Terror, Mideast and hypocrisy

national | miscellaneous | news report

Thursday August 01, 2002 01:13

by Mitch Albom - Detroit Free Press

Terror, Mideast and hypocrisy

Terror, Mideast and hypocrisy

When suicide bombers attacked America last September, nothing could stop our retaliation.
Yet when suicide bombers attack Israel, week after week, Israel is told -- even by Americans -- to back off.

When we bombed Afghanistan, where Al Qaeda was organized, it was a mission to "smoke them out."
Yet when Israel attacks its hornet's nest of terror, it is accused of "occupying" and told to retreat.

When we fired on Kabul, from the safety of the air, we said innocent people would be caught in the crossfire and, sadly, this was war.
Yet when Israeli soldiers go door to door in Palestinian areas, the most dangerous yet humane way to root out terrorists, we call them "murderers" the moment one civilian is killed.

When Osama bin Laden denied any involvement with Sept. 11, we said he was lying and vowed to get him "dead or alive."
Yet when groups tied to Yasser Arafat boldly claim responsibility for suicide attacks, Israel is told not to harm their leader.

When we struck back against extremist terror, Israel was behind us.

When Israel strikes back, we say, "Enough is enough."

You tell me. Is that hypocritical?

When we were scorned by critics who thought our treatment of prisoners in Guantanamo was inhumane -- because we bound them, gagged them and blindfolded them -- we bristled and said, "These are dangerous people."
Yet when Israel demands certain Palestinians strip and stay on the ground, we say this is outrageous and must be stopped.

When a videotape emerges showing bin Laden speaking of Sept. 11, we say it proves the man is evil.
Yet when Israelis produce documents to show Arafat funds terror, they are accused of forgery.

When certain Muslims suggest we hear out bin Laden and Al Qaeda, that we understand their cause and the reasons for their anger, we grit our teeth and say those people want us dead, why should we talk to them?
Yet when Israel says the same thing, it is told it must be sympathetic and negotiate -- even with people who deny Israel's right to exist.

You tell me. Is that hypocritical?

War means death. There are innocent victims -- Palestinians as well as Israelis -- on all sides of this equation.

But let's be consistent. Our nearly 3,000 dead in the World Trade Center was horrific, but Israel, relative to its small population, has lost a half-dozen World Trade Centers in the last 18 months -- all to suicide bombing. Every time you see five Israelis dead in an attack, it is like 250 Americans dead here. How many of those events would it take for us to lash out with all our power?

Would we pause and consider that the enemy wanted its own state? Or that its people were "desperate"?

No way. For radical groups such as Hamas and Hizballah, statehood is not a stop sign anyhow. They want Israel obliterated, state or no state, the same way bin Laden wants Westerners obliterated. Bin Laden had his own country. He had billions. Did land and money keep him from murder?

No. No more than desperation drives you to it. There have been desperate people in Rwanda and Bosnia, yet they never chose to blow themselves up. There have been occupied people across the globe -- even right here, with American Indians. Would we accept if descendants of the Sioux Nation began blowing themselves up in shopping malls?

There is a difference between "desperate" and "brainwashed." Desperate people want to make their lives better. Brainwashed people think "kaboom" sends you to heaven. Innocents are being killed on both sides. The difference is, for Palestinian terrorists, those are the targets.

We can tell the Israelis to stop, but we wouldn't stop. We can tell them to negotiate, but we wouldn't negotiate. We can see their dead and say it hurts as much as ours, but we don't mean it. Because if it were ours, we'd be doing what they're doing. And we'd damn anyone who spoke against us.

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Comments (2 of 2)

Yes,they ARE desperate.

by tinctanc

Thu Aug 01, 2002 02:46

Well,about the hypocrasy,maybe you should take that with the americans?

No,blowing yourself up is "special" for the palestinians and arabs.However,your argument become bisarre because it sounds like you are mostly upset about the fact that they are blowing themself up when in reality it is the fact that they target civilians.Wich brings me to my next point;no,the others havent blown themself up,however,they have ALL used terrorism to fight against their opression!

And yes,it IS desperation wich brings them to do it.Look at wich ppl that support Hamas the most-it is the most poor and opressed.You miss the point,the fact that they are desperate is what leads them to get fooled by the fundamentalists IN THE FIRST PLACE!

Dear Bitch AllBomb,

by BlackPope

Fri Aug 02, 2002 13:50

You insistently use the 'Royal We' - of which country (or planet) do you imagine yourself to be Queen?

1. Are you saying all States have a 'right' to 'retaliate' against terrorist attacks? Under which precept of International Law do you imagine this to be conceded?

Did Nicaragua, therefore, to name just one from a multitude of possible examples, have the 'right' to Napalm New York for as long as it took for Regan to quit terrorising that country, and respect the condemnatory sentence handed down by the World Court in Den Haag in 1986?

Will you deny your hypocrisy?

2. Do Palestinians not have the same 'right' to 'smoke out' 'hornet's nests' of Israeli State Terrorism?

3. When US-GameBoy-Soldiers slaughter from the safety of the stratosphere, or at a distance of 12000km via robot drone, do not slavering, jingoistic ass-holes such as yourself call for these gutless wonders to be decked in Brass? Should not suicide-bombers be accorded the same honour?

4. Were not the Victims of 9/11 simply 'collateral damage' in a justifiable act of aggression? Remember: "..innocent people caught in the crossfire and, sadly, this is war."

5. When Regan & co. not only admitted terrorism against Nicaragua, but boasted of it and intensified their attack AFTER condemnation by the World Court, should not open season have been declared upon their asses - to be 'gotten', dead or alive?

6. Yes, you should start being consistent, Mr. AllBomb: Your equation of 1x(dog year)=7x(human year) is fascinating - by my reckoning, that should allow for the Nicaraguans to exterminate approx. 12 Million US civilians in order to even up the scores. Should Nicaragua lash out with all its power?

7. Surely you mean you'd Bomb anybody who speaks out against your thuggery?

Here's wishing you an enormous harvest of GameBoy-Soldiers returning home from your 'War of Terror', all safely rendered harmless and nicely wrapped up in flag-patterned lead zipper-bags.

Put that in your pipe and go smoke it out!!

Sincerely, BlackPope

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Terror, Mideast and hypocrisy

Comments (2 of 2)