Comments on: Siloviki

By: Lance

Lance — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 23:22:46 +0000

To expand upon Chris’ response, we are not blaming the victim. When terrorists purposely set up amidst civilians, which the PLO, Hezbollah and Hamas most certainly do, it is the civilians who are the victims. What we are saying is most certainly not nonsense, it is a purposeful tactic of some combatants. Israel most certainly does not do that, its enemies purposely target civilians, not military targets purposely locating in residential buildings as in the case of Israel’s antagonists. By identifying civilians so closely with the terrorists in their midst you blur what is really going on. So the “Palestinian people” are not the guilty party, the terrorists are. You can express your moral dudgeon all you want, the fact is these organizations do do exactly what is claimed. You can excuse it, justify it or condemn it. Denying it just makes you naive.

If you are claiming the Ossetian combatants haven’t been doing that, maybe so, Michael is just reporting what was said. However, stomping your feet and making the kind of statement you do is just burying your head in the sand. If it isn’t true in this instance argue it with facts and references. The victims deserve to have the guilty fingered.

By: ChrisB

ChrisB — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 20:57:53 +0000

Saying that terrorists of any kind “set up firing points in civilian areas” for “gleefully parad(ing) the bodies of (their) own children in front of the television cameras” is the same nonsense as saying that Israelis want to be bombed to show the world they’re victims and their policies are fine, or saying that kidnapped people want to be kidnapped just to gain notoriety.

but no one is saying that or comparing them to those made up scenarios. It was a pretty specific comparison of placing military targets in civilian populations to either hide behind civilians or to propagandize any resulting civilian casualties.

By: Versio

Versio — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 22:56:51 +0000

Lance:

Saying that terrorists of any kind “set up firing points in civilian areas” for “gleefully parad(ing) the bodies of (their) own children in front of the television cameras” is the same nonsense as saying that Israelis want to be bombed to show the world they’re victims and their policies are fine, or saying that kidnapped people want to be kidnapped just to gain notoriety.

Absurd. Nonsense. Bullsh*t.

In this particular case, saying that Osetians wanted to be bombed down for the cameras is plainly shallow, given that no media reports form Ossetia. Surprinsingly, for Western media every victim is Georgian.

I cannot stand the people who blame the victim. Never.

By: Lance

Lance — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 15:08:43 +0000

Uh, Versio. Could you enlighten us lesser beings as to what is so wrong about that particular statement? Are you denying that this is what terrorists do? Or, are you saying it doesn’t apply in this case? Inquiring minds would like to know.

By: MichaelW

MichaelW — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 14:20:47 +0000

Versio:

Do you really expect to be taken seriously with condescending remarks like that?

By: Versio

Versio — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 08:38:48 +0000

“It is a fundamental principle of terrorists the world over — set up firing points in civilian areas and then when your enemy fires on you, you gleefully parade the bodies of your own children in front of the television cameras.”

With all due respect: this is crap.

It’s definitely impossible to take into account anything said by someone capable of thinking this kind of sh*t.