Hitchens on the Spanish Bombing

[Tony]

http://slate.msn.com//id/2097138/ ...full article

I can remember when I was a bit of an ETA fan myself. It was in 1973*, when a group of Basque militants assassinated Adm. Carrero Blanco. The admiral was a stone-faced secret police chief, personally groomed to be the successor to the decrepit Francisco Franco. His car blew up, killing only him and his chauffeur with a carefully planted charge, and not only was the world well rid of another fascist, but, more important, the whole scheme of extending Franco's rule was vaporized in the same instant. The dictator had to turn instead to Crown Prince Juan Carlos, who turned out to be the best Bourbon in history and who swiftly dismantled Franco's entire system. If this action was "terrorism," it had something to be said for it. Everyone I knew in Spain made a little holiday in their hearts when the gruesome admiral went sky-high.

 

[Hutch]

Another part of the same article.

It is tedious to relate the story of ETA's degeneration into a gangster organization that itself proclaims a fascist ideology of Basque racial uniqueness, and anyway one doesn't need to bother, since nobody any longer argues that there is a "root cause" of ETA's atrocities. In the face of this kind of subhuman nihilism, people know without having to be told that the only response is a quiet, steady hatred and contempt, and a cold determination to outlast the perpetrators while remorselessly tracking them down.

 

[a_unique_person]

Any organisation that uses violence to further it's ends becomes open to the risk that those who are best at violence will be the most successful in the organisation.

 

[Some Friggin Guy]

Crown Prince Juan Carlos, who turned out to be the best Bourbon in history

Better than Jack Daniels???

 

[The Don]

An organisation which kills people which then kills someone bad or unpopular does not suddenly become a power for the oppressed it is merely an organisation which has killed someone bad or unpopular

 

[Skeptic]

It is tedious to relate the story of ETA's degeneration into a gangster organization that itself proclaims a fascist ideology of Basque racial uniqueness, and anyway one doesn't need to bother, since nobody any longer argues that there is a "root cause" of ETA's atrocities. In the face of this kind of subhuman nihilism, people know without having to be told that the only response is a quiet, steady hatred and contempt, and a cold determination to outlast the perpetrators while remorselessly tracking them down.

Replace "ETA" by "PLO" and the statement stays just as true, complete with the fascist ideology references. But this doesn't stop AUP, "Fool", etc. to endlessly search for the "real cause" of their terrorists blowing up babies, and deciding it's "really" the jews' fault.

Of course, I'm being unfair: the PLO never degenerated into a gangster organization more interested in killing innocents than in a cause: it STARTED OUT as such an organization. The very first PLO attack, in 1962, was on civilians (farmer in a kibbutz, I believe) for no better reason than that they were jews.

 

[varwoche]

Replace "ETA" by "PLO" and the statement stays just as true, complete with the fascist ideology references. But this doesn't stop AUP, "Fool", etc. to endlessly search for the "real cause" of their terrorists blowing up babies, and deciding it's "really" the jews' fault.

So I take that you view life on the ground for the residents of the west bank and gaza as more or less peachy?

There is nothing to be gained by oversimplification.

 

[The idea]

Any organisation that uses violence to further its ends becomes open to the risk that those who are best at violence will be the most successful in the organisation.

Isn't it a relief that General Wesley Clark did not clinch the Democratic nomination for President of the United States? There was a man who was successful in a violent organization. Fortunately, John Kerry will reform the US military so that in will never again use violence to further its ends. All soldiers and marines will be replaced with lawyers. Tyrants and terrorists around the world will respect the awesome American vocal chords.

 

[aerocontrols]

All soldiers and marines will be replaced with lawyers. Tyrants and terrorists around the world will respect the awesome American vocal chords.

I think we'll continue to use our technological superiority.

We'll develop amplifiers that go to 12, surpassing even the famed British amps of yore.

 

[Mycroft]

Originally posted by varwoche
So I take that you view life on the ground for the residents of the west bank and gaza as more or less peachy?

There is nothing to be gained by oversimplification.

Except that the idea that terrorism comes from hardships in the West Bank and Gaza is itself an oversimplification.

 

[a_unique_person]

It is tedious to relate the story of ETA's degeneration into a gangster organization that itself proclaims a fascist ideology of Basque racial uniqueness, and anyway one doesn't need to bother, since nobody any longer argues that there is a "root cause" of ETA's atrocities. In the face of this kind of subhuman nihilism, people know without having to be told that the only response is a quiet, steady hatred and contempt, and a cold determination to outlast the perpetrators while remorselessly tracking them down.

Replace "ETA" by "PLO" and the statement stays just as true, complete with the fascist ideology references. But this doesn't stop AUP, "Fool", etc. to endlessly search for the "real cause" of their terrorists blowing up babies, and deciding it's "really" the jews' fault.

Of course, I'm being unfair: the PLO never degenerated into a gangster organization more interested in killing innocents than in a cause: it STARTED OUT as such an organization. The very first PLO attack, in 1962, was on civilians (farmer in a kibbutz, I believe) for no better reason than that they were jews.

Replace PLO with Israel, and you get a similar pattern.

 

[Grammatron]

Replace PLO with Israel, and you get a similar pattern.

Skeptic at least sited an example do you care to do the same or just throw out an unsupported claim?

 

[Mr Manifesto]

It is tedious to relate the story of ETA's degeneration into a gangster organization that itself proclaims a fascist ideology of Basque racial uniqueness, and anyway one doesn't need to bother, since nobody any longer argues that there is a "root cause" of ETA's atrocities. In the face of this kind of subhuman nihilism, people know without having to be told that the only response is a quiet, steady hatred and contempt, and a cold determination to outlast the perpetrators while remorselessly tracking them down.

Replace "ETA" by "PLO" and the statement stays just as true, complete with the fascist ideology references. But this doesn't stop AUP, "Fool", etc. to endlessly search for the "real cause" of their terrorists blowing up babies, and deciding it's "really" the jews' fault.

Of course, I'm being unfair: the PLO never degenerated into a gangster organization more interested in killing innocents than in a cause: it STARTED OUT as such an organization. The very first PLO attack, in 1962, was on civilians (farmer in a kibbutz, I believe) for no better reason than that they were jews.

Do you have a citation for this? I wouldn't normally ask, but you're a known liar. I wouldn't trust you if you said sh!t stinks and makes an awful mid-day snack.

 

[Skeptic]

Replace PLO with Israel, and you get a similar pattern.

Even you aren't stupid enough to believe this.

Proof? If you did, you'd be writing long explanations on how the "real reason" for anything bad israel did is the Palestinian's fault.

But you never do. When israel does something bad, it's israel's fault; when the Palestinians do something bad, it's israel's fault.

 

[Skeptic]

Do you have a citation for this? I wouldn't normally ask...

Of course you wouldn't; you swallow whole just about everything and anything anybody says--as long as it blames the US (or israel) for something.

...but you're a known liar. I wouldn't trust you if you said sh!t stinks and makes an awful mid-day snack.

As amazing as this may seem to you, I could not care less if you trust me or not.

 

[Skeptic]

Skeptic at least sited an example do you care to do the same or just throw out an unsupported claim?

It's AUP's modus operandi. Whenever defeated in an argument, he gets the "last word" in by some cynical, baseless one-liner, and leaves the thread.

 

[Mr Manifesto]

It's AUP's modus operandi. Whenever defeated in an argument, he gets the "last word" in by some cynical, baseless one-liner, and leaves the thread.

Beats lying.