Musharraf says 2 groups not terrorists

Washington Times ^ | Tuesday, September 23, 2003 | By Betsy Pisik

[JohnHuang2]

NEW YORK — Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf yesterday condemned acts of terrorism, but exempted Kashmiris and Palestinians from reproach, saying their struggles against oppression is justified by U.N. Security Council resolutions.

Speaking at an antiterrorism conference on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly debate beginning today, Gen. Musharraf told a dozen world leaders and foreign ministers the United Nations must find a definition of terrorism that does not include such movements, which "cannot be equated with terrorism."

[JohnHuang2]

Tuesday, September 23, 2003

Quote of the Day by Tarl

[JasonC]

Nice catch. He still doesn't get it. No end can justify these means. These means damn any end they touch.

You can be for the political independence of Kashmir or Palestine in the abstract. You can call for them politically. But that is not what is happening.

You can even urge states - Pakistan, or Syria - to go to war to enforce those goals. Openly, in the field, by the laws of war. But that is not what is happening.

You can even organize a militia, that arrogates to itself the power to wage war in the name of a people, puts on uniforms, dares to die in open battle against declared enemies, and fights against their soldiers. But that is not what is happening.

Although it is illegal and against the laws of war, you might even do the previous without the uniforms, employing guerilla tactics against such soldiers, while clearly attacking only military targets. That would still involve war crimes and under all the laws of war would be justly punishable by summary execution. But it still does not rise to the level of what is actually happening.

What is happening is that men who are doing none of those things, engaging in no political negotiations, controlled openly by no responsible state organization, wearing no uniforms, exposing themselves with no daring, challenging and defying no one, completely without moral targeting or restraint, are deliberately murdering the most innocent civilians they can get to.

As grotesquely as possible. Videotaping it. Distributing such tapes as a means of recruitment. Lookee here, let's murder defenseless innocents entirely within our power. It'll be great. Which is utterly obscene. And that is the point, to the perpetrators. The more obscene the better.

Now, when men do that, it doesn't matter what end they allege for it. It is not the allegation that is objected to, but the deed. When men do that, they could in retaliation be peeled like an onion and God himself would call it justice, as someone once said.

Now, when men claiming to act for a given cause are repeatedly, constantly, routinely performing such crimes, all those associates with that cause have two choices. One, repudiate them and all they stand for immediately and publicly, using every means in their power to bring them to justice themselves or deliver them to even enemy authorities, for punishment - or contract their guilt by excusing and tolerating such behavior. You court martial them, or their deeds are yours.

Period. No discussion.

[atc]

"Mostly state terrorism targets people seeking freedom from foreign occupation as in Palestine and Kashmir," he said. "Their oppression through state terrorism is all the more unacceptable because they were assured self-determination by no less than the U.N. Security Council." The criteria would seem to offer cover to Iraqi guerrilla attacks against U.S. and other coalition soldiers. Pakistani officials in Washington and New York declined to elaborate on his remarks.
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Goes to prove that these people are no friends of the United States. Their only goal is to extort US taxpayer dollars and go about their usual business. Sadly our government is just itching to comply.