Proportional Response

Much ink, bits and voices have been wasted calling for a "proportional response" to Hamas from Israel. Of course, like all good complainers, nobody actually bothers to define what a proportional response is or what it should look like.

The Dark City now presents two fictional phone calls to the Proportional Response Police Department.

Call #1:

PRPD: Proportional Response Police Department, what is your emergency?

Woman: My crazy ex-husband is hammering on my door threatening to kill me and my infant!!!! Help!!!

PRPD: Is he armed m'am?

Woman: I don't think so...please hurry!!!

PRPD: We will dispatch a single unarmed officer to deal with this.

Woman: What??? Can't you send a whole pile of guys with tasers and guns?

PRPD: I'm sorry we can't do that...that would be a disproportionate response.


Call #2


PRPD: Proportional Response Police Department, what is your emergency?

Man: We need the SWAT team down at the university. Some crazy guy has a gun and is shooting everyone he can see!

PRPD: There's just one man? What kind of gun does he have?

Man: Yes, just one guy...he has a pistol. Holy shit he just shot someone else!

PRPD: Be on the look out for one officer with a pistol. He should be there shortly to deal with the situation.

Man: No! YOu need more than that to take this guy down!

PRPD: I'm sorry, we can't send any more officers or arm them better, that would be a disproportionate response.


I bet that sounds pretty ridiculous right?

With that in mind, I ask what is a correct, proportional response to a group of people who fire rockets and mortars from civilian areas that directly target your civilians?