Comments on: Oslo terror suspect: Anders Behring Breivik, 32, links to right-wing extremism

By: Gulliver

Gulliver — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 18:19:00 +0000

Look, Abe, believe whatever you want.

I find the prospect of initiating coercive violence against another
person nauseating. I have no qualms about self-defense or defense of
others, and I have no problem with consensual violence (I’ve sparred in
martial arts tournaments since I was a kid). If you’re talking about the
flight or fight reflex, mine is triggered when I feel physically
threatened, which is a much higher threshold than was it takes to piss
me off. Physical violence, in my strong opinion, is never a just reward
for nonphysical aggression.

This does not make me a saint, or even altruistic. A person who
initiates brawls over words (or others’ lifestyles) makes their path in
life needlessly more difficult for what I believe is no worthwhile
reason. This choice, made out of enlightened self-interest, has
long-since become habit strong enough that I experience anxiety at even
the idea of engaging in physical coercion.

If you prefer to believe that I am a liar or deluded, be my guest. I’ve
made my point that your statement about the sentiments of pissed off
people one and all do not speak on my behalf (nor, I suspect, a great
many other people). It is unfortunate for you if this bothers you and,
if so, I hope you find a way not to be bothered by the personal moral
compasses of others. How I live my life is not a judgment on you or anyone else.

By: Abe Lincoln

Abe Lincoln — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 15:54:00 +0000

“I do not like the thought of smacking the sh*t out of someone who pisses me off.:”
Then you, sir, are a liar. Or, at the very least, you are seriously delusional. We all have brainstem responses to that kind of stimulus. It doesn’t mean we have to act on them or that we can’t regret them after we act. And while I applaude your sense of duty to your fellow man you might just as well try to argue that you don’t get sleepy or hungry. If it makes you feel better (you are capable of feeling better aren’t you?…or no?) feel free to substitute the phrase “we all like” with “we all find satisfying”. If you want to be a pedantic nit picker… be my guest. But no one will or should believe that you’re so saintly that you never get mad at people or enjoy watching some a**hole get his just rewards. Otherwise I suggest you approach the Vatican and request Canonization for yourself with all haste.

By: Antinous / Moderator

Antinous / Moderator — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 23:01:00 +0000

Weird. There were LOTS of extra lines.

By: Gulliver

Gulliver — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 22:52:00 +0000

It’s strangely inspiring that such hateful evil can be met with such peaceful solidarity. It bolsters my hope for us as a species.

By: Gulliver

Gulliver — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 22:49:00 +0000

Sorry :(
There was only one break between paragraphs in my HTML editor, but it added more when I pasted into the comment box. I’ll err on the side of caution and just forgo em until I figure out why my editor can’t handle the upgraded site.

By: PugC

PugC — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 20:19:00 +0000

This is how the citizens of Oslo responds to violence: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-14281494 with flowers. aprox. 150.000 to 200.000 people showed up today to defy the violence and hatred.

By: Antinous / Moderator

Antinous / Moderator — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 19:54:00 +0000

Gulliver,

Please stop adding extra line breaks in your comments.

By: Gulliver

Gulliver — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 19:41:00 +0000

Of course I get pissed off. When I quote a whole phrase, I’m replying to
the whole phrase, not just the part of it you choose to assume I am. You said “We all like the idea of smacking the sh*t out of someone who
pisses us off”. I do not like the thought of smacking
the sh*t out of someone who pisses me off. And I seriously doubt Ghandi
ever liked the idea either, at least not as an adult, but that’s
speculation.

I meant to voice my dissent with your assertion that smacking the sh*t
out of people who piss of off was something “we all like the idea of”. I
intended no offense, but if you think that’s a judgement on you, that’s
your problem. But you do not speak for me. Have a good day, Mr.
Lincoln.

By: Michael Allen Pearce

Michael Allen Pearce — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 18:58:00 +0000

It is at least a relief that you recognized it as sad. Never forget that.

By: thomas vesely

thomas vesely — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 15:47:00 +0000

i think that if you read his manifesto you may change your mind.
bit like saying “suicide bombers…….”

By: Flopwood Turley

Flopwood Turley — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 14:52:00 +0000

interesting math, but I don’t think it’s about math–it’s about mental illness and soon it’s going to be about blame–you know the left will blame the right, and also blame the bloggers like Robert Spencer, as if he advocates this crazy behaviour.

By: Flopwood Turley

Flopwood Turley — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 14:50:00 +0000

Fox? I would sooner think MSNBC and Chris Oddball Matthews would have jumped on that bandwagon. I wouldn’t be surprised to hear him say that if Breivik were an American rather than a Norweigan, he would be a Republican. Truth is, if he somehow got off, he would be working with CNN to take Spitzer’s spot.

By: Guest

Guest — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 13:40:00 +0000

Firstly my sympathies are with everyone who has been affected by this. It’s hideous.

The point I wanted to make was that noone seems to have mentioned yet that the group on the island where the boys were murdered was holding a protest two days earlier asking for a boycott of Israel.
Good on them for exercising their democratic right to protest.

Anders Behring Breivik has been reported as having anti-Muslim, and pro-Israel views.
http://www.jpost.com/International/Article.aspx?id=230762

Anti Muslim, and Pro Israel…why does that sound so familiar?

By: Abe Lincoln

Abe Lincoln — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 12:31:00 +0000

I just don’t get this kind of behavior. We all like the idea of smacking the sh*t out of someone who pisses us off… but really… how can ANYONE think “Hey.. if I do this… It will make people sympathetic to my cause.”? I just dont’ get it.

By: Gulliver

Gulliver — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 09:10:00 +0000

Why do so many people treat tragedies as opportunities to go at each others’ throats?

More than 90 human beings’ lives were taken by this lunatic and the media and blogosphere are filled with commenters of all ideological stripes blaming his actions or their success on whomever their chosen enemies are. Are we as a planet so far gone from compassion that our only response to hate is its magnification?

By: Antinous / Moderator

Antinous / Moderator — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 07:19:00 +0000

They’re not quite out of the woods yet. Or have you not been reading the news from Northern Ireland?

By: Mister44

Mister44 — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 07:16:00 +0000

Puhleeze. Europe has had a long and healthy tradition of xenophobia and nationalism. It wasn’t until recently that they couldn’t go 10 years with out killing one another.

By: ultranaut

ultranaut — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 05:46:00 +0000

Interesting catch. Any ideas on what is being expressed?

By: ultranaut

ultranaut — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 05:45:00 +0000

America exports a terrorist ideology.

By: dnebdal

dnebdal — Sun, 24 Jul 2011 23:08:00 +0000

No, you just get charged for the one act. However, I seriously doubt they’ll just let him go.
What I really wonder is which source tells people about the 21 years limitation, but not the possibility of indefinite psychiatric detention – it comes up so. many. times. and I’m getting tired of responding.

Basically: You can get sentenced to 21, then psychiatric detention until you’re found to no longer be a danger to society or yourself. In this case, they’ll probably keep ticking the “psychopathic lack of empathy”-box every five years for a very long time.

By: Michael Erik Næsby

Michael Erik Næsby — Sun, 24 Jul 2011 22:43:00 +0000

So what you’re saying is that only Muslims can be terrorist?

By: Michael Erik Næsby

Michael Erik Næsby — Sun, 24 Jul 2011 22:41:00 +0000

Hinduism is a religion I believe?
Actually he claims to be against racism. He presents himselgf as a rightwing fundamentalist Christian who claims to be a free mason and has written a manuscript about the independence of Europe.

By: Navin_Johnson

Navin_Johnson — Sun, 24 Jul 2011 21:44:00 +0000

He was very liberal in his politics

lol. No he wasn’t. His politics were completely incoherent. If anything his comments and delusions were “anti-government”

By: dnebdal

dnebdal — Sun, 24 Jul 2011 20:57:00 +0000

Are you familiar with the No True Scotsman – fallacy?

If he can check off the points in e.g. the Nicene creed, then doing something atrocious doesn’t meen you get to define him as “not a Christian”. His acts go against core values, sure – but that just means he’s a bad Christian.

By: Brainspore

Brainspore — Sun, 24 Jul 2011 20:09:00 +0000

Over and again in the media i read references to Breivik being a
‘Christian’ fundamentalist. And once again i find myself making the
tedious argument that there is NOTHING truly Christian, Christ-like or
Godly in his conduct. So you might say, ‘well isn’t that obvious?’
Apparently not, according to many people. They seem to assume that just
because a guy calls himself Christian that he really is one.

Kind of like how when terrorists who call themselves “Muslims” are labeled “Muslim Fundamentalists” by the media and public at large, even though mainstream Muslims claim their religion specifically prohibits such behavior?

By: Ken Ungar

Ken Ungar — Sun, 24 Jul 2011 19:05:00 +0000

Over and again in the media i read references to Breivik being a ‘Christian’ fundamentalist. And once again i find myself making the tedious argument that there is NOTHING truly Christian, Christ-like or Godly in his conduct. So you might say, ‘well isn’t that obvious?’ Apparently not, according to many people. They seem to assume that just because a guy calls himself Christian that he really is one. Interesting how to be considered Jewish one must be able to prove that his or her mother and her ancestors were all Jewish either by birth or conversion. And yet it seems all one has to do is go around saying he is Christian and ta-da! he is a Christian. Jesus Christ Himself says the dead opposite in Matthew 7: “Wherefore by their fruits shall ye know them. Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.” He also had this to say to His disciples regarding murder: ‘Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.’–(Matthew 5:21-22). So give it a rest already. If this dude, anyone else like him, and entire ‘churches’ full of Neo-Nazi white supremacist hatemongers are Christians, then the moon really is made of green cheese after all.

By: Fatima De Mel

Fatima De Mel — Sun, 24 Jul 2011 17:58:00 +0000

I think, the terrorist has a schizophrenia. The Christians, the Antiislamics, the socialists and any politic mainstream may not use this terrible killing for their political PR.

http://www.donaufalter-zeitung.de/friends/parser.php?artikel=1458

By: cheem

cheem — Sun, 24 Jul 2011 16:34:00 +0000

Wow, it’s going to be an interesting day when he delivers his manifesto… I wonder what the audience in the courtroom is going to be like that day. What will come out of the woodwork?

I don’t suppose they can dole out sentences to be served consecutively in Norway, can they? I just don’t relish the thought of this dude planning his next move and acting on it in 15 years…

By: Maya Log

Maya Log — Sun, 24 Jul 2011 15:54:00 +0000

Sure, the BBC is spreading propaganda against muslims. Just look at all their headlines with the words Twin attack in them, either in the title itself or inside the story. Twin attack! What happened to double attack! Maybe they can just say Twin tower next time.

By: TomasF

TomasF — Sun, 24 Jul 2011 14:15:00 +0000

“That’s because the majority of terrorist attacks in the past years have been committed by MUSLIM MEN WITH LONG BEARDS (okay not always with the beard actually…).”

Actually, in Europe for the last 10 years that’s not the case. Internal European and non-islamic actions have been more frequent and caused more deaths than islamic terror attacks. Spread between ETA, TRIRA, left and right wing extremists, etc. Or, to put your indignation on its head, are you insinuating that they are more “major” when they’re performed by islamic extremists?
Or are you simply using data for your own little backwater and extrapolating it on the entire world?