James J. wrote:
Not only NY city, but Boston was a big financier of the IRA. What
disturbs me more than the use of "terrorist", is the European use of
the word "criminal" that I've been hearing all week. That word
implies that they have the same rights as civilians and that they
should be tried in civilian court. Unfortunately, most of Europe (UK
included) has signed Protocol 1 to the Geneva conventions (in 1976)
that grants non-uniformed, non-state sponsored militants the same
protections as any uniformed member of the military. It further
specifies that they can not be attacked if they are not presently
carrying their weapons. This means that they can throw down their
guns and blend into the crowd and receive protected status. The US
never signed this protocol, because of our experiences with the Viet
Cong. While it was intended to give the members of a legitimate
popular revolution some protections from massacre by the in-power
dictatorship, it has rarely been used in that form. My two cents:
They are illegal combatants who deserve no legal protections, beyond a
hearing to determine if they were involved in the crime. (and yes, I
know we are doing a crappy job of that down in Gitmo, and it
embarrasses me) But in an ideal situation with accurate hearings,
I'd have no ethical issues with summary executions. Saboteurs and
spies have traditionally been executed by all western nations. Every
one of our intel operatives (read: spies) knows that they are subject
to execution when operating behind enemy lines.
Despite my words, I'm actually a very open-minded compassionate
person, but I have a line, and the murder of civilians crosses that line.
JJJ
Barrie Robinson wrote:
Being a dyed in the wool Englishman I have feel awful about the
London bombings. I spent many hours traveling on the Underground and
on those delightful double decker buses. Getting the front seats at
the top was heaven.
What riles me is that the press continuos to use "terrorists?, a word
that has almost become a badge of honour in some (misguided) people's
minds. Why don't they call them what they are - pathological killers
with probable sexual performance deficiencies. Same sort of blokes
in the IRA, an organisation satisfying its desire to hurt and main
because of social and sexual under-achievement under a guise of
political intent (sound familiar?). Hopefully the New York area
population will not be hoodwinked into financially supporting this
new crop of demented misfits as they were with the IRA.
Barrie Robinson
705-721-9060
MGB GT V8 in the making
Aston Martin DB 2/4 MkII in the wings
Purveyor of O-ring kits for Smith and Jaeger gauges
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