tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1746564418600302090.post3319847310110477011..comments2023-08-09T09:01:29.229-07:00Comments on Pliny's Tangent Du Jour: Terrorist? or Patriot?Pliny-the-in-Betweenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16580900408227953736noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1746564418600302090.post-8960289494452732922010-02-27T19:01:25.756-08:002010-02-27T19:01:25.756-08:00Yep, that seems right on the mark, Pliny.
You sho...Yep, that seems right on the mark, Pliny.<br /><br />You should write a dictionary.machttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04073782907747032366noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1746564418600302090.post-387913867406700802010-02-27T18:00:28.923-08:002010-02-27T18:00:28.923-08:00Ok - how about these definitions: - terrorist - on...Ok - how about these definitions: - terrorist - one who uses or advocates violence as a political tool.<br /><br />patriot: a terrorist who's side ends up winning and getting to write history books....Pliny-the-in-Betweenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16580900408227953736noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1746564418600302090.post-48036880409904678062010-02-26T16:24:33.193-08:002010-02-26T16:24:33.193-08:00I think that may be the point, Mike.
One cause...I think that may be the point, Mike.<br /><br />One cause's freedom fighter is another's terrorist<br /><br />Abortion clinic bombers, terrorists to most of us - Crusaders for God to their followers.<br /><br />I don't, but,<br />I bet a lot of Iraqis think of US forces as terrorists. We did invade their country, an unprovoked attack, I might add.machttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04073782907747032366noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1746564418600302090.post-58444361981042234232010-02-26T09:43:15.038-08:002010-02-26T09:43:15.038-08:00Terrorism is a desperate form of warfare, conducte...Terrorism is a desperate form of warfare, conducted by a smaller force against a monolithic enemy and with little to no hope of winning. The goal is to cost the enemy as much as possible before the resources of resistance are exhausted.<br /><br />Sometimes such resistance manages to survive the monolith, which fails for some other reason beyond the disruption caused by the terrorists. Survivors can then declare a "win," and possibly shape the new world according to their own ideals.<br /><br />The United States may arguably be the consequence of such a rebellion and resistance. From the perspective of the British Monarchy, were not the rebels in the Colonies terrorists?<br /><br />MikeMichael Lockridgehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06748256055779697021noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1746564418600302090.post-24242964481065095102010-02-26T06:07:58.946-08:002010-02-26T06:07:58.946-08:00If one recognizes that we humans are, in a sense, ...If one recognizes that we humans are, in a sense, hard-wired to always choose (where any choice exists) that option that we perceive will result in the most "good" or minimize any potential "bad" outcomes, individual acts of "terrorism" must be seen as a form of insanity. One can argue that any "sane" individual would never sacrifice his/her own life for a "principal", unless there was some perceived secondary gain (perhaps for a loved one) that would somehow justify what is essentially suicide. When a person commits suicide for reasons of despair or deep depression, society may not approve such behavior, but at least we can understand the motivation. When someone voluntarily "gives up his life" for the perceived benefit of others, society not only understands this, but often admires this form of what is, after all, still a suicide. How then, should we cope with a suicide attack (like the one that instigated this post) that is not only not an effort to advance the common good, but actually seeks to damage other innocent bystanders? It seems to me that this attack must be seen in the same light as the suicide resulting from despair. It differs from most of these "common" definitions of suicide only in that the individual seeks to cause the deaths or injury of others at the same time. Since these collateral damages will never be observed by or "enjoyed" by the perpetrator other than in the anticipation, I think we can make the case that such acts are always "insane". Terrorist suicide attacks that are carried out under the guidance and with the logistical support of "organizations" like Al Qaida, on the other hand, must be seen, I think, in a somewhat different light. One presumes that the secoondary gain to the individual carrying out the attack derives from religious conviction that (in this case) Allah approves of such behavior, and/or that what the group directing the attack stands for is somehow worth giving up one's life while purposely causing as much collateral damage as possible. Although the differences I point out between the individual suicide attacker and the one(s) directed to such activity by a larger "group" may seem slim, I think that the "terrorist" (in the more traditional definition of the word) can be seen as deluded, rather than just insane, since his/her motives, no matter how misguided, are not entirely "personal"Harveyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10797750710657979526noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1746564418600302090.post-16320379409151627582010-02-25T13:36:58.882-08:002010-02-25T13:36:58.882-08:00The clinic bombers are not terrorists - Sarah Pali...The clinic bombers are not terrorists - Sarah Palin said so!Stacy S.https://www.blogger.com/profile/05097716092853603943noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1746564418600302090.post-1643441695224091942010-02-24T19:34:13.326-08:002010-02-24T19:34:13.326-08:00I think the actions you speak of are terrorism, an...I think the actions you speak of are terrorism, and should be treated as such.<br /><br /><br />"To me it's simple. A patriot is one who puts their own life on the line for their beliefs"<br /><br />I agree with this idea, on condition. I might like to alter it just a bit.<br /><br />I think a patriot is one who puts his community's well being before himself.<br />I mean, we sometimes will do what is right, even if it is in contrast to our beliefs. I'm no christian, but would stand up to ensure that christians had the right to believe their nonsense (sorry, I just hadda get in that jab). I'm not a homosexual, but I would fight for their right to equality of social status.<br /><br />BUt, perhaps that is what I believe. I may comepletely agree with you, I dunno ;-)machttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04073782907747032366noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1746564418600302090.post-40784936729078953052010-02-24T14:33:50.186-08:002010-02-24T14:33:50.186-08:00There in lies the crux - it becomes clear to whom ...There in lies the crux - it becomes clear to whom that... (insert generic personal or small group perspective). As we all know it isn't hard for a single individual or group to delude themselves in justification for almost anything. There are many people who think the freedoms of the Constitution only apply to people like themselves. That ensuring them for others wrong headed. <br /> To me it's simple. A patriot is one who puts their own life on the line for their beliefs - not one who drafts the innocent as unwilling participants in their bloody spectacle.Pliny-the-in-Betweenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16580900408227953736noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1746564418600302090.post-64155278150354074462010-02-24T14:11:48.546-08:002010-02-24T14:11:48.546-08:00Again, it is perspective. Let us go a bit hypothet...Again, it is perspective. Let us go a bit hypothetical. I swore to uphold the United States and its Constitution when I became a soldier. Mustering out of active service did not absolve me of that obligation, nor have I chosen to be free of my oath. <br /><br />The world changes. Perhaps it becomes clear that the present form of our government is not upholding the Constitution I swore to protect. (Hypothetically.) So, I attack this false government using, say, a bomb. A big bomb. <br /><br />They would declare me a terrorist. I would claim to be a patriot. Could both conditions be true? <br /><br />Death is simple. Life is hard.<br /><br />MikeMichael Lockridgehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06748256055779697021noreply@blogger.com