Kevin Duffy (2023) accuses me of having gone AWOL (absent without leave). That is, he maintains that with regard to the present October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel and the latter’s response against the former, my views are contrary to those of libertarian principle. His evidence for this criticism of me? He cites a quote from Murray N. Rothbard which seems, no, is, contrary to my own assessment.
you make some good and important points. However, you and I depart when you complain of this: "The IDF and rabid Israeli settlers have been kicking Palestinians off the land and out of their homes." in my view, that land, those homes, properly belonged to Jews, not Arabs. Here is where I defend this claim: Block, Walter E. and Alan Futerman. 2021. The Classical Liberal Case for Israel. With commentary by Benjamin Netanyahu. Springer Publishing Company; https://rd.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-981-16-3953-1; do, also, please, read these:
Futerman, Alan G. and Walter E. Block. 2023. “Let's give peace a chance in Gaza?” November 9;
Fischer, Dov and Walter E. Block. 2021. “Launching Missiles; What if Liechtenstein or Monaco played Gaza and sent bombs into Germany or France?” The American Spectator; October 12; https://spectator.org/launching-missiles/
However, it is good that we can have a polite exchange of opinion on these matters, without anger. all too often that has been what has been occuring with me.
One cannot simply say "self-defense" and do whatever one wants. That defies logic.
The key parts of "self-defense" break down to "self" and "defense."
Just because one claims to be exercising self-defense does not mean one is.
Unfortunately, no matter how the future unfolds, there will always be people who violate the Non-Aggression Principle. Attacking Afghanistan and Iraq, supposedly to exact revenge on 19 dead hijackers, remains a total absurdity, as it was from Day One.
"War is a Racket." The same people who make money building and distributing weapons make money from reconstruction. Rinse and repeat.
Or? Oppose all war, and don't get roped into arguments about "Just War Theory (sic)."
First before you judge it is always good to look at both sides. Israel recreated HAMAS to counter Arafat. The problem with that is overtime leadership changes along with their goals. The IDF and rabid Israeli settlers have been kicking Palestinians off the land and out of their homes. If the Palestinians are terrorists then so were Washington and those that fought for freedom against the crown. If you have no tanks, no navy, no Air Force and those that oppress you have all of the above what options are left open to you. When the world turns a blind eye to all the disgusting things that SOB Netanyahu and his merry band of Polish Jews do crap happens. Israel claims the land from the river to the sea. Well if the land needs to be reverted to someone after a couple of thousand years why not the ancestors of the peoples the Israelis slaughtered when they took the land as accounted in their Bible. Just saying.
you make some good and important points. However, you and I depart when you complain of this: "The IDF and rabid Israeli settlers have been kicking Palestinians off the land and out of their homes." in my view, that land, those homes, properly belonged to Jews, not Arabs. Here is where I defend this claim: Block, Walter E. and Alan Futerman. 2021. The Classical Liberal Case for Israel. With commentary by Benjamin Netanyahu. Springer Publishing Company; https://rd.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-981-16-3953-1; do, also, please, read these:
Futerman, Alan G. and Walter E. Block. 2023. “Let's give peace a chance in Gaza?” November 9;
https://www.israelhayom.com/2023/11/09/lets-give-peace-a-chance-in-gaza/
Block, Walter E. and Alan G. Futerman. 2023. “The Moral Duty to Destroy Hamas. Israel is entitled to do whatever it takes to uproot this evil, depraved culture that resides next to it.” Wall Street Journal. October 12; https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-moral-duty-to-destroy-hamas-ba626a41?st=ct5qarwgxr637az&reflink=mobilewebshare_permalink; https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-moral-duty-to-destroy-hamas-ba626a41?mod=opinion_lead_pos5
Fischer, Dov and Walter E. Block. 2021. “Launching Missiles; What if Liechtenstein or Monaco played Gaza and sent bombs into Germany or France?” The American Spectator; October 12; https://spectator.org/launching-missiles/
However, it is good that we can have a polite exchange of opinion on these matters, without anger. all too often that has been what has been occuring with me.
One cannot simply say "self-defense" and do whatever one wants. That defies logic.
The key parts of "self-defense" break down to "self" and "defense."
Just because one claims to be exercising self-defense does not mean one is.
Unfortunately, no matter how the future unfolds, there will always be people who violate the Non-Aggression Principle. Attacking Afghanistan and Iraq, supposedly to exact revenge on 19 dead hijackers, remains a total absurdity, as it was from Day One.
"War is a Racket." The same people who make money building and distributing weapons make money from reconstruction. Rinse and repeat.
Or? Oppose all war, and don't get roped into arguments about "Just War Theory (sic)."
First before you judge it is always good to look at both sides. Israel recreated HAMAS to counter Arafat. The problem with that is overtime leadership changes along with their goals. The IDF and rabid Israeli settlers have been kicking Palestinians off the land and out of their homes. If the Palestinians are terrorists then so were Washington and those that fought for freedom against the crown. If you have no tanks, no navy, no Air Force and those that oppress you have all of the above what options are left open to you. When the world turns a blind eye to all the disgusting things that SOB Netanyahu and his merry band of Polish Jews do crap happens. Israel claims the land from the river to the sea. Well if the land needs to be reverted to someone after a couple of thousand years why not the ancestors of the peoples the Israelis slaughtered when they took the land as accounted in their Bible. Just saying.