Ariel Sharon vs. Freedom of Speech

Today is supposed to be the marching demonstration against Ariel Sharon's Unilateral Disengagement (Jewish Expulsion) plan. However, Sharon is so scared, so weak, that he will stop at nothing to prevent the anti-disengagement movement from marching and expressing their opinions. The Likud membership (Sharon's own party) voted overwhelmingly against the plan. Sharon was elected on a platform AGAINST unilateral disengagment. Yet, instead of giving people an opportunity to express themselves against his policies, (i.e., new elections, a national referendum) he sends in the police to confiscate the driver's licenses of BUS DRIVERS, so they won't be able to bring the expected 75,000 - 100,000 demonstrators to the march. Over 1400 buses have been signed up so far, not including private cars and initiatives.

There is currently a media-blockout on how many soldiers have already refused to take part in Sharon's plan...but its in the hundreds and growing daily. Its unfortunate that Sharon cares more about the disengagement plan, than the cohesiveness of the IDF , the unity of the country, and the minor details of those Jewish familes being evicted from their homes.

On a personal note, on my way to work this morning, I gave a mother and her 2 daughters a lift from a remote bus stop in the middle of the "West Bank." She said she wouldn't be going to demonstrate this evening, because there's a memorial service at her settlement this evening for a family that was murdered 2 years ago. A few minutes later, I also learned that her husband was also murdered a year ago in another terrorist attack. When I looked at her 2 young daughters in the back seat I wondered how the IDF soliders and police will feel about evicting widows and orphans from their homes in Gush Katif. How will they evict the young Cohen children in Netzarim who are missing limbs from Muhamad Dahlan's masterminded terror attack on a settler school bus 5 years ago. (The same Dahlan who is now America's favorite poster-boy Palestinian security chief in Gaza http://www.zoa.org/pressrel/20020212a.htm).

These are not the IDF soldiers I want fighting alongside me against the enemy. Sharon has designated the anti-disengagement forces, as the enemy. That's why all the rockets are falling now on Israeli cities - he's got the enemy mixed up between Jews and Arab terrorists.