re the cafe owner, I'm surprised Lebanon hasn't been brain drained completely after all those years of war.

You overlook the reverse of brain drain in the optimistic years of the mid to late 90s.

People generally don't like leaving their home-bases. It's a gamble. A new brain drain won't be set off by this alone. Only sustained instability will.

Glad to see the Maronite kids are living up to expectations.

ya tom,

you might also include that the report about the raising of the israeli flag in rabieh was a hoax. you can find that on the very same blog you're citing.

i am getting sick & tired of all those stupid rumors flying around.

--raf*

Raf. In the comment section. I am so not reading comment sections these days.

And feel free to write your own goddamn post, you lazy bastard.

While we're just asking random guys off the street, my friend who is studying at AUB has told me that most non-Shia at first blamed Hezbollah for the crisis and didn't care if Israel gave them a little spanking, but with Israel's massive overreaction and targeting of the whole of Lebanon, all sects are rallying behind Hezbollah against Israel. He said that most people(even Christians) have tuned in to al Manar instead of the traditional Christian and/or Saudi-funded media outlets.

That's what he said at least. As for me, I just can't get enough of the Iran-Syria conspiracy theories from the American bolshy right. Wonder what Lounsbury has to say about William Kristol's lovely op-ed in the Financial Times: Why Bush should go to Tel Aviv - and confront Iran

ya tom,

yeah ... well ... of course in the comment section. lazy bloggers are not correcting their posts ...

i AM writing a post ... but i do have a job, remember?

here's the $64,000 question: how many lebanese prisoners are in israeli jails? and how many in syria?

discuss.

--raf*

ps: tom, if you know it - don't give it away.

Djuha: if random-guy-on-the-street is good enough for the Washington Post, it's good enough for us.

So what exactly can the IDF do now that they didn't do in 1982-2000? It makes little sense. Maybe they want to obliterate southern Lebanon, and create a huge no-mans-land perimeter around Israel. Some Final Solution.

But I'm just guessing, because I know so little. What can the IDF hope to accomplish, and by what means, that they weren't able to in 1982? Can someone do a comparison?

here's the $64,000 question: how many lebanese prisoners are in israeli jails? and how many in syria?

I believe Head Heeb posed that question on the earlier Hizb thread, but got no replies. Perhaps a useful data point if anyone could find out.

Otherwise, fact checking is fine, but sniping is unnecessary. We all have jobs. I'm glad Tom is watching the issue so closely (although under the circumstances it must be difficult).

Klaus: one possible answer is that they don't intend to do anything permanent, and simply believe that if they need to invade and fuck Lebanon up every 20 years to keep things as they'd like them, then so be it.

Eerie: Thanks. Nice to have an outlet for the useless news-obsessing I would have been doing anyway.

Actually, I do believe that Iran, being allied with Hizbullah, is helping them, probably had input into the timing of the initial raid, and is using the current mayhem as cover to advance its nuclear program. They've benefitted mightily from our botched occupation of Iraq, and are feeling their oats, in my opinion.
Israel's overreaction is perfect for them. They fell right into Iran's trap. The Prez (US version) even blames Syria for all this, which is even more perfect for Iran. For them, it doesn't get any better than this.

dear tom & eerie,

i didn't mean to snipe. you know i love you dearly, even L ...

for the last days i've been following news, talking to and chatting with my people back in lebanon, debating on- & offline ...

i'm working on an article for aqoul - if i'm lucky i'll finish it tonight.

i'm drained. thank god for adrenaline.

cheers,

--raf*

Looking forward Raf Bey. But no one should love Me, my schtick is to be hated.

Raf,

If I answer your earlier question, will I really get $64,000??

Kuntar and 3 others. only 4 leb prisoners in total, for which at least 170 lebanese CIVILIANS hav lost their lives.