ISIS Outrage

The Islamic State (ISIS) is at it again. The Islamic State executed three detainees in the ancient Syrian city of Palmyra by strapping them to pillars and then blowing them up along with the antiquities that a civilized world is supposed to treasure. I wonder how this reflects on fanatics to a cause, the Mid East Region, on the whole world, and perhaps even on you and me. Barbaric behavior is not new to mankind. History is filled with it. But In this age,  are we not supposed to have limits to our cruelty? To blame the behavior of the ISIS nation on "mass insanity" is, I think, a charge not provable.

So why is that group behaving like the worst Biblical villains did so long ago. The Islamic State has consistently used the Internet and social media to publicize its brutality. I guess that's a terrorist's way of having good clean fun.  Need more concrete examples? Here are a few of the worst moments the past few months of ISIS's new ways of executing those it disagrees with in their attempt to terrorize us all.
-footage showed Islamic State militants executing a teenage Syrian soldier by running him over with a tank. Before being executed, the soldier is shown "confessing" to having used a tank himself to run over bodies of Islamic State soldiers.

- a series of videos showing the beheadings of western aide workers and journalists.
- a video showing a young boy executing prisoners the Islamic State called "spies."
- Earlier this month, the militants reportedly blew up Palmyra's Arch of Triumph.  No humans were attached this time, but the point was made that ISIS believes archaeological sites and statues promote idolatry.
- a few months earlier, beheading the Palmra's antiquities expert.
- ISIS militants raping and forcing children as young as 10 to "marry them".
- a routine policy of  torture and execution of prisoners of war, even after exacting "fines' for their crimes.
- children as young as ten years of age, being forced to fight for ISIS and even to be members of execution squads.

Those are a few of ISIS's proudest moments. Given that the fanatics believe in the cause there is no chance they will suddenly become human again and behave like human beings. So perhaps the atrocities alone should be enough for the world to stomp on, exterminate ISIS. But then, the biggest atrocity of all is that it won't. I wonder if we who sit by not outraged enough to stop it are in some ways as bad as the vermin who carry out the acts we pretend to not see.