Tim Blair

"We’re acting like people destroying terrorists."

That's a real tough concept to grasp apparently.

No we should be understanding terrorists.
Each human being is equally valuable and no-one commits atrocities without a reason.That's why we have international justice courts.I would add international counselling services for hurting people who are forcecd into commiting these acts.

There,I think I finally understand the mindset of the bleeding heart.

I prefer "exterminate" myself.

We would be behaving like the terrorists if we rounded up their children and killed them. Killing the terrorists themselves is rather different. Won't this cause more terrorists to emerge? Perhaps, but if we don't kill the current ones, there are quite enough to go around already.

"We would be behaving like the terrorists if we rounded up their children and killed them"

What's wrong with that? They've made it us or them, and it's going to be them! We need to eliminate Terrorists, Terrorist production facilities (Terror wives) and future terrorists (their children).

After this I'm quite happy with their blood on my hands.

People talk so casually about killing, exterminating, whatever, usually asking somebody else to do the deed...

It's a mistake to react to terrorism by hardening resistance to the political claims with which terrorism is associated. This has the effect of driving legitimate supporters of those claims into the arms of the terrorists.

No, it has the effect of forcing supporters of those claims to turn on the terrorists and join us in destroying them, if they ever want their cause to see the light of day again.

See, if you just pretend the terrorists aren't working toward the same ends as their more peaceful allies, then you keep dealing with and negotiating with and making concessions to those allies. It sets up a dynamic where the terrorists kill somebody, and then you do something the terrorists want you to do.

Over time, you get more of what you reward, and less of what you punish.

Pacifists fly so casually their blood-soaked doves.

People talk so casually about killing, exterminating, whatever, usually asking somebody else to do the deed...

It is indeed a shame that we can't all pop a terrorist. There just aren't enough to go round. I feel your pain, endgame.

Only partially destroying terrorist organisations and slaying innocent civilians in the process will achieve nothing more than breeding even more angry terrorists. Pity, because that's all the right-wing governments going around at the moment seem to want to do.

A shame eh?

I prefer "exterminate" myself.

Preferably, by a Daalek.

Only partially destroying terrorist organisations and slaying innocent civilians in the process will achieve nothing more than breeding even more angry terrorists. Pity, because that's all the right-wing governments going around at the moment seem to want to do.

Don't stop there, Guy. Please dispense more of your wisdom to us poor benighted fools. How do we finish off al Qaeda and at the same time avoid any civilian casualties? Don't tempt us with your promises of wondrous magic remedies only disappear with a puff of smoke and a swirl of your bejewelled cape!

No one is ever driven into the arms of terrorists, nor any other group. The idea of driving legitimate supporters into terrorists' arms differs in degree, but not in kind, from the idea that the terrorists themselves were driven to murder people because their legitimate claims couldn't get heard any other way. They, we, all of us, are responsible for our decisions and choices.

250 dead children cannot even raise a minute's silence in schools throughout Great Britain or Australia.
If Beckam or Thorpey bought it there would be lines of sobbing supporters and a national day of mourning.
99% of western civiliation could not even kill and eat their own chooks!
When we do get rough and ready guys willing to do the job FOR US we end up pelting them with eggs and tomatoes on their return home.(AUSSIE NAM VETS)
And the leftoids hiding behind their cafe lattes plot to have them charged with war crimes.
NO wonder the Islamofascist are laughing in their beard at us.

I think I worked out the solution:-
The answer is negotiation, empathy and understanding.
I’ll negotiate their unconditional surrender, empathise with their orphans and have an understanding that humans can be utterly depraved and beyond reason if in the grip of a religious and/or political fervour.
It's a shame they're all dead.

Guy:

"Only partially destroying terrorist organizations and slaying innocent civilians in the process will achieve nothing more than breeding even more angry terrorists."

I agree with you. We need to fight this war just as we fought against the Nazis and the followers of Japan's emperor. It must be UTTER DESTRUCTION. If not, we'll be faced with this same problem as soon as today's babies grow up.

The terrorists, their supporters, and their world wide infrastructure all must be destroyed as utterly as we destroyed our enemies in WWII. Unfortunately, I don't see this as a possibility yet.

--People talk so casually about killing, exterminating, whatever, usually asking somebody else to do the deed...

Unless you're on a plane barreling toward the Capitol.

Those who quake at the notion of killing our mortal enemies ( and I do not mean to take a shot at someone for merely pointing out the gravity of killing someone ) should realize that the Iranian government, who funds a great deal of this nonsense, will soon be able to kill a large number of people all at once with one launch. Do we need to go kill them now? The answer is yes. Because they will be coming to kill you.

Guess what, it was wrong to fight Hitler, the Nazis, the Italian Fascists and the Japanese imperialists because there was civilian casualties.

And fighting them just doubled their resolve! That's why they're still around today...

...wait a minute...

I thought that one kills people and destroys objects and other animals (like dogs). Are you suggesting that terrorists should not receive the treatment reserved to people?

"It can't be bargained with! It can't be reasoned with! It doesn't feel pity, or remorse, or fear. And it absolutely will not stop, ever, until you are dead!"

Many terrorists fit a lot of these criteria (except not feeling fear). Could they be cyborgs?

Andjam, just a question, are you intentionally "hiding" a link to a picture of the 2003 Miss USA in your name link?

Hmmm...

;)

Guess what, it was wrong to fight Hitler, the Nazis, the Italian Fascists and the Japanese imperialists because there was civilian casualties. And fighting them just doubled their resolve! That's why they're still around today...

Funnily enough - they are still around today - if you'd bother to look! Berlusconi is quite a fascist! :)

In reply to Bulldog, I don't claim to know the answers to all the world's problems. Quite unlike many who would seem to believe that Dubya is the greatest and wisest international leader of all time (TM), and beyond criticism whatsoever.

If you believe so much in sacrificing innocent lives for this noble "war on terror", would you have the strength of belief to sacrifice your own loved ones for the cause? Or what about yourself?

Why not put your money where your mouth is?

"If you believe so much in sacrificing innocent lives for this noble "war on terror", would you have the strength of belief to sacrifice your own loved ones for the cause? Or what about yourself?"

Of course not, Guy. That's why we want to sacrifice our enemies and their loved ones before they get a chance to harm us. What is so hard to understand about that? And I sure as hell don't want the war on terror to be noble; I want us to win, whatever it takes.