Gordon Barlow

I'm with you. It shocks me no end, that most supposed intellectuals regard it as a plus for civilisation to support psychopaths who vote every year to bomb civilians in foreign countries. Every one of Trump's rivals falls into this category.(Trump may do the same, but he hasn't done it yet.) The people who support the bombers and other destroyers of foreign villages must surely be psychopaths themselves. It bothers me more than somewhat, that there seem to be so many of them on this thread. Is the concept of "human rights" beyond their understanding? Are they so lost in tribal/national solidarity that they insist on ever more mass slaughters in the Middle East?

Beoz

I've never heard of a politician ever putting this idea forward, therefore I'm not sure people, presumebly voters, can be accused of supporting destroyers of foreign villages.

Happy to be proved wrong on that though.

kimilseung

"We will carpet bomb them into oblivion. I don't know if sand can glow in the dark, but we're going to find out"

Pulaski

I always remember the Whitehouse press conference after the killing of US-Yemeni citizen Anwar Al-Awlaki in Yemen by a Hellfire missile fired from a US Predator drone, at which the US spokesman announced that "the US would not stand for people coming to the US to kill US citizens."

The irony of what the spokesman said and the occasion on which he said it, appears to have been lost on him.

GarryP

Ted Cruz, such a nice, polite, psychopath.

Beoz

There's no reference to bombing foreign villages there.

You see this is what makes me laugh. Twisting the words of people after the inevitable collateral damage occurs.

I don't think politicians actually set out to destroy foriegn villages and innocent civilians. Do you?

kimilseung

You know what carpet bombing is as well as anyone, its bombing everything. The fact that the American armed forces would probably refuse to carry out any such carpet bombing orders, no one wants to be a war criminal, does not go in Cruzs favour, but his words are self damning.
Your last sentence is a straw man.

Beoz

But there is no reference to carpet bombing villages or civilians. You are trying to sell the propaganda that this is the intended target.

Of course, there may be collateral damage, no doubt. .... and that's the bad, sad thing.

As you deep down know, the intended targets will be military.

Like this. Do you see any villages here?

kimilseung

That was NOT carpet bombing (though questionable). Carpet bombing is illegal under Article 1 of the Geneva Convention, 1977 amendment. And under the The four fundamental principles of aerial targeting, in the US Air Force document "Air Force Operations and the Law"

kimilseung

Top U.S. general slams idea of carpet bombing ISIS
"We are bound by the laws of armed conflict......Indiscriminate bombing where we don’t care if we are killing innocents or combatants is just inconsistent with our values,”"
Army Lt. Gen. Sean MacFarland
(The day after Cruz's gaff)
Top U.S. general slams idea of carpet bombing ISIS - CNNPolitics.com

Beoz

Hey I'm not advocating carpet bombing here (is this where you are headed? If so I'll nip it in the butt now)

I'm advocating the need to get the meaning of quotes right.

You responded to where I questioned this "The people who support the bombers and other destroyers of foreign villages" with this ""We will carpet bomb them into oblivion. I don't know if sand can glow in the dark, but we're going to find out"

All I can assume from that is that you believe politicians actively go out to carpet bomb civilians and foreign villages.

GarryP

Come off it Beoz, you know damn well what Cruz is saying there. By the very mention of carpet bombing, he's talking about killing the maximum number of people, and who cares if civilians were in the middle of it. That's a war crime - not just a sad thing, not just a bad thing, but an out and out crime.

As it stands, the level of drone strikes etc. and the lack of care that goes into them probably constitute a war crime, and Cruz wants to up the number by orders of magnitude, indiscriminately?

Bad example to pick; an example of a US war crime and atrocity. It's exactly that kind of crime needs to be avoided, by not allowing a psycho like Cruz anywhere near any power.

kimilseung

No, you are not the issue, politicians are.

I dont think we need to be disingenuous over literal meaning with peoples rhetoric. I think you understand as well as I do that most do not bomb villages or civilians for fun or entertainment. It is a question of enough due diligence and balance of the objective with the risk of consequences.

You asked for one example of someone, and I think Cruz is an example of someone who, given the chance would bomb villages without such due diligence, without sufficient consideration for outcomes. Luckily he has almost no chance of having his actions carried out. Those in the military have already spoken out indirectly, but clearly against it, His calls are Internationally illegal and against Air Force guidelines.

Pulaski

I suspect a simpler explanation is likely - that Cruz is oblivious to the fact that ISIS have embedded themselves in preexisting cities, towns and communities, so are surrounded by innocent, non-combatant civilians.

If he was correct that there are towns where ISIS members are the exclusive occupants he might have point, but it's all moot for several reasons.

Beoz

OK. Cool. As long as we are on the same wave length.

I don't think you me and kimilseung are on the same wavelength.