Subject:
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Re: Conflict in the Middle East
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.off-topic.debate
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Date:
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Mon, 8 Apr 2002 17:15:20 GMT
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Viewed:
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628 times
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In lugnet.off-topic.debate, David Koudys writes:
> In lugnet.off-topic.debate, Christopher L. Weeks writes:
> <snip>
> > I think that terror is a tool consistent with a state of war. When people have
> > no way other than suicide bombings to take a war to the enemy, what would you
> > have them do?
>
> <snip>
>
> > I think they're terrorists because their goal is not to eliminate the enemy
> > with such attacks, but to instill fear in the general populace. But I don't
> > think they're repugnant for it. When these folks feel like they have an
> > option, they will choose another path. No one wants to die. It seems, Frank,
> > that you're saying that guerilla tactics are worse than more conventional war.
> > How and why?
> >
> > Chris
>
> In our culture, we are mostly brought up to believe that life is precious
> and that suicide isn't a viable option.
>
> We are shocked and dismayed when people kill themselves for reasons passing
> understanding, and we look for answers to prevent suicides in the future. A
> case in BC recently charged a few youths for taunting and bullying a fellow
> student to the point where the student took her own life. A mother is
> sueing Sony Entertainment right now because her son played EQ excessively
> and something happened 'in game' and the kid killed himself.
>
> These are issues regarding suicide that our culture deals with--we want to
> find ways of preventing them.
The fact that these attacks are suicide attacks is irrelevant. The issue is
the deliberate and unjustifiable killing of civilians.
> If, however, your culture, from the moment you are born, teaches you to
> hate, teaches you that the ultimate sacrifice you can do for your country is
> to die in service of it, teaches you that if you die gloriously that you
> will get '7 virgins and a mansion' (whatever) in the afterlife, do you
> really think that these suicide bombers think what they're doing is a last
> ditch effort, a worst case scenario?
What do padres promise your country’s troops as they go into battle? Hell
and damnation? I think not!
>
> Quote
> > When these folks feel like they have an
> > option, they will choose another path. No one wants to die.
>
> I don't want to die. I *will* pick up a gun and defend my country, my
> beliefs, though. I will not knowingly kill 'innocents' (don't get into
> semantics about who's innocent and who isn't). These bombers are walking
> into restaurants and blowing up women, kids, houses and villages all in the
> name of their god, their teachings and their hatred for their enemy (and
> getting the women in the afterlife). It has nothing to do with having their
> collective backs against the wall.
Religion is an issue, but desperation is the driver. Remember, international
law is on the side of the Palestinians. But still they have to confront an
occupying force with small arms and homemade explosives when the occupier is
armed by a superpower
There are no clean hands in this conflict. Simpletons may try to summarise
it by labelling it as “good versus evil”. The notion is preposterous.
>
> They have options and the leaders *know* it. Why do you think you never
> hear about the rulers of these factions/countries/whatever strapping bombs
> to themselves and walking into buildings? Why do you never hear the leaders
> really denouncing these acts as terrorist attacks and trying to stop them?
When do the leaders of any country ever fight in battle? Look what happened
in 1066!
>
> That's why I mentioned earlier that someone, at sometime, just has to say
> 'this ends here in this generation' It'll take a strong resolve to do it
> but it *can* be done. Yes things happened in the far past and the
> not-so-far past that could be deemed acts that require a response. But it
> can stop. 'We're not going to kill, today (forgive the quote and get over
> where it came from)'. It's a different path, a better solution and it
> requires less killing.
>
> The leaders don't *want* to do it. That's the rub.
There is more to it than just ending the killing. The situation has to be
resolved by giving respect to *both* protagonists.
Scott A
>
> Anyway, it's a situation that greater minds than mine have tried to find
> solutions for, so, like, whatever!
>
> Dave
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Message is in Reply To:
 | | Re: Conflict in the Middle East
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| In lugnet.off-topic.debate, Christopher L. Weeks writes: <snip> (...) <snip> (...) In our culture, we are mostly brought up to believe that life is precious and that suicide isn't a viable option. We are shocked and dismayed when people kill (...) (23 years ago, 8-Apr-02, to lugnet.off-topic.debate)
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