IraN

[DB_Hunter]

Although its always unsettling when you come across stories like this, you shouldn't be surprised that America is involved in terrorist activities. It needs these comparativley small operations to take place so that its wider colonial adventures in the world can occur. These sort of operations have been a vital part of US foreign policy since ages.

You have America as the main criminal, and then you get states like Pakistan who have effectivley been made nothing more than prostitutes by the tyrant rulers who lead them. Its support for rulers like these that breeds hatred for America amongst Muslims in the world.

Its a pity that a population as large as that of America is being brainwashed so easily by the gangsters and thugs who rule it against the Muslim world. Personally I don't think the situation will change in America from any internal forces, but rather an external influence is needed.

[Yukimura]

It's stuff like this that made me give up on a belief in absolute 'Justice' and things like that. It's much easier and realistic to just throw in behind a side and hope that they prevail over everyone else. That's what I see with this kind of thing. Conventional wisdom would call it hypocrisy to publicly bemoan the use of terrorist tactics to change people's ways, while supporting the use of those same tactics to change the ways of others.

The way I see it, the meaning of the word terrorism requires at least two parties, the actors and the target. And the word terrorism can only be applied by the target to the acts taken by the actors, any other use just doesn't make sense. If you grabbed a bunch of these CIA operatives they would never believe they were sponsoring terrorism, because by (my) definition no one can actually willfully commit acts of terrorism, they just commit acts against a target, and the target may deem those acts terrorism. When I applied this to the American 'War on Terror' it became the 'War on Terror (against America and her allies)'. This fit very well with what seems to be the goal...to stop any actions that might be taken that might be labeled as terrorism by the people of America. In the same way it is reasonable that Iran sees the CIA funding and aiding enemies of the Iranian government (which has been going on as far back as WWII) as supporting terrorism. But my definition, which probably isn't that far from the current administrations definition, that doesn't mean the American government is hypocritical for taking these actions, since, to America, nothing done by America can be considered 'terrorism (against America)'.

Now, this strategy can only be made to fit with the public if people could be made to stop believing in things like absolute right and wrong. If you think that there are some things that are simply wrong no matter the circumstances and you put 'terrorism' in that category then you have to be angry at pretty much anything but talk, because, from an 'absolute' perspective, taking action against a country to get that country to do what its government doesn't want is just terrorism.

Obviously this will never happen and plenty of people will disagree, which is why I think we should either pack up and go home staying out of everyone's business no matter what (including any and all genocidal despots), or just scorch the Earth until everyone that disagrees with us is dead.