Why I haven't responded to comments

The last couple of days, I've been able to post blog posts, but Haloscan comments haven't been showing on my computer. Whenever I try to go to the Haloscan site, it tells me "The document contains no data."

I figured it must be a general Haloscan problem, since when I went to other sites that use Haloscan, I couldn't see their comments, either. I thought "Darn, I wrote two posts about a subtansive issue, and no one can leave comments! Stupid, stupid haloscan!"

But now I'm visiting friends and using their computer . . . and lo and behold, there are 20 comments to my first post about children involved in anti-pullout activities.

So, first of all, sorry that I haven't been responding to comments. I wasn't ignoring you all. I simply couldn't see what you'd written.

Second, no, I do not think that having a 5-year-old attend a rally and having a 5-year-old dress up in a suicide bomber costume is the same thing at all. Nor do I think that 15-year-olds who attempt to enter a closed military zone to make a point are the same as 15-year-olds who attempt to infiltrate borders in order to blow up other people.

What I'm saying is that as things heat up, and we've got teenagers burning fires on highways and threatening to kill themselves in a mass suicide attempt, the differences between "their" exploitation of children and "our" exploitation of children is getting smaller and smaller.

Again, I am not saying that there are no differences. I'm saying that having children get involved is very, very problematic and we should be looking hard at ourselves.

Why do you think it is, those of you who are disagreeing with me, that the Yesha Council specifically asked youth to attempt to infiltrate Gaza?

If not because youthful passions are easily manipulated, or because images of the army dragging around 14-year-olds wouldn't create more sympathy for the protesters, then why? Why not encourage adults to do it?

Please notice that nowhere in these particular posts am I making any cases for or against the disengagement itself. Even if we were talking about "the side" I'm on (and really, ultimately, I'm on the side of the Jewish People and the State of Israel; perhaps my opinions about what is best for us differ from yours, but my ultimate loves are the people, the land, the State, and the Torah of the Jews) I'd still have very deep problems with the idea of getting children involved in a heated situation.

Anyhow, Shabbat Shalom to one and all. Thank you for respectfully disagreeing with me, if you do.