Justice by body count

I don’t care to argue with konane on her own blog, but I feel compelled to make a few observations about the assertions contained in her entries.

First, any war worth being fought is worth whatever sacrifices Americans have to make to fight it.  Every one of us ought to measure the worth of any war by whether we’re willing to die in it.  Willing to lose an arm or a leg in it.  Willing to lose a son or a daughter in it.

The fact we aren’t, mostly, being asked to make those sacrifices because they’re being made by others doesn’t change the basic premise.  If we aren’t willing to lose a son over a particular cause or piece of geography, we ought not be asking others to do so.

Konane is fond of calling the other half of the US, the ones she opposes because they don’t support this war, cowards.  Democrats.  The loyal opposition.  Cowards.  Traitors.  Because they disagree with her.

I’m not a Democrat, nor a Republican.  Not even a self-proclaimed Libertarian.  But I’ve served in the forces supposedly defending this country, been downrange from machine-gun and rifle fire directed at me in the cause of defending this country (even though the shots were fired by US troops, whom those around me and I were firing at).  I have a problem with being called a coward or a traitor by people who have never served this country in any armed forces capacity because I oppose this war.  It’s not a thing I’d allow any person to do to my face, and I have a profound disrespect for anyone who’d do it behind the safety of distance and anonymity.

Here’s a proposal to end this idiot conflict in a way that should satisfy those who support it:

Suppose an American life is worth, say, two of human beings anywhere else.  Okay.

How about when twice as many civilians in non-Christian nations have died under US firepower  as died in 9/11, how about then we call it an even trade and bring the troops home?

Fair?

Then you can bring them home today.

Okay, how about three for one?

You can still bring them home today.

The arrogance of Americans who aren’t risking their lives, limbs or offspring calling other Americans traitors and cowards because they oppose a war that has not been declared by the US Congress is absurd.

Human life is sacred.  It’s sacred enough to justify civil debate.  Sacred enough to worry about civilians being killed in other geography.  Sacred enough to tolerate opposition to any undeclared war in a supposedly free land of civilized people.

Severed limbs and human carcasses cause grief to those who bear them, to those who are dear to them.  It’s not an exclusively American phenomenon.  Neither is a callous willingness to create more of them just because it makes the ones back home feel good.  But the folks who measure the sanctity of human life over politics aren’t necessarily traitors and cowards.  They might be something else entirely.

Jack