Principles of Terrorism

Charles Davis noted on Sunday President Obama’s statement on the act of terrorism committed by a man shooting up a Sikh temple in Oak Creek, Wisconsin. The President “mourn[ed] this loss which took place at a house of worship” and killed six people. By contrast, Davis writes, Obama did not mourn a similar act of terrorism he committed in a drone strike which “hit a village mosque” in Pakistan and killed “at least ten people.” Davis sums up the moral of the story: “Whether or not massacring people in a house of worship as part of a self-styled ‘war on terror’ is morally right or wrong depends on geography.”

Today, Glenn Greenwald noted a savage suicide bombing in southern Yemen in which a member of Al Qaeda attacked “a funeral service attended by members of civilian militias,” killing up to 45 people. Those sadistic Islamo-fascists! Except that, as the Bureau of Investigative Journalism has documented, “The CIA’s drone campaign in Pakistan has killed dozens of  civilians who had gone to help rescue victims or were attending funerals.” And as the New York Times reported in June 2009, US airstrikes “killed at least 60 people at a funeral” and “as many as 45 were civilians, among them reportedly ten children.” Glenn sums up the moral of the story: “the same act that is the hallmark of repulsive savagery when done by Al Qaeda, Assad, and the Hutaree militia is transformed into a moral and noble act when done by the Government of the United States of America.”

Two principles are evident in almost all discussion of US foreign policy: (1) acts of violence by people is “terrorism,” while acts of violence by the state is “foreign policy;” (2) acts of violence by Washington are justified to keep us safe, while acts of violence by other governments we don’t like are crimes.

16 thoughts on “Principles of Terrorism”

  1. Exactly right. We have no greater task than to expose this ugly double standard for the public. Thanks, John!

  3. I agree completely. We also must not forget one thing: "Terrorism" as amerikans use it does not mean what they have programmed the people to mean (people that just want to cause terror and hate us). The modern "terrorists" are those that want Amerika to leave them alone!! How hard is it for a supposed "free" nation to understand that?? Leave the world alone and you won't be "terrorized"…

  4. “Whether or not massacring people in a house of worship as part of a self-styled ‘war on terror’ is morally right or wrong depends on geography.”

  5. “Whether or not massacring people in a house of worship as part of a self-styled ‘war on terror’ is morally right or wrong depends on geography.”

  7. Principles of Terrorism is the great article, I hope I will follow al the rules and regulations of that and get the success to followed by all the people.

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