Terrorists Lie

Bruce Tefft via Isralert.com alerted us to a speech delivered by Donald R. Hamilton, Deputy Director at the National Memorial Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism (MIPT). Hamilton delivered the speech in Bogaota, Columbia on Feb. 23, 2005 at the Second International Conference on Terrorism. The subject of his speech? Terrorists lie. He then goes on to list these lies.

1) "We must eradicate the 'root causes' of terrorism."

The author discusses his fury when a pastor asks him what happened to a particular young man to make him do such a horrible thing (bombing Istanbul's main synagogue in 1986)?

"That young man murdered 22 people while they were praying,praying; he burned some of them alive! You want me to worry about what happened to him? I don't give a damn about what happened to him and neither should you! Pray for his victims! Let him go to hell!"

Can't argue with that! But the author wondered what happened to the pastor to make him worry about the murderer rather than the victims. He realized that the pastor believed the "root cause" lie, the one that implies terrorism is an "effect" of some "cause."

The terrorist has decided that the shortest path to his political goal is terrorism. He has passed over democratic elections, passive resistance, and armed struggle against others in arms. He has chosen to target the defenseless and the innocent.

The author then quotes a UN document title from 1972 which feeds this thinking, illuminating perhaps yet another reason why the UN just doesn't get it. He also points out the fact that many terrorists (think Osama) come from rich families. He says terrorists love when you believe this because then you are ready for lie #2....

2) Terrorists are soldiers in a revolution

He addresses the freedom fighter nonsense that so many people around the world love to buy into.

Terrorists are different from revolutionaries and freedom fighters because terrorists target the innocent. Terrorists select women, children, airline passengers, office workers, worshipers and others uninvolved in combat and, generally speaking, incapable of defending themselves.

He's got that absolutely correct. Terrorists target innocents! There's nothing heroic or freedom-seeking in that. He adds a thought that is genius in its knife-penetrating exactness:

When we fail to recognize the distinction between warfare and terrorism, we strip soldierly dignity from those who protect us from barbarism and award it to murderers.

And we can not do that. That is betraying all the incredible actions of our servicemen and women.

3) "Terrorism is a word made up by oppressive regimes"

He points out that rebellion takes many forms without becoming terrorism. But all of this leads to what he calls the biggest lie of all:

The greatest lie, which all terrorists tell the world and themselves, is that some political outcome is more important than recognizing and honoring the humanity of each and every person.

That succinctly explains what separates us from them -- we care about life. The terrorist does not.

And they tell lies to bamboozle us into questioning ourselves rather than concentrating on efforts to defeat them. We all need to wise up and make sure we keep our eyes on the prize -- freedom.