The Tamil Tigers intentionally attacked civilian targets in an attempt to achieve their political goals. That is literally the definition of "terrorist".
> The Tamil Tigers intentionally attacked civilian targets in an attempt to achieve their political goals.
The United States Government has performed missile attacks (via drone) on a hospital, several weddings (At least eight, according to a 2 second search), and at least one Mosque. And yet the Military arm of the United States Government is not considered to be a terrorist organization. Sounds like a double standard to me.
The difference is intentionally attacking civilians and only civilians. The U.S. military has mistakenly attacked civilians, I assume there have also been cases where there was a high-value target and the deaths of nearby civilians were considered acceptable "collateral damage." (if you want to counter this, please restrict examples to ones since 9/11 and ones when no perpetrators were charged or disciplined).
While the distinctions don't matter to dead people or their surviving loved ones, they do within the oxymoron "military justice."
I suspect this can turn out to a heated politics discussion so this is my final post about this:
we never threw people off buildings. we never stoned people to death. we never drowned people in cages or beheaded.
We fought with uniforms, we tried to follow the geneva convention as much as we could being a seperatist group.
we had the support of the people, in fact, we were the people. Much like the kurds in Syria/Iraq.
obviously there were collateral damage and there were some nasty incidences. Even the US with the technical capability and all the surveillence technology cannot avoid collateral damage, bombing of red cross hospital or abuses of Abu Ghiraib.
Everyone deserves to have a second chance, and war is hell and crazy things happen. So I hope you live a decent life from now on.
But don't for a second claim that LTTE weren't a bunch of brutal thugs who forced non combatants into war, brainwashed kids and girls and themselves gleefully committed all manner of war crimes to achieve their objectives. And for what, Prabhakaran himself turned out to be a run of the mill dictator who exploited the people around him to glorify himself.
Some of us westerners are shocked and disgusted by the recent pardons as well. I would categorize American military existence as 'brutal and immoral' to start. Don't throw us all out with the bathwater.
If you think the American people aren’t concerned with the rampant fuckery taking place at all levels of our government, then why are you even talking? You don’t know a damned thing about our concerns.
But you’re right a sample of a handful of grumpy commenters should be extrapolated directly to the public at large. Ok. Nailed me to the wall there, bud. Gj!
Instead of politically organizing you’re babysitting other people’s personal views of the shitshow. #winning
Meanwhile, in Hong Kong, directly in defiance of an authoritarian regime...
Relatively speaking in “free America” a bunch of “polite” people, when measured by time spent undertaking direct political (not their online impotent rage) we have what?
I like to believe it’s because deep inside we know they wouldn’t hesitate right? They clamp down hard early:
> But you’re right a sample of a handful of grumpy commenters should be extrapolated directly to the public at large. Ok. Nailed me to the wall there, bud. Gj!
....Isn’t that exactly what you’re doing? Or do you have some kind of data to support your belief that Americans don’t give a damn about Trump pardoning actual war criminals?
> Instead of politically organizing you’re babysitting other people’s personal views of the shitshow. #winning
You’re right, what we really need in this country is yet another self-righteous, sheltered cynic to tell us how much more effectual he would be compared to the rest of America, if only he weren’t so darned jaded by everyone else’s apathy. /s
Yes I do: right now most are at home taking no direct political action. Meanwhile in Hong Kong, which isn’t under threat of military destruction but an emotional/social way of life? In the face of a so-called authoritarian regime, no less.
America? The vast majority of the political drama on Twitter is generated by 6% of its user base.
If you’re using the internet as your bubble to measure political actions, you could be talking to a way smaller group than you expect.
Western sensibilities, according to history, are to let bastards take over without lifting a real finger.
See Europe in the early 1900s.
Ooo yes you’re so angry but impotent rage & nothing is also another emotional American.
I’m a sheltered cynic?
Extrapolate all you want about my individual character cause you’re annoyed about abstract descriptions.
They must emotionally ring true for you to be taking such a cynical tone and really caring this much.
Oh yes it’s easy to wrap yourself in a sense you’re a do gooder who has it all figured out while ignoring the generally humanity has been like this since society began.
If everyone really mattered to us humanity would have ceased long ago. After the first person died we’d be so anguished we’d die. But that’s not true in our objective universe and I’m sure you’re going fix humanities indifference towards itself. Mmhmm
> America? The vast majority of the political drama on Twitter is generated by 6% of its user base.
I’m sure you have a source for this claim, right? Surely someone on such a high horse as yourself would never support an argument with dubious, unsourced facts.
>Yes I do: right now most are at home taking no direct political action. Meanwhile in Hong Kong, which isn’t under threat of military destruction but an emotional/social way of life? In the face of a so-called authoritarian regime, no less.
I personally don't feel that this is an adequate citation for this argument.
The moment LTTE lost broad international support was the moment they assassinated Rajiv Gandhi, the ex-prime minister of India who was looking likely to win the popular vote in the election cycle. It probably ranks up there with strategic blunders like Hitler invading Russia in winter.
Not familiar with the local law, but it's most likely some BS law that's there due to some BS religious reasoning.
If that's the case, campaign (hard but peaceful/non-violent) to introduce laws compatible with intelligent human life and expunge the records of/pardon those imprisoned due to laws reminicent of the dark ages.
Being (one of hundreds of people) massacred by terrorists is not a fate anyone deserves.
It’s weird how you never hear such words in the defense of the thousands of nazi collaborators executed in Europe after WW2.
I don’t think police arresting people for religious reasons should he viewed any differently.
If you don't think the nazi comparison is apt you should look into Sri Lankan history, a decade ago the government was running literal concentration camps.
> obviously there were collateral damage and there were some nasty incidences. Even the US with the technical capability and all the surveillence technology cannot avoid collateral damage, bombing of red cross hospital or abuses of Abu Ghiraib.
As a total outsider, I will refrain from making any judgements on any side of the Tamil separatist divide. However, this statement is a pretty direct representation of the human and reputational cost of powerful countries in general, and of Western democracies specifically, providing a poor example on the world stage.
Why we cannot have two drivers in one truck, who will drive in harmony? Truck is tiny, so it should be easy, right?
As we know, we can have two or more drivers in truck, but only if 1) driving wheel is still single, 2) drivers are swapping each other at regular intervals, 3) they all share the goal, a final destination.
Perhaps because the other people don't want to live in harmony and instead use the government's monopoly on force to influence lives of the separatists?
I don't think the BOFH is the kind of person to jump in the spotlight like this. He prefer to let others to take the lead and the blame. Or even make them take the blame to anything that had gone wrong. Or blackmail them (and publish everything once they've caved). Or make them disappear from the company's systems. Or submit an expense form for a roll of carpet, a shovel and some quicklime. Or lock them in the lift during a bank holiday.
Incidentally, the BOFH episodes are published on the register.
humble sysadm, lol