Arab Unity

With the conflict in Lebanon dragging on day by day and the vaunted Israeli army running into such staunch resistance, the Israelis may well have awakened the entire arab world.

Not since 1967 has there been such a strong anticipation and pride in armed conflict with the Israeli state. The fact of the matter is now that a militia, albeit a highly organized, well equipped and well trained militia is giving Israel all it can handle in unfamiliar terrain. Inflicting casualtie numbers higher than the Israeli military has seen in years and drawing a conflict out that Israel Im sure hoped would be over by now. In the process of this the entire Arab world is changing tides.

At the beginning of the conflict Arab governments were opposed to Hezbollahs actions and felt that they had unnecessarily provoked the attacks by kidnapping Israeli soldiers. Governments were quick to speak ot against Hezbollah, Saudia Arabia, Egypt and Jordan all came out against the actions. Now they are changing tunes praising Hezbollah for its actions denouncing the Israeli terror campaign with deaths of over 600 people the overwhelming majority civilian casualties. Israel and the US took the negative response initially as a ticket to pick up the bombardment and continue now the Arab governments are distancing themselves from Washington, speaking out against the bombing and land grabbing campaign of Israel.

Peace Plans are being pulled off the table the comment has been made by the Saudi Royal Court that “If the peace option is rejected due to the Israeli arrogance,” it said, “then only the war option remains, and no one knows the repercussions befalling the region, including wars and conflict that will spare no one, including those whose military power is now tempting them to play with fire." These do not seem like the words of people who wish to sit idly by and watch.

The concern should be that in most eyes Hezbollah has already won a victory over Israel. They have been able to hold back the greatest military in the Middle East. The bombing campaign has not weakened their ability to strike Israel as noted by continued rocket attacks, it has also not taken down their fighting ability or leadership capabilities as noted by the fierce resistance they are offering in face to face conflicts. Not to mention that Hezbollahs ability to withstand the onlsaught of Israel and to continue to lob rockets into Israeli territory has exposed other Arab states with more resources. As Mr. Rabbani of the International Crisis Group said “Public opinion says that if they are getting more on the battlefield than you are at the negotiating table, and you have so many more means at your disposal, then what the hell are you doing?”

In the process of all this Hezbollahs leader Sheik Nasrallah has been turned into a folk hero amongs the people of the Arab states. While governments seek to stem the tide of Islamist ideology it is gaining speed on the ground. People are buying posters of Sheik Nasrallah, paising his actions and praying for his cause. It speaks volumes that Hezbollah has been able to turn even Al Qaeda to their cause as the two islamic groups (shiite and sunnis) seldom agree on anything.

Cluster what?

Got an interesting message from my brother today directing me to a website and what I found was quite interesting. Ive copied and pasted the articel I will also include a link.

Israeli Cluster Munitions Hit Civilians in Lebanon

Israel Must Not Use Indiscriminate Weapons

(Beirut, July 24, 2006) – Israel has used artillery-fired cluster munitions in populated areas of Lebanon, Human Rights Watch said today. Researchers on the ground in Lebanon confirmed that a cluster munitions attack on the village of Blida on July 19 killed one and wounded at least 12 civilians, including seven children. Human Rights Watch researchers also photographed cluster munitions in the arsenal of Israeli artillery teams on the Israel-Lebanon border.

“Cluster munitions are unacceptably inaccurate and unreliable weapons when used around civilians,” said Kenneth Roth, executive director of Human Rights Watch. “They should never be used in populated areas.”

According to eyewitnesses and survivors of the attack interviewed by Human Rights Watch, Israel fired several artillery-fired cluster munitions at Blida around 3 p.m. on July 19. The witnesses described how the artillery shells dropped hundreds of cluster submunitions on the village. They clearly described the submunitions as smaller projectiles that emerged from their larger shells.

The cluster attack killed 60-year-old Maryam Ibrahim inside her home. At least two submunitions from the attack entered the basement that the Ali family was using as a shelter, wounding 12 persons, including seven children. Ahmed Ali, a 45-year-old taxi driver and head of the family, lost both legs from injuries caused by the cluster munitions. Five of his children were wounded: Mira, 16; Fatima, 12; ‘Ali, 10; Aya, 3; and `Ola, 1. His wife Akram Ibrahim, 35, and his mother-in-law `Ola Musa, 80, were also wounded. Four relatives, all German-Lebanese dual nationals sheltering with the family, were wounded as well: Mohammed Ibrahim, 45; his wife Fatima, 40; and their children ‘Ali, 16, and Rula, 13.

Human Rights Watch researchers photographed artillery-delivered cluster munitions among the arsenal of Israel Defense Forces (IDF) artillery teams stationed on the Israeli-Lebanese border during a research visit on July 23. The photographs show M483A1 Dual Purpose Improved Conventional Munitions, which are U.S.-produced and -supplied, artillery-delivered cluster munitions. The photographs contain the distinctive marks of such cluster munitions, including a diamond-shaped stamp, and a shape that is longer than ordinary artillery, according to a retired IDF commander who asked not to be identified.

Pallets of 155mm artillery projectiles including DPICM cluster munitions (center and right with yellow diamonds) in the arsenal of an IDF artillery unit on July 23 in northern Israel. Each DPICM shell contains 88 sub-munitions, which have a dud rate of up to 14 percent. © Human Rights Watch 2006

Close-up of a M483A1 DPICM artillery-delivered cluster munition present in the arsenal of an IDF unit in northern Israel. © Human Rights Watch 2006

The M483A1 artillery shells deliver 88 cluster submunitions per shell, and have an unacceptably high failure rate (dud rate) of 14 percent, leaving behind a serious unexploded ordnance problem that will further endanger civilians. The commander said that the IDF’s operations manual warns soldiers that the use of such cluster munitions creates dangerous minefields due to the high dud rate.

Lebanese security forces, who to date have not engaged in the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah, also accused Israel of using cluster munitions in its attacks on Blida and other Lebanese border villages. These sources also indicated they have evidence that Israel used cluster munitions earlier this year during fighting with Hezbollah around the contested Shebaa Farms area. Human Rights Watch is continuing to investigate these additional allegations.

Human Rights Watch believes that the use of cluster munitions in populated areas may violate the prohibition on indiscriminate attacks contained in international humanitarian law. The wide dispersal pattern of their submunitions makes it very difficult to avoid civilian casualties if civilians are in the area. Moreover, because of their high failure rate, cluster munitions leave large numbers of hazardous, explosive duds that injure and kill civilians even after the attack is over. Human Rights Watch believes that cluster munitions should never be used, even away from civilians, unless their dud rate is less than 1 percent.

Human Rights Watch conducted detailed analyses of the U.S. military’s use of cluster bombs in the 1999 Yugoslavia war, the 2001-2002 Afghanistan war, and the 2003 Iraq war. Human Rights Watch research established that the use of cluster munitions in populated areas in Iraq caused more civilian casualties than any other factor in the U.S.-led coalition’s conduct of major military operations in March and April 2003, killing and wounding more than 1,000 Iraqi civilians. Roughly a quarter of the 500 civilian deaths caused by NATO bombing in the 1999 Yugoslavia war were also due to cluster munitions.

“Our research in Iraq and Kosovo shows that cluster munitions cannot be used in populated areas without huge loss of civilian life,” Roth said. “Israel must stop using cluster bombs in Lebanon at once.”

Human Rights Watch called upon the Israel Defense Forces to immediately cease the use of indiscriminate weapons like cluster munitions in Lebanon.

Background

Israel used cluster munitions in Lebanon in 1978 and in the 1980s. At that time, the United States placed restrictions on their use and then a moratorium on the transfer of cluster munitions to Israel out of concern for civilian casualties. Those weapons used more than two decades ago continue to affect Lebanon.

Israel has in its arsenal cluster munitions delivered by aircraft, artillery and rockets. Israel is a major producer and exporter of cluster munitions, primarily artillery projectiles and rockets containing M85 DPICM (Dual Purpose Improved Conventional Munition) submunitions. Israeli Military Industries, an Israeli government-owned weapons manufacturer, has reportedly produced more than 60 million M85 DPICM submunitions. Israel also produces at least six different types of air-dropped cluster bombs, and has imported from the United States M26 rockets for its Multiple Launch Rocket Systems.

There is growing international momentum to stop the use of cluster munitions. Belgium became the first country to ban cluster munitions in February 2006, and Norway announced a moratorium on the weapon in June 2006. Cluster munitions are increasingly the focus of discussion at the meetings of the Convention on Conventional Weapons, with ever more states calling for a new international instrument dealing with cluster munitions.

Human Rights Watch is a founding member, and a steering committee member, of the Cluster Munition Coalition: www.stopclustermunitions.org.

http://www.hrw.org/english/docs/2006/07/24/isrlpa13798.htm

Theres the website, theres the info. Great targeting, Im sure that 60 year old women and the children that were hit really psoed a huge threat to the safety of Israel and its citizens. Also popping up are reports again about the use of white phosphorus shells on civilian targets, if your not familiar with this substance it burns and you cant stop it. Very effective, very painful and also against all war crime laws but that doesnt effect Israel cause they are jsut defending themselves. I suppose they were also defending themselves when they destroyed a UN observers post and killed 4 UN observers to, they were probably hiding rockets in there also. I would give Israel the benefit of the doubt if I hadnt read Pity the Nation by Robert Fisk. In the book Fisk highlights a situation where he was embedded with a Canadian group of the UN who was coming under Israeli rocket fire. When they called the Israelis they were told by them that they were not under rocket fire and they must be mistaken. The Canadians countered with the noise of rockets exploding around them and were again told they were not under fire and that the discussion was over. Strange how even when they could see the fire coming from an Israeli position and notified the IDF about it they were told it didnt exsist. I guess its like burying your head in the sand, if I dont see it it cant be happening.

*****UPDATE*****
2:31pm

From the New York Times as of this afternoon upon returning from lunch.

http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/world/international-mideast-ireland-warning.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

Irish officer with the UN advises Israelis 6 times that they are in danger of costing UN peackeepers lives. You tell me what the deal is there, they cant be oblivious it is no big accident. It is a target they fucked up and they will not admit it, but there is a huge problem here that needs to be addressed here and the world would rather follow suit with Israel and bury its head in the sand. Kudos to you rest of the civilized world.


****UPDATE****
4:30pm

Two more websites catching on to the whole Israel as war criminal idea. Highlighting the use of cluster bombs and white phosphorus yet again by our noble Israeli "Allies"(sarcasm). Both sites are well worth taking a look at.

http://www.transparentgrid.com/wordpress/index.php/archives/2006/07/25/1781/

http://arabist.net/archives/2006/07/25/cluster-bombs-used-against-civilian-population-areas-hrw-says/

Debunking Two Israeli Myths

Found this on a link my brother sent me today. Great site dealing with Palestine and the Israelie occupation. THe site also has lots of facts that you may not know such as the fact that palestinians have to have seperate license plates, they cannot buy or lease land and that yearly U.S. Aid to Israel a developed country exceeds all aid given to the entire african continent. Anyways heres the two that I found and thought rang true.

Heres the site if you want to take a gander. FREE PALESTINE

1. No moral equivalence

"There is no moral equivalence between suicide bombings on the one hand, and Israel's killing of Palestinians on the other because while suicide bombings deliberately target civilians, Israeli forces do not.

Suicide bombing is a reprehensible and unacceptable tactic. These attacks should stop immediately. What needs to be added, and what is almost always missing in American media commentary is a similar condemnation of Israel's deliberate targeting of Palestinian civilians.

Since the Palestinian uprising started in late September 2000, more than 1,500 Palestinians, and 400 Israelis have been killed (as of April 12, 2002), the vast majority on both sides being unarmed civilians. Most of the deadly violence against innocent civilians, therefore, has been committed by Israeli forces and has been directed at Palestinians.

Israel and its supporters claim that while Palestinian suicide bombers deliberately target Israeli civilians, Israel tries to avoid harming Palestinian civilians and that those who have died are "collateral damage." Hence, they argue, there is no moral equivalence between the killing of civilians by Israel and Palestinians. This defies both common sense and all the available evidence.

On the one hand, Israel wants us to believe that 400 of its own civilians were deliberately targeted, while more than three times as many dead Palestinians all somehow just got in the way of what Israel claims is its humane and disciplined army. It is, in essence, an argument that 1,500 people all died by accident.

Every human rights group that has examined Israel's practices has documented systematic and deliberate use of violence targeted at unarmed Palestinian civilians by Israeli forces. Physicians for Human Rights USA which investigated the high number of Palestinian deaths and injuries in the first months of the Intifada, concluded that:

"the pattern of injuries seen in many victims did not reflect IDF [Israel Defense Forces] use of firearms in life-threatening situations but rather indicated targeting solely for the purpose of wounding or killing."

[Source: PHR USA, 22 November 2000]

This finding was based on "the totality of the evidence" the investigators collected about:

"the high number of gunshots to the head; the volume of serious, disabling thigh injuries; the inappropriate firing of rubber bullets and rubber-coated steel bullets at close range; and the high proportion of Palestinian injuries and deaths."

The findings of Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch confirm this pattern. Israeli human rights group B'Tselem has documented and condemned the targeted use of violence against Palestinian civilians and has found evidence of systematic torture of thousands of Palestinian detainees, including children.

What has been confirmed by human rights groups has also been observed directly by journalists.

In October 2001, Harper's magazine published the "Gaza Diary" of journalist Chris Hedges. Hedges' entry for June 17, 2001 provides even more shocking evidence of the wanton and deliberate killing of Palestinian children by Israeli soldiers at Gaza's Khan Yunis refugee camp.

Hedges writes:

"I sit in the shade of a palm-roofed hut on the edge of the dunes, momentarily defeated by the heat, the grit, the jostling crowds, the stench of the open sewers and rotting garbage. A friend of Azmi's brings me, on a tray, a cold glass of tart, red carcade juice."

"Barefoot boys, clutching kites made out of scraps of paper and ragged soccer balls, squat a few feet away under scrub trees. Men in flowing white or gray galabias -- homespun robes -- smoke cigarettes in the shade of slim eaves. Two emaciated donkeys, their ribs protruding, are tethered to wooden carts with rubber wheels."

"It is still. The camp waits, as if holding its breath. And then, out of the dry furnace air, a disembodied voice crackles over a loudspeaker."

""Come on, dogs," the voice booms in Arabic. "Where are all the dogs of Khan Younis? Come! Come!""

"I stand up. I walk outside the hut. The invective continues to spew: "Son of a bitch!" "Son of a whore!" "Your mother's cunt!""

"The boys dart in small packs up the sloping dunes to the electric fence that separates the camp from the Jewish settlement. They lob rocks toward two armored jeeps parked on top of the dune and mounted with loudspeakers. Three ambulances line the road below the dunes in anticipation of what is to come."

"A percussion grenade explodes. The boys, most no more than ten or eleven years old, scatter, running clumsily across the heavy sand. They descend out of sight behind a sandbank in front of me. There are no sounds of gunfire. The soldiers shoot with silencers. The bullets from the M-16 rifles tumble end over end through the children's slight bodies. Later, in the hospital, I will see the destruction: the stomachs ripped out, the gaping holes in limbs and torsos."

"Yesterday at this spot the Israelis shot eight young men, six of whom were under the age of eighteen. One was twelve. This afternoon they kill an eleven-year-old boy, Ali Murad, and seriously wound four more, three of whom are under eighteen. Children have been shot in other conflicts I have covered -- death squads gunned them down in El Salvador and Guatemala, mothers with infants were lined up and massacred in Algeria, and Serb snipers put children in their sights and watched them crumple onto the pavement in Sarajevo -- but I have never before watched soldiers entice children like mice into a trap and murder them for sport."

There can be no doubt that Israeli troops have been targeting innocent Palestinian civilians for death from the beginning of the uprising. This understanding was also reflected in UN Security Council Resolution 1322, passed on October 7, 2000, which

"Condemns acts of violence, especially the excessive use of force against Palestinians, resulting in injury and loss of human life."

In making the moral superiority claim, Israel's apologists are either shamelessly denying the irrefutable evidence cited above and are simply lying, or they are asserting that some forms of murder are morally superior to other forms of murder.

---

2. Self-defense

"Israel's invasion of Palestinian cities and refugee camps is self-defense against suicide bombings. No country can tolerate its citizens being blown up in streets and cafes and Israel has to act."

The Israeli claim that its attacks on the Palestinians constitute "self defense" ignores the fact that its posture in East Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza Strip is, by definition, not defensive. Since 1967, Israel has maintained tens of thousands of heavily armed troops outside its borders for the purposes of stealing land from the Palestinians and forcing them to live as non-citizens under a foreign military dictatorship.

Seized Palestinian land has been used to build Jewish-only settlements linked by a network of Jewish-only roads, in flagrant violation of UN Security Council Resolutions and the Fourth Geneva Convention. This colonization is, and can only be, carried out by the violent suppression of any and all Palestinian resistance to the occupation.

Throughout the years of the "peace process" during the 1990s, Israel continued to construct settlements, doubling the number of settlers in the West Bank from about 100,000 to 200,000 according to the Israeli group "Peace Now." At least 34 new settlements have been built since Sharon took office.

The settlement colonization policy is, and can only be carried out by the violent suppression of any and all Palestinian resistance to the occupation. Throughout the years of the "peace process" Israel continued to construct settlements, doubling the number of settlers according to the Israeli group "Peace Now."

The entire international community has recognized that Israel's military occupation must end, and that its continuation, along with the settlement policy, and the massive repression they entail is a guarantee of continued bloodshed. Israel's brutal actions in the occupied territories are designed to consolidate and entrench the occupation and expand Israeli colonization, and are therefore, by definition, not defensive in nature.

FREE LEBANON

The crisis over in the middle east jsut keeps getting worse, with yesterday being the deadliest day so far in terms of Israels terrorist missle and bomb attacks on the Lebanese people.

A ceasefire needs to be reached but thats not possible because only one side is doing all of the firing in this conflict, Lebanon itself is standing still. Israel is fighting to destroy Hezbollah but it continues to attack bridges, ports, airports, villages, well drilling equipment and Lebanese army positions. Why, what is the logic behind this? Israel claims to want stability from Lebanon, to not have to worry about its shared northern border. IF this were truly the case then Israel would not be intently destroying the infrastructure of the Lebanese government and society and targeting the military which will play a huge role in a stable Lebanon.

The United States is looking at a double edged sword here, on the one hand we work for Israel, lets not be foolish and think its the other way around. We claim to want to establish a cease fire but we want to give Israel at least another week to bombard the Lebanese people. In another week there wont be any chance at saving Lebanon. The country is in shambles now, the airport is closed, ports are being attacked and major highways and bridges are destroyed. This will be no short term turnaround, this will take years and years to fix all because Israel was targeting a terrorist group by blowing up everything but terrorists. Let us not forget this isnt a conflict between two nations, but a nation and a militia uncontrolled by a government that has been hamstrung in the past to where it cannot stop them. To punish the nation to destroy what they have built is criminal. But then again when you are talking about a nation that was established by criminally stealing land from others than I guess thats what you can expect.

Proprtiante force is another issue, I keep hearing the term that Hezbollah rockets are "raining down on Israeli civilians" yet there are 15 Israeli dead. There are over 300 dead in Lebanon the overwhelming majority civilian and over 1000 wounded. I would think indiscriminate firign of missles would result in more casualties than would laser guided smart bombs but hey I guess not. Especially when the smart bombs and their operators know they are attacking civilians.

Washington Post Coverage
'To Save a Revolution"
"Left Here to Die"

Three Cheers for Hezbollah

I jsut got back from lunch which was actually walking a dog and was greeted with what I found to be some cheerful news on the Israel v. Lebanon front. Hezbollah has recorded a pretty substantial rocket strike in the Israeli town of Haifa gutting a building with one of their rockets. I am not advocating violence in either direction, but I cant help but feel good that Hezbollah has actually done some damage to the mighty nation of Israel.

Of course this prompts Israel to step up its own bombings of suburban areas, targeting a resort town today and killing 6 candians in the process. Way to go Israel, those Canadians were really fucking around with you. Glad you could take them out as they posed such an imminent threat to your sacred right to exist.

The main difference between Hezbollahs attack and Israels is that Hezbollah doesnt ahve guided missles and warplanes, but rather ground launched unsophisticated rockets. And with all of Israels bombings they dont seem to be getting the sites they are launching rockets from, but rather the innocent civilians, way to breed more hate. Not to mention that Israel wants the Lebanese authorities to rein in Hezbollah, so whats the natural bombing there, lets blow up the Lebanese govt's infratstucture and attack their military bases, good choice slapdick.

Way to condemn a group you made stronger by meddling in Lebanese afairs from 1975-1990 and creating the civil war that ruined the countries government. You created the unrest, you created the militants, they formed to force you out of the country, they were the resistance. Whether you like it or not you have made the bed you are now trying to sleep in, it might not be the most comfortable and your unilateral way of dealing with it isnt solving any problems but breeding new hate. Congrats on showing you are a bully with no real way to stop the problem, carpetbombing isnt gonna cut it and neither is your continued campagin of violence and religious hatred with your zionist agenda. Israel, you are a disgrace to advanced countries everywhere with your continued bungling of your affairs and your sole reliance on overwhelimgn and disproportinate force. I hate you.

Free Palestine and Free Lebanon!!!

Money Talks

Ben Wallace, traitor I still cant get over it. If the Pistons handt got him he wouldve been another Adonal Foyle, a nobody. He talked all sorts of shit about not needing to be the highest paid guy, all lies he tore the foundation which Detroit made him out of a franchise. Will Detroit be okay, yes. Will Ben Wallace ever be the same hard hat guy, No. Thats why ever since that day I've been like Fuck Ben Wallace!

Heres a nice Mitch Albom article about the lying sack of shit.

Free Press

Why arent we rooting for the underdog?

Recent events in Palestine have only made my stance on Israel even more confirmed in my head. Israel is a bully in the truest sense of the word from its very begininngs to its current use of unilateral force in the recent abduction of three of its soldiers. First off I shouldnt call it abduction as the media is, they are combatants in a war and are thus prisoners of war, if Israel can capture thousands(estiamted at around 9000) arabs many of whom are children and women then who are they to get their feathers ruffled over three P.O.W.'s?

In the case of the United States, we are demonized by the world for taking unilateral actions and flexing our military muscle in many cases. We are dragged through the mud anytime an errant missle or bomb hits anyone other than its intended target. Israel is a lauded and we always say "they have the right to defend themselves". Well are tehy defending themselves when they shell beaches with artillery fire killing whole families or when they drop a bomb on a house at 3am killing a family of 8 inside, those sure are some dangerous enemies to defend themselves against. Lets not forget that Israel's Shin Bet is supposed to be the best intelligence organization in the world, how come no one questions them and their sources? This current unlawful invasion by a bastard state is simply another power grab to secure more territory for the good of Zionism.

What we are truly seeing is a vicious ploy by both Israel and the United States attempting to topple the newly formed Hamas led government of Palestine. We in the United States like to toot our horn about promoting democracy but when the Palestinians held what was widely recognized as one of the best democratic elections ever int he middle east, but we dont get the party we want in charge we have huge problems. Nevermind what the people of Palestine want, not that they really want their land or their family homes that were stolen formt hem in 1948 back. What they want is to be independent and how can they be independent when we dont even let them have their own government that they elect? When they have no economy because of the illegal and apartheid like wall built by the Israleis and monitored and closed at will for sometimes no reason? They have no right to self defense, they have nothing because it is stripped by Israel.

I can do nothing buy sympathize with the Palsestinian and the Lebanese people who are pushed under Israels thumb. I can do nothing but be disgusted by the fact that we the United States are so willing to support and coddle the bully on the block. It is odd that Israel has the 13th largest military on earth, to defend an area the size of New Jersey. They repeatedly flex their muscle and endanger thousands of lives, ruin homes and breed more hate than they can ever hope to solve. They are the problem not the solution and the world needs to understand that.

Americans have always liked the underdog, well, open your eyes because theres a very clear underdog in all this and its not Israel. Its the palestinian people who are being cheated and held captie by a foreign occupier who stole their land while the world stood idly by. Lets also not forget that Israle punishes the whole not the guilty party. This is clearly seen by saying that Lebanons government will be held accountable for Hezbollahs actions. How are you going to hold them accountable Israel? YOu plunged Lebanon into civil war and completely destroyed all goverment they had, they might as well be starting from scratch, all these attacks and the finger only points back to you.

One Weekend, Two Faces.

If you live in Detroit, or the Detroit area this was a pretty eventful weekend, outside of the 4th of July holiday and the fireworks the retirement of Steve Yzerman and the departure of Ben Wallace made big news.

It is amazing to me how different they both seem in my eyes now as at one point they were both the face of the city and its sports teams. Ben was the blue collared workhorse down low who did everything you wanted to win games. Yzerman was more of an evolutiuon, going from top center in the NHL to gritty two way player who not only had the skill but the untangibles.

The difference begins there, Stevie Y played his whole career for Detroit, 20+ seasons and he never complained, never said he was underappreciated and this was from a star, not just a one way star but an overall star. He was the guy on this team even when teh Red Wings were bad he played his heart out week in and week out. A truer captain has never played in the NHL many others have worn the C, but none have filled it out so completely.

Then there is Ben, one of thebest defensive players of the last 25 years, a game changer on defense when that is incredibly hard to do. However he was one sided, there was no offense coming from Ben, only defense he was half a player. When his contract came up he hired Arn Tellem and then opened negotiations at 20 million a year. This shows you how overinflated his own selfworth was. Not only that but in the last year he did things a leader wouldnt do, puted on the bench, called out his coach in the playoffs etc. THe man who was the face of the Pistons championship team now let his eyes be blinded by money, leaving a 64 win team to go to a 41 win team. All for 8 million more or as he says because he didnt feel appreciated in Detroit. He was the rock, the cornerstone if he was looking for more pats on the back I guess hes better off gone.

As a close it was a pleasure to watch Yzerman play even when injured and his skills began to fade, because he was our guy there was no doubt about that. Ben will not be fun to watch deteriorate and it will happen soon, his leaving may actually have helped the team. So farewell Steve Yzerman I and all the rest of Detroit wish you the best in retirement!