Jonah's Sort of Counting His Blessings.

Interesting Goldberg File about that Palestinian teenager who almost became a successful suicide bomber:

Now, here's the thing. If this were an afterschool special in which grown-ups pressured a 16-year-old kid to do drugs or have "unprotected" sex, a lot of people in America — and certainly in Europe — would be livid. Certainly, if a bunch of men pressured some girl out of having an abortion the clever cheese-and-cracker set would be speechless with moral outrage.

Well, this is the new peer pressure in the Middle East. And, it seems to me, bullying a kid into self-vaporization and murder is worse than teasing a girl into an eating disorder. Call me crazy.

But because of the romanticization of terrorism — at least terrorism aimed at Israel — there's a widespread reluctance to see this stuff for what it is. Indeed, young Hussam is far from the first or the youngest of the kids to be "recruited" — i.e. brainwashed — into vaporizing themselves. And yet, the outrage has always been tempered by declarations about how this is what happens when Israel does X, Y or Z.

Jonah's being depressed about the ongoing collapse of Western society again - hey, this is, like, our default setting when we Righties want to forecast doom, Doom, DOOOOMMMMM!!!!! Much like how certain elements of the Left have been proclaiming the imminent Dark Night of 1984 since, well, the damn book was written - and it should be remembered that his beef typically tends to be the media, professional politicians and members of International ANSWER, not necessarily the people reading this blog. However, he still has a point. Edward asked earlier whether that kid was a monster or a victim: my response would be that Hussam Abdu was both. More accurately, that he was a failed monster, programmed to be something that would suit the needs of a variety of very evil men. We can and should try to help the Hussam Abdus of the world; as for the Ahmed Yassins... well, let Jonah end this one:

This is all worth pondering in the wake of the assassination of Ahmed Yassin. The founder of Hamas, Yassin was also a founding father of suicide bombing. A significant segment of elite world opinion holds it was somehow wrong to kill Yassin because he was old, popular, and in a wheelchair.

If you want to make the case that the killing wasn't a smart move, fine, that's debatable. But the morality was crystal clear. Yassin chose to be a pied piper of kiddy-murder with his eyes wide open. That's more than you can say about Hussam Abdu, those like him, or their intended victims.

Comments

[sidereal]

"But because of the romanticization of terrorism — at least terrorism aimed at Israel — there's a widespread reluctance to see this stuff for what it is."

Huh?
Jonah's going to have to define 'widespread' for me.

[carpeicthus]

Jonah does not have a point. You have a good point that is on the same subject Jonah is blathering about The "Certainly, if a bunch of men pressured some girl out of having an abortion the clever cheese-and-cracker set would be speechless with moral outrage." comment is ridiculous even as rhetoric.

[andrew R]

Carpeicthus-

Jonah has to construct a liberal strawman when ever he puts pen to paper, don't you know that?

[Anarch]

The founder of Hamas, Yassin was also a founding father of suicide bombing.

That strikes me as false on the face of it. Weren't the Tamil Tigers launching suicide strikes some ten years before the Palestinians?

[Sebastian Holsclaw]

What strawman are you complaining about? That liberals don't cleverly eat cheese and crackers? Because it is pretty much a fact that liberals DO IN FACT COMPLAIN about adult pressure being brought to bear to talk a girl out of having an abortion.

[andrew R]

I am fine with adults talking girls out of having an abortion, but that's different than the government mandating waiting periods, etc. I know we'll disagree but I am a cultural libertarian. Women facing unplanned pregnancies should talk with their husbands, boyfriends, family etc. The government shouldn't be involved. I couldn't see my self encouraging a woman to have an non medically necessary abortion but I get nervous when the government gets that involved.