Attacking Civilians

Originally posted by Bryan I truly didn't think that you were that naive, Roughneck. With such tactics as Sherman was using, combined with the marauders, murderers, and thieves that followed on his heels like dogs looking for scraps (most of whom were from the South), it's almost impossible for one to say that. Total war was just that: total war.

Yes, it made life very hard on civilians-I'm aware that Sherman's name is still anthema down there-but was there ever a case of lining up innocent civilians and shooting them?  I'm willing to make life a little hard on a civilian population, that's war, but I condemn bombing and mass slaughter of civilians.

Originally posted by Genghis It's only a war crime if I lose, my friend. Yeah, I'm more of a pragmatist and not an idealist, like Bismarck.

In human history, it was possible to behave irresponsably and pragmatically, but today we need to be more responsible, otherwise we run the danger of blowing the planet up. Before the development of WMD, ethical conduct and world peace were romantic ideals. In the nuclear world they are prerequisites for survival. 

Calling yourself practical in the shadows of nukes is polishing the brass on the Titanic.

"and what happens when you go to war and in order to win you surrender the very values you profess to be defending?"

I don't think it's so much the means you use as it is the end that you seek that determine what type of person you are.  As you can tell, I believe the ends justify the means.  If bombing civilians or starving them with blockade can get me victory and save the lives of my countrymen, I'll do it.

It was after the dismissal of Bismarck that Europe became a powder keg due to the completely unrealistic dreams of Kaiser Wilhelm II.  Before that Bismarck had managed to keep relative peace in Europe.  And again, you can't blame one person for what happened during an entire century.

well, I have the same opinion as MT and Evildoer on Bitchmark...

Ralo I hate to tell you this but that is what we call
GENOCIDE.

At least assimilation or cultural genocide anyways.

Nonsense. If you bomb a city then civillians besides those who "shoot" at you will die. 200,000 Germans were burnt to death in Allied bombings in Dresden during WWII, and 300,000 Chinese killed in cold blood by Japanese troops at Nanjing... they did not even bomb, they bayoneted, cut to pieces, shot, pillaged and raped the populace.

Note: 300,000 would be the equivelant of total American military deaths in Civil War.