Wednesday 13 September 2006

Talking to the Taliban

Susan Riley in today's Ottawa Citizen:
There is probably a significant constituency of Canadians who agree with Layton that ... peace will not be achieved without talking to the Taliban ...

I am slack-jawed. Talking to the Taliban??? These are the guys who made their women ride in buses with the windows covered, who beat them if their shoes made too much noise in the home, who pulled out the eyelashes of little girls if they grew too long, and Riley wants to TALK to them? Has there ever been the slightest reason to believe that rationality had any hold on them whatsoever? Is there even the tiniest bit of historical evidence that negotiations with them could accomplish anything of worth?

And I thought I led a sheltered life!

Ms. Riley desperately needs to understand that there are people in this world who can never be negotiated into reasonability. You do not negotiate with an armed sociopath, unless it is terms of surrender. And even then you keep the finger firmly on the trigger until he's safely in custody. There were never any happy endings in negotiations with Stalin or Hitler. And there can be none with the Taliban. They have no concept whatsoever of playing nice or growing up to become responsible members of society.

Cancers have to go. You can debate ways and means, but accommodation is not a viable option.

If Ms. Riley is right, and the majority of Canadians agree with that statement (which I have trouble believing), then God help us.

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