Beheadings

Don D

Hr de har har seems a terribly inappropriate place to post some of these really somber things, but there seems to be no other place either. My question is, with all the news about teachers showing beheading to students, students looking at them in class, people watching it, newscasters deciding if they'll show it....where does one find these things anyway? I may or may not decide to watch it, but just wondered where it would be found if I decided to.

Parabeagle

I've never seen a link to the website publicized in the media, but I understand that Al-Qaeda has a website on which they post these things. Might also check out the Al-Jazeera website (I'm sure they have one).

HRinNH

I wonder if the US Govt monitors who is going to these websites. Media agencies are understandable but I'd be afraid if I went to these websites that some secret service dudes would end up parked outside my house. xB-)

Yahoo

I've not gone out to view any of these instances, but I have a couple of friends who have. It is extremely graphic - my understanding is just to do a search on the topic off of Google or Yahoo or something........

If you do view it, I would be interested in hearing your feelings after doing so.

Don D

I heard a man on talk radio this morning who said he had seen the David Perl death several years ago, or was it last year (how soon we forget). He said it was extremely traumatic to watch and he could not sleep for days and had nightmares for more days and still sleeps with a light on.

Paul in Cannon Beach

I haven't searched for the videos. I know what happened. I don't need to see it. From all reports, the Nick Berg beheading was particularly graphic and disturbing. I feel badly for his family that his violent murder was made public. It was unnecessary.

I pray that those responsible are brought to justice.

Don D

That's exactly the way I feel about The Passion Of The Christ. I read the book and heard it read to me for many years. I didn't need to see a Hollywood rendition of it. But, millions must have felt otherwise. Ironically, it is now the most often illegally downloaded movie in history. Ain't that a twist; Christians steeling movies.

HRinNH

If I were to view videos of the beheadings I would be like the radio commentator, not able to sleep for days and I'd be scared to death.

The men who have been beheaded recently may have had no personal agendas but their murderes surely did, and it is to strike fear in every American heart.

However, after watching the "Passion" movie twice, I was not driven to fear at all and once I got home afterward, I had no trouble sleeping either time. Instead of being repulsed, I was deeply humbled that He still loves me in spite of what He went through for us.

As far as the illegal downloading of the movie, I am against it personally but couldn't it be that some folks just want it in their library since it was so popular who are not professing to be Christians?

Whatever

What the blazes is going on on this webside. First there was Jeffrey with his agenda. Now we have HRinNH asking if the illegal downloading could be done by people who are not professing to be Christians. (I am interpreting this to mean that maybe Christians wouldn't do such a thing).

There have been many discussions on this site about religion..and I have never felt that there was any non-Christian sentiments behind the religious remarks made by Christians. (For the benefit of newcomers, if you want a good example go the thread about the movie The Passion of Christ).I thought that we in HR were the most religiously tolerant group. Now, suddenly, I see something happening that has me angry. (This is probably an understatment) Thanks for letting me vent. However, I recognize and appreciate everyone else on this site especially those who have disagreed with me politically but who have never shown my religion or my religious beliefs disrespect. Finally, I would hope there is no censorship of the inappropriate comments that have made me angry.

marc

Perhaps you are having a tough week, you are usually very relaxed and tolerant of others views, especially about religion.

Is your immediate source of anger derived from the comment that perhaps some of those downloading may not have been Christians? If so, the comment does not deny that possibility.

I did not get a lack of tolerance from the comments, just someone's personal observations about religion and an off-hand comment about downloading.

HRinNH

Whatever, I take exception to being tossed into the shredder with other perceived religion-thumping forumites. I was just asking for clarification of Don's question/statement and miles away from insinuating that all Christians are saints. I've learned the hard way that that couldn't be farther from the truth.

I meant no offense. Peace )

Whatever

I apologize for misinterpreting your comment. The point I was hoping to make was that religion has certainly been raised many times on this thread. Never have I felt that the comments were inappropriate until very recently. And this disturbed me. And yes, as far as your comment, I may have over reacted. As far as Jeffrey goes, others made comments far more eloquently than I could.

Don D

Whatever: I hope you're not thinking that I remarked negatively about your beliefs. I don't recall knowing what they are. I did say that the movie is the most downloaded of all illegal downloads. I heard that on the news and I did remark on the irony of Christians stealing films when so many of them profess to be sanctified. I also accept the possibility that none of the downloads were by Christians. But I doubt that. I know lots of them who would think it has been ordained that they should have a free copy of it, just like the thousands of preachers and evangelists who feel it is expected that they should expect free sex and fried chicken as fuel for their Sunday sermons. I think I'm especially tolerant and open to all religious beliefs or none at all. I find all of them fascinating and if I have a fault in that regard, it's that I ask too many questions of them. x:-)

Whatever

No my comments were not directed at you as far as religion goes. However, about your politics...
Oh heck, I'll leave that for another day.

Parabeagle

At some point, these terrorists will have to understand that the beheadings are not having the desired effect. At least I would hope so. However, all it would take would be for one country to cave in to their demands in order to save one of its citizens to encourage them further.

Personally, I like South Korea's response - send more troops. If every country affected by a beheading sent in more troops maybe we could make short work of them.

Superlative

At the risk of sounding like a freak, I'll admit that in the days immediately following the Nick Berg beheading I felt compelled to see it. The first night I google'd it but nothing came up. The next night I google'd it again and found links everywhere. I braced myself and hit "play". The first 3/4 of it was a guy ranting in a language I couldn't understand but which conveyed his anger and hatred. When he suddenly pulled out a long sword I took a deep breath. What I saw was not at all what I expected. The picture was small and grainy, the lighting was bad, and the cameraman was no professional. Early on he tried to zoom in but only succeeding in recording a bunch of jumbled up, unidentifiable images. He managed to correct/adjust near the very end. As a result of the poor videography to me it didn't even seem real -- I've seen way more graphic stuff on television. So I don't describe it as gruesome (even though I know the actual event was) but I would describe it as stunning -- it left me stunned. I was glad then that it wasn't more professionally done.

Incidentally (maybe), the very next day when I booted up my computer it had been eaten up by a nasty virus, and have had to replace it. In my mind I can't shake the thought that those Al Queda ba$(@ #*s destroyed my computer!

dixied

Don,

Shawn Hannity had mentioned the Drudge Report. I did a google search and did find pictures of the Johnson beheading. I didn't view the pics for long, more curious to see if I could find the web site. Very gruesome and appalling.

dd

cebudragonlady

I am revolted but not surprised at the beheadings of civilians by Muslim insurgents, considering that these vile acts also do happen in my homeland. It has been a long struggle for democracy there, and will be so in Iraq, too. As of now , the safety and secuity of anybody in Iraq cannot be guaranteed - it has become a
"no- man's-land."

Chari

Parabeagle

The more things go south in Iraq, the more inclined I am to feel (along with 52% of Americans) that the cost of this adventure is just too high.

Re the insurgencies I think we have no one to blame but ourselves. I feel it's pretty arrogant of us to assume that Iraq even wants to be a democracy - they never have been in the past, why should we assume what's best for them?

All in all, I think we ought to just beat feet on June 30 and be done with it.

Don D

Parabeagle: I'm glad you were assigned to the typist's pool in the air force.

Parabeagle001

Don't even go there, Don. While you were building your career in HR, I was doing JAG duties (yes, even in the military the concept of the law of armed conflict and rules of engagement were present); or I was guarding nuclear-loaded bombers on alert during the cold war; or doing TDY at some place you wouldn't even care to be; or constantly training for some doomsday scenario in which I and some of my fellow military members would be fried to a crackly-crunch while the rest of American civilization went along with us.

The final issue is this: Is it really up to us to dictate what the Iraqi people want? If they want a theocracy, so be it. If they want a democracy, so be it. If they want a bloody English monarch, then so be it. It is not the role of the American government to tell another sovereign nation what they must be.

Whatever

xclap xclap

deniseE

Parabeagle, I have to agree....This is what makes Iraq different from Afganistan. In the case of the latter, we had good credible information that the Taliban regime had a hand in either funding or training the terrorists of 9/11. We've had no such information about Iraq.

Saddam was a bad guy and his government was not nice to a majority of the Iraqi people and I'm not insensitive to the desire to better the quality of life there. BUT to take over a country by saying that it posed an immediate threat to the welfare of the US is a big claim...and in this case, it was untrue. Saddam had big dreams, but was quite content to rule his little desert postage stamp and posed no real threat outside those borders. He did in the past, and the matter was addressed by international forces.

Our way of life is not for everyone, of course we think it's great, it's ours!! I wouldn't want to live anywhere else...but maybe there are others in the world that feel the same way?

Leslie

My SO saw the Berg beheading and tells me I need to see it. I'm like no, I don't. As soon as I saw the knife being pulled out on regular old tv, that was it for me. Last week he comes home, I'm on line, he says go to drudgereport.com. I told him he'd better not be taking me anywhere near pictures of the Johnson beheading, which of course he was. I really don't understand the need to see this but to each their own I suppose.

I'm with you Beags. The insurgents are not going to go peacefully into the night after the 30th. Hell, they're already making plans to assassinate the PM. Now they are "executing" civilians, because after all, death of soldiers is expected as a casualty of war. To pluck every day souls off the street catches everyone's attention. Religious wars don't go away - they last forever.

Don D

Since I quit watching CNN two years ago, I guess I missed Wolf Blitzkrieg saying the U.S. is dictating to Iraq their new form of government.