<HTML>Hi Mark
I know the point that he's making but can I say one thing?
>>Having the belly to overcome any moral qualms about
killing innocent people. Let's pull our heads out of the sand.
All wars are precisely about killing innocent people. The German people aren't Nazis - they weren't responsible for the holocaust or for the foreign policies of Hitler. But do you think we should have fought that war? There is no point saying that it is morally acceptable to kill 'guilty' people in war, but immoral to kill the 'innocent' - who judges who is which?
I don't think that there is any easy moral path here. To do nothing would be to condemn other innocents to die - these 'terrorists' see glory in killing Americans - they have dedicated their lives to do so.
To act to capture just those you can prove were connected to these attacks is only part of the problem - they all survive and operate only because they are able to operate in 'safe' countries - capture the guilty ones this time and others will fill their shoes......so we're back to condemning other innocent people to die so that we can feel good about our own morality. And thats only if you can get them in the first place without a fight.
To attack those governments that aid terrorism against Americans (if this is an American or NATO action) would be to kill other innocent citizens who have no control over what their governments choose to do - but may (only perhaps) diminish the ability of the terrorists to operate in their goal - to kill innocent people.
I don't see any moral high ground in any option. We are all struggling to find the right way. Ideals about only attacking those specifically guilty for this crime are the best way - but we don't live in a world where we can control how others act - we can only respond. If Afghanistan were to declare war - and I think that have declared a holy war now against America - then is America to send out it's troops with a warning only to kill the guilty? I don't know how that works. We already have more than 5000 innocent people killed. What should America (NATO) do next?
Claire</HTML>
