"These people have no respect for human life. They don't understand human life as we do." --Sean McCormack, NSC Spokesman, on the kidnap and execution of Paul Johnson

Dear Sean,

The world really is that black and white, isn't it? "They" are the real infidels here, along with all of those who conveniently look like them. Who are "They," Sean? The kidnappers specifically? Al Qaida, generally? Muslims, because a Christian god could never allow his followers to do this?

Were "They" really unprovoked? There is no excuse for this malicious act, but would you really say that those on our side have not committed inflammatory acts in this disgusting war? Can you really claim a monopoly on respect for human life when our side has flashed pictures of tortured prisoners all over the airwaves? Or are you claiming that those lives were something other than human?

Forgive me for having a few questions, Sean, but your terms are vague and frankly disturbing.

With trepidation,
CJ



"America will hunt down these killers, find them one by one, and kill them." -- Cheney, speaking in Colorado, upon hearing of Paul Johnson's death


Dear Dick,

Will you know when you've got them all, or will you kill everyone who looks like them or worships the same god, just in case?

With suspicion,
CJ


Parting thoughts:
"More than nine centuries after Urban II called the first Crusade, the legacy of misunderstanding and animosity is still with us today. In the West, many of the most lasting misperceptions of Islam stem from that time. In the Arab and Muslim world, the Crusades have made an unfortunate rhetorical comeback." Go, read, learn. One thousand years later, we ought to be beyond "They."