I'm Baaack (with Opinions on the Week)

I’m baaaack…from our vacation.

We traveled this week to the lovely Skaneateles, New York which has one of the most beautiful, bluest, and cleanest lakes in the world. The pictures on their site do not do it justice. The water is so pure that the town could take the water directly from the lake with little to no processing, and it is so clear that we could see up to twenty feet down. The town too is well-kept and utterly charming.

We played miniature golf. We hiked. We swam. We played games. It had been a long time since we had spent prolonged quality time together, and we had a blast. Nevertheless, I was showing signs of computer and blogosphere withdrawal. Hubby recognized the symptoms. I think after my post last Sunday, he was secretly enjoying my discomfiture.

Oddly enough, I slept very well that first night. Perhaps I was peaceful, knowing my favorite people were safe and all together in the same room. I awoke just before six in the morning and lay awake for quite awhile suffering separation anxiety over my blog.

Finally I decided to search for a computer. Still in my jammies and with no make-up, messy hair and worst of all, un-brushed teeth, I wandered into town. Making my way to the library, I asked if they had internet access and if I would be allowed use of a computer. They had one, and horror of horror, it had dial up connection. Can you imagine? I waited and waited for my annavenger site to come up, all to no avail. My frustration mounted. The librarian tried to help. Again I waited for my blog to appear on the screen, but clearly their system was having issues.

And then I awoke. Thank goodness. You have no idea how relieved I was to discover that, no, I had not wandered around in jammies, with no make-up, messy hair, and, worst of all, un-brushed teeth. Shudder. My dignity had not been compromised; it was just a bad dream.

My first contact with news of the outside world came on Wednesday late afternoon as we dined in a restaurant that had news on the television. That’s when I learned of Lieberman’s defeat in the primary. What a disappointment. I’m hardly a lib, but I do have a measure of respect for Senator Lieberman whom I believe to be a man of principle. I think it says something about the current state of the Democratic party that his home state would vote out the former Democratic Vice-Presidential candidate in a primary. It speaks volumes of the refusal of the party to allow any dissent. Furthermore, I had always thought that it was telling that he continued in his support for the war in Iraq rather than jumping on the cut and run bandwagon, especially as he serves on the Armed Services committee and is therefore privy to classified information. What does he know that others don’t and how has that influenced his stand?

Also, in the news that day was more discussion of how Hezbollah is winning the war of public opinion. What rubbish! They start a conflict with the backing of Iran, kidnapping Israeli soldiers. Lebanese television shows huge crowds of its citizenry shouting “Death to Israel” even a year ago, making their intentions quite clear. They purposely lob missiles into known Israeli civilian centers, and their people admit that they don’t mourn over innocent Israeli deaths. Hezbollah deliberately sets up military camp amongst the civilian population in full knowledge that that will lead to civilian deaths. Green Helmet Guy shows up repeatedly for photo ops, carefully positioning dead children for maximum effect.

Israel, on the other hand, did not aggress until aggressed upon. They demanded their soldiers back, a reasonable request by any standard except that of extreme international anti-Semitism. They have never amassed crowds of Israelis shouting “Death to Lebanon!” or any other Arab people. They drop leaflets warning civilians to leave the area days before they commence bombing. They establish all military bases far from civilian centers so they are easy targets and by internationally established rules of warfare should draw enemy fire away from their civilian centers, unless of course they are dealing with terrorist organizations and countries whose aim is the destruction of innocent civilians. Lastly, Israel truly mourns the loss of civilian life regardless of country of origin, and they refuse to manipulate public opinion by desecrating their dead.

Yet on whose side does the MSM routinely fall? To whom do the peace activists fly to act as human shields? Do we even need to ask?

Lastly, on Thursday came the news that a terrorist plot was foiled in England to blow up ten planes bound for the U.S. On that, I’ve already written. (My first access to a computer in days!)

It was a difficult week to be away from the blogosphere. Nevertheless, my little family ranks higher than international affairs in my microcosmic value system. Still, I missed my little blog, you--my readers, and the many blogs I visit regularly and my internet friends. I hope you all have had as pleasant a week as my family and I had.