"This is how it is in wars."

Avital Liebowitz, an Israeli military spokesperson, in regard to the deaths today of forty-three Palestinian civilians who were seeking shelter at a United Nations girls' school in Gaza.

You don't get out much do you?

Liebowitz is right. Hamas was firing at the Israeli troops from the school. The blood of those 43 civilians is on Hamas.

Jack

More than you, I'd bet. At least I have far better come-backs.

And you think that covers it, eh?

They shot at us, so we killed and wounded a hundred civilians, mostly women and children?

The Nazis would blush!

Yeah... that was was sure a zinger.

I'm waiting for you to toss the inevitable "I know you are but what am I" line.

Wrap your head around this. And I will be honest... it boggles my mind as well.

World War II casualty statistics vary greatly. Estimates of total dead range from 50 million to over 70 million. Civilians killed totaled around 47 million, including 20 million from war-related disease and famine. Total military dead: about 25 million, including deaths in captivity of about 4 million prisoners of war.

Poland alone lost over 16% of their entire population.

Jeez.

What's your point? That it's really great to be dead?

another_liberal wrote the following post at 01/06/2009 8:38 PM: And you think that covers it, eh?

That's what I said. But ther is more. Civilan casualties are a necessary part of any war. In the case of the Palestinians, the elected a terrorist organization to govern them. They are now payingthe price for that decision.

I don't think the Israelis should purposely target civilians but neither should they go to great lengths to avoid killing them. They must break the spirit of the population. You kill enough of them and they will be less inclined to attack Israel the next time. Somehow the Palestinian people must be shown the folly of attacking Israel. Kill enough of them and they will come around.

Jack

Ummmm. Yeah.

So I guess your point is that Civilians shouldn't die in War.

Reality is a cold swim aint it?

Colder than you could possibly know, child.

Just so I am clear, is that another of your supposedly OH SO DEVASTATING comebacks?

I mean, I really do want to play along to get along and give your the credit your are truly due.

If the Israelis don't have any better fire control than to kill four of their own troops in two screwed-up attacks and forty-three civilians in a third, all on the same day, they are some sorry-assed fuckers to be talking about how they, "take all precautions," about anything. They certainly have shown they have no damn business making war in place like Gaza.

"In the case of the Palestinians, the elected a terrorist organization to govern them."


And the Israeli's kill civilians. Sure, maybe they have a reason, maybe they are trying really hard to not kill them, but they are killing them. The interesting thing is that you have absolutely no intention of listening to anything like an explanation for why Palestinians would elect Hamas for reasons other than them being the enemies of Israel, but you'll prattle on about just how justified the Israeli's are in killing children.

I didn't say they were, "OH SO DEVASTATING."

I said they were better than yours.

Bonus: it's a holiday, so all the wife, kids and grandkids are there.

SWAT team bombs the place, killing all but Joke.

Extra bonus: some of the deaths of Joke's loved ones are slow, lingering, horrifically painful. In short, not pretty.

Interviewed by CNN in the aftermath, TheJoke, always a consistent man of principle (as we all well know), had this to say:

No problem! Civilian casualties are a necessary part of any war (we're in a war on crime, after all). In the case of my family, we allowed a murderer safe haven in our midst (never mind that we had no say in the matter). I mean, he shot at the police from my house, ferchrissakes! What were they supposed to do?

We are now paying the price for that decision. Well, ok, now just me. The rest of my family already paid. But that's ok.

I don't think the SWAT team should purposely target my family, but neither should they go to great lengths to avoid killing them. They must break the spirit of soft-on-crime folks like us. You kill enough of us and we will be less inclined to harbor murderers the next time. Somehow my family and I must be shown the folly of harboring thugs. Kill enough of us and we will come around. It's all good!