Andrea Yates verdict - huh?

[kandrathe]

Small nit here:

"Murder: 1. Kill intentionally and with premeditation"

I'm sure this is [not] the meaning of your reply, however this did strike me as odd. By what you said, does this make everyone fighting a war insane by your definition? I know a few people who came back from Iraq and, while they didn't like what they saw and had to do, they knew it was part of their job. They had to find out where the enemies were located and formulate a strategy to eradicate them. This is definitely premeditation and fits the bill for murder, however I would hardly classify them - or their actions - as expressions of ‘insanity,’ not by any stretch of the imagination.

Well, it does give one pause to reflect. Some killing in War is murder, but most of it is incapacitating the oppositions ability to attack/defend. But, then again, anytime force is used, there is that time and place when excessive force is an option. To take that option, as with Rodney King, might be an abuse of authority, and to not take it might result in your unit being overrun by the enemy.

But, to your original point, I was thinking of criminal behavior.