--- Luke Weiger <lweiger at umich.edu> wrote:
> Justin wrote:
>
> >More murderous = murders more people. Don't be
> obtuse.
>
> To me, "murderous" connotes an element of malice.
> There's no denying that the number of casualties
> directly attributable to US foreign policy far
> exceeds anything Al Qaeda could have reasonably
> hoped to reach.
That'll do. I really think it matters morally if these deaths are due to deliberate intent to kill or just to deliberate indifference -- not caring whether the policies kill. Wouldn't you describe the Iraqi sanctions policies as murderous? The Mad Halfbright expressly said that the deaths of a half million Iraqi children were "worth it" --whatever she hoped to achieve by the policy? Murderous? It'll do till the real thing comes along.
However, I don't think that
> provides grounds enough for proclaiming that the US
> must not employ military action of any sort in their
> attempts to minimize the threat posed by Al Qaeda.
I never said that. If diplomatic efforts and police methods, seriously attempted, failed, and the threat remained real, and other requirements for a just use of force were met (proportionatility, etc.), it might be OK, Of course this is wholly speculative.
>
> >I didn't know, but I might have surmised. Kill 'em
> all, let God sort 'em out.
>
> Not quite my view. Before the war in Afghanistan, I
> thought doing nothing might well be the best course
> of action (perhaps I'll end up believing that again
> in retrospect). Explain to me just how a police
> investigation would've incapacitated one of the
> world's largest international terrorist
> organizations?
By leading to the capture and arrest of its leadership, duh. You might as well say the same thing about the Mafia. Are they too big for police methods? Shall we bomb Nevada? Sheesh. (Btw the Mafia's average _intentional_ annual body count is probably way above al Qaida's. A-Q has existed for say, ten years. It has probably killed four thousand people in that time, say five thousand, though that is a high estimate--500 a year. The Mafia (worldwide) has to top that easily, probably double or more, and it's existed for over a century. So: shall we forget police prosecution and send in the army?)
jks
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