James Foley--died Aug. 19, 2014, after 2 years in captivity
The WSJ’s
8-22-14 story is ominous, “U.S. Eyes Wider Action on Islamic State: Killing
[beheading] of Journalist Fuels Push for International Campaign; Officials Say
Syria Vital to Defeating Islamic State.”
A video goes viral with the horrific execution—one militia's vision of war’s
justice.
The major media publicizes this one brutal killing. The
strategists’ response is that we expand our war machine’s reach to kill however
more thousands it may take to control Syria.
Arming these militias [object was
to topple Syria’s Assad] has unleashed a most radical Islamist State army,
which now with vicious calculation beheads captive U.S. journalist, James
Foley. Incredibly some think it just
takes more weapons and firepower to solve this region’s problems. [For partial history of our underwriting
various sides of this Middle East violence, see previous entries, Aug
13, 2012, Jan.
20, 2014 ]
Condemned Saudi prisoner in a scene from the 1980 docudrama Death Of A Princess
nd once again, as with the post 9-11 push towards Iraq
through Afghanistan, the U.S. points in conflicted directions. Fifteen
of the nineteen Trade Tower attackers were Saudis. We are appalled
at this terrible execution in Syria, contemplate increasing our war against
terrorists there, while we ignore the 19 beheadings presided over by the
Saudis just since August 4th. Read of the
deaths also of their prisoner victims--short story in the 8-22-14 NYT. It’s a continued regular aspect of their justice
system, for both violent and nonviolent offenses. We don’t understand this, it’s not our
culture, but we tolerate it, -- and of course our own more modern methods of capital
punishment.
Saudi Arabia’s money and weapons, with our government’s
blessing, have been a major support of the Islamic fighters, many using these
same terror tactics, to fight Syria’s Assad.
With the Islamic State army, ISIS, now out of control surging from Syria
to Iraq and back, some strategists suggest we bomb them in Syria, as we recently
did in Iraq, paradoxically supporting Assad.
Which is more violent—being beheaded, or blasted to smithereens? Every day in the Middle East many go to their
death finding out, one way or another.
Barbaric violence seems to be most acceptable to us when
it comes wrapped in oil money futures.
And if Jesus Christ and Martin Luther King are to be believed, all violence
only insures future violence, no matter how noble or state approved the
intention.
Illumination by Kathy Brahney
References
"The beheading of journalist James Foley has prompted American officials to begin working to knit together a broader international campaign to combat the extremists of the Islamic State, an effort that the Pentagon warned will require taking the fight beyond Iraq and into neighboring Syria.
The Obama administration has indicated it is prepared to continue selective airstrikes against the extremists inside Iraq, where they have seized significant swaths of territory. ..."
“The country [Saudi Arabia] has historically rejected
international standards for offenses deemed insufficient for capital
punishment, applying it to crimes that include adultery, armed robbery,
apostasy, drug trafficking, rape and witchcraft.”
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