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Human shields and moral non-starters
During the 2016 presidential election, Marc Lamont Hill, a notable scholar known for his progressive politics and support for Palestine, was interviewed about his decision to favor a third-party candidate rather than the Democratic presidential nominee.
Hill stated he would not vote for a candidate whose support of a particular policy ran counter to his moral principles. Hill characterized as a “moral nonstarter” any policy position that contradicted his sense of social justice.
In the same year, for instance, three states held referendums on whether or not to legalize the death penalty. Voters in each state decided to maintain capital punishment. However, Hill told the interviewer that, given the nation’s history, supporting the death penalty in the United States is a “moral nonstarter.”
Let’s fast forward to the present.
Gaza launched a surprise strike on Israel on October 7th. Hamas terrorists slaughtered hundreds of Israeli citizens in what has been called the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust.
Hill was interviewed on the Bad Faith podcast a few weeks later.
Hill chastised the media for portraying Hamas as a terrorist organization rather than a democratically elected government, arguing that when Hamas is not recognized as a real political…