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"Under the stress of war, unchecked thumos can push a decent man over the threshold."

And nations?

To make the point, it was okay to drop A-bombs on two cities in addition to obliterating Dresden as long as thumos was in check. And it successfully ended the war and reduced casualties.

But what if thumos was not in check and we made an instant battlefield decision while in a state of anger and frenzy which shortened the war and reduced casualties by dropping A-bombs on two cities in addition to obliterating Dresden?

Would we have still been a 'righteous' victor? Same result. The only difference being that in the case of the former, the decision was in long-making, dispassionate, tactical, and practical.

Make the call.

If you say no difference, that we were justified and righteous either way, then consider how you would judge something similar in nature, but on a much smaller scale, like Haditha (if, what they are saying happened is really the way it went down).

Or must we take the time to make plans and to act objectively, without passion, dropping bombs from the skies to insure it was not personal and close-up, making sure our thumos was in check in order for the act to be righteous?

Just thinking out loud here.

My guess is that the Marines who fought in Haditha recognized that there were civilians working in concert with or abetting the enemy and when that bomb went off, they took some of them down. There were probably innocents killed in the process...but as you say, Nagasaki, Heroshima, Dresden, and countless other places in World War II suffered for worse fates in that regard...and it was te right decision because it saved more lives than it cost and shortened the war.

The fact is, when parents who support our enemies do not move their children ou of war zones, the blood, IMHO, is as much on their head as anyone else's...and if they are supporting our enemies, most of it is in on their heads.

We should take place like Haditha, one or two of them...or more if need be...and give the citizens who so desire 72 hours to get out...through very thorough checkpoints...and then level the places completely.

After two or three examples, you would see the support for thew terrorists even in those places dry up markedly. We must pacify the enemy and the civilian population that is desposed to support them. No embedded reporters, no press zones...just get it done and do it with extreme prehjudice in those areas where the enemy considers it has enclaves.