Kevin, I don't quite see what you are driving at. It is also quite possible to admit guilt for something you didn't do. Used to happen all the time in Thames Valley Police Stations.

The point I was trying to make is that when some scumbags are reported by the media as having "claimed responsibility", the very phrase almost seems to legitimize their twisted misdeeds. The media in Britain were forever reporting the Provos as having "claimed responsibility" for their latest outrage. Even if they had been reported as "admitting responsibilty" it would have been preferable, but "admitting guilt" would have been the best.

In a similar vein, President Bush really put his foot in it when he said "We will track down the folks responsible" FOLKS ? . "Folks" drive Volvos and Chevy pick-ups, they don't pilot jumbo jets on suicide missions. No, the word he was looking for was "perverts", and that's just for starters.

But at least he has had the good sense to attach the adjective "cowardly" to all subsequent references. What I would like to see now would be a concerted propaganda effort by the USA Government and the media to promote the concept that the hijackers were all suffering from some degree of mental deficiency which prevented them knowing what they were doing, and that this weakness was exploited by Bin Ladden.

This would further weaken any tendency in the Islamic community claims for these reptiles to be acclaimed as heroes, would further blacken Bin Ladden, and legitimize the US claim that his was the ultimate guilt.

Murray