It's really tempting to look at the deaths by torture of two American soldiers and, through the anger, contribute it to the *nature* of the terrorists. It's what they *do*. They are evil.
We've always known that the chances of getting back, alive, any of our people was next to zip. We've always known that anyone captured would be tortured and probably would end up beheaded on video. If we had any secret hopes it was that, somehow, it would be quick.
Yes, somewhere there is a video. The terrorists videotape *everything*.
I want to point something out, though. The terrorists did not do this because they are evil. They are, but that's not why.
They hoped to accomplish something. And we shouldn't think they had only one reason, one goal. Most likely they had a whole list.
The excessive brutality, desecration, booby-trapping the bodies and the place where they were found were not spur-of-the-moment exercises of opportunity or expressions of emotion. This was not to show us how much they hate us or get a proxy revenge for Zarqawi.
Terrorism functions by instilling terror, by manipulating responses by targeting innocents.
They watch our news closer than we do, people. Terrorism depends on conscripting an army from the enemy population by making us do their work for them out of fear. Fear for our own safety, or in reaction to countermeasures taken... over-reactions and oppression associated with the efforts to stop the terrorists.
What do they hope to accomplish? They know how we reacted to the accusations about Haditha. More of that would be good for them. Maybe they'd score some counter-action by the young men's families, sure to get national coverage if they blame the US for actions freely taken by the terrorists. If they can energize the anti-war faction to greater and louder calls for withdrawl it would be worth it right there.
A whole lot of people are going to step up and willingly take the roles that the terrorists want them to take.
Wanna bet one of them is named Murtha?
We've always known that the chances of getting back, alive, any of our people was next to zip. We've always known that anyone captured would be tortured and probably would end up beheaded on video. If we had any secret hopes it was that, somehow, it would be quick.
Yes, somewhere there is a video. The terrorists videotape *everything*.
I want to point something out, though. The terrorists did not do this because they are evil. They are, but that's not why.
They hoped to accomplish something. And we shouldn't think they had only one reason, one goal. Most likely they had a whole list.
The excessive brutality, desecration, booby-trapping the bodies and the place where they were found were not spur-of-the-moment exercises of opportunity or expressions of emotion. This was not to show us how much they hate us or get a proxy revenge for Zarqawi.
Terrorism functions by instilling terror, by manipulating responses by targeting innocents.
They watch our news closer than we do, people. Terrorism depends on conscripting an army from the enemy population by making us do their work for them out of fear. Fear for our own safety, or in reaction to countermeasures taken... over-reactions and oppression associated with the efforts to stop the terrorists.
What do they hope to accomplish? They know how we reacted to the accusations about Haditha. More of that would be good for them. Maybe they'd score some counter-action by the young men's families, sure to get national coverage if they blame the US for actions freely taken by the terrorists. If they can energize the anti-war faction to greater and louder calls for withdrawl it would be worth it right there.
A whole lot of people are going to step up and willingly take the roles that the terrorists want them to take.
Wanna bet one of them is named Murtha?
Comments
He doesn't. Skipping a meal or two is not a hunger strike.
Nor is "unpleasant" a reasonable definition of "torture." Nor is humiliation "torture" or insults or threats or confinement.
The outrage about torture has been all used up on misbehavior that doesn't even come close to being real torture so that when we actually have an example of horrific barbarism the only thing some people can do is use it as a tool to bash the US, yet again, for "torturing people".
If you can hear of two young men who were captured, brutally mangled, dismembered, defiled, and then beheaded and the first thing that comes to your mind is using that horror to slap your country as "doing the same thing" because they *embarassed* someone...
What do the terrorists have to do to earn some condemnation? Move to America and become citizens and then sneer at someone?