August 21, 1998


Terrorists - Killers of the Innocent


I read a lengthy description of the terror felt by people in last week’s ambassy bombings. However, the only reference I have in attempting to understand the mayhem are the scenes from movies that depict the agony, horror, and mutilations of what were once living, breathing human beings, along with brief clips of bombings scenes which have been in the news.

I also have tried to visualize using the scenes of the death of one of my best friend’s brothers. We were helping with an accident and, after digging out pieces of body that were as shredded as any paper put through a shredder, we found out it was his brother’s body we were digging out.

From that, I tried to place myself in the position of seeing dozens of bodies dug from the distruction and could not. I tried to imagine the stench of blood, guts, and gore.

But, I could not see body after body, mutilated beyond recognition in some cases, being carried or dug out of the rubble left by terrorists, religious fanatics who hide behind distorted interpretations.

I could not visualize a hand here, a breast there, a leg dangling by a thread, facelss people covered in their own and the blood and gore of others.

I believe one of the worst mistakes made by both all the people’s on Earth was to tolerate the very first act of terrorism by not taking direct difinitive action against the organizers and perpetrators of the acts.

We, the people of the world who have respect for other people, should have hunted them down like the mad dogs they are and shut the door on future terrorism through punishments so severe that no others would ever have attempted such dispicable acts in the name of a religion that in no way, shape, or form condones mass murder of innocents.

But, we, meaning all the people who believe in respect of human life, didn’t do that. (I am sure that some people might think this to be a contradiction to the above but its not. There are far worse punishments than putting terrorists to death.)

Anyway, since the time of the first terrorist act against people who didn't even know who the terrorists were or why they even existed, hundreds of people have been killed; thousands have been injured and for what?

Because their beliefs differ?

Because their skin color is different?

Because their livelihoods differ?

Because customs differ?

No, simply because a religion of peace, as are all valid religions, has been distorted to suit religious fanatics’ complete and utter diregard for human life along with misinterpretation of a religion by people who have the ability to get others to follow much as Hitler did with factions of the German people.

The final count of deaths due to Hitler I don’t know but I do know that over 6,000,000 Jewish people, the same number of people killed in the name of religion during the 100 Year’s Religious Wars, were tortured, maimed and killed. There was at least another million killed during World War II.

How many will ultimately die from the acts of terrorists? I fear it will exceed the numbers above by millions, people completely innocent of any act against the those or the nations involved in terrorist acts.

Now is the time for all people on this planet to rid the world of terrorists, not link it to anything as foolish as distracting from Lewinsky.

If not, it is a very great possibility that the world as we know will end for all time while Mankind will have suffered the greatest price possible, hundreds of millions of people killed by people who have absolutely no concept of the sanctity of human life.

Think it can’t happen? Well, Ladies and Gentlemen, neither did the Jewish nor American people prior to World War II.