Disproportionate Response?

With Israel pounding Southern Lebanon in response to the Hizbullah kidnapping and killing of Israeli soldiers, and sending over 1,500 rockets into Northern Israel and beyond, many in this country, including the Secretary General of the United Nations, are stating that Israel is giving a “disproportionate response.” What exactly does that mean? Is there such a thing as a proportionate response to murder and mayhem? Maybe those critics should consider the following, unlikely, and extreme scenario.

Mexico, sharing a long common border with the United States, finally decides it wants to “take back” its long lost states of Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California. To this end it allows a private well funded and armed (from Cesar Chavez) army to form on the southern side of the Rio Grande River. This band of terrorists sneaks across the border to kill a few of the U.S. Border agents, kidnap an additional number, and start shooting rockets into Texas endangering many of the cities in the southern part of the state. What would be the “proportionate response” by the American government? Would it sit around waiting for the United Nations, the European Union, the Arab League, and similar organizations to talk the matter to death before taking action? Or would the U.S. take immediate military action defending our country and making sure it would not happen again? The answer is obvious, and all those countries belonging to those world bodies would do the same. Would their actions be “proportionate?”

But, they condemn Israel’s actions as being “disproportionate.” Could it be because Israel doesn’t have any oil and the Arab countries do?