I would like to comment about the letter 'Palestinian Legend' and second the comments made by Kfir Orgad in his letter on Tuesday, 'Killing a murderer.' It is almost laughable how much the liberal press has played up the fact that Sheikh Ahmed Yassin was a paraplegic and old. Even more laughable was the question by the author of 'Palestinian legend,' asking, 'How much harm can an old man do in the Middle East?' Well, that's a good question. How much harm can an old man do in the Middle East?
We'll start with Yassin. He founded Hamas, which in just three years has conducted 112 suicide bombings with 474 Israeli deaths. Let's not forget the Palestinian terrorists' policy of using their own children and teens to blow themselves up in order to kill Jews. Yassin was the inspiration for these events.
Another little old man we are all familiar with in the Middle East is Saddam Hussein. Saddam Hussein was a cruel dictator and is responsible for the deaths of tens of thousands during his over 2 decade long rule.
Oh, and speaking of old, disabled men, let's not forget poor blind Omar Abel Rahman, another Sheikh, or 'spiritual leader' from Egypt who was convicted in 1995 for conspiring to follow up the 1993 World Trade Center attack, which he helped plan, with attacks on the Lincoln tunnel, the Statue of Liberty and other sites. Some of the Sheikh's 'spiritual' followers? Osama Bin Ladin for starters. Oh, and let's not forget that this elderly Saudi, who masterminded the September 11th attack that killed over 3,000 people, suffers from diabetes and other illnesses.
So, back to your original question, my Palestinian friend: How much harm can an old man do in the Middle East? You tell me.
Jared Tamez
Harlingen, Texas