Seems like you can't go one day without hearing about some mental midget blowing himself up and murdering a few dozen folks who were just out for the daily shopping. Now we all know that this is a horrible and evil act* But the thing that I just don't understand is this: "Mr. Terrorist/rebel/"freedom fighter", how does this vile act advance your cause one inch? You have a gripe with the government? With a religion? With the big, bad USA? So you kill a bunch of women, children, average people. Does the government suddenly say, "Oh, all right then. You guys take over, we give up!"? Nope. Does the other sect (whose view of the 'true faith' only differs from yours by the position of a comma on page 751, so they are heretics and must die!) suddenly realize their horrible error and convert? Nope. Does George the thickey agree that American-style hypercapitalism is a mistake and order all corporations to close down their foreign operations? As much chance as a snowball in a supernova.
And now the big question: HAS A SINGLE TERRORIST OPERATION IN THE LAST 50 YEARS ACTUALLY ACHEIVE THEIR GOALS BY KILLING PEOPLE WHO HAVE NO CONTROL OVER THESE GOALS? Again, a resounding NO!
So, from a strictly practical point of view, it just doesn't work! The IRA finally figured that out after 75 years. To get what you want takes the real source of power: money. To paraphrase Tony Montana of Scarface, "First you get the money, then you get the power, then you get what you really want." Real political power takes money, and lots of it.
Strapping on a bomb and getting on the subway just won't do it.
That's my babbling rant for the day.
*I like to use the Terry Pratchett definition of evil: "Treating people like things". Treating them like vermin, cattle, expendable resources, etc. I think this can be found at the root of just about everything considered evil.
1 comment:
Great post!
I really think the only thing that goes through these people's minds (just before their butts, I mean) is that they're making the world a better place by eliminating some heretics. What I don't get is why they are so willing to forfeit their own lives in the process. You'd think, if you bothered to think at all, that remaining alive at least would give you that chance to kill more unbelievers.
Strange culture they have.
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