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But there is a point to be made here. And that is that no achieves perfection in anything. These people are loved by their families and friends while the World defines them by one act, an act of terrorism.
It's said that Hitler loved children and they loved him. He also loved dogs. It doesn't redeem him as a man of course but it does mean that he wasn't perfectly evil. This business of painting Saddam Hussein or the next villain (Usama having been dead these last two years) to appear on our radar screen as the next Hitler or being Hitler-like is just stupid and an impediment to understanding breadth and depth of evil in this world. Thinking in simple terms is thinking for the simple.

"And that is that no achieves perfection in anything. These people are loved by their families and friends while the World defines them by one act, an act of terrorism."

Well, yeah. The "world" tends to judge the vegetarians, the animal lovers, the non-cigarette smokers when they take to genocide or acts of terrorism.

I mean, cuddlying with Fluffy is one thing; sending people to death camps or putting them in shredding machines is quite another.

But there is a point to be made here. And that is that no achieves perfection in anything. These people are loved by their families and friends while the World defines them by one act, an act of terrorism. It's said that Hitler loved children and they loved him. He also loved dogs. It doesn't redeem him as a man of course but it does mean that he wasn't perfectly evil. This business of painting Saddam Hussein or the next villain (Usama having been dead these last two years) to appear on our radar screen as the next Hitler or being Hitler-like is just stupid and an impediment to understanding breadth and depth of evil in this world. Thinking in simple terms is thinking for the simple.

I understand your what you're saying here, but I'd point out that it was this individual that defined himself through a single act of terrorism. To be sure, before that act, he had many qualities, and no doubt many of them were fine, desirable ones. He chose to throw all of that away in a final act of evil. Note that I did not say he was "all evil", but murdering people is an evil act, particularly in a selfish wish to reach his 72 virgins can be painted in no other colors. This is not a matter of simply dismissing a person or people by demonizing them. The Bible says by their fruits you will know them (Matthew 7:20). The rotten nature of this sort of fruit is plainly evident.

How is comparing one evil-acting human who may have a warm, caring side and be loved by puppies to another human being who we think had some redeeming qualities, but was also terribly evil "stupid and an impediment to understanding breadth and depth of evil in this world"?

Don't go overboard with nuance; thinking that everyone else is thinking in simple terms is thinking for Noam Chomsky.