Assassinate Terrorists Day We should take the trillion bucks Bush wants to put into the Son of Star Wars and make assassination squads instead. Let them target anyone (like our buddy Bin Laden) who has come out and said they are a terrorist, or anyone the can show sufficient proof of being a terrorist. I think the time has come to let people know this will not be acceptable to us. You want to go on TV and say 'rise up my brothers and kill americans' you go right ahead. Make sure you answer the door a few minutes later when the straight to death squad shows up at the door. I bet the volunteering for these organizations slows down rapidly. Sure, you'll still have some radical cells that are ready to give their lives, but the big jobs need support and leadership. Make those support people believe we're gonna show up on their doorstep and they won't be as eager to volunteer because they are not as fanatical as the suicide-to-meet-Allah types.
Exactly what needs to be done, and have it be a multinational squad...Russians, Chinese, Germans, English, French, Saudi..etc..etc... Funny How Tom Clancy's Rainbow 6 had it right a few years ago. DaDakota
I have to think about this, but it's a wild concept. Lets see if they're quick to send people to hijack planes and fly them into buildings if they know they're going to have a bullet in them soon afterwards.
In this case, I don't think even the near certainty of execution will have much of a deterrent effect on these and similar terrorists. I think a good many of them are genuinely prepared to die for the cause. Moreover, the martyrdom produced may expand the circle of those willing to die. What it would do is eliminate a lot of the human capital these groups have invested. Replacing the heads of these organizations as they die with new talent will certainly happen, but -- under such duress -- the successors would be bound to be less experienced and possibly less talented. A prolonged period of such a policy would probably rob the organizations of much of their expertise. All that said, the suggestion gives me a quesy feeling. You can arrest them and put them before trumped-up courts, you can declare war on them and kill them in gun-battles on the street -- I'll be fine with all that. But, I don't think we should be in the business of assassinations. I feel it is somehow important that there is a common and open understanding that they will die, not some kind of stranger-in-the-alley fatal encounter.
Well, there is no reason we couldn't publicize it ex-post facto. It might keep the death squad honest. Have them announce 'we just eliminated Mr's X, Y, and Z.' That way they don't go killing people they don't have to account for, and everyone knows they were eliminated and why. Originally I thought we could just stick them in some kinda WTC Running Man game show, but capturing and transporting and all that would be a logistical nightmare.
At what point do the victims become the killers? Isn't there a point where you have to draw a line between the barbarians and the civilized? We've sown the seeds of hate in people like terrorists for decades now. Do we really want to continue that cycle? Do we really believe we can eliminate every person? Do the American terroists like the white supremicist and extremist sepratists go on our list? What about rebel fighters in other parts of the world?
Call me stupid, but I'm guessin' people willing to fly a jet liner into a building aren't going to be too scared of dying...
Way to go hardliners. You guys have the exact same mentality as the guys who ran the death squads in El Salvador, Guatemala, Columbia and other places. Don't you realize how close your reasoning is to the terrorists you decry? By the way the guys who did this are products of countries that just send out assassination squads to quickly solve problems with out law or due process.
Anyone that kills innocent civilians, or harbors those that kill them is a target. Terrorism should not be tolerated on any level. DaDakota
Absolutly I am concerned about minimizing as much of the collatoral damage as possible. I don't want any innocent people hurt in our retaliation. That is why I think it is better to have assasinations of these terrorists over bombing. I hardly believe that the people of Afgahnastan will be upset if the Taliban is eliminated. DaDakota
Not sure how this is any different philosophically from executing McVie or the '93 WTC bombers. Yes, the white supremacists etc definitely go on the list. Wouldn't want to discriminate. Rebel fighters? Not unless they start attacking US Nationals.
Right, but those people are a relatively small part of the overall organization. The other 75% (or higher) of the people would now be targets themselves. You might be the guy who lets them use your house, or rent a car in your name, or the guy who helps them across the border, buys supplies, etc. Without those support people these kinds of operations can't go off. AND the leaders would also be targeted, and if effective you can bet they would be less high profile and less eager to pursue actions like this.
Uh, no its not the same thing as El Salvador. I'm not talking about death squads showing up and murdering political opponents, women, children, elderly. I'm talking about how to proceed when we have proof that someone is taking place in terrorist activities, and/or when we have someone or group that comes out and says 'we are at war with the US, kill their citizens as and where you find them.' Not the same thing at all. Hmmm, not sure how you know that since we don't know who did it yet.
It concerns me. One reason I like this option is that it avoids collateral damage like we've seen from air or missle strikes.
Guys, I will almost guarantee you that a new Federal Anti-terrorism Bureau will be created. It will be a part of the DoD, but will have extensive links throughout the DOJ and the FBI. Or the other way around (it's DOJ, and has DoD links). It will be expensive, but funding shouldn't be a problem for a while... This will be different from anything before - every major military/paramilitary organization has an anti-terrorism task force (just like every police organization has a SWAT). This will be an independent organization that can draw on everyone - EVERYONE's - resources and intelligence. It might be created within the NSA, as that would solve some legal issues. And it will effectively be a Bureau of Assassination. A Death Squad. But it will have Congressional oversight, and will be held accountable for who it kills. There are some people, and even some groups of people, who not only deserve to die, but MUST die in order to maintain national security. They must be, and I expect will be, very selective in who they kill. Dope runners they will probably let pass. Gun runners might die... And you can kiss Ford's executive order banning assasinations of foreign leaders goodbye, Gadhafi.
But Doc, the people flying planes into building may not be afraid to die but the people sending them are afraid to die. If they weren't bin Laden wouldn't be running like a coward.
Not necessarily true. bin Laden is no coward. No one that flat out declares war on the US and calls for the deaths of Americans worldwide publically is a coward. He's running because he wants to continue harrassing and destroying America. I agree with those that say we need to take bin Laden out, but some of these other so-called "solutions" are just insults being hurled at non-violent Muslims.
