Imad Mughniyeh was assassinated today in Syria. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack made the following statements “The world is a better place without this man in it. He was a cold-blooded killer, a mass murderer and a terrorist responsible for countless innocent lives lost.” and, “One way or another, he was brought to justice.” We will never be able to win an intellectual argument against terrorism as long as we make the argument that means of accomplishing ends just don’t matter. We are essentially saying if you see a bad guy kill him in whatever manner is convenient, to hell with the rules. If this isn’t an incitement to terrorism, then I don’t know what is.

For example, Henry Kissinger appears to be a person of interests in relation to numerous terrorist killings in South America, and perhaps in the United States. Several countries have sought his testimony in regards to various crimes, but he, of course, has not been extradited. But if someone put a bomb in his car, they would be arresting him!?!? I mean either we are living in a world where we just kill guys we don’t like or we’re not. There is no middle ground. You simply can’t claim to be a nation of laws when it suits your fancy.