The green-vested guy was wrestling the driver (there was another guy in the cab, too) fine, until blue T-shirt opened fire FROM OUTSIDE THE CAB. Next thing the vested one’s head is lolling around like he was hit.

Did anyone see that?

Whether the head of a family is crazy, sane, or both, is utterly irrelevant to me. My one, and overriding concern is the preservation and enhancement of the lives of my brothers.

Given that, if I knew that punishing the heads of families that harbor terrorists was a workable solution, then it would be morally wrong in my view to not do so. I do not know that it would work, I am only proposing it because it seems to me that it would. I note that you did not object to it as something that wouldn’t work, rather as something “morally wrong”.

In any case, perhaps it is morally superior to let Palestinians and Jews fire machine guns at each other in the streets rather than throw out the lunatics who encourage the violence in the first place. I wouldn’t know, I’m not an ethicist. However, I think it far preferable to take those who encourage or abet murder of innocents and throw them out … provided that would work.

-ron

When the head of a family is crazy, it is very hard for the rest of the family to do much about it. I sill say it is morally wrong to punish one person for the actions of another, unless you can show that they aided and abetted.

Too bad. In future, a useless murderer who clearly does not care about his own pathetic existence might reflect on the pain his actions will cause to his own family.

If it was up to me, I’d piss on his body, stuff him with pig fat and dececrate any thing he might find holy. There should be no reward for these horrific actions in the little minds of these mental midgets.

I used to be in a sandwich shop in a rough section of town, once or twice a day. We worked on a nearby project and I liked the family that ran it.

9/12/01 I was in there for breakfast and the patriarch came over to my table. He had never before more than smiled at me, as a customer, but he absolutely raised Hell and waved towards the TV. Obviously, he was pissed. I asked his daughter, later, where they were from and she said, “We’re Palistinian.” I understand that’s more of a political statement than one of geography, but that was not her point. Her Dad was pissed off and so was the entire family.

It was not at all like polling a family we would recognize, in which everyone had different views. There was a family position that was projected publically, in unison.

This isn’t a post-arafat or post-saddam mentality. This is simply the culture of the Middle East. I think (tho I could be wrong), that this is also one of the reasons why you will notice how so many Sephardi Jews, religious or otherwise, generally have the “bomb-them-all-to-hell” mentality at the current moment.

It’s because they simply understand that aspect of the culture. These things just don’t happen without the express approval of the family in general. Particularly whoever is the head of that family.

Personally, I haven’t the slightest problem with Arabs, if anything, I prefer them to just about every other cultural group. But I just know that if you don’t call them on their bullshit, it will never end.

Let me give you an example. My uncle told me about a girl who was being recruited to be a shahid. Her brothers found out, physically prevented her from having any contact with her handler, and made it clear to all concerned that their sister wasn’t going to self-detonate for Allah. And if the handler didn’t like it, he was welcome to take it up with them.

Now of course, I cannot confirm this story. But it sounds right to me, so make of it what you will.

-ron