>Doug, it sounds like you're saying there is no moral difference between:
>
>a) Barging in, stealing land, and inadvertantly spreading microbes that
>kill many
>
>and
>
>b) Barging in, stealing land, and slaughtering millions with swords and
>guns.
>
>The reason people try to "put this in perspective" is because they
>strongly sense a moral distinction between the two. I think that's
>utterly valid.
"Inadvertently" isn't the right word for the job. As the stuff Lou quoted showed, Indians were herded into hellholes where they died in great numbers. The reason I object to this line is exactly because of this alleged "moral distinction." The European appropriation of the Americas involved the deaths of millions and the conscious extinction of whole civilizations. The microbe defense is an attempt to wiggle off that hook.
Doug