[Loy]

Al-actually, Sternn does have a point about certain Mainland battallions butchering (no, I'm using the actual meaning of the term here, as in "taking a big fucking knife, and chopping up a living thing into tiny, tiny pieces) and slaughtering innocent civilians who didn't with them...including women and children, who, by the rules of engagement both sides were "following" were excluded from consideration as combatants. I remember reading about a group under Washingtons command that would lock families in their houses and set them ablaze, and stand outside with muskets ready if anybody tried to escape, and Washington knew about this. Here's what he did about this-diddly squat.

Say what you want, but I'm sure this action would fall under the term "war crime", which was how it was viewed even then (hell, we almost lost funding from France over the fracas, until Jefferson and Franklin smoothed things over).

Sternn-gonna have to agree with Al on this one-the IRA are nothing but a bunch of thugs that have been fucking things up for the Irish. And if you need any more proof-remember, it was the IRA that assasinated Michael Collins after he set up the treaty with England and gained a "independance in development", which would've had the entire Irish colony totally and completely free from Englands rule by the end of the century...until the IRA bombings steeled the British attitude of "it's ours, damnit!". While history has shown terrorism as a great tool for gaining independance in a few cases (Algiers is a big example here), and totally justifiable in cases where the Empire culture has so decimated the local culture and will that there's no other viable option, the IRA/Ireland thing is NOT one of these cases.