A breathtaking New York Times report from hell on earth, a.k.a. a hospital in Gaza City:
The emergency room in Shifa Hospital is often a place of gore and despair. On Thursday, it was also a lesson in the way ordinary people are squeezed between suicidal fighters and a military behemoth.Dr. Awni al-Jaru, 37, a surgeon at the hospital, rushed in from his home here, dressed in his scrubs. But he came not to work. His head was bleeding, and his daughter's jaw was broken.
He said Hamas militants next to his apartment building had fired mortar and rocket rounds. Israel fired back with force, and his apartment was hit. His wife, Albina, originally from Ukraine, and his 1-year-old son were killed.
"My son has been turned into pieces," he cried. "My wife was cut in half. I had to leave her body at home." Because Albina was a foreigner, she could have left Gaza with her children. But, Dr. Jaru lamented, she would not leave him behind.
A car arrived with more patients. One was a 21-year-old man with shrapnel in his left leg who demanded quick treatment. He turned out to be a militant with Islamic Jihad. He was smiling a big smile.
"Hurry, I must get back so I can keep fighting," he told the doctors.
He was told that there were more serious cases than his, that he needed to wait. But he insisted. "We are fighting the Israelis," he said. "When we fire we run, but they hit back so fast. We run into the houses to get away." He continued smiling.
"Why are you so happy?" this reporter asked. "Look around you."
A girl who looked about 18 screamed as a surgeon removed shrapnel from her leg. An elderly man was soaked in blood. A baby a few weeks old and slightly wounded looked around helplessly. A man lay with parts of his brain coming out. His family wailed at his side.
"Don't you see that these people are hurting?" the militant was asked.
"But I am from the people, too," he said, his smile incandescent. "They lost their loved ones as martyrs. They should be happy. I want to be a martyr, too."
They should be happy. Evil, death-drunk, religion-intoxicated bastard. That last paragraph is not the only thing you need to know about why what's happening in Gaza is happening. But it's the main thing.
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Sigaliris: "they all behave the same way when they’re being used as tools of cultural domination"
True, but the Old Testament actually advocates genocide, in the full-blown sense, as carried out by the Nazis. The Koran, horrid though it is, does not, and the New Testament certainly does not. There is a moral difference here, if only you would see it.
Historically, I don't think full-blown genocide is as common as you think. Most ancient empires, like the Romans, sought to rule and exploit the natives, not to exterminate them. Even ones with a strong sense of cultural superiority, like China, generally absorbed the natives, making them Chinese or whatever.
"Intriguing. I am moderately well read in military history. Care to cite some instances."
Well, I would say the Big Three are...
The Civil War
WWII
The Cold War
"All patriarchal religions are genocidal, so why blame Jews and Muslims?"
Sig, I can't believe your husband lets you talk that way!
There is a moral difference here, if only you would see it. Rombald, I agree that there are moral differences in what is commanded or recommended by different religions. I think my point stands, though--that in practice those differences all collapse under the pragmatic pressures of the moment. I'd be really impressed by a religion whose followers would stand up in public and say "It would be advantageous to us to napalm your village, but our religion forbids it, so go in peace." Instead they all come up with some variation on "Er, well, naturally we don't believe in burning children alive, but heck, this is WAR!"
I prefer Christianity over Islam and Judaism, for the same reasons you cite. However, Christians have never repudiated their version of the Jewish scriptures, and have often used verses from the Old Testament to justify warfare. So I don't see how they can get off the same hook on which you'd hang Judaism. It's true that if Christians took the New Testament seriously, they'd have to behave very differently. But, alas, most Christians prefer to waffle on this subject, for the same reason I give above--peace and love is not considered practical.
I guess we could haggle over what constitutes "full-blown genocide." I think you're mistaken about the Romans. Remember Carthage? In any case, you don't have to exterminate every last one of your enemies to be following what I called "genocidal impulses." Certainly the warfare of Christian Europeans against indigenous people in North America and Australia was genocidal in its impetus and effects, even though descendants of those peoples still exist.
Well, I would say the Big Three are... / The Civil War / WWII / The Cold War
Query: In what sense was the US economy in WWII capitalistic? IIRC, central planning & government intervention featured quite prominently on the "home front".
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