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Apr. 1st, 2003 08:32 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
anotheranonWhen Teaching the Ethics of War Is Not Academic - interesting article about the history of "warrior codes" and speculations about the differences between terrorists and honorable warriors. I'd be particularly interested to see how ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
wcg weighs in on this, as I think he's the only person I correspond with on LJ that has any military experience, but anyone PLEASE - feel free to offer your opinion!
Yes, I've been watching the news, but only because work has been slow. There has been much fuss about the Iraqi civilians that were shot at a checkpoint (no links as the story is everywhere; no sources can agree as to whether warning shots were fired or not). It is tragic, but IMHO these things are inevitably going to happen in a chaotic battlefield where the populace is unexpectedly fighting back using guerrilla tactics. Another reason why the decision to go to war should NOT be made recklessly (and more support for my opinion that in this case war was not a good idea, but y'all are probably sick of hearing this from me).
On a more frivolous note - the duster creeps along; I'm piping the edges of the vents and it is looking GOOD (crosses fingers!) I ordered a pair of vinyl pants to go with it - matte rather than shiny PVC on the grounds that I think I'll get more wear out of something if I can't see my face reflected in it :P These are in lieu of making my own pair of vinyl cargo pants, of course, but somehow I think that once I'm done with this project I'm going to want to work with woven fabrics again.
I crave something sweet like a maniac, but all I have in the house is chocolate and I need more caffiene like a hole in my head.
wcg weighs in on this, as I think he's the only person I correspond with on LJ that has any military experience, but anyone PLEASE - feel free to offer your opinion!Yes, I've been watching the news, but only because work has been slow. There has been much fuss about the Iraqi civilians that were shot at a checkpoint (no links as the story is everywhere; no sources can agree as to whether warning shots were fired or not). It is tragic, but IMHO these things are inevitably going to happen in a chaotic battlefield where the populace is unexpectedly fighting back using guerrilla tactics. Another reason why the decision to go to war should NOT be made recklessly (and more support for my opinion that in this case war was not a good idea, but y'all are probably sick of hearing this from me).
On a more frivolous note - the duster creeps along; I'm piping the edges of the vents and it is looking GOOD (crosses fingers!) I ordered a pair of vinyl pants to go with it - matte rather than shiny PVC on the grounds that I think I'll get more wear out of something if I can't see my face reflected in it :P These are in lieu of making my own pair of vinyl cargo pants, of course, but somehow I think that once I'm done with this project I'm going to want to work with woven fabrics again.
I crave something sweet like a maniac, but all I have in the house is chocolate and I need more caffiene like a hole in my head.
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Re:
Date: 2003-04-02 06:37 am (UTC)I've tried to stay in touch with military issues since then, though. I keep up with various sources, and I try to do a wide variety of reading on defense issues. I've studied military history from WWII to the present fairly thoroughly, although I don't claim academic expertise by any means.
It doesn't strike me that "dehumanizing" is the risk factor so much as breaking one's own code. Doing things that you believe to be wrong, as opposed to things you don't see as a problem. Once you confront the reality of the enemy as a person, though, it becomes critical to be doing what you think is right.