Very good, an eye for an eye! (as long as you're not counting too accurately)

I wonder though, would you expect a mother to say: "Well, let's hang him, he's an SOB anyway. See if I care."?

That's exactly what I meant - she'd rather have seen him die, because she loves him. Talk about culture shock. I won't pretend to understand it (being neither Arab or Muslim), but it's obvious what she would prefer, no insight required there.

Perhaps maybe she would say " Oh damn i didnt bother telling him terrorism could get him sent to prision when he was a child. Ive failed as a mother.".

She would have to have been raised a Westener to even be able to consider it that way (aside from having to figure out what 'prision' is ). Even if such a feat of un-culturally-backward (ie. subjective, individual, relativistic) thinking were possible, it's doubtful that it would happen. How many people do you know that are able to look at themselves critically, who are able to connect the dots when it comes to their faults and the manifold negative results that follow? It's not something that ever caught on.
Anyway, as long as the lass doesn't attempt to set up a prison-break, she can show her grief in any way she pleases if it's up to me.


Perhaps, but I'm not so sure it's working. 'Examples' aren't really doing the trick, so far. They surely help in setting/feeding some bad blood and grudges, but I don't think they're working as a deterrent.


That's where we agree, mostly on the latter part. The 'remaining above his level' is what counts for me, although I have a feeling that if (a significant) part of the reasoning behind an act is to make it as bad as possible to their standards (however much out of sync with one's own), there's something to be said for deducting points on the 'moral highground'-score here. IMO it beats a public lynching ofcourse, or blowing up some buildings/innocent people in retaliation, but that should go without saying.

I did not say that list of properties isn't indicative of backwardness in its own right. Just not the kind that I would call 'culturally-backward' in this context. My point was merely that it's a cultural trait to 'sacrifice yourself for the greater good', and for that to be 'the highest good'. Before anyone can call that into doubt, there must be some room for 'moral individuality'. That's all I meant - I wasn't giving an evaluation of moral values, just explaining to Woods why I think his hunch about what the mother would say is incorrect.

The man is a martyr whether he dies or not if thats how people want to see him. We could hang him, lock him up or let him go it wouldn't make any difference to the kooks he represents ( i mean really these are the kind of people who believe no Jews died on 911 ).  You cant reason with with radicals its that simple. You heard the same argument over Timothy Mcvay. People were afraid radical right wing groups would turn him into some kind of martyr figure after he was executed ( and I'm sure some have ) but they would have complained about his ?unjust imprisonment? if he had been given life in prison. Moussaoui gets his Martyrdom either way no matter what sentence you give him hes still going to get those 72 virgins.