Play Nice with the Nasty

Idries Shah once wrote: Only the fool try to be honest with the dishonest.

Keeping up with the mandates of the Geneva Convention, the American Courts or any other rule of fair play, when dealing with terrorists and irregular forces is a loosing proposition, right from the start and holds no chances of prevailing.

Israel showed us that the only way to survive in such a war (did not say 'win') is to strike back with overwhelming force at each act of terror. The mind of a terrorists is extremely simple: he/she is acting out of fear. They blow themselves up because their mullahs hammered into their minds that if they don't they will go to (our equivalent of) hell.

We have to assure them a greater hell, if they do chose to attack us. This is complicated because of the fact that once they are dead, there is nothing they need to fear: you can't scare a corpse. But these fanatics are very family oriented: so the only deterrent is to show them (through actions, not promises) that their homes and families will be blown up if the chose to act against us. We need them to fear us more than what they fear hell itself. We need to assure them by way of actions, that there won't be peace or heaven for them, even after death, if they hurt us.

This is not nice or clean. Is not supposed to be. Neither is an endoscopy. But it is equally necessary if we want to protect American lives. I pity the American Troops that have to carry these dirty missions, while I will be profoundly grateful to them.

Golda Meier once said "I may forgive you (terrorists) what you do to us, but I can't forgive you for what to made our young soldiers do to you".

Capt. Pablo Vitaver