Friday, May 28, 2004

Cycle of Violence, My A--!
By Deborah Weiss


Apparently, some liberals in Washington, DC are referring to Al Qaeda's beheading of Nick Berg, as an act, which occurred in the "cycle of violence." Those who talk about a cycle of violence seem to think that somehow both the United States and Israel brought the violence upon themselves. It is our fault that the enemy is murderous. We just have to figure out why they hate us so much. Then, of course, we must change ourselves accordingly so that we will be better liked by the enemy. The implication is that the horrific acts of violence are justified. This viewpoint acknowledges no distinction between offense and defense; no distinction between pre-meditated cold-blooded murder and self-defense. It's pathetic.

If you hold a gun to my head and threaten me, and I pull the trigger to save my life, then, according to the liberals, that would be just cause for the would-be murderer's family to kill my children. There is no acknowledgement that there is a difference between Palestinians who intentionally aim to murder innocent civilians including children, and Israelis who go out of their way not to hurt innocent Palestinians, even to the point where they risk having additional Israeli soldiers die by being overly careful.

Moreover, for Al Qaeda to claim that the slow and deliberate beheading of a 26 year-old man who was in Iraq to help rebuild the country, is retribution for the stripping of Iraqi prisoners by United States soldiers is ridiculous. It is so ridiculous, that it is hard to believe some entertain the idea. First, the two wrongs are hardly comparable in terms of cruelty. Second, do you really think Al Qaeda needed a reason to engage in such a heinous act? Do you really believe that but for the stripping of Iraqi soldiers, Nick Berg would be alive today? Give me a break!

Additionally, the reasoning that we caused Al Qaeda to act in a murderous fashion constitutes faulty logic. If an abused housewife came to a liberal for help, would she be told that it is her fault that her husband beat her? Should she find out why he is so angry? Maybe she burned the peas and she should be more careful. Blaming the victim is typical of abusers. And buying into it is typical of victims. The first step toward freedom, is to realize that it is not the victim's fault that the abuser behaves the way he does. There is NOTHING that excuses 9/11, Nick Berg's decapitation, or the blowing up of school children in Israel. It is ironic that liberals never require one to take responsibility for his own actions, but they require us to take responsibility for the actions of others -- for those over whom we have no control. In the mind of a liberal, violence is always the responsibility of everyone except the person or persons who committed it.

Deborah Weiss was formerly an attorney with the Committee on House Oversight in Congress. More of Ms. Weiss’ commentary can be viewed at: conservativedebbie.blogspot.com

9 Comments:

Blogger RonL said...

It is quite sad to see the amont of moral equivication proposed not only by the left, but also by many on the old-establishment right.

I hope that there will be more outrage over the beheading of Paul Johnson.

2:45 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Go see Fahrenheit 9/11

Even if the idea makes your blood boil - pull your pants up and go see it anyway!

You obviously have a logic problem ... a multitude actually, that perhaps could be aided by a good old cinematic slap in the face.

6:05 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

What it's pathetic is the success of the obvious manipulation of your text. Count numbers, sum up the iraqui civilians killed by iraqui forces, the abuses made, the public and the not so public ones, made in Iraq, Afganistan, and Guantanamo. At least the so called "terrorists" just cut heads and do not beat, rape before killing. One head for how many not named heads. Yes there's a cycle of violence and it was started by people like you who supported and still support a war which was known and even by you admitted to be unncessary and one day even you will admit: it's serving the terrorists much more than destroying them. For each prisonner in Guantanamo innocent prisonner, you will end up with one hundred terrorists new born, for each raped man in Iraq you will end up with one thousand, and for each famillt colaterally damaged in Midle East you will end up thousnads of men and women ready to die to kill no matter who from any country which somehow approves those actions.
This is the endless cycle of violence you are creating hand in hand with Bin Laden.
The world is much much more dangerous since yopu guys got in power, joining the forces of stupidity and cruelty against cruelty and stupidity.

6:22 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

where i write iraq forces of course i mean us army forces...

6:26 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

1 - Bin Laden starts Al Quaeda in the joining cruzade with US, and the islamic fundamentalist group created by America Inteligence Talibans in Afeganistan.

2 - Saddam Hussein was helped by American republican Government (Ronal Reagan american president, George Bush vice-president, and Donald Rumsfeld responsible by contacts with Saddam regim)during the eighties agains Iran. America sold chemical massive destructive weapons for Saddam, which was very known he used against kurds and iran people with the helping hand of his american allies.

3 - The republican party and Ronald Reagan plus associates has a very big responsibility in the creation, maintanance and support to many tiranic governments all over the world. It was expectable that this type of foreign policy end up on something like 11/9.

11:05 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

or 9/11 depending on conventions...

11:07 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

This opinion article by Deborah Weiss equates the assertion of a 'cycle of violence' in the middle east with the assignment of fault to Israel and the United States; manifestly, the assertion of a 'cycle of violence' places responsibility for maintaining the cycle on ALL the participants who keep the cycle going. Responsibility, not fault - We all DO make choices. - But since the question concerns the beheading of Nick Berg, which happened in Iraq, it is necessary to intrude upon the writer's unbridled opinion with a small point of fact: Iraq was not al-Qaeda run, and no connection between the two has been able to be proved, despite the Bush Administration's earnest attempts to do so. SO the whole rest of the article, in talking about 'al Qaeda''s involvement in the Berg beheading, and about whether we were justified in attacking al Qaeda, quite misses the point: the beheading of Berg was a result of the invasion of Iraq, which had nothing to do with al Qaeda.

2:39 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Those who talk about a cycle of violence seem to think that somehow both the United States and Israel brought the violence upon themselves. It is our fault that the enemy is murderous.didn't you hear? they hate us because of our freedom!

4:09 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Anonymous I needs to learn to spell and research facts before posting messages.


Signed Anonymous X

12:50 AM  

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