Grandpa,

Misunderstanding rules the day on internet bulletin boards I guess.

It’s not disdain for Israel. There are many good people of Israel not meriting disdain, roughly half, last I heard. It’s Israeli government sponsored and military implemented terrorism against Palestinians that has me riled. And I do believe it qualifies as state sponsored terrorism, where the Israeli caused casualties are non-combatant Palestinian women and children more often than combatants.

My respect for Arafat was simply what I claimed: he commanded the respect and admiration of his people for a period of decades because he championed their cause. An objective analysis likely would label him a freedom fighter, terrorist or not. If I were a Palestinian, then I’d probably idolize him. But I’m not. I’m a white American seeking to understand the craziness in this world.

PP,

It’s a different respect for Hitler. His charisma charmed most of the population of a major educated and industrialized nation. Scary, but something to respect, but not in a good way. And I’d be a fool not to respect OBL for what he was able to achieve against our country. Respect isn’t always about admiration. I respect OBL like I’d respect a large rattlesnake that was up close and about to get personal. I think it’s worth thinking about why OBL is a hero to many Arabs. Failing to understand the enemy is a fool’s game in my opinion. And as Harley says, having respect for someone is hardly the same as approving of what they do.

TK,

I think the Khmer Rouge followers did so out of fear. I don’t recall ever hearing that Idi Amin was loved by millions, although he was feared by many, perhaps millions. The Jim Jones followers take the cake, tho.

Sincerely,

Salmo g.