Leland, I respect your opinion and even agree with it in theory. But
all theories are subject to empiricism. Yes, we have rules and I
mentioned those. However, people who are not members of a uniformed
military force are not subject to those rules and they do not abide by
those rules. So why should we?
You speak of humanity, but humanistic people do not strap bombs to
themselves and blow-up innocent people. Humanistic people do not make
schools and hospitals targets by waging war from them. We have got to
fight fire with fire. These people have been duped into believing that
they are doing something holy and will stop at nothing. The sooner we
bring them to nothingness, the sooner they will stop.
If the Supreme Court says that the Geneva Convention applies, and
they have, then it doesn't matter whether you, I or GW himself likes it
or not.
The idea that wearing a uniform and being part of a national army
conferring some extra moral or legal cover is ludicrous as is the
argument that we should be able to torture because it could save lives.
That's like saying if you had information regarding attacks on Berlin
or the atomic bomb about to be dropped on Japan during WWII
and were tortured, while in uniform, because "it would save lives"
that the torturers and their commanders shouldn't or wouldn't be
punished as war criminals under the rules of war as spelled out in
the Geneva Convention.
The fact is we, the United States, have killed and maimed many
millions of so called innocent bystanders during our foreign wars.
We may not have wanted to and we may have taken every
precaution available at the time to avoid that type of killing, but
we still have done it.
Terrorists are morally reprehensible in what they do, but that
doesn't mean we have to get down in the gutter with them.
Otherwise what makes us any different, a uniform?
Jim Eddins
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