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Culture War Roundup for the week of August 28, 2023

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The bombing of power substations last year was classical terror bombing: the military had its own supply of fuel and generators, but the civilians were supposed to get cold and angry and the government that failed to protect them.

The rest of the attacks on civilian infrastructure were similar to what Israel practices, with one distinction:

  • Israel goes: if we see Hamas launching rockets from your rooftop, we will destroy your house. Your choices are running away when you hear the warning impact or not letting Hamas near your house, we don't care how you do the latter
  • Russia goes: if we hear about ZSU or other Ukrainian combatants near a building, we will destroy the building. Your choices are running away when you see Ukrainian combatants or not letting them get close to your house/school/theater, we don't care how you do the latter

It's the same recipe that was used in Chechnya: if there are reports about separatists hiding in your village, you either round them up yourselves or you share a thermobaric explosion with them and are posthumously convicted of aiding and abetting the terrorists.

Also, the USA in Vietnam, with the establishment of free fire zones in villages suspected of helping the Viet Cong.