Fighting the forces of Invisibility

[Otto]

David,

The death of an innocent is the death of an innocent -- at least for the
victim.

Those 500.000 deaths weren't "accidental and unintentional" and they weren't
killed in military actions -- that is precisely the point you don't seem to
understand. Let's keep it that simple, because I was appealed by Mr.
Rushdie's statement for it's simplicity.
Why that ad hominem attack against me -- if you're "hardly pro-war" you are
against it. Smug -- that's what I see in many opinions who are unwilling to
discuss the facts & causes behind this crisis.

I can understand Mrs. Albright's point, I don't subscribe to it but I don't
call her morally imbecile like I call Saddam Hussein who could simply lift
the UN-sanctions by going into exile. But here, we on our side, have the
freedom of speech (and therefor the duty) to criticise out part of the
responsibilities. You may criticise the arguments of the
peace-demonstrators, but not their right to go on the street. Being a
Nam-Vet should be an excellent position to admit that there have been errors
in the past (like taking over the colonial wars of others or building up
people like Saddam).

In Germany maybe the borderline isn't that clear because we've learned that
soldiers can become murderers. You've taught us so.

Otto, draft resister, son and grandson, brother, nephew and cousin of
soldiers, not of murderers.

> --
> If you don't know or recognize the difference between terrorist "murder"
> -- the deliberate targeting of innocent civilians -- and "casualties of
> war" -- the admittedly horrible, but still accidental and unintentional,
> loss of civilian life in a poorly executed wartime attack -- you are a
> moral imbecile of the first stripe. Rushdie was using the term "murder"
> advisedly, precisely to preclude casuistical persiflage like your
> comments above.
>
> By the way, I'm hardly "pro-war." I'm a Vietnam vet who's very much
> against it.-- though I'm even more against your style of angelic
> rhetoric and smug righteousness.
>