Tim Blair

If this is not clear evidence that the terrorists are waging their war in the press, I don't know what is. And I do not understand why people continue to fall for it.

How did so many of our Western nations end up being so wimpy?

Terrorist: "JUMP, you infidels, JUMP!!"

Westerners: "How high? (If we jump too high we'll be unable to kiss your feet.)"

A few thousand Italians bringing shame on the memory of Fabrizio Quattrocchi.

Now, looking at europeans behaviour, you understand how we fell into the hands of dictatorships 60 years ago, and consignet to those hands our Jews. Fear, weakness, cowardice and desire to stay far from troubles (refusing again to acknowledge of already having them at home). Dulcis in fundo we disguise these refusal to see and to fight under ethical garments, in a sad comedy of good feelings.

Give the families a break.

Give the terrorist-appeasing know-nothing peaceniks all you've got, but having a go at the families of the hostages is low. You can't expect them to be rational when they're under such emotional strain.

Their behavior is understandable and forgiveable.

Adam,

The actions of the families are understandable but not forgivable, for they have increased the risks for ALL of us.

I recall that many years ago, the head of one Australian government department left specific instructions that if he was kidnapped on any of his overseas travels, under no circumstances was any ransom to be paid for his release.

The best course of action for Australia would be for the government to announce that in the event of the kidnapping of any of its ministers, no bargains would be entered into for their release and for all MPs, as a show of solidarity and principle, to sign a declaration to the same effect.

This would give a lead to the nation and to the world.

Blackmail? What has any of this got to do with blackmail? This is about threats.

I thought it was standard policy not to pay ransom because
A) it arms your enemy (eg the situation in the phillipeans)
B) it puts a price on your citizens heads (or your MP's heads)

But a few waved banners, with one saying, "With the Resistance in Iraq, for the Intifadeh in Palestine."

Argument over.

Nathan, this is how threats and blackmail are related in this case (from dictionary.com):

blackmail: a. Extortion of money or something else of value from a person by the threat of exposing a criminal act or discreditable information. b. Something of value extorted in this manner.

I find it interesting that the Green Party are acting as stringers for Al-Jazeera...

To coincide with the march, the left-wing opposition Green Party said they sent a video of recent anti-war demonstrations in Italy to the London office of pan-Arab television channel Al-Jazeera.

"The Italian people have been fighting for a long time against the war and for the withdrawal of our soldiers from Iraq — as you can see from these images," said a text accompanying the video.

Al-Jazeera said they intended to broadcast the video, probably on Friday, said Green Party spokesman Andrea Alicandro.

On Thursday, Al-Jazeera broadcast images of the march for about a minute, then ran a headline on the demonstration.

For Adam, from earlier today: if I'd ever been taken hostage during my military career, I'm confident that my family would never have done a terrorist's bidding. Since they'd all done some service themselves, they would have known the harm such demonstrations would've done to my own morale personally, and the harm such actions would do to the cause I was fighting for in general. March against terrorism, yes. A march for "peace" sounds more like appeasement.

Benjamin Franklin: "We must all hang together, or we will surely hang separately." Or words to that effect...

You've just shot down your own argument, Jeffs.

As you wrote: Blackmail involves exposing a criminal act or discreditable information.

If I say, "Give me $1,000, or I'll tell your husband about your antics with the tennis coach."
That's blackmail.

If I say, "Give me $1,000, or I'll shoot your husband." that's extortion.

Hmm...BBC reported "hundreds" protesting:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3671945.stmhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3671945.stm

...Hale asked for a Bible, but his request was refused. He was marched out by a guard and hanged upon an apple-tree in Rutgers’s orchard. The place was near the present intersection of East Broadway and Market Streets. Cunningham asked him to make his dying “speech and confession.” “I only regret,” he said, “that I have but one life to lose for my country.”

Captain Nathan Hale, age 21.

http://www.ctssar.org/patriots/nathan_hale.htm

Sandy P: Hoo-ah/HOO-ah/URR-rah!... take your pick, I love them all.

Peggy sue, you said If I say, "Give me $1,000, or I'll shoot your husband." that's extortion.

Now, please read the definition again. I copied it below for your convenience. Note the change in emphasis.

blackmail: a. Extortion of money or something else of value from a person by the threat of exposing a criminal act or discreditable information. b. Something of value extorted in this manner.

I didn't shoot down my own argument. You agreed with me. Or we agreed that blackmail and extortion are equivalent. It really doesn't matter.

The difference may be of value to a Boston lawyer, but for this discussion, the point is that a bunch of terrorists are trying gain something of value (i.e., getting the Italians to respond in some fashion) by force (i.e., threatening to kill their hostages).

Blackmail or extortion....who cares? Some Islamofascists are trying to run the rest of the world to their benefit and our loss.

Oy! Yuz agree already, OK?

Now somebody tell me if "MXC" was any good tonite, cuz I missed it with all this posting here!

Er, Jeffs,
I have copied your copy of the definition.

blackmail:
a. Extortion of money or something else of value from a person
by the threat of exposing a criminal act or discreditable information.
b. Something of value extorted in this manner.

As the definition says,
there are TWO elements to blackmail:
(1) extortion
and
(2) threat of exposing a criminal act &c.

All cows are animals, but not all animals are cows.

All blackmail is extortion, but not all extortion is blackmail.

Peggy Sue, if you divert this comment thread into a nitpicky semantics argument I will delete all your co*mments. (Asterisk included to divert MT-Blacklist.)

Andrea, you are certainly not an appeaser! Unlike some people that we watch and read about on the news.

Giving terrorists what they want is simply positive reinforcement. They are encouraged to engage in similar atrocities.

And that is what appeasement results in. Not peace, not victory. More terrorism. It's a lose-lose situation.

I'd hold a small protest, then hold a large support gathering later. Probably track down the kidnappers and pay their families a visit.