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June 30, 2004
Terrorizing the First Amendment
Here's a fascinating example of people who just don't get it: The first time she felt numb. The second time she cried. Lillian Glass, a Beverly Hills psychologist, was stunned at the barbarity of terrorists beheading their hostages, right there on her computer screen. Equally surprising was how easily she found the video online.Hmmmm...... First of all, considering the war over phraseology, shouldn't I be called a "cyber extremist" and not a "cyber terrorist"? More seriously, I think that if Special Agent McGuire can't distinguish between terrorists and an outraged citizen showing the terrorists' handiwork to others, then something is very wrong with him, and the FBI. He seems unable to understand that there are people in this country who are living in such a state of denial about terrorism that they believe Americans are the real terrorists. They've been inundated with images of abu Ghraib, and have lost perspective. Obviously, there are squeamish people who should not watch beheading videos. Nor, obviously, should they watch the video of abu Ghraib atrocities under Saddam Hussein. So why on earth would they do so? And why would they blame the medium which made the videos available? For them to say that they have been "terrorized" when they've Googled a web site, downloaded a video and then watched it is preposterous. And I submit that if they feel terrorized, they ought to blame the terrorists who did the things depicted in the film. If they come here, they ought to bear in mind that I only did what they did; I found the video and downloaded it. I made it (and others) available for the reasons I have set forth here, here, here, here, and here. And here's some dean of journalism, trotted out to echo the control freaks who want to censor the Internet: Not everyone buys the explanation, posted by one website, that it aims to "discourage" terrorists by showing how evil they are. Tom Kunkel, president of American Journalism Review, called the justification a "fig leaf."Accessory to the crime by showing videos of the crime? I guess that means the Americans were accessories to Nazi war crimes by showing all the concentration camp footage all these years (including gruesome films of experiments on live prisoners made by the Nazis themselves). Does the History Channel know about this? As to the "explanation, posted by one website, that it aims to 'discourage' terrorists by showing how evil they are," I can't speak for others, but Kunkel completely misses the point (although curiously, and unlike most journalists, he uses the word "terrorist" instead of the de rigueur "extremist"). While it is true that the beheading videos show how evil the terrorists are, only a fool would claim that this would "discourage" them. The only way to discourage terrorists is to kill them, Mr. Kunkel! And if seeing that video helps fuel the warrior spirit which is required, then that's reason enough to help make it available. I can't speak for other blogs or web sites, but reading through the comments people have left shows that people are overwhelmingly outraged, horrified, and angry at the terrorists. Which they should be -- and this sense of outrage I don't think they'd get from watching the evening news or reading the daily paper. If that's what's being done to Americans, why shouldn't they be allowed to see it? And maybe -- just maybe -- if enough people are outraged and sickened, the cash won't flow as easily into terrorist coffers. There's evidence that even some of their supporters are sickened: according to Jim Dunnigan, The terrorists have learned that the beheading routine is counterproductive and even offends many of their own supporters. (Link.)How do you suppose the terrorist supporters became offended? If Special Agent McGuire and Dean Kunkel had their way, no one (except, I suppose, "the authorities") would have seen the videos. Just reports of heads being cut off. Stuff like that you can read in history books, or certain religious books. But seeing is believing. And context is everything. The beheading videos are unedited, and show the cruelty and the demonic nature of our enemy, lest we forget. No shots of an American president playing golf are spliced in.
While I think it's true that there are people who went back to their lives, there are others who won't forget. They may not all be Marines, but the more the better. In my view, those who don't want Americans to see the graphic evidence of the terrorists' handiwork are trying to thwart this warrior spirit. As to their reasons, it's a matter of speculation.... posted by Eric on 06.30.04 at 05:19 PM
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Comments
Well said. Any member of the FBI who thinks letting people see this barbarism for themselves is terrorism should be fired. David · July 1, 2004 10:44 PM |
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Indeed. Some people have to see it to believe it. Even then, some won't believe. But you can still try...
They are not "extremists", they are terrorists, murderers, thugs. You and I are extremists -- in defense of liberty and in pursuit of justice. Keep up the good work.