Herald Sun: White House law chief linked to abuse culture [12nov04]

Herald Sun: White House law chief linked to abuse culture [12nov04]

I find it amazing that this is the headline to this article. Sure it will get people to read it, but if you don't... well, you'll end up thinking Mr. Gonzales practically took part in the abuse at Abu Ghraib. This one clearly goes under the Ideological Headline/Introduction category of information warfare. The article actually says that he pioneered the idea that the Geneva Convention does not extend to ununiformed terrorists. Which it really shouldn't. In my opinion, if you expect the enemy to fight fair, then you should too. Disguising irregular combat troops as civilians and deliberately targetting civilians is not under the umbrella of the Geneva Convention either. In an open war between recognized nations, the Geneva Convention hold sway. But under terrorist tactics there is no nation to which you can appeal. So terrorists are not POWs. They have renounced that classification by engaging in terrorist acts:

Terrorism
The unlawful use or threatened use of force or violence by a person or an organized group against people or property with the intention of intimidating or coercing societies or governments, often for ideological or political reasons.
Source: The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.