Al-Q Honcho Hit

[Bradford DeLong]

>On Tuesday, November 5, 2002, at 01:01 PM, Brad DeLong wrote:
>
>>>  >Another despicable act of imperialist terror!
>>>>http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3-470176,00.html
>>>>Quick -- get a call into Ramsey Clark! DP
>>>
>>>This bothers me. So, now the CIA could fly these unmanned planes 
>>>into any and every country and fire off missiles at people it 
>>>doesn't like?  I thought extra-judicial executions were illegal 
>>>and something that only the Israeli goons resorted to.
>>
>>
>>What a remarkably short memory. I seem to remember some 3000 "extra 
>>judicial executions" by Al Qaeda...
>
>isn't the point that extra-judicial executions are contrary to 
>values we as a democratic society espouse and ostensibly seek to 
>defend with, uh, extra-judicial executions? but if we're primarily 
>concerned with national security (or whatever) and not with "western 
>values" (or whatever), let's at least be honest about  it rather 
>than resorting to "they do it, too" sorts of arguments.
>
>j

My point was to comment on "only the Israeli goons." To claim that 
"only the Israeli goons" engage in "extra judicial executions" is an 
action that is anti-Semitic in effect if not in intent.

On the broader issues... The idea of "conquer 'em, then try 'em 
according to law" does seem to have some--but only some--moral 
advantages over "incinerate 'em from a distance with a missile." I'm 
not smart enough to judge which is the least bad option.

Brad DeLong