Triumph of Evil

The Triumph of Evil

A "new" look at what the problem is, and how to solve it.

By Kierstyn P

"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing"-Edmund Burke. Thankfully, in this case, the good men will not let evil triumph, even if the world pressures them too.

20 days ago marked the start of a war. The Hezbolla captured two Israeli soldiers and killed eight. In retaliation, Israel fired into suspected Hezbollah bases. It is interesting to note, that only when Israel retaliated did the world speak out. At that, it has taken on a mostly anti-Israel bias. The question posed, "is Israel justified?" was what everyone was asking. The answer is simple. The best way to grasp it is to bring it home.

In 2001 American planes were hijacked by terrorists and run into buildings, killing thousands. We knew immediately that we would fight back; were we justified? Yes.

Likewise, terrorists have attacked Israel, and Lebanon has been "hijacked". In response to a terrorist attack, was Israel justified in striking the Hezbollah in Lebanon? The answer to that question is "yes"; we (and any other nation) have a right to protect our nation and ourselves. It is also understood that the government's role is traditionally to punish evil, defend the nation's population, and protect national sovereignty.

It is not surprising then, that Lebanon retaliated and struck Israel. This back and forth fighting got us to where we are today. As of July 31 2006 a 48 hour "cease fire" was declared by Israel. This cease-fire was defined as a 48 hour halt on air strikes. They did fire in order to protect their troops on the ground once, which didn't violate the cease fire since it was . offensivedefensive

We have been asking the wrong question from the start, the question is not "were they justified?" the question that should be asked is "what can be done to stop this terrorist organization from harming more innocent people?" Currently, Rice and other leaders are trying to get a long-term cease-fire resolution passed by the United Nations.

While that may seem, and is believed by many to be the perfect solution, we must ask ourselves, are UN resolutions successful? Patrick Henry once stated, "The only way to judge the future is by the past" That is exactly what we have to do now. In the history since the United Nations was created, they have passed MANY resolutions. However, the results weren't worth the paper they were written on.

What needs to happen is not a cease-fire. For until Hezbollah is eliminated Israel will not cease to fire; Lebanon will not cease until Israel does. However, the problem we are facing is that Lebanon is not taking care of the threat inside; therefore, Israel took the initiative.

While observing the situation, I have noticed that we are skirting the problem. If my great grandparents had not immigrated and my family and I were Lebanese citizens, my first reaction would not be "kill Israel". It would be, "Let's solve the problem and stop the people that started this in the first place". That is the answer to the problem, the question now is "will it be followed through?"

Terrorists have hijacked Lebanon, the strikes against Israel are not from the Lebanese government; it is from a terrorist organization. What needs to happen now is for the governments and the Lebanese populace to work to stop the terrorists from harming more civilians. The courage exemplified by the flight 93 passengers on 9/11 shows that civilians do have the ability, whether they realize it or not, to take back the plane, or in Lebanon's case, the Nation.

Albert Einstein once said, "" Complacency and fear are the biggest problems we face, and now it is up to Lebanon to take the initiative and stop the terrorists in their own Nation. The world is a dangerous place. Not because of the people who are evil; but because of the people who don't do anything about it.