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  • From: James Manning <jmm AT sublogic.com>
  • To: internetworkers AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [internetworkers] the cowards at the Pentagon
  • Date: Mon, 8 Dec 2003 10:53:55 -0500

> Why the hell are we using jets to kill individual people?

This isn't really the point of the thread, but FWIW there's a lot of
"overkill" scenarios that happen because of the current "rules" (IIRC,
Geneva convention, but it may be something else, like the presidential
order that Bush may have rescinded, I forget) that disallow
assassinations. The way to get around this is to not send in the one
sniper (with a 50 cal bullet to make it extra fun) but to consider
"it" to be a military target and attack it as such. If the individual
target happens to die, the mission was a success.

Geneva conventions have lots of positive humanitarian influences, at
least when followed (treatment of POW's, parachuting ejected pilots,
etc). Unfortunately, the "not an assassination" attack is an exploit
of a loophole, one incredibly difficult to close, that's clearly in
violation of the spirit of the rule.

But that's a slippery slope. Do we say "this rule is killing
children" because of the usage of the loophole and do away with the
rule altogether?

I dunno, I guess I should google around, maybe the anti-assassination
thing was only a historical presidential thing no longer in effect and
the A-10 overkill attacks were just military choices and snipers were
an option as well. Maybe the overkill just chalked up as success +
additional psychological damage on survivors. After all, in war your
best result isn't to kill an enemy, but to critically wound them.

I'm hoping for some informed and enlightening responses :) I just
wish I had one of my own to contribute :)

--
James Manning <http://www.sublogic.com/james/>
GPG Key fingerprint = B913 2FBD 14A9 CE18 B2B7 9C8E A0BF B026 EEBB F6E4




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