Simple Yes/No questions no need to go off on tangents....there are plenty other threads for that, but I'm just curious on your feelings on this specific question:


1) Do you believe that Hezbollah is a
A) Terrorist Organization OR a
B) Legitimate Army?

2) If B, do you see them as part of the country of Lebanon's military force?

7/18/2006 1:46:26 PM

A

and the gov't of Lebanon is too weak to do anything about them

7/18/2006 1:49:57 PM

A

and the gov't of Lebanon is too weak to do anything about them

7/18/2006 2:01:25 PM

Their current tactics (lauching a bunch of rockets) don't exactly seem like standard terrorist fare.

7/18/2006 2:03:19 PM

n/m

[Edited on July 18, 2006 at 2:04 PM. Reason : ,]

7/18/2006 2:03:53 PM

Goldenviper, I'm really just curious about a yes/no answer, if you don't have an opinion, that's fine, I just wanted to get a response to that question like TKE and babzi have

7/18/2006 2:07:29 PM

I'd say "guerrilla army," probably.

7/18/2006 2:09:04 PM

its a militant and governmental group

there is a civilian arm of hezbollah

7/18/2006 2:09:40 PM

They certainly use terrorist tactics at times, but I wouldn't put them in quite same category as Al-Qaeda. As I understand it, they did a lot of guerrilla fighting against the Israeli army in Lebanon.

7/18/2006 2:13:52 PM

^^Whatever happened along the way, happened. But they were created to hurt Israel and the west so there is no argument about it.

[Edited on July 18, 2006 at 2:14 PM. Reason : .]

7/18/2006 2:14:00 PM

one's enemies does determine whether something is terrorist or not.

7/18/2006 2:14:44 PM

legitimate armies have targets, lobbing missles intot he wind is terrorism.

7/18/2006 2:22:19 PM

in a real war, armies do this all the time.

artillery anyone?

7/18/2006 2:23:30 PM

^^not exactly

[Edited on July 18, 2006 at 2:23 PM. Reason : ,]

7/18/2006 2:23:49 PM

so if you say this is a real war, do you support America treating it as a war?

I'd love to see those turrists taken out in shock and awe.

[Edited on July 18, 2006 at 2:31 PM. Reason : .]

7/18/2006 2:31:04 PM

^^^not exactly

[Edited on July 18, 2006 at 2:31 PM. Reason : ^]

7/18/2006 2:31:10 PM

^^no. just because it is a war, doesn't mean we have to get involved.

7/18/2006 2:33:38 PM

it is a war to preserve our liberties.

I don't want to live in terror while these extremists pounce on any chance to terrorize my way of life.

7/18/2006 2:35:01 PM

how did hezbollah terrorize you?

7/18/2006 2:35:28 PM

it's a chain.

it gets support from Lebanon, Iran, and Syria.

If we take them out, Iran and Syria get hurt...and they can't sponsor turrism in America effectively.

7/18/2006 2:36:40 PM

how do iran and syria get hurt by one of the groups they fund getting hurt?

7/18/2006 2:38:56 PM

You're far more likely to die in a car accident than in a terrorist attack.

7/18/2006 2:39:40 PM

how about you goto Iraq and help your country?

7/18/2006 2:40:37 PM

troll troll troll

7/18/2006 2:41:45 PM

Why the hell would I want to do that?

7/18/2006 2:41:53 PM

you would want to do that because there are young Americans dying to preserve the same liberties you don't wanna enjoy.

Why don't you go settle in a turrist campt in Hezbollahland...I am sure they look for an American education there.

7/18/2006 2:44:09 PM

U.S. soldiers fighting in Iraq aren't doing a damn thing for me.

7/18/2006 2:45:33 PM

I wish you were in the WTC towers.

7/18/2006 2:47:07 PM

Quote :

"I wish you were in the WTC towers."

Why? I probably would have survived.

7/18/2006 2:47:52 PM

A

7/18/2006 3:11:48 PM

There's really quite a simple litmus test for deciding whether or not they qualify as a real army:

1) Are they uniformed? (Doesn't have to be a full getup, just some common and visible article that sets them apart -- say, if all of them wore identical red bandanas)

2) Do they openly bear arms? (That is, they can't just hide their guns every time they want to play it safe)

3) Do they abide by the laws of war?

7/18/2006 4:00:07 PM

A

^3 is a no, so they hold no value as an army.

sadly however that doesnt mean we can treat them inhumanely if they're captured, al la Al Queda. (just to cover all my bases)

7/18/2006 4:21:21 PM

Quote :

"False Dilemma - A limited number of options (usually two) is given, while in reality there are more options. A false dilemma is an illegitimate use of the "or" operator."

Hezbollah is more than just your typical terrorist organization and definitely not a legitimate army. The Hezbollah militia is a paramilitary organization, a private force that does not answer to the official Lebanese government. Sure, they are organized and trained in a military fashion and probably are better equipped than the legitimate national armies of some nations, but they are outside of the control of the national government and work towards a seperate agenda. This latter point is pretty obvious since they didn't consult with the official government about their plans to provoke the state of Israel. They are also more than just a normal terrorist organization as well, since they fight in open battlefields as an organized force and serve as an unofficial government in Southern Lebanon.

7/18/2006 5:05:06 PM

^ what he said

those of you who insist on black and white answers don't use your grey matter very much

7/18/2006 5:06:56 PM

A

7/18/2006 6:26:27 PM

uhhhhhhhhhhhh....is this a rhetorical question?

fucking 'a'

7/18/2006 6:29:23 PM

Legitimate army that uses terrorist tactics.

7/18/2006 6:41:41 PM

so then Grumpy, does that mean that the 'Crips' are in the same category as Hezbollah? Cause I mean they flash their weapons, and they wear blue bandanas (or black, can't remember) so I guess that makes them just as legitimate?

7/18/2006 7:01:20 PM

Quote :

"it is a war to preserve our liberties. I don't want to live in terror while these extremists pounce on any chance to terrorize my way of life."

ROFLMAO!!1 Seriously, did all the RW shills decide now was a good time to flood the Soap Box with troll posts?

7/18/2006 7:05:20 PM

Of course they are a terrorist organization.

Lest you young'uns forget:

Quote :

"Hezbollah, the exclusive terrorist agent of the Islamic Republic of Iran, has killed more Americans than any other group besides al Qaeda. In 1982, Hezbollah carried out the suicide bombing in Beirut that killed 241 U.S. Marines. In 1985, Hezbollah brutally murdered a young U.S. Navy diver aboard their hijacked TWA Flight 847 in Lebanon and dumped his body on the tarmac. Into the 1990s Hezbollah terrorists kidnapped, tortured and murdered several American military and civilian officers as well as other Westerners. On June 25, 1996, Hezbollah again attacked America at Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, exploding a huge truck bomb that devastated Khobar Towers and murdered 19 U.S. airmen as they rested in their dormitory. "

http://www.saudi-us-relations.org/defense/khobar-towers.html

7/18/2006 7:27:53 PM

Quote :

"so then Grumpy, does that mean that the 'Crips' are in the same category as Hezbollah?"

"Flashing their weapons" does not quite constitute "openly bearing arms." My expertise in gang warfare is limited, but I feel confident that the average crip has his weapons concealed most of the time, either on his person or hidden elsewhere.

And because they have no substantial political goal of which I am aware, they would be a criminal organization rather than an insurgency, rebel, or partisan group.

7/18/2006 8:25:30 PM

well that wasn't one of the 1, 2 & 3's on that list

7/18/2006 8:40:29 PM

^^^OMG THEY ARE AGAINST AMERICA. THEY MUST BE EVIL.

most of the stuff in that quote is not terrorism. most of that was against us military. we just happen to refer to any attack on us with that word. having a european jewish state on arab land is not one of my liberties.

Quote :

"I wish you were in the WTC towers."

im sure if al quida had a choice they would elect not to kill anyone who is against the u.s. aid of israel. its people like you, who support thieves that why want to kill. they have no way of differentiating.

and hezbollah is much closer to b than a. all they have is lob rockets so what else would they do than lob rockets into the wind? if they had gps guided laser implosion bombs that can take needles out of haystacks i'm sure they would've taken the israeli millitary/government out with them long ago.

7/18/2006 9:49:03 PM

so cxmai, seeing as how you chose B....what is your answer to the second question?

7/18/2006 9:56:54 PM

Quote :

"im sure if al quida had a choice they would elect not to kill anyone who is against the u.s. aid of israel."

you mean kinda like how the Al-Queda in Iraq DOESNT blow up other Iraqis who are against US helping Israel all the time??

oh wait...that happens every day....my bad...

7/18/2006 10:09:26 PM

I'm still waiting for cxmai to answer this question:

Quote :

"Out of curiosity, do you consider beheadings, firing unguided rockets, and suicide bombers in public places NASTY, too?"

To which I'll add: how the fuck is hijacking an airplane NOT terrorism?

7/18/2006 10:10:39 PM

thats the only way they can "bomb" american buildings. if they had aegis cruisers and tomahawk cruise missiles in the atlantic im sure they would have elected to destroy the wtc us captial and pentagon with those.

7/18/2006 10:38:54 PM

yeah....so then if they had used missles, then that wouldn't have been terrorism?

7/18/2006 10:41:11 PM

Quote :

"thats the only way they can "bomb" american buildings."

TWA Flight 847 was hijacked on its way from Athens to Rome in 1985.

How was it not terrorism? Who reminds you to breathe?

[Edited on July 18, 2006 at 10:47 PM. Reason : And how do you justify militant Muslims targeting other Muslims?]

7/18/2006 10:44:23 PM

Quote :

"thats the only way they can "bomb" american buildings. if they had aegis cruisers and tomahawk cruise missiles in the atlantic im sure they would have elected to destroy the wtc us captial and pentagon with those."

So that makes hijacking planes and killing innocent people ok?

7/18/2006 10:49:17 PM