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From: fsks@unc.UUCP (Frank Silbermann)
Newsgroups: net.followup
Subject: Re: Re: Terrorism Inc.
Message-ID: <330@unc.unc.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 16-Oct-85 15:20:13 EDT
Article-I.D.: unc.330
Posted: Wed Oct 16 15:20:13 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 20-Oct-85 07:42:54 EDT
References: <487@ittvax.ATC.ITT.UUCP> <34@unc.unc.UUCP> <417@stcvax.UUCP>
Reply-To: fsks@unc.UUCP (Frank Silbermann)
Organization: CS Dept, U. of N. Carolina, Chapel Hill
Lines: 42
Summary: 

In article <417@stcvax.UUCP> rlr@stcvax.UUCP (Roger Rose) writes:
>>
>>The sinking of the Greenpeace ship was NOT an act of terrorism.
>>It was an act of sabotage.
>>
>>Definitions:
>>	Sabotage -- Secret attack aimed at destroying of enemy property.
>>		    Unintentional civilian deaths may result as an unavoidable
>>		    (and undesired) side-effect.
>>
>>	Terrorism -- Intentional murder or kidnapping of civilians.
>>
>>	Frank Silbermann

>Why would anyone consider an international organization for peace,
>which has never initiated any acts of aggression, to be an "enemy"?
>Likewise, how does an unarmed ship, owned by such an organization,
>constitute "enemy property"?
>-- Roger Rose

Good point.  I would re-classify this killing as second degree murder.
An example of second degree murder would be killing a man during
a hold up.  That is, the murder was not premeditated, but merely
an unfortunate and unplanned by-product of a crime against property.

This is not quite so morally noxious as terrorism.  Terrorism is
first degree (pre-meditated) murder of civilians done for political
purposes.  Killing a helpless kidnap victim would be one example.

As an aside, when both attacker and attackee are soldiers in uniform,
then we are talking of plain warfare, which IS a valid political tool,
and should not be subject to the same moral outrage, even if some
civilian bystanders accidently get caught in the cross-fire and die.

On the other hand, soldiers who attack while wearing civilian clothes
violate the generally accepted rules of warfare, and should be put
to death when captured.  The Geneva Convention rules for humane
treatment of military prisoners protects only captured UNIFORMED soldiers.
Uniforms are necessary to warn civilians to try to get out of the way,
thus reducing the horror of warfare.

	Frank Silbermann