In war there is always collateral damage, you think the US has never bombed innocents?, or engaged in bio warfare. a country with no army and no real weapons @ their disposal has to operate in an underhanded and sadicious manner to even hope to succeed @ it's goal. its called guerilla warfare. you can all debate ethics and bitch about whats right and wrong all you want, but there are no rules in war, the victor is he who will do what it takes to win, no matter what atrocities need to be committed. Maybe bush should have thought of that before declaring a global war on radical religious parties and organizations. when you can call just about anyone a terrorist, what one man may call a terrorist, could also be called a patriot by his countrymen.
Granted brainwashing kids is the lowest of lows, but why do we care all of a sudden? there have been 8y/o soldiers in africa for decades and america could careless, the difference in perspective is what separtes us from them, the way we live disgusts them, and vice versa, you can't justify your methodologies if you refuse to be logical, and understand that every nation has a right to defend itself, others may resort to uglier methods but in the end every country believes the ends justify the means, and if our government could get away with it, they'd use mickey to recruit kids too.
The fact we are missing while bickering about the vehicle used to convey the message, is the radicals are gearing up the next generation of radicals, do not forget these are not people who fight 10 year wars, they drag out violence for centuries, The US got itself stuck a little deeper in the **** than it expected to, but whats done can't be undone. If you don't have the stomach to accept the realities of war, don't debate it. The fact is those people will do what it takes to swell their ranks, just like we do when we let the military go to H.s.'s to scoop up the kids who can't afford college....
As for religions teaching hatred, they are all guilty of that(except buddism of course) at one time or another all patriarical religions have spread themselves by the sword or condoned hatred of another race or religion, that is not exclusive to islam. christans and catholics are more guilty of this than anyone, it was they who coined the word "infidel" after all, the muslims merely use it against them today.