how staunchly they support the soldiers. Most troop support I have personally encountered has been sporadic, thoughtless, and with little long-term solutions whether on the local or on the political levels.

Surely, sending lollypops and video games to homesick, young and not so young individuals can give some relief. But really, how do we, as citizens, as friends, as parents, as politicians, and as a Commander in Chief, ensure that these people and their affected families get the support they need during deployment and after their return home? Are we ready to deal with the impact of 200,000 returning soldiers, many of whom will have needs that will require extensive community and national support?

At least one town has had a tradition of supporting its troops and their families in many wars. The town of Hinesville, Georgia, is an example of what good and moral citizenship is about. They have been the glue that bound all the generations at Fort Stewart together and eased the burdens of many families and soldiers. They have stepped in, willingly and with compassion, in all needed areas, and they have been doing it with humility and restraint. It does not matter if a soldier is for or against the war.

Their efforts, however, have been thwarted by power hungry and unwise garrison commanders, profiteers and developers. Veterans, families, peace activists, and community members protested to advocate for returning soldiers. Two of those protesters were Sergeant Kevin Benderman and his wife, Monica. Kevin, who spent ten years in the military and one tour in Iraq, was imprisoned for over a year for protesting the war and for asking for better treatment of soldiers and veterans. Kevin and Monica have launched a new organization called "Benderman's Bridge," which will develop projects designed to restore peace at home by reaching out to connect the small towns and communities of America with the veterans who fought to defend them. They also have their own website with information for citizens and ways people can help.

We can learn a thing or two from the people of Hinesville and the Bendermans.

Army General Kicks Marines Out of Afghanistan

Major General Frank Kearney, head of U.S. Special Operations Command-Central Command, kicked a whole company, the first Marine Special Operations Company (MSOC), out of Afghanistan after "a March 4 enemy ambush on the Marines left eight Afghans dead and another 34 wounded."

The Marines were ambushed but 42 Afghan bystanders and motorists ended up being killed or injured by the ambushed Marines. Where in creation did these guys learn how to shoot?

Fomenting Civil War in Lebanon

The War on Lebanon: Israeli military casualties inside Lebanon, 2006

How the United States and Israel are stirring sectarian tensions.

The Israeli defeat in its last war against Hezbollah and the civilians of Lebanon has put a dent in their public image and has caused indignation on the part of many inside the Zionist state and their supporters in the United States. Israel’s defeat is never acceptable to the biblical war mongers of Zion. Another assault on Lebanon, in one form or another, is in the works, according to many experts and civilians who are sharing their pessimism on the blogsphere.

The recent flurry of activity and the sectarian violence in Lebanon have laid a blanket of pessimism over the population. War criminals along the lines of Ja’ja’ (one of the leaders of the Sabra and Chatila massacres) are the darlings of Washington and Tel Aviv. There is evidence of smuggling of crates of unknown contents (AKA weapons) into the headquarters and homes of government supporters, courtesy of the U.S. government. Those crates were supposedly allotted to the Lebanese Army.

The hope in Tel Aviv and Washington is to provoke a confrontation between Hezbollah, their supporters in the Opposition and a few in the Christian and Sunni militias who support the current government (which is seen by most Lebanese as the facilitator of colonial U.S. and Israeli policies in the Middle East). Hezbollah has never, in its history of resistance, engaged in an act of confrontation with other Lebanese groups. It has tried and continues to try to avoid such confrontation.

Israel failed to militarily crush the Lebanese Resistance during its last brutal war on the people of Lebanon. Their aim now is to create Iraq-like civil war conditions to maintain control over yet another area in the region (another U.S. and Israel-friendly regime).

Not much talk is coming out of Washington about democracy in Lebanon any more. The American experiment in Lebanon has failed, the same way it has failed in Afghanistan and Iraq and all over the world since the end of WWII (with its support of tyrannical regimes).

The people of Lebanon are pessimistic because maybe they know that they are caught in the middle of the powers of the feudal and racist system that makes up the remnants of the old colonially produced Lebanon and the barbaric and vicious intent of the U.S. and Israel to destroy the opposition at any cost.

Meanwhile, despite talk of pull-back from Iraq inside the American political system, the different wars will continue for at least one decade in the form of black ops, outright war, or internal civil strife and assassinations.

Some are asking: if there is another war in Lebanon, will Hezbollah hand Israel its 6th defeat?

Sons and Daughters of California

Sons and Daughters of California

Your lovely smiles etched in our hearts

Among the desolate expanse of desert and on top of majestic mountain

You left a piece of your soul

You dance with your brethren from the East, from the West, from the North, and from the South

All those who died before their time

Because of man’s inhumanity to man

A dance for all ages

Hannah of Redlands, the Lords of War never saw your lovely face and captivating smile. Had they, they would have covered their eyes in shame

Morgen of Santa Cruz, the Merchants of Death could not look at the sparkle in your eye, for they would have been blinded by it

You may be just another statistic in the news and in the plans of those who profit from war

Your death may be used to win or lose political battles

But your souls are free to challenge those of us left behind to remain faithful and strong

To prevent what happened to you from ever happening again

Marilyn

Martyred in Iraq: 3,218 Americans, 65,160 Iraqis

Martyred in Afghanistan: 371 Americans, Unknown Afghans