Outstanding
Militant leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi has been killed, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki has announced.“Today we have eliminated Zarqawi,” Mr Maliki said, sparking sustained applause. The US said he was killed in an air raid near Baquba.
bbc
This, assuming it is fully confirmed, is the death of a man who has beheaded people on video and is directly responsible for the deaths of thousands of Iraqis. It is a little discussed fact that Zarqawi has killed hundreds of times more Muslims than “Crusaders” or “Jews”. Killing him is a huge step forward. On to OBL.
June 9th, 2006 at 8:41 am
“It is a little discussed fact that Zarqawi has killed hundreds of times more Muslims than “Crusaders” or “Jews”.”
A “fact” that he has killed “hundreds of times more,” huh?
Based on what figures, exactly? Did they keep official records that required all killed Muslims during the Crusades to be reported?
And do you know for a fact, that indeed, every killed Muslim during the Crusades has been accounted for?
Interesting how some folks use the word “fact.”
June 9th, 2006 at 7:00 pm
Isn’t Jay saying that he has killed more Muslims than he has killed what he would call “Crusaders” or “Jews” as opposed to your interpretation that he has killed more Muslims than Crusaders have killed?
June 9th, 2006 at 10:10 pm
Clearly colino hasn’t heard the reports of Zarqawi’s time machine, which he used to go back in time to kill crusaders in hopes of changing history.
Currie has a mole in the International Time Crime Enforcement community for sure.
June 9th, 2006 at 10:31 pm
I read it the same way Colino did.
June 9th, 2006 at 10:42 pm
Ok, that could be an interpretation, I guess. Let Jay clear that up for us.
But regardless, I still find it odd that he seems to find the death of someone as “outstanding.” Doesn’t seem to be any “western value” that I know of.
June 9th, 2006 at 10:53 pm
Killing warring murdering enemies is a core western value. Grandpa did it in WWI, Dad’s cousins did it in WWII - in fact, the family’s been up to it since the Vikings first landed.
June 9th, 2006 at 11:41 pm
Yeah, Alan – I’ve got some relatives who did that as well. But they didn’t celebrate it, either.
June 10th, 2006 at 12:14 am
The Zarqawis of the world fall under the general category of rabid dog. One comes to the village and kills some kids and citizens. Someone shoots it. The village is better off. Much better off.
June 10th, 2006 at 12:49 am
Mine celebrated! When mom was about five, for instance, she and the whole family regularly went for picnics on nice summer days up behind the town on the Clyde in Scotland, watched the dogfights in the air above them and the shipwayrds up river and cheered everytime an Nazi fighter died in a ball of flame…because even a five year old understood Nazis were really really bad.
June 10th, 2006 at 1:12 am
That’s interesting Alan. A few of my relatives, while fighting a war, at least made attempts to save human life where possible. One of the reasons for POW camps.
Jay’s comparison of rabid dog is of course, a fallacious analogy.
I’m not suggesting for one moment that killing someone is never an option. I’d be the first one to use whatever force is necessary to protect myself or my loved ones, or my property, when there was an immediate threat.
However, I would not be celebrating the death. It would sadden me that it was necessary to have to use that force.
June 10th, 2006 at 4:54 am
ahh…the numbers game the body count.so typical of a certain type of thinking,numbers of bodies implies or justifies what???thousand upon thousands,surly you jest
actual the madman and idiot is a rather minor player in Iraq,the vast majority of the “insurrgents” or what ever you chose to call them are Iraqi’s.
so your comment on the crusades means what????
but what about the thousands upon thousands of innocent Iraqi’s killed by the Americans use of force and invasion.you know the “colleratal”
so its not the killing your against its the who does the killing you have a problem with.
June 10th, 2006 at 1:28 pm
For some reason people commenting here seem unfamiliar with the standard Islamist description of assorted Western infidels as being “Crusaders and Jews”.
June 10th, 2006 at 4:39 pm
Forget about this “standard Islamist” description… I’d like to dea with your “Western Values” of celebrating death.
Come lay on my couch.. oh.. and bring some money with you, as well :P
June 11th, 2006 at 12:16 am
I’ve always favoured the “Moon Is A Harsh Mistress” style of justice, that being, irritating assholes are fired out the nearest airlock.