Jeff Thomas
Member
St Johns, no offense taken.
If I'm playing chess, I don't care whether my opposition is using a pawn or a queen ... they are all on the opposing team. That is my point. When you're at war, it becomes us vs. them by definition. Pawns, rooks, queens ... it doesn't matter. Many people, on both sides of this war, need to decide if they support terrorism or not. Those that do become the enemy, ipso facto.
I believe the U.S. has a tough time in situations like Iraq because we try to do the right thing, and respect human life. That doesn't mean innocent civilian deaths don't occur ... but we're not carpet bombing Fallujah either. To continue the Hitler analogy, at some point the population makes it's choice, and they may become the enemy as well.
And, yes ... I "dehumanize" radical Islamist terrorist savages (though, technically, savages are "human" ...). "Savage - lacking the restraints normal to civilized human beings." I see this as an appropriate use of the term. Frankly, I am tired of seeing excuses made for such behavior ... targeting innocent men, women and children. Terrorists are savages, and we need to destroy them.
Regards from TX
I don't see how it obscures reality. The Palestinian people (minus the terrorist element) are the pawns of figures such as OBL. Without them his views on the Jewish people would be simply one of hate. As it is the way things are now for the Palestinians means that he probably does garner support from certain Palestinians because he appears to be on their side. OBL's fight is with America and the West though, what has he done about Israel? Nothing so far, thank God. Saddam was a secular man who supported Palestinian terrorist attempts, again for his own reasons but who knows what they were.
If I'm playing chess, I don't care whether my opposition is using a pawn or a queen ... they are all on the opposing team. That is my point. When you're at war, it becomes us vs. them by definition. Pawns, rooks, queens ... it doesn't matter. Many people, on both sides of this war, need to decide if they support terrorism or not. Those that do become the enemy, ipso facto.
Hitler was widely supported because he seemed and claimed to be the only way out of the mess 1930's Germany was in. As long as we leave the field to men like him by acting terribly towards another nation and leaving it's populace with no hope, there will be men like him. Terribly left-wing thoughts huh?
I believe the U.S. has a tough time in situations like Iraq because we try to do the right thing, and respect human life. That doesn't mean innocent civilian deaths don't occur ... but we're not carpet bombing Fallujah either. To continue the Hitler analogy, at some point the population makes it's choice, and they may become the enemy as well.
And, yes ... I "dehumanize" radical Islamist terrorist savages (though, technically, savages are "human" ...). "Savage - lacking the restraints normal to civilized human beings." I see this as an appropriate use of the term. Frankly, I am tired of seeing excuses made for such behavior ... targeting innocent men, women and children. Terrorists are savages, and we need to destroy them.
Regards from TX