I've had enough of us killing women and children

[Slacker13]

A little premature, the facts are not in. I heard on the radio coming home that they now found large amounts of cash, satellite phones and weapons. Plus I am not going to take a writers word from the AP.
I think these people carry index cards and every time we engage in a fight they says its a wedding, a day care, a bomb shelter full of women and children etc...
If this did happen then yes, it is terrible. But I am certainly not ready to criticize our troops before any facts are in.

[superleeds]

[ QUOTE ]
and we are the country that supposedly holds itself to a higher standard

[/ QUOTE ]

A fallacy perpetuated by successive governments and the media. Something so idealistic is never allowed to impinge on the real job of foreign policy - furthering a countries spear of influence.

[andyfox]

"In July 2002, Afghan officials said 48 civilians at a wedding party were killed and 117 wounded by a U.S. airstrike in Afghanistan's Uruzgan province. An investigative report released by the U.S. Central Command said the airstrike was justified because American planes had come under fire."

Serves 'em right for having a wedding party while we were flying planes. I wonder if it was the bride or the maid of honor who was firing at the planes.

[andyfox]

"Of course I could be wrong but I doubt it."

Very Sklanskyesque.

[ACPlayer]

Does this mean that the acts of a few are the ultimate criteria by which the moral and legal judgement of an operation, ought to be determined?

Yes.

[Hiding]

Huh, I'm in a country in the middle of a revolution and I fire a gun in the air and get bombed. Big shocker, at least here its only illegal. So let them do what they want to do, we should leave. That way they can go back to torturing 13 year old kids and raping women, sure thats a lot easier......and a much better plan. We can play poker and mow the lawn, its not happening to our kids

[MMMMMM]

Gamblor: "Does this mean that the acts of a few are the ultimate criteria by which the moral and legal judgement of an operation, ought to be determined?"

ACPlayer: "Yes."

Then every large-scale undertaking or operation in the world must be immoral, because every large-scale undertaking includes a few persons doing some very bad things.

More dazzling nonsense from ACPlayer.

[ACPlayer]

Thank you.

If you find it nonsense, I must be on the right track.

[crash]

I sympathize with the utilitarian argument--accidental deaths of Iraqi civilians can (should?) be compared to the deaths that would occur had we not invaded. But as long as we're being utilitarians...

--deaths are not the only thing that go in the utilitarian calculus. International good will, pride, etc. It seems to be a defensible position for an Iraqi to say "yeah, Saddam was a shithead, but I'd rather be under the old regime than be occupied."

--what about our utility? Sure, one could say we increased it by preempting a future Iraqi attack on us somehow. But occupying a country in the region might hurt us in the long run if we screw it up and all the nutcases get us in their sights. That's the problem with making utilitarian arguments. That's why I was leery about Iraq.

[Kenrick]

I think there must be more to the story. There'd have to be a good reason the U.S. would investigate the gunfire, find nothing, and then come back later and blow up the place anyway. I mean, come on.

The U.S. has had so much restraint over the years it's almost sad. Other countries do not place as high a regard on life as the U.S. does, and to think the U.S. is out there killing people just on a whim is absurd.

People whine and moan about stuff like mistreating some prisoners and whatever else. boo hoo hoo. War is war. Go watch the video clip from last week where they cut the head off a U.S. contractor who was there to rebuild Iraq. That's right, a decapitation right on broadcast TV. Merry Christmas. These people use women and children as human shields, so cut the crap with this subject line.

I feel fortunate that I somehow survived the bs that most college professors taught when I was there. Everything is about good feelings and good intentions and everything else. Other countries used to be afraid of the U.S. and soldiers would actually surrender out of fear. But the U.S. has been such a wuss for the past decade+ that now Iraqi terrorists run up to U.S. tanks with guns and then seem surprised when the tank actually fires back and kills them. I know people who are fighting in Iraq. The news is full of bs and sensationalism.

I wonder if a lot of people even realize what war is like. Saving Private Ryan and We Were Soldiers are pretty good at showing it. I couldn't even watch all of We Were Soldiers. It hit a little too close to home.