Noam Chomsky cites with approval:
Chomsky's More Detailed Response to the News of bin Laden's Murder: The highly regarded British barrister Geoffrey Robertson... attributes the murder [of Bin Laden] to “America’s obsessive belief in capital punishment—alone among advanced nations--[which] is reflected in its rejoicing at the manner of bin Laden’s demise.”
And Chomsky continues in his very next sentence:
For example, Nation columnist Eric Alterman writes that “The killing of Osama bin Laden was a just and necessary undertaking.”
Let's look at the start of the Nation column Chomsky quotes:
Bin Gotten: The killing of Osama bin Laden was a just and necessary undertaking; just because he had the blood of thousands of innocents on his hands, and necessary because his continued escape from justice was an inspiration to others to try to follow in his footsteps. But it should not be occasion for joy. The Talmud tells the story of angels dancing and singing as the waters of the Red Sea close over the heads of the Egyptian troops after the Israelites have safely crossed over, only to be rebuked by their God: “How dare you dance and sing as my children drown in the sea?”
Eric Alterman is not an example of rejoicing at the manner of Osama bin Laden's demise.
Noam Chomsky knows full well--he did read the rest of Alterman's opening paragraph before snipping the narrow piece he wanted--that Eric Alterman is not an example of obsessive belief in capital punishment and is not an example of rejoicing at the manner of bin Laden's demise.
Liar.
Lie.
"
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