[rescue] God bless America

[Francisco Javier Mesa-Martinez]

On Sat, 15 Sep 2001, rwalkup wrote:

> I mean places where abortions are performed, but that is only part of the
> picture. 
> > 
> 
> > 
> > I haven't followed what the IRA does, so I can't very well comment.
> 
> They kill people.  Sometimes the people are URC (cops), sometimes British
> Army, sometimes British shoppers near a car bomb.  Back in the 1960s ( or
> maybe early 70s), the IRA splintered into two branches: a mostly
> Marxist/theoretical group that is still the "official" IRA and the much more
> violent Provisional IRA.  When ever the news flunkies say "A bomb went off
> in the city of Leeds.  The IRA has claimed responsibility", it is the Provos
> they are talking about. Now the Provos are splintering: those for the
> Mitchell peace proces and those unwilling to compromise.  They never
> attacked us because we (here's the irony) harbored, funded, and armed them.
> And yes, in my idiot youth I was one of those Americans who supported the
> IRA 
> > 
> >> What about Protestent Unionist gunmen? What
> >> about Marxist/Catholic Shining Path terrorists in Peru?
> > 
> > I haven't heard about either of the above groups.  What is a Protestant
> > Unionist?

Protestant Unionist are the Protestant response to the mostly Catholic
IRA. They are pro-British and want to protect the status Quo of Northern
Ireland (i.e. as a British Colony) both politically and socially (i.e.
British political control and Catholic margination).

There are plenty of Christian based terrorism, even in the US. The
militias that support terror acts against federal government interests are
incredibly reactionary and religious. But you never heard them described
as Christian Terrorists. That is why I am so bothered by the media
coverage of this act by Islamic/Muslim terrorists. Terrorist, period!

Even Israel that now tries to present itself as an "innocent" victim of
terrorism had a very active Jewish terrorist network in the late 40s
and 50s. Their actions were directly mostly against British interests,
England was controlling most of Palestine at that time. 

> > Marxist/Catholic..... thats an odd combo!

Well Marxist and Communist social views are in a sense almost identical to
the original Christian ideals. Like Christianism they, Marxists inspired
theories, were never implemented correctly. In some sense Jesus was the
first communist.

Lighting Path is more a Guerilla movement than a terrorist one. They
follow some extreme interpretations of the Theology of Liberation. This
Christian/Catholic method was based on radical interpretations/theories
from Catholic theologist and it also had Marxist influences. These
movements considered capitalist nations as sinful specifically because
they have oppressed and exploited poorer nations. Capitalist nations have
become prosperous at the expense of impoverished nations. This is
described as a "dependency  theory" - that is, the development of rich
countries depends on the underdevelopment of poor countries. Some of the
most radical backers of the Liberation Theology consider the use of
violence as necessary in order to implement change.

> >
> Not really.  My point was simply that a great many terrorists are neither
> Arab nor Moslem.

Exactly. Another group that is still quite active is ETA in Spain, they
are a Marxist inspired group that advocate the independency of the Basque
regions in Northern Spain and Southern France. They advocate hathred
towards anything Spainsh/French even though a large number of their
members are 1st generation Basques (i.e. they are 100% of Spainsh or
French stock), which always makes you wonder...... The twist is that in
the beginning (mid 60s) ETA got training from American intelligence units
(CIA), ETA had a large popular support since they were viewed as a
revelion movement against Franco's dictatorship. Here comes the "funny"
part this Dictatorship was actually armed and backed by the US. 


The most interesting quote I have read on the subject of terrorism is the
following; "ones freedom fighters are someone else's terrorist." If the
US wages war against Afghanistan, it will be fighting the same people that
10 years ago it held as "freedomfighters." I think we should start making 
an aweful lot of questions about this country's policies (specially in the
late 70's and 80's).....