Anger, despair and humiliation
Meryl Yourish (via Instapundit) has another post up about suicide bombings--as in, how they work. Even if you've already read up on the topic, she's got some good, if disturbing, reminders of what it means when the news reports "critical injuries" in a suicide bombing in Israel. The comments thread also provides some extremely dark amusement: You will be relieved to hear that while Palestinian terrorists embed nails, nuts, and ball bearings in their bombs to maximize casualties, sometimes use plastic pieces instead because they can't be detected by X-rays at the hospital, and source their projectiles from "metal shops" that pretend to be dedicated to serving legitimate civilian markets, there is no conclusive evidence that they are soaking bomb components in rat poison to increase hemorrhaging.
Whew.
Nice to have your faith in humanity restored, huh?
I got a similar feeling, as always, from reading through some of the reactions to Monday's attack on behalf of the Palestinians:
I realize it's easy to talk this way as an American, but still...don't these people ever get just the tiniest bit embarrassed at the way their leaders and defenders are always playing the pity card? After decades being swaddled in foreign aid and dandled on the UN's knee, is it unrealistic to expect the Palestinians to be resourceful enough to find some market niche to exploit and build some infrastructure? Even if they only wanted to expand their economy so they could lay up a stock of real weapons for a showdown with Israel, at least they wouldn't have to use every second of global media airtime they get to talk about how pathetic they are.
Whew.
Nice to have your faith in humanity restored, huh?
I got a similar feeling, as always, from reading through some of the reactions to Monday's attack on behalf of the Palestinians:
We have never allowed ourselves to justify any operation that targets civilians, any civilians. But every time Palestinians or Israelis face mass murder as a result of systematic Israeli terrorism, and Palestinians react with anger, despair and humiliation, we hold the Israeli leadership responsible, because it insists on occupying the Palestinian people's lands and on attacking them every day, killing their children, bringing resident's houses down on their heads, destroying trees and fields right in front of the eyes of the miserable farmers, closing crossings, destroying the economy and killing the hopes of the Palestinians, big or small.
I realize it's easy to talk this way as an American, but still...don't these people ever get just the tiniest bit embarrassed at the way their leaders and defenders are always playing the pity card? After decades being swaddled in foreign aid and dandled on the UN's knee, is it unrealistic to expect the Palestinians to be resourceful enough to find some market niche to exploit and build some infrastructure? Even if they only wanted to expand their economy so they could lay up a stock of real weapons for a showdown with Israel, at least they wouldn't have to use every second of global media airtime they get to talk about how pathetic they are.