Carl Tyler's Blog

1 - I agree fully. We Americans often seem to think terrorism somehow began on September 11th, but much of the rest of the world has been dealing with it a good deal longer (and often a good deal more rationally, although not always).

2 - EXCELLENT point, Carl, and one of my massive pet peves, especially living in Boston, where many folks donate to the ira and seem to have no FUCKING idea what they're doing. When I was in my 20s, I went out w/ a guy who came from one of those third-generation Irish families who live in the Boston suburbs and are so very into being Irish yet are completely removed from anything that might have forced their grandparents to have to emigrate. Anyhow, he and his sister were once telling me, smugly, how when they were in a pub (here in Boston) they'd put some $$ in a hat that was being passed for the IRA. I said, "Well you know what? I hope your Mom's in Shannon Airport when the bomb that you bought goes off." And he was FURIOUS -- couldn't believe I'd say something so heartless about his mother, yada yada yada, and I was like, don't you fucking GET it? What do you think the IRA DOES with your $$? (No, he did not get it. Sad.)

3 - Um, to Carl's dad and nieces and nephews -- sorry for the gutter mouth.

4 - There's a rational way to deal with terrorism, Ben? Could you tell us more?

Placate them? Pretend they don't exist? Be nice to them and give them our lunch money for the rest of our lives and hope they don't beat us up?

Bomb the hell out of them until there's nothing left? Keep killing them and everything around them until there is no one left to be terrorists?

What's the answer, eh?

5 - Personally, I think the concept of "we don't negotiate with terrorists" is not working. History has never shown this approach to work. In Britain we used to hve that attitude with the IRA, then behind closed doors in secret meetings, conversations were started with the terrorists. In fact the Clinton administration was not viewed very highly because of this approach by Bill Clinton. But the fact remains, since these converstaions started, more happened to the Irish peace process than in the 30 years before.

Look what has happened in Israel since the Americans and Israelis stopped talking to the Palestenians. It seams obvious to me that a suicide bombing is a pretty desperate cry for help and a need for attention.

Do we really know what Al Queda want, is just a case of they want to kill us? Why do they hate us?

It's a chicken an egg, we wont talk to you until you stop killing us and we wont stop bombing you until you talk to us. It takes a brave person to take that step towards making the first move...

Damn I sound like a hippy, and I love planes and tanks.

6 - Jon
I think the point of Carl's original post was to point out the ambiguity in (some part of) America's attitudes towards terrorism. It's an old mantra, but true that one man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter. It's also true that "good" terrorism seems to be rewarded (e.g. Nelson Mandela).
But you are correct: there is no simple rational response towards terrorism, it's far too complicated for that.

However, it does stick in the British throat that Americans go on so much about the war on terror when so many were actively supporting the IRA for years.

Gareth