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Hamas Delenda Est
From an article appropriately entitled The Gathering Storm wirtten a few days after October 7:
The world is beginning to look a lot like the 1930s, when Japan attacked and overran much of China, and Nazi Germany and its then-ally the Soviet Union attacked and overran Poland and the Baltic States.
The barbarity of the attack on Israel that day has been described over and over again, in words and via video, some of which, as a measure of the indescribable depravity of the animals of Hamas, were recorded by the murderers themselves on body cams as they were committing their acts of the cruelest crimes against humanity since the Holocaust.
I am, always have been, and pray I always will be, of the quaint old school of thought that when a group of savages beheads the babies of my Nation, rapes, sodomizes and tortures its women, executes old men on their back porch enjoying the morning air (a scenario I witnessed in one of the videos we can all watch online if one has the stomach to do so, as I have been that old man many mornings), slaughters entire families in their home, that group of savages should be wiped off the face of the map. No ifs, ands, or buts. The Old Fashioned Way. Total elimination. No woke fantasies about “negotiating” with the scum of the earth. Which takes us to the wisdom of a great man of Ancient History, Cato the Elder. Here is a brief story of his philosophy of dealing with an enemy which fits the current nightmare perfectly:
At the turn of the 2nd century BCE, the Second Punic War between Carthage and Rome had ended. Rome was eventually victorious, but had suffered some significant and bad defeats. The peace treaty was even tougher for Carthage – it stripped them of many of their territories, their wealth, and restricted their actions.
Fast forward 50 years later, there was another conflict between Carthage and Rome – this time in a Punic-turned-Roman-city called Massinissa. Cato, a famous Roman orator and senator, was sent to Massinissa to investigate. He had fought in the Second Punic War in his 20s. Cato was surprised to see that, since the end of the Second Punic War, Carthage had become a thriving and wealthy city again.
When Cato came to back to Rome, he called for the war against Carthage – a war to stop them once and for all. He ended his speech with the phrase:
Carthago delenda est.
Carthage must be destroyed.Cato would go on to end every speech he gave with Carthago delenda est, even if the speech was on an unrelated topic. He would continue to advocate a final war against Carthage for years. In 146 BC, nearly 8 years after Cato ventured back to Carthage and saw its wealth, would Carthage attack Massinissa and give Rome a reason to star the Third (and final) Punic War.
One reason I decided to jot down these few thoughts tonight was that I started reviewing some articles I had saved for later reading, which were written shortly after the massacre of October 7. Many bore titles like Israel must destroy the jihadist terrorists once and for all and Silent cries amidst invation: Israel must eliminate Hamas. I was struck by the fact that one rarely sees such clarity now amid the outcry for “proportionality” and “humanitarian concerns” and “ceasefires” all of which are repulsive to me. As are every single expression of the Biden “administration” urging “restraint, not hate” in the face of having your babies decapitated with hoes and shovels. Count me among those adherents of Cato the Elder. How anyone could have any other position after actually learning of what was done that day, as described in the following piece is incomprehensible to me:
In the haunting silence that follows yet another terrifying burst of gunfire, amidst the charred remains of a once peaceful kibbutz near the Gaza border, lies an emblem of innocence—a baby, found alone at Kibbutz Kfar Aza, whose parents may have been kidnapped by Hamas.
Negotiate with people who would leave a baby crying alone having taken its parents hostage (if they were among the “lucky” ones)? What other alternative universe have we entered when, as we speak, some of the “great” minds of our universe are negotiating with the vermin who left that baby behind to fend for itself?
No, as the author of that piece makes crystal clear, there is only one path:
For all these reasons and more, Israel’s case for military action against Hamas in Gaza is clear. The organization must be torn from Gaza root and stem. While war should always be a last resort, Israel now faces a situation in which decisive action is required to safeguard its future and pave the way for a more stable, peaceful Middle East.
Root and stem! Gone forever! Eliminated! Eradicated! It is said that when Cato the Elder had completed the total destruction of Carthage, burning everything to the ground, he ordered that the lands be salted so as to assure no one could ever live there again.
Where is our Cato?
I think we all know.
Hamas delenda est!
Published in Foreign Policy
or less valuable than anyones (ie criminals).
What do you mean, less valuable? I don’t think soldiers’ lives are intrinsically less valuable than civilians, but soldiers understand that their lives are basically considered expendable for the greater good, which includes defending civilians. Otherwise nobody would ever fight for anything. Why would police be any different?
And even so, last time I checked police isn’t even among the top 25 hazardous occupations. (It shouldn’t be called a “profession” when they don’t treat it like one.)
many politicians (and prosecutors-but I repeat myself) value the lives of the police (and civilians)less than lives of criminals. look at Aréanah Preston-shot by 4 teens/young adults with long criminal records- yet they were out in the street. Police (and soldiers) know they are incurring risk by protecting others, yet they hope that society has their “backs”-but “Soros prosecutors” don’t.
That’s valid in some cases, but in the majority of situations they’re dealing with suspects at most, not yet criminals.
Courts, juries, and judges decide who’s a criminal, not cops.
Here’s one of the best examples I’ve encountered:
That’s…a perspective. I guess.
Cops sometimes do the first draft. Sometimes prosecutors do it.
Like it or not, someone is not actually a criminal under the law – which is what cops are supposed to follow – until convicted. Until then they are suspect, defendant…
I saw a story just earlier this week about a judge who was removed for saying during a trial that a defendant “looked guilty.”