A Stitch in Haste

Today’s Bush Administration Orwellianism:

Rear Adm [Harry] Harris said he did not believe the men had killed themselves out of despair.

“They are smart. They are creative, they are committed,” he said.

“They have no regard for life, either ours or their own. I believe this was not an act of desperation, but an act of asymmetrical warfare waged against us.”

This is, of course, utter nonsense. Did these men crash into an aircraft carrier as they hanged themselves? Or perhaps they simply watched “Life of Brian” one time too many.

Admiral Harris is creating a either-or proposition where none exists. Quite the opposite: people — even bloodthirsty terrorists — who are “smart, creative and committed” can easily fall into despair when they recognize the futility and hopelessness of a situation. They are arguably even more likely to do so.

This is not to say that the detainees, or their suicides, are in any way noble. But to say that anything and everything that (alleged) terrorists do is by definition “an act of war” simply because it was done by (alleged) terrorists is absurd.

Perhaps no tears ought to be shed over these suicides, but we should not dilute the meaning of terms like “terrorism” and “act of war” haphazardly, lest we rob them of their true importance.

More thoughts from PoliBlog.

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Meanwhile, only 10 out of about 460 Guantanamo detainees have been charged before a military tribunal, let alone tried in a criminal court. Our claim to the moral high ground committed suicide long before these three men did.

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• Suicide and the Bigots

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