One does not have to be a full-blown Zionist to condemn what the Black September Palestinian terrorists did at Munich in 1972. For me, the matter also bordered on personal. At the time, I was on the track team at the University of Tennessee, and I had two teammates, a coach, and other friends either competing in the Olympics, coaching, or working in a supporting role.

I took athletic competition seriously, and while the Olympics may be overblown, blah, blah, blah, I still take them seriously as well and have an abiding respect for Olympic athletes. What the Palestinians did on that fateful day was a singularly evil deed and whatever fate the perpetrators and planners had was more than deserved.

While I am not a fan of Charles Krauthammer, I can understand the deep-seeded anger that he would have about what Spielberg has done. Keep in mind that after the murders, Israel went after the individuals who were responsible. They did not bomb villages, shoot missiles, or kill a bunch of civilians. Furthermore, I believe the Israelis were more than justified in doing what they did.If we are to hold that the Palestinians had justification for the murders at Munich, then would we say that it would be OK for some descendents of Creek Indians to go to the Mises Institute and kill people there because once upon a time, Creeks lived on that land? While I have been very critical of Israel in past articles, I think that Israel was a model of restraint in its response to what happened at Munich.

What would have happened had Israeli commandos invaded the Olympic quarters of the team from Egypt or another Arab country and shot down a bunch of athletes? Would anyone have tried to say that they were justified in doing so? Then why would anyone try to intimate that the Palestinians were justified as has been done time and again? (No, I am not accusing anyone on the blogging list of being in support of the massacre, but have talked to enough “progressives” who tried to put some moral justification on it.)

No, I will not be seeing Spielberg’s movie. I remember too vividly what happened that day, and I recall the stories my friends told and how the whole thing affected them. I don’t need to see the product of a bad storyteller from Hollywood to know what happened.