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Politics : Foreign Affairs Discussion Group -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: sylvester80 who wrote (196397)	8/9/2006 2:19:51 PM
From: bentway	Respond to of 281500

Yes, the "blast through the human shields" policy means that whenever a criminal takes a hostage, the police should just immediately kill both, in the name of justice.

To: sylvester80 who wrote (196397)	8/9/2006 2:30:58 PM
From: TimF	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 281500

Not at all. But with my thinking, if a powerful armed force wages war against the US, and uses my house as a base, and in the process of putting down this deadly threat I am killed despite reasonable efforts to minimize the chance of this happening, than my death, while certainly a great tragedy, wouldn't be a war crime or an atrocity, at least one not committed by the American military (it would actually be related to a war crime committed by the armed force using me as a human shield). Re: "Yes, the "blast through the human shields" policy means that whenever a criminal takes a hostage, the police should just immediately kill both, in the name of justice." Message 22702941 No. There is no "blast through the human shields policy", at least not one that I am endorsing. Police in peace time are rightly given less latitude to use massive force then an army or air force in wartime. However if criminals were killing a lot of people and providing a serious threat to the police as well, and if there is no other way to stop the criminal, than if a cop shoots at the criminal keeping me hostage, and accidentally hits me as well, he hasn't committed a crime. Depending on the exact circumstances he may have done nothing wrong, or he may have exhibited poor marksmanship and/or decision making, but he hasn't committed murder or attempted murder.