Mindless Cruelty,

You suggest that "how the average American .... have been led like puppets by a marionette "

To save time, I'll re-quote what I wrote last week to your mate Arjay:

" ... the world is not made up just of puppets and a hierarchy of puppet-masters. There ARE people out here who can think for themselves, for good and for evil as well: all manner of groups have their own idiosyncratic agendas.

"Yes, I have talked with my regular Jehovah's Witness visitor who tells me that the greatest trick of Satan is to convince people that he doesn't exist, so please don't go down that path all over again. Join the real world, warts and all, incompetents and all, weird personal and group agendas and all."

Then I biggered it all up by adding

"Mind you, I still think it was the Swedes."

Well, it COULD be ......

Therefore, it is.

I think that's how conspiracy logic goes.

Joe

There are many suspect studies regarding suicide bombers. One of them is that "Hezbollah suicide bombers come from above average wealthy families and have above average intelligence." Coming from an above average wealthy family is no a guarantee of having above average intelligence. At times, the people concerned even indoctrinated educationally subnormal youngsters as suicide bombers. Many young people, who do take up suicide missions, lack a continuing scientific and inquiring mind.

In October 1956, in Budapest, Hungary, when there was a sponteneous uprising against the Russian occupation, many of the most daring acts were carried out by young individuals who appeared rather carefree beforehand. It was almost as though they found a cause to be fully identified with, - as though they wished to atone for how they behaved before. Most of those who survived either left the country, or were imprisoned if they stayed. Either way, they grew wiser with age.

One thing that certainly did not enter their mind is to harm the countless Russian civilians in that country.

The underlying thing regarding suicide bombers, whether they are Japanese kamikazi pilots, Sri Lankan Tigers, or Hezbollah adherents, is their propensity for psychopathic behaviour.

A psychopath is someone who can inflict pain or suffering on others without the feeling of any remorse. Psychopathic behaviuour in any totalitarian system, whether it is politically, religiously or economically driven, is not only tolerated but often rewarded. In a more balanced society, psycopathic behaviour is more likely to be checked or controlled.

One more point is, regarding the idea that the end justifies the means, - as some of those engaged in recruiting suicide bombers may claim. This is nonesense. The end is never in the control of anybody, whether it is an individual, a group, or even a society.