This Modern World: And Away We Go -- - Nothing Says "We Care" Like A Tomahawk Missile Strike

[Scootaloo]

64. I don't think you understand the concept of morals.

As I explained, a missile strike at Syria would be - in the very best-case scenario - utterly irrelevant. In the worse scenarios, such a strike makes things worse - For the Syrians and for the other nations in the region and for ourselves. What is an act that causes no benefit to anyone and carries lots of real or potential harm? It's an immoral act, isn't it?

Can you respond to one immoral act with another, and pretend to have taken a moral stance? Of course not, two wrongs don't make a right.

So what I think is going on in your head is that you saw this awful thing happen, and you feel bad. So you think "something needs to be done" that will make you feel better. So you want to blow up some more Syrians, to "make a gesture" or "send a message," so that your conscience can be salved. It's all about you, what you want, how you feel - the people of Syria are just props to the angsty high school play happening inside your conscience.

Look at those "goals" - "do something," "send a message," "make a gesture." They're all very non-substantive, aren't they? Tell me. If Bashar Assad used chemical weapons against Syrians, do you think that throwing a few missiles at him "as a gesture" will make him blush and apologize? "Oops, my bad, won't happen again"? "Tee hee, oh you got me!" "Aw shucks, I guess you're right, I HAVE been naughty!" I can only hope you're not so deluded.

Punishment? You mean like twelve years of sanctions and the occasional hail of missiles "Punished" Saddam's brutality? Exactly what hardship do you imagine Bashar Assad will face, here? Nothing, is what. Several of his soldiers - who, I'm sure it will surprise you, are not evil, terrible subhumans in need of immediate death - will have their innards turned into outtards. With them no doubt hundreds or even thousands of civilians will die because - as it turns out? Explosions aren't very discriminate killers. How fortunate for your freshly-salved conscience then, that you will be able to dismiss the death tolls we create in Syria as nothing more than propaganda.

You want to have a moral position? Apply your fucking brain to a solution for ending the war that's causing the whole problem in the first place, instead of just lazily coasting along with whatever mindless option is handed to you by someone with authority.