Did you feel bad about a civilian killed in Iraq? Japan? WTC?
 

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I agree completely, its important that we keep murdering foreigners in order that we can make small improvements in our standard of living.

Mack

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Mackthefork made the above statement as a response in sarcasm mode to another poster, but got me thinking, do people really think at all about all these murdered foreigners?

Have they ever think of all the inocent people killed by the American Army? Are they in their prayers?

2 or 3 days ago I read a story about 9-11. It was about a couple and their 3 year old baby that were in the UA 175 flight. I could only imagine their last moments holding their son. I almost cry thinking in my own 2 year old son.
But I'm pretty sure that if I was able to know similar stories about how people in Iraq lost their son in a random morning when they were ready to have breakfast, or how a mother in Japan have to watch her family die one morning in August 1945, I felt equally touched.

What's up with some people in this country? What do they feel?

The funny thing is that I'm almost no religious at all. And I'm pretty sure most of this people are "devoted" Christians. Go figure.

Re: Did you feel bad about a civilian killed in Iraq? Japan? WTC?
 

This is an interesting post, but it would be more interesting if you cut back on the use of the perjorative "murdered."

Re: Did you feel bad about a civilian killed in Iraq? Japan? WTC?
 

Fair enough, change to killed.

Re: Did you feel bad about a civilian killed in Iraq? Japan? WTC?
 

Yes - It is sad and terrible when any civilian dies. This is one of the reasons we spend billions developing guided weapons systems that can put a bomb through a air-conditioner vent and so we don't have to carpet bomb like in WWII.

Re: Did you feel bad about a civilian killed in Iraq? Japan? WTC?
 

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This is one of the reasons we spend billions developing guided weapons systems that can put a bomb through a air-conditioner vent

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http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_pg=...;u_sid=1482603

Re: Did you feel bad about a civilian killed in Iraq? Japan? WTC?
 

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This is one of the reasons we spend billions developing guided weapons systems that can put a bomb through a air-conditioner vent and so we don't have to carpet bomb like in WWII

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It's because it's more efficient and economical. Morals don't come into it.

As to the OP, I feel bad as you do, when I read/hear individual stories with context, with background. But when I read a general story which contains information on a marine dying or an Iraqi dying I can't say I really feel any change. The same for any moment in history.

Re: Did you feel bad about a civilian killed in Iraq? Japan? WTC?
 

Nobody claimed it was perfect - just much much better then before.

Re: Did you feel bad about a civilian killed in Iraq? Japan? WTC?
 

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It's because it's more efficient and economical. Morals don't come into it.


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All three are factors - the military needed to capacity to hit high value targets in urban areas without taking out 3 city blocks, regardless of how you view their motives for not wanting to take out civilians morals or PR disaster doesn't change the fact that it is one of the reasons we developed these weapons was to reduce 'collateral damages'.

Re: Did you feel bad about a civilian killed in Iraq? Japan? WTC?
 

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It's because it's more efficient and economical. Morals don't come into it.

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You have any data to support that? Once we control the sky do you really think it would be cheaper to use these expensive sophisticated weapons than to drop a bunch of cheap junk? Maybe even stuff leftover from vietnam? Not to mention nukes which would be much much cheaper.

There may be some non-angelic reasons like we'd like to end up with a usable country that can produce oil or something like that, but I wouldn't even put it past the military to think that killing fewer people is better.

Re: Did you feel bad about a civilian killed in Iraq? Japan? WTC?
 

I feel sorry for all three groups. The lack of discussion/focus on this side of the Iraq war in the US really disappoints me and makes it clear for me that there is a clear divide between US and European mentality on these issues and that Europe should try to become more independent of the US. Too much has been achieved on this continent (with help from US after WWII) in understanding that a man of another nationality has his value and rights even if he looks different, to throw it into the bucket to please a cynical superpower.

Re: Did you feel bad about a civilian killed in Iraq? Japan? WTC?
 

You believe what you want. I'll believe the military has a budget and a brain.

Re: Did you feel bad about a civilian killed in Iraq? Japan? WTC?
 

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It's because it's more efficient and economical. Morals don't come into it.

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I'd say there's a large factor of increasing public support for a military action. It sends a clear message (to the public) that care is being taken with regard to innocents.

Think about the Powell Doctrine and the incrediable attention it paid to public support.

In that way, you could say that increased prescision is both a function of morals (of the general public) and of the militaries increased desire for highly targeted attacks.

I don't think you can seperate it like that.

Re: Did you feel bad about a civilian killed in Iraq? Japan? WTC?
 

Because of course no way would this by product be exploited. Jesus people, there far from perfect yet, they miss all the time. The military is run on supply and demand needs, thay are not just boys with toys.

Re: Did you feel bad about a civilian killed in Iraq? Japan? WTC?
 

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This is one of the reasons we spend billions developing guided weapons systems that can put a bomb through a air-conditioner vent

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http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_pg=...;u_sid=1482603

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A U.S. Marine fighter jet dropped a bomb and damaged a building in an accident

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Re: Did you feel bad about a civilian killed in Iraq? Japan? WTC?
 

Very few, if any, civilians are killed by US actions. Reports have been exaggerated by the liberal media.

Re: Did you feel bad about a civilian killed in Iraq? Japan? WTC?
 

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It's because it's more efficient and economical. Morals don't come into it.

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You have any data to support that? Once we control the sky do you really think it would be cheaper to use these expensive sophisticated weapons than to drop a bunch of cheap junk? Maybe even stuff leftover from vietnam? Not to mention nukes which would be much much cheaper.

There may be some non-angelic reasons like we'd like to end up with a usable country that can produce oil or something like that, but I wouldn't even put it past the military to think that killing fewer people is better.

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It is not because it is cheaper, the fact is people don't like wars, guided weapons systems like this help keep the support of the people by reducing collatoral damage, this alone makes it worth spending billions just for the political advantage. It's the morality of ordinary Americans at work, not the US government.

Mack

Re: Did you feel bad about a civilian killed in Iraq? Japan? WTC?
 

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I feel sorry for all three groups. The lack of discussion/focus on this side of the Iraq war in the US really disappoints me and makes it clear for me that there is a clear divide between US and European mentality on these issues and that Europe should try to become more independent of the US. Too much has been achieved on this continent (with help from US after WWII) in understanding that a man of another nationality has his value and rights even if he looks different, to throw it into the bucket to please a cynical superpower.

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Anyone who tries to address this side of the debate is shot down as cheaply attacking the current administration, or denigrating the efforts of forces 'protecting our way of life', nothing could be further from the truth. It saddens me that it has become so reprehensible for me to feel empathy for a fellow man, regardless of his nationality. So many smart people on here, so many thinking about today and not tommorrow.

Mack

Re: Did you feel bad about a civilian killed in Iraq? Japan? WTC?
 

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It's the morality of ordinary Americans at work, not the US government

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I would actually say that it is the ability to manipulate and appease the morality of the ordinary American at work. Many Americans and most supporters of the war are made to "feel better" about the murders (the OP used the correct term) by the words like "collateral damage control" or by arguments like "we are not as bad the other guy".

Re: Did you feel bad about a civilian killed in Iraq? Japan? WTC?
 

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I would actually say that it is the ability to manipulate and appease the morality of the ordinary American at work. Many Americans and most supporters of the war are made to "feel better" about the murders (the OP used the correct term) by the words like "collateral damage control" or by arguments like "we are not as bad the other guy".

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Perhaps you'd prefer a WWII-style carpet bombing? Or a nuke attack?

It seems like we should feel better, no quote-unquote snarkyness needed. These weapons are a good option for both our policy and military objectives. They aren't perfect, of course, but no one has ever said they were.

You seem to have a problem with their use, but I can't really figure out what it is.

Re: Did you feel bad about a civilian killed in Iraq? Japan? WTC?
 

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I would actually say that it is the ability to manipulate and appease the morality of the ordinary American at work. Many Americans and most supporters of the war are made to "feel better" about the murders (the OP used the correct term) by the words like "collateral damage control" or by arguments like "we are not as bad the other guy".

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A more argumentative way of saying the same thing? It makes ordinary people feel better about what their government is doing in their name, a kind of 'at least we are trying' mentality.

Mack

Re: Did you feel bad about a civilian killed in Iraq? Japan? WTC?
 

This all comes back to the fact that in the eyes of the most Americans, the presidential administration and the media, the lives of Americans, particularly white Americans, are worth much more than the lives of others. How else could we justify the human cost of war?