In reference to Ross Baker's column, "Accidents Are Not War Crimes", on Monday, October 6. Mr. Baker says that to call the airstrike on the hospital in Kunduz a war crime is to equate it to the slaughter of tens of thousands of Jews by the Nazis at Babi Yar during World War II. He says, "Only someone blinded by moral obtuseness would draw such a comparison." Since he is the only one drawing that comparison, he must be talking about himself.
If one soldier executes one prisoner, that is a war crime. If an aircrew knowingly destroys a hospital, that is a war crime. If a National Security Advisor knowingly lies to the American people to start a war, that is the crime of aggressive war, the ultimate war crime.
Mr. Baker tries to have it both ways. He absolves Condoleeza Rice of guilt while telling us that "Some very intellligent members of Congress were duped by bad intelligence supplied by the Bush administration." Didn't Condoleeza Rice supply some of that bad intelligence? Do you remember the aluminum tubes, Mr. Baker, the ones that could only be used for centrifuges which could only produce a nuclear weapon which could only lead to "a mushroom cloud" over the United States? Were Ms. Rice's lies an accident?
The Pentagon has already refused a request from Congress to release the cockpit recordings of the crew that strafed the Doctors Without Borders hospital. Is that to cover up an "accident"?
Mr. Baker, your column is filled with false comparisons and contradictions. You should be ashamed of yourself.
Bill Distler
VFP-111
Bellingham, WA
If one soldier executes one prisoner, that is a war crime. If an aircrew knowingly destroys a hospital, that is a war crime. If a National Security Advisor knowingly lies to the American people to start a war, that is the crime of aggressive war, the ultimate war crime.
Mr. Baker tries to have it both ways. He absolves Condoleeza Rice of guilt while telling us that "Some very intellligent members of Congress were duped by bad intelligence supplied by the Bush administration." Didn't Condoleeza Rice supply some of that bad intelligence? Do you remember the aluminum tubes, Mr. Baker, the ones that could only be used for centrifuges which could only produce a nuclear weapon which could only lead to "a mushroom cloud" over the United States? Were Ms. Rice's lies an accident?
The Pentagon has already refused a request from Congress to release the cockpit recordings of the crew that strafed the Doctors Without Borders hospital. Is that to cover up an "accident"?
Mr. Baker, your column is filled with false comparisons and contradictions. You should be ashamed of yourself.
Bill Distler
VFP-111
Bellingham, WA