🚀 go-pugleaf

guesswho wrote:
> 
> klaatu <klaatu@clark.net> wrote:
> 
>                 <SNIPPED>
> 
> >And we can't have that; we're already having too much fun killing each other.
> 
> Right here.
> 
> >Hmmm - I wonder if any of the Kenyans or Tanzanians who lost family in those
> >bombings might be cooking up their own schemes for revenge.
> 
> So,  Genius, what do we do, besides wait for one of our loved ones to
> be killed? If my loved ones are endangered, ANY action I take to
> neutralize that danger is justified.

Sure, as long as your actions are:

1) The right actions, by which I mean based on an assured reality and not on
supposition.

2) Actually neutralize any danger to your loved ones - there's no point in
making a generic target or target-of-opportunity get set as the main goal, as
in revenge or vendetta. 

3) Not irrationally overwhelming in proactive mode, i.e., not based on pure
proactive paranoia. 

> When the terrorist bumb goes off
> that kills your children, I can hear you wailing "You can't do that.
> You can't do that". But your children will be dead and nothing was
> done to protect them.

Maybe that's one reason I have no children. One less thing for me to worry
about. And by the way, wile my own situation never got quite that dire,
believe me I've spent a lot of time recently saying "but they can't _do_
that". They can, and they will, if you let them. 

> 
> Or as Sgt. Ublonski from "Hill Street Blues" would say: "Do it to them
> before they do it to you!"

And here I thought that _I_ was the Head Paranoid of UseNet! Obviously I am
slipping. 

Basically, that "do it to them before they do it to you" is intended inspire
caution, not serve as a justification for proaction, and certainly not as a
justification to basically "nuke everyone before they nuke you". If we did
that we'd find ourselves in the position of someone who axe-murders their
neighborhood just so they can sleep well at night with the doors and windows
open. Sure, once the deed is done nobody's going to wake them up anytime soon,
but once word gets out, pretty damned soon there will be lots of people just
_waiting_ for mr axe-murderer to take a little nappy and then it's lights out
for good. 

To extend this allegory, ideally the guy should have just gotten ear-plugs and
a good dog. To translate, we erect barriers, increase vigilance, in short we
take as many preventative measures as we can within reason. But the days of
sleeping with the doors and windows wide open are gone for good, it would be
safe to say. Best to check the locks from here on in.


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