I have seen very few leftists who specifically support such acts of terror. Certainly none here. However, there are a lot of them who, although they condemn the act, will try to explain or excuse it.

In other threads, and in other venues, I've seen a tendency to try and avoid identifying evil as such, and when dragged into the confirmation of evil by acts as blatant as the school hostage terrorism, the next line of defense is somehow blaming everyone except the terrorists for not having somehow "dealt" with this situation in the past.

Other extenuating circumstances I hear a lot about (none of which I accept):

- The terrorists have no other alternatives except terror for action against the oppressor (the "human cruise missile" thesis).

- They have been forced to these desperate acts by the actions of the oppressors.

- Even if they deserve punishment, military violence is not the answer. What is? Reply hazy. Ask again later.

This is not new. In areas like the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, these views long predate 9/11.

Some of the rest of the post is over the top. I don't think anyone here is about to flip out and start beating cops. However, I don't recall any cop-beating, spitting, obscenities, sabotage, or other hostility at this level during the Democratic convention.

Some valid points SDAI made:

- Some liberals left a few marbles in Florida. It's starting to show. More other places than here, fortunately. A few out there are dropping more marbles every day. Unfortunately for the Democrats, this group includes some of their major political supporters.

- That there is a certain subconscious satisfaction some people have when seeing American lack of progress in Iraq and elsewhere is obvious. Of course, to be fair, they see it as Bush's failure, not America's.