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Things are not quite as they appear to be

Israeli soldier (later Major General Yossi Ben Hanan) cools off in the Suez Canal in the Six Day War. Note captured AK-47 rifle. Israeli soldiers often traded their unreliable carbines and short-range Uzis for AK-47s taken from captured or killed Arab soldiers.

Look, I’m just a common every day schlub. I don’t pretend to be a master expert in military strategy. My only military experience is about 4 years as a Civil Air Patrol Cadet in my teenage years during the 70’s and that doesn’t count for anything. I don’t pretend for one second to be able to read minds. But I do know my history, I do know how to play a mean game of chess, and I can read a topographic map pretty damn good.

I’ve been watching the war from afar. I haven’t been able to comment daily as I’ve been really busy with real revenue generating work instead of blogging. But I have come to one conclusion based on what I’ve seen and what we’ve heard.

It’s all crap.

It’s not the usual bias that I’m complaining about. It's not the usual “reporting news the way they want things to be” as news instead of commentary that is going on.

It’s that I don’t think what is happening – or what is being reported as happening is necessarily what is happening.

Relax for a just second loyal readers, I’m not the "black helicopter" type, that’s not what I’m saying.

Here’s what I’m talking about. When you see news coming from Israel, its censored. That’s a good thing. I support that, its saving lives. When you see news from Beirut, its also censored. It’s also mostly propaganda. It’s a fact. I think were all over the age of 5 here, so I don’t think anyone who reads this blog is going to slap themselves in the head and shout “ Oh say it isn’t so!”

But knowing this simple set of facts, knowing that both sides want to put the best shine on their version of the story at all times, then ask yourself this;

“Why is it that stories coming from Israel this week are so damn pessimistic”?