[lit-ideas] Re: Hersh and the Devil's Advocate
- From: "Stan Spiegel" <writeforu2@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sun, 16 May 2004 18:37:14 -0400
Nicely said, Robert!
Stan Spiegel
----- Original Message -----
From: "Robert Paul" <Robert.Paul@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Sunday, May 16, 2004 6:11 PM
Subject: [lit-ideas] Re: Hersh and the Devil's Advocate
> >The Devil's Advocate argues that the military should be able to do
ANYTHING
> short of civilian atrocities to fight al-Qaeda.<
>
> What does _should be able to_ mean here? Clearly it means should be
justified in
> doing; should have license to do; should not be blamed for or ashamed of
doing
> anything at all--short of committing 'atrocities' on civilians.
>
> I'll pass over the obvious point that the author would seem to be wedded
to the
> view that there really is no distinction in this 'asymmetrical' war
between
> 'civilians' and insurgents or terrorists, so that the conscience-easing
> qualification is either a slip of the fingers or disingenuous, and ask why
The
> Devil's Advocate should stop here? Is there some line, visible to TDA and
the
> author, but not to some of the rest of us, such that committing atrocities
> against civilians is 'unjustified,' but doing anything whatsoever (gouging
out
> eyes, impaling on the stake, roasting over a spit) to persons who, before
they
> were caught up in a 'sweep' may have been innocent bystanders, as many of
the
> Iraqi prisoners in captivity have turned out to be, is 'justified'?
>
> If this is really what the author means, then there should be no
reason--except
> aesthetic, perhaps--for not videotaping 'enemy' prisoners having their
genitals
> mutilated or their tongues cut out, and showing these images on television
> (tastefully edited for Nickelodeon until children get used to it). After
all, it
> is justified--something 'we' should be able to do--so where's the harm in
it? If
> this really is what TDA is advocating, then TDA shouldn't object either to
Nick
> Berg's beheading or to the taping of it or to the dissemination of that
tape.
> After all, 'we' are now 'them,' and 'they' are now 'us.' And what are we
then
> fighting to preserve? Two gross of broken statues...a few thousand
battered
> books?
>
> A pleasant Sunday afternoon here.
>
> Robert Paul
> Reed College
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