tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31246093.post8926433227150978695..comments2024-03-28T12:29:39.157-07:00Comments on Graphic Firing Table: Solitudinem faciuntFDChiefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10607785969510234092noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31246093.post-14385742930412113442013-01-20T11:10:19.462-07:002013-01-20T11:10:19.462-07:00Yes...it is a war crime. But as someone said, &qu...Yes...it is a war crime. But as someone said, "All war is a crime." If everyone could really wrap their minds around that, we might work harder to listen to other ways of grievance solving.<br /><br />But then, we seem only impressed by those with ability to KILL us.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31246093.post-60954251382204197462012-11-27T15:10:23.660-07:002012-11-27T15:10:23.660-07:00Swanditch: the Weiss book makes the complicity of ...Swanditch: the Weiss book makes the complicity of the Buddhist religious leadership, especially some of the more fierce "warrior monks", in the Tamil <i>ratissage</i> very clear.<br /><br />And the notion of a wholly "peaceful" religion is kind of a joke, innit? Most religions are like axes; some people use them to build with, others to cut other people's heads off. Very adapatable thing, religion...FDChiefhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10607785969510234092noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31246093.post-12140616666700315192012-11-27T14:54:36.110-07:002012-11-27T14:54:36.110-07:00Ael: Good point. Though I should add that there w...Ael: Good point. Though I should add that there were numerous reports of large-scale civilian casualties throughout the last phases of Eelam IV. The dark genius of the Sri Lankan government was that it managed to muddy the waters long enough and dirty enough to finish the bloody job of killing enough people to sicken the Tamil rebellion. <br /><br />With better digital commo that might not now be possible. But it might yet; like I say, there were lots of indications that some nasty business was going on in the Vanni. The SLG couldn't do a Chechnya. But it did enough to let it Romanize the LTTE, and that was what it needed.FDChiefhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10607785969510234092noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31246093.post-41847536372098338752012-11-27T14:17:21.067-07:002012-11-27T14:17:21.067-07:00Another interesting aspect of the Sri Lankan Troub...Another interesting aspect of the Sri Lankan Troubles is that they provide clear evidence that followers of Buddhism and Hinduism, stereotypically pacifist religions in the Western imagination, can be just as bloodthirsty as followers of any other faith. An American monk who had lived in Sri Lanka for years once told me that he witnessed Sinhalese Buddhist monks protesting angrily in the streets <i>against</i> government attempts to negotiate with the rebels and <i>for</i> continuation of the shooting war.Swanditchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15316455524375152972noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31246093.post-75787788507865877152012-11-27T07:21:00.116-07:002012-11-27T07:21:00.116-07:00Time will tell. Another interesting item is that ...Time will tell. Another interesting item is that it happened just before widespread internet/cell phone cameras/blog journalism.<br /><br />Notice the difference in propaganda efforts between the Syrian rebels and the LTTE.Aelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10788190394672505925noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31246093.post-82523141039987216042012-11-26T17:43:29.056-07:002012-11-26T17:43:29.056-07:00And even in Sri Lanka, the original Tamil grievanc...And even in Sri Lanka, the original Tamil grievances are still there, or worse.<br /><br />But...having been the standard for successful guerrilla movements for decades, the Roman ways sure as hell worked on the LTTE v1.0. We'll have to see whether the "next" round works better...or even if it works at all. The in-country Tamils took a pretty savage beatdown. It's even money IMO whether an attempt at an LTTE 2.0 wouldn't get butchered by their own supposed cause two steps off the truck bringing them to the Vanni...FDChiefhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10607785969510234092noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31246093.post-89781895251077970092012-11-26T17:25:27.630-07:002012-11-26T17:25:27.630-07:00In a world with passenger jet aircraft, it remains...In a world with passenger jet aircraft, it remains an open question how well the roman solution works. In Canada, chunks of the Tamil diaspora are quietly gearing up for another round.Aelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10788190394672505925noreply@blogger.com