Terrorists and Iraq

[Cheaperhols]

Hi all

Do you think that we should remove the word terrorists from the news media, so that a news story would read for example "A group in Iraq has kidnapped anther American contractor" thus removing all ref and reducing the Kudos these cowards glean from being part of XYZ Group.

** The poor sods murdered in Iraq are not behead Samurai-style, but with a carving Knife, the sick twats **

Or we could have them say "Cowards have set off a car bomb in Washington" i mean who wants to be in a group that is constantly being refered to as Cowards or A GROUP

[Helen F H]

Originally Posted by Cheaperhols

Or we could have them say "Cowards have set off a car bomb in Washington" i mean who wants to be in a group that is constantly being refered to as Cowards or A GROUP

Im sure Bren will be along soon with a 500 word post, but here is my 2p.

When i used to work with kids you used to get the occasional bully. He/she would take it upon themselves to make other kids lives hell. So i would tell the bully off, make their lives hell, but in reality sometimes it just didnt work. So i began to tell the victims to call the bully a freak. Every time they did or said something they didnt like, then the word "FREAK" would echo around the lake where we worked. Strangely the bully stopped quite quickly. The bully was quite pleased with the label "bully" but certainly not happy with "Freak".

So playing with the semantics can be quite effective, if only on a small scale. How this would translate onto the bigger scale of things i have no idea.

The best quote i ever heard was from the gulf war mk 1. "Nuke em till they glow then shoot em in the dark".

[Driftwood]

My missus, being of the Irish persuasion, had a certain regard over the jouralistic interest in Drumcree et al. during Silly Season (12th July onwards)

If the media were not there to show the world how hard done by the various groups were d'you really think they'd all be stood in the rain lambasting each other?

No. Theid bang their drums, do their march and that would be it over. It would lose it's potentcy and would diminish in malevolence to the point no one really noticed it.

So, if all the al Quaida propoganda didn't get broadcase (hostage taking, bombings) would it still be as effective a weapon of terror?

[turbanator]

Originally Posted by Cheaperhols

** The poor sods murdered in Iraq are not behead Samurai sTyle but with a carving Knife the sick twats **

Agree with the use of 'murder' over 'executed'.

If I was being held, I'd prefer the area carpet-bombed rather than wait for that and the interminable negotioations which I feel may come to nothing.

[Conor]

Taking away their media coverage may remove the success of their activities, but does this mean they stop doing it ? or maybe they scale up and do bigger and more horrific things until things do get into the media ?

Changing the wording from terrorist to murderers or execution to murdered would not nescessarily have any impact on the groups in question, cos frankly they don't care what the people in this country think about them, as long as people are talking abouty the cost of the war and their word is being spread in the Arabic theatre.

Conor

*side issue but... keep in mind that these people are fanatical about their religion and I believe it is the religion that prescribes the method of execution, not the terrorist looking for a more horrific ending*

[turbanator]

Originally Posted by camdiver

*side issue but... keep in mind that these people are fanatical about their religion and I believe it is the religion that prescribes the method of execution, not the terrorist looking for a more horrific ending*

Not sure that there is a 'humane' way of beheading someone, but I thought in legal executions beheading was done with a sword.

[chrisch]

With all due respect its too broad a question. The term terrorist refers to the use of terror to achieve a "goal". The terrorists in Iraq are terrorising the US troops in the hope they depart. Whether they derive any positive feelings from the label I do not know.
The US bombing of Afganistan could see the USAF equally labeled from one perspective.

I think Conor has the nearest to it. The Iraqi terrorists attacking the occupying forces are driven by a frame of reference we, here in the West, do not fully understand. As such I describe them as "fanatics". Cowards? maybe, wankers? nowhere near enough vitriol. I really don't have adequate language to express my disgust.

Irrational, fanatical belief that devalues other human beings is something to fight where ever it originates from.

Chris

[Mr T.]

Originally Posted by turbanator

Not sure that there is a 'humane' way of beheading someone, but I thought in legal executions beheading was done with a sword.

'Judicial' execution, in Saudi at least, is done with a sword.

Most Arab/Islamic countries, however, hang those sentenced to death and have done for centuries.

[Conor]

I thought that was what was being done? Sorry haven't watched the videos (don't want to add to the propaganda ...and its a bit twisted) and haven't been keeping up to date with the current ones, I thought the previous executions where done with an arabian sword.

[turbanator]

I agree about the propaganda issue, but the recent murders were not done with a sword.