Unredeemable people

The world is now aware that fighters for The Islamic State in Syria and Iraq are murdering people in frighteningly brutal ways. Beheadings, crucifixions, firing squads. Often after a spell of rape and torture of their victims.

Now there is an ugly, new twist: westerners - Americans, Brits and other Europeans, are rushing to join them.

Why? It can't be for the money. IS isn't paying their fighters that much. And, there is a significant chance they will die at some point during their adventure.

It would appear there is a single reason - they want the freedom to murder people. If they commit a murder in their home countries, they are sure to be caught and punished. Commit a murder fighting with IS, and there is no immediate price to pay.

I graduated from the U.S. Army's Infantry Basic Training School and was taught all the Army could teach (short of actual combat) about killing. Still I abhor the sight of a wounded, bleeding person.

Military combat is terrible, but it isn't always personal, savage. I asked one combat Veteran of the Korean War how many Chinese he thought he had killed. He said he had no idea... there were many kinds of weapons in play, everyone was shooting, many Chinese were falling.

With IS, however, you grab a fellow by the hair and whack at his neck with a dull knife until his head is severed. Or, you nail a child to some kind of cross. You make your captives kneel before you and shoot them in the back of the head, one by one.

The person who would leave the United States and travel to the middle East to participate in that activity is not a human. They are not redeemable. Like a rabid animal, they must be destroyed.