Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite
Professor, Chicago Theological Seminary

Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite

Former president of Chicago Theological Seminary (1998-2008), Thistlethwaite is a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress.

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Women as Bombs: No Innocent Civilians Anymore

There are no non-combatants in war anymore. What the 21st century has brought us, building upon the bloody 20th, is the death of the concept of the non-combatant. Terrorism has destroyed many things, but the chief among them is the compete destruction of the idea that there is anyone innocent, anyone who may not, in good conscience, be targeted in war. The ideology of the terrorist is that all except the pure (i.e. those who are of the same ideology) are guilty and deserve to die.

When two bombs carried by women were detonated by remote control on Friday in the crowded Ghazil pet market in Iraq, by some estimates the explosions killed 72 people and wounded 82. Attacks had fallen across Iraq in recent months, attributed to the “surge” in U.S. military presence. The magnitude and brutality of these new attacks cast a pall over the citizenry who had begun to hope that they might see a return to normalcy in their capital. The specter of civil war in Iraq has returned.

These two terrible attacks, apparently carried out by al Qaeda, were directed at a civilian population in the middle of the day. Furthermore, the actual “bombs” were women and the explosions detonated by remote control. Iraqi forces contended that the women were mentally handicapped, though the U.S. military said they found no evidence of that fact.

What is not in question is that in the beginning of the 20th century, non-combatants comprised approximately 2 in 10 deaths in war. By the 1990’s, that number had increased dramatically. In that decade, 9 of 10 people who died in war were civilians. What do we think this statistic is in the first decade of the 21st century?

This huge rise in the proportion of non-combatant to combatant casualties is due to changes in war technology, certainly, but also particularly to changes in war tactics. Just War theory was predicated on the idea that “Just War” did not target non-combatants and indeed the innocent were to be protected.

Now in the 21st century, war has degenerated to the point where killing civilians itself is the tactic.

Much of this is already known, but the use of women as the bombs themselves underlines the fact that in this dramatic rise in non-combatant deaths lies the untold number of women and children whose bodies seem now to comprise whatever battlefield there is in war.

The death of the idea of the innocent civilian, the non-combatant, is a terrible prospect. For if we can say that no one is innocent, then how can we know for sure who is guilty?

The concept of innocence must not be allowed to die in the 21st century or with it dies our humanity.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite  |  February 3, 2008; 9:49 PM ET
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In 1996, Madeleine Albright, then the US secretary of state, was asked on national television what she felt about the fact that 500,000 Iraqi children had died as a result of US economic sanctions. She replied that it was "a very hard choice", but that, all things considered, "we think the price is worth it". Albright never lost her job for saying this. She continued to travel the world representing the views and aspirations of the US government. More pertinently, the sanctions against Iraq remained in place. Children continued to die.

Posted by: Anonymous | February 6, 2008 3:11 PM
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Ohhh my MOODY, you are a giant....

Usually when men claim such things they are compensating for underdeveloped genitals! I am sorry you were saddled with a small manhood to accompany your small mind.

But, please don't take it out on us...

Little fellow!

Posted by: LMAO | February 6, 2008 3:26 AM
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RESPONSE, John Stephens, and Providence Candlelight:

Thank you for your response.

-----------------------------------

Don't narrow your range of thought when reading the news on the web. Make sure that you read conservative, moderate, and liberal sites from several countries...and not just western countries.

-----------------------------------

"Don't you see that the whole aim of Newspeak is to narrow the range of thought? In the end, we shall make thoughtcrime literally impossible because there will be no words in which to express it... The whole climate of thought will be different. In fact, there will be no thought as we understand it now."

From 1984 by George Orwell

Posted by: FRIEND | February 5, 2008 1:34 PM
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Moody says-

"A giant do feel the mosquito pinch.
But the mosquito could die even when he looses wind!"

Moody has forgotten that mosquitoes cause more human death and suffering than any other organism -- over a million people die from mosquito-borne diseases every year. Moody- ever heard of malaria, dengue fever, encephalitis or yellow fever?

Posted by: try thinking | February 5, 2008 8:04 AM
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http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/kathleen_flake/2008/02/free_speech_and_right_speech/all_comments.html

Susan Brooks have said that "...Now in the 21st century, war has degenerated to the point where killing civilians itself is the tactic..."

Posted by: Levent Alkan | February 5, 2008 6:38 AM
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A giant do feel the mosquito pinch.
But the mosquito could die even when he looses wind!

Posted by: Moody | February 5, 2008 6:13 AM
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What an IRONI in the whole present world:

LOOK ALL OVER AROUND,

"ACTUAL KILLERS ALL IN CONTROL" CALLING/BRANDING WHO ARE BEING KILLED IN 'UNCOUNTALBE NUMBERS' AS KILLERS!!!!!!!!!

TO JUSTIFY THERE FURTHER NON STOPPING KILLINGS!!!

Posted by: Moody | February 5, 2008 5:26 AM
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WITH ALL BIG TALKS, THIS IS ALL ACTUALLY WHO YOU ARE:

To the HONEST KIND OF WEST,
Dare to reply that:
Anonymous,
"With Western Enlightenment and respect for the individual, we cannot win this war"
Rightly said by you Anonymous "You cannot win the WAR" because as you admitted your self,
Instead of reasoning YOU ALL are raging WAR.
And Muslims can't be convinced by your deceiving, bias polices and practices. Muslims see following common problems in the ENLIGHTED WEST which hardly exist OR stands out as very little in the Muslim masses and
"Are convincing enough NOT TO BE CONVIENCED”:
1- Chaos and Conspiracy theory practice towards Muslims to grab, still, occupy there lands and wealth and destroying there properties, lands and countries.
2- Your non-negotiation on real issues and brutal approach of enforcing your ideas upon Muslims.
AND WITH IN YOUR SOCIETIES HIGH RATE OF:
3- Moral degradation.
4- Incest (One of the reasons is FORCEFULLY giving kids from natural to un-natural parents).
5- Rape (Every second women get raped in her life time in your society).
6- Child molestation. (Reflects the SAFTY of children in your FREE SOCIET & in your CHURCHS).
7- Teenage pregnancies. (Shows the over all moral mind set of your masses, even kids are not left out any more).
8- Drugs and Alcohol addiction. (It is an unstoppable avalanche in your WHOLE society.)
9- Prostitution (every high street has savannahs & occupied by business women in the evenings)
10- Extreme racism against colored and all other kind of human breeds. Blacks are still facing the brunt.
11- Women’s exploitation in the name of freedom. (Telling them work equally hard and earn them selves. Is it possible for the mother of 2 or more to –i- raise children –ii- maintain house hold –iii- earn simultaneously. Even the strongest Will and nerves man can’t do it simultaneously with the kind of attention these responsibilities deserve NOW also consider in the keep changing natural physical demands of the women. It’s ACTUALLY FREEING THE MEN FROM ALL REAL RESPONSIBILITIES EXCEPT ONLY SEXUAL DESIRE & ITS FULFILLMENT.
12- Inhuman intervening UNBALANCED state laws about kids, women, men etc enslaving and making there lives hell.
13- High street crime rate.
14- Your enslaving & controlling corporate and mega chain brand INTEREST AND TAX BASED culture CRUSHING THE POOR SOCIETIES (ONLY providing freedom of EXPLOITATION to the rich masters).
And non convincing list is further very long............

AND we Muslims find ALL THE BALANCED LAWFUL SOLUTIONS of the above mentioned menaces in our religion Islam! THAT’S WHY THEY HARDLY EXIST IN OUR SOCIETIES IN GENERAL AND NOT FORCED BY ANY “GOVERNING BODY” WITH SUCH NEGATIVE IMPACT & INEFFECTIVE AS IN WEST.

Posted by: Moody | February 5, 2008 4:04 AM
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WITH ALL BIG TALKS, THIS IS ALL ACTUALLY WHO YOU ARE:

Statistically
-more than 1 million Iraqi's are been butchered so far
-more than 4 million displaced.
-All major cities are destroyed. No electricity, no water, no sanitation no NOTHING.

On Al Jazeera net Analyst’s are

THANKING USA (Chaos & Conspiracy Masters) for,

1- Alienating millions of the Sunnis from the US established only Shia government.

2- And then branding them ALL SUNNI CIVILIANS as allies of Bathiest Previous (US breed & Groomed) Dictator. And projecting that idea through out world through its Zionist controlled media.
3- In result PROVOKING THE US MADE SHIA ESTABLISMENT to genocide Sunni civilians “AND OFFICIALLY KEEPING CRIMINAL SILENCE SUPPORTING AND PROVIDING WEOPENS”. (On Al Jazeera net Analyst’s comments).


WELL DONE USA MONSTOROUS MASTERS.
KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK; YOUR DAYS ARE ACCOUNTED FOR.

Your stupid look bushy bush president recently visited Middle East and was trying to sell the same evil propaganda.

He thinks like him the world is filled with blinds and fools!!!!

"No wonder WHY now the extremely abused women EVEN preferring to blow them selves up after all the humility, WHO USED TO BE LIVING PIOUS AND RIGHTIOUS LIVES".

FOR ABUSED WOMEN REFERENC YOU CAN SEE USA TORTURE CELL SNAPS & MOVIES ALL OVER ELECTRONIC MEDIA.

Posted by: Moody | February 5, 2008 3:56 AM
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Friend and John Stephens: Thank you both.

Sherman was did not stop with Southern women and children innocents. He and others were responsible for the murders of countless Native American innocents.

Nevertheless, the citizens of the USA are ultimately responsible. They give great honor to our war criminals, e.g. the monstrosity near the corner of 59th (CPS) at 5th.

Immoral excess magnified by ignorance and stupidity.

Equally nauseating is the statue of Teddy the Racist "Hero of San Juan Hill" Roosevelt - this time accompanied by a Native American (on foot) rather than an angel - over on 8th (CP West).

NOT TO MENTION that the most famous war criminal produced by this nation(killed by the Cheyenne and Sioux as he tried to murder them) prior to Nixon, Bush, and Bush is buried in "honor" at West Point.

Susan, the 21st century!? were you asleep during
history?

How remarkably naive.

What in God's name is this nation sowing in Iraq?

Providence

Posted by: Providence Candlelight | February 5, 2008 1:17 AM
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General Curtis Lemay, US Army Aircorps commanding, said that America had damned well better win the war (WWII) or they'd all be tried as war criminals.

Millions of tons of incindiary bombs were dropped on Japan. Whole cities were razed, some the size of New York and Chicago. The Japanese have traditionally built their homes of wood and paper, so the bombings resulted in total conflagrations. Thousands and thousands of Japanese civilians were burned alive.

The atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki were just icing on the cake.

In Germany, incindiary bombs were dropped on the city of Dresden, resulting in a fire storm, the flames of which rose over fifteen thousand feet into the sky. Bombers had to fly around the flames. Pavement ran in the street like water on fire. Persons with incindiary material on them jumped into the nearby river and faced two two terrible choices: drown or burn to death. As soon as they rose from the water, they burst into flame.

The suicide bombers of the Middle East have a long way to go to match the Allied record in killing civilians.

Posted by: John Stephens | February 5, 2008 12:57 AM
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FRIEND:

Very brief, very cogent post.

I was in U.S. Army Special Forces (Green Beanies) during the Vietnam War, trained in guerilla warfare and counter-insurgency.

Ultimately, there is only one rule of war: Win at all costs, by any means necessary.

Sherman said it best: War is hell and you cannot refine it.

The historical study of war reveals that it has been predominately bloody slaughter, with no distinction between combatant and civilian.

People keep wringing their hands about these suicide bombers. Do you have even an inkling of the horrendous hell American war machines rain down on combatants and civilians alike? I suppose Horoshima and Nagasaki and Dresden and London were more civilized.

Posted by: John Stephens | February 4, 2008 7:40 PM
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Hold on a second here.

If I remember right, those two women were identified by other people around them as having Down's syndrome. They may not have had any idea of what they were doing, because the bombs were detonated by someone remotely.

And anyone who takes a trusting individual like that and makes them do something like that is a pretty good definition of evil.

Posted by: Anonymous | February 4, 2008 7:24 PM
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Posted by: Anonymous | February 4, 2008 5:08 PM
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Posted by: Anonymous | February 4, 2008 5:06 PM
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Yeh right, the planners of the bombing were leaving a sensitive mission to two women with Down's syndrome. And US home values never decrease!

Posted by: Sam | February 4, 2008 3:50 PM
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FRIEND:

I cant say that we wouldn't use guerilla tactics in the same situation, but I can tell you one thing we wouldn't do:

We wouldn't be blowing up tens of thousands of our own countrymen.

Posted by: response | February 4, 2008 2:57 PM
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A note on your history. It is only in the 18th century, in the West that the idea of protecting civilians really took shape. For centuries before, warfare was frequently accompanied by sack, pilliage and rape.

As it is, Western nations still try remarkably hard to not hit civilians - at least as compared to and I will be bold and say it, Muslim nations.

Simply put, if you have a culture that is happy to take the kids to the public stoning, be-heading or dismemberment, what do you expect? If you have a populace, say like the Palistinians, who *just today* are passing out sweets because a suicide bomber managed to blow up and Israeli woman, what do you expect?

My point is really quite basic. Do not expect barbarians to be less than barbarians.

Posted by: Joe | February 4, 2008 2:11 PM
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We must be authorized to shoot all burka-wearing individuals on sight. Where there is no trust, nothing can be hidden. It is absurd to permit anyting so long at it is wearing a black sheet.

Posted by: Clear Strategy | February 4, 2008 2:04 PM
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In the battle of Gettysburg, with national survival at stake, there were over 40,000 soldiers killed, wounded, or missing in action. How many civilians killed? One woman, Ginnie Wade, killed by a stray bullet that entered her kitchen. Both armies respected the military conventions of their time that spared civilians. They stopped shooting as they passed through the town, rather than fighting house-to-house and putting civilians at risk.

General Sherman, in his march from Atlanta to the sea, used a different strategy. He planned to destroy the productive capability of the country he passed through, burning houses, crops and barns full of grain. Civilians were not exempted from this strategic economic strategy; perhaps this was where the modern notion of "collateral damage" was born.

Modern technology that hits civilians did not appear without intention. In the twentieth century, technologies were developed without regard for the civilians who would die. If we as a global culture had been serious about sparing civilians, we would never have invented weapons of mass destruction--gas, chemical and biological weapons, bombs that landed on houses and streets as well as on military installations, carpet bombing of cities, and finally atomic weapons.

Huge numbers of civilians were killed by these weapons during the twentieth century, most of them deployed by nominally "Christian" nations who often claimed that their use was just. Some of these deaths were supposedly accidental side effects of attacks on military targets, like land mines that cannot discriminate between military and civilian vehicles, or between soldiers and children. Many were part of a program to destroy economic capabilities. And very many were part of a plan to shock the other nation into surrender, as in the bombing of Britain by the Germans and of Germany by allied forces, the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by the USA, and and countless other campaigns, including the "shock and awe" assault on Baghdad at the beginning of the current war in Iraq.

Now we are surprised that insurgents who lack access to airplanes and bombs use improvised means to target civilians.

If we were to be serious about a "just war" theory and truly try to spare civilians, we would have to renounce most modern military technology as inherently liable to kill civilians. We can't draw a line between bombing civilians from the air and bombing civilians from the ground, and expect anyone to take us seriously.

In this tragic moment when we have passed the bounds of barbarity, it's time to take a step back, stop justifying war, and learn how to seek freedom and justice by peaceful means.

Posted by: Rachel | February 4, 2008 12:19 PM
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People have Short Memory's. So please see this wiki link

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keating_Five Please see

McCAIN's S*C*A*N*D*A*L McCAIN's S*C*A*N*D*A*L

McCAIN's S*C*A*N*D*A*L McCAIN's S*C*A*N*D*A*L


On How SENATOR 'Citizen Cane" McCAiN , had caused this current dilemma, via his Committes (and Others) and thus again contributed, to what is now called , the MORTGAGE & SUB-PRiME LOAD" Scandals!!!!!!!!!!

1st it was McCains causing that "SAVINGS & LOAN SCANDAL", [Made Tons of MONEY!, hence why he is a Millionaire Quasi-Blue-Blood POW today] now the Senator McCAin et al, is caused Todays TRILLION Dollar "HOME LOAN SCANDAL!"

Shame Shame Shame !

Down With McCAin!

Down With McCaine, what a Shame & shows nay Shame! Wow!

"Step Aside Satan, Stand Behind ROMNEY for PREZ instead!"

Posted by: Anonymous | February 4, 2008 12:11 PM
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The only way for a rebellion to fight a post-industrial army is to hide in the civilian population and use suicide bombing. The hiding places have disappeared with modern surveillance and our weapons and tactics far exceed those in the developing world.

When a population faces violence, poverty, ignorance, war and feels the pain of losed loved ones, they become radicalized and are more willing to do anything to get revenge.

Just because our children are equipped with the most modern technology, doesn't mean that we are more sane and love our children more than a poor Iraqi or Palistinian, only luckier.

If the tables were turned and Iraqi soldiers
roamed our streets, if we were fighting day to day to stay alive, if our children had been killed during this war, if the weapons developed by the Iraqi's far exceeded our own, if we were truely desperate, what measures would we take to get revenge or help our side win the battle?

Posted by: FRIEND | February 4, 2008 12:01 PM
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"The concept of innocence must not be allowed to die in the 21st century or with it dies our humanity."

SBT- Grab a box of kleenex and a barf bag then watch these videos to educate yourself on the sad state of "humanity":

Glorifying Female Suicide Bomber with Song-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWK4mERyo9E

Children of Female Suicide Bomber-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xEB0SvMzKzg

Posted by: janice | February 4, 2008 11:56 AM
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We are in the 21st century, but what century is the middle east in? What sane parent would allow their children to become a suicide bomber and be proud of it? What father do you know could stone his child to death? We look to the future they look and want to return to the past. How in this world do you reach such insanity, Many say it is all the war in Iraq, this race of people did not just start this way of life it is all they know to them this is normal. They tell us how much they hate us and want to kill us as they stand there in their Nike tee shirt drinking a can of Pepsi? I am sorry to say that this insanity is not worth one soldiers life. We are sacrificing our soldiers so they can blow each other up now tell me that is sane. The only progress they strive for is weapons not to better their way of life not to provide a bright future for their children they strive to kill and they really do not care who they kill or why and we think we can save them. They do not want saved they should go back to the days of Saddam. I guess it takes a bigger more powerful monster then they.

Posted by: Mother of a soldier | February 4, 2008 11:01 AM
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