The American Spectator

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Outstanding Work

8.1.06 @ 12:01AM

TRIPLE PRAISE
Re: Ben Stein's How to Loose to Terrorists, David Hogberg's They Haven't Changed, and Jeffrey Lord's Dear Senator Kennedy: Resigning to Reform:

Most days, I'm happy by finding one article worth copying, and reading offline. Today, however, I hit the trifecta.

Jeff Lord just sliced and diced the Cape Cod Orca's (a.k.a. U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy) self-serving column in Sunday's Washington ComPost. Pointing how the senator's 180-degree shifts in the confirmation process should be proof enough of the senator's hypocrisy.

Then David Hogberg sliced and diced the GOP members of Congress and their efforts to rein in spending. Finally, there was Ben Stein's comments on the Israeli-Hezbollah War pointing out the hypocrisy of the left.

Keep up the outstanding work.
-- Tim Wise
Arlington, Virginia

ON THE MONEY
Re: Ben Stein's How to Lose to Terrorists:

Ben is once again right on the money. When Germany, notice I didn't just say the Nazis, attacked unarmed civilians in Europe and bombed civilians in London the appropriate response was to bomb the heck out of German cities to not only to destroy their military capabilities, but to demoralize the civilian population. The same population that allowed Hitler to rise to power. We, the allies, killed thousands of civilians, but what would have been the result if we hadn't. The same situation existed in Japan. If we hadn't fire bombed the cities and annihilated Hiroshima and Nagasaki the Japanese with nuclear weapons, the Japanese army and civilians would have fought to the death rather than surrender which would have meant hundreds of thousands U.S. military personnel would have died. Like General Sherman said, "War Is Hell," and those who perpetuate it must be dealt with appropriately.
-- Tom Bullock
West Covina, California

Here, here, Mr. Stein! How to Lose to Terrorists! Mr. Stein hit the ball out of the park on this one! I know as a loyal American, I agonize over our losses in Iraq. We do the same for Israel when one of their brave sons are lost, so why doesn't the MSM understand this and recognize their one sided coverage? Mr. Stein writes about the inhumane way Hezbollah has killed people worldwide. He shows our past history and why 'Nam was lost. We need to wake up and understand we will all die, as the Islamic terrorists have promised, if we don't change our tactics and forget "POLITICAL CORRECTNESS"! It is a leftist tactic that will destroy our freedom and in time of war, kill our people. War is not humane, and our enemy understands that. Let our military do their job. You never tell a professional how to do his job. It is an old adage that works well.
-- Jan McCallister
Washougal, Washington

Ben once again captured the essence of the debate over the current conflict in the Middle East. I used to believe that the intellectual elite, liberals, leftists or whatever label you want to assign them were simply misguided knaves operating from a false view of human nature. While that is true, there is something else in play here. As much as I have resisted the idea, I am now convinced that these people are incapable of distinguishing right from wrong because they filter everything through the lens of relativism. That is why they adopt ridiculous slogans like "One man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter." Because of this jaded view they cannot discern the difference between the actions of terrorists and those of a nation trying to defend itself against unprovoked attacks.

Of course, I could be overlooking a more sinister possibility. Maybe these folks just hate democracy and view this as an opportunity to undermine a political system standing in the way of their plan for world domination. Wait a minute, that sounds suspiciously like what a terrorist would think! Hmmm…is there a connection here?
-- Rick Arand
Lee's Summit, Missouri

If we have the patience we will not have to stoop to "terror for terror" tactics to win this war. These maniacs will sooner rather than later attack us in a way that will unleash the dogs of war such as has never been seen before. Living as I do within 15 miles of a nuke plant, a nuke sub refueling base, and across the river from one of the few liquid natural gas terminals on the east coast, I am well aware that my family is put at risk by this strategy. I believe it would be better to let it all unfold with out compromising our basic principles. I love you, Ben.
-- unsigned

To date I haven't heard one word from the UN or Kofinancially and Morally Corrupt Anan crying about civilian deaths in Israel from rockets being launched from Lebanon or Gaza. Please don't tell me it's because the intended recipients are Jews! The UN would never sanction that, right? Two thousand years of Christianity in Europe and fourteen hundred years of Islam in the Middle East and their governments and people are still morally bankrupt. The only ones worse are leftists without religion. And just marginally, at that!
-- Wolf Terner
Fair Lawn, New Jersey

Ben is right on almost all counts (as usual), but he shouldn't call the Israeli response 'terror tactics', which it most certainly is not. What Israel has done is respond forcefully to provocation, including a great number of indiscriminate missile attacks on civilian targets in Israel. It is entirely fair and right for them to respond with all the force they have, until they win.

The responsibility for civilian casualties in Lebanon rests on:

1.) The civilians who choose to remain in the vicinity of Hezbollah's launching pads;

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