The Sin Of Moderation (Wizbang)

Well, the United Nations is on the verge of declaring the United States' use of Predator drones to kill terrorists a "war crime" because it doesn't give the bad guys a chance to surrender. And in the meantime, Israel is being lambasted by reports that it killed too many "civilians" during its recent incursion into the Gaza Strip.

On the other hand, our enemies in Iraq and Afghanistan are deliberately targeting civilians at every opportunity. And Israel's enemies -- Hezbollah, Hamas, and Fatah -- also specialize in attacks on civilians.

Consequently, we are told we ought to be negotiating with the terrorists. And around Israel, Fatah and Hamas are considered legitimate governments, and Hezbollah a part of one (but one that dominates the government).

The logic is inescapable: if we want international approval, we need to stop accidentally killing civilians -- and start doing it on purpose.

Oddly enough, that cynical observation is a position that is defensible under international law.

By the Geneva Conventions, combatants are required to separate themselves from civilians. And if they don't, then any civilians killed are not the responsibility of the aggressor, but the party that inserted itself in and among the civilians.

In our conflicts, our enemies disguise themselves as civilians. In and around Israel, it's even worse -- the civilians are used cheerfully as human shields. Indeed, in some cases, the civilians are proud to be used as such. And nearly anyone killed by Israel is magically transformed into a "civilian" anyway.

There's an old saying that a picture is worth a thousand words. There's so much truth to this cartoon:

Comments (10)

i agree with this article. ... (Below threshold)

1. Posted by Tyson | November 2, 2009 2:16 PM | Score: 7 (7 votes cast)

Tyson:

i agree with this article. but it is a well known fact (in real life, and in movies) that the bad guys never play by the rules which makes them the bad guys.

Posted on November 2, 2009 14:16

Isn't this slander, Jay? A... (Below threshold)

2. Posted by GarandFan | November 2, 2009 2:22 PM | Score: 7 (9 votes cast)

GarandFan:

Isn't this slander, Jay? After all, haven't the Democrats called terrorists "freedom fighters"?

Posted on November 2, 2009 14:22

Could anybody out there exp... (Below threshold)

3. Posted by Maggie Mama | November 2, 2009 2:33 PM | Score: 6 (6 votes cast)

Maggie Mama:

Could anybody out there explain to me why we give the UN a damn penny of taxpayer money when all they do is bash America at every possible opportunity?

Posted on November 2, 2009 14:33

Yeah, like when are we gonn... (Below threshold)

4. Posted by Ron | November 2, 2009 2:52 PM | Score: 4 (4 votes cast)

Ron:

Yeah, like when are we gonna tell the U.N. to get thier building out of our country. I grew up like when I don't like someone don't be around them. I say they gotta go.

Posted on November 2, 2009 14:52

Has or will the UN declare ... (Below threshold)

5. Posted by Picric | November 2, 2009 2:55 PM | Score: 6 (6 votes cast)

Picric:

Has or will the UN declare the use of roadside bombs to be a "War Crime?" It is not like they allow for an enemy to surrender. The UN need to grow up.

Posted on November 2, 2009 14:55

The Palestinian Hamas soldi... (Below threshold)

6. Posted by 914 | November 2, 2009 3:09 PM | Score: 4 (4 votes cast)

914:

The Palestinian Hamas soldier would be crouching a little lower than that.. But I guess He figures the UN'S got His back if Israel gets to uppity.

Posted on November 2, 2009 15:09

After the Gitmo backlash, t... (Below threshold)

7. Posted by jdgjtr | November 2, 2009 3:28 PM | Score: 7 (7 votes cast)

jdgjtr:

After the Gitmo backlash, the US started using Predators and other UAVs for one reason: No Prisoners. If you don't take them alive, you don't have democrats calling our troops Nazis. Of course you lose a lot of good intel, but hey, no gripes about keeping a simple goat herder, who merely found an AK-47 and forty pounds of Semtex, in jail. Really, he was on his way to the Americans to turn it in. Yeah, that was what really happened. Why he was in the middle of a fire fight was just one of those things.

Posted on November 2, 2009 15:28

Jihadis are flies on the Co... (Below threshold)

8. Posted by btenney | November 2, 2009 3:53 PM | Score: 4 (4 votes cast)

btenney:

Jihadis are flies on the Corpse of Islam. The only way to contol them is to burn the Corpse.

Posted on November 2, 2009 15:53

Sometimes the old saying, "... (Below threshold)

9. Posted by Matt | November 2, 2009 3:54 PM | Score: 2 (4 votes cast)

Matt:

Sometimes the old saying, "Kill them all and let God sort them out..." seems to be the best plan.

Posted on November 2, 2009 15:54

The UN declaring Predator d... (Below threshold)