Terrorists Are People, Too

Go on nail me for treason - arrest me for conspiracy
But I know it’s no crime to desire
That my people should be free
--The Day They Set Jim Larkin Free,
Black 47

The ball is round, a game lasts 90 minutes,
everything else is pure theory. Off we go!
--Lola Rennt (1998)

Who are the people in your neighborhood?
They're the people that you meet,
When you're walking down the street,
They're the people that you meet, each, day
--Sesame Street theme, Bob McGrath,
______________

This is the reason the chaps at SOCNET love me.

Ranger encountered a title at the bookstore yesterday: "All You Ever Learned About Sex is Wrong." Substitute "Terrorism" and you have the history of the Bush and Reagan years vis-a-vis the topic.

Always fascinated at the misunderstandings concerning transnational and international terrorism at policy level in the U.S. systems, Ranger will take the occasion of the recent release of Red Army Faction (RAF) member Christian Klar as a hopping off point.

RAF was a German terrorist group in the 70's and 80's that had no more than 30 active members at its apex. Their passive and active support was obvious, since they moved freely in their chosen area of operation. They had broad quiet admiration and sympathy among Germans. The group disbanded in 1998.

Like al-Qaeda, the RAF had only a vague concept of their organizational goals. "It subscribed to Marxist-Leninist ideology and sought to overthrow the capitalist West German government and to fight perceived U.S. imperialism" (International Herald Tribune). However, they never had the level of support to achieve their grandiose goal, nor did they have a governing plan. Unlike al-Qaeda, many of the founding members of RAF were nihilists.

It is interesting to consider terrorism within the context of its legitimization within a population. The RAF's raison d'etre was nebulous and self-aggrandizing. Compare that with a group like the Irish Republican Army (IRA), which has a chance of being part of a Northern Ireland power structure. Al-Qaeda seems to have a discrete mission statement which, if achieved, would properly cause the group to become superannuated. Both IRA and al-Qaeda have a broader base of support and historical political relevance.

Nobody, including the RAF members themselves, believed they had a match's chance in a windstorm to overthrow the FRG. Germans (and Americans) are too fat, dumb and happy to accept revolution. Because of this internal pacification, RAF did not progress on the spectrum of conflict, unlike other more successful terrorist groups.

At worst, the RAF were a minor irritant to the FRG, and they did claim responsibility for 34 deaths. They were like a collective serial murderer.

The FRG was successful in its police and legal approach, following democratic procedures to deal with these miscreants. This approach is consistent with that of Italy, Spain and France toward their own incidents of terrorism.

My point is terrorism can be dealt with by a democratic society through appropriate police and judicial channels. Even convicted terrorists must someday be released from prison once they have served their sentence and be reintegrated into society. This may strike discord into some hearts, but this is what makes democracy a fact rather than a theory.

As "Matthew Alexander," U.S. inetrrogator and author of "How to Break a Terrorist" said on NPR yesterday, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was just an illiterate thug until he became radicalized while in jail late in life. Conceivably, the reverse can happen, as well. Call it a jailhouse epiphany. Call it 20 years behind bars. Reform is possible, but certainly, doing one's time is the reality. If you don't get the death sentence, chances are you'll rejoin the rest of us at some point.

For the hardcore who demand to jail them for life, consider how you'd like to spend your tax dollars. We believe there are some people who deserve death, and some who deserve life in prison, forever. But their numbers are few.

If it were possible, and the others could come out on the other side and join you in shouldering the burden, wouldn't you rather that than pay to house them for the rest of their days?

Which feeds your society better: vindictiveness and vengeance, or work and integration?