Just Following Orders

[Kal-el]

I started this thread to ask a question. Is George W. Bush the SOLE person to blame for the massacre of the 100,00+ Iraqis?

Not to bring this up again, but every Nazi war criminal, while on trial, defended himself by claiming that he was only following orders. The man who launched the bomb on Hiroshima was only following orders. In every dominant country, there are people who are ready to launch nuclear missiles in good faith knowing that they are only "executing their orders". But I think everyone is responsible for his/her actions. In every part of Nazi Germany, people were tortured because someone was following orders, and according to him, the only one responsible was Hitler. It would be easy if that were the case. Iraqis are massacred everyday, is the only one responsible for this massacre GWB? I think not. Each man holding the power to kill other people is personally responsible for this utilization of this power. The man who lights the crematorium furnace where children lie moaning, is more responsible than the man who gave the order, the same as the man who delivers a bomb on a cty is more responsible than the man who ordered it.

Each person is totally responsible for their actions, and can never hide behind the excuse that he was just "following orders" given by his superiors.

Those who killed Jesus did it in all serenity. They were not responsible; just following orders. Pilate himself refused liability , he "washed his hands" of it. He allowed the fanatics conditioned by the rabbis, to crucify Jesus just like the S.S. conditioned the German population into fanaticism. Those who sent the first Christians to the lion's den were "following orders". Those who burnt the witches, martyed the protestants, as well as the Nazi's at Auschwitz were only "following orders", as well as the pilot of the plane carrying the bomb over Hiroshima, or the helicopter pilots who burnt the villages in Vietnam.

No cause could ever justify inflicting pain or death to a non-violent person.
I'm saying noone should take commands or carry out orders that go against their deep-rooted personal beliefs.

 

[LambdaCalc]

I'm saying noone should take commands or carry out orders that go against their deep-rooted personal beliefs.

Everyone has that option.

 

[Kal-el]

We all have a choice at every moment of our lives: remain responsible for our actions, or become an irresposible person. It would be much better getting demoted or disciplined for refusing to kill, then killing under the pretext of "obeying orders." The person who executes these monsterous orders is more responsible than the person giving them.

 

[REDZULU2003]

Negative, when your in the military you know when you signup that uou do as your told when your told, in other words jump when they say jump.
Its always been the case in history, not always been right but we cant put the world to rights...especially you Kal-El.
Have you ever thought about writing a book? or becoming a journalist?
Also forgive me for talking out of term, but you come across to me as being kinda warped and anti-western, certainly anti-US in some respects.
Look at the filth in Iraq who slit throats and chop heads off from hostages, they are following orders yet not many blink an eye lid.

 

[Rod Buster]

Anyone with a firm belief in pacifism has no business in a fighting unit.

 

[Kal-el]

originally posted by REDZULU2003:

Also forgive me for talking out of term, but you come across to me as being kinda warped and anti-western, certainly anti-US in some respects.

I know noone probably agrees with my views, but I like to view the WHOLE world, not just think what the measly 5% of the world (US) sees.

originally posted by Rod Buster:

Anyone with a firm belief in pacifism has no business in a fighting unit.

This statement is true to most effects, and no cause could ever justify inflicting physical trauma to a non-violent person. However, lets say a military man was threatening the destruction of humanity with nukes, it would then be justifiable to overpower him by force, and even to execute him if there were no other means available. Violence could only be applied to those who threaten with violence, while attempting to disarm them and render them powerless.

 

[jGman]

Kal-El, no offense, but it's time to take of the rose-colored glasses. We are a violent race, we humans. Have been for a long time.

You keep harping on the US-Iraq thing. Human beings were savagely killing each other long before the USA ever existed, and I'm sure they still will be after we're gone. We're just not ready yet to give peace a chance. I hope somewhere down the line, before we all kill each other off, that that happens, but it's not happening anytime soon.

 

[Shithead]

Kal-el, look at it this way, Hitler manipulated people into following orders they otherwise wouldn't have.

 

[koooky]

I'll start by saying that my wife and I have ALWAYS been against the war in Iraq.
We have never, ever supported it for any reason so far.

That being said, my wife just returned from Iraq where she flew about 50 combat missions as the "pilot-in command". I honestly don't know if she dropped while she was on these missions or not. But I can tell you this, there is a long chain of command when an order is giving to drop a big weapon like the A-bombs. The pilot(or Wso) gets the order from their CO..that guy gets ift from some general and so on. But, I also understand that these orders are given to save the lives of the guys on the ground.

jGman--and others--

"I don't know what weapons world war 3 will be fought with but world war four will be fought with stick and stones"
--Guess the person who made this statement

kooky

 

[Shithead]

"I don't know what weapons world war 3 will be fought with but world war four will be fought with stick and stones"
--Guess the person who made this statement

Einstein(sp)