from the front

rick's take on the Israeli conflict:
 
Yes, thanks for asking. Most of them live in the South and aren't in range of the Hizbollah rockets. A few live in the North, and they're in their "safe room" -- like a bomb shelter that many Israeli homes have -- or are visiting with friends and family in the South. So far they're OK.
 
I was actually at the Lebanese border one day on our trip. We visited a kibbutz that has a great petting zoo, a playground and a winery. Israeli Jewish and Arab kids are playing, some adults are wine tasting, and I'm feeding a very large animal. Beautiful place.
 
On a hill just beyond the kibbutz's vineyard, clearly visible, was what looked like a large shed with a couple of large antennas sticking out of it. When I asked about it, they said, "Oh, that's Lebanon. That's a Hizbollah outpost. But don't worry....they just look at us, and we just look at them." How quickly things can change.
 
But not really. Hizbollah's been building toward this for some time. Hopefully, when the dust settles, things will be better and safer than before.
 
Rick