Normally, I am not particularly chagrined at any given instance of poor argumentation, and I'm perfectly comfortable with the free tongue of informal conversation. However, in the context of writing for the purpose of submitting prose to a serious publication, I would like to think that a given writer would hold themselves to a higher standard, especially when discussing grave and solemn matters of war, peace, and death.
Lee Baxter's recent column "In light of current affairs", published in our Lawton Constitution, makes the argument that one should pity Israel as it wages its war against Hamas. The brief essay begins with a story imploring the reader to imagine themselves as a citizen of New Hampshire in the year 1785. In his hypothetical scenario, New Hampshire is a hated state, under attack by forces from all across the continent. They are only receiving aid from Oklahoma and have fought nine wars over the course of seventy-five years.
The first thing that stands out to me about this…