Stop Me Before I Vote Again

A story with relevence to the seemingly Very Important issue of cross-border abductions:

http://observer.guardian.co.uk/world/story/0,,1805354,00.html

There is an (unsubstantiated) claim that these were not civilian abductions, but this almost-unreported, certainly un-trumpeted (and earlier) cross-border "provocation" is certainly very interesting -- not least for the fact that it apparently elicits no fevered defenses of "justified retaliation" in its wake.

A cynic might conclude that only some "cross-border abductions" justify disproportionate military responses...

Gaylad,

You're not kidding. As Justin Raimondo pointed out in his column in antiwar.com yesterday, Hamas and Hezbollah apparently have competition:

An extremist organization called the “Gilad Shalhevet Brigades” claimed it kidnapped two Palestinians, residents of the Jerusalem area. In a statement issued by the groups it was said that the hostages will be released only in exchange for the Israeli soldiers abducted in Gaza and Lebanon.

It was Finkelstein though that pointed out that the most amazing thing that has gone unreported is that Israel is the only country in the world to have legalized hostage taking. During their conflict with Hezbollah in the late 90s, it became routine for the IDF to kidnap Lebanese civilians and hold them as "bargaining chips." Amnesty International reported the following in a 1998 report:

"In November 1997 the Israeli High Court of Justice ruled that it was permissible to keep [Lebanese civilians] in detention as "bargaining chips". This judgement was kept secret and only made public in March 1998. By Israel's own admission, Lebanese detainees are being held as "bargaining chips"; they are not detained for their own actions but in exchange for Israeli soldiers missing in action or killed in Lebanon. Most have now spent 10 years in secret and isolated detention. Must the hostages wait in detention for another 10 years before they are released? This is a game that must stop."

The decision was reversed in 2000, but Israel continued to hold Lebanese hostages until 2004. Therefore, one can only conclude that Hamas and Hezbollah are only following Israel's example. Aside from that, Israel - as it has been revealed in more serious media sources - holds about 9000 Palestinians hostage - 1000 of which are 'administrative detainees' who have not been charged with any crime, but are held indefinitely nonetheless. Hundreds of others are women and children, which are the particular prisoners that Hamas demanded be released in return for Corporal Shalit.

As for Hillary's comment, she might as well have said "Let them eat bombs...and for desert, bullets".

How to revise pieces from the canon for relevance to contemporary life...