Israel, "Restraint," "Proportionality" and "Measured Responses"
Save this online in Del.icio.us. [?] Vote For this Post-Welcome Carnival of the Insanities readers! If you want help regaining your sanity, I recommend this post on how you can help move Israeli children out of rocket range. On with the destruction of the insanities of "restraint," "proportionality," and other nonsense!
According to the mediocre mainstream media (here in Canada, at least) Israel's a great big meanie for using "disproportionate" force, for fighting without regard for a "measured response." It's amazing the ridiculous ideas the media's self-appointed luminaries will come up with sometimes in order to vilify Israel! In the following lines, I will proceed to blow up - pardon the pun - the incredibly stupid ideas that are "proportionality," "restraint," "measured reactions" and so on.
There are three problems with the media's call for Israel to restrain itself.
First, it's illogical for anyone to defend themselves with one hand tied behind their back. The purpose of having a defence force is to dissuade enemies from attacking, and to respond when they do. The point is that the myth of "disproportionate" force rests upon the idea a defence force is only there to intimidate enemies and dissuade them. This is simply not the case.
Second, the media's suggestion that Israel should measure its use of force is just another example of the ludicrous hypocrisy the media treats Israel with. The double standard essentially holds Israel to a different code of conduct than others. Where are the media when the Canadian forces are fighting the Taliban? Are we to expect our Canadian troops to "restrain" themselves and use "proportionate" force?
Third, there is no such thing as "proportionate" force, so there can't be something such as "disproportionate force." Should Israel have killed a dozen Hezballah fighters and captured two more in response to Hezballah's provocation? That would have been numerically equal. Should they count the number of shells, bullets, ball bearings, nails and other junk Hezballah fires at Israeli citizens, and then respond with an equivalent amount of munitions? Would a 2:1 ratio be acceptable?
I recall former US President Bill Clinto trying what might be called a "measured response," back when al-Qaeda bombed US embassies in Africa. He sent a few cruise missiles at Ben-Laden camps in the area. Look how effective that was...
The Lebanese government has failed to disarm Hezballah and put an end to its military power. Instead, Hezballah is a sovereign power unto itself in Southern Lebanon, and the Lebanese government's incompetence in restraining Hezballah has cost Israeli lives. The only possible meaning for restraint in the current conflagration of the Israeli-Arab conflict if for Hezballah to be reigned in and its military wing destroyed. The onus is on the Lebanese government to restrain Hezballah and put an end to its terrorism.
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posted by lecentre @ 2:14 p.m.
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