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Politics : View from the Center and Left -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: TimF who wrote (28789)	9/18/2006 2:51:21 PM
From: thames_sider	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 541246

I have accurately said that collateral damage is not a war crime. Useful tautology. Firstly because defining 'collateral damage' as such is an inferred acceptance that you're killing civilians, and that it doesn't matter, but it's not a crime. Secondly because it covers just about everything. However it doesn't actually cover the deliberate targeting of resources such as power stations, bridges and hospitals (not to mention fixed UN observation posts). Remember, Hezbollah is not some conventional army rolling forwards and dependent on a huge infrastructure base, so these are not even conceivably valid targets. The blatant destruction of Lebanese civilian infrastructure with obvious disregard for civilian deaths (if not deliberate causing of them) was stupid, vindictive and evil; and only a US veto prevents it being classed as a war crime. Or are you saying that the Israelis needed to kill at 12:1, that their weapons are so inaccurate or so indiscriminate... Then, of course, there's the use of cluster bombs against civilian targets and in civilian areas. That's about as civilised and discriminate as piping cyanide into a reservoir because you know that there's a criminal supplied by it. Oh, what's the use. There's none so blind as those that will not see. But as long as your attitude prevails expect to see Israel hated and vilified for its behaviour, and the US for arming and shielding it. <edited for typos>