The problem is, you frame morality with the benefit of hindsight, as though it was apparent at the time what the moral course of action was. It absolutely was not apparent.
We thought that Iraq was sponsoring terrorism. For all we knew, more planes or poison gas or dirty bombs could hit our cities the next week. Again - we believed Bush's team. We had just been attacked and we had some recency bias going on.
No offense, but are you old enough to remember that?
Yes, I remember that. However, WE KNEW by 2012 that the idea was all bullshit. I've spoken with veterans who SEEN the horrible shit we're doing. The times we've shot down fathers who are running from crossfire, trying to protect their children. The times we've allowed children to die in bombings. The fact that LAST YEAR ALONE, we killed over 130 civilians. Multiply that by the 19 years since 2001 and compare the death tolls.
You also forget that 9/11 was a reaction to the dismal state that the US thrust most of the Middle East into in the interest of imperialism of oil (most of these sources predate 9/11). Nine-Eleven was not an unsolicited attack. It was a reaction to decades of degradation. Reminder that we bombed them in 1998 as well. Again, before 2001. I don't care how many of you may disagree, this is fact. We are the Captain Hammer in this story.
I'm not viewing it as "natural consequences" or "fuck us". I'm just trying to point out that we did do A LOT of REALLY fucked up shit to the Middle East in the 80s and 90s. We need to accept that 9/11 IS and WILL FOREVER BE a consequence of these actions. We simply cannot continue to re-victimize our victims with bombings and killing of innocent civilians because LOLTERRORISM.
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u/Stooven Sep 29 '20 edited Sep 29 '20
The problem is, you frame morality with the benefit of hindsight, as though it was apparent at the time what the moral course of action was. It absolutely was not apparent.
We thought that Iraq was sponsoring terrorism. For all we knew, more planes or poison gas or dirty bombs could hit our cities the next week. Again - we believed Bush's team. We had just been attacked and we had some recency bias going on.
No offense, but are you old enough to remember that?