# Antiterrorism is NOT racism! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [July 11, 2002, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/antiterrorism-is-not-racism/118453 "2002-07-11T17:29:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![gobear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8dc957/32.png) [@gobear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gobear)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2002, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/antiterrorism-is-not-racism/118453/1 "2002-07-11T17:29:24Z")
In [this](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=124918) thread about a child being searched at the airport, I commented that I wouldn’t be surprised if a Palestinian terrorist would use a child because they seem to have no qualms about killing kids. To some posters, commenting on Palestinian terrorists is equal to saying that all Palestinian are terrorists, which is most emphatically NOT WHAT I FUCKING SAID! I am so tired of people projecting their own racism onto others. I mentioned Palestinian terrorists because they and Al Qaeda are the most likely suspects; if the US had pissed off the IRA, I would have said IRA terrorists. Let me clear up a few things for the butt ignorant among us: **Palestinian terrorist DOES NOT equate to Palestinians are terrorists.** The sad truth is that there are some terrorists who are Palestinian. I could have said “American bombers have no qualms about killing kids”, since we have some right-wing nutjobs who have done jus tthat. Did I just accuse all Americans, or just that subset who are right-wing nutjobs? **To further disillusion you, “terrorist” is not a race.** There are home-grown American terrorists, ther are Palestinian terrorists, there are Basque terrorists. Terrorism doesn’t know a color. \*\*In addition, “Muslim” is a religion, not a race. \*\*You could take a mullah from Kyrgyzstan, shave him, dress him up, and you’d think he was an RV dealer from Indiana or Wisconsin. Muslims are every color and every nationality. It’'s a universal religion. It is also NOT SYNONYMOUS with terrorism, ya dig? Criticizing Islamic terrorists means criticizing terrorists who are Islamic, NOT, I say again, NOT all Muslims. I am going to continue to say rude things about terrorists and terrorism, and if **Derleth, Jjimm, Diceman** , and **Efem** disapprove, too freakin’ bad. Right now, I think that we will see suicide bombings in the US, and that it will the act of Al Qaeda (again, not a race, they come in all colors) or Palestinian terrorists (again, a subset of an ethnic group, NOT, I repeat, NOT all members of the ethnic group). I hope I am wrong. If the American right-wing nutjobs or the ETA (Basque terrorists)were an immediate threat, you may be assured I would have criticized them. So one more time for the extremely stupid–I disapprove of terrorism. Terrorism knows no color. If I criticize Palestinian bombers, I am criticizing that subset of Palestinians who bomb, NOT, I repeat, NOT, one more time with feeling, NOT PALESTINIANS IN GENERAL! And terrorists, being the evil SOBS that they are, have no qualms about killing kids. That goes for the Palestinian suicide bombers, Tim McVeigh, Al Qaeda, Hamas, Hezbollah, the ETA, the IRA, the Tamil Tigers, the Uighur terrorists of Sinjiang province in China, and every other misbegotten sumbitch who thinks killing innocents proves a point. Learn to read, schmucks. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2002, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/antiterrorism-is-not-racism/118453/2 "2002-07-11T18:14:00Z")
Glad you took this to the Pit, not me. You are missing the point utterly. Of course terrorists are a bunch of cunts. Say what you like. It was a discussion about terrorism in general. First you insterted the Palestinian nationality _a propos_ of nothing, which is dubious, but _then_ you said the following: > [@](#): > > **It’s pretty clear the Palestinians have no qualms about killing children.** THAT IS WHAT YOU FUCKING SAID. What part of ‘racist’ don’t you understand? Or perhaps you misread what you actually posted. ---
**Author:** ![gobear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8dc957/32.png) [@gobear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gobear)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2002, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/antiterrorism-is-not-racism/118453/3 "2002-07-11T18:24:43Z")
Actually, I could have sworn that I had written “Palestinian terrorists,” and not just “Palestinians,” so I apologize for the confusion my careless phrasing caused. I brought up the Palestinian brand of terorist becuase I think that’s where the threat lies. The Tamil Tigers aren’t after Americans, nor are the RUC. The Palestinan terrorists hate the US because they blame us for the Israeli occupation. I think that we will see suicide bombings in the US soon. and before you dismiss that, think of how improbable a warning of terrorists crashing airplanes into skyscrapers would have sounded last summer. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2002, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/antiterrorism-is-not-racism/118453/4 "2002-07-11T18:28:49Z")
It was all a big misunderstanding. 🙂 Mods - with **gobear’s** permission - I see no reason to perpetuate this thread? ---
**Author:** ![Efrem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@Efrem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Efrem)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2002, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/antiterrorism-is-not-racism/118453/5 "2002-07-11T19:36:16Z")
**gobear** , I had a problem of your words in which you had said (among another things) > [@](#): > > It’s pretty clear the Palestinians have no qualms about killing children. This sentence does give out the clear impression of bigotry on your part. However, you have since corrected yourself in saying > [@](#): > > I thought I had put in “terrorists” after Palestinians; on re-reading, I can see how my careless phrasing might have given you all cause to get riled. I have now no further objections… ---
**Author:** ![TwistofFate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cdc98d/32.png) [@TwistofFate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TwistofFate)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2002, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/antiterrorism-is-not-racism/118453/6 "2002-07-11T20:19:46Z")
Gobear, just for your education, the RUC stands for Royal Ulster Constabulary. They were the police force in the 6 counties. Regardless of their rampant sectarianism, they were not terrorists. They have since been renamed the Police Service of Northern Ireland. ---
**Author:** ![gobear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8dc957/32.png) [@gobear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gobear)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2002, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/antiterrorism-is-not-racism/118453/7 "2002-07-11T20:32:18Z")
My bad, **Twist of Fate**. You are absolutely right. ---
**Author:** ![Macro\_Man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f19dbf/32.png) [@Macro\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Macro_Man)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2002, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/antiterrorism-is-not-racism/118453/8 "2002-07-11T21:10:02Z")
Shaving’ the mullah… band name, sex act, something…give me a minute. ---
**Author:** ![Syzygy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@Syzygy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Syzygy)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2002, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/antiterrorism-is-not-racism/118453/9 "2002-07-11T21:33:33Z")
That’s the gist of what I was screaming at the dumbfucks who marched in our 4th of July parade with a large cardboard sign that read, “Let’s go kil [sic] a bunch of Arabs!” But I doubt they heard me over the booing crowd. Unbelievable. ---
**Author:** ![stockton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5a626/32.png) [@stockton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stockton)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2002, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/antiterrorism-is-not-racism/118453/10 "2002-07-12T05:51:13Z")
To re-rail this thread… It certainly seems that some Palestinians are okay with the fact that their kids are killing civilians on the street, and themselves in the process. It also seems that our friends in Saudi Arabia are not too happy about being in bed with us at this time. ---
**Author:** ![Brutus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@Brutus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brutus)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2002, 7:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/antiterrorism-is-not-racism/118453/11 "2002-07-12T07:24:18Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by stockton \* > \*\*To re-rail this thread… It certainly seems that some Palestinians are okay with the fact that their kids are killing civilians on the street, and themselves in the process. > > It also seems that our friends in Saudi Arabia are not too happy about being in bed with us at this time. \*\* How dare you mention the obvious! That is racist and un-PC of you. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2002, 8:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/antiterrorism-is-not-racism/118453/12 "2002-07-12T08:10:28Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Brutus \* > \*\*How dare you mention the obvious! That is racist and un-PC of you. \*\* Et tu, Bruté? Read the thread, moron. ---
**Author:** ![Reuben](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/54ee81/32.png) [@Reuben](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reuben)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2002, 10:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/antiterrorism-is-not-racism/118453/13 "2002-07-12T10:14:52Z")
Jesus H, wasn’t it screamingly obvious at the start who/what **gobear** was referring to? Sure it was, at least, to anyone without an agenda. But with boring predictability, a small group of sanctimonious pricks piously jumped all over the evil bigot **gobear**. I’m sure they all got a nice warm glow as they paraded their virtuous sensitivity for all the SDMB to see. Well it makes me furious. I would bet good money that not one of those who took **gobear** to task really care two short shits about the Palestinian people whose injured reputation they leapt so aggressively to defend. All they are interested in bellowing their injured virtues (such as they consider them to be) to the rafters. ---
**Author:** ![Coldfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@Coldfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coldfire)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2002, 10:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/antiterrorism-is-not-racism/118453/14 "2002-07-12T10:56:18Z")
So, they _don’t_ care about Palestinian people, but they _do_ have an agenda? Right, OK, got it. Just taking notes here to be sure. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2002, 11:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/antiterrorism-is-not-racism/118453/15 "2002-07-12T11:52:02Z")
**Reuben** , with all due respect, go and rod your opinion up your granny’s cockslot. ---
**Author:** ![Reuben](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/54ee81/32.png) [@Reuben](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reuben)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2002, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/antiterrorism-is-not-racism/118453/16 "2002-07-12T13:02:26Z")
**Coldfire** , you got it in one and I don’t know why you’re implying there’s inconsistency in my opinion. To spell it out : No, I don’t think they don’t care a hoot about the Palestinians. Their agenda (perhaps ‘interest’ or ‘motivation’ would be a better word to have used) is to search out and overreact to every possible case of ‘offence’ even where it’s transparently obvious to anyone with half a clue that absolutely none is intended. Such posturing really irritates me, even more so than **jjimm** ’s infantile obscenity. These days, everyone is continually on their guard to avoid incurring the wrath of these self-righteous idiots, and IMHO it’s high time they were called on it. ---
**Author:** ![Coldfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@Coldfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coldfire)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2002, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/antiterrorism-is-not-racism/118453/17 "2002-07-12T13:39:28Z")
So, **gobear** was wrong when he rephrased his sentence to the more accurate “Palestinian terrorists”, then? He should have just said, “Screw you guys. You’re just looking for offense. Obviously, when I say _Palestinians_, I’m clearly referring to only those Palestinians that commit terrorist acts.” Am I still on track here? ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2002, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/antiterrorism-is-not-racism/118453/18 "2002-07-12T13:43:02Z")
**Reuben** , you’re very wrong. Try substituting other races/nationalities into those sentences [Note: this is all my own work, and is not meant to imply that **gobear** actually said any of the following]: _Actually, I wouldn’t be the least surprised if an Irish bomber did try to use a child to hide a bomb or weapon. It’s pretty clear the Irish have no qualms about killing children._ _Actually, I wouldn’t be the least surprised if a Basque bomber did try to use a child to hide a bomb or weapon. It’s pretty clear the Basques have no qualms about killing children._ Etc. You’d have got the same reaction from me anyway, regarding either of the above, or any other racial group. I don’t have a particular axe to grind, unless, in your eyes, attacking bigotry is an “agenda”. There has been an awful lot of bigotry on this board directed towards the Palestinian people, and as a result **gobear’s** typo really did make me think he meant the people as a whole, rather than just the terrorists, who can rot as far as I’m concerned. I hope he forgives me for thinking that he was in the group who thinks it’s OK for the IDF to kill Palestinian civilians “because they’re all potential suicide bombers”, or words to that effect. His comment appeared to be a non-sequiteur, and seemed to have targeted this particular group from out of nowhere. He later explained his thinking, and I was satisfied with his clarification. BTW, what is the Pit for, if not for infantile obscenity? I think my insult (which alas I can’t claim as an original, and is a contraction of the marvellous “why don’t you stick your head up your granny’s cockslot and wear her like a hat”) beats felching marmosets any day. ---
**Author:** ![Barnaby4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Barnaby4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barnaby4)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2002, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/antiterrorism-is-not-racism/118453/19 "2002-07-12T13:44:17Z")
Coldfire - I think you are way off track! ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2002, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/antiterrorism-is-not-racism/118453/20 "2002-07-12T13:51:47Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by jjimm \* > \*\*Et tu, Bruté? > > Read the thread, moron. \*\* Whoosh? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/antiterrorism-is-not-racism/118453.md?page=2)