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From: west@sdcsla.UUCP (Larry West)
Newsgroups: net.politics
Subject: Re: Responding to Terrorism
Message-ID: <920@sdcsla.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 29-Jun-85 05:10:02 EDT
Article-I.D.: sdcsla.920
Posted: Sat Jun 29 05:10:02 1985
Date-Received: Tue, 2-Jul-85 06:37:40 EDT
References: <500@ttidcc.UUCP>
Reply-To: west@sdcsla.UUCP (Larry West)
Organization: UC San Diego: Institute for Cognitive Science
Lines: 65
Summary: 

In article <500@ttidcc.UUCP> ward@ttidcc.UUCP (Don Ward) writes:
>It seems that Israel, with their wealth of enemies in close proximity
>to their country, have amply demonstrated the value of responding to
>terrorist activities at a level sufficiently disproportionate to dis-
>courage future would-be terrorists.

That's funny, I hadn't noticed much of a long-term decline in the
number of terrorist actions against Israel.   But then you probably
only worry about an eye for an eye, and not about the future.

>				      Unfortunately, the USA doesn't
>respond at all.  It appears that our government is unwilling to act
>unless all rules of evidence and legal nicities are satisfied and thus
>encourages acts of violence.

Legal nicities such as finding those responsible and not killing
innocent people, which even that great moralist Ronnie Reagan
realizes is terrorism (well, except in Nicaragua, South Africa, etc.)?

>				All of our supposed military power is 
>worthless if those transgressing against our interests and citizens
>are convinced that we will not respond with force.

And how much is it worth if we knock off a few hundred thousand people?
Or maybe we should measure ideologies that we exterminate?

>						      I remember vaguely
>reading about a case during the presidency of Theodore Roosevelt (the
>good Roosevelt) where TR said, in effect, our guy alive or your leader
>dead.  

I suggest you try reading less vaguely.   The "good Roosevelt"?   Hmmm.
Well, I guess you must really enjoy imperialism.

>All this crap about "innocent" Shias makes me want to puke.  Are our
>citizens any less innocent?

People with weak stomachs should not get involved in politics.   It's
not for the faint-hearted.

You seem to be saying that since our citizens are "innocent", we should
feel free to visit retribution upon anyone else who is "innocent".   If
this is what you meant, I'd like to hear you defend it.

......

You appear to miss a major point of the hijacking, which is that
Lebanon is a mess and we've helped make it that way.   We can't
pretent to be an uninvolved bystander when we've been supplying the
arms and money that has been fueling the conflict there for over a
decade.   And we have no higher moral ground on which to stand,
considering our policies and actions in Nicaragua and South
Africa.   Or do you think that Nicaragua should threaten to bomb
the White House unless Reagan stops funding the CIA-backed
(-funded, -trained, -armed) terrorists in that country?

And my main point is that you can't just strike out at people
who have a cause.   You'll only create martyrs and breed more
determination and more drastic actions.
-- 

Larry West			Institute for Cognitive Science
(USA+619-)452-6220		UC San Diego (mailcode C-015) [x6220]
ARPA: 		La Jolla, CA  92093  U.S.A.
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