Justice, Revenge, Terrorism

What is Which & Which is What

Colesberg (SA) lies almost equidistant between Johannesburg and Cape Town on National Route 1 in the stark but beautiful Karoo landscape. The typical flat-topped karoo koppie of Cole’s kop, a British Gun position in the Boer War, stands out as singularly attractive amongst the landscape.

 

On Monday July 8, 2002 at approximately 22h40 whilst Colesberg sheepshearers slumbered(?) on a cold wintry night CNN beamed to Colesberg, amongst other global points, President Bush at a White House media briefing and Q&A session.

 

During his discourse Bush used the words “Justice” and “Revenge” and shortly thereafter “Terrorism”.

 

Exhaustion, from a night drive to Colesberg along a road-worked black ribbon “highway”, was suddenly broken not so much by the words but more by the unconvincing manner in which the words were used. It was clear that Bush did not understand the meanings of the words he was using; and more importantly he put across that the import of “terrorism” was that of somebody attacking the United States or its peoples. Clear misunderstanding.

 

So what do these words mean, practically? The dictionary does not give practical insight merely academic qualification.

 

Chambers Twentieth Century Dictionary states:

 

  • Justice – the quality of being just: integrity, impartiality, rightness, the awarding of what is due: a judge, a magistrate.

  • Revenge – to inflict injury in retribution, to avenge, an act of inflicting a malicious injury in return for injury received: the desire for retaliation of evil.

  • Terrorism – an organised system of intimidation, to create extreme fear.

The context of Bushes statements were in regard to Osama and his objective of “getting” him.

 

Depending on which side of the fence one is sitting determines the interpretation & application of each of these 3 words.

To Osama Sept 11 was possibly revenge for US’s ongoing aggression (terrorism) - either directly by US’s own military intervention, or indirectly by supplies of mass destruction war-weapons to other parties.

 

To Bush Sept 11 was possibly terrorism by a fundamentalist who had total disregard for justice.

 

But Osama, like everyone else, could not access the kind of justice that Bush interprets from that word.

 

There is a need to define in practical terms these words.

 

As a first pass in attempting to give practical definition:-

 

Justice: The practical & observable outcomes of an ideal justice system in which on each & every occasion of dispute that the outcome of each dispute is resolved effectively & efficiently, with an optimum determination such that collectively both parties receive optimum satisfaction, and have reached an understanding of & accepted their opponents position, and are able to live in harmony.

 

The aforegoing can only be achieved if a justice system is open, transparent, accessible, understandable, focused on mediation as a first stage & integral justice process,

 

Revenge: - a micro act.

Given an ideal Justice System: - an individual exacting revenge against another for injury received without first seeking recourse through the Justice System. Alternatively; not accepting the outcome of an ideal Justice System

 

Terrorism:- a macro act of revenge by groups of people

But:- there is not one country in the world that has a just Justice System. Consequently outcomes of disputes leave parties in a non-optimal outcome state, and most often a far worse position, thus a party harbours greater resentment & anger, and can choose to exact revenge.

 

People globally know that justice is not present within Justice Systems therefore the majority do not use the system They either write-off the dispute, or harbour resentment and a revenge attitude.

 

Historically the per-unit destructive power of one person was relatively small: in increasing order: sticks & stones, metal weapons, bows & arrows.

Then explosives were discovered and the per-unit destructive power took a huge leap with guns & cannons, thus requiring fewer people to effect previous levels of destruction. In under a century the per-unit destructive power has made exponential quantum leaps to date with, progressively:- tanks, planes, missiles-conventional, nuclear, etc..

 

Twin Towers was a macro-revenge act (terrorism) in which airplanes carrying people were flown & aimed at other people, in revenge for US missiles being flown & aimed at other people.

 

Both events occurred because of the absence of a global forum that is open, transparent, accessible, understandable, focused on mediation as a first stage & integral justice process, in which people or societies can effectively & efficiently resolve disputes.

 

But before this can be achieved on a global, macro, scale it is imperative that just Justice Systems are developed first on a micro scale.

Until then it is impossible, because of fence positions, to differentiate between US & Osama (& others) - to determine what is which & which is what

Chris Addington Pr.Eng.

+27 (0)83 962 7098,