To condemn or to condone ?

Terror is the knife to neck, but not the buzzing drone,

a bullet and a ditch but not a toddlers body blown

apart as death rains down upon the families in their homes,

our sliding scale of sympathy condemns and then condones  

mirror image actions, twins born brutally and bloodied,

whilst the lies that trickle down ensure opinions remain muddied  

 

Terrorists or soldiers who deserve all our support,

the definition based upon which side for which you fought,

aggression turns to self-defence depending on whose fingers

rest upon the triggers, and our attention never lingers

long upon this fact for we’re content to be spoon fed

just who it is that we should fear and who we should wish dead,

trading mental liberty for convenience and fear,

the perfect recipe for hate that never disappears,

a guarantee of horrors perpetrated in our name

and the blood that stains out hands will have no scapegoat left to blame