Final Word from Monday, July 21, 2014
There is no excuse for accidentally shooting down a commercial airline, but for politicians such as Bohuslav Sobotka or Lubomír Zaorálek to call the downing of the Malaysian airline in eastern Ukraine a terrorist act is to further diminish the intentional acts of real terrorists. Was the bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade in 1999 also a terrorist act? Or the bombing of Prague in 1945? Not for the Western media, because they were accidents perpetrated by the good guys. Increasingly, politicians refer to any country that opposes their own strong-arm policies as a terrorist state or a state sponsor of terrorism. In some cases it is justified, but in other cases it used as an excuse to waive democratic principles. This should worry even law-abiding citizens, because it increases the likelihood that they will inadvertently run afoul of the law and be punished under the extremely strict anti-terror laws now in existence everywhere. [Czech Republic Russia United States of America Serbia Czechoslovakia terrorism]
Glossary of difficult words
to down (a plane or person) - to knock or bring to the ground;
to perpetrate (an act) - to carry out or commit (a harmful, illegal or immoral action);
strong-arm - using or characterized by force or violence;
to waive - to refrain from applying or enforcing (a rule, restriction or right);
to run afoul of - to come into conflict or difficulty with.