11-18-2005, 10:56 PM
Agreed Occhi.
WP is not a pretty weapon, at least it's effects aren't.* War is not pretty. War is not humane. Even the good guys' (usually determined by who the victor is) actions are not. Most folks will say "do the ends justify the means?" We musn't forget the other side "do the means justify the end?"
I didn't notice the International Press in an uproar over the bombings of Shiite mosques near the Iranian border over the last couple days. The question has been raised of bringing the U.S. to trial for war crimes in regard to the use of WP. I wonder, does the same hold true for those folks actively targeting civilians? I'm sure the civilians killed in those mosques will be added to the total number of civilian deaths resulting from this war, even though they can't resonably be attributed to the U.S. actions in the war.
There is no way, in war, to ensure 100% weapons accountability, 0% risk of collateral damage, and 100% truthfull reporting of the facts. The only way to make this happen is to not engage in war in the first place, and it's a bit late to run along that line of thinking.
*IMO, the cloud of smoke created by WP munitions with the brightly lit streamers trailing off it is rather majestic - but only when employed over an empty field, and not in anger.
WP is not a pretty weapon, at least it's effects aren't.* War is not pretty. War is not humane. Even the good guys' (usually determined by who the victor is) actions are not. Most folks will say "do the ends justify the means?" We musn't forget the other side "do the means justify the end?"
I didn't notice the International Press in an uproar over the bombings of Shiite mosques near the Iranian border over the last couple days. The question has been raised of bringing the U.S. to trial for war crimes in regard to the use of WP. I wonder, does the same hold true for those folks actively targeting civilians? I'm sure the civilians killed in those mosques will be added to the total number of civilian deaths resulting from this war, even though they can't resonably be attributed to the U.S. actions in the war.
There is no way, in war, to ensure 100% weapons accountability, 0% risk of collateral damage, and 100% truthfull reporting of the facts. The only way to make this happen is to not engage in war in the first place, and it's a bit late to run along that line of thinking.
*IMO, the cloud of smoke created by WP munitions with the brightly lit streamers trailing off it is rather majestic - but only when employed over an empty field, and not in anger.
The Bill of No Rights
The United States has become a place where entertainers and professional athletes are mistaken for people of importance. Robert A. Heinlein
The United States has become a place where entertainers and professional athletes are mistaken for people of importance. Robert A. Heinlein