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Originally Posted by Manx
No it is not. I have never been oppressed like the thousands of Arabs in the Middle East - but I do not offer that as a justification for a terrorists' actions. I condemn a terrorist regardless of the hell that their life has been - and I condemn the soldier who shoots an injured man in the head, tortures prisoners, or holds prisoners for years with no recourse - regardless of the hell that they have experienced, and I have not, on a field of combat.
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This sounds nice, but... If you want to do something about the fact that terrorists are coming from these situations you'll first need to understand the context that produces the aberrations. Similarly, if you want to understand why some soldiers act in ways that are outside of the boundaries even of wartime conduct, you should look at the context they live in. Condemnation is adequate for Monday morning quarterbacking, but won't get anyone anywhere if you want to understand or influence the circumstance in question. I'm not saying that stress or "reality-substitution" is an acceptable excuse or justification, but denying that this is a factor only serves to impede understanding.