GAZA: The High Price Of Bad Governance

A lot of hand-wringing has been going on lately about the horrid state of affairs in the Gaza strip.  Since we, as liberals, naturally look first at the needs and conditions of the downtrodden we focus on the miserable little people who's lives amount to nothing in the wasteland between the Israel they scorn and the Arab world that scorns them.  Unfortunately they are discovering a fact that we understand all too well because of our own experiences right here in  the USA.  

To paraphrase a popular headline from 2004:
HOW COULD 1,376,289 PEOPLE BE SO STUPID?

... the population of Gaza knew who they voted for when they elected Hamas to run their government.  They knew the avowed destruction of their border nation was Hamas' reason for existance.   When they went to the polls they exercised one of humanities most valuable "rights", the right to vote for a democratically elected goverment.   One person, one vote.   When you own your vote your also own accountability.  Now Gaza Palastinians are finding out just how much a "right" costs.  

The cost for the "right" to lob rockets across your border into a neighboring country is very high.   The "right" to kidnap a neighboring country's soldier and hold him indefinitly under the presumed threat of death is very costly.  The "right" to abduct and murder civilians of a neighboring country comes at a tremendous price.  

If the Palastinians of Gaza are truly so proud of these "rights" to attack, kidnapped and murder, they should also wear their poverty and anarchy with pride.  Self flagellation is so de rigeur in Arab society that the self flagellation of Gaza on such a grand scale should be a cause for celebration not pity.

No, I can muster no pity for the citizens of Gaza, only the children who they continue to brainwash in this incubator of hatred and ignorance stuck between the Israel they scorn and the Arab world that scorns them.

•  You are so

  full of hate it is actually scary,

  The cost for the "right" to lob rockets across your border into a neighboring country is very high.   The "right" to kidnap a neighboring country's soldier and hold him indefinitly under the presumed threat of death is very costly.  The "right" to abduct and murder civilians of a neighboring country comes at a tremendous price.  

  You understand America has done all those things as well, kidnapped people off streets started two wars etc. So I assume you are actually condoning the rest of the world bombing America, cutting off it's supplies and basically sending it back to the stone age while starving the residents.

  I'm not even going to get into how wrong you are about your accusations because I honestly don't think you are interested in the truth just your version of it.

  by redrobin on Fri Sep 08, 2006 at 06:48:48 AM PDT

  •  Are you suggesting that terrorism is ok?

    I'm not even going to get into how wrong you are about your accusations because I honestly don't think you are interested in the truth just your version of it.

    or are you ignorant enought o believe that the Palestinians aren't launching rockets into Israel, don't kidnap foreigners off the streets of Gaza and don't abduct and murder Israeli citizens?

    by Pumpkinlove on Fri Sep 08, 2006 at 07:57:30 AM PDT

    •  Pot/kettle

      Your one-sided view of history (and current events) is getting old.

      by Petronella on Fri Sep 08, 2006 at 07:29:25 PM PDT

•  Wow!

  The cost for the "right" to lob rockets across your border into a neighboring country is very high.

  Yes, what is the price that Israel has to pay? They "lob" missiles into Gaza all the time.

  The "right" to kidnap a neighboring country's soldier and hold him indefinitly under the presumed threat of death is very costly

  But not the kidnapping of hundreds or thousands?

  wear their poverty and anarchy with pride.

  ?

  No, I can muster no pity for the citizens of Gaza, only the children who they continue to brainwash in this incubator of hatred and ignorance stuck between the Israel they scorn and the Arab world that scorns them.

  Of course you can't, they are usually muslims..

  Repeat after me: "Israel can do no wrong.."

  Stop listening to Rush.

  by allmost liberal european on Fri Sep 08, 2006 at 06:52:56 AM PDT

  •  When someone is arrested for DUI, are they kidnap

    napped? No.

    When someone is arrested for carrying a gun illegially, are they kidnapped? No.

    When someone is arrested for aiding and abetting terrorism, they are not kidnapped either.

    by Pumpkinlove on Fri Sep 08, 2006 at 07:58:44 AM PDT

    •  Ah, terrorism

      If it is so horrible, then why did Israelis elect terrorists to lead their country?

      by allmost liberal european on Fri Sep 08, 2006 at 08:24:38 AM PDT

•  I so wanna see who recommends this shit.n/t

  by callmecassandra on Fri Sep 08, 2006 at 07:04:18 AM PDT

•  put up a tip jar

  I dare you.

  by ignorant bystander on Fri Sep 08, 2006 at 07:16:03 AM PDT

•  What a ridiculous claim

  The cost for the "right" to lob rockets across your border into a neighboring country is very high.   The "right" to kidnap a neighboring country's soldier and hold him indefinitly under the presumed threat of death is very costly.  The "right" to abduct and murder civilians of a neighboring country comes at a tremendous price.

  Israel does it all the time. What high price does it pay?

   

  by Ptah the Great on Fri Sep 08, 2006 at 07:27:56 AM PDT

  •  Who else will stop Palestinian violence?

    What price would Israel pay if she didn't act to stop the terrorism?

    Until the wall went up, suicide bombers were almost an epidemic inside Israel.   Until the IDF went back into Gaza, rockets were fired daily.  

    You blame this solely on the occupation but Palestinian terrorism against Israel started before 1967 despite the fact that at that time Egypt occupied Gaza and Jordan occupied the West Bank. (I wonder how many attacks against Egypt and Jordan in that time?)

    You blame this solely on the occupation despite the fact that the 1967 war was initiated solely by the Arabs (remember, they were the ones who insisted the UN peacekeepers leave Israels borders just before the war began and the UN happily obliged) and there was no occupation then.. only those uppity Jews with their own state.

    The only way to accept that this is TRULY about just the occupation is to accept that the occupation means Israel's existence.  Do you honestly think that there isn't an Israeli alive who doesn't understand this?  Do you honestly think that no matter how much most Israelis want out of GAza/WB that they also know that even if the occupation ended today and Palestinians got everything they say they want, the terrorism would not end because Israel's existence is the issue?

    Who do you think will step in?  THe UN?  Hardly, they left last time at the Arab's request.  The US?  Europe?  Nope, we always just sit back and watch everytime Israel is attacked.

    You want the occupation to end?  The Palestinians have got to put down their guns, rockets and suicide belts.

    Even the Palestinians are starting to figure this one out

    link

    In the West Bank, [Abbas] called on Palestinian militants, as he has before, to stop firing rockets into Israel. ... "What is happening in Gaza as a result of rockets fired in vain must stop right now because there is no interest in this continuing," he said.

    Ghazi Hamad in the NY Times

    After so much optimism when Israelis pulled out of Gaza a year ago, he wrote, "life became a nightmare and an intolerable burden."

    He urged Palestinians to look to themselves, not to Israel, for the causes.

    by Pumpkinlove on Fri Sep 08, 2006 at 08:23:17 AM PDT

    •  Leaving aside the (dubious)

      points you made in your comment, you didn't address my original statement: The diarist's claim that a high price is paid for lobbing missiles across borders, kidnapping soldiers and abducting civilians is ridiculous.

      by Ptah the Great on Fri Sep 08, 2006 at 08:33:48 AM PDT

•  The cost of stealing your neighbors' land

  destroying their livelihood, driving them into prisons and murdering their children -

  only the loss of your soul.

  by curmudgiana on Fri Sep 08, 2006 at 08:24:15 AM PDT

•  It wasn't all 1.4 million

  It was actually less than half.  The problem is that when you play games with the legislative districts you get segments of the population who are over-represented and conversely some who are under-represented.  

  Just like in this country, where a majority of the vote itself goes to the Dems, but becasue of the way we divide representation the Rethugs win most of the seats.

  Take a look at this link to find out how it was done in Gaza: http://www.fairvote.org/...

  (the report is in .pdf file after the link)

  Hamas just took advantage of the electoral system, much like the 'pugs do here.  They didn't actually win a mandate -- but who needs those anymore, right?

  by Democritus on Fri Sep 08, 2006 at 06:01:18 PM PDT

•  Who took my fucking tipjar down...

  ...I am not ashamed to be assaulted because I don't agree with the anti-semitic hezbollah apologists on this board.  I wear my troll ratings with honor, that is what it means to take a stand.

  by neoeconomist on Thu Sep 14, 2006 at 02:52:56 PM PDT