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In Transterrestrial Musings, Rand Simberg mentions an e-mail that he received claiming that IDF forces have committed gang rape and murder. I believe that a considerable portion of the blogosphere owes him an apology for their reaction to this report. Simberg made it quite that he does not accept the e-mail as gospel. Moreover, he does consider both sides of the question, and in his remarks, makes it clear that he is speaking of hypotheticals. Nonetheless, Christopher "Spoons" Kanis, Ralph Phelan, and Eric Pobirs pile on in comments, criticizing him for being too easily suckered. They appear to be wrong, as it is patently obvious from reading Simberg’s post that he was not suckered. Now, Simberg does protest his skepticism a bit too much for my taste. This could be, though, the difference between discussing this e-mail as an isolated incident, and as one more in a constant stream of anti-Israel lies and libels. In the former context, Simberg is correct that it should be treated as neither truth or lie, that judgment should be suspended until more information is forthcoming (in effect, treating it as false, although without condemning any person or group for originating or disseminating it). In the latter context, I think that Phelan is correct, that "Palestinian" spokesmen have already told so many lies that the burden of proof is firmly on them, that nothing that they say should be taken seriously unless and until they provide solid evidence to back their claims. In this case, however, Simberg, though not entirely correct IMO, has hold of by far the greater part of the stick, and we should treat him as such. John "Akatsukami" Braue Saturday, May 04, 2002 |
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