How Is The Fort Hood Attack "Terrorism?" If Attacking Military Troops Is "Terrorism" Isn't War Itself "Terrorism?"

News Type: Event — Seeded on Tue Nov 10, 2009 9:00 AM EST

Article Source: Salon.com

politics, terrorism, terror, fox, fox-news, joe-lieberman, hasan, glenn-greenwald, nidal-hasan

The incomparably pernicious Joe Lieberman said yesterday on Fox News that he intends to launch an investigation into "the motives of [Nidal] Hasan in carrying out this brutal mass murder, if a terrorist attack, the worst terrorist attack since 9/11." Hasan's attack was carried out on a military base, with his clear target being American soldiers, not civilians. No matter one's views on how unjustified and evil this attack was, can an attack on soldiers -- particularly ones in the process of deploying for a war -- fall within any legitimate definition of "terrorism," which generally refers to deliberate attacks on civilians?

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{"commentId":10592040,"authorDomain":"killfile"}

Killfile

Not that it doesn't suck that these folks were hurt and killed but why is it "terrorism?" Are we suggesting that any attack on US soil constitutes "terrorism?"

The only sane definition I can work out is that we're essentially saying that, no matter what you attack, if you're a non-state actor your attacks constitute terrorism. I suppose that's all well and good, but as weapons of increasing sophistication become available to non-state-actors the state monopoly on the use of force seems to be fast diminishing.

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#1 - Tue Nov 10, 2009 9:42 AM EST

{"commentId":10593349,"authorDomain":"Nic-24"}

Nic-24

This is not terrorism. It is a tragic event. It is mass murder. But it is not terrorism.

if you're a non-state actor your attacks constitute terrorism.

But as a member of the military, could he not be considered a state actor?

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#1.1 - Tue Nov 10, 2009 10:42 AM EST

{"commentId":10594262,"authorDomain":"devil1"}

DEVIL1

I praise Joe Lieberman for having the stones to call this piece of @!$%# what he is,A terrorist.You can buy all the PC definitions you want,Hasan did attack unarmed people.He knew they could not defend themselves in kind.I go with if someone attacks and kills in the name of their religion non combat personel and I don't care if they're wearing a uniform,unarmed.Then that's terrorism.If we send a drone in and blow up a alkiada stronghold thats war not terrorism but I hope the bastards were terrified.We need more guys like Joe L.

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1 vote

#2 - Tue Nov 10, 2009 11:22 AM EST

{"commentId":10595758,"authorDomain":"killfile"}

Killfile

if someone attacks and kills in the name of their religion non combat personel and I don't care if they're wearing a uniform,unarmed.Then that's terrorism

So the guy that shot George Tiller - the Kansas abortion doctor - is a terrorist?

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1 vote

#2.1 - Tue Nov 10, 2009 12:27 PM EST

{"commentId":10598537,"authorDomain":"devil1"}

DEVIL1

OK my first reaction was no but I think a guy that makes a living by grabing a baby by the legs pulling it half way out of the birth canal then shoving a pointed tube in its' head and sucking out the its' brain,should be allowed to continue his work.Good comparison,one guy goes and kills 13 people and wounds 31 others because his religion says if you die you'll get 72 virgins for killing the infadels that are doing nothing but their jobs.The other guy gets fed up with ONE man that kills babies in the third trimester so the parents won't be burdened and kills him.Yea your correct,both terrorists.I'm sorry for not seeing the closeness .

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1 vote

#2.2 - Tue Nov 10, 2009 2:15 PM EST

{"commentId":10604160,"authorDomain":"killfile"}

Killfile

Look -- I'm just trying to get you to come up with a definition of terrorism so we can distinguish it from other crimes.

Apparently your previous definition wasn't sufficiently narrow to exclude all the religiously motivated killers you sympathize with.

Ok... so now you have to be religiously motivated, attacking non-combat personnel, and you have to have killed more than one person ideally in one attack?

So... an abortion clinic bomber would qualify?

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2 votes

#2.3 - Tue Nov 10, 2009 5:50 PM EST

{"commentId":10605968,"authorDomain":"devil1"}

DEVIL1

OK the guy that wrote this is ,in my opinion, full of @!$%#.That said ,yea if you kill because your god told you to and you're going after unarmed people you are a terrorist.Also the majority of them happen to be muslims.The guy that went after the baby killer had a problem.Not terrorism.

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#3 - Tue Nov 10, 2009 7:30 PM EST

{"commentId":10606397,"authorDomain":"killfile"}

Killfile

But he killed an unarmed guy because his God told him to. Just because he's not Muslim that means he's not a terrorist?

{"commentId":10606397,"threadId":"720826","contentId":"3484828","authorDomain":"killfile"}

1 vote

#3.1 - Tue Nov 10, 2009 7:51 PM EST

{"commentId":10627513,"authorDomain":"devil1"}

DEVIL1

To me it's a poor comparison.This guy is a muslim terrorist.Well schooled by extremist islamists.Call him what he is.The entire religion is suspect until the good ones start dropping dimes on the bad ones.

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#3.2 - Wed Nov 11, 2009 8:12 PM EST

{"commentId":10657868,"authorDomain":"Nic-24"}

Nic-24

The entire religion is suspect until the good ones start dropping dimes on the bad ones

You cant be serious. To say that automatically invalidates any of your previous arguments. Not that I agreed with them to begin with, but once you negate an entire religion, any and every prior statement seems biased.

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#3.3 - Fri Nov 13, 2009 11:16 AM EST

{"commentId":10617236,"authorDomain":"bill-pitcher"}

Bill Pitcher

When a postal worker goes "postal" and kills co-workers in his workplace... is that a "terrorism attack" on America or a case of someone who snapped and killed the people he worked with?

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#4 - Wed Nov 11, 2009 12:14 PM EST

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KILLFILE

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How Is The Fort Hood Attack "Terrorism?" If Attacking Military Troops Is "Terrorism" Isn't War Itself "Terrorism?"

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