Llyricist

Wow, this is so stupid it's hard to know where to start.

1) If the rocks make them keep their heads down they (the rock throwers) are PROTECTING them (the Israeli tankers) from a more serious threat.

2) [ sarcasm ] Since the rock throwers are a diversion, the best thing to do is to pay attention to them and kill them, much better than say, being extra alert for OTHER REAL threats in the area. [ /sarcasm ]

You have reached too far by a long shot Loren.

ETA: the parentheticals in 1)

Loren Pechtel

None of you seem to get it.

Rock throwers pose a real threat by restricting their ability to look around for the guys with the real weapons.

I'm not saying the rock throwers should be shot out of hand, but if something happens I'm not going to have a lot of sympathy.

Note, also, that they are likely in the line of fire if a tanker engages a real target.

Llyricist

No, we get it just fine. You are grasping at straws, it's plain to see for anyone.

To think, I agree wholeheartedly with your assessment over in that other thread about sexual disease.

rlogan

The next most dangerous thing is the phalanx of crippled old ladies.

Hatpins, you know...

mountain_hare

Loren:
Ahh, I understand.

I guess that it is POSSIBLE that a child throwing a rock could be a distraction, and thus a potential indirect danger. Still, that doesn't justify the tank drivers shooting him.

I could use that excuse to shoot anything which could be a distraction. Oh, a guy's waving at me. What a distraction, I guess I'd better blast his head off.

Loren Pechtel

"Distraction" is really too mild a word. The point of rock-throwing is to strip the tanks of their infantry by making them take cover. This leaves them awfully vulnerable to anti-tank weapons. In an urban environment, pure armor is very vulnerable to opposing infantry.

Bumble Bee Tuna

This is exactly the same logic we saw from Bill O'Reilly about protesters here. He told us that protesters at the RNC were terrorists, because by keeping the police occupied they were making it easier for a real threat to get by. Beautiful logic.

-B

rlogan

A key feature of any hall of fame candidate is relentless dedication to the absurd.

Enigma

How many anti-tank weapons would the rock throwers happen to have in their possession? Considering that their main means of attack is rock-throwing, I would say few if any.

Also, if they want to keep the infantry protected how about giving them large riot-shields to deflect said rocks? They do have riot shields over there, don't they?

Sauron

This is very frank and honest of you, Alter. I tip my hat to you.

And in like fashion, I can say that the Islamic fundamentalists are narrowminded, anti-intellectual, sexist, homophobic, often xenophobic, and downright dangerous. Some of them are only extreme about their own behavior, but they're a minority. The majority want to enforce their standards on other Muslims.

But the fundamentalists aren't the ordinary Palestinians. No more than I believe the right-wing orthodox Jews are the majority opinion in Israel.

Are we any closer to an understanding?