Tim McVeigh vs The Weather Underground

[fatchance2005]

Originally Posted by camping!

Even if the Weather Undergrounds motives were all lightness and good the fact remains, they played fast and loose with other peoples lives. And that is unacceptable regardless if your cause is just.
Some would argue that abortion clinic bombings - while bad - had a good cause. They would be nuts. You don't protest the deaths of people by killing people. It is insane and shows a comlete and utter lack of humanity.
And that would make said people dangerous. Again, regardless if you agree with their ultimate message the way they choose to spread their message is so outside the norm, so beyond the pale of human compassion that ultimately their message of 'peace' 'anti war' 'pro life' or whatever has been completely and hopelessly corrupted.
Just like the people who planted/made/planned bombings. Even if noone was hurt. It doesn't matter the intent to harm was there. I see no difference between mcveigh, rudolph, the weather underground, or al queda. They all were/are sociopathic individuals who found an engenius way to spread harm and hate under the banner of peace/love/harmony/unity.
They all lie. And I hope that people are smart enough to realize this and not be taken in by the romance of it all.

I have not argued the nobility of the Weather Underground. I have said that a citizen in this country should not be punished unless he is found guilty of a crime. Another person having him as a friend should not be punished for that either. It is easy to set oneself up as judge, jury, and executioner and say "we don't give a damn about the Constitution, we hate him so he and all his friends should die". But that isn't America.

[uggabugga]

Originally Posted by camping!

I'm sure she considers it a late term abortion....or perhaps the just desserts of the rich, white establishment class as she herself sits in her large house in a tony neighborhood.

i suspect that's about right.

there are few things more pathetic than aging hippies living the good life who are absolutely unrepentant about the violent and loathesome acts of their earlier days.

[camping!]

Originally Posted by fatchance2005

I have not argued the nobility of the Weather Underground. I have said that a citizen in this country should not be punished unless he is found guilty of a crime. Another person having him as a friend should not be punished for that either. It is easy to set oneself up as judge, jury, and executioner and say "we don't give a damn about the Constitution, we hate him so he and all his friends should die". But that isn't America.

Did I say that? Did I condemn Ayers to death?
Nope, I didn't think I did.

But there is a difference in being found 'not guilty' and actually not being guilty. In Ayers own words (after he could no longer be held legally culpable, of course) he admits to past deeds...past deeds a court of law found him not guilty of. Things like bombings, planning bombings etc...

So, lets judge a person on what they themselves admit to, ideologies they themselves subscribe to. In Ayers case, it is an ideology of extremism and violence. Of course, he wasn't really serious back then when he advocated rich kids killing their parents {winkwink} just as his wife was only kidding when she admired the Manson killings {winkwink}.

And yes, a person is known by the company he keeps. I couldn't be friends with a fundementalist christian -- our views are just too different. I also couldn't and even more telling wouldn't be friends with a person that advocated violence as a means to an end. Whether that person was a sixities radical or a nineties radical is moot.