[extropy-chat] POLITICS: terrorism and strategies

[Adrian Tymes]

--- Chris Phoenix <cphoenix at CRNano.org> wrote:
> Robert Bradbury wrote:
> > Yes, and this is why after some thought it seemed
> reasonable to
> > demonstrate that (a) we would nuke Jerusalem; (b)
> then do it.
> > 
> > No more Temple on the Mount, no more wailing wall,
> no more
> > tomb of Jesus.  They are all gone.  Kaputski.  If
> the people
> > suggest they will rebuild them we simply suggest
> we will drop
> > another nuke.  I.e. the complete elimination of
> the historic
> > symbols that tie humans to religions that are
> irrational
> > (and more importantly those that promote
> violence).
> 
> This alone demonstrates that your grasp of
> psychology, sociology, and 
> politics is so poor that your proposal should
> probably be ignored (as 
> opposed to criticized).
> 
> Two thousand years ago, some anonymous person made
> one dead body 
> disappear.  That was enough to turn a small band of
> militants into a 
> rather successful cross-cultural religion, with many
> thriving offshoots. 
>   Now you propose to obliterate entire landmarks and
> large numbers of 
> associated people?  And you expect the associated
> spectrum of 
> religions/cultures to become *more* sane?
> 
> Didn't anyone ever tell you not to create martyrs? 
> "Historic symbols" 
> are merely a reflection of memes--created after the
> fact.  Destroying 
> the physical symbols will only make the memes more
> virulent.  Think of a 
> hydra.

...which, I'll say again, has left me wondering why
the terrorists themselves have not yet taken this
step, using a stolen suitcase nuke.  They already see
the world as against them, including the current
occupiers of said sites.  Why not deny The Enemy of
their religious sites, while your own side gains the
Holy Crater, which people must keep a respectful
distance from for centuries to come lest God give them
radiation poisoning?