Last Tuesday's opinion piece by Muqtedar Khan and a news report by a reporter make statements that lack a factual basis and opinions that lack common sense. Semab Chaudry reportedly said, "The use of disproportionate force against Palestinians is inhumane." Chaudry implies that using proportionate force is humane.
I cannot imagine a humane war. Someone killed by a rock, an improvised missile, or a smart bomb, suffers a violent end; no matter how we kill, there is nothing humane about it. It also is absurd to suggest that if Hamas fires an inaccurate crude missile into a town, then Israel must be limited to doing the same back. No more, no less.
Khan decries the invasion of Iraq as a "grotesque war crime," in spite of the fact that Coalition forces displayed extraordinary discipline and directed their force only against military targets. Democracies care more about people than they ever did in the past. He ignores the fact that Coalition forces had a capability far greater than what was available in 1945.
It could have obliterated horrifying numbers of civilians, but chose to respect the Iraqi people and to target the military only. Once the Iraqi military was defeated, the Iraqi people had a choice. They had an opportunity to take a path that would bring the diverse people of Iraq together in a humane society, celebrate their rich contributions to culture, and form a hopeful vision for their future. Unfortunately, too many chose to take a path that brought in foreign fighters, supported al-Qaida, and settled old scores. Because of the free will of the Iraqi people, sadly many people died. Khan blames the U.S. and United Kingdom for choices that some Iraqis made that had dire consequences, rather than recognizing the possibility of empowerment for the Iraqi people.
Stephen Moores, Newark