I was taken to task today by a G&M poster who argues that Israel ought to have made a "proportionate response".
Here's my reply.
JL - thank you for your post.
A proportionate response would do nothing to eliminate the ongoing threat that Israel faces. It would simply be retribution for retribution's sake. It would leave Hezabollah strong and ready to fight another day. Worse, it would leave Hezbollah with the idea that they can "win" this thing.
What is needed is a disproportionate response that is so overwhelming that Hezbollah concludes that it cannot win. And that is what Israel is attempting to do.
And it better do it fast. Down the road a bit Iran will have nuclear weapons, and then all bets are off.
Israel is doing what it needs to do to eliminate the terrorist threat.
2 comments:
There are revisionists today who think dropping an atomic bomb on Japan was a disproportionate response.
There was a war going on. The war ended after the bomb.
Many people died in the atomic attacks. That is true. Many more, both Allies and Japanese did not die because the war ended promptly.
My uncle was in a Japanese POW camp. The orders had been to murder all POW's if the home islands were invaded. He survived because of a disproportionate response.
The events in Lebanon are not those requiring a police force which have a number of legitimate constraints.
It is a war by Israel against a ruthless enemy which has targeted civilians (including children) as part of its policy. Not only has Hezbollah launched rockets indiscriminately against Israel they have also used their own citizens as shields.
There is no disproportionate response when dealing with Hezbollah. They must be defeated totally.
This comment does not mean that nuclear weapons should be used. It is to show that a disproportionate response may be the best way to deal with evil.
If Hezbollah remains alive to conclude anything, then Israel's response wasn't tough enough. To achieve peace, Israel must do 3 things:
1) Provide a barrier between themselves and their antagonizers
2) Remove outside interference
3) Allow time to heal
They've implemented the first step - The wall around Israel is a start.
The second step requires either the elimination of Iran & Syria or agreements that are enforced that prevent them from influencing tension between Israel and those seeking peace (Lebanon & Palestinians)
The third step can't be started until the first and second steps are completed.
Until then, our country will need to expand it's navy and stock it with cavier and wine to keep all our "citizens" happy during rescue missions.
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