Republicans’ Nuanced Response To Israel And Hamas

Yes, that was sarcasm.

In a moment when historical tensions in Israel and Palestine have boiled over to terrorism and war crimes, with innocent civilians suffering as collateral damage from both, this is usually the time where “The Leaders Of The Free World” should do everything to avert further tragedy.

So what are Republicans doing? They are either calling for MORE war crimes, when not paralyzed into inaction by their own infighting, as this week’s Sunday shows demonstrate.

Warmongers Gonna Warmonger

Every time conflict happens around the world, a certain subsection of politics always gets very loud. They’re usually the ones enthusiastically cheering or changing pop song lyrics and advocating to enter wars that will be fought by other people’s children while theirs espouse “liberty” from nepotistic safety and comfort.

One perfect example is Arkansas Senator and star of “The Killing Joke” flashback sequences, Tom Cotton.

Appearing on “Fox News Sunday,” this was his measured opinion of the current conflict in Gaza.

COTTON: […] Israel has inflicted no suffering in Gaza. […] Hamas intentionally uses women and children and the elderly for human shields. And if, you don't want your hospitals or your schools or your mosque, bombed you shouldn’t use them for military purposes.

Hamas is an evil terrorist organization, but the Palestinian people aren’t all Hamas. I also think it’s a leap to say Israel hasn’t inflicted ANY suffering to the Palestinian people. Many human rights groups argue that Israel’s occupation of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip amount to an apartheid state.

When host Shannon Bream asked Cotton what people will think of Israel carpet bombing and denying essential things like food/water to the Palestinian people and creating a humanitarian crisis, he decided to double down on his homicidal and inhumane fantasies.

COTTON: As far as I’m concerned Israel can bounce the rubble in Gaza. […]

It is not shocking that the guy who once suggested Trump should recreate the 1980s Tanker Wars incident, which killed a commercial jetliner full of innocent people as collateral from the US-escalated Iran-Iraq War, is now calling for this. Later on social media, he lamented when he heard the Biden Administration might have urged Israel not to commit war crimes.

Tom Cotton is fine with cutting off food and water for a place where up to 50 percent of the population are children under 15 years because apparently, his “pro-life” position is highly subjective.

Wait … DeSantis Is Still Here?

Over on CBS’s “Face The Nation”, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis was answering to his own racist remarks regarding Palestinians.

The soon-to-be third place Republican presidential candidate was asked by Margaret Brennan if he would advise Israel, as a former Navy JAGoff officer, to avoid attacking infrastructure that provide food and water to Palestinians.

Try not to be too shocked at his answer.

DESANTIS: Well, Margaret, the Hamas is holding people hostage still. You have Israelis being held hostage as well, as Americans being held hostage. […] I don’t think they’re under — but I don’t think they’re under an obligation to be providing water and these utilities while those hostages are being held.

So, where do you think the hostages are when you carpet bomb, Ronny? For that matter, do you think there is a separate supply of food or water that only the hostages get if you cut off the infrastructure? I know Republican clowns think they are action movie protagonists, but “shoot the hostages” is never a good plan.

DeSantis was also asked about remarks he made on his failing political campaign trail calling all Palestinians anti-Semitic.

This condemnation is bullshit because we know DeSantis accepted donations from or turned a blind eye to anti-Semitism in his state and campaign.

Brennan then reminded everyone, including possibly DeSantis himself, that all Arabs are Semites. DeSantis tried to justify his racism by saying they elected Hamas, but Brennan gave a quick historical lesson to show how ridiculous this is as a justification.

BRENNAN: In 2006. And then the military occupation happened after that, where they [Israel] went in, and haven't allowed elections since 2007.

DeSantis wants to justify violence on a population where over half of them weren’t alive when Hamas was elected and have lived under military occupation their whole existence. Again, the “protect kids” politicians showing how little they actually care about kids if they are darker than alabaster.

DeSantis made this point clearer when he was also asked about his “brilliant” suggestion of shooting anyone who crosses the southern border in America wearing a backpack because yada yada open borders and fentanyl. But Brennan, again, pointed out the obvious flaw in this plan.

BRENNAN: […] But in terms of the specific proposal here, how would you differentiate who’s a threat? How would you say shoot people wearing backpacks?

DeSantis vomited some bullshit about cartels and lookouts to smuggle all the drugs that apparently come this way rather than how most are found (like ports of entry). But Brennan pressed again.

BRENNAN: But how do you know what's in the backpack?

DESANTIS: Well, you have to make those judgments based on intelligence and all the other things that you do.

What THE fuck is he talking about? What intelligence are you going to gather on an old Jansport backpack worn by a refugee? Who are the poor saps who dreamed of being Ethan Hunt or James Bond but ended up in glorified TSA screening duty?

Here’s a simple test, DeSantis: If “stop and frisk” loving New York mayors past and present wouldn’t implement your plan, you went too far.

That said, I also wouldn’t give the NYPD any ideas.

Have a week.