The Psychology Behind Suicide Bombings

Googer

Lifer
Nov 11, 2004
12,571
4
81
The Psychology Behind Suicide Bombings.

By - Pierre Rehov, documentary filmmaker



On July 15, MSNBC's "Connected" program discussed the July 7th

London attacks.

One of the guests was Pierre Rehov, a French filmmaker who has

filmed six documentaries on the intifada by going undercover in

the Palestinian areas. Pierre's upcoming film, "Suicide Killers,"

is based on interviews that he conducted with the families of

suicide bombers and would-be bombers in an attempt to find out

why they do it. Pierre agreed to a request for a Q&A interview

here about his work on the new film.

Q - What inspired you to produce "Suicide Killers," your

seventh film?

A - I started working with victims of suicide attacks to make

a film on PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) when I became

fascinated with the personalities of those who had committed

those crimes, as they were described again and again by their

victims. Especially the fact that suicide bombers are all

smiling one second before they blow themselves up.

Q - Why is this film especially important?

A - People don't understand the devastating culture behind

this unbelievable phenomenon. My film is not politically correct

because it addresses the real problem, showing the real face of

Islam. It points the finger against a culture of hatred in which

the uneducated are brainwashed to a level where their only

solution in life becomes to kill themselves and kill others in

the name of a God whose word, as transmitted by other men, has

become their only certitude.

Q - What insights did you gain from making this film? What do

you know that other experts do not know?

A - I came to the conclusion that we are facing a neurosis at

the level of an entire civilization. Most neuroses have in common

a dramatic event, generally linked to an unacceptable sexual

behavior. In this case, we are talking of kids living all their

lives in pure frustration, with no opportunity to experience sex,

love, tenderness or even understanding from the opposite sex. The

separation between men and women in Islam is absolute. So is

contempt toward women, who are totally dominated by men. This

leads to a situation of pure anxiety, in which normal behavior

is not possible. It is no coincidence that suicide killers are

mostly young men dominated subconsciously by an overwhelming

libido that they not only cannot satisfy but are afraid of, as if

it is the work of the devil.

Since Islam describes heaven as a place where everything on

Earth will finally be allowed, and promises 72 virgins to those

frustrated kids, killing others and killing themselves to reach

this redemption becomes their only solution.

Q - What was it like to interview would-be suicide bombers,

their families and survivors of suicide bombings?

A - It was a fascinating and a terrifying experience. You are

dealing with seemingly normal people with very nice manners who

have their own logic, which to a certain extent can make sense

since they are so convinced that what they say is true. It is

like dealing with pure craziness, like interviewing people in an

asylum, since what they say, is for them, the absolute truth. I

hear a mother saying "Thank God, my son is dead." Her son had

became a shaheed, a martyr, which for her was a greater source of

pride than if he had became an engineer, a doctor or a winner of

the Nobel Prize.

This system of values works completely backwards since their

interpretation of Islam worships death much more than life. You

are facing people whose only dream, only achievement goal is to

fulfill what they believe to be their destiny, namely to be a shaheed.

They don't see the innocent being killed, they only see the

impure that they have to destroy.

Q - You say suicide bombers experience a moment of absolute

power, beyond punishment. Is death the ultimate power?

A - Not death as an end, but death as a door opener to the

after life. They are seeking the reward that God has promised

them. They work for God, the ultimate authority, above all human

laws. They therefore experience this single delusional second of

absolute power, where nothing bad can ever happen to them, since

they become God's sword.

Q - Is there a suicide bomber personality profile? Describe

the psychopathology.

A - Generally kids between 15 and 25 bearing a lot of

complexes, generally inferiority complexes. They must have been

fed with religion. They usually have a lack of developed

personality. Usually they are impressionable idealists. In the

western world they would easily have become drug addicts, but not

criminals. Interestingly, they are not criminals since they don't

see good and evil the same way that we do. If they had been

raised in an Occidental culture, they would have hated violence.

But they constantly battle against their own death anxiety. The

only solution to this deep-seated pathology is to be willing to

die and be rewarded in the afterlife in Paradise.

Q - Are suicide bombers principally motivated by religious

conviction?

A - Yes, it is their only conviction. They don't act to gain a

territory or to find freedom or even dignity. They only follow

Allah, the supreme judge, and what He tells them to do.

Q - Do all Muslims interpret jihad and martyrdom in the same

way?

A - All Muslim believers believe that, ultimately, Islam will

prevail on earth. They believe this is the only true religion and

there is no room, in their mind, for interpretation. The main

difference between moderate Muslims and extremists is that

moderate Muslims don't think they will see the absolute victory

of Islam during their lifetime, therefore they respect other

beliefs. The extremists believe that the fulfillment of the

Prophecy of Islam and ruling the entire world as described in the

Koran, is for today. Each victory of Bin Laden convinces 20

million moderate Muslims to become extremists.

Q - Describe the culture that manufactures suicide bombers.

A - Oppression, lack of freedom, brain washing, organized

poverty, placing God in charge of daily life, total separation

between men and women, forbidding sex, giving women no power

whatsoever, and placing men in charge of family honor, which is

mainly connected to their women's behavior.





Q - What socio-economic forces support the perpetuation of

suicide bombings?

A - Muslim charity is usually a cover for supporting terrorist

organizations. But one has also to look at countries like

Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Iran, which are also supporting the

same organizations through different networks. The ironic thing

n the case of Palestinian suicide bombers is that most of the

money comes through financial support from the Occidental world,

donated to a culture that utterly hates and rejects the West

(mainly symbolized by Israel).

Q - Is there a financial support network for the families of

the suicide bombers? If so, who is paying them and how does that

affect the decision?

A - There used to be a financial incentive in the days of

Saddam Hussein ($25,000 per family) and Yasser Arafat (smaller

amounts), but these days are gone. It is a mistake to believe

that these families would sacrifice their children for money.

Although, the children themselves who are very attached to their

families, might find in this financial support another reason to

become suicide bombers. It is like buying a life insurance policy

and then committing suicide.

Q - Why are so many suicide bombers young men?

A - As discussed above, libido is paramount. Also ego,

because this is a sure way to become a hero. The shaheed are the

cowboys or the firemen of Islam. Shaheed is a positively

reinforced value in this culture. And what kid has never dreamed

of becoming a cowboy or a fireman?

Q - What role does the U.N. play in the terrorist equation?

A - The U.N. is in the hands of Arab countries and third world

or ex-communist countries. Their hands are tied. The U.N. has

condemned Israel more than any other country in the world,

including the regime of Castro, Idi Amin or Kaddahfi. By behaving

this way, the U.N. leaves a door open by not openly condemning

terrorist organizations. In addition, through UNRWA, the U.N. is

directly tied to terror organizations such as Hamas,

representing 65 percent of their apparatus in the so-called

Palestinian refugee camps. As a support to Arab countries, the

U.N. has maintained Palestinians in camps with the hope to

"return" into Israel for more than 50 years, therefore making it

impossible to settle those populations, which still live in

deplorable conditions. Four hundred million dollars are spent

every year, mainly financed by U.S. taxes, to support 23,000

employees of UNRWA, many of whom belong to terrorist

organizations (see Congressman Eric Cantor on this subject, and

in my film "Hostages of Hatred").

Q - You say that a suicide bomber is a 'stupid bomb and a

smart bomb' simultaneously. Explain what you mean.

A - Unlike an electronic device, a suicide killer has until

he last second the capacity to change his mind. In reality, he

is nothing but a platform representing interests which are not

his, but he doesn't know it.

Q - How can we put an end to the madness of suicide bombings

and terrorism in general?

A - Stop being politically correct and stop believing that

this culture is a victim of ours. Radical Islamism today is

nothing but a new form of Nazism. Nobody was trying to justify or

excuse Hitler in the 1930s. We had to defeat him in order to make

peace one day with the German people.

Q - Are these men traveling outside their native areas in

large numbers? Based on your research, would you predict that we

are beginning to see a new wave of suicide bombings outside the

Middle East?

A - Every successful terror attack is considered a victory by

the radical Islamists. Everywhere Islam expands there is regional

conflict. Right now, there are thousands of candidates for

martyrdom lining up in training camps in Bosnia, Afghanistan and

Pakistan. Inside Europe, hundreds of illegal mosques are

preparing the next step of brain washing to lost young men who

cannot find a satisfying identity in the Occidental world. Israel

is much more prepared for this than the rest of the world will

ever be. Yes, there will be more suicide killings in Europe and

the U.S. Sadly, this is only the beginning.
 

lyssword

Diamond Member
Dec 15, 2005
5,761
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But average person commenting on youtube about suicide bombers would say: "oh they are just poor and uneducated thats why they do it". There is clearly more to that..
 

f95toli

Golden Member
Nov 21, 2002
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There are a number of problems with that "theory"

One is that there is no clear link between how "religious" you are and the risk of you becoming a suicide bomber. This is clear from e.g. research done in Israel.

The second problem is that the tactic of suicide bombing was "invented" by the Tamil Tigers which have been using if for many years. They are a communist guerilla (meaning they are atheists). Another obvious example would be Kamikaze pilots.

Once you accept the idea that you are fighting a war. suicide bombing becomes just yet another weapon. The reason why it is used is simply because it is very efficient.
 

Starbuck1975

Lifer
Jan 6, 2005
14,698
1,909
126
I came to the conclusion that we are facing a neurosis at the level of an entire civilization. Most neuroses have in common a dramatic event, generally linked to an unacceptable sexual behavior. In this case, we are talking of kids living all their lives in pure frustration, with no opportunity to experience sex, love, tenderness or even understanding from the opposite sex. The separation between men and women in Islam is absolute. So is contempt toward women, who are totally dominated by men.
Howard Stern has said on numerous occasions that we should be dropping porn instead of bombs on these terrorists.
 

kylebisme

Diamond Member
Mar 25, 2000
9,396
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Originally posted by: f95toli
One is that there is no clear link between how "religious" you are and the risk of you becoming a suicide bomber. This is clear from e.g. research done in Israel.
No kidding, I at a loss as to how the man could make a whole documentary and come away with such a blatant misconception. for a real explanation. Here is a short video that explains the psychology behind suicide bombing far better that so-called documentry could ever do:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid...900784439&q=%22who+is+the+terrorist%22
 

imported_dna

Golden Member
Aug 14, 2006
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Nothing like Mr. TheSnowman to bring out the propaganda, of the poor, eternally oppressed Palestinians.
First, I suggest people take a look at videos here, and you'll notice poor little Mohamed al-Durah, which also appears in the propaganda-rap.

Next, you should check out the following video, which will englighten you a little bit about Islam. After you watch it, you will understand why Islam is imperilistic.

After that, you might want to listen to Abu Abdullah speak.

It will take a few more grand terrorist strikes for Europe to wake up.
 

f95toli

Golden Member
Nov 21, 2002
1,547
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No one is denying that there are muslim extremists. But that was not the issue.
The question was WHY someone would choose to become a human bomb.
The answer to that questions is NOT directly related to Islam, as is evident if you look at othere non-muslim terrorist groups around the world which also use suicide bombers or other forms of suicide attacks.

From what I understood from a recent BBC documentary you basically need two ingredients: 1) A relatively small tight-knit group of people (which can have ties to a larger organization) 2) a strong ideologi of some sort.










 

imported_dna

Golden Member
Aug 14, 2006
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Why would someone choose?
Well, one of the reason is that you brainwash them from a very young age on the glory of being a martyr, and what great rewards and pleasures you will get from Allah for killing the enemies of your religion.
Now you have a robot, and all you need to do is to designate an enemy: the Palestinians designated Israel, the Sunni's in Iraq designated the Shiia, Bin-Laden and friends designated the whole West, the Muslim-Brits designated their own country, as did those guys in Spain.

Get them young.....
(or when they have a void in their life)
 

halik

Lifer
Oct 10, 2000
25,696
1
0
Originally posted by: lyssword
But average person commenting on youtube about suicide bombers would say: "oh they are just poor and uneducated thats why they do it". There is clearly more to that..

make that "the terrists hate our freedum"
 

f95toli

Golden Member
Nov 21, 2002
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Originally posted by: dna
Why would someone choose?
Well, one of the reason is that you brainwash them from a very young age on the glory of being a martyr, and what great rewards and pleasures you will get from Allah for killing the enemies of your religion.

The problem with THAT theory is that there is no evidence that it is neccesary. The 7/7 bombers had initially no real links to any other established terrorist group. Essentially they "brainwashed" themselves, they became radicalized because they where members of a small tight-knit group (which initially was just a group of friends). I.e. this happened late in life (a few years before the bombings), there is no evidence that they had any contact with radical groups when they were younger.

Morever, at least two of the people recently arrested here in Britain are recent converts to islam; they were brought up as christians.



 

imported_dna

Golden Member
Aug 14, 2006
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Boredom, lack of purpose, depression.... some people will look for anything to fill that void, and some people will take advantage of that void.
We already know of clerics preaching terrorism, and I'm sure you've heard the neighbors say that he was a "quiet guy", and that's not always a good sign.
I'm sure we all experienced depression sometime in our life, or wondered "what's the meaning of all this?", or had "funny thoughts", so I'm sure you understand when I say that a person in this state is vulernable, and in the extreme case probably malleable like a child.
 

kylebisme

Diamond Member
Mar 25, 2000
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Researching my book, which covered all 462 suicide bombings around the globe, I had colleagues scour Lebanese sources to collect martyr videos, pictures and testimonials and biographies of the Hizbollah bombers. Of the 41, we identified the names, birth places and other personal data for 38. We were shocked to find that only eight were Islamic fundamentalists; 27 were from leftist political groups such as the Lebanese Communist Party and the Arab Socialist Union; three were Christians, including a female secondary school teacher with a college degree. All were born in Lebanon.

What these suicide attackers - and their heirs today - shared was not a religious or political ideology but simply a commitment to resisting a foreign occupation. Nearly two decades of Israeli military presence did not root out Hizbollah. The only thing that has proven to end suicide attacks, in Lebanon and elsewhere, is withdrawal by the occupying force.

http://observer.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,,1838199,00.html
 

f95toli

Golden Member
Nov 21, 2002
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Which confirms what I wrote above. As I have already written there has been a lot of research done in Israel where they have been trying to "predict" who is likely to become a suicide bomber (I guess you could call it profiling) before that person actually joins a terrorist group.
However, acording to the aforementioned BBC documentary they eventually gave up, there simply IS no simple "litmus test", religion is just one -as it seem relatively unimportant- factor.
 

straightalker

Senior member
Dec 21, 2005
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Just wait for the future. If the number of years before the end of human history is enough time between now and when robots are suffiecient enough to carry out what we now call "suicide bombings".

The Pentagon plans to upgrade as much "manpower" into "machinepower" as possible in the coming decades. Conversely for the other side in the future. How cheaply can an automated robot be made by a Jihadist Nation like Iran?

The Psychology Behind Suicide Bombings is hatred and frustration. Wrapped up in jihadist religious dogmas that are fanned like a flame into a wildfire by Jihadist Clerics and agent provaceteurs. Logically speaking, as the decades go by on 21st century Earth and as the technology rapidly increases, so do the options of all warring factions to kill human beings with ever more devastating means. If a crazzy person from Faction A, filled with hatred for the people of Faction B, had the technological means to destroy an entire city and surrounding land area for a radius of 20 miles, would they settle for just a busload or trainload of passengers? Especially if technology made it possible for them to do that without sacrificing themselves? Or even being detected in advance?

You see what i'm saying. Mankind will destroy each other and the planet if the AGENDA of opposing factions is total domination or annihilation over each other.

Faction must be dissolved. Humanity taken higher as they realize we have a common interest in mankind's survival as a whole. That's the direction of peace.

If a violent and crazy, radical murderous idiology won't budge, the rest of the people of the World must deal with that like popping a festering pimple.

The best way to greatly reduce future incidences of Suicidal or Automated terrorism is to correct the massive greed and gangster corruption on the Planet that is at the root of all the violence. I could say more. But i'd like to pause to hear other's comments.
 

imported_dna

Golden Member
Aug 14, 2006
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I'll start off by saying that it's hard for me to comment on Hezbollah's suicide bombing, since it seems the majority were in the 1980's and quite frankly, I don't want to bother researching it; I would much rather address more "contemporary" suicide bombings.

The gist of what he says is true: "nearly all suicide terrorist campaigns have in common is a specific secular and strategic goal: to compel democracies to withdraw military forces from territory that the terrorists consider to be their homeland". However, regardless of the ultimate goal, the primary tool we see used today to bring about the suicide bomber is Islam.

Let's start off with Israel. The Palestinian indeed have the goal mentioned above, but they do use Islam as the tool as I've already pointed out the videos of brainwashing chidlren; to be accurate, I don't recall seeing videos from the PA's at MEMRI, but I have seen them in the Obsession movie, and you might be able to find some on YouTube.

Now to London, and the 7/7 bombings. The people who carried it out clearly stated in their videos that they are doing this due to Islam, that they are happy to become martyrs, hence there is no question of the tool used to get them to take that action.

As for Iraq, from my understanding it's a Sunni vs. Shiia, when in fact one faction views the other as heretics, hence the religious aspect again.

It is obvious that in all cases there is someone spinning, directing suicide bombings to their advantage: in Israel Arafat and his friends pocketeds billions while brainwashing children to blow themselves up, or simply tricking them. In Iraq, the Sunnis "leaders" who lost power recently, no doubt are using the religious difference to mobilize their people. In another example about Iraq (though not suicide bombing related), I recall reading that Saddam put "Allah Akbar" on the flag, in order to gain some religious backing. As for the bombing in London and Madrid ? I am sure the local clerics gain a lot of power by radicalising his followers, but it might also be the Sauddis, whom I've heard are pouring money into Muslim communities all over the world, and you know there has been plenty of accusations about them being too "cozy" with terrorists.

At the end of the day, the one which seeks power for their secular/political objective won't be the one putting explosive vest on their back, but they will be using Islam to justify and to prod others to do so.

By the way, this is not the first time you posted the quote from this article; if you want to say that you don't think Islam has nothing to do with it, then just say it, instead of repetitively posting it.


Originally posted by: TheSnowman
Researching my book, which covered all 462 suicide bombings around the globe, I had colleagues scour Lebanese sources to collect martyr videos, pictures and testimonials and ...

 

GoPackGo

Diamond Member
Oct 10, 2003
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Well, we have a couple of elements that will help those who want to get to Allah as quickly as possible. Plutonium and Uranium.

Once we drop the PC garbage and fight an all out war... they will learn what resolve and visciousness is.

Oppression by any group will be their undoing either from within or without.
 

kylebisme

Diamond Member
Mar 25, 2000
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Originally posted by: f95toli
Which confirms what I wrote above. As I have already written there has been a lot of research done in Israel where they have been trying to "predict" who is likely to become a suicide bomber (I guess you could call it profiling) before that person actually joins a terrorist group.
However, acording to the aforementioned BBC documentary they eventually gave up, there simply IS no simple "litmus test", religion is just one -as it seem relatively unimportant- factor.
Exactly, yet some people still want to blame Islam as the root of the problem and keep occupying and oppressing Muslims until we chose to nuke them.
 

imported_dna

Golden Member
Aug 14, 2006
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Originally posted by: TheSnowman
Exactly, yet some people still want to blame Islam as the root of the problem and keep occupying and oppressing Muslims until we chose to nuke them.

Come one, cough it out -- give us a list of places where muslims are oppressed.
I know Israel is on the list, but I'd list to see the others. Also, it would be interesting for you to list the reason for their oppression, as you see it, of course.
 

kylebisme

Diamond Member
Mar 25, 2000
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I don't have time to make a list and I won't until well late tommorow, but as for the reason for the oppression. Winston Churchill explianed that quite well back at thethe Palestine Royal Commission in 1937:
I do not agree that the dog in a manger has the final right to the manger even though he may have lain there for a very long time. I do not admit that right. I do not admit for instance, that a great wrong has been done to the Red Indians of America or the black people of Australia. I do not admit that a wrong has been done to these people by the fact that a stronger race, a higher-grade race, a more worldly wise race to put it that way, has come in and taken their place.
Yep, straight up bigorty is the reason.
 

imported_dna

Golden Member
Aug 14, 2006
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Originally posted by: TheSnowman
I don't have time to make a list and I won't until well late tommorow, but as for the reason for the oppression. Winston Churchill explianed that quite well back at thethe Palestine Royal Commission in 1937:

When I said a reason, I mean something along the line of "In Iraq Saddam oppressed Muslims because they were Shiia", and not some 70 year old quote that is irrelevent. The Brits have pulled their forces from the Middle East a long time ago.
 

Rainsford

Lifer
Apr 25, 2001
17,515
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Originally posted by: GoPackGo
Well, we have a couple of elements that will help those who want to get to Allah as quickly as possible. Plutonium and Uranium.

Once we drop the PC garbage and fight an all out war... they will learn what resolve and visciousness is.

Oppression by any group will be their undoing either from within or without.

And I was getting worried that we were running low on arm chair tough guys, ever ready to "fight an all out war" by opening their mouths at every possible opportunity. :roll:
 

WHAMPOM

Diamond Member
Feb 28, 2006
7,628
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Can we compare "suicide bombers" among Moslems to cult recruitment victims here in the USA? They seem similiar in the age range and education.
 

imported_michaelpatrick33

Platinum Member
Jun 19, 2004
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I feel for Abraham.

Edit: For those who don't know he "fathered" three faiths and
what we've got here is failure to communicate
Some men (and women) you just can't reach
So you get what we had here for the last two millenia
Which is the way we want it (apparently)
Well we gets it.

I don't like it anymore than you men (and women) do.

Look at you your young men fighting

Look at your young men fighting
Look at your women crying
Look at your young men dying
The way they've always done before


Look at the hate we're breeding
Look at the fear we're feeding
Look at the lives we're leading
The way we've always done before


My hands are tied
The billions shift from side to side
And the wars go on with brainwashed pride
For the love of God and our human rights
And all these things are swept aside
By bloody hands time can't deny
And are washed away by your genocide
And history hides the lies of our civil wars


D'you wear a black armband
When they shot the man
Who said "Peace could last forever"
And in my first memories
They shot Kennedy
I went numb when I learned to see
So I never fell for Vietnam
We got the wall of D.C. to remind us all
That you can't trust freedom
When it's not in your hands
When everybody's fightin'
For their promised land


And
I don't need your civil war
It feeds the rich while it buries the poor
Your power hungry sellin' soldiers
In a human grocery store
Ain't that fresh
I don't need your civil war


Look at the shoes your filling
Look at the blood we're spilling
Look at the world we're killing
The way we've always done before
Look in the doubt we've wallowed
Look at the leaders we've followed
Look at the lies we've swallowed
And I don't want to hear no more


My hands are tied
For all I've seen has changed my mind
But still the wars go on as the years go by
With no love of God or human rights
'Cause all these dreams are swept aside
By bloody hands of the hypnotized
Who carry the cross of homicide
And history bears the scars of our civil wars


"We practice selective annihilation of mayors [terrorism, terrorism, terrorism]
And government officials
For example to create a vacuum
Then we fill that vacuum
As popular war advances
Peace is closer" **


I don't need your civil war
It feeds the rich while it buries the poor
Your power hungry sellin' soldiers
In a human grocery store
Ain't that fresh
And I don't need your civil war
I don't need your civil war
I don't need your civil war
Your power hungry sellin' soldiers
In a human grocery store
Ain't that fresh
I don't need your civil war
I don't need one more war


I don't need one more war
Whaz so civil 'bout war anyway

Guns n Roses (who would of thunk it; they sum it up pretty well) Sigh