Meanwhile...

How stupid are these guys to actually believe this is going to serve any purpose other than to get people madder and united in their resolve to obliterate these morons - these fanatics?

I was trying to track down something regarding terrorism throughout history and it ineffectiveness as a means of achieving political aims. I remember hearing something about it not being a terrible useful tool (I am chagrined to admit is was during some dialog from the West Wing) when contrasted against non violence.

Then I came across this which I found interesting:

Suicide attack is an ancient practice with a modern history. Its use by the Jewish sects of Zealots and Sicarii (“daggers”) in Roman-occupied Judea [1] and by the Islamic Order of Assassins (hashashin) during the early Crusader times are legendary examples.[2] The concept of “terror” as systematic use of violence to attain political ends was first codified by Maximilien Robespierre during the French Revolution. He deemed it an “emanation of virtue” that delivers “prompt, severe, and inflexible” justice, as “a consequence of the general principle of democracy applied to our country’s most pressing needs”. [3]The Reign of Terror, during which the ruling Jacobin faction exterminated thousands of potential enemies, of whatever sex, age, or condition, lasted until Robespierre’s fall ( July 1794). Similar justification for state-sponsored terror was common to 20th-century revolutions, as in Russia (Lenin), Cambodia (Pol Pot), and Iran (Khomeini).