tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6789188.post9070958456876254576..comments2024-03-27T17:15:37.606-04:00Comments on Triablogue: "Take out their families"Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17809283662428917799noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6789188.post-28114522866592878592016-03-05T10:02:47.802-05:002016-03-05T10:02:47.802-05:00I think what you're saying has a lot of merit,...I think what you're saying has a lot of merit, but as you know there are some obvious and complex issues involved in this particular matter. To wit, is ISIS/ISIL a "nation" that has signed treaties such as the Geneva convention? Do terrorists and by extension terrorist enablers acting as knowing human shields fall under standard rules of engagement?<br /><br />I'm not suggesting Trump is right that the U.S. military, which boils down to individual boots-on-the-ground at some point, should be ordered to murder the wives, children and extended family of known terrorists execution style like a mob hit.<br /><br />In fact I think this type of order, and its carrying out would be illegal and immoral under just about any theory or situation imaginable apart from a parallel universe/possible world thought experiment.<br /><br />I guess I'm not clear about the concerns you raise about a President acting with Congress regarding rules of engagement and treaties when they don't seem to apply in the case in view.CRhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03231394164372721485noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6789188.post-26830385819212724402016-03-04T23:58:08.004-05:002016-03-04T23:58:08.004-05:00But there's also the legal question. If that&#...But there's also the legal question. If that's contrary to the laws of war, then he's issuing unlawful orders. Not only does he lack the authority to do so, but it places soldiers in legal jeopardy. I'm reminded of how Nixon's subordinates took the rap for their boss. He got a pardon while they got jail time. <br /><br />If a US President thinks the legal rules of engagement tie our hands, he should work with Congress to revise or repeal the governing treaties. stevehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16547070544928321788noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6789188.post-73566324727114566172016-03-04T23:50:11.663-05:002016-03-04T23:50:11.663-05:00Trump isn't referring to collateral damage or ...Trump isn't referring to collateral damage or human shield situations. He's talking about going after what terrorists value. Sure, some wives are complicit. But he's intentionally targeting innocents as a deterrent, because the innocents are precious to the terrorists. stevehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16547070544928321788noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6789188.post-8767443989573538152016-03-04T21:06:58.574-05:002016-03-04T21:06:58.574-05:00I'm no Trump defender, but there's a legit...I'm no Trump defender, but there's a legitimate sense, I think, where the actions of the terrorists necessarily endanger the lives of their kin. <br /><br />All things being equal we'd prefer not to blow up entire extended families, but so long as they harbor and enable the terrorists they're complicit. They invite the consequences of their association.<br /><br />Furthermore many Muslim cultures glorify the "Mujahideen". They're heroic martyrs. Families cash government checks when their brother or father die in service to Allah in jihad.<br /><br />So again the general population is implicated in the guilty actions of the few, which they knowingly harbor and provide succor. Certainly the very young, the mentally infirmed, nor the extremely aged with dementia have no voice in the matter, but bombs aren’t smart enough to spare them.<br /><br />Then there's the question of just/ unjust war. Are we at war? What is our nation's official posture here? It seems unclear, and to that extent Trump is working in the gray areas.CRhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03231394164372721485noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6789188.post-87939511619977644692016-03-04T07:36:48.886-05:002016-03-04T07:36:48.886-05:00Last night, he referred specifically to the famili...Last night, he referred specifically to the families of the 19 9/11 terrorists, who apparently left the country days before the 9/11 attacks. If we have intelligence about who's going to be doing these sorts of things, why not arrest the families in advance? Or at least, take them into custody? John Bugayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17728044301053738095noreply@blogger.com