for those who think unnecessary wars are a good idea, as you guys over there generally seem to believe.
No, it's not whataboutery. It's the fact that Saddam was a criminal who ordered the rape and mutilation of innocent Iraqis, and by any sane philosophical position should have been brought to justice. The appropriate tool to bring him to justice was a war of liberation, which is exactly what Bush did and what you should have supported.
You should not have supported the alternative of allowing a criminal to continue committing crimes, and trying to stop the police from arresting him.
It's a very simple concept. — Paul Edwards
Oh, the attractiveness of being judge, jury and executioner of others, as long as the same doesn't apply to them, is very simple, I agree.
And that description is best suited to Saddam. Which you happily ignore, and even go so far as standing in the way of those who would put an end to his criminality. — Paul Edwards
By analogy, you're now proposing that murdering someone and killing someone accidently are the same thing, because intent doesn't matter.
Or, if I'm a serial killer and I happen to kill a family planning to commit a terrorist act, that I committed a laudable act.
It's equally simple to divide the world into pro-our-war-crimes or pro-his-war-crimes.
Under Saddam's regime, it was a criminal in charge of the government. — Paul Edwards
I'm not pro-US-war crimes. Nor is the American government or the American people. If an American commits a war crime, or any crime for that matter, they are charged and jailed (and I support that). — Paul Edwards
the Iraq war was most definitely a war crime will be that no one was charged...?
What the Iraq war taught us is that lots of folks are simply never going to get this.
↪Benkei
By analogy, you're now proposing that murdering someone and killing someone accidently are the same thing, because intent doesn't matter.
No, that is not my position. — Paul Edwards
Are you just here to bitch about Muslims?
The Iraq was most definitely NOT a war crime. If you believe there is a law that protects Saddam's "right" to rape and mutilate, you have a duty to ignore that "law" and then do your best to CHANGE that "law". — Paul Edwards
Few people mourn Saddam; we can all agree the world is better off without him.
Instead of sitting back and expecting Bush to articulate a perfect reason for liberating Iraq, why weren't you actively stating the case for liberating Iraq yourself? Then, when Bush came along, you could have said "well that's nuts, but it fits into my objective anyway, so go right ahead". — Paul Edwards
The war crime in my opinion is to stand in the way of the police as they try to bring the criminal Saddam to justice. And as I said, you should have been part of the police yourself. — Paul Edwards
I suppose the question all debaters of any flavor need to ask themselves this Hallow's Eve is: "how can one be certain the utopia one seeks isn't actually a dystopia of the worst kind?" — Outlander
Right, my options are: become an Iraqi citizen, train as a police officer, and single-handedly arrest the dictator of my new country, or support war crimes against said country.
I am curious at what mental blocks exist that prevent people from understanding that criminals need to be brought to justice, and whether there is a combination of words that can persuade them of this. Or whether it really does require goons knocking on their door before they return to reality. — Paul Edwards
No, all anyone is asking you to do is be a citizen who supports the police (or a posse) who is in the process of arresting a criminal. You don't personally need to go to Iraq, there are sufficient volunteers willing to do that already. All anyone is asking you to do is say "thanks America", like I did here. — Paul Edwards
I politely decline on grounds of nauseating distaste for fascism.
It is Saddam who was the fascist. — Paul Edwards
There can be multiple fascists and, indeed, multiple fascists at any one time.
The fact that you recognise America as the police of the sovereign nation of Iraq is an implicit acknowledgement of its kind of fascism.
No, that is not my position.
— Paul Edwards
That's the consequence of ignoring intent. Jesus are you daft or something? — Benkei
I suppose it's good to know you think murderers should be excused as long as you don't like the victims.
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