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Guttman fails to assess Israel's actions critically

In arguing that "Israel has the right to defend itself," Rabbi Fred Guttman (Aug. 17 Second Opinion column, not posted) managed to duck the really troubling issue around Israel's recent attacks on Lebanon, which killed hundreds of innocent people and destroyed a significant fraction of the country's infrastructure.

Was that action appropriate?

In framing the issue in terms of a country's "right" to self defense, Guttman is assured of occupying the argumentative high ground. To be sure, he appropriately criticizes Israel's implacable enemies.

Noteworthy, however, is the fact that nowhere in his article did he attempt to defend the specific actions that Israel took against the Lebanese. Does he really believe that those acts were defensible?

We urge Rabbi Guttman to ponder an important moral precept: It isn't always right to do what you think you have a right to do.

Kenneth L. Caneva
Jane E. Sugarman
Greensboro

Comments (13)

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Stevie D. [TypeKey Profile Page] said:

The argumentative high ground the writers speak of is more insidious than the mere claim of a right to self-defense. I think it goes further than that.

Many Jews pimp the suffering of their ancestors to justify any and everything they do. Call me Anti-Semitic if you want. But, I believe a lot of people with good and honorable intentions are starting to realize this.

brian444 [TypeKey Profile Page] said:

I agree with Stevie D.'s comment, except that he misspelled "Arab."

The letter is thoughtful, but it clearly occupies its moral high ground by strategically defining the terrain of the discussion: civilian casualties. Do the letter writers really believe that Hezbollah's hiding among the civilian population is defensible?

The problem is that it presumes that Israel is capable of moral reflection and action, while assuming (correctly) that Hezbollah is incapable of such things.

jew4jesus [TypeKey Profile Page] said:

OK sure thing easily done - "you are anti-semitic", however, since you agree and acknowledge that you are good and honorable with good and honorable intentions, then I understand you believe you are not anti-semitic...and that is regardless of writing, for the world to see, a blatant and nauseatingly ugly anti-semitic remark...

when israel attacks to defend itself against hezbola and hamas, it attacks and defends you too....whether you are religious or atheist, you are a westerner who (i believe with a name like stevie Dickhead) is not a muslim or muslim convert...you are an infidel just like any jew whether in israel or here in the US who hezbola and hamas would take great joy in decapitating if they have the opportunity...personally i would love to see you travel to the mid-east with your assessment of the jews and share it with your muslim allies to see how long you remain breathing; maybe you will appear in an al jazeera broadcast video with other american muslim converts...please do go! ahavas shalom!

Stevie D. [TypeKey Profile Page] said:

Welcome back Jew4Jesus! I'm playing, "My Boyfriend's Back" on the jukebox, RIGHT NOW!

jew4jesus [TypeKey Profile Page] said:

sorry me and a bunch of my jewish brothers and sisters were out pimpin...fyi,we already heard previously whats playin on your jewkbox, i didnt know the tune but i heard the word Motherland many times...

Stevie D. [TypeKey Profile Page] said:

Are they all converts like you? I'll assume that, since you hate secular Jews and Jews who do not accept Jesus. What's sad is that some Jewish people may read this blog without realizing that you are the true bigot here. You are a hypocrite as well.

I simply say what I think, without the fear of the Scarlet Letter A (Anti-Semite). There are clowns to the left of me and jokers to the right. But here I am, stuck in the middle with you!

Love and Kisses,
Stevie Dickhead

jew4jesus [TypeKey Profile Page] said:

if i ever had a conversation with you, whoever you are, you never heard or have read me to say, (or better, you are turning my words, whatever i have said, to your benefit) that i "hate" anyone...it is true i hate secular fundamentalism but i dont hate secular fundamentalists and i know scores of jewish people who do not believe Jesus is the Jewish Messiah (as i do), but you know full well that they hate me, i dont hate them....they are taught that i am the tribal traitor worthy of being hated...

fyi,a jewish believer is not a 'convert' as the religious and secular rabbis would have you believe, but i am a jew who believes that the old testament is the new testament concealed and that the new testament is the old testament revealed...like Jesus I am a Jew, and like Jesus taught that he was G-d(I am in the Father and the Father is in me), I believe he was fully G-d walking the earth as a man among us and that he is returning soon.

also fyi, your passion for pop music is lost on me...but you have outed yourself today as a jew-hater with your ugly words above but at least you admit your family name is Dickhead so I am pleased you are facing the truth...

DemonDeacon [TypeKey Profile Page] said:

Stevie D,
J4J dislikes not only secular Jews, but secular Christians as well. It seems this person really has a burr under the saddle for anyone with differing religious opinions--NO MATTER WHAT FAITH THEY PRACTICE! You've got to be an "over the edge" kook before he/she will give you credence. Whew!

Stevie D. [TypeKey Profile Page] said:

DD,

Burr under the saddle. I love that! Don't get mad if you see me use that one later on. I steal material all the time. ;-)

I was going to try and think of a comeback for his last sentence that was on his level. However, "You big poopie-head" and "I know you are, but what am I?" was just beneath me.

jew4jesus [TypeKey Profile Page] said:

claiming a faith but not practicing it, that is the burr in the saddle....you have always been the model of that very hipocrisy on these blogs...

p.s....you have never seen me give credence to the quakers/pacifists who are by and large the over the edge kooks/cultists infesting these blogs...

fyi, dickhead steals your lame lines because he has no capacity for an original thought...

Buz [TypeKey Profile Page] said:

J4J,
grace and peace brother - good to see you back. might i exhort and admonish you to not overstep your Christian liberties as some do and cast a stumbling block in others paths. God is not mocked or weak that we His children need to stoop into the mire of others , believing that God needs our defense. shalom......
pslm.139: 23,24

Carol Dunn [TypeKey Profile Page] said:

I think of the Bible School song, They will know we are Christians by our love, by our love.

joejoe [TypeKey Profile Page] said:

There was so much lost in this circular name calling. Let's look at the issues, don't attack persons or nationalities etc. and let's look at the question and responses. We have much to teach each other and learn from each other. No one, nor no side is perfect, we hopefully can be mature enough to accept that. The type of badgering we saw here is "what starts wars". Maybe too strong a statement but maybe it has some merits.

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