Exclusive: Baby-Killer Receives ‘Hero’s Welcome’ by Hezbollah

by W. THOMAS SMITH, JR. July 18, 2008

Our friends with Lebanon's pro-democracy Cedars Revolution today issued a statement - the spirit of which is felt by all freedom, democracy,and justiceloving people worldwide - regarding the shameful release of and "hero's welcome" for terrorist Samir Kantar.

According to the World Council of the Cedars Revolution:

"Pretty sad day for Lebanon and the Lebanese world wide.A national holiday for terrorists? What a shameful day, what a shameful government that took part in a national holiday celebrating a baby killer.Lebanon is lacking Justice, that is the bottom line."

Lacking justice indeed. But this injustice extends beyond Lebanon (and Israel from where he was released). The entire worldsuffers with the unjust freeing of Kantar and his cronies.

Kantarmurdered three Israeli civiliansin 1979, including a four-year-oldgirl whose head he bashed with a rifle butt.

Following his release from anIsraeli prisonon Wednesday - along with four other Hezbollah terrorists (in exchange for the bodies of two Israeli soldiers captured-and-killed by Hezbollah two years ago) -Kantar, dressed in a Hezbollah military uniform and expressing his feeling of "enormous joy" because he has returned to the ranks of Hezbollah, told AFP:

"I haven't for even one day regretted what I did."

Again, let's not forget, Kantar bashed in a baby's brains.

As part of his welcome home ceremony, Kantar paid his respects at the tomb of Hezbollah'smad-bomber Imad Mughniyeh (more about Mughniyeh here). At Mughniyeh's tomb,Kantar proclaimed:

"We swear by God . to continue on your [Mughniyeh's] same path and not to retreat until we achieve the same stature that God bestowed on you."

Kantar fancies himself a soldier. Trust me, a soldier -in the sense of the word as I understand it to be (and I was a Marine infantryman) -is avirtuous man. He defends his country or his causes by putting those things above his own life. A soldier also shows mercy to his enemies, and he NEVER fails to defend the weak and the innocent. Men like Kantar are not soldiers by anyone's definition if the definition and the interpretation ofthat definitionare honest. Any man or woman who would deliberately and summarily execute a child (no matter the reason) is a murderer and an animal. Nothing more.

Referring to Kantar as an animal may not seem objective. But like his personal hero, Mughniyeh, Kantaris what he is.

Amazingly, the mainstream media - which I myself have been a part of for years - is referring toKantar in headlines as simply a "freed Lebanese prisoner."

Make no mistake, this man does not represent Lebanon any more than Charlie Manson or Tim McVeigh represents America. And we cannot win this "war of ideas" -as terrorism expert Dr. Walid Phares aptly and often describes as the heart of the war on terror - until we end the soft-soaping of animals like Kantar, and come to grips with who and what these people are.

- Visit W. Thomas Smith Jr. online at uswriter.com.