Yes, it’s pure fantasy on my part to conceive of a world where the CIA, the KGB, MI6, and the Mossad attempt or carry out targeted assassinations.
With all due respect: how the hell do you know? Successful operations, by virtue of their being “successful”, are those which pass without public note (except for Mossad, who apparently prefers a higher profile, in rumor if not in fact).
I agree that using field operatives to do some “wet work” is a much greater challenge in some locales than others, but if it’s not feasible in certain instances, I fail to see how that gives the US the moral right to kill as many innocents as it deems necessary in order to take out high-value targets.
"I don’t have a problem with non-combatants getting killed while in the location of an al Qaeda strike, its their war as well. Note how I mentioned non-combatants, rather than innocent civillians, cause I doubt such a thing exists over there. As well, there are times when I think instead of trying to minimize them, we should actively maximize them.
Putting out a notice to the world saying anyone working in these steel and glass boxes, is subject to airplane strikes. B767s dropping full loads of Jet A, no jerking around and put the war back into the war on the infidel. Make the non-combatants an unwilling ally in the region.
If we have enough justification for an embassy strike, we have enough for an airplane mission."
He’s referring to Ramzi Yousef and Khalid Sheik Mohammed, but since the quote and the concepts are made up he might as well attribute them to Yusuf “Cat Stevens” Islam and the prophet Muhammad.
But you see, its been organices by Americans in the US, that makes it alright and moraly justifiable and perfectly legit … and of cos is complettly unrelated, how can you make the US accountable for their actions abroad? They go there, tell people how to live and run their country and what is a few killing between friends?
All this, is of cos liked by the locals, so I guess they think: If the US likes to do stuff like this here, why not return the favour - if they like it so much.
I don’t really like bugs and it sometimes feels like they are invading my attic or garden, but I wouldn’t really call them terrorists - just a pest.
And I sadly have to admit - I try to kill them with any means possible to me – poison, flyswatter, gas and yes, I’m aware, that I am German … however, so far I was always able to morally justify my measures against them – after all, they invaded my property.
If they would not be on my property, I would leave them alone and let them do whatever Beatles or other bugs like to do.
There is no point being an empire if you have to “morally justify”. The whole point is exceptionalism. That’s how the owners of capital sustain and grow.
Of course, in the democratic information era, a whole bunch of people - in who’s name the empire acts - feel better trying to identify a moral justification, believing in the democratic mechanism or something. Empire is empire.
First off, Marley23 is correct as to the personalities to whom I was referring in your quoted posts.
Second, I am not at all trying to slander Muhammad in particular, or Islam in general. I think all organized religions are fundamentally corrupt, institutionalized nonsense.
Finally, as to Ibn Warraq’s assertion that the three sentences of mine which he quoted resemble in no way known pronouncements from bin Laden, I would have to strongly disagree with respect to the first and second sentences [“I don’t have a problem with non-combatants getting killed while in the location of an al Qaeda strike, its their war as well. Note how I mentioned non-combatants, rather than innocent civillians, cause I doubt such a thing exists over there.”] (I will concede that the third sentence [“As well, there are times when I think instead of trying to minimize them, we should actively maximize them.”] does not accurately reflect al Qaeda’s MO, but I left it in so as not to disrupt my mirroring of Declan’s phrasing.)
Osama bin Laden is still a crock of shit and religious nut job - I personally have not a single problem with his killing as such.
However, with the actions the US has taken in their foreign policy in the middle east - I can somewhat understand, why they are upset in those countries and don’t like the US to a ridicules level.
If the people in the US accepts and are alright with innocent bystanders are getting killed randomly by drones, then of cos – they will fight back – and the word is BACK.
And they are not choosy on where they attack back – to them we are all the same – the UK, Germany, France & Australia are getting it. And a typical American response to that is: we don’t care.