THE NEOCONS ANSWER TO ALL THE WORLDS PROBLEMS: KILL, KILL, KILL!

A blog item in the neocon rag Commentary today, Michael Rubin wonders why Gaddafi hasn’t been targeted by a ‘Predator’ remote controlled execution drone.

The ‘Predator’ now seems to have emerged as the United States tool of choice to execute people who have been tried in absentia by American officialdom. Not only have neocons taken it upon themselves to demand that certain people be effectively executed by the US without any form of trial, but they are now demanding it of people who, despite being thoroughly despicable criminals, are not actually a threat to the US. Not only have the US taken it upon themselves to be the world’s policemen, the neocons want the US to be the jury, judge and executioner of anyone they don’t like – especially if they happen to be Islamic.

As despicable as Gaddafi is, he is no threat to the US and nor is he any longer a threat to anyone else except his own people. It is clear that Gaddafi has committed warcrimes but it is not up to the US to convict him and then execute him for those crimes. Since the international community through the auspices of the UN decided to protect the civilians of Libya against the murderous dictator Gaddafi, it is up to the international community – not the US – to try and, if found guilty, punish him in accordance with the international communities legal guidelines – which, incidentally, excludes the death penalty.

If Gaddafi is killed leading his forces into battle then that is an entirely different matter, but to target him for assassination will set up all sorts of precedents that world really shouldn’t be going anywhere near. Already there are far too many extra-judicial killings going on. Not only are they legally questionable, they also have a terrible tendency to kill innocent people who have been either mistaken as targets or are ‘collateral damage’ to identified targets.

In the case of Gaddafi, it is up to either the Libyan people, if they are able to capture him alive, to properly try and punish him or, far more preferably, to hand him over to the appropriate international court to be dealt with. In that way other despots and leaders of nations that commit warcrimes against either their own people or people of other nations will get the message that they will not get away with their crimes.

People who kill others extra-judicially are as much criminals in many cases as those they wish to kill. Arrogant self-righteousness is not an excuse to kill others who are killers. Once the world’s governments start becoming unaccountable for extra-judicial killing in this way, there will be no end to it and anyone could end being a target even if one is merely a dissenter.

Finally, if the trend continues, there will come a time when America and her allies enemies will also find a way to assassinate their enemies remotely in the belief that if it’s good enough for the West then its’ good enough for the West’s enemies too. Prime Ministers and Presidents could then find themselves targets for assassination thus running the risk of not only being killed themselves but their families, as well as other civilians, may end up being killed as ‘collateral damage’.

This ‘Kill, kill, kill!’ by remote control madness needs to end. The world needs to come back to the principles of justice. Killing enemies in this way will only enrage them further as they seek revenge.

Justice is the only way peace.