Is it ok for USA to kill civilians anywhere in the world that it pleases?

Question

Rueters reports that 'many people' have just been killed in a village in Somalia by a US gunship. Bet it wont cause much more than a ripple. Are we now immured to Americans killing anyone they want to?

Should have said inured, not immured. Amazed how people can just write off a village.

Answer 1

no, we shouldn't be able to, but you would be surprised at all the things the US gets away with. they torture people in terrible ways but hardly anyone knows about it. people just assume that because we are the US we are right about everything, and that our military will not do anything inhumane. but sadly, that is not the case.

Answer 2

The world can stop living in a Utopian dream world when it applies its standards unfairly to the United States. There are miles of difference between a civilian accidentally killed when American forces fire at insurgents who knowingly placed themselves in close proximity to said civilians and a military force which *targets* civilians to draw attention to its cause. Start by not reading only those publications which talk about American military mistakes because they are sensational. The fact is that the American military is fairly transparent while foreign reporters cannot safely cover (much less criticize) terrorist and insurgent tactics so one can draw no viale comparison.

Answer 3

Respectfully, just because they're not in uniform makes them "civilians"... even if they are Islamic extremists or fighters. It is a matter of semantics.

ALL the Somalians who killed UN Peacekeepers in Mogadishu and then killed US Rangers were "Civilians". I was off the coast for that...

AP Report "The latest attacks killed at least 27 civilians in the town of Afmadow in southern Somalia, lawmaker Abdiqadir Daqane told The Associated Press.

The U.S. attacks were targeting Islamic extremists, said a Somali Defense Ministry official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak. Earlier, Somalia's president had said the U.S. was hunting suspects in the 1998 bombings of the two U.S. embassies in East Africa, and had his support."

Sadly, we have yet to develope a weapon that identifies and targets ONLY the bad-guys... But how many of those 27 killed were "Innocent" ?

Answer 4

No, but there is nothing you can do about it.

The American government has killed hundreds of thousands of civians since the twin towers bombing. Much more than the five thousands killed in the attacks.

They can get away with it because most of the other internation powers are either turning a blind eye or at best grumbling in a corner. The one country that could perhaps sway the American goverment is the UK and we have a brainwashed, power mad prime minister who follows the Bush administration blindly into any conflict.

Answer 5

Is it ok to actually believe anything you see on Reuters? Remember all those doctored photos and such? Reuters is blinded by its own bigotry and anti-semitism. Many times that Reuters has droolingly reported the death of "civilians" at American hands they have actually reported the deaths of terrorists dressed as civilians. That is something you dont see down there in the sand, or up your posterior passage, or wherever your head is. The enemy in this case hides behind old folks homes, behind little kids, and other such military targets. They have no honor, just like Reuters.

Answer 6

Don't forget that's what the americans have been doing this for the last sixty years.

The globe according to the US comprises of the GOOD OL US and some stratigally placed aircraft carrier and genral bootlicker, in this case the UK, and also places the US have bombed, The places the US are bombing, the places the US are going to bomb and the places that the US would like to bomb but can't because they are currently our allies.

Personally i'd like to bomb the Turks and the French but there's no accounting for taste!!!!

Answer 7

WOW!!!!!

So, it is OK for the Somalian warlords to hack off heads and arms. Becasue the person is an enemy. But when the USA steps in and attempts to quell a probable Al Quedia cell. The world screams murder.

I bet if that Al Quida cell was discovered in your nieghbor and blew up the f-ing MALL you would whine about how BUSH knew it was there and he let it happen so USA would go fight in Serbia over Wholly Mammoth rights???

You disgust me, sir

Answer 8

Nope, however we need to examine each case,
the concern it seems is that the USA seems to be involved in most of them,
this is not a bad thing if one is generally concerned with the improvement of conditions for those who really require it,
but the world is not so easily fooled anymore by the smokescreens that the USA government deploys to warrant
their postactions (which are usually to their benefit and not so much to the benefit of others),
i think, however, we need to realise that the issue lies within the governmnent and not the people, there is a difference,
it is easy to get labelled for something that your government does
and which you might be in total opposition to!
Which brings me to my question: why did over 50% of the USA voters vote for Bush again?! scary!

Answer 9

No! It is not right! And whats more, thats not what is happening!
Terrorists MAKE A POINT of hiding among innocent civilians, and these terrorists HAVE to be taken out. Inevitably, and regretably, there are some casualties. My question to you is "Is it right for terrorists to TARGET innocent civilians"? Lastly, I hope we are not becoming inured to innocent people being killed! But I fear that we are.

Answer 10

I believe that a black ops operation was better than taking a converted C-130 to a gunship, randomly firing into areas containing civilians! A bullet doesn't care who it hits!

And yes, Americans are pretty much immune, except those caught and killed! There are some outstanding warrants in Italy for members of the CIA who entered Italy illegally and kidnapped people to put in our illegal CIA torture camps!

Look, there are legal ways and appropriate ways to conduct clandestine operations. We do a lot of the illegal kind! We probably will never know what kind of operations our government conducted as they won't give you the info!

Answer 11

Somalia's kill indiscriminately too. As do Arabs. And Afghanis. And Lebanese. And on and on.

Until we address the issue of PEOPLE not accepting responsibility for their actions and treating ALL human life as precious, we will never change the world!