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>Date: Mon, 01 Oct 2001 21:29:32 -0400
> Mike Lorrey <mlorrey@datamann.com> extropians@extropy.org Re: Democracy held hostageReply-To: extropians@extropy.org
>
>CurtAdams@aol.com wrote:
>>
>> In a message dated 10/1/01 1:24:47 PM, mlorrey@datamann.com writes:
>>
>> >Maher is saying that purposely crashing four airplanes full of generally
>> >pacifistic people into buildings full of pacifistic people is more
>> >courageous than purposely dropping cruise missiles from 2000 miles away
>> >on a country full of highly skilled warriors who love little else but
>> >warring and mayhem in very personal in your face circumstances...
>>
>> You're falling into the error he was attacking - brave means brave, not
>> good. Bombing the WTC was very evil, but you'd have to be quite brave
>> to do it. Firing the cruise missles might be good or evil, but requires
>> no bravery.
>
>The problem is that, in military tradition, seeking to die in battle is
>generally foolish and cowardly. The 'heroes' who die with little
>military gain but a battle cry are a waste of resources that could be
>spent training someone who uses themselves in ways to benefit victory.
>If such lived instead, they would generally be court martialed for the
>stupid acts that kill them.
>
>Furthermore, it is indeed cowardly to shoot or otherwise kill unarmed
>civilians. Dying in the act of doing so is doubly cowardly, since one
>thereby avoids facing the consequences of their actions (i.e. the war
>crimes trials).
>
>Flicking a switch to launch a cruise missile against a bunch of foaming
>at the mouth fanatics only proves the point that 'discretion is the
>better part of valor'. When fighting an enemy, you don't let him decide
>on the ground and means by which you fight. You pick the time, the
>ground, and the means, you do it to him first and hard. Study up on your
>Sun Tsu.
>
First, we must not confuse smart and brave. Second, our cruise missile attacks seem to have been neither, as they wasted millions and missed their target. As it seems obvious that the Taliban are not going to hand their dear Osama over to us, we are going to have to either occupy Afghanistan or send in a suicide team of our own in order to take Bin Ladin out.
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