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 > ------------------------------------------------------------------ > To change your Lit-Ideas settings (subscribe/unsub, vacation on/off, > digest on/off), visit www.andreas.com/faq-lit-ideas.html ------------------------------------------------------------------ To change your Lit-Ideas settings (subscribe/unsub, vacation on/off, digest on/off), visit www.andreas.com/faq-lit-ideas.html