(no subject)

[jfb]

The front page of the San Francisco Chronicle today said: WAR TURNS TO TERROR. The story was about the guy who drove a taxi into a U.S. Army checkpoint and blew it up, killing four soldiers and himself.

Listen, every life is precious. I hate that four of our soldiers died trying to help a presumed civilian . I hate that one of their soldiers died, too, even though he was clearly, how do I say this, not a good guy.

But what does "turns to terror" mean? There's no universal agreement on what terrorism is, but it usually seems to involve non-state actors, civilian targets, intent to coerce through fear, that sort of thing. Driving a bomb into an invading nation's military installation is a guerrilla tactic, but it's not terrorism. It's just war. Stupid, bloody, dirty, awful, awful war.

Comments

[randomdreams.livejournal.com]

It was terror because the dead, decapitated, blood-soaked bodies were wearing US insignia. If they're wearing Iraqi uniforms, there's absolutely no terror whatsoever.

[greyaenigma.livejournal.com]

Haven't you people been reading your memos? Do you need a trip to the re-education camps?

Terrorism is when Americans are hurt or inconvenienced by foreigners. (People of a different color, language or religion.) Timothy McVeigh was an honorary foreigner for this purpose and so is/would be the anthrax person(s).

Bush and company are exempt because they hold the keys to the tanks.

[catherinef.livejournal.com]

they dont have many other choices besides guerilla tactics, really.

[greyaenigma.livejournal.com]

There was actually an interesting piece of commentary on NPR this weekened saying basically that the rules of war (including the Geneva convention) favor the stronger forces. No great surprise there, but he also pointed out that the American Revolution was fought as a guerrilla war, which is good to keep in mind.

Another commentary was listing which was this was lasting longer than in the Middle East region -- the various wars against Israel, the ground war in the first Gulf War -- which helps explain the stalling tactics in Iraq. For every day they hold off the US invasion (which is how is it perceived everywhere else in the world), Iraq and Hussein (if he's still alive) win a sort of moral victory, even if they're sending wave upon wave of people to be slaughtered in the process. It helps explain why there's still resistance despite overwhelming force. That and the loving one's homeland thing.

I also keep wondering if Bush and gang exactually believe their hype, that this is a war of liberation and they were expecting the people to welcome our troops with open arms and joyous hearts.

[pobig.livejournal.com]

This reminds me of Avram Davidson and Ward Moore's Joyleg, about a Revolutionary War veteran who by some freak of circumstance survived to the 1950s, only to be set upon by a McCarthy-era inquisitor, who applies all the modern rules of war to make him out to be a pirate, mercenary, and even a traitor.