Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!mcnc!duke!rjn From: rjn@duke.UUCP (R. James Nusbaum) Newsgroups: talk.politics.misc Subject: Re: South Africa Terrorizes Southern Africa Message-ID: <8687@duke.duke.UUCP> Date: Wed, 8-Oct-86 12:25:55 EDT Article-I.D.: duke.8687 Posted: Wed Oct 8 12:25:55 1986 Date-Received: Sat, 11-Oct-86 11:01:04 EDT References: <8556@duke.duke.UUCP> <117200040@inmet> <8673@duke.duke.UUCP> <1069@ucbcad.BERKELEY.EDU> Reply-To: rjn@duke.UUCP (R. James Nusbaum) Organization: Duke University, Durham NC Lines: 79 In article <1069@ucbcad.BERKELEY.EDU> hijab@cad.Berkeley.EDU.UUCP (Raif Hijab) writes: >In article <8673@duke.duke.UUCP> rjn@duke.UUCP (R. James Nusbaum) writes: >>> >>>A terrorist attempts to foment TERROR -- he attacks the civilian >>>population because it is a good way to do this. If you were to >>>tell him (authoritatively) that a bomb in given place wouldn't >>>harm a soul, he'd choose another target. He's after terror, not >>>demolished buildings. >> >>The connotation of calling someone a terrorist is in my mind to say that >>they are wrong or bad. After all the President says we are going to 'wipe >>out terrorism' not wipe out Arab terrorism. I believe the commonly accepted >>meaning of the word is that of unjustified violence against innocents. >>In my opinion to place this label on the ANC is to say that they are wrong >>in their fight for freedom. > >I am a strong supporter of the right of the ANC to fight against their >white oppressors. However, I am disturbed by the lack of sensitivity in >the U.S. for the opression of the Palestinians by the Israelis. Their >suffering is somehow less important, less weighty on the conscience. > >Yes, there has been a lot of Palestinian terrorism, much of it senseless, >useless acts of desperation. But the Palestinians did not start it, nor >are they the only terrorists around. In particular, the Israelis are >guilty of terrorism, BY THE SAME DEFINITION GIVEN ABOVE -namely, >fomenting TERROR by attacking civilians. The difference is that they >hit refugee camps and call them terrorist bases, and destroy villagers' >homes "to teach them a lesson." YES, a government with a standing army >can be as much a terrorist as an extralegal gang of desperate young men >(or women). > >The Palestinians have their terrorists, as does the ANC. But so do the >Israelis and the Afikaaners. Does the terrorism negate the truth about >right and wrong? about just and unjust? Why is it that the same person >who will defend the right of blacks in South Africa to fight racism, >is squeamish about defending the same right for the Palestinians? I was wondering when someone would bring this up. As I mentioned earlier, I believe that there is a basic difference between the goal of Palestinian groups and South African black groups. As far as I know the Palestinians have never made any attempt at peaceful settlement. They resorted to violence immediately. I believe that it is the goal of the Palestinians to completely get rid of the Jews. They make no attempt to negotiate, in fact they won't even recognize Israel as a country. Their goal is not to coexist, but to remove. Now many might say that this is also the objective of the blacks in South Africa, but I don't think that is true. The ANC clearly states that it wants a government for everyone without racial discrimination of any kind. I don't really think that Arabs in Israel are repressed to a degree anywhere near the level of blacks in South Africa. As far as I know (and please correct me if I am wrong) there are no laws that require discrimination against Arabs. I think Arabs are represented in the Israeli government. I am not a supporter of Israeli policy. I think their actions in Lebanon are without merit whatsoever. They are as guilty of terrorism as those they are fighting against. This does not excuse Palestinian terrorists of the brutal killings of totally innocent people. The Jews in Turkey, France, Rome and other places had absolutely nothing to do with Israel. The killings were perpetrated against people merely because of their religious beliefs. This would be like the ANC killing whites in Europe and America simply because they are white. If the ANC starts doing that then they will certainly lose my support. Personally I see very few similarities between the Palestinian plight and that of South African blacks. I sympathize with the injustice done to the Palestinians when they were not given the chance to rule their homeland, but I believe they are motivated strongly by religious intolerance and hate. Jim Nusbaum -- R. James Nusbaum, Duke University Computer Science Department, Durham NC 27706-2591. Phone (919)684-5110. CSNET: rjn@duke UUCP: {ihnp4!decvax}!duke!rjn ARPA: rjn%duke@csnet-relay