is it ok to be luddite?

[JBFRAME at aol.com]

Terrorism is a violent act, usually involving the killing of human beings, by 
a person or persons who do not have the legitimacy of governments.  Of the 
millions of people killed in this century, I would venture to say that 
possibly 1% of them at most have been killed by terrorists.  I think this 
statistic would probably hold true even for the past 20 years, in which 
terrorism has been vastly increased.  The writers of history & the 
journalists are, of course, mostly biased towards legitimacy.  Our revulsion 
towards the terrorist are a vestige of the 19th century rules of warfare that 
indicated the difference between murder & war involved the use of badges & 
clearly visible uniforms.  Anyone not a member of a legally constituted armed 
force caught shooting at members of a legally constituted armed force could 
be summarily executed.  Legitimate soldiers were to be treated as prisoners 
of war.  This was later codified in the Geneva Convention.  As an example, 
this policy was followed by the Prussians in France in 1871 indiscriminately 
against the Francs-tireurs (Irregular guerrillas) & against even farmers 
trying to protect their wives & daughters from rape.  It was followed by both 
Axis & Allies in WWII.  The resistance fighters of WWII are looked upon today 
as heroes who risked everything to fight against tyranny, & the response of 
the Germans by shooting them if they were captured is deplored.  Yet, who is 
to say what it is about the IRA or PLO, or, indeed the Irgun, Stern Gang or 
Viet Cong, not to mention the Red Brigades or the Red Army Fraktion?  Tito 
started out as a terrorist.  He won, & now is still looked upon by some as a 
hero of the resistance.  Mao Tse-tung was not legally constituted.  Neither 
was George Washington, for that matter, & if he had lost, he would have been 
hanged along with the rest of the traitors to the British Crown who make up 
the "Founding Fathers."  But these truths are self-evident.  "Legitimate 
authority" is not a moral absolute.  Look at the carnage inflicted in Serbia 
last year by NATO.  So... yes, I say it is OK to be a Luddite!