Are terrorists really satanic messengers come from hell just to destroy democracy? Are terrorists all horrible people who want nothing better than inflict pain on inocents? Or are they a brave people, who have the courage to die for what the believe in, fighting the invading enemy even though it will cost their lives. I understand that in a war it is the citizens job to hate the enemy, to never question a governments proclamation such as this, but really, are terrorists worse than anything else? They are strongly religious, they are brave and fight for what the see as right, and because in their eyes we are the enemies, and in ours they are, we seem to have forgotten that no one is a truly horrible person (well maybe Hitler but ...) they might be misguided but is it really up to us to decide who is wrong and who is right?

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Those are my principles. If you don't like them I have others.
Groucho Marx

It's up to God to decide who's wrong or right.

And yes, I agree with you when you say that people act according to their beliefs. But I have to ask myself, What kind of god will want any of us to kill and use fear and terror to spread the faith? Surely, not the God I know.

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"The greatest glory in life lies not in never falling but in rising everytime you fall"
Nelson Mandela

I don't think that the terrorist actions are trying to spread islam. I could be wrong, but it seems to me that the terrorist actions occuring all over Iraq are in retalliation against the US invasion. They are rather large pockets of resistence throughout the contry. And christianity allows killing if it is truly necessary. In the bible, in Ecclesiastes 3 there is a quotation "There is ... A time to kill and a time to heal..." I think if a people like the US invaded a country like them, it would definitely warrant such an act.

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Those are my principles. If you don't like them I have others.
Groucho Marx

I don't think terrorists are brave. I think they are bullies who strike at the least able to defend themselves. See the WTC, see the school children in Russia, look at the Bali bombing, look at the train bombing in Spain. In all these cases they were innocent people going to work, at work, at school or enjoying a night out. It seems to me that these people who some may think are brave I think are cowards. They don't fight their so called enemy they kill innocent. You can't negotiate with them you must destroy them. They are no more right than the Christians were during the crusades or the Nazis in Germany.

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Those who think they know everything, usually know the least.

They are definitely cowards. If they were brave they would not hide the way they do. They would not run away like they do. They don't stand face to face to fight. They do things, quietly and leave. Days later, they claim the attack. They are cowards. Bunch of trash.

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"The greatest glory in life lies not in never falling but in rising everytime you fall"
Nelson Mandela

THEY dont believe they are Satannic mesengers from hell. But destroying democracy is their goal. I havnt seen any exceptions so far.

Yes. They simply believe thier goals justify such behavior.

They want attention to their cause. Inflicting pain seems to be the easiest way to do that. Of course they dont consider their victims "innocent".

Hate is irrelevant. It is a war of ideology. They are products of their environement; if we have no common frame of reference, there cant be any real hate IMO. Do you hate a rabid dog for trying to bite people? To do so is not rational...of course the rabid dog will try to bite you.

Their ideology is a source of oppression and suffering. That is why they have to be defeated and brought under control. The terrorists themselves are merely a vehicle for it. It is the ideology that needs to be dealt with.

Yes. Because they deliberately target innocent people. We dont do that.

Or they are simply insane and sadistic. Should we also respect Hitler for the same reasons?

Uhhh...why are you making an exception for Hitler? Wasnt he simply fighting for what he thought was right as well? That seems hypocritical to me.

If it is not up to us, why should it be up to them? Who are you to say who is "misguided"?

You make a post defending terrorists, saying that maybe we are judging them too harshly, and then judge them as "misguided" yourself in the very same post. That doesnt seem a little inconsistent to you?

This is an example of my problem with liberal ideology. They can rationalize anything.

How do you know what their goal is? They have hit everywhere, not just democracies, aren't you forgetting Russia?

How do you know all this? How can you say you know them? How can you say you understand their motives. You act as if you know everything about them, their hopes, their fears. We know nothing. We call them evil perhaps because we don't understand why they do things they do, but then it is we who are evil, we who judge without knowledge.

Terrorists don't always target innocents, they target the soldiers who have come to occupy their country. On September 11, 2001 they also tried to fly planes into the white house and the pentagon. And look what we did to many civilians in Iraq. Missiles that miss their targets and hit residential districts could be called negligence and said to be the fault of the US government.

It is not hypocritical, Hitler was a coward, he sent other men to their deaths while he stayed behind and lead the war from safety. He chose to commit suicide rather than face the punishment that is universally agreed that he deserved. Many of these terrorists give up lives with family and children so that they accomplish what they feel is right. He also manipulated the Germans in their time of need so that he could use Germany to fulfill his own plans.

You completely missed the point of that last sentance. I said "they might be misguided [u]BUT[\U] is it really up to us to decide who is wrong and who is right?" That means I am questioning that statement, I never said I believed. I said there was a possibility. MIGHT is also a key word there, you seem to have overlooked some of the more important ideas in that sentance merely to have something to gripe about

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Those are my principles. If you don't like them I have others.
Groucho Marx

Terrorists is to broader term. Personally i think Al Queda Doesn't have a just cause for using terrorism but terrorism can achieve.

BTW How does destroying democracy make them satanic messengers? Or even bad people? And Al Queda isn't trying to destroy democracy anyway.

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What's this i hear bed? Word has it you and Pam are sleeping together.

Do you know of any pro-democracy terrorists? Please show me one example.

Most of them want to establish theorcracies.

Umm...you do know Russia is a democracy now, right?

I watch the news. And not just American news.

By their actions.

I am not making any more assumptions than you are. You are making the assumption that they are brave and fight for what they think is right, for example. How do you know that?

Why would you not make that exact same argument for Hitler or modern day white supreamacist groups? Are you judging them unfairly as well?

Please re-read my original statement.

Please name one instance where we deliberately targeted civilians.

Negligence is still far different from deliberately targeting civilians. You really dont see a difference?

We go to great effort to avoid civilian casualties. By contrast, terrorist often target civilians intentionally.

How do you know that? Do you know all his hope and fears?

So yes, it is very hypocritical. You apply your standard to terrorists, but not to Hitler.

And suicide bombers are differnt because...?

You mean like Osama Bin Laden is manipulating Muslims now?

You seem to have answered your own question by condemning Hitler...

Sorry...I dont buy your semantic loopholes.

I disagree. I have not seen any evidence at all that they are in favor of democracy in any form. Democracy allows for new ideas. Al-Qaida doesnt like new ideas.

Does anyone have any evidence at all that there are pro-democracy terrorists?

I don't think that terrorists were sent here by Satan (but that may have more to do with the fact that I am an atheist more than anything else), but they are not brave nor noble. Terrorists are pissed off cowards and nothing more. They know they have no real power, so they aim to disrupt to make people recognize them. It's not too much different than the 4 year old throwing a tantrum. 'Cept the 4 year old doesn't strap a bomb to themselves and run into a crowded market place to blow up civilians. I think that we can call them evil based on their actions. Selfish and cowardly, they attempt to strike the weakest portions of society to try to get people to listen to their (*)(*)(*)(*)(*)ing. They are so upset at the fact that no one gives a rats ass about their cause that they are willing to kill civilians and children to try to get people to sit up and take notice. The problem may be that by getting us to sit up and take notice may entail chucking some bombs their way. F**k terrorists, they're a bunch of childish asses.

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WAR IS PEACE
FREEDOM IS SLAVERY
IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH