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From: simard@loral.UUCP (Ray Simard)
Newsgroups: net.politics
Subject: Re: Re: Schultz on International Terrorism
Message-ID: <616@loral.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 4-Nov-84 14:42:31 EST
Article-I.D.: loral.616
Posted: Sun Nov  4 14:42:31 1984
Date-Received: Tue, 6-Nov-84 06:26:09 EST
References: <508@tty3b.UUCP> <117@ut-sally.UUCP> <2760@ucbcad.UUCP>
Reply-To: simard@loral.UUCP (Ray Simard)
Organization: Loral Instrumentation, San Diego, CA
Lines: 30
Summary: 

In article <2760@ucbcad.UUCP> faustus@ucbcad.UUCP writes:
>I found Schultz's announcement of a US policy to fight terrorism with
>terrorism (never mind the cost to innocent civilians caught in the crossfire)
>horrifying.  What does he think that we are defending that is valuable enough
>to justify our sinking to the level of the worst of our enemies?

	Terrorism, by definition, uses terror and intimidation to achieve
an end.  The implication here is, the terrorist places his "cause" above
the lives of people.  Such people are fanatically attached to their cause.

	One of the chief encouragements for terrorists is the perception
that their opposition will be bound by the principles of common decency
and human rights.  To the terrorist, then, the opposition is fighting
with the proverbial hand tied behind its back.

	If that perception is weakened, by statements such as Schultz's,
there may be less such encouragement.  I agree totally that such scenarios
are horrifying, but terrorism, particularly modern
high-tech terrorism, is a very nasty problem to address.  Playing by
Queensbury rules while the opposition does not is hardly a way to 
prevail over it.

	I don't claim to have an answer, but I can understand both
Mr. Schultz's position, and the writer to whose article I'm responding.
-- 
[     I am not a stranger, but a friend you haven't met yet     ]

Ray Simard
Loral Instrumentation, San Diego
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