I consider Mexico’s drug cartel killers “narco-terrorists”—even though they don’t espouse a political or religious philosophy. The drug lords have mounted a sustained, determined and murderous campaign to terrorize civilians and subvert the rule of law. Over in Israel the line between crime and terrorism is less clear. To wit: IDF nabs terrorist butchers of Jewish family at israeltoday.co.il. “Reenacting the murder, the young suspects told security officials that they infiltrated Itamar at around 9 PM armed with knives. They proceeded to enter a home that was empty and stole an M-16 rifle that they found there . . .
The killers then broke into the Fogel home, found the bedrooms of 11-year-old Yoav Fogel and 4-year-old Elad Fogel and stabbed them to death. They then entered the parents’ bedroom, where they struggled with and overcome Udi and Ruth Fogel.
After exiting the house, Amjad told officials that he could not resist the urge to go back in and kill 3-month-old Hadas Fogel, who was left crying amidst her parents’ blood.
Amjad also said that had he known there were two other children sleeping in the house, he would have killed them, too.
It gets worse . . .
Following the attack, the youths returned to their nearby village and informed various family members of their villainous deed. An uncle helped hide the knives, burn the bloody clothes and get rid of the M-16 rifle they had stolen. Other family members helped cover up the murder in other ways.
Security officials believe the Awwad boys acted on their own volition, and were not following the orders of an established terrorist organization, though they were widely praised by such organizations.
Israel has been facing an increasing phenomenon of young Arabs engaging not only in stone throwing, but cold-blooded murder. Security officials and Israeli lawmakers have attributed the trend to poor parenting, to put it lightly, and have noted that Palestinian parents are more often than not ready to help their children cover up such crimes, rather than discipline them.
It is also important to note that Palestinian society views the killers of Israeli Jews, and especially Israeli “settlers,” as national heroes, increasing the motivation to engage in such violence.
The Obama administration was quick not to call Nidal Malik Hasan a terrorist. Why? Isn’t any spree killer who kills based on some established dogma is a terrorist? Even Jared Lee Loughner had some weird ass belief system underpinning his crime. What’s your definition of terrorist and does it matter to you?
If my enemy calls the killers “freedom fighters,” then they’re terrorists. Otherwise, they’re just nuts (Loughner) or gangsters (Los Zetas). And whether they’re freedom fighters, terrorists, nuts or gangsters, if the vicitims don’t care then neither do I.
Drugs are a center of violence for the EXACT same reason guns are touted as such. When you ban a device, substance, or activity, it will ALWAYS be taken up by the criminal element, and will always cost lives, bring misery, and prod politicians to further erode everybody’s rights.
The cartels draw their power and wealth directly from the fact that drugs are illegal, and denying this is exactly what the anti-gunners are doing when it comes to firearms ownership.
You’ll always stand alone, until you respect the rights of others.
Absolutely terrible. I am against drugs in general but why not just make them completely legal in the US. I am probably missing some major consequence but common we baby everyone here. You cannot do this, or that, or this. Just let everyone be free as we should be with just the necessity of laws such as do not kill, rape, steal, etc. Of course some politician would do what has happened already in the US and add tons of laws and give out free subsidies to everyone.
Just sick to my stomach to read a story like this, sadly they are all to common.
The “DC Sniper” team were apparently doing the Jihad thing, which was vastly underreported by the media.
Apparently using a truck bed as a moveable “hide” came right from an Al Quaeda manual.
Terrorists are those that target and murder innocent victims – non-combatants – in cold blood. Plain and simple.
I think it’s more interesting to look at the many different rhetorical uses of the word ‘terrorist’. It really is one of the most useful tools available to every government around the world.
the murder of most of the Fogel family is so sick, the jihadists teenagers that murdered these children are not only criminal, but will also be responsible for the retaliation that the IDF will justly bring to their front doors. The Israeli teen that was wounded in an rpg attack last week died also. Is this how the hamas and plo terrorists think they will get ahead? Thankfully this will further inhibit their influence in the UN. for now.
First, I want to make clear that I totally and absolutely reject moral equivalency arguments, such as “one man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter.”
That being said, I think the definition of a “terrorist” is actually quite simple.
If you use terror as a weapon, you’re a terrorist.
Now, here’s precisely and exactly what I mean by “terror.”
Using terror as a weapon means you purposely target non-combatants with no strategic or tactical military value, whose deaths or injuries are useful only in the terror they generate.
Kill a civilian family in their home strictly for the terror value it creates? Terrorist.
Bomb the Ruhr Valley during a declared war to deny power and water to military production and capability? Not terrorism.
Chop off civilian Nick Berg’s head with a big knife just so you can make a terror-inducing video? Terrorist.
Target an insurgent like Zarcawi because he’s leading active operations against your military? Not terrorism. He’s a combatant.
Blow up old ladies and babies in strollers at a sidewalk cafe or on a bus just to because killing old ladies and babies causes fear and terror? Terrorism.
To get really down to it, the guys who suicide-bombed the USS Cole are not terrorists in the strict definition. They specifically targeted a valuable military asset. Please be clear, I am neither praising nor lauding the jihadist scum who blew up the USS Cole. That was an overt act of war, and to call it mere terrorism diminishes both the significance of the attack on the USS Cole and the recognition of what the jihadists intend and want.
The so-called “DC Snipers” who killed random people in Maryland and Virginia with no clear rhyme or reason? Terrorists. John Muhammad said, repeatedly, that his goal was to instill fear and terror.
The definition of “terrorist” comes down to the target selected and the reason it is selected. If the target has legitimate military value and there are strategic reasons to select the target, it’s not terrorism, it’s war. The tough part anymore is getting Americans to realize when an act of war has been committed against them, and exactly all that an act of war means and entails.
If the target is selected merely because hitting it will cause fear and terror, and not for specific military goals and objectives, then it’s terrorists and terrorism.
One more thing. I wouldn’t call Hasan a “terrorist” either. Maj. Hasan is more accurately described as a traitor who committed an act of war on behalf of the enemy.
Calling him a “terrorist” again diminishes and confuses the issues involved with Hasan’s dastardly attacks against the US military, in whose ranks he was serving at the time of his traitorous act of war.
Roy – thanks for the lucid comments. Indeed, the bombing of USS Cole was an act of war, not terrorism. Now, to be polemic, where does Operation Cast Lead fit? I think it’s pretty clear.
Terrorists are nothing but lowlife cowards who kill innocent people. We need more Jack Bauers to handle these fools in the manner that they truely deserve to be treated.
Uh, JOE, you do know Jack Bauer is a fictional character, right? He’s not real like, say, Captain America.
Slightly off topic, but a friend of mine likes to say about the “religion of peace” that “They kill the Jew on Saturday, the Christian on Sunday, blacks and everyone else the rest of the week. Then they kill each other. When everyone on earth is dead, we will have peace.”
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