We are already hearing talk about Israel's overreaction. What is disproportion? When does it begin, and is it good?

Some 600,000 German civilians were lost due to Allied bombings alone, nearly 1% of their pre-war population. A very large minority had voted for Hitler, as has also happened with the Palestinian Arabs and their neo-Nazi Hamas. The total German dead were 10.82% which equals 154,592 from Gaza and 266,225 West Bank Arabs, or 420,817 in total.

But is a Body count the proper measure?

A Just War is not for revenge or reprisal, but to eliminate a deadly threat. The Fanatical Jihadi Fringe is such a threat, and for other Arabs and Muslims as well. The “proportionate” casualties they take are whatever it takes to conquer them thoroughly, and remove their aggressive capacity for good.

This is a pretty good test for Iraq, Iran, and North Korea. And also some places in our own hemisphere. Kill however many thousands or millions it may take to teach a permanent lesson, but not one more.

-Rurik

Contributed by George Mellinger on July 18, 2006 at 09:32 AM in George Mellinger, Islamism Delenda Est | Permalink

Comments

Posted by: THe Gray Dog

Excellent analysis. I couldn't agree more. But as a rhetorical posit I wonder, beyond politics as usual, who qualifies or quantifies the threshold of "what it takes"? Specific to the current Mid-East situation, is it Israel? Or do they allow some august world body to tell them enough is enough?

Posted by: THe Gray Dog | Jul 18, 2006 12:05:09 PM

Posted by: Rurik

Who decides "what it takes"? No, not Israel, and most certainly not the United Nincompoops, or even the USA. The only one who can decide "what it takse" is the aggressor, in this case Bashir Asshat of Syria and Nastyrullah of Hesbollocks. When they say sincerely "no more! We don't go down this road again, not even near it". You know its "what it takes", "when it takes".

Posted by: Rurik | Jul 18, 2006 1:19:17 PM