Given the horrific reaction to date, what if they behead a woman?

[hlthe2b]

It goes without saying that we hope this all stops immediately, but is this the insurgents' next step? Female equality may be a western value, but I'm not sure that the horror may not rise to an even higher level if this occurs....This group of "insurgents" knows how effective this manner of terror has been. While they've not yet kidnapped an American woman, I do believe they still hold the two Italian women (correct me if I'm wrong)?

Given the particular reactions given to this manner of execution/murder (though I'd argue that murder is murder regardless of method), what do you think the American public's and world reaction would be if they do so to a woman?

Are our efforts forcing them to up the ante' and is this their next step? Will the public's reaction be even more dramatic than we've had to date?

[dogtag]

1. The reaction today has been pretty short of dramatic,

IMHO. The cable whores have led with the CBS document story. It seems that male beheadings have become somewhat ho-hum from my casual observation. I fear you're right in your premise, but geez, I hope the beheaders don't go there.

[hlthe2b]

2. I haven't seen any tv coverage. Interesting that they have not

given signficant attention to the story, although I'm sure it fits with the RW efforts to downplay bad news from Iraq. That's why I fear we might be unwittingly encouraging these groups to up the ante. That is a frightening prospect, IMO.

[geek tragedy]

3. It would hurt their standing in Iraq.

As gender-conscious as Iraq is, they would be viewed with much greater horror.

[hlthe2b]

5. I always thought that, until children began to be targeted....

or at least seems not to have not impacted decisions on targets. While I don't confuse the Chechnyan school massacre situation with events in Iraq, to the degree there may be any cross over in the most militant elements of Hamas, suicide bombings of sites that impact children have not appeared to be any deterrence.

I recognize some degree of mixing of apples and oranges in the comparison, but it still leaves me wondering....

[geek tragedy]

6. We're not talking about what the terrorists/insurgents think, but rather

the larger society. I would imagine that most Chechens were utterly horrified by what happened in Beslan.

[hlthe2b]

8. Would't you think targeting aid workers in Iraq would have horrified

the Iraqis and hurt the insurgents, especially when some have been beheaded? It doesn't seem to have impacted their behavior, if so.

[DrWeird]

4. Republicans would use it as an argument against women...

serving in combat roles. Regardless of where the woman was kidnapped from.

As for the general public, who knows. They didn't care much about that woman executed in that soccer stadium until well after the fact.

[Jacobin]

7. Their demand was to release Iraqi women from prison

.......

Ya know, it's really tough being a citizen of this country right now.