It was with interest that I listened last night to a FoxNews commentator describing with a breathless awe and undisguised admiration and glee, a weapon designed to "clear the area of all living things" that had been provided to Israel by the US, now currently being deployed against the people (and animals, and plants) of Lebanon.

How did it get to this low point in human history?

Who started this "Middle East Conflict" that now hurtles along a long-carved path inexorably toward its long-planned (but possibly, hopefully, with some wild cards and surprises) end?

Part of this is from a comment made earlier today, but the replies to it, as well as reflecting on other messages I have read in the last few days, inspired me to make it into a "diary:"

In my continuing morbidly fascinated viewing of the Style channel, I find that I am variously moved to various emotions, from hearty laughter to sadness, outrage, and sometimes just plain old nostalgia for the days when the great couture houses while certainly not above reproach in the rigor of their dictates, and the resulting social impact, were at least at least to some degree, possessed of an interest in helping ladies who are not 100 lb six foot fashion models look their best.

There is no man or woman alive who can remember Worth and his mystical magical tiny pleatlets who will ever forget them, or how they flattered such a variety of feminine figures. And would still do so, had they not given way to the "tank top" and the "gaucho pant."

It's the only society on earth where remote-controlled torture of their own children is considered acceptable, and as they continue to debate whether people defending their homes from a brutal invading horde of murderers, torturers and sexual predators should be granted "amnesty" for having had the temerity to attempt to protect their loved ones from harm, I notice that my non-western mail speaks increasingly with one voice: You can't reason with Americans.

It recently came to my attention that we had changed TV satellite signal providers. Having been a DirecTV household for many years, in the course of one afternoon when I was elsewhere located and otherwise occupied, there was apparently a moment in which operatives had installed a Dishnetwork disc onto the roof, our erstwhile receiver boxes had been unceremoniously relegated to a position of low status by the dumpster, having been replaced by a thing I was told is a "dual receiver," liberating space in my lair, but most jarringly, my remote, my REMOTE! - had been usurped by one that was - there is no kind or polite way to put this - different. As in not the same. Not the one my fingers knew, not the one my thumb called friend.

How had such a thing come to pass in my house? Am I not the head of not only it, but a stunning array of respectful descendants, an entire clan, nay nation-quality TRIBE of distinguished and noted individuals of ancient and historic lineage? Am I not addressed and deferred to daily, hourly, continuously, with flowery honorifics of such exquisite and elaborate language that old dead Fahad himself spins green with envy?

[Promoted by Chris]

The other night, I had the privilege of entertaining an old friend. It is his first visit to the US, but as he and I have reluctantly acknowledged the truth of the old Mexican adage, "the years do not pass in vain," after a day of sight-seeing, we both wished our combined young folks well as they went out to paint the town red and gratefully sank down to some Pillow Appreciation combined with Order In and Televiewing.

There was an interesting show on one of the discover and learn or something channels, about some very nice people who live in a remote area of one of the islands today called Indonesia, and after a commercial break during which re refilled our teacups and said how much we would like to go there and meet these friendly folks, a message appeared on the screen, warning us that the program we were watching "contained indigenous nudity" and therefore might not be appropriate for all viewers or something to that effect.

My guest and I exchanged bewildered looks. WTF?

Why is everything always America's fault? What's with the Blame America Firsters?

Americans are getting a bit fed up with criticism of their policies, and many are truly perplexed as to why they seem to come under such fire from critics. Do they not investigate almost every report of atrocity that makes it to US corporate press? Even western press? Have they not made a very public point of very publicly jailing the individuals who were found to be engaging in unauthorized photography in Abu Ghraib?

Why aren't people as outraged over all those IEDs the Iraqi insurgents keep deploying against coalition forces? And what about all the renewed terrorist activity in Afghanistan?

How come so much of the world seems more alarmed by the idea of US airstrikes on Tehran - even using only conventional weapons - than they are about the prospect of a nuclear Iran, as they are by the prospect of a Second Islamic Bomb?

The world has some dirty callings, but those who are charged with the defense of atrocities win the "hard row to hoe" contest hands down.

These days, they are usually Americans, defending American atrocities. It's not that people from other countries never commit atrocities, just that at this particular time in history, Americans have effectively cornered the market and nobody else can get an atrocity in edgewise.

In fact, America has become so defined by atrocity, such a leading global producer that it is hard to imagine why anyone would see the need to go out and defend them. Or send someone to do so.

Street Kid, you are absolutely correct. You do not receive even a small fraction of the recognition you deserve for your relentless documentation of the Medicare D(eath) population reduction program.

And documentation is what it is. Obviously, if the mainstream American public wished low and no income  elders and the infirm to have medical treatment, the US would not be the only industrialized nation in which medical treatment is a commercial product.

Yes, there has been a sustained and long-term inculcation of the doctrine that it should be a commercial product, the free market, supply and demand, and in America everyone is free to purchase all the medical treatment they can afford.

So deeply held, so cherished is this belief that as in the poignant incident that BoJo pointed out a while back, some individuals who find themselves in need of medical treatment but without the resources to purchase it will take their own lives rather than risk "being a burden" to their families, who might make extreme sacrifices in an attempt to buy a bit more life of a loved one, or buy that loved one's way out of pain for a while.

On the internets, it rages. Even on blogs generally noted for a higher percentage of reading and thinking participants, anti-Otherism causes dialogue to degrade into schoolyard insults, non-sequiturs to posts expressing unpopular view.

And the gap between its mainstream and what the US has instead of a left is shrinking. Blind, mindless rage and hatred have spread across the cyberworld like crab lice at a Daytona Beach party hotel during Spring Break.

And if it would stay there, if it could be confined to the typing of invectives and slurs and "flames," lives could be saved.

The day dawned sunny and cool, perfect marching weather!

Thanks to the success of Saturday's Incitement Constitutional, our group, including my own descendants, neighbors, friends, and their descendants, had swelled to over a thousand souls, representing all the world's continents. I will not try to say how many countries, or name them, suffice it to say that we were diverse. And so numerous, that when the hour of departure came, we were obliged to call upon the good offices of the local popo, to guide our massive convoy out of the neighborhood and on to the highway for the short ride to the gathering place.

I was so inspired by breathaking and compelling rant by XicanoPwr, and immediately announced on Man Eegee's blog my decision that not only I, but also Madame and all descendants would march on Monday.

Then I called them all together to notify them of my decision.

There was an immediate roar from the crowd:

Many mainstream Americans, all along the political spectrum, have been surprised in recent weeks to see large numbers, extremely large numbers, of migrants demonstrating in cities around the US.

While the media did not mention it, in all those millions, and yes, the sum of all the demonstrators went into the millions, there was not one, zero, "incidents," or acts of violence. I'm not sure that can be said of any demonstration of comparable size in the US or anywhere else. Ever.

What were they demonstrating about?

Every day, more illegal aliens pour across the border. It's a war, but it's a war Americans can win. It's time to stop depending on the government and take things into the hands of real American citizens. The government can't do it without your help. Nothing worthwhile is easy, but illegal immigration can be stopped if every American will follow these simple steps: