I'm not saying we're not at War. Don't assume I'm saying otherwise.
I just don't want to see us become as bad as them.
Dresden. Tokyo. We burned as many people as the Nazis did in those two raids.
Was it worth it? I think so. The alternative would be worse.
Ultimately, if we are not willing to "become as bad as them", we are going to _lose_ this war.
"Preposterous", you will reply.
We confront an enemy whose front columns slay babies and revel in doing so.
Even the Nazis (the Japanese, less so) respected some provisions of the Geneva Convention during the Second World War (at least regarding prisoners of war).
But the Islamics will respect nothing "of the West", and will stop at nothing to win. They will wage a totally uncivilized war (as much as war itself can be "civilized", something of an anamoly) against us.
One cannot play a life-or-death struggle with one's opponent "by the rules" if the opponent will not abide by the same rules as you.
Thus, we face a conflict in which our own self-imposed rules could be our undoing.
As grim as it seems, to win we may ultimately be forced out of necessity to abandon (from our side) dearly-held notions and precepts about the nature of our enemy and the war we must wage against it.
We may _need to_ "become as bad as them", in order to DEFEAT them, because there will be no other choice. I wish I could be more optimistic, but I am not.
If we have to kill 10,000 of them "to win", is it worth it?
If we have to kill 100,000 of them "to win", is it worth it?
If we have to kill 1,000,000 of them "to win", is it worth it?
If we have to kill 100,000,000 of them "to win", is it still worth it?
If it IS NOT worth doing what we must to win, we will LOSE. Is THAT worth it?
- John