Norway: terrorist or nutter?

[Ed209]

From George Washington all the way to Nelson Mandela gets to prove that what is a terrorist and what isn't merely depends on which side of the fence you're viewing things.

If the Nazis had invaded Britain in WW2 there was an underground army of resistance set up and ready to go - which would have been considered terrorists by the new rulers of this country.

But there's a big difference between having a political aim via violence (which is all a terrorist is at its root) and the likes of Breivik. The aim has to be purposeful and the targets useful in that purpose.

While I'm sure there's some twisted logic for Breivik with his choice of targets, from all angles that I can see there's nothing purposeful with that choice, and they take him no closer to his aims. He'd have had a better aim and more purpose by bombing a random shopping centre and killing random people than he will have done by killing some of the more politically aware kids within Norweign society as he did.

[russycarps]

Thats different though that was a "job". This guy killed innocent kids and the like.

[Rufus Gwertigan]

taking a human life is taking a human life

besides, in brevieks view the people he killed are just as guilty a those in pierrepoints

[russycarps]

So on the shame level as a shop owner

[Kyelo]

Bit of a latecomer to this thread but to me he is both. He has an obsession that all his problems and his creeds are because of the powers that be(Mr Dow anyone?), he is stupid/mad enough to believe this and to believe that by doing what he did will make any difference. It's a misplaced passion, maybe his brain is wired differently but his views/actions are just extreme versions of those I have heard and know people who would say the same without acting. It is pure racism, bigotry and deficient education. Is he to blame? Well we will never know what is in his mind and what made him act that way. Should he be punished? Yes, locked up forever...forced to watch massacres of people who he would like to defend(I know it's sick and non PC but I would really like to piss him off)as I don't think you'd get away with a Prometheus style torture for the rest of his life.

[russycarps]

Bit of a latecomer to this thread but to me he is both. He has an obsession that all his problems and his creeds are because of the powers that be(Mr Dow anyone?), he is stupid/mad enough to believe this and to believe that by doing what he did will make any difference. It's a misplaced passion, maybe his brain is wired differently but his views/actions are just extreme versions of those I have heard and know people who would say the same without acting. It is pure racism, bigotry and deficient education. Is he to blame? Well we will never know what is in his mind and what made him act that way. Should he be punished? Yes, locked up forever...forced to watch massacres of people who he would like to defend(I know it's sick and non PC but I would really like to piss him off)as I don't think you'd get away with a Prometheus style torture for the rest of his life.

[Kyelo]

he probably will make a difference. There'll be people who think he's done a good thing for the right reasons, and vice-versa..... What he did is in the news, people talk about it, think about it, maybe even change their opinions - for better or for worse - because of him

[Kyelo]

for some there already is a cultural war, and what he's done is make other people more aware of it.

How would anyone be able to decide who right-wing nut-jobs are?

[kaosmark2]

Nutter:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/apr/19/anders-breivik-call-of-duty?fb_action_ids=10150819712656754&fb_action_types=news.reads&fb_source=other_multiline