Testing the Limits of Humanity

[Dennis143]

"Officer in My Lai killings apologizes." (wire reports)

 

William Calley: "There is not a day that goes by that I do not feel remorse for what happened.... (not what I did)....that day in My Lai"

 

"I feel remorse fo the Vietnamese who wee killed, for their families, for the American soldiers involved and their families. I am very sorry."

 

"In March 1968, U.S. soldiers killed 500 men, women and children in the hamlet of My Lai. The Army at first denied, then down-played the event.... "

 

"Though sentenced to life in prison, Calley ended up serving three years under house arrest after President Richard Nixon later reduced his sentence.."

 

Question for all who want to string up Duch ---- Calley is, and has been for nearly 35 years, a free man.... As a convicted mass-murderer of 500 innocents........ right or wrong?

Difficult question for us who were not confronted with the terror of war and the face to face daily combat of war...

 

To say we should expunge William Calley of his role in the Mi Lai atrocities would be saying that we also would forgive those who commit similar atrocities...Radovan Karadzic in Yugoslavia and others...

 

War atrocity is what it is, and to selectively forgive may be more atrocious than the actual act. What Mi lai did was simply underline that we, us Americans, are not immune to ridicule for acts that the world may judge us as having two faces.

[Guest Pommey]

when I was in Rhodesia we came across a group of nuns who had been gang raped and then crucified by "freedom fighters" we tracked them for 10 days across a border not involved, they met a sticky end, who's the criminal ?

[knloregon]

The Christian Church (particularly Catholic) makes specific exceptions for soldiers fighting enemy combatants. but in your case, Pom, its even clearer---these were brutal murders, on the run, and with every likelihood to commit similar atrocities in the near future. Under Catholic canon law (if Catholic) you have a moral obligation to put an end to these criminal's activities as so as possible. And since they were armed, murders, you would be required to meet them with as much deadly force as possible---to lessen the possibility of casualties among the Catholics. Sure I don't have to tell you, after killing the murderers, abusing the dead is a crime in the eyes of most religions..

 

Regarding the death penalty, the Church's position is clear: "thou shall not kill." ---but there are exceptions. Specifically, if the criminal being held is a murderer, and can't be held safely---that is, innocent lives are at jeopardy, then the murder should be put to death.

 

On a larger scale, consider for instance, murdering terrorists. If captured, tried and then imprisoned----but there is a clear risk that their cohorts will take hostages, and say, behead them seeking the release of the imprisoned terrorists ---- a strong case can be made under canon law that the terrorists should be quickly executed after conviction of their crimes.

[carl.hops]

Set him free - and announce immunity to anyone who assaults him.

 

I second that.

[knloregon]

"....I second that. ...."

 

----for who? Duch? Calley? both? Calley is already free--- are you advocating putting a target on his back? And if not, why not? If only targeting Duch --- what is your reasoning?

[Ggirt]

"....I second that. ...."

 

----for who? Duch? Calley? both? Calley is already free--- are you advocating putting a target on his back? And if not, why not? If only targeting Duch --- what is your reasoning?

I third it.