[thechat] Justice, was Chomsky, was Michael Moore's message

[Martin]

Bill Haenel wrote on 17/9/01 7:36 pm

>However, perhaps you should define "Aggressive US military action in
>Afghanistan". I have heard it said in other circles that Afghanistan would
>like bin Laden and his followers out, but perhaps cannot get him out. 

And have internal politics to be worried about, as has Pakistan, whose
moderate government is risking a civil war to be of assistance.


>A friend of mine who is a professor of criminology and sociology, when I
>suggested to him that maybe we shouldn't blow anyone up, said that I should
>put that question in front of the families and friends of those killed in
>the WTC and Pentagon. 

A number of whom have expressed the opinion that their loved ones
wouldn't have wanted others to be murdered over their lives.

>"Why do you insist on comparing this to criminal law and justice? This is
>war. 

Interesting that there is no applicable law for a war against anything
but another country...

>The rules are different. 

However, the US had just moved to a place which removed the global
sanction to extra-judicial murder (aka assassination). Let's not
go back to that place.

>There are a number of reasons why civil and
>military law are different.  In peace if someone fails to obey an order they
>face administrative punishment.  In a war I can shoot them for the exact
>same infraction.  I don't think that I need to discuss the difference in
>killing the enemy.  Murder becomes duty etc...  life takes on a new
>dimension."

The worst thing is that this could be used as a justification for last
Tuesday's events. Just because the US public didn't see itself as being
at war doesn't mean that others saw it the same way.

Cheers
Martin

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