Soldiers Poem

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WAR! Israel VS. ME

Israel Sends Ground Forces Into Lebanon

BEIRUT, Lebanon — The militant group Hezbollah captured two Israeli soldiers during clashes Wednesday across the border in southern Lebanon, prompting a swift reaction from Israel, which sent ground forces into its neighbor to look for them.

The forces were trying to keep the soldiers' captors from moving them deeper into Lebanon, Israeli government officials said on condition of anonymity.

The Israeli military would not confirm the report.

Earlier, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert called an emergency Cabinet meeting and said Lebanese guerrillas would pay a "heavy price" for Wednesday's attacks.

"These are difficult days for the state of Israel and its citizens," Olmert said. "There are people ... who are trying to test our resolve. They will fail and they will pay a heavy price for their actions."

That news broke early this morning. Then,

Bomb Destroys Palestinian Foreign Ministry

A bomb dropped by an Israeli warplane destroyed the Palestinian Foreign Ministry building in Gaza City early Thursday.

The bomb collapsed the building and caused widespread destruction in the area. The Palestinian foreign minister is Hamas leader Mahmoud Zahar.

The Israeli military confirmed it carried out an airstrike on the Palestinian Foreign Ministry, noting that it is "led by Hamas."

At least three people were wounded in the strike, which took place after 1:30 a.m. The injured were in neighboring buildings, and it was not known if anyone was in the ministry at the time. Ambulances and rescue services were racing to the scene.

Houses and cars in the area were badly damaged by the force of the blast, and the third and fourth floors of the foreign ministry building were destroyed.

Israel has been waging a two-week offensive in Gaza after Hamas-linked militants carried out a cross-border raid, killing two Israeli soldiers and capturing a third. Early Wednesday, an Israeli aircraft dropped a quarter-ton bomb on a house in Gaza City where Hamas commanders were meeting, killing nine members of a family.

Earlier this month Israeli warplanes attacked the Hamas-controlled Interior Ministry twice, causing considerable damage.

I don't have a link yet, but it seems now that Israel is also hitting Beirut International Airport. And if all this wasn't enough, Japan is actually considering military action against North Korea.

"If we accept that there is no other option to prevent an attack ... there is the view that attacking the launch base of the guided missiles is within the constitutional right of self-defense. We need to deepen discussion," Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe said.

"It's irresponsible to do nothing when we know North Korea could riddle us with missiles," echoed Tsutomu Takebe, secretary general of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party. "We should consider measures, including legal changes" required for such an attack, he said.

Can you blame them? After all, if NK's missles fall short (as they most certainly will) Japan is sitting right in the line of fire between NK and us.

Israel is tired of the radical muslims in the ME, and Asia is tired of NK. Full scale war seems inevitable at this point.

America the Beautiful

Some July 4th goodness, as only Ray Charles can do it: