Quote: "That's part of why I try not to judge people even if they've done something as bad as this. Since I don't know any better I have to assume that it was their experiences that shaped them and not something that was inevitable from birth -- we certainly see a majority of terrorists and criminals coming from troubled backgrounds."
Osama Bin Laden had a wealthy,privileged and educated background, just like a lot of the top terrorists, maybe his father beat him too much as a kid so he had issues. I wouldn't know for sure.
You have to excuse me a little, having gotten old and grumpy, I no longer have the same ideals I had back then. You get more cynical as you get older. If you really want a label.....try psychopath.
As you get further down the terrorist food chain you find the psychopaths who are all too willing to murder a few people under the righteous banner of 'The Cause' whether it be political or even better religious. Either way its all good as you dont take responsibility for your actions.
I guess its just my opinion that psychopaths are just what they are, society doesn't form these people and you cant fix it with a hug.
I do understand where you are coming from with this and can plainly see where it is leading, but you wont change my opinion on this any more than I could yours.
But I stand by my assertion that no thinking person could go through with something like this and I don't believe its just environmental, you find many living in the same circumstances and pressures without becoming murderers and I have no intention of giving them a 'way out' by blaming society, theirs or ours.
Its a known fact for these terrorists today that it doesn't curry public favour and nor will it win their 'war', as governments point blank will not make deals with them. The whole point is to 'create' war, through insurrection, under the guise of taking the battle to the enemy. Algiers in the 1950's is probably the best example of terrorism actually having the desired effect, at least the effect the terrorists were after.
I don't trip over...I do random gravity checks.
