Baruch haShem for Good Reports

Like most normal people, I've been glued to the television and Internet all day, keeping updated on the latest news from Israel.

Things you ought to know:

1. I hate not being there to help. What could I do? Probably not much. But I could at least give some moral support on the ground.

2. American news BLOWS CHUNKS. What's the Hebrew for "blows chunks"? The American English for "blows chunks" is MAINSTREAM MEDIA. If I hear one more reporter refer to any location in Israel by its relationship to "Jesus" (i.e.: "Nazareth, the boyhood home of Jesus"-CNN) I'm going to pop. If you know nothing about what's going on, this is the impression you're getting of Israel from the American media: Vicious, conquering army with "disproportionate response" living in a country with few casualties and many bomb shelters whose sole relevance and claim to fame is 2,000 year old history.

3. I've been getting some fairly high readership stats this week that dropped to near nothing today. I'm hoping this is because everyone is busy reading ISRAELI BLOGGERS for accurate information regarding what is going on in the land.

4. My eyes are killing me. They're shot. And I need to take OTC pain meds like ibuprofen in order to induce sleep.

Things I'm Thrilled to Hear/Read:

Israelis are totally behind their army. They want Hizbollah destroyed and they want this war over. They are so sick and tired of being attacked that they're ready to do something about it beyond "negotiations" and giving away land. I'm so proud and happy to hear that-- Israelis have GUTS. If the majority of American Jews were confronted with rocket attacks and bomb shelters, they'd be running to the next country ASAP. Israelis shout support, hunker down, and wait it out. Man, we have a LOT to learn from our mishpocha in the land.

The IDF/IAF/Israeli Navy continues to bomb the crap out of Lebanon and Gaza. They aren't holding back. Earlier, I linked to an essay on Israpundit that predicted that young leaders would rise up in the IDF and take charge, politics be damned. ISRAEL, IF YOU'RE READING THIS: JUST SAY NO TO THE G-8, TO THE UN, TO THE WORLD COMMUNITY! JUST SAY NO! KEEP MOVING FORWARD AND PUTTING YOUR TRUST IN HASHEM! As He instructed Yhoshua: BE STRONG, BE BOLD!!!!!

Hashmonean reports via JPost: 20 Israelis killed, 377 wounded since fighting began. That's phenomenal considering the fact that over 700 rockets have smacked into the land in 5 days. I pray for the health and healing of the injured and wounded, but I also praise HaShem for keeping a watchful eye on His people-- for example, many of the rockets have hit into open areas or empty buildings. Yes, there have been deaths, and I pray for the families of the victims; one Israeli lost is too many. But it is a miracle still that so many of these rocket attacks have failed.

All we need to do is keep looking up. HaShem is going to save us for the sake of His good name. Our hope is in Him.

Israel