The Bush administration said the people who beheaded American hostage Nick Berg are enemies of freedom who will be hunted down and brought to justice.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with his family," White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan said of Berg. "It shows the true nature of the enemies of freedom. They have no regard for the lives of innocent men, women and children. We will pursue those who are responsible and bring them to justice."
Ok, we've heard this rhetoric before. Bush will sic his Texas Rangers to roundup the bad guys for public humiliation.
I'm as shocked and outraged as anybody, but I would take this thought one step further. After seeing the video I'm even more convinced it demonstrates the ruthlessness of these people and the futility of the concept of bringing them to "justice".
Playing the vengeance game is a lose-lose proposition no matter which side of the fence you're sitting. And it's always the innocent civilians caught in the middle that suffer the most.
For every so-called 'terrorist' killed, more orphans will be left behind to grow up becoming American-hating 'terrorists' and carry on with the family business.
It is a monster that feeds on itself, and sooner (preferably) or later somebody has to have the good sense to break the cycle. If not then we are all heading to armageddon.
Middle eastern cultures have a long, long (did I mention long) history of hate and revenge. Just ask the Israelis and Palestinians. It is a way of life for the fanatics and bred into their psyche.
They are brainwashed from birth to remember the past and hate. My God, they're still bitter over Alexander the Great's conquests and Ishmael taking a back seat to Isaac.
You will NOT beat them into submission and you CANNOT beat them at their own game. They practically invented it and have thousands of year's more practice than we do.
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - Ms. Tek
I downloaded the video and I cried and the first thing that came to mind was:
A vicious cycle this will be.
2 - Ms. Tek
Oh... and I showed it to my friend and he vomited.
3 - kuro
I am sorry Nicholas Berg. I am watching your death, and I am mourning for you like I was your friend. I feel like your friend. I think that you were trying to befriend the world, and that you, through your brief and unexpectedly ended life, have prevailed.
I wish peace and healing for the Berg family. What has happened is an outrage, and ultimately, can never be apologized for. Losing a child must be the worst pain there is. But to have the entire world focused on it and politicians using it as a bargaining chip leaves us to wonder, "where is God?" What kind of God allows this to happen? In the world we live in, how do we expect to go on?
It is a sick kind of "Keeping up with the Joneses." I will see your prison abuse, and I will raise you one beheading. Poker face. Yeah, I know. It is horrible, because war is horrible, and bloody in its scope, the sheer volume of human rage, not to mention bloodshed.
But let it be known, loud and clear. There is no such thing as revenge. The word and deed exist and the idea of sweet retribution is appealing but never satisfying when actually carried out. Avenging angels/ devils/ infidels/ insurgents are never satisfied. They are always left wanting, or bitter, disappointed. Our egos are bigger than our stomachs, which can only consume so much blood and bile before it is regurgitated onto ourselves.
What do you do in times like these? Where do we go? What is going to happen now? It isn't a game, and since there are no ways to play, how do you stop? Does this mean everyone has to die? What is hideous, unavoidable, tragic - is the widespread coverage of it all, the way the information flashes forward in ominous RealPlayer detail to all points on the map. But perhaps, this is our saving grace. Because the pictures are gory, they are mounting day by day, the death toll is rising with a bullet, there is no escape. If you are not commenting on it, you are not here.
What would God say? I ask my God to help us. He shrugs his shoulders and says nothing. My God is kind of lazy that way. My God takes three hour martini lunches and calls it a day far sooner than He should. He likes me to work shit out on my own. He is cool though.
I am terribly sad for all the dead, injured, abused, Iraqi and American, military and civilian, hero or madman, everybody - because there is no reason anymore for this escalating violence. It isn't "Spy vs. Spy." It is human life. People, with mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers, hometowns like Philadelphia or Baghdad.
My heart goes out for all the suffering in the world. I wish to breathe it all into my lungs, let it run all the way through my respiratory and circulatory system, and exhale pure love and ever loving compassion.
Margaret Cho
4 - boomcrashbaby
well said, kuro. I won't be watching the video, nothing will be gained by it, for me.
And if you really are Margaret Cho, I can't help but feel that maybe this isn't the appropriate thread/subject to say so, but I want to say kudos to one of the greatest comedienne's of all time.
5 - James Golden
She's a good comedienne, although I must take exception at her co-opting the name of the single greatest rapper of all time.
I'm talking about the Notorious BIG, otherwise known as Biggie Smalls, Christopher Wallace, B.I.G. Big Poppa. He was and always will be the greatest rapper ever, and people need to learn to respect the notorious one, not use his name in vain (im serious here). In 30 years, people will regard BIG along side of all of the musical greats like Hendrix, Gershwin, Mozart. He was the best.
6 - Dave
Nick Berg is a martyr of the US government. This is a war and any sort of resistance can be expected, especially against an opressive government such as the US. American citizens can't deny the wrongdoings of its government over the past 4 decades. The American population can't even begin to realize the innocent people its country has tourtured and murdered. Already in Iraq there are 24 cases of wrongful deaths of Iraqis and don't forget all the innocent civilians murdered in Cambodia, Laos, Korea, Vietnam and southern china. Despite what the government says they are just as responsible for
Nicks death, and they know it.
7 - James Golden
Jeeeze can you be any worse of an apologist?
I agree Nick is a Martyr, and let me quickly add that his murder made me sick as it did any human who saw the tape.
But lets address your American policy bashing. Of the countries supposedly hurt by our policy, who has been their biggest enemy? Was it the US? Or was it their own leadership? Maybe we tacitly supported their governments, but ultimately, the problems in the middle east are the result of a failure of the region taking care of it's own. This is why you have Syrians helping to strap bombs on palestinian teens rather than build a palestinian school.
Wake up.
8 - James Golden
It's also why you have the US rescuing iraqis from Saddam. Why did we have to do it? Why couldn't Jordan, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Turkey or any of the other regional countries threatened by Saddam do anything to stop him? Because as bad as our foriegn policy might have been at times, THEIRS has always been worse.
9 - Marc
Blog Bloke - "It's time to re-think this"
One can only assume you have done this yet you offer nothing as an alternative. Countless times I have seen comments and articles stating some valid, some not, reasons for a different path - ala Kerry - but the norm is they have only thought of the concept of a "re-think" and not the actual deed. Funny how that works, the end result is just another nonsensical rant with no solution.
"Dave" "Already in Iraq there are 24 cases of wrongful deaths of Iraqis."
You do realize those 24 are only at the "investigative stage." For the light-headed that means nothing is proven, "innocence until proven guilty"
covers the government as well as the individuals living under it.
You have called the American government "oppressive" Can I have a detailed list of countries the US compares with (in your opinion)? It would greatly assist me in judging just where America stands
10 - Chris
Help me understand why someone would want to watch the video?
Was the news already not real enough? What is there to gain by actually watching it?
11 - James Golden
a sick stomach. I wont watch it. It's just way too sad to watch them kill this man like an animal.
12 - Shark
Bush says, "We will pursue those who are responsible and bring them to justice."
More blather outta the mouth of the 21st century's greatest blunding blatherer.
They can't even catch the criminals from Enron -- and frankly, those monsters damaged more people's lives than the handful of nut-bars who killed Berg.
Or maybe our lying facist war-mongering leader should catch bin Laden before he starts strutting around threatening to add more names to his 'wanted dead or alive list.' What a laughable joke. Everytime Bush adds another threat to his terrorist shopping list, American taxpayers get a bill that has at least 15 zeroes in it.
(Whatever happened to that big "Spring Catch" we heard soooo much about from the "liberal media" a month ago? "The big Al Kayda second-in-command is trapped in his mountain lair on the border of Pakistan! Expect his death or capture before the weekend is up!"
Yawn. How did the Red Sox do?
Has she had a facelift?
What's on the other channel?
um, MTV is playing "Whatever Happened To..." and tonight, they're featuring famous international terrorists we've never caught.
zzzzzzzzzzzzz.... what's for dinner?
Take your ADD medicine, America.
Gobble some Paxil and lie to yourself that being depressed is an aberration.
Keep your eye on the swinging pocketwatch.
Vote for your "American Idol" -- at least the producers keep an accurate count.
Say goodbye to your fake "Friends" -- who loved you and cared about you for a million a week... just don't get too close.
"FOX NEWS: Our talking heads are still attached to their original bodies!"
And y'know, I'm sorry for this Berg guy and his family, but the fact remains that if this opportunistic (Jewish!?) lad hadn't have been knocking door to door in an ISLAMIC WAR ZONE looking for 'business' (what the hell was that about?) -- maybe he wouldn't have lost his head.
Sometimes ya gotta say, "I'm real sorry you walked into an airplane propeller -- but next time, watch your step."
(And yeah, go ahead and call me heartless -- but I'm really just sick of seeing this slow parade of dead 'american martyrs' used as marketing tools for George W. Satan's terrorist foreign policy. I'll guarantee that an American beheaded on video gives the Cheney and the Neo-Cons one of the few spontaneous orgasms they've had recently from their little flaccid Republican dicks.)
"Vote Scared." -- Bush's 04 campaign
13 - BB
The comments here are an interesting commentary on humanity in general - are they not?
Very revealing and... sometimes sad, sometimes illuminating, and... sometimes scary.
14 - RJ Elliott
I'll go with scary, in Guppy's case...
15 - BB
Marc, this post is meant to be a reflective post on our 'reactions' to the murder. I don't pretend to have all the answers. I just know this is wrong. If you have the answers then I'm all ears. But please don't tell me it's more cruise missiles and such.
James, please read your own comment and 'wake up'. It's not working bro, and it won't work - not now, not never. You answered your own question, "ultimately, the problems in the middle east are the result of a failure of the region taking care of it's own."
Don't be so smug to think you can bring peace to a region that has thousands of years of history in turmoil. Instead of smart bombs let's use our heads and hearts. Bottom line is it is our foreign policy that has not worked and creates enemies.
Think out of the box.
16 - James Golden
"Don't be so smug to think you can bring peace to a region that has thousands of years of history in turmoil."
Don't be so holier than thou to think that peace cannot be brought to that region.
But let me also point out, Iraq has only been in existance for the last hundred years or so. The turmoil is recent. Not "thousands of years old."
You say it isnt working. You might want to give it a little more time. Rome wasn't built in a day. The U.S. took 10 or so years to complete our democracy and we didn't have the problems Iraq does.
17 - boomcrashbaby
You say it isnt working. You might want to give it a little more time
Isn't that what Kofi Annan said to George?
18 - James Golden
And Shark:
"Whatever happened to that big "Spring Catch" we heard soooo much about from the "liberal media" a month ago? "
Well if you remember there was a standoff between PAKISTANI forces and Al Qaeda. Gen Musharaaf didn't want to let US forces in, because it would make him appear like a shill for the U.S.. So the al Qaeda compound was surrounded by pak forces and there was a siege. At this point its clear that the 2nd in command escaped. The Media then dropped the story.
I didn't forget. I don't know what you are trying to say with your silly diatribe about ADD, I don't see what Pak's lack of cooperation with U.S. anti terror forces has to do with our nations attention span. It sucked. We moved on.
Frankly, given the fact that the alternative, John Kerry, proposes in his first 100 days to make an apology trip across the world letting leaders know we are ready to work with them, while Pak won't let us in to take down al Qaeda, says alot about the candidate. I don't see how you could possibly bring this issue up as a grievance and yet still beef with the current admin.
I also take extreme offense by this little bit of idiocy:
"but the fact remains that if this opportunistic (Jewish!?) lad hadn't have been knocking door to door"
I pray to god that you aren't making any anti-jew statements here. It sure seems that way to me.
The fact is, Berg was playing a risky game, but it's a risk that plenty of smart people take, like Haliburton for example. I disagree with Bergs father that this is somehow Bush's fault. Berg was risking his life in exchange for the opportunity, he had to know that this wasn't particularly safe.
19 - James Golden
"Isn't that what Kofi Annan said to George?"
The difference here is that we are legitimately trying to establish a new Iraq. Annan was hardly acting with the same level of legitimacy. Oil for Food anyone? Containment was a farce.
20 - James Golden
BB - you say:
"Bottom line is it is our foreign policy that has not worked and creates enemies. "
Ok, like which policies? I can make blanket statements too, doesn't make them right.
21 - Craig Lyndall
Does anyone have any opinion on whether the video is genuine or not?
This link shows you how many are questioning whether the video is actually real. I am personally still having too much trouble thinking about it to actually watch it a second time, but I am curious if anyone has any thoughts on this.
22 - Blog Bloke
#16 "Don't be holier than thou"
Funny, but it's not I who is trying to play God in the region.
"But let me also point out, Iraq has only been in existence for the last hundred years or so. The turmoil is recent. Not "thousands of years old."
I'm talking REGION here James - you know, the big picture. Who cares about the name. Call it Iraq, Persia, or whatever you want. But that's not the point.
"You might want to give it a little more time."
And how many more hundreds or thousands will die?
Look, all I'm saying is give Iraq back to the Iraqi's and get the heck out - pronto, before any more have to die and another generation of American-haters has been created! Stop with the bravado "we will stay the course crap" that only serves to fan the flames and promulgate the idea this is a takeover, not a temporary layover. And if that makes me a terrible peace-monger then so be it.
23 - James Golden
Very interesting. He is dead though, isn't he?
I asked the same question about timing, if this happened a few weeks ago as reported, then how would they know about the prisoner abuse (unless they heard if first hand by a prisoner - did they release any that were tortured? Do they allow visits?).
Very odd indeed.
24 - BB
#20 "Ok, like which policies? I can make blanket statements too".
Um... the policy of "might is right", or "let's show em how Americans kick as", or... must I go on?
I mean really. It's a simple concept. You will not re-create them in your own image, and you cannot break the will of fanatics. And violence begets more violence.
Reminder: The premise of this post is our reactions to the beheading.
25 - James Golden
Might is right? you mean like when they try to crash planes into us? Gimme a break. You aren't stating anything, I know of no US policy of might is right. Sorry.