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ceejayoz 2 hours ago

"We were just very negligent" is probably not a huge comfort to the kids' families.

https://www.npr.org/2026/08/31/nx-s1-5948118/pentagon-explor...

> Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth gutted a program that's designed to limit the number of civilians killed by American forces. He did that over unanimous objections from top commanders after polling them, according to reporting from ProPublica.

ericmay 2 hours ago | parent [-]

Any given policy choice we make results in bad things happening to someone. War is just politics by other means. If we stand around and do nothing, maybe Iran kills 5000 kids for being homosexual over the next few years? If we close all the coal mines a whole entire state goes on an opioid addiction. If we don’t close the coal mines the environment suffers and people die from pollution. If we don’t kill millions of Japanese soldiers maybe China is still a Japanese colony.

Life is tough. There aren’t perfect answers. Cackling criticism from the safety of the couch doesn’t solve anything.

ceejayoz 2 hours ago | parent [-]

"We got rid of the people who prevent civilian casualties and a bunch of civilians died shortly thereafter" isn't the unpreventable random act of God you're trying to make it out to be.

There are often not perfect answers in life. But there are definitely some wrong ones.

ericmay an hour ago | parent [-]

They aren’t the only people who prevent civilian casualties though. It also doesn’t prevent civilian casualties generally given that civilian casualties have occurred prior to this organization being disbanded.

Anyway let’s talk about the 30,000+ people Iran has murdered. Should they set up a board that prevents their military from killing protestors in person with machine guns?

ceejayoz an hour ago | parent | next [-]

> Anyway let’s talk about the 30,000+ people Iran has murdered.

Iran is already one of the most heavily sanctioned countries on the planet. Do you want us to bomb them? Maybe kill their leadership? I'm sure it'll help.

If you're genuinely interested in preventing mass civilian casualties, I can think of a country doing such a thing we've got a lot more leverage over, with quite a bit of weaponry we supply. The casual dismissal of Hegseth's clear actions to deprioritize civilian protection hints, I think, at how genuine that is.

ericmay an hour ago | parent [-]

> The casual dismissal of Hegseth's clear actions to deprioritize civilian protection hints, I think, at how genuine that is.

Why does it matter if a poorly made point is casually dismissed? Some drummed up organization isn’t in the room doing the drone strike or gathering the intelligence or making the call in the heat of the moment. Those folks have responsibility too, but mistakes in war happen.

> Iran is already one of the most heavily sanctioned countries on the planet. Do you want us to bomb them? Maybe kill their leadership? I'm sure it'll help.

Well we could spend more time focusing on their crimes. Countries around the world could contribute to defeating their autocratic regime.

xethos an hour ago | parent | prev | next [-]

> Anyway let’s talk about the 30,000+ people Iran has murdered

If America wants to play World Police they need to be squeaky clean. Nobody likes a dirty cop. That is the point that's being made, that is the standard America is falling further away from, and that's why Whataboutism isn't the strong argument you think it is.

clipsy an hour ago | parent | prev [-]

Whataboutism is a sign that you've lost the argument in the best of cases, but it's particularly disgusting to attempt to use it to distract from the blood of a hundred murdered children on your own country's hands.

Two wrongs do not, in fact, make a right.

The lesser of two evils is still, in fact, evil.

Be a better person.

ericmay an hour ago | parent [-]

Don’t care for the moral grandstanding. Save that for the dead at the hands of Iran’s murderous regime.

ceejayoz an hour ago | parent | next [-]

> Don’t care for the moral grandstanding.

Followed immediately by moral grandstanding. Art.

clipsy an hour ago | parent | prev [-]

Hilarious that you don't see the hypocrisy in your own post. I have plenty of judgment for Iran's regime, it's a pity you can't bring yourself to condemn child murderers who happen to be from your own country.