Comment Re: Ramifications of the "Debate" Between Alan Dershowitz and James Zogby

From: Jones, Larry
Date: Wednesday, August 09, 2006 4:00 PM
To: velvel@mslaw.edu <velvel@mslaw.edu>
RE: Ramifications Of The "Debate" Between Alan Dershowitz And James Zogby


Ah, for the 'good old days' of warfare, when columns of marching soldiers faced an opponent's columns of marching soldiers on the open field of battle. Then came the French and Indian War where the Indians dared hide behind trees and in the clefts of rocks.
To the British, only cowards hid behind things. (Which probably explains why they lost almost every subsequent guerilla war (notably the American Revolution and the War of 1812) until WWI when 'modern' warfare began.
Yes, Vietnam was an eye-opener for the U.S. Use women and children? How barbaric. How cowardly. Yet it was effective.
The little boy coming toward a GI might just want gum, or he might be laden with explosives. Rules changed.
Actually, they had changed during WWII The story is told how during one particular encounter between Patton and the Germans
the Germans had strapped near naked women to the front of their tanks to keep the Americans from trying to blow up the tanks.
One young Lt. asked Gen. Patton, "what do we do?" Patton is said to have responded, "you do your job, soldier, and blow up
the tank." "But what about the women," the Lt. asked? "I don't see any women," Patton responded. "All I see are weapons of war."
When the enemy hides in churches, mosques, schools or shopping centers, these are no longer "civilian" centers; they are now
enemy fortresses. Engaging the enemy is such situations means civilians will be killed. But the outrage and blame lies not with those who kill the civilians being so used by the enemy but with those who changed the rules of war and used civilians as 'weapons of war' in fthe first place. We don't make the rules for every game we play. Sometimes the rules are made for us.
Or we can play 'fair' and stand in the open field and wait to be shot by the man behind the tree.