by cfitz on Fri Apr 04, 2003 2:32 pm
Perhaps I misread. It came across that way, but maybe it was the heat of your passion and anger at what you see as unjust behavior.
As regards the war, it is certainly your right to be against it, and I respect that. And I agree that the loss of innocent civilians is tragic. But it isn't terrorism, since civilians are not being deliberately targeted. The coalition forces appear to be doing more to avoid civilian casualties than any other force ever has in any other war.
Contrast that behavior to that of the Iraqi defenders who have set up bases inside schools, hospitals, and mosques, deliberately putting civilians in danger. And contrast it also to the terrorists such as Hamas and al-Qaeda who go one step further and deliberately target civilians for maiming and death. There is no moral equivalence here.
Finally, barring some terrible, unforeseen event, Saddam has already killed orders of magnitudes more of his own civilians than the coalition forces ever will. One could argue that the terrible and tragic deaths of civilians now will prevent many more deaths in the future. It is an awful calculus to have to make, but unfortunately we live in a world where such decisions are forced upon us.
Still, it is your right to deplore and protest the war, and I will not try to silence you. I just ask that you and everyone search out a balanced view and not simply repeat the rhetoric of either side.
cfitz
P.S. The Beer Garden isn't just for jokes. It is an open forum.