liberal? yes. "Liberal?" Absolutely not

For now they're playing an endless running loop on the news, since that's all they have, but we know it will be replaced soon with an update, or some other news.  For the parents of Udi and Eldad z"l, that endless loop might never stop playing.

The "Left" will say, It's all Israel's fault -- the Occupation, of course.  They have no choice.

A person with any sense of humanity will say:  Nothing justifies this.

Two mangled, tortured bodies, and those of others of our soldiers, returned to their families after two years of almost no word.  In "exchange" for what?  One live murderer, four additional terrorists, and nearly two hundred bodies, including those of of terrorists.  

What have we come to?

True, this is one of the highest mitzvot, redeeming Jewish POWs.  It is crucial closure for those families who lost their sons, husbands, fathers, and brothers in Lebanon.  It closes another chapter of our country's pained history.

But at what price?  

Every time we apologize, every time we justify, every time we capitulate, it weakens our country and ultimately threatens our lives.  Our troubled civil rights conflicts, our loudly corrupt and undeserving leadership, our painful national decisions -- these are all a legitimate part of life in a democracy.  

The countries around us do not ever apologize for human rights violations or breeches of international warfare laws.  No one ever expects them to.  I am waiting, in vain, for the capital-L Liberals to notice and correct this irrationality.

Hizb'Allah has clarified its goals:  Political manipulation, human torture, ethnic cleansing and displacement, outright warfare.  And that's how they treat Lebanese Christian Arabs.  For Israel the stated goal is total destruction.  

Let's not act like idiots, let's not be confused.    Hizb'Allah is not confused.  

Keep the balance,

ALN