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Neither are those who we label "collateral damage".
They aren't " collateral damage". They are just people getting through the day like everyone else.
The difference is that we investigate it and often charge the people who are responsible while they openly brag about it and the people responsible are considered heroes.
Our citizens mostly recoil at the prospect of innocents killed in war while in Turkey recently, during a soccer match booed during a moment of silence for Paris.
The difference is that we investigate it and often charge the people who are responsible while they openly brag about it and the people responsible are considered heroes.
No we don't. We simply call them "collateral damage". It's accepted when we do it. Who do you suppose has been held accountable for destroying the hospital? No one.
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Our citizens mostly recoil at the prospect of innocents killed in war while in Turkey recently, during a soccer match booed during a moment of silence for Paris.
We may recoil but we accept it. From what I understand the deal in Turkey went like this.
Turkey gets attacked no one gives a flip. Were people changing their profile pics to the Turkish flag? Demanding we stand strong with Turkey? No.
So the people of Turkey said " we are suppose to take a moment to honor another countries dead when no one cared about ours"?
No we don't. We simply call them "collateral damage". It's accepted when we do it. Who do you suppose has been held accountable for destroying the hospital? No one.
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General Campbell, also the commander of NATO forces in Afghanistan, said: “My intent is to disclose the findings of the investigation once it is complete. We will be forthright and transparent and we will hold ourselves accountable for any mistakes made.”
The difference is, In ISIS, whomever was responsible would be lauded as heroes after they openly bragged about carrying out attacks on civilians
If you can really imagine a US General ordering the bombing of civilians and then openly taking credit and bragging about it afterwards while he is treated as a hero, I don't know what alternative reality you are living in but if you can't see the differences here I don't think you WANT to see the differences.
This is why I have trouble taking the word terrorist overly seriously. It's totally subjective, rather cultural bias allows anyone of us to see it that way. Yeah, it's not unreasonable to call a religious fanatic with a bomb strapped to their chest a terrorist, but it's not unreasonable to call a flying robot dropping bombs with lasers an act of terrorism either. However, from our perspective, only one is.
The reality is the American colonials were terrorist rebels in the eyes of the English. Then again, the entire American revolution is always taught in such a bizarre way. The King is always made the to be the villain, when really, he wasn't even the main problem. He had the power to stop it, which he didn't, but the people who were causing problem were English ruling elite. Dare I call them a ruling 1%? Regardless, the American revolution always seems so misunderstood.
Yes, very big mistakes from the ruling elite and a few opportunistic self serving patriots. The British learned what not to do in their future occupations and exploitations after losing their first colonies. The fact is the colonies did belong to Britain. We were the first of several business charters created by and for investors. They owned our asses until we broke away. This subject has absolutely nothing to do with modern day terrorism. Can you imagine ISIS taking over the US government and then trying to herd Americans into obeying them? Never going to happen. After the world is done with these asssholes their name will be reversed ---SiSi.
I do not have to imagine a US General ordering the mass killing of civilians. What else do you call the fire bombing of German cities or lighting nukes over Nagasaki and Hiroshima. Compared to these brutal amateurs of ISIS or whatever the Western world is capable of Terrorism on a near incomprehensible scale.
The people that support the ISIS terrorism should keep in mind the results when the West decides they are a real threat. As a culture we are, or at least were, quite capable of astonishing brutality. We just have to become sufficiently frightened.
I JUST watched a video on something like this yesterday. The legal definition of terrorism is:
"The unlawful use of force or violence against persons or property in order to coerce or intimidate a government or the civilian population in furtherance of political or social objectives."
A lot of people we see as the good guys in history could be considered terrorists. Harriet Tubman and others who tried to free slaves would be, off the top of my head. Anyone who fought back against the Nazis when they wanted to load them onto the cattle cars was a terrorist.
That's what worries me. Anyone who has a spine and who won't go along with the whims of the people in Washington could be described as a terrorist. If there's a financial crisis or something and they decide they can confiscate weapons or food, anyone who stands up for themselves will be a "terrorist" by this definition, and many will see them as the bad guy rather than the government.
Neither since they were both standing national armies.
I agree. Modern terrorism is an evolution of guerrilla warfare in places like Africa, Cuba and South America where small, non State sponsored belligerents are fighting much larger (typically government) forces by striking civilian 'soft' targets to incite terror and cause the governments to lose resolve. This is not 2 armies lining up on a battlefield and shooting back and forth at each other.
I do not have to imagine a US General ordering the mass killing of civilians. What else do you call the fire bombing of German cities or lighting nukes over Nagasaki and Hiroshima. Compared to these brutal amateurs of ISIS or whatever the Western world is capable of Terrorism on a near incomprehensible scale.
The people that support the ISIS terrorism should keep in mind the results when the West decides they are a real threat. As a culture we are, or at least were, quite capable of astonishing brutality. We just have to become sufficiently frightened.
In school we used to read about the Huns, the Vikings, the Visigoths, American Indians... and they were always described as 'a fierce and warlike people'. Nobody gets 'fierce and warlike' like pst off Anglo-Saxons.
Here's something funny...terrorism defined in Title 22 of the U.S. Code, Section 2656f(d):
"premeditated, politically motivated violence perpetrated against noncombatant targets by subnational groups or clandestine agents, usually intended to influence an audience.”
They sneakily added "subnational", because without that little word you could consider what the U.S. is doing around the world as terrorism. "It's not terrorism if we do it, but it is for everyone else."
The difference is, In ISIS, whomever was responsible would be lauded as heroes after they openly bragged about carrying out attacks on civilians
Innocent civilians are dead either way.
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If you can really imagine a US General ordering the bombing of civilians and then openly taking credit and bragging about it afterwards while he is treated as a hero, I don't know what alternative reality you are living in but if you can't see the differences here I don't think you WANT to see the differences.
It's sad the length that you and those like you will go to justify our actions, with some even admitting they are wrong but still feeling this need to justify them.
Not bragging does not make it better..... Id even argue you are wrong about the bragging if it made a difference but it doesn't.
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