https://x.com/thedemocrats/status/1859370640018403750?s=46

Silver lining, no?

I’ll be on DC the weekend before the election but I get back Monday the 4th so I’ll vote in person on the 5th. I rather like the ritual of voting on voting day.

Glad you’re ok, Daniel.

Just the latest of thousands of lives destroyed by the fragile ego of one man.

Damn. I really wanted them to shut down the government right before the election.

Another thing about international law is it doesn’t reward groups that break it. Just because a military force such as Hamas or Hezbollah uses human shields doesn’t mean it can’t be attacked. Just that care must be taken to balance risk of civilian casualties against legitimate war aims. This seems to pass that test handily.

@Daniel That guy called this a booby-trap but it doesn’t fit the definition provided in the law.

It’s hard to even conceive of a more targeted attack with less collateral damage directed at a terrorist group that embeds itself among civilians. I mean that literally, I actually can’t imagine one.

Can you?

I thought it interesting that NPR went to activists rather than the law itself to define ‘booby trap’. So I asked ChatGPT4.0 if booby trap is defined in international law. (Bold in the original)

Yes, "booby trap" is defined in international law, specifically in relation to armed conflict. The definition is found in Protocol II of the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW), formally known as the Protocol on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Mines, Booby-Traps and Other Devices. This protocol was adopted in 1980 and aims to limit the use of these kinds of devices to protect civilians and combatants from unnecessary harm.

According to the protocol, a booby trap is defined as:

• Any device or material designed to kill, injure, or incapacitate and which is triggered unexpectedly by someone’s presence, proximity, or contact with it.

Examples include objects that appear harmless, like everyday items (e.g., toys, tools, or household objects), but are rigged to detonate or cause harm when handled or approached. The use of booby traps is subject to certain restrictions under international humanitarian law, particularly with regard to protecting civilians and non-combatants.

As these were triggered remotely it doesn’t seem to fit.

In the event, it was pretty well targeted. Most of the people killed or maimed were legit targets. Really well played.

Friend: "How are things?"

Me: "I'm busier than a Lebanese hand surgeon."

Seems like the ideal time to use this chit would be a day or two before a major attack, no? Any bets?