From: Jim Choate <ravage@ssz.com>
Date: Fri, 31 Oct 1997 08:24:52 +0800
To: cypherpunks@ssz.com (Cypherpunks Distributed Remailer)
Subject: Re: Terrorism is a NON-THREAT (fwd)
Message-ID: <199710310012.SAA20624@einstein.ssz.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text



Forwarded message:

> From: "William H. Geiger III" <whgiii@invweb.net>
> Date: Thu, 30 Oct 97 08:27:55 -0600
> Subject: Re: Terrorism is a NON-THREAT (fwd)

> Well THANK YOU Jim for joining forces with the Government NewSpeakers in
> bastardising the language. Military and Police actions by governments is
> NOT Terrorism!!

Yes, Bill it is. *ANY* use of violence for anything other than IMMEDIATE
SELF-DEFENCE is terrorism. Simply being on the *winning* side does not make
your actions any less terrorist. Any use of violence except in immediate
self-defence is in effect saying "do what I say or I kill you". THAT is the
definition of terrorism.

> Everything bad that happens is NOT Terrorism!! Just
> because it is politically expediant to call somthing Terrorism does not
> make it so! If you have a point then do so and let it stand on it's
> merrits rather than trying to win brownie points by stealing emotional
> value from an established lable. This is a shallow debating technique of a
> weak mind.

Bill, I have never done anything but been willing to let my views stand on
their own two feet.

> Exactly how many have died from Terrorist acts?? I contend that it is
> below 10,000 in the past ten years and more than likely closer to 2,000.
> Even at 10,000 we are only looking at most 50-100 Americans a year!!

Well, if we look at Jan. 1, 1900 as the starting date for our accounting I
would estimate that somewhere between 2 to 5 BILLION poeple have died due
to terrorist acts.

It doesn't make it right whether it is the Khmer Rhouge, SOG, Shinning Path,
The SLA, CIA in Laos or Columbia, Ruby Ridge, KAL 007, TWA 800, IRA, SDS,
Black Panthers, or some old lady in Ill. who wants to committ suicide.

When you kill or threaten somebody for what they believe or what they are you
are committing terrorism.

> The whole point of my orriginal message that you seem unable to grasp ("no
> suprise") is that 50-100 deaths/year does not justify turning this country
> into a police state!!

*NOTHING* justifies turning a democracy into a police state, that is the
WHOLE point to democracies in the first place; NOTHING justifies a police
state. Go back and read the Declaration of Independance again, you missed
something in previous readings.

If anything Bill, *you* are the one who has unwittingly (I hope) swallowed
their jism.

If you yank on a dogs chain and it bites you, it isn't the dogs fault.


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