War Crimes

benjymous

I didn't think I'd make a political post, but after hearing Bush's speech, notably the phrase "War crimes will be prosecuted, war criminals will be punished and it will be no defense to say, "I was just following orders." ", I can't help wondering what the definition of a war crime actually is? Is invading a country without the backing of the UN a war crime, and aren't the US and British soldiers involved in all of this just following orders? -- Help me! I'm turning into a grapefruit!

Paul Watson

I think the US has made it perfectly clear that it doesn't matter what we (rest of the world) think. So even if we pinned war crimes on the US it would just be some words in a document sitting in Europe and nothing more.

Paul Watson
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Cape Town, South Africa

Macbeth muttered: I am in blood / Stepped in so far, that should I wade no more, / Returning were as tedious as go o'er DavidW wrote: You are totally mad. Nice.

KaRl

IMO a war crime would be a violation of Geneva or The Hague conventions. Invading a country is more a "Crime against Peace" as defined by the Nuremberg Trial, Principle VI.a

Angels banished from heaven have no choice but to become demons Cowboy Bebop

Chris Losinger

a crime is something for which you can be tried, convicted and punished. explain how anything US does meets any of those criteria. -c

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Dr Herbie

Surely a war crime is whatever the winner says it is. If Germany had won WWII, then the Allied commanders would have been tried for war crimes, rather than the other way around. Dr Herbie.

Mike Gaskey

If you need some help with a definition, try this link: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3284-614607,00.html[^] Mike

Stan Shannon

It would certainly be a nice change of pace if the international community had the guts to do something about someone. I hope the world does put the US on trial for war crimes - it should be good for a few laughs watching them try to organize that effort.:laugh: "My job is to protect America" George W. Bush.

Jason Henderson

I read this last night and about got sick to my stomach. Human shredding. :shiver: X| I'm just glad the suffering will soon end.

Jason Henderson
"You must be the change you wish to see in the world." - Gandhi

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peterchen

Ohh right - the one thing where the US doesn#t want to be judged, I remember.

Italian is a beautiful language. amare means to love, and amara bitter.
sighist | Agile Programming | doxygen

Mike Gaskey

peterchen wrote: Ohh right - the one thing where the US doesn#t want to be judged, I remember. Sure, take a shot. Oh, you mean that we did something wrong when we refused to subordinate our soverignity to some silly little band of folks there in old Europe. I'll take that crap serious when: 1) you actually appoint a chief prosecutor, 2) you put Chirac on trial for selling illegal materials to Iraq. Mike

Anna Jayne Metcalfe

I daren't even look. :(( Anna :rose: Homepage | My life in tears

"Be yourself - not what others think you should be"
- Marcia Graesch

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peterchen

You were not willing to submit yourself to the same laws you are now claiming to defend. That's it. And if it's for "selling illegal material to iraq", the Reactor Iraq got from the french was still legal those days, If I remember? And then, US and German companies would be the first before this, ain't it so?

Italian is a beautiful language. amare means to love, and amara bitter.
sighist | Agile Programming | doxygen

Mike Gaskey

You really should.:~ X| Mike

peterchen

X| Sounds like the opinion of an arrogant digestive byproduct exit opening to me. (Not saying that you are one, of course... :cool: )

Italian is a beautiful language. amare means to love, and amara bitter.
sighist | Agile Programming | doxygen

Stan Shannon

peterchen wrote: Sounds like the opinion of an arrogant digestive byproduct exit opening to me :laugh: Serously, though, if the actions of the US inspire the formation of a trully affective international system to replace the obviously defective UN, wouldn't this entire mess have been worth it in the long run? "My job is to protect America" George W. Bush.

Mike Gaskey

peterchen wrote: the Reactor Iraq got from the french was still legal those days, If I remember? I wasn't talking about the reactor. This was a reference to the illegal rocket fuel transaction that was recently exposed. Mike

peterchen

Stan Shannon wrote: a truly effective international system I'd be in for this but a) it can be morally legitimate only if the US is bound to it as well as anyone else b) the only outcome of the current international situation I see is a world pistolero-sherrif. rarely my expectations of an "effective international system".

Italian is a beautiful language. amare means to love, and amara bitter.
sighist | Agile Programming | doxygen

Brit

I suppose this could be read as "an international court ruled against the US" or "the international community is powerless in the face of resistance": In 1984, the government of Nicaragua appealed to the International Court of Justice; the court found, in 1986, that the US had carried out an illegal war — what many observers have referred to as "state terrorism." The United Nations affirmed the decision, which included a finding for damages estimated at over $10 billion. Neither the court nor the UN had the power to enforce the ruling, however, and the US government ignored it. After a 1990 election, Nicaragua's revolutionary government was replaced by an American-backed administration. The new government withdrew the World Court claim. http://www.adbusters.org/magazine/39/leaders/5.html[^] ------------------------------------------ "What happened in that Rhode Island club is shocking. To think that over a hundred people would attend a Great White concert." - The Onion

KaRl

If you want to be informed about all the atrocities committed through the world, look at Amnesty website. Iraq is not the only one to be a bloody dictatorship X|

Angels banished from heaven have no choice but to become demons Cowboy Bebop

David Wulff

Jason Henderson wrote: I'm just glad the suffering will soon end Oh come on Jason, I know you weren't born yesterday so don't give me that crap. You'll just as soon turn the other cheek when it isn't the hip thing to be interested in anymore. No point breaking old habbits now. [you can be anyone you want it to be]

David Wulff

"Somebody get this freakin' duck away from me!" - Strong Bad [^]