Doesn't look good for the terrorist Mandela

[The Merry Prankster]

He may be a terrorist but he's my kind of terrorist.

 

[red star portslade]

A shining example that rehabilitation works.

They let him out of prison and he hasn't re - offended.

 

[Westdene Seagull]

Indeed. But whilst they were fighting in an admirable cause, and were finally respected as heros, their acts were those of "terror", under SOE leadership to Churchill's orders to "Set Europe Alight". To my undertanding, most of the French military were against them after the Armistice, which is why we had to support a junior General called De Gaulle. Indeed, with the expectancy of an invasion, a large infrastructure was set-up in this country with the intention of fighting the anticipated German occupation with acts of "terror".

Then surely any act of war is by definition an act of terror ? Doesn't that make the British Army terrorists ?

 

[Bakero]

Then surely any act of war is by definition an act of terror ? Doesn't that make the British Army terrorists ?

As the great MF Doom said, "only one side is allowed to have bombs."

 

[pork pie]

Ok.

free·dom fight·er
Noun
A person who takes part in a violent struggle to achieve a political goal.

Ergo, Mandela = Freedom Fighter. No ifs, no buts. You can't say he is a terrorist, he is a freedom fighter. He fits the definition of one.

Well given that one is the polite name for the other, he is both.

 

[BadFish]

I would say that ITN is generally less politically biased. So yes, ITN.

It has been a long time since I watch the ITN news so I can't really comment on that one. Can't say I remember much difference between it and the BBC news, but like i say that was while ago.

 

[The Antikythera Mechanism]

Not to mention Winnie Mandela and her "Mandela United Football Club". Murdering bitch.

 

[BadFish]

Well given that one is the polite name for the other, he is both.

Surely the only difference is what side you are on?

 

[shaolinpunk]

I thought he was great in The Shawshank Redemption

 

[pork pie]

Then surely any act of war is by definition an act of terror ? Doesn't that make the British Army terrorists ?

War has very strict legal rules. That is one reason why the "Falklands Conflict" was so named. As the British Army fights within those rules, then is cannot be accused as being "terrorists". Some of the SAS "black opps" may be a little less clear cut, if we knew their full extent I guess.

 

[pork pie]

Surely the only difference is what side you are on?

Ineed.

 

[Nibble]

It's hard to label someone a terrorist if they were operating in such a politically and socially charged environment as Mandela was. We can only judge him by our own standards and to many he would seem like a terrorist. He did a good job on his release though. Pity the country is still in such a mess. Despit all the differing views he was seen as a symbol of hope for many years after his release and for this reason it will be sad when he passes in my opinion.

 

[glasfryn]

I know this is fishing, but I'll bite.

The thing with Mandela, wasn't that he was a terrorist. It was that when he came out of Prison, South Africa could easily have slipped into a civil war. Many of the ANC supporters (and others) wanted war. Mandela, when everybody was expecting violence, came out and encouraged his followers that 'the Rainbow nation' was the way forward. That can't have been easy - especially with a lot of the violent protests of the early 1990s.

For me, that is why Mandela was great. Not because of what he did when he was young (many will argue it was justified, many will argue it was not - I'm not getting into that), but because of what he did after his release from Prison.

The World will be a poorer place the day he passes.

this

Mandela's detractors are at least coming across as apologetic / defensive. Time was when his opponents had no problem describing themselves as "white supremacists". Mandela himself deserves much of the credit for that shift in opinion.

and this

 

[DavidinSouthampton]

To be fair David you are one of the sanest and most balance posters on here (excluding your imaginary friend of course, but that is another (several other) thread).

Oh, you say the nicest things!

 

[The Large One]

Any plenty of us laugh at the pinko press like The Guardian, with their PC left-wing drivel.

If you believe you can define 'terrorist', can you define 'pinko', 'PC' and your take on 'left-wing' while you're at it; without sounding like an intern at The Sun?

 

[BadFish]

Oh, you say the nicest things!

Not really given the other posters

 

[Westdene Seagull]

War has very strict legal rules. That is one reason why the "Falklands Conflict" was so named. As the British Army fights within those rules, then is cannot be accused as being "terrorists". Some of the SAS "black opps" may be a little less clear cut, if we knew their full extent I guess.

The Falklands was called a conflict because we didn't actually declare war.

I don't hold with the argument that because there is "rule book" that armies don't carry out acts of terror. The Shock and Awe campaign of the first Gulf War was clearly designed to bring terror to the people of Iraq in the hope they would help with the overthrow of Saddam. Don't get me wrong, it was probably justifiable BUT some rule does not suddenly make an act not a act of terror. All countries armies, the IRA, the French Resistance, Mandela, FARC etc etc etc have all carried out acts of terror in the true sense of the world - whether we call the terrorists tends to depend on if we agree with their aims.

 

[soistes]

I am so looking forward to the sophisticated political debate on NSC when Thatcher finally kicks the bucket

 

[keaton]

Definition of Terrorist



What Nelson Mandela done (one of many things)



Nelson Mandela = Terrorist. No ifs or buts about it. You can't say he is a freedom fighter, he is a terrorist. He fits the definition of one. Remember, everybody that commits terrorism is doing it because they feel as though they are fighting for the good cause.

But using that definition of a terrorist pretty much every president or prime minister ever has been a terrorist so it's an empty insult

 

[Meade's Ball]

Surely in labelling him as such and photocopying a line from a dictionary to prove, we should look to lighten the weight of the word and have the press perhaps find another one to immediately villify individuals with and send the public into fits of nuclear-pitchfork-holding hysteria. Thunderc*nt, i think would be rather apt and useful.

Ideally what we all grow into and grow out of is a sense of reasonableness that doesn't require us to have these hate-figures in our hearts. We do become stuck in our ways, of course, an inability to vary rooting deep within, but i would hope our steaming loathing becomes just a simmering discord, throats no longer wishing to slit and second chances even offered. That's the hope we have, isn't it, to be less acidicly judgemental and mellow into a sense of everyness.
And no, i haven't been smoking this morning.