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From: jla@usl.UUCP (Joe Arceneaux)
Newsgroups: net.followup
Subject: Re: Terrorism and TWA 847
Message-ID: <574@usl.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 25-Jun-85 18:47:43 EDT
Article-I.D.: usl.574
Posted: Tue Jun 25 18:47:43 1985
Date-Received: Thu, 27-Jun-85 06:23:31 EDT
References: <600003@ur-univax.UUCP>
Reply-To: jla@usl.UUCP (Joe Arceneaux)
Organization: University of (SW) Louisiana
Lines: 35
Summary: 

In article <600003@ur-univax.UUCP> stro@ur-univax.UUCP writes:
> What do other people out there think about the latest act of terrorism - 
> the hijacking (and kidnapping of the passengers) of TWA 847? What should
> be done? What can be done?
>...
>    the wworlds attention to their plight.  Commiting ANY crime for these
>    reasons ( or any reason) should not be tolerated - especially when people's
>    lives have been threatened.  Terrorists have come to know that if they 
>    threaten people's lives they can bargain with governments to get what they
>    want.  This only leads to more and more terrorism.  I believe Turkey is one

I agree in general with your attitude, however I'm not so sure about how I
would *really* feel if friends or relatives were on the plane.  I suggest
that rather than going in to try to kill the terrorists and quite probably
kill many hostages, we should take a few of the Shi'ite prisoners whose
release has been asked for, and threaten to KILL THEM unless the hostages were
released.  Preferably this could have been done out on the airport tarmac
for all to see.  After all, there are ~700 Shi'ite.  This strategy seems
more likely to be successful than a more direct approach.

>    The best solution would be, of course, to stop it at its root. Insted of 
>   ...
>    they want us out of there.  And why do we stay? what's so special about
>    Lebanon?  Why can't America just leave some countries alone? It's in our

I agree that our activities in some countries is highly unethical.  However,
another approach to stopping the problem near the root would be (assuming
that we had a highly effective intelligence organization) to destroy the
terrorist organizations covertly.  I'm not sure I agree with this strategy,
but it might well be effective.
-- 
				    Joe Arceneaux

				    Lafayette, LA
				    {akgua, ut-sally}!usl!jla