re: #394 AemJeff

Hell, I ‘ll concede the point on the legality of the boarding, though I’d like to see an objective analysis of that (Dershowitz is a fine lawyer, but he also has a point of view here.) Unarmed civilians (clubs and knives aren’t comparable to guns, it’s not a good point) were assault by commandos at sea - if they choose to defend themselves, that doesn’t change the moral equation. The Israelis may have been within their rights, but there is still no analogy to a domestic police action - and I’m damn sure that at least some of the people arguing that it is would feel differently, based only on the identity of the actors.

God you are thick. Let me use some capitals and repetition for emphasis.

They WERE armed.

They were not ASSAULTED. They were BOARDED. Guys lowering themselves onto the ship one at a time. That is not an ASSAULT.

They were BOARDED by PROFESSIONAL SOLDIERS of a NATIONAL ARMY representing a LEGAL BLOCKADE. Not by terrorists or pirates or even mercenaries.

There was no need to DEFEND themselves. They were not under ATTACK or ASSAULT. They were BOARDED. Had they offered NO RESISTANCE, none of them would have been harmed. THEY KNEW THIS.

THEY INITIATED the violence. THEY attacked the BOARDERS who they knew would not attack them unless necessary for THEIR self defense. They beat up four of the BOARDERS and attempted to drag them below decks, before any of the BOARDERS had even tried to fire a paintball gun.

It is blatantly, patently obvious to anyone who is not willfully blind that they planned all this. We have them on tape preparing for violence. We have some of them on tape talking about wanting to be shahids. I can’t believe that somewhere deep in that brain of yours you KNOW this.

Well, maybe I can. Because you’re just that thick.