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Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Thomas Sowell :: Townhall.com Columnist
Pretty Talk and Ugly Realities
by Thomas Sowell
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Go back a hundred years-- before there was a United Nations and before "world opinion" was taken into account.

An Argentine invasion of the Falkland Islands at that time would have risked not only a British counter-attack to retake the islands but also British attacks on Argentina itself.

Anywhere in the world, attacks such as those on Israel today would not only have risked retaliation but invasion and annihilation of the government that launched those attacks.

Today, so-called "world opinion" not only limits the price to be paid for aggression or terrorism, it has even led to the self-indulgence of third parties talking pretty talk about limiting the response of those who are attacked to what is "proportionate."

By this reasoning, we should not have declared war on Japan for bombing Pearl Harbor. We should have gone over to Japan, bombed one of their harbors-- and let it go at that.

Does anyone imagine that this would have led to Japan's becoming as peaceful today as it has become after Hiroshima and Nagasaki?

Or is the real agenda to engage in moral preening from a safe distance and at somebody else's expense?

Those who think "negotiations" are a magic answer seem not to understand that when A wants to annihilate B, this is not an "issue" that can be resolved amicably around a conference table.

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About The Author
Thomas Sowell is a senior fellow at the Hoover Institute and author of The Housing Boom and Bust.
 
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Sowell on Pretty Talk
Mr. Sowells article to me was more of a commentary that lacked any form of credibility because it lacked evidence. This idea of criticizing people for because they think a "proportionate" response is reasonable is ridiculous. If my next door neighbor shot a rocket across the street, I hope the people across the street would not drop an atomic bomb on me and my family or totally obliterate the entire neighborhood. Sowell justifies such crimes against humanity probably because his family is not in the places where the bombs are falling. The question is should all the Gazanians die because of the actions of a few? If we are unreasonable we will cry "hell yes" but if we have any compassion for the victims our voices are compelled to say "no". Sowell even criticizes people for seeking a "cease fire" and "negotiations" oh yeah, because he can go to the store at night and move about freely without a bomb dropping on him. Yes his family members can go to school but the children of Gaza can't. Wow, what an intellectual. It doesn't appear to me that the Palestinians have much of a military because I often see them throwing rocks at tanks so how can Isreal justify a devastating retaliatory response? How do we actually know that the Palistenians attacked first because the media takes sides instead of being objective. I don't think Sowell provided enough evidence to prove his assertion to me atleast. Then he falls into the same category as intellectual midgets do. In his attempt to get people to believe him he resorts to calling people "terrorist" just as African Americans were called "Niggers" and Native Americans "Savages" to justfy segregating them and ultimately killing them. Its history repeating itself. I wonder what would happen to Sowell if he argued an opposite position? Would he be respected as he is now? Oh yes, he knows where he gets his bread and butter from.

Ah Israel
I used to be such a staunch supporter of Israel, until I saw 70% of Jews voted for Obama. Tell me why should I continue carry water for Israel when they undermine my own country? Israel has been a difficult thorn in the side of conservatives, one we've defended on principle. But when the receivers of that principle votes to elect the very force that would seek to deny them the help they need while at the same time obstructing my own freedoms in my own country I find I need to choose. And I choose that Israel's problem is now Israel's problem and not my problem any longer. While I would not actively work against Israel they have certainly fallen low on the list of people I'm concerned about. So all you obama voting jew's I wish you good luck as your base here evaporates. When you come back around to quid pro quo let me know.
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