Just in: US hostage in Saudi Arabia has been executed

[RickM]

I'm not shocked but saddened....

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=564&e=1&u=/nm/20040618/ts_nm/security_saudi_dc

Apparently similar in method to Nick Berg.

[speeder]

That's horrible, but no surprise.

I just hope that they don't broadcast a video of it all over the place again, poor guy has a family.

[RickM]

Good point about a video. However, they like to push acts like this in our face.

[vash]

i hate this.

[Moses]

They clearly do not understand Americans. Our nation is clearly divided over our middle east involvement. If they would like to see a tougher US policy with broad popular support, they are taking the right steps.

[tabs]

This just a taste of whats coming...a world on Fire....

While I support our government to KILL these people and use ANY MEANS to stop these people...Torture, Murder....I also realize our policies whether it be a Democrat or Repblican in control of the government helps add fuel to the fire....

Unfortunately in Saudi...The Arabian Penisula...if the Royal Family...government is overthrown...an Islamic/Fundlementalist government will take it's place...much to our detriment...So our ideals of Freedom and democracy clash with the realities of making our daily bread.

[tabs]

In the ME there is NO RIGHT OR WRONG MOVE...there is no easy answer to the problem...the USA has conflicting interests in the region. Thats not even to address that the region is so fractious to begin with.

For every move on the chess board of ME policy, there are 3 reasons why it is a bad move...so how do you win in a situation like that? Nobody has yet figured it out...

[tabs]

So people get REAL....with a heavy bureaucratic hand...(the only way we can do anything) we are adding fuel to a fire that is going to sweep the world.

[BlueSkyJaunte]

"Execution" implies legally putting one to death.

This was sadistic terrorist murder.

[turbocarrera]

Execution only implies that in states where the death penalty is legal.

[dd74]

Originally posted by Moses
They clearly do not understand Americans. Our nation is clearly divided over our middle east involvement. If they would like to see a tougher US policy with broad popular support, they are taking the right steps.

Exactly wrong! They clearly do understand Americans. They understand we are divided over our middle east involvement, and they want to cause even more division.

Ultimately, they are taking the right steps to that division.

[tabs]

This is not to imply that murdering innocent people is justifable because they represent a specfic nationality...and your angry with the policies of that nation.

Further the underlying Religious beliefs let alone social and political structures have always been a cause of instability in the region (the 7th through the 15th centuries comes to mind).

Since any Turning of the Cheek is considered to be a weakness, and any kind of mediation is equally viewed.... the European and Liberal American approach to the problem is dysfunctional and the only solution is the use of force...put em down beofre they get a chance to put you down... because the fundlmentalist Jihady is beyond reasoning with by western means. .

[singpilot]

Lets reverse the situation for a second.

Lets fly in Tomahawk and destroy the big ****** rock in Mecca that is as
important to them as the twin towers were for us. If we happen to take out 2386 citizens while we do that... oops. So Solly.

Sokay, hows that feel?

I say it feels good. I am tired of this s#it.

[RallyJon]

What do you suppose the eventual effect will be of continuously kidnapping and killing Americans, covered eagerly and exhaustively by the media? How do you think ordinary people will react over time? What's the psychological effect?

I wasn't alive back then, but I've heard stories of WWII in America where, "the only good Jap is a dead Jap"

And then we read of ordinary Saudi citizens siding with the kidnappers and refusing to tell the authorities where to find them.

I fear for the future, with an American administration running out of options and a majority of the population who starts to not care one way or the other if the latest dead arabs are Al Chaida, their supporters/accomplices, or just some random folks who made the mistake of sitting on our oil.

[tabs]

While a Jihady may understand Western thought they view it as being one corrupt and two weak. Our very Idealism and Secular Freedom is the anthesis of what they want to achieve. They believe in a strict adherence to the Islamic beliefs which will creat a Utopian society. Justice will prevail if we only follow the will of Allah as proscribed by....The Jihady is not thinking about division in America they are on the rightous path to expunge what they view as being corrupt.

[djmcmath]

Vengeance always feels good. That doesn't make it right. The ideal principle is to stop and think about what you're doing, then do whatever it is for the right reasons. Of course, the question of "what to do" is the one that plagues us.

Division? I'd be interested in a quick Pelican poll, actually -- some of us fall into the "Terrorist murders in the mid-east make me want to pull out," and some of us will be the opposite -- "Terrorist murders make we want to kill them all." I'd be curious to find out how the division is split, just among us.

Dan

[RickM]

Originally posted by Moses
They clearly do not understand Americans. Our nation is clearly divided over our middle east involvement. If they would like to see a tougher US policy with broad popular support, they are taking the right steps.

I'm with Moses on this one. I think it brings out the anger in most Americans. Revenge is inspired by these actions.

[tabs]

It is a recent innovation that killing of innocent people in wartime is something to be avoided. Recent TV programs on the D-Day landings in 1944 stated that 12000 or so Innocent Frenchmen were killed due to bombing during the campaign. During WW2 and for 50 years afterwards nobody made any complaints not even the French...it was the cost of doing business. The bombing of Dresden in March of 1945, which was of no Strategic value militarily and the 100,000 German cilvilans killed were never an issue either...Sooner or later with enough American Heads being shown on TV will infuriate and/or put the fear of God into Americans and we will forget such nicieties in time of conflict or we will roll over and say please don't hurt us anymore.

[dd74]

Originally posted by singpilot
Lets reverse the situation for a second.

Lets fly in Tomahawk and destroy the big ****** rock in Mecca that is as
important to them as the twin towers were for us. If we happen to take out 2386 citizens while we do that... oops. So Solly.

This is an interesting concept, moreso than three or four months ago. Many Americans are tired of this war, and would like to get it over with. I'm not sure that many more would currently not support such an action. The problem is this:

1) these radicals are also within our borders and within our population. How do we deal with them w/o bringing harm to others who don't support them?

2) We've maintained a high road to how we rid the world of these people. Wouldn't firing indiscriminately within a country constitute exactly the route we said we were above?

That puts us in a sort of a Catch 22. Unfortunately, these fanatics know it.

[kumma]

It tragic for his family but not unexpected, I feel for them, especially now with the rabid heartless media hounding them at there home.

I just say let the USA be the ultimate terrorist. Not on a large-scale war like Iraq, but many small missions where special forces systematically take out key terrorist cells. Take a page from the Israelis and the Hamas Leader killing’s, which by use of helicopter fired missile launches are awesome. some new "leader" steps up to the plate they get killed that simple.

I realize this will never happen, too many Americans don’t have the stomach for acts like this. The terrorists are winning because they have the will to do what they believe is right, and they will win unless we wake up.