From Marsha Brown, Kiryat Shmona
July 24, 2006
Just because I live here, under the gun, doesn't mean I'm 100% for the war, certainly not for the way it is being carried out. My problem is how do we stop neighbors intent on mayhem and distruction. People have a short memory: After we pulled out of Lebanon, 3 other soldiers were kidnapped. Evidently, Israel felt that a strong response would endanger their lives; eventually, we discovered that they'd been murdered almost immediately after being kidnapped. Katyushas were fired -- 2 people were killed in Kiryat Shmona. Border crossings were attempted, and others were injured. At what point does a country say "Stop! Our first duty as a nation is to protect our citizens", -- after all, it's the reason states were originally formed -- and actually do something? How many more weapons need to be stockpiled, and how many more soldiers and civilians must be killed? And after the first quagmire in Lebanon, how do we stop the cycle, without getting involved again? I agree -- this doesn't seem to be the right answer -- but what is? What could have been done?
I believe that since 1967, Kiryat Shmona has never had 5 continuous years of peace. So what do we do?
Take care,
Marsh
