Re: Clinton, US citizen responsibility Vs Milosevic and Serbians

Elizabeth Childs (echilds@linex.com)
Mon, 28 Jun 1999 12:04:03 -0700

> I also never understood the concept of civilians anyway since as
> you pointed out in many cases they elected their leaders. A
> definite lack of personal responsibility.

A person can dedicate their entire lives to fighting a dictator, and still be stuck in a country in wartime as a civilian. We don't share collective, borg-like responsibility with everyone who happens to live in the same geographical space as we do; by that standard, the students who died at Tianamen square would be as culpable as the soldiers who killed them.

Many regimes are so oppressive that any public attempts to stop them will guarantee a person's death. Under such circumstances, it's very hard to tell who supports the regime on the ground; in the air, it's impossible.

At the very least, an attacking army should make a special effort to avoid blowing up the prisons, the most likely location for dissenters.