Tom Fox murdered: his body found near Baghdad railway, hands ties behind his back with gunshots to chest and head...

...and recent updates indicate that he may have been tortured.

The contempt that his organization had previously shown towards the Bush administration, however, is conspicuously missing for his terrorist killers. Fox's organization, CPT (Christian Peacemaker Teams):

"We mourn the loss of Tom Fox, who combined a lightness of spirit, a firm opposition to all oppression, and the recognition of God in everyone."

"In response to Tom's passing, we ask that everyone set aside inclinations to vilify or demonize others, no matter what they have done."

Fox's killing is a terrible tragedy, but all accountability still seems to flow back to the U.S. and not to groups like The Swords of Righteousness Brigades, thought to be connected to the Islamic Army in Iraq (IAI)....and who's "God" are we to see in the Islamic Militant Terrorists who want to kill us all? Confusing.

I'm with a Michelle Malkin reader: here

Thanks for linking to the Christian Peacemaker Teams statement about the Tom Fox murder. What strikes me most about it was their failure to call it what it was, murder, to read it one would think he merely passed away in his sleep. It really sickens me that they also use his murder as an opportunity to further their support of radical Islam and demonize Israel. Truly disgusting behaviour for so called "Christians".

Alexandra von Maltzan is again fantastic: here

As for the inclinations to vilify and demonize, we need to remember that the reason the Christian Peacemakers organization were there since 2002, was to investigate allegations that U.S. and Iraqi forces had abused detainees. It seems however that the organization is more prepared to forgive the murderers, than to give the benefit of the doubt to the US Government.

Gina Cobb is on the money: here

Let's recognize genuine evil, for a change. Not only is it intellectually and morally honest, but it might even save your life. According to the Independent, Iraqi and Western security officials repeatedly warned the activists before their abduction that they were taking a grave risk by moving around Baghdad without bodyguards.

And let's learn to distinguish between genuine evil and basic decency with room for improvement.

Attempts to embarrass detainees at Abu Ghraib by U.S. soldiers who were subsequently court-martialed and penalized for it: Basic decency with room for improvement.
Kidnapping innocent civilians off a Baghdad street, releasing a threatening video, torturing and killing one of the civilians and throwing his body in the street: Genuine evil.
But these activists seem to be unable or unwilling to make these basic moral distinctions. For these folks, America is always wrong when it comes to the war on terror, and especially the war in Iraq.

Admitting that there is a worse evil in Iraq than America, and that America is fighting that evil right now, would be too painful.

And if that means giving terrorists a pass for abducting four of their own fellow activists and torturing and murdering at least one of them, so be it.

You can read some of Tom Fox's writings at ElectroncIraq.net here.

"It has become increasing evident to me that after stripping away all the rationales for the US invasion of Iraq, what is left is the reality that the current U.S. Administration felt compelled to invade from a basis of hate...."

"My impression of Baghdad in my first seven days is that most of the American and Iraqi interim government officials have sequestered themselves in palaces and enclaves, which has served to disconnect them from the majority of the population..."

Quick note...right under the CPT slogan "Committed to reducing violence by getting in the way" on their website, you find this picture of Tom Fox protesting an Israeli barrier. At least a little irony there.

I am so very sorry for the families of those who have been taken hostage and/or killed by these evil organizations.