War on terrorism fought with the wrong weapons?

MCG

Just before World War I, there were a number of terrorist attacks on the United States forces in the Philippines by Muslim extremists. So General Pershing captured 50 terrorists, and had them tied to posts for execution. He then had his men bring in two pigs and slaughter them in front of the, now horrified, terrorists.

Muslims detest pork, because they believe pigs are filthy animals. Some of them simply refuse to eat it, while others won't even touch pigs at all, nor any of their by-products. To them, eating or touching a pig, its meat, its blood, etc., is to be instantly barred from Paradise (and those virgins), and doomed to hell.

The soldiers then soaked their bullets in the pigs' blood, and proceeded to execute 49 of the terrorists by firing squad. The soldiers then dug a big hole, dumped in the terrorist's bodies, and covered them in pig blood, entrails, etc. They let the 50th man go.

And for the next 42 years, there was not a single Muslim extremist attack anywhere in the world.

http://home1.gte.net/jialpert/Politics/Pershing.htm

Can't say that I agree with the tactic completely, execution is barbaric, but it raises an interesting point. Muslim extremists (suicide bombers and the like) welcome death because they believe they will go directly to heaven. Would many would-be terrorists think twice before trying to carry out an attack if the ones that were caught were handled in a similar manner?

lalalalaaaaaaaa

MCG wrote:

Muslim extremists (suicide bombers and the like) welcome death because they believe they will go directly to heaven. Would many would-be terrorists think twice before trying to carry out an attack if the ones that were caught were handled in a similar manner?

Sure, many would think twice. But many would not, and do not. You don't fight terrorism with terrorism. In America, we execute murderers, and it has no relation to the murder rate going up or down. You fight crime with police work and the justice system...you look at your evidence, find a motive, capture the criminal, and reflect on the motive to see what can be done to decrease the motivation if possible.

MCG

Saturnal wrote:

Sure, many would think twice. But many would not, and do not. You don't fight terrorism with terrorism. In America, we execute murderers, and it has no relation to the murder rate going up or down. You fight crime with police work and the justice system...you look at your evidence, find a motive, capture the criminal, and reflect on the motive to see what can be done to decrease the motivation if possible.

Excellent point.

enharmonic

My personal belief is that the only way to defeat terrorism is with concentrated, repeated use of caramel apples.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caramel_apples

An apple a day keeps the jihad away.

FinsburyParkCarrots

MCG wrote:

And for the next 42 years, there was not a single Muslim extremist attack anywhere in the world.

At all. :rolleyes:

Abuskedti

stupidity ... yup, the wrong weapon.

Truthmonger

Oh, leave him alone, he's from Regina.........